wan hua dao xian

Chapter 5

Giving up the idea of nurturing medicinal herbs, Li Xiuxian sat on the grass, absorbing the spiritual energy from the black soil. After about half an hour of deep meditation, the two ginseng plants, as if shedding old skin, transformed. The previously coarse and yellowish outer layer was shed, revealing a rejuvenated appearance. The initially shriveled ginseng plants became moist and smooth, resembling the skin of a newborn baby. After two hours, two leaves sprouted from the top, and in the center of each leaf, a pale red bud appeared. After three hours, the buds bloomed, and two tiny seeds fell to the ground, taking root and sprouting.

Upon waking from his meditative state, Li Xiuxian discovered two additional ginseng plants by his side. Their appearance, both in terms of aesthetics and fragrance, far surpassed the original ones.

"These... are hundred-year-old ginseng plants!" Li Xiuxian exclaimed.

The two ginseng plants he had cultivated were crystal clear, adorned with clusters of red spikes on top. For cultivators, ginseng was initially irrelevant for the first hundred years. However, after a century, a transformation occurred, making ginseng of this age a crucial ingredient for many elixirs.

It was rumored that the primary ingredient for the most commonly used Qi Concentration Pill, a pill that cultivators often consumed, was ginseng that had aged over five hundred years!

Finding ginseng plants over a hundred years old was already challenging. Currently, it was almost impossible to find ginseng over five hundred years old. As a result, the ingredients for Qi Concentration Pills became scarce, and their prices soared.

Li Xiuxian stared at the two hundred-year-old ginseng plants in his hands. With these, he could exchange for a considerable amount of spiritual stones. He could use the stones to buy more Qi Concentration Pills for Xiu Yuan and Shui Yao. The days of financial struggle in the Li family could be improved.

Determined, Li Xiuxian took the two ginseng plants out of the Wanhua Pearl, found two jade boxes, carefully placed the ginseng inside to prevent the medicinal properties from dissipating, wrapped them in black cloth, and hung them over his shoulder. Without arousing suspicion, he discreetly left the Li residence.

This time, Li Xiuxian's destination was the Qingmu Square City, approximately three hundred miles away from the Li family. It was the nearest cultivation market to the Li family, a place Li Xiuxian had visited with his father once. He had never imagined he would have the opportunity to return there, and certainly not in the capacity of a seller.

Chapter 3: The Secrets of the Wanhua Pearl

A night of meditation not only solidified Li Xiuxian's cultivation but also purified the spiritual power within his body. The efforts of this night could match the toil of the past year. Practicing within the Wanhua Pearl was akin to utilizing spiritual stones at any given moment, a method of cultivation deemed extravagant even for prosperous families, let alone the financially strained Li family. Were it not for Li Xiuxian's deficient spiritual roots, the refined spiritual energy absorbed during this night's meditation would have propelled him to the fourth level of the Foundation Building stage.

"Regrettably, this soil cannot be taken out of the Wanhua Pearl. If Xiu Yuan and Shui Yao could cultivate like this, the Li family might produce a Qi refining expert of the twelfth level!" Li Xiuxian sighed softly.

Among the cultivators of the Li family, he had the poorest spiritual roots, possessing only a five-fold Fire Spirit Root. In contrast, both Xiu Yuan and Shui Yao had seven-fold spiritual roots, their aptitude far surpassing Li Xiuxian's.

After leaving the Tianyuan Pearl, Li Xiuxian practiced swordsmanship in the yard. Due to the family's decline, even the most basic cultivation techniques had not been passed down. Despite being a cultivator, Li Xiuxian lacked proficiency in even the fundamental techniques. His spiritual power could only be employed as inner energy.

"Young Master, breakfast is ready!" said the old steward.

"Yes, I'll be right there! Summon Xiu Yuan and Shui Yao as well," Li Xiuxian instructed.

The old steward nodded, "I'll go right away."

The old steward quickly brought Xiu Yuan and Shui Yao to Li Xiuxian's yard. Xiu Yuan, discontented, looked at Li Xiuxian. "What's the matter with summoning us?"

Li Xiuxian was accustomed to his brother's impoliteness and did not take it to heart. "There's nothing important; I just wanted to inquire about your cultivation progress."

"No need to concern yourself; manage your own affairs. You've lingered at the second level of Foundation Building for a whole decade!" Xiu Yuan retorted coldly.

"Brother Xiu, rest assured. I'll make good use of the four Concentration Pills you gave me and strive to break through soon!" Shui Yao intervened, redirecting their attention.

"Very well, your spiritual power has strengthened a bit since yesterday," Li Xiuxian acknowledged.

"Shui Yao, you may leave," Xiu Yuan frowned.

"Brother Xiu..."

"Leave!" Xiu Yuan suddenly shouted.

"Xiu Yuan, have you lost your mind? Why are you yelling at Shui Yao?" Li Xiuxian exclaimed.

"Go down!" Xiu Yuan shouted again.

"Xiu Yuan, you're going crazy. Why are you yelling at Shui Yao like this?" Li Xiuxian shouted back at his brother.

"I said go down!" Xiu Yuan shouted once more.

"Fine!" Shui Yao, after all, was just a girl. Being scolded by Xiu Yuan, she couldn't help feeling aggrieved. After leaving the yard, Xiu Yuan coldly snorted.

"Did you give all four Concentration Pills to Shui Yao?" Xiu Yuan questioned.

"Yes, what's the matter?" Li Xiuxian was puzzled. "Don't you know that using Concentration Pills may lead to a breakthrough? Why didn't you keep one for yourself?" Xiu Yuan scolded. Li Xiuxian chuckled, "So that's what it's about. I still broke through without saving one. Whenever possible, I prefer not to waste Concentration Pills when I can use spiritual stones!"

"Really! Brother, you've broken through!" Xiu Yuan joyfully looked at Li Xiuxian.

"Alright, now that I've broken through, there's no need for such a fiery reaction. Go and apologize to Shui Yao. Yelling at a girl like that must have hurt her feelings," Li Xiuxian advised.

"I'll go right away!" Xiu Yuan realized his inappropriate behavior and immediately went after Shui Yao. Helpless, Li Xiuxian watched his impulsive younger brother. Xiu Yuan was too impetuous. Originally, Li Xiuxian had planned to inform Xiu Yuan about the Wanhua Pearl, but he suddenly changed his mind. Xiu Yuan was still young and impulsive; if he knew about the Wanhua Pearl, he might act recklessly.

Li Xiuxian decided to temporarily keep this secret, revealing it only when the timing was right.

With the excellent cultivation space provided by the Wanhua Pearl, Li Xiuxian maximized every available moment for cultivation. However, upon entering the Wanhua Pearl again, he was stunned by the changes. The once silent Wanhua Pearl was now covered in lush greenery. The area of the black soil within the Wanhua Pearl had also expanded significantly, from the initial fifty to sixty square meters to the current two to three hundred square meters. Li Xiuxian recalled that a few hours ago, the Wanhua Pearl did not look like this!

Perplexed, Li Xiuxian plucked a tuft of grass. Even the ordinary grass carried a trace of spiritual energy, albeit in a minimal amount. Even with thousands of these tufts, it wouldn't accumulate much spiritual energy.

"Puzzling, these are just ordinary grass; there shouldn't be any spiritual energy in them," Li Xiuxian furrowed his brow as he examined the grass.

Unable to comprehend this anomaly, Li Xiuxian decided to let it go. After all, it was only a slight improvement, but the Wanhua Pearl no longer felt lifeless, providing a more pleasant atmosphere.