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Unexpectedly, Shan Heyuan said, "I think my previous line of thinking was wrong."

Shen Duheng an eyebrow, signaling him to explain in detail.

Shan Heyuan put down his cup and began gesturing on the stone.

"Didn't I say before that 'Return a Plum for a Peach' was a bit hard to understand? I think I might have been using the wrong Spirit Plant. If I had used the right ones, it would be much easier to understand."

"For example, the three moves 'Spring Breeze Blows Gently,' 'Rising Sun Ascends in the East Spring Breeze Turns to Rain' are classic planting techniques, belonging to a very traditional cultivation approach. For planting masters, even if they don't practice these three moves or the 'Spring Transformation Art Cultivation Method,' they will still have similar moves when practicing other planting Cultivation Method."

"But as for 'Return a Plum for a Peach,' I don't think it belongs to the conventional planting Cultivation Method."

"Brother Shen, you know me. I'm not lazy when it comes to cultivation. When I was practicing 'Return a Plum for a Peach,' although the Cultivation Method clearly explained how to circulate Spiritual Power and how to use the mental method, it always felt awkward to use. I was always a little off and couldn't execute the move. I even had a feeling that the harder I tried to cultivate, the more something felt wrong."

"Therefore, I'm wondering if the problem isn't with me, but with the Spirit Plant?"

Shan Heyuan explained his thought process in detail, his tone gentle yet convincing.

Shen Duheng looked at his face. "That makes sense."

Having received approval, Shan Heyuan continued speaking.

"We walked for so long in the mountains today, and most of the Spirit Plant were easy to dig up, but the Spirit Plant that were hard to dig up were particularly powerful. For example, the Nine-Section Thunder Grass we encountered tried to stretch out its branches to whip us from a distance."

Shan Heyuan squinted. "Since you're a planter, you need to deal with both gentle and powerful Spirit Plant. So, from the perspective of a planter's cultivation approach, you can't be completely without any means of self-defense, can you?"

"I think the 'Return a Plum for a Peach' tactic might be a self-defense strategy employed by the planter. You see, it says to control the 'meridians' of the Spirit Plant to create resonance. Ordinary Spirit Plant have such weak consciousness, no offensive power, and hardly any meridians to speak of. Trying to control something that doesn't exist is naturally extremely difficult."

"Using Spirit Plant like the Nine-Section Thunder Grass for cultivation makes sense. They're not ordinary Spirit Plant at all; they have a certain degree of self-awareness and are more like Demon Cultivator. They've also developed certain meridians within their bodies. So I'm wondering if 'Return a Plum for a Peach' might be referring to this situation?"

The "Spring Transformation Art" that Shan Heyuan obtained was not the complete version. Xin Xie's "Spring Transformation Art" has seventeen forms and can be cultivated up to the Nascent Soul.

The copy of "The Spring Transformation Art" in his hand was a later rewrite, with only the first twelve forms remaining; the rest had been lost.

This book is not the original version, and much of its content has been lost, so it's possible that some crucial parts have been omitted.

Shen Duheng: "That's a possibility. We'll find out the actual situation by trying it out tomorrow."

Shan Heyuan smiled and said, "That's what I was thinking too, but Brother Shen, I have a favor to ask you."

"I came out with you just to assist you, so just say what you need."

"I don't have many offensive methods, and those Spirit Plant that lean towards Demon Cultivator are quite powerful. It's probably not feasible for me to just force my way in and cultivate. I'd like to ask you to find Spirit Plant that leans towards Demon Cultivator tomorrow and help me completely suppress them before I start cultivating."

This wasn't a big deal, and Shen Duheng readily agreed.

Having achieved such results on the first day of their trip into the mountains, Shan Heyuan was very satisfied and felt much less anxious than before.

After settling the business, he took out the game he had hunted that day and various seasonings, planning to have a picnic in the mountains.

The nights in the mountains are not quiet; the sounds of monkeys, wild deer, pigs, sheep, and other mythical creatures can be heard, and the campfire in front of them crackles.

Having grown accustomed to living in towns, hearing such sounds occasionally is quite charming, even a bit rustic.

Shan Heyuan arranged the prepared dishes. "I'm reminded of the days we Xinglan Mountain."

"Those days were truly wonderful. With no worries on my mind, I could focus entirely on cultivation, and I actually felt quite relaxed."

"Yes, those were days when there was so much to look forward to. You'd wake up knowing you could make progress again, unlike the uncertainty we feel now. But we're doing alright now, even though we're currently in a plateau. Once we get through this, we'll definitely be on an upward trajectory."

You did not experience a bottleneck period before reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.

Shan Heyuan chuckled, "Then what about this period of my life?"

"Your cultivation level isn't bottlenecked; you're just stuck on your techniques. If you switch to a different Cultivation Method, you should see a breakthrough in about half a month."

"Speaking of which, why did you initially think of having me learn the 'Spring Transformation Art'? You seem quite proficient in it."

Shen Duheng said calmly, "When I was young, I saw that disciples from major sects who aspired to become plant growers all chose this Cultivation Method. At the time, I didn't have any other reliable Cultivation Method, so choosing this one couldn't be wrong, and that's why I let you choose it."

Upon hearing this, Shan Heyuan couldn't help but raise his glass. "Luckily, you were there to guide me, otherwise I don't know how many detours I would have taken. Let me toast you."

They were drinking spiritual wine, which wasn't very intoxicating; instead, it replenished their Spiritual Power and relieved their fatigue.

They both drank several cups of wine, then each took out their bedding, quickly set up a simple tent, and slept in the tent on the rock.

Shan Heyuan slept soundly. When he woke up the next morning, the distant mountain peaks were already bathed in a golden glow from the sunlight.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, birds were singing, and a mountain breeze was blowing, making it incredibly cool and refreshing.

Shan Heyuan stood outside the tent, opening his arms to welcome the wind, thinking that if he weren't so busy with work, it would be quite pleasant to go for a walk in the mountains more often when he had free time.

Having something to do today, the two casually ate two Grain Avoidance Pills and continued their journey.

Shan Heyuan asked Shen Duheng to find him Qi Refining Realm demonic plant.

It wasn't that he lacked confidence or couldn't defeat Foundation Establishment Realm demonic plant; it was just that he had only just begun cultivating and there was no need to make his cultivation more difficult. He decided to start from the Qi Refining Realm.

After hearing his idea, Shen Duheng took him on a sword journey to the depths of the mountains.

The surrounding mountains are all ordinary small hills, and there are no particularly powerful demons living in them.

Shen Duheng immediately spread his Divine Sense to search for the target plant.

Shan Heyuan often spent time with Shen Duheng, but he didn't know much about Shen Duheng's cultivation progress.

Today, as soon as he unleashed his Divine Sense, it swept across the entire mountain like a giant wave, vast and mighty, just like sunlight shining on the mountaintop. In an instant, the entire mountain was enveloped by his Divine Sense.

Having spent so long at the Sword Reverence Academy, Shan Heyuan is not exactly an ignorant person.

Sensing such a powerful Divine Sense, he immediately knew that his Brother Shen's Divine Sense was probably far beyond his displayed realm, at least at the Nascent Soul Late Stage Divine Sense stage.

Or perhaps he was a powerful being before becoming Sword Spirit, and his cultivation level dropped after becoming Sword Spirit, but his Divine Sense didn't change much?

Shan Heyuan made some guesses in his mind, but quickly realized that now was not the time to explore this. So he quickly regained his composure and waited with bright eyes for Shen Duheng to find the target Spirit Plant.

Before long, Shen Duheng led him to speed up and head southeast.

They flew over a large patch of demonic plants.

The demonic plant grew on the hillside, in a large patch, fiery red, and as tall as Shan Heyuan's knees.

He recognized the unusual plant at a glance—it was called Ghost Bud Grass.

This demonic plant is extremely powerful; it will indiscriminately attack any creature that passes by, from birds in the sky to beasts on the ground, and even insects burrowing in the soil. As long as they encounter it, they will attack.

Perhaps because they typically grow on sunny mountain slopes or in the Gobi Desert where the soil is not very fertile, they cannot obtain the necessary growth elements from the soil and can only supplement their nutrition by "eating meat".

Shen Duheng: "Qi Refining Seventh Stage demonic plant, is that alright? Or should we look for another kind?"