Chapter 22: Growing Bigger and Stronger (Please add to favorites! Please keep reading!)

Lu Shaojing’s face flushed red, but he remained stubborn.

"She is a member of the Lu family after all; could she really hold a grudge against us for a lifetime? Besides, the induction of Qi into the body is a major event. Could Lu Shaoheng really afford to delay us?"

Lu Shaojia felt as if a thorn were stuck in his throat. Looking at the sheer seriousness on Lu Shaojing's face, he realized it wasn't just empty talk.

Feeling a dryness in his throat, he said, "Then go by yourself. Don't drag me into it."

"Hmph! If I have to go alone, then I'll go alone!"

...

Shaoheng sat quietly in her room, meditating.

Beside her meditation cushion, the golden-haired little monkey had already shed its blood scabs. Its exterior looked fine, but it lay curled up quietly on the floor, resting to recover its spirit.

In the hands of the yellow-clad youth, a pale purple spirit stone rested in each hand, rapidly turning gray. Once they were completely shattered, Shaoheng opened her eyes.

She casually scattered the spirit stone powder and cast a Dust-Cleansing Spell, leaving the area spotless.

"Ying ying."

Sensing the movement, the little monkey opened its eyes from its slumber. It rubbed its belly with both hands and let out a chirping sound toward Shaoheng, acting coquettishly to please her.

Shaoheng glanced at the time-keeping talisman on the wall; not even a full day had passed.

Turning her head, she saw Duobao repeatedly rubbing its belly and pointing at its mouth. Only then did she remember she hadn't fed it any Fasting Pills. She took one out from her storage ring and placed it in its mouth.

"It truly is quite docile; it could even endure hunger without disturbing my cultivation," Shaoheng praised inwardly.

Through this session of cultivation, her magical power had risen from eleven cauldrons to thirteen, consuming two spirit stones.

The more she cultivated, the more she perceived the vital importance of cultivation resources.

Consequently, she placed even greater importance on the matters regarding her spirit field.

Shaoheng scooped up the little monkey, deactivated the formation at the door, and as she pushed it open, she discovered a white letter lying on the ground, held down by a stone.

She looked at the object on the ground but did not pick it up, as she could clearly see a signature at the end of the letter.

Lu Shaojing.

They were biological siblings. Back then, the young Lu Shaoheng had been arrogant and willful, and Lu Shaojing had also been incredibly unruly and temperamental.

Whether fighting over an object or arguing over a matter, bickering was never absent.

Every time Lu Shaojing upset his elder sister and couldn't save face, he would use the trick of sliding her a letter to apologize.

No matter how tyrannical the young Lu Shaoheng was, she was always somewhat lenient toward her biological younger brother; after receiving a letter, they would act coyly before playing together again.

But she was no longer that young Lu Shaoheng.

Shaoheng did not look at what was written in the letter. She silently chanted a spell, and a burst of flame suddenly ignited from the edge of the paper, consuming it until it turned to ash.

The little monkey in her arms sensed something was wrong. It tugged gently at her sleeve, its furry head nuzzling against her chest in a plea for comfort.

Shaoheng’s brief emotional turbulence subsided into calm. She stepped on the ashes of the letter, closed the door, and walked toward the spirit field.

Duobao’s injuries had recovered too quickly. She was afraid of running into those four people from yesterday and having them notice anything unusual, so she wrapped it in a square kerchief and used a mental command through a spell to tell it not to make any noise.

Shaoheng’s journey was unobstructed, and she soon reached the area shrouded in white mist. Using a path-guiding talisman, she entered her own plot of spirit field.

The field was a lush expanse of green. The gentle rustling of the crops in the breeze brought her peace of mind, and the tension she felt while passing the beast garden dissipated.

Shaoheng demarcated a small patch of land and carefully observed the thirty-one rice seedlings after dripping green liquid droplets onto them.

The seedlings grew rapidly, soon reaching the stage of heading and flowering. Seeing this, she performed a Wind-Blowing Spell.

She had learned at the Law Enforcement Pavilion that this type of spiritual plant, White Jade Spirit Rice, was monoecious, meaning it did not require deliberate selection; wind-blown pollination would suffice.

Entering the stage where she had previously failed, Shaoheng stared intently at the changes in the seedlings.

Half a quarter-hour passed, then one quarter-hour, then two.

A look of joy appeared on Shaoheng's face. The thirty-one seedlings were still in good growing condition without any signs of withering. This meant that if the timing of the [Azure Emperor] spiritual liquid was controlled correctly, it could be reused; it was not a one-time use item.

She mobilized the magical power within the yellow sprouts, allowing the tree-shaped rune in her sea of qi to continuously condense emerald liquid droplets.

As the master of the [Azure Emperor], Shaoheng could clearly perceive that every time she utilized the "Blessing of the Four Directions," a wisp of vitality—indescribable but undeniably present—would accumulate within the rune. This seemed related to the subsequent evolution of this divine ability, which she would need to investigate further.

Once enough emerald droplets had condensed, Shaoheng performed a Spirit Rain Spell.

Pale green threads of rain fell with a rustling sound, causing the entire field of seedlings to stretch upward. Once the rain ceased, they swayed in the wind.

As for the original thirty-one seedlings, she did not use spells to deliberately avoid them. This was equivalent to applying a second dose of [Azure Emperor] liquid in a short period. As expected, they repeated the previous pattern of withering and failed to bear fruit.

"A one-day interval? I will come back to the field tomorrow to test it. If these seedlings don't wither..."

Excitement was hard to hide in Shaoheng's eyes.

The disciples at the Law Enforcement Pavilion had previously said that White Jade Spirit Rice matured in four months. But if she confirmed tomorrow that she could apply the emerald droplets again, the next growth stage would be fruiting and maturing. Wouldn't that mean she could achieve a harvest every three days!

A one-hundred-and-twenty-day growth cycle shortened to three days—a forty-fold difference in time was enough for Shaoheng to reap a massive fortune in spirit stones.

"And this is just rice! If I can obtain seeds for rare precious medicines and the [Azure Emperor] liquid can also shorten their growth cycles, I will never lack cultivation resources again!"

Shaoheng licked her lips, her heart filled with grand ambitions.

Work year-round!

Scale up and grow strong!

Sensing her master's frantic joy, Duobao, sitting nearby, felt inexplicably chilly. It rubbed its thick fur and scratched its head in confusion.

However, it soon found out why.

After her excitement subsided, Shaoheng began teaching Duobao how to tend to the spirit field. She possessed abundant theoretical knowledge but zero practical experience. Fortunately, the little monkey had extremely high execution capabilities and quickly learned how to catch pests and distinguish weeds.

She did not hold back her praise: "Good monkey! You are the most well-behaved, cutest, and most amazing little monkey in the world. The future of our spirit field depends on you. Once we have heaps of spirit stones, I'll buy you the sweetest spiritual bananas! We'll eat one and toss the peel!"

Duobao was so overwhelmed by the praise that it lay obediently in her arms, burying its head in her clothes.

After settling the matters there, Shaoheng headed back.

But while walking, she suddenly realized a flaw.

The fertility of the spirit field soil.

Seedlings need to absorb spiritual qi to grow. Although the [Azure Emperor] liquid was said to be infinitely mysterious, its actual spiritual qi content was not high, as it was all converted from her own magical power.

Shaoheng had long realized that the conversion of any substance follows the principle of conservation, and the emerald droplets clearly did not deviate from this law.

As the seedlings grew, they would not only absorb the ambient spiritual qi from heaven and earth but also consume the spiritual qi stored within the spirit field itself.

"The disciples at the Law Enforcement Pavilion warned me not to do anything reckless to the spirit field that might damage it, otherwise I would be liable for damages. If I truly plant White Jade Spirit Rice every three days, this field will soon be drained dry by me."

"I must find a way to maintain soil fertility."

Where there is abnormality, there is a hidden danger. If she were watched, the secret of the [Azure Emperor] liquid would be easily exposed. And once a divine ability is seen through by others, those high-level cultivators who have lived for hundreds or even thousands of years could follow the trail to find the gray little cocoon with ease.

Shaoheng considered herself clever, but she would never believe she could rival those old monsters just yet.

To harbor wishful thinking was the greatest trap one could set for oneself!