Chapter 46: Spiritual Root Shackles

“Is the Nature Alliance really that powerful?”

“Naturally,” Huang Yue sighed. “The Nature Alliance is the greatest power in the Way of Spiritual Plants in the Eastern Continent. Our Qingmu Sect is one of its member sects.”

“Although our Qingmu Sect is a Purple Mansion Immortal Sect with Third-Tier Spiritual Planters—such as our Hall Master and Vice Hall Master—we only possess the cultivation methods for a few types of Third-Tier spiritual medicines. We do not have the methods for cultivating Third-Tier spiritual grains. Even the Third-Tier spiritual grains eaten by the Supreme Elder must be procured from the Nature Alliance.”

“Even for Second-Tier spiritual rice, although we have mastered the planting methods, we have not mastered the methods for producing original grain seeds. Seeds produced through spells can only be planted for one season, or perhaps even only for three generations, after which the seed quality deteriorates significantly.”

“Furthermore, even if one masters an original Second-Tier grain seed, it can only be used in secret. It cannot be planted on a large scale, and it certainly cannot be exposed to the eyes of the Nature Alliance.”

“However, the Nature Alliance only controls spiritual grains and has not laid hands on spiritual medicines. Coupled with the fact that the Nature Alliance inherited ancient orthodoxies and has endured for ten thousand years, their strength is unfathomable. Everyone has simply grown used to it.”

“But the Nature Alliance does have benefits: they have improved the grain seeds, publicized spiritual field formulas, and greatly increased the yield of spiritual grains.”

“A long time ago, even a low-grade First-Tier grain seed would take one or two years to mature. If you scattered ten catties of seed in one mu of land, getting seventy or eighty catties out was considered good luck.”

“Additionally, the Third-Tier certification for Spiritual Planters must be done in person at the Nature Alliance, because only the Nature Alliance holds the inheritance of Fourth-Tier and even Fifth-Tier Spiritual Planters.”

“Since our sect has Third-Tier Spiritual Planters and is a member sect of the Nature Alliance, we are qualified to act on behalf of the Alliance to certify the skills of Second-Tier Spiritual Planters for surrounding Foundation Establishment sects and families. This is also a source of income for our sect.”

Hearing that even the Supreme Elder had to obediently buy grain seeds, Lin Donglai’s heart instantly felt balanced. He thought to himself, *I suspect this merit-based system in our sect was also copied from the Nature Alliance.*

He then thought about the sect's practice of training combat disciples; earlier, Li Yunze had mentioned something about competing and fighting with other sects on the outside.

He suspected that this was likely related to the Nature Alliance as well.

Although the Qingmu Immortal Sect was a large Purple Mansion sect with over 1,200 years of history, compared to the Nature Alliance with its ten-thousand-year history, it was nothing significant.

For a moment, a blurry pagoda appeared in Lin Donglai's mind.

*The orthodoxies of the Earth Immortal Way say that when the Connective Heaven Tree grows, it allows one to climb from the ground to the heavens. I hope I can be like the Connective Heaven Tree, bit by bit, exploring the peak and the end of the Immortal Way.*

As his state of mind reached this point, the rooted sapling of the Connective Heaven Tree suddenly grew another notch, becoming slightly taller.

*The roots are the cultivation technique, the leaves are the spells, and the stem is the Dao attainment. If Dao attainment isn't cultivation, then why did this tree suddenly grow taller and thicker?*

Lin Donglai could not find an answer and could only suppress his doubt.

Huang Yue said, "Since you have produced seeds, our Spiritual Plant Hall won't take them, but Qingmu City will. Moreover, your spells have reached great success, and every seed is bursting with vitality. They will be in high demand if sold outside. I actually have connections to sell them in Qingmu City."

"How about this: I'll buy all of these seeds from you for seven spirit stones per ten catties. What do you think?"

Lin Donglai bought sect grain seeds at one spirit stone per catty but could only sell them for 0.7 spirit stones per catty. However, since he no longer intended to plant low-grade First-Tier spiritual grain, he nodded immediately. "Sell them! After the Immortal Seed Competition, I'll need to buy mid-grade First-Tier grain to farm!"

Lin Donglai had produced five types of grain seeds, sixteen catties each, totaling eighty catties. If the deal went through, he would get fifty-six spirit stones.

Calculating it this way, selling seeds was more profitable than selling spiritual grain.

This was another unexpected turn of events and a pleasant surprise.

However, the process of孕育 (nurturing/producing) spiritual grain seeds required absorbing a massive amount of earth qi, spiritual energy, and fertility.

Even if the spiritual field in Lingtian Valley possessed a low-grade First-Tier spiritual vein and had been fallow for three years, it would likely be difficult to restore its fertility. But that was no longer Lin Donglai's concern.

But once he arrived at Tianquan Manor, he certainly couldn't act this way. Otherwise, if he damaged the spiritual field, the yield would plummet the following year, and it would likely require a great deal of spiritual fertilizer to compensate.

"Senior Sister, how do you all have connections in Qingmu City? What exactly are these connections?"

"Haha, Junior Brother Lin, Qingmu City is the immortal city of our Qingmu Sect, so naturally, it contains our sect's industries. Furthermore, our Qingmu Sect has eight Qi-Refining level marketplaces. When rogue cultivators or small families want to buy pills, magical tools, or spiritual grain seeds, they will certainly prioritize purchasing from the shops and industries under our Qingmu Sect's command!"

Huang Yue smiled and explained, "I follow the internal affairs route. Previously, representing our Spiritual Plant Hall lineage, I inspected the accounts and warehouses of the grain shops in Qingmu City."

"The shopkeepers there are all outer disciples of our Spiritual Plant Hall; naturally, they give me some face."

"Senior Sister is truly amazing!" Lin Donglai praised sincerely.

"You aren't bad either. Being able to organize a team of eight people for Lingtian Valley shows you have talent in internal affairs."

"After I finish leading this batch of Spiritual Plant Immortals, I will use my connections to move to the Hengxia Marketplace under our Qingmu Sect to serve as the Spiritual Field Manager, to accumulate experience and merit."

"Before I leave, I will recommend you to take over the duty of the Spiritual Plant Hall's outer gate. When the next batch of Immortal Seeds enters in three years, you can lead them into the Way of Spiritual Plants."

"Huh?"

"What? Are you unwilling?"

"I've only just entered the sect..."

"I was part of the previous batch of Immortal Seeds too," Huang Yue said. "By this year, it has been seven years since I entered."

Lin Donglai had a sudden thought. "I haven't asked about your cultivation level yet, Senior Sister?"

"Haven't you practiced the Spiritual Eye Technique? Can't you tell?"

Lin Donglai said sheepishly, "Wouldn't it be rude to use the Spiritual Eye Technique haphazardly? Since I mastered it, I have only used it on spiritual medicines to solve problems with plants."

"Sixth level of Qi Refinement," Huang Yue said with a hint of pride.

"Sixth level of Qi Refinement! Doesn't that mean one level per year!" Lin Donglai exclaimed.

"Something like that. It's mainly because I was the top Immortal Seed of the Spiritual Plant Hall in the previous batch and consumed a Kunyuan Fruit."

"Additionally, I have a low-grade Four-Element spiritual root, lacking the Fire element, and I possess a low-grade Earth Spiritual Body. With the enhancement to my Earth spiritual root, it has reached the mid-grade level."

"I practice both the Way of Spiritual Plants and the Way of the Earth Master. It's just that my talent in Spiritual Plants is better, reaching the high-grade First-Tier level, while my talent as an Earth Master is slightly lower, only reaching the low-grade First-Tier. That is why the Fifth Elder took me as a disciple."

"Going to be a Spiritual Field Manager this time means I will be inspecting the marketplaces' spiritual veins and spiritual fields."

"I see. Then I wish Senior Sister to reach the late stage of Qi Refinement soon, with hopes of Foundation Establishment!"

Huang Yue shook her head. "Due to the influence of my low-grade Four-Element talent, the late stage of Qi Refinement is my great bottleneck. This bottleneck cannot be broken simply by having enough spiritual energy; it is a natural shackle."

"Even though I have been eating spiritual grains, fruits, and vegetables every day these past few years, and even obtained a Kunyuan Fruit to purify my Earth spiritual root, this shackle still exists. It will take at least ten years to wear it down."

"This is why people with low aptitude might waste their entire lives stuck in the Qi Refinement stage."

"Your talent in spiritual plants is even higher than mine, but with a low-grade Five-Element aptitude, you will face great shackles when trying to break through to the middle and late stages of Qi Refinement."

"With the Qingyuan Fruit, you certainly won't have to worry about the middle stage, but if you want to consider the late stage, you will need to accumulate more merit to exchange for a Barrier-Breaking Pill."