Page 69

"I thought Assistant Instructor Shan was interested in Linglan. Our Dean Huai is a master at cultivating Linglan. If Assistant Instructor Shan has any questions, he can just ask the Dean directly. I'm sure the Dean will be happy to answer them."

Despite Shan Heyuan being only a third-grade plant master with Foundation Establishment cultivation, after he successfully cultivated the Verdant Dwelling Grass, everyone in the Planting Institute felt a subtle sense of admiration for him, and they were always more enthusiastic when talking to him than when talking to others.

After the incident with Verdant Dwelling Grass, he had gained some face with Huai Liu, so if he went to ask for advice, he might actually get some guidance.

The monk in the library was kind-hearted. Shan Heyuan thanked him and borrowed the book, then read it through the night.

As for asking Huai Liu for advice, let's wait until we encounter a problem that we can't solve.

The dean's cultivation level was too high and his status too important; Shan Heyuan didn't really want to bother him.

This kind of person isn't like the old man next door; bothering them too much will come at a price.

Shan Heyuan is a pragmatic person. When he grows Spirit Plant, his first requirement is that they are useful. Ornamental Spirit Plant are not currently within his scope of cultivation, so he has not had much contact with Spirit Plant such as orchids.

The pursuit of cultivating spirit orchids is quite different from that of cultivating other Spirit Plant. Spirit orchids require a beautiful plant shape, rare flowers, and preferably an unusual fragrance.

Shan Heyuan wasn't interested in this and simply skipped over the related content when he saw it.

What interests him most is the substrate for growing orchids.

Peat moss, fern roots, ceramsite... there are many kinds of substrates that Linglan orchid enthusiasts use to grow Linglan orchids, including some strange and unusual types.

Without a doubt, these base materials are substitutes for spirit soil; even if they cannot completely replace it, they replace a large portion of it.

Shan Heyuan read until midnight, and when he woke up the next day, he was yawning profusely.

Shen Duheng wasn't home, and he was too lazy to stay there any longer. After getting up and washing up, he summoned a long-haired white cat with heterochromia in the alley, rode it to the market outside, bought a bottle of Grain Avoidance Pill, casually took one, and went to the academy.

He arrived too early; most people hadn't arrived yet, and the Planting Institute was quiet.

He pushed open the gate to the Class C Spirit Plant Garden, waved the restriction talisman in his hand at the garden, and strode inside.

He took excellent care of the Spirit Plant in the garden; the rows of Spirit Plant on the shelves were lush and vibrant with life.

He glanced around and went to look at the Gold-Spotted Spirit Orchid first.

The row of Gold-Spotted Spirit Orchid on the shelf are all growing very well, with gracefully drooping leaves and thick, lush, green moss piled up at their base.

Shan Heyuan reached out and touched it.

The moss was very moist, and his fingertips were covered in water imbued with the Spiritual Qi of the moss.

Shan Heyuan's heart stirred slightly, and he reached out to touch the soil in the other Spirit Plant pots.

His Spirit Plant garden operates on a fixed schedule. Except for a few Spirit Plant that don't like water, he waters the others almost every day with a mist of spirit liquid.

Plants have a powerful transpiration rate, and even Spirit Plant are no exception.

He watered the plant using only a misty spray, not by pouring too much water, leaving the Spirit Plant submerged. The soil in the Spirit Plant's pot was almost completely dry the next day after watering.

He touched it, then rubbed the soil between his fingers.

The soil moisture content is not high; at least, you can't feel any obvious dampness.

This shows that moss has an impressive water storage capacity.

After inspecting the area, he had a clear idea of what to do. He took out a portion of the moss from the Gold-Spotted Spirit Orchid and used "Gentle Breeze" to quickly promote its growth, growing the coin-sized moss to the size of a plate.

Instead of putting the newly sprouted moss back into the flowerpot, he took a separate tray and placed it directly into the tray.

The moss used in Spirit Plant Garden has no roots, only rhizoids used for anchoring.

Placed on the tray, this piece looks pleasing to the eye with its vibrant green color.

I didn't have time to water it today, and the newly sprouted moss feels very dry to the touch.

Shan Heyuan used the image stones to record their condition, then put them aside and began his daily watering routine.

Today, he didn't use the spiritual spring water directly. Instead, he used the method of turning spiritual liquid into mist to envelop the Spirit Plant until the leaves of the Spirit Plant became slightly damp.

Springtime is busier than other seasons, and as an assistant instructor, Shan Heyuan needs to prepare more Spirit Plant for his disciples than usual.

After watering the plants, he quickly went off to do other things.

He was so busy that it wasn't until evening that he finally had a moment to check on the moss that had sprouted that morning and to record its moisture level.

When he watered the plants in the morning, he deliberately transformed into a spiritual mist, yet no obvious water droplets were visible when he poured the water.

The moss was shrouded in mist, and it was indeed damp to the touch in the morning, but it was just damp; you couldn't squeeze any water out of it.

But now it's different. He gently pressed down with his fingertip, and the moss immediately gushed out water.

He used his Divine Sense to examine the water in the moss and found that it was indeed water, not spiritual liquid; at most, it contained a faint trace of Spiritual Qi.

It is evident that the moss absorbed the spiritual mist before "spitting it out," indicating that it had digested it.

Upon closer inspection, Shan Heyuan discovered that the moss's leaves were very rough.

These rough leaves catch the mist, gather it into water, and then slowly absorb it all.

He weighed the moss in his hand and could clearly feel that it was much heavier than it had been in the morning, about twice as heavy.

This kind of data cannot be easily estimated.

He specifically found a scale, weighed the moss, and then carefully recorded the weight.

After finishing his notes, he took out a box of soft paper from his storage ring and gently pressed it onto the moss.

The paper is very absorbent. After absorbing the water several times, the water from the moss was mostly absorbed. Then, pressing the paper back on didn't make it wet.

So he wrote it down again.

Shan Heyuan was conducting experiments alone in the Spirit Plant garden.

By the time he got the data he wanted, and was satisfied enough to close the gate of the Spirit Plant Garden and prepare to leave, it was already completely dark.

He rushed back early the next morning.

This time, he went straight to the moss as soon as he entered the Spirit Plant garden.

After a night, when I touched the moss again, I was surprised to find that water could be squeezed out of it.

This moss has an amazing ability to store water!

It used up all the water it vomited yesterday afternoon, and it still had some left today!

Moss is so powerful that it can completely replace spirit soil as a planting substrate!

Thinking this, Shan Heyuan could no longer sit still. He put the moss on the table, hurriedly closed the door of the Spirit Plant Garden, and walked out.

As he walked out, he ran into Jiang Zhi, who had just finished class.

Seeing his flushed face, hurried steps, and overall excitement, Jiang Zhi reached out and grabbed him. "Where are you going?"

Shan Heyuan: "I need to go out for a bit. Please ask for leave for me."

Jiang Zhi: "What's wrong? You're in such a bind, do you need our help?"

Shan Heyuan: "No need, I'll be back soon. I'll tell you when I get back."

After leaving the Planting Institute, Shan Heyuan immediately tossed his spirit sword into the air, nimbly jumped onto it, and headed towards Sword Reverence City along the flight path.

Sword Reverence City is extremely large, with many streets and alleys.

Shan Heyuan flew on his sword to the flower and bird market closest to the Sword Reverence Academy.

This flower and bird market is located near the Sword Reverence Academy, so it's quite popular and large.

Shan Heyuan had been here before to buy earthworms and spirit fertilizer. Now, when he came again, he walked into the largest orchid shop as if he knew the way well.

The cultivators in the shop greeted him as soon as they saw him, but before they could speak, he asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you have moss here?"

"Yes," the cultivator readily replied. "We have most of the moss that Linglan needs. Which kind do you prefer, fellow cultivator?"

Without hesitation, Shan Heyuan, "Give me a little of each! How many kinds do you have?"

The cultivator hadn't expected him to be so arrogant and reminded him, "There are a total of seventy-three types, both commonly used and not commonly used, several of which cost over a thousand Spirit Stone each. Do you want them all, fellow cultivator?"

Thousands of Spirit Stone!

Shan Heyuan gasped, mentally calculating the Spirit Stone he had. "Take them all out and let me see them."