Chapter 39 (continued)

Jiang Zhi immediately offered his services. "What's there to arrange? The Spirit Plant you grow are excellent. If you need to take some time off, Old Li and I, along with the disciples, can help look after them. It won't be much trouble."

Shan Heyuan laughed, "I'll only get Spirit Stone for the job, how can I pass my work on to you?"

Jiang Zhi patted his chest. "What kind of relationship do we have? A little tired is fine, brothers should look out for each other."

"Because of what you said, I'll give it a try." Shan Heyuan looked up at him and smiled. "I'll go back and think about it first, and see which plan to use. Don't tell anyone else. I'll let you know when I've made up my mind."

"Okay, make a decision quickly, don't dawdle."

After finishing a day's work, Shan Heyuan rode home on his calico cat.

The Spirit Plant in his house were so well-grown that even with restrictions in place, Spiritual Power would still emanate from them. The neighbors all benefited from this, and the Spiritual Power could be felt in the alleys on both sides, attracting idle cats, dogs, squirrels, and birds to cultivate in the alleys.

After his calico cat dropped him off at home today, he casually lay down in the alley.

These little guys often have conflicts with each other, but they never fight in the alley; they always go outside to fight whenever something happens.

Seeing that they got along well, Shan Heyuan quite liked them.

As I walked among the cats and dogs, listening to all sorts of sounds like meows, barks, and coos, I couldn't resist the urge to squat down and pet the nearest kitten.

He pushed open the courtyard gate and immediately saw Shen Duheng sitting in the courtyard.

The weather was warm, and the Spirit Plant in the yard were growing very well, with much more Spiritual Power than at home. Shen Duheng liked to stay in the yard whenever he had free time.

When Shan Heyuan saw people as soon as he opened the courtyard gate, he wasn't surprised.

Shen Duheng was wiping his sword when Shan Heyuan took a closer look and said, "This is your third sword, isn't it?"

"This is the third sword I've encountered since I met you." Shen Duheng looked at Shan Heyuan. "What good news has happened? Why are you so happy today?"

Shan Heyuan raised his hand and touched his face, laughing, "Is it that obvious?"

Shan Heyuan walked over, sat down next to Shen Duheng, and looked out over the courtyard.

He got back a little late; it's already night.

At this time, the grass is growing tall and the orioles are flying, fireflies are rising everywhere, and the Spirit Plant in the courtyard are rustling – it is a beautiful scene of a spring night.

Since arriving in Sword Reverence City, he has planted so many Spirit Plant and seen so many Spirit Plant gardens, but none of them are as beautiful as his own courtyard.

Especially recently, the soil in the yard was replaced with top-grade spiritual soil, and the Spirit Plant are growing incredibly well.

As a planter, Shan Heyuan would always think to himself whenever he saw the Spirit Plant in his yard that, putting everything else aside, he was definitely a successful planter.

He's doing very well as a planter and wants to continue down this path.

Shan Heyuan turned to look at Shen Duheng.

Shen Duheng glanced at him briefly, but saw that he didn't speak or ask anything.

Shan Heyuan smiled slightly, "Brother Shen, are you free for the next while?"

How long will it take?

"One month."

"Yes. I need to take care of something first, and I'll make time for you starting the day after tomorrow."

Shen Duheng didn't ask, Shan Heyuan took the initiative to explain, "I've been stuck in a bottleneck period for a while now, and I want to retrace the path that Senior Xin Xie walked."

"That's a good idea."

"I think so too. Let's try all the solutions we can think of first, and if none of them work, we'll keep thinking about other options."

With Shen Duheng's matter settled, Shan Heyuan felt at ease.

He went to Huai Liu to ask for leave.

As a teaching assistant, I need to take a relatively long leave, which requires the dean's approval.

When Shan Heyuan knocked on the dean's office door, he felt rather uneasy.

When Huai Liu invited him in with a gentle tone, his heart immediately settled.

Huai Liu: "Assistant Instructor Shan wants to ask for a month's leave to go out and cultivate?"

Shan Heyuan nodded. "Yes. The Spirit Plant gardens for the two classes I'm in charge of have been arranged, the planting instructions have been written in advance, and I've communicated with the two teachers in charge of the classes beforehand. They've both agreed to help me take care of the Spirit Plant."

Huai Liu smiled gently, "Don't be nervous, I just want to know the reason. You're practicing the 'Spring Transformation Art'? Which move are you stuck on?"

Shan Heyuan: "The fourth move, 'Return a Plum for a Peach.'"

Huai Liu understood. "This move is indeed difficult to master. Many people turn to other Cultivation Method because they can't learn it."

Upon hearing that he knew about this Cultivation Method, Shan Heyuan couldn't help but ask, "Does the Dean also know this Cultivation Method? This move has been stuck for me for a long time, and I still have no clue how to do it. I was thinking of asking a senior who had practiced it for advice, but I couldn't find such a cultivator after searching around."

Huai Liu shook his head. "I am a spiritual cultivator and am not familiar with this Cultivation Method. I only know a few old friends from the Sword Reverence Sect and know that they practice this Cultivation Method."

Shan Heyuan asked with delight, "What cultivation level have those seniors reached?"

Huai Liu: "They are all Nascent Soul Cultivator, one traveling far away, and the other in seclusion. Otherwise, I could introduce you to them."

Shan Heyuan was disappointed.

Unexpectedly, just when we thought we had found a way, it turned out to be a dead end.

Huai Liu handed him a jade talisman. "I've approved your leave. I'll grant you one month's leave first. If it's not working out after one month, just let me know. Give this Jade Slip to the steward of your Lan clan to register it."

Shan Heyuan was surprised that he got leave so easily, and respectfully bowed, saying, "Thank you, Dean. I understand."

Huai Liu smiled and said, "Go ahead. Have a safe journey and hope you achieve something."

The work attitude of cultivators is indeed quite different from that of ordinary people on Earth. For cultivators, Spirit Stone and materials are external things; cultivation is the most important thing. Taking leave is not uncommon.

When Shan Heyuan went to register with the deacon, he found that there were many teachers and teaching assistants taking leave, with the teacher who had taken the longest leave having taken thirty years.

However, that teacher was at the Peak Nascent Soul, and it was probably because of this level of cultivation that he was able to take leave for many years without being dismissed.

If he had stayed that long, he probably wouldn't have received this treatment.

Shan Heyuan was no longer a novice cultivator. Before going out, he purchased supplies and made preparations, then reinforced the restrictions in the courtyard, asked his neighbors to keep an eye on the yard, and took the Lightning-Struck Wood Sprout with him before heading out with Shen Duheng.

The continent where Sword Reverence Sect is located is called "Broad and Flat" continent, but it actually has little to do with a vast and flat plain.

This continent is mostly mountains, layer upon layer, close together. Many towns are nestled among these mountains, such as Jingzhishan Town.

A continent with so many mountains isn't without its advantages.

This continent boasts a remarkably diverse climate and landscape, ranging from ice fields to volcanoes, from deserts to dense forests—you can find it anywhere, though the areas vary in size.

Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng retraced the path taken by their senior, Xin Xie, which was a mountain path.

This trip was to find fortuitous opportunity to break through their bottleneck. They didn't have much planning along the way; they just needed to retrace the route from years ago. So they just went wherever the road took them, without any specific campsites.

Shan Heyuan is currently just one step away from reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, while Shen Duheng is already at the Late Core Formation. With their cultivation levels and wealth, as long as they don't go to particularly dangerous places, they can go to any corner without much trouble.

On their first day in the mountains, Shan Heyuan felt a little out of sorts, and they set up camp early in the evening.

The campsite was on a hillside, next to a small pond, and the ground beneath their feet was a large rock.

It has water, flat land, and is sheltered from the wind; the location is excellent.

After spending a day in the mountains, they dug up many Spirit Plant and hunted a lot of prey, making it a considerable harvest.

Therefore, Shan Heyuan was in a particularly good mood. He even took out a stove from his storage bracelet, fetched some spiritual spring water, and started a fire on the spot to boil water and brew tea.

Shen Duheng held up the tea he had brewed. "How was it? Did your trip into the mountains today leave you with any impressions?"

On his first day in the mountains, Shen Duheng asked the question casually, not really expecting him to gain anything.