Chapter 74 (continued)

They've been here for five years now, and they don't know when they'll be able to go back.

I've heard that a new batch of cultivators, all scions of the Aristocratic Clan, have risen to prominence in Sword Reverence City.

They were transferred away from Sword Reverence City precisely because they came from commoner backgrounds, making room for the sons of the Aristocratic Clan.

Jiang Zhi also told Shan Heyuan that Lin Ji used to be the senior disciple of the Sword Reverence Sect, but now he no longer holds that position. Sword Reverence Sect has chosen a new senior disciple, and he, the former senior disciple, has been "exiled" to the outside world.

Their current situation is truly lamentable.

Jiu Mingyue and the others are doing well; overall, they are living a relatively peaceful life and probably don't need their help.

Jiang Zhi and Li Jian are different; staying on the edge of the dead city, they certainly lack the resources for cultivation.

Having wandered in the chaotic world for so long, Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng knew best how difficult it was to cultivate when resources were scarce. Therefore, Shan Heyuan replied to Jiang Zhi, telling him that they were currently staying in the Spirit Jade Palace and that if Jiang Zhi and the others were willing, they could come to the Spirit Jade Palace and open a Spirit Plant garden outside Fujiang City.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng have some supplies on hand. They can't say for sure about other things, but renting a Spirit Plant garden for their friends and settling them down temporarily shouldn't be a problem.

After sending the letter, Shan Heyuan was not sure if Jiang Zhi and Li Jian would come, but he still bought a large Spirit Plant garden at the foot of the mountain to prepare to receive everyone.

Some lower-level Spirit Plant are inconvenient to plant in the Dantian Small World, taking up too much space, so they can be planted in the Spirit Plant garden below.

Especially for some experimental spiritual herbs, planting them in the Spirit Plant garden can eliminate interference from the complete Heavenly Dao, which would be more suitable.

The situation outside is getting more and more chaotic, but Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng are doing alright.

Shen Duheng's cultivation with the Sky-Soaring Pill has been quite effective. He is now progressing steadily and is just one step away from entering the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.

Entering the Tribulation Transcendence Stage requires a trigger, and it's unknown where Shen Duheng's trigger lies. Shan Heyuan hopes that Shen Duheng can successfully Tribulation Transcendence before they officially face Ji Li.

However, whether or not they can successfully interpret fate is not something they can control.

Shan Heyuan planted a large number of Spirit Plant in his Dantian Small World. These Spirit Plant released rich and pure Spiritual Power, which allowed him to cultivate quickly and steadily.

He faced no bottlenecks in his advancement; he simply waited for his Spiritual Power to accumulate.

He might reach the Middle Spirit Transformation Stage in three to five years.

This speed is terrifying, and there's not much room for further improvement, so cultivation isn't his focus at this stage.

He recently wanted to cultivate a batch of suitable staple foods and promote them to alleviate the current situation of insufficient Spiritual Power and increasingly acute conflicts in the cultivation world. This is also one of the reasons why he hoped Jiang Zhi and Li Jian would come.

Jiang Zhi and Li Jian are both instructors at the Sword Reverence Academy, and their professional skills are absolutely top-notch. With their help, he can better cultivate the Spirit Plant he wants.

After receiving the letter, Jiang Zhi carefully considered it for several days before replying to Shan Heyuan, expressing his willingness to come. However, he and Li Jian might bring Lin Ji and Sheng Chao along, and asked Shan Heyuan if he minded.

Although bringing two disciples along was a bit of a surprise to Shan Heyuan, Lin Ji and Sheng Chao were both very capable in combat and leadership, and could be considered outstanding talents. Their willingness to come to their side meant they could definitely help with many things.

Shan Heyuan agreed, telling Jiang Zhi that he could bring whoever he wanted, the more the merrier, as he had plenty of space to accommodate them all.

Sure enough, Jiang Zhi and his group arrived from the Guangping Continent a few days later.

After not seeing each other for more than a decade, everyone was deeply moved upon meeting again.

After exchanging pleasantries, Jiang Zhi looked at Shan Heyuan in surprise. "How did your cultivation improve so quickly? I can't even keep up with it using my sword. Now, if I see you outside, I should probably call you senior, right?"

Shan Heyuan: "I don't mind if you call me senior, I really am your senior."

Jiang Zhi's eyes widened. "You actually believe it?"

Shan Heyuan laughed, "It's not that I want to admit it. Come, come, sit down and I'll tell you slowly."

Their identities will be revealed sooner or later, and they may even run into Ji Li in the future, so it's better to make things clear beforehand to avoid any unexpected problems.

Everyone sat down, Shan Heyuan explained his and Shen Duheng's identities, and then talked about what they had encountered over the years.

Jiang Zhi and his companions were completely taken aback by this inside story. They listened intently without blinking, their eyes wide with disbelief. Jiang Zhi's face was filled with an expression that said, "This is acceptable too."

After explaining the whole story, Shan Heyuan was so hoarse from talking that he picked up his cup and took a sip of water. "That's how it is. I didn't dare tell you before because I was afraid that Ji Li would cause you trouble. But now that the world is in chaos, Ji Li is too busy to take care of himself, and our cultivation has improved, so we don't have that worry anymore."

After he finished speaking, the group remained silent for a long while, unable to utter a word.

This is truly shocking.

Dressed in all black, Sheng Chao asked, "Do you two seniors have anything to prove your identities?"

Lin Ji added from the side, "Xiao Chao means that since such a big thing has happened, it would be best to produce evidence and announce it to the world, so that we can condemn Ji Li in the future."

Shen Duheng: "The evidence has long been lost to the river of time; there is no evidence now."

Jiang Zhi: "The fact that you're still alive is the biggest proof. There are so many people in the cultivation world, and it's not like there aren't any old acquaintances. Ji Li can't cover up everything with one hand."

Li Jian: "I think so too. In the cultivation world, strength is paramount. If you're not strong enough, having evidence is useless. If you're strong enough, someone will naturally be willing to investigate."

Jiang Zhi: "But we still have to spread the word. Ji Li's behavior of usurping someone else's place is despicable!"

Shan Heyuan: "We'll promote it when we have some free time, but we don't have time right now."

After listening, Sheng Chao said, "If you two seniors trust me, please leave this matter to me and A-Ji."

Shan Heyuan was somewhat surprised that Sheng Chao would take the initiative to take responsibility.

Jiang Zhi explained, "Xiao Chao is quite good at handling these things. We've always had Xiao Chao handle external affairs, so entrusting things to him shouldn't be a problem."

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng exchanged a glance and agreed, "We'll draft a set of rules."

Sheng Chao: "We'll draft it, and then we'll show it to the two seniors tomorrow."

Shan Heyuan hadn't expected these two juniors to be so enthusiastic, immediately starting to get to work as soon as they arrived.

It seems that the disciples from back then have long since grown up and taken on responsibilities.

Shan Heyuan said, "Then thank you for your hard work. You should rest for a bit, and we'll discuss it again tomorrow."

Shan Heyuan led a few people to rest in the Spirit Plant garden.

Since everyone has traveled a long way to seek refuge here, Shan Heyuan certainly wouldn't let them stay at the Spirit Jade Palace.

If the name is not correct, the words will not be proper. They are his guests, not guests of the Spirit Jade Palace. Staying in the Spirit Jade Palace is not the right thing to do.

Fortunately, the Spirit Plant Garden has been cleaned up, so we can just go there to stay now, which isn't too much trouble.

Shan Heyuan currently has a sufficient supply of Spirit Stone, and the Spirit Plant garden he bought is quite large, covering 963 acres.

It was summer, Spirit Plant garden was lush and green. A Spirit Plant through the air, a truly delightful experience.

Standing in the garden, Jiang Zhi looked at the Spirit Plant and couldn't help but sigh, "Having grown accustomed to seeing thousands of miles of scorched earth, it's a little strange to suddenly see such well-maintained Spirit Plant."

Shan Heyuan: "You've worked hard."

Jiang Zhi: "I didn't do anything, so how could I dare to call it hard work? It's alright in normal times, but in times of chaos, you realize that planters are really useless."

Shan Heyuan: "How could it not be effective? It's precisely because we've entered a chaotic era that we, as planters, are needed to grow enough food. The Spirit Plant I grow here are all newly cultivated Spirit Plant, with exceptionally strong vitality. The spiritual soil beneath them is low-grade, and they're growing very well."

"I was wondering why I couldn't quite recognize it?" Jiang Zhi, intrigued by the new type of Spirit Plant, stepped forward and crouched down to examine it. "This looks a bit like Yangdai Grain), I've grown it before."

Shan Heyuan: "This spiritual herb is called Wunuo Grain. It was cultivated using Yangdai Grain, with Wunuo Grass as its base. It contains several kinds of Spirit Plant. After cultivation, it has a short growth period, strong vitality, and is resistant to insects and diseases. As long as there is enough spiritual liquid and Fertilizer Pill, it can grow even in a dead city with no Spiritual Power at all, and it can produce grains of good quality."