Chapter 9

His meridians were still fragile, and ordinarily he would have found it difficult to absorb so much spiritual power. But the spiritual power surged out of his Dantian in waves like a tide, flowed through his meridians, and returned to the Remaining Tranquility Grass. Though the surge was vast and powerful, it would not burst his meridians.

He adjusted briefly and soon grew accustomed to the sensation.

The spiritual power in the Remaining Tranquility Grass was so abundant that it was ten or a hundred times greater than what he drew directly from his surroundings when he cultivated. Cultivating with it was much more efficient, too.

At that moment, Shan Heyuan suddenly understood why those geniuses cultivated so quickly.

With so much spiritual power supplied around the clock, it would have been strange if they weren't fast!

After the Spiritual Qi completed three Greater Celestial Circuits, Shan Heyuan opened his eyes and looked at Shen Duheng with delight.

Shen Duheng asked, "How's your Dantian?"

Shan Heyuan placed a hand on his lower abdomen and carefully sensed the state of his Dantian for a moment, then described what he felt to Shen Duheng. "It's very full, but I can still bear it. Brother Shen, my cultivation was so much more efficient just now!"

Shen Duheng nodded. "Remaining Tranquility Grass contains a great deal of Spiritual Qi. It does help with cultivation. Take it out first."

Shan Heyuan took out the Remaining Tranquility Grass and held it in his hand, examining it.

The Remaining Tranquility Grass was still a vibrant green, its leaves full and upright. Even its fragile green bud looked no different from when he had put it in. It was in excellent condition; it seemed that Shan Heyuan's use of its Spiritual Qi to cultivate had not affected it at all.

Shen Duheng took the Remaining Tranquility Grass and examined it carefully. "It hasn't changed much, and it contains about as much Spiritual Qi as before."

Shan Heyuan said, "I think so too. It's very well suited to my Dantian."

Shen Duheng looked thoughtful. "Put it back in and try cultivating the Spring Transformation Art."

Without another word, Shan Heyuan drew the Remaining Tranquility Grass back into his Dantian and circulated the Spring Transformation Art's cultivation formula.

The Spring Transformation Art was a Cultivation Method specifically for growing plants, and it was very good for spirit herbs. Whenever Shan Heyuan cultivated it, he could feel the plants around him becoming more active.

This time, however, the spirit herb was inside his body. He didn't know whether it would still work.

Shan Heyuan sat cross-legged on the rock and began cultivating in earnest, following the cultivation formula to draw on the spiritual power within him and circulate it slowly.

He focused on sensing the state of his Dantian. Before long, he discovered that the Remaining Tranquility Grass inside it had grown more active and was even a little delighted.

Spirit Plants were conscious.

In fact, all plants were conscious, but most had very weak consciousness and could only convey their feelings in simple ways.

After cultivating the Spring Transformation Art, he had gradually become able to receive the thoughts plants sent him, such as thirst, hunger, too much sun, or the presence of insects.

This simple communication with plants alone had raised his planting skills by more than two levels.

Even when he encountered unfamiliar Spirit Plants, he gradually came to know how to care for them.

The thoughts conveyed by the Remaining Tranquility Grass in his Dantian were roughly that it was doing well and that the place it was in was very comfortable.

Shan Heyuan opened his eyes and told Shen Duheng everything he had sensed, holding nothing back.

After listening, Shen Duheng said, "The Remaining Tranquility Grass likes your Dantian very much, and you don't feel any discomfort from having a spirit herb in your Dantian."

Shan Heyuan said, "That's right! With the Remaining Tranquility Grass in my Dantian, I cultivate much faster! It's even better than taking spirit pills!"

He had never taken a spirit pill, but he had heard Ma Rupei, Zhong Shuran, and the others describe what it felt like.

Taking a spirit pill was like consuming concentrated spiritual power. It allowed one's cultivation to advance a thousand miles in a single day, yielding great progress.

Unfortunately, spirit pills were expensive, and they also contained pill toxins. Taking too many could easily make one's cultivation realm unstable, so no one recommended taking spirit pills directly.

Shen Duheng said thoughtfully, "Perhaps it's because you have a Chaos Spirit Root, which can encompass all things. We'll look through the records again when we get back."

Shan Heyuan said, "I think so too. Brother Shen, does this mean I can keep spirit herbs in my Dantian to help me cultivate?"

Shen Duheng said, "Let's test it first. I'll cultivate with you over the next few days."

Shan Heyuan said happily, "Thank you, Brother Shen!"

Chapter 9

The land lay still beneath the moonlight.

The evening breeze blew in through the open window, bringing a coolness to the room.

On the bed, Shan Heyuan lay fast asleep with his hands resting on his abdomen. Suddenly, he frowned and snapped his eyes open.

He rolled over and sat up, flung aside the thin blanket covering him, and took something directly from his lower abdomen-

It was none other than the Remaining Tranquility Grass he had put inside earlier.

The spirit herb, which had spent some time in his Dantian, looked wilted. The green bud at its tip drooped listlessly, as though it were about to wither.

Shan Heyuan touched the bud. The Remaining Tranquility Grass trembled beneath his hand, frantically conveying all sorts of messages to him: "Thirsty, hungry, want sunlight, want a gentle breeze."

If he didn't satisfy its needs, the weakened Remaining Tranquility Grass would probably die in another two hours.

His face grave, Shan Heyuan stood up and hurried outside, cradling the Remaining Tranquility Grass.

The creak of the opening door sounded especially loud in the quiet night.

Shan Heyuan reached out to steady the door and stop it from vibrating, then flashed outside and headed into the courtyard.

Bright moonlight filled the courtyard.

Shan Heyuan swept his gaze around and instantly found a spot for the Remaining Tranquility Grass.

The spirit field he had previously cleared had not yet been fully planted.

It was just the place to transplant the Remaining Tranquility Grass.

Holding the Remaining Tranquility Grass, Shan Heyuan went to the spirit field and quickly dug a hole. He placed the grass in it, covered its roots with soil, then grabbed a watering can and swiftly watered it to settle the roots.

As soon as the Remaining Tranquility Grass touched the soil, it plunged its fine, dense roots deep into the earth and frantically absorbed all manner of substances from it.

It was starving.

Shan Heyuan quietly observed the Remaining Tranquility Grass.

A few minutes later, its leaves unfurled a little.

That wasn't enough.

Shan Heyuan took a few Spirit Gathering Talismans from the windowsill and quickly set up a small Spirit Gathering Formation for the Remaining Tranquility Grass.

After setting up the formation, he stood before the Remaining Tranquility Grass and began practicing the Spring Transformation Art, his expression grave.

The Spring Transformation Art was divided into a cultivation formula and moves.

The moves were not meant for fighting enemies, but for helping Spirit Plants grow.

Its first move was called Spring Breeze Blows Gently. When used on Spirit Plants, it could help them absorb and regulate spiritual power.

Like humans, Spirit Plants had meridians. Spiritual power traveled through those meridians, nourishing the entire plant.

But ordinary Spirit Plants lacked complete self-awareness and could not cultivate. The spiritual power they absorbed would make a simple circuit before dissipating again, so its nourishing effect was very limited.

A grower's task was to guide spiritual power to nourish every vein, circulating it through those channels and improving the plants' efficiency in using it.

Shan Heyuan had only learned the first move a short time ago and had little practice with it.

This was his first time using Spring Breeze Blows Gently on a Spirit Plant at Qi Refining Great Perfection.

There was no time to worry about that now. If it didn't recover soon, it might wither.

He paid no mind to the soil, still wet from watering, and sat cross-legged before the Remaining Tranquility Grass. He drew spiritual power into his body, circulated it once through his meridians, then set it moving along a particular path.

The spiritual power settled on the Remaining Tranquility Grass and followed that same particular path within it.

Perhaps because the Remaining Tranquility Grass had spent some time in his Dantian, it was very easy to make their spiritual power resonate.

Although Shan Heyuan was only at Qi Refining Third Stage, the Remaining Tranquility Grass's Qi Refining Great Perfection level posed almost no obstacle to him.

One breath, one cycle.

Shan Heyuan's spiritual power set the Remaining Tranquility Grass's spiritual power moving slowly.

The Remaining Tranquility Grass grew healthier and healthier. Its leaves became full again, its stem grew firm and upright, and the green bud at its tip opened a little, revealing its delicate face.

It looked ready to bloom beneath the moonlight at any moment.

Shan Heyuan stopped circulating the art and withdrew his spiritual power.

He had practiced it so many times that the meridians throughout his body ached painfully from the strain, but he paid it no attention.