18: Chapter 18 The Special Grade Herb Garden, A Reward from the Outer Sect Elder

Qi Yang's words were half-true and half-false.

The mutual generation and restriction of the Five Elements is basic common sense in the Cultivation World, and watering according to the right hours does have certain benefits for the Spirit Medicine, but it is absolutely impossible to reach such an exaggerated degree.

This was all a perfect excuse he fabricated to cover up the efficacy of the green liquid in the black gourd!

But Great Elder Li Changyuan and the surrounding stewards listened in a daze.

Great Elder Li Changyuan closed his eyes and carefully deduced the Five Elements Watering Method mentioned by Qi Yang.

It was completely feasible in theory!

Moreover, this method was cumbersome and time-consuming, requiring extremely precise control over the Five Elements spiritual power. Most importantly, only a Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root could achieve it!

Which Genius with an Earthly Spiritual Root or Xuan Spiritual Root would waste time watering low-grade Spirit Medicine with Five Elements spiritual power?

Only a centenarian old man whose cultivation had made no progress and who treated farming as his lifelong career would have such leisure and patience!

"Brilliant! This is simply sheer Genius!"

Great Elder Li Changyuan opened his eyes abruptly, stroked his beard, and couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Although the Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root is the most trashy cultivation talent in the Cultivation World, this old man never expected it to have such miraculous effects in the path of cultivating Spirit Medicine!"

The look he gave Qi Yang was like looking at an unpolished jade covered in dust.

Although the Xuantian Sect was only a second-rate Sect in the Northern Spirit Domain, the Sect Master and several Grand Elders were all in the Early Stage of the Golden Core, urgently needing a large amount of high-quality Spirit Medicine to refine high-grade Medicinal Pills.

And those spirit planters in the inner Sect, although profound in cultivation, were mostly impetuous, and the quality of the Spirit Medicine they grew always lacked just a bit of refinement.

Although the centenarian old man before him was a piece of trash, his hand of Five Elements Watering Method was simply an invaluable treasure to the Sect!

"Grand Elder, isn't this old thing talking nonsense and fabricating things?"

A sharp-mouthed and monkey-cheeked steward nearby was still somewhat unconvinced and said sarcastically.

"Shut up!"

Great Elder Li Changyuan gave a cold shout, turned his hand and slapped the steward across the air, directly sending him flying.

"This old man personally verified it, how could it be fake? What does a piece of trash like you understand about the mutual generation of the Five Elements!"

Holding his swollen cheek, the steward lay on the ground trembling, not even daring to let out a fart.

Great Elder Li Changyuan turned his head, looked at Qi Yang again, and the smile on his face became extremely amiable.

"Qi Yang, your decades of hard work have not been in vain; the Sect will not bury anyone who has made contributions!"

Qi Yang still maintained that hunched and humble appearance, waving his hands repeatedly with a terrified face.

"Grand Elder flatters this old man too much; this old man is just a peasant who farms and does not deserve such praise from the Grand Elder. As long as the Sect does not throw this old man into the Heifeng Mine, this old man will be fully satisfied."

"Go to what Heifeng Mine! Whoever dares to let you go, this old man will skin him alive!"

Great Elder Li Changyuan waved his big hand, leaking boundless dominance.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping like lightning across the surrounding Outer Sect deacons and stewards who were shaking in silence, and announced in a resounding voice.

"Pass down this old man's order! Starting from today, the Outer Sect Herb Garden where Qi Yang is located is directly promoted to a Special Grade Herb Garden!"

"Special Grade Herb Garden?!"

As soon as these words came out, the surrounding deacons gasped, their eyeballs turning red with jealousy.

The herb gardens of the Xuantian Sect were divided into three levels: Low Grade, Medium Grade, and High Grade.

And the Special Grade Herb Garden was a treatment only available to a few most core spirit fields of the inner Sect!

Once rated as Special Grade, not only was there no need to hand over any basic shares, but the Sect would also tilt resources towards it, and even the Law Enforcement Hall had no right to arbitrarily interfere with the internal affairs of the Special Grade Herb Garden!

This was equivalent to carving out an absolutely safe independent small world in this outer Sect!

Great Elder Li Changyuan ignored everyone's shock and continued to issue orders.

"This Special Grade Herb Garden shall be managed in full charge by Qi Yang! Any Outer Sect Disciple or Outer Sect deacon who dares to step into the herb garden by half a step or interfere with Qi Yang in cultivating Spirit Medicine without this old man's personal written edict will be killed without mercy!"

As the three words 'killed without mercy' came out, carrying the biting killing intent of a Foundation Establishment Stage grand Cultivator, it frightened the surrounding stewards into lowering their heads one after another, not even daring to take another look at Qi Yang.

"In addition..."

Great Elder Li Changyuan fished out a heavy brocade bag from his Storage Pouch and casually threw it on the stone table in front of Qi Yang, making a crisp collision sound.

"For Qi Yang's meritorious service in offering top-grade Spirit Medicine, he is rewarded with one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones and a bottle of longevity-extending Medicinal Pills! It is hoped that you will continue to make persistent efforts and use your Five Elements Watering Method to Cultivate more high-quality Spirit Medicine for the Sect!"

Looking at the Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills on the table, Qi Yang timely squeezed out two tears of excitement in his turbid old eyes, his voice choked with emotion.

"This old man... thanks the Grand Elder for the grace of rebirth! Even if this old man is smashed to pieces, he will repay the Sect's kindness!"

On the surface, Qi Yang was moved to tears of gratitude, but inside, he was blooming with joy.

He looked down upon one hundred Spirit Stones and longevity Medicinal Pills at all; any top-grade Spirit Medicine casually taken out from his underground secret room was more valuable than this.

What he truly wanted was the ironclad immunity token of the Special Grade Herb Garden and the privilege that Outer Sect Disciples and Outer Sect deacons must not interfere.

With these words from Great Elder Li Changyuan, his herb garden completely became a Forbidden Ground of the outer Sect.

He no longer needed to worry about any bullshit deacons coming to make trouble, nor did he need to worry about the Law Enforcement Hall sniffing around like dogs.

His underground stronghold could be considered as stable as Mount Tai in the outer Sect!

As for the more high-quality Spirit Medicine expected by Great Elder Li Changyuan? Qi Yang would naturally hand over some on time.

Anyway, with the black gourd in hand, diluting a bit of green liquid to ripen a few ordinary Spirit Medicines was just a piece of cake, considered as paying protection money.

The highest Realm of the Dao of staying low-key was to make everyone think you were a useful piece of trash and willingly provide you with an umbrella of protection.

"Do a good job."

Great Elder Li Changyuan gave Qi Yang a satisfied look; he felt that he had truly struck gold today.

Afterward, Great Elder Li Changyuan led his mighty procession and left the herb garden with satisfaction.

When they came, their Aura was aggressive, but when they left, they were full of spring breeze and pride.

Until the backs of the procession completely disappeared at the end of the mountain path, the tense atmosphere in the herb garden finally relaxed completely.

Creak.

The wooden door of the West Wing Room was gently pushed open, and Su Qinghan walked out carrying a long sword. Her peerlessly beautiful face was filled with shock and complexity at this moment.

She stared fixedly at Qi Yang, who was leisurely putting the Spirit Stones into his pocket, as if seeing this centenarian old man for the first time.

"Five Elements Watering Method? Following the hours? Waste utilization of the Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root?"

Su Qinghan's red lips parted slightly, her cold voice carrying a hint of disbelief.

"Qi Yang, you old man really hide deep enough."

Qi Yang tucked away the Spirit Stones, turned around, and resumed his hunched-backed, honest appearance.

He grinned, revealing a few leaky teeth, and smiled honestly.

"Fairy jokes. How could this old man be hiding anything? It's just a life-saving means forced out after living for a long time. In this Cultivation World, if you don't grow a bit of wit, not even your bone slag will be left."

Looking at his appearance, although Su Qinghan knew he was playing the fool, she couldn't generate the slightest bit of aversion in her heart.

Instead, she felt a trace of heartfelt admiration for this old man.

In this Cultivation World where the weak are prey to the strong and talent is everything, a Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root regarded as trash by everyone forcibly relied on decades of forbearance and research to pull off a grand deception right in front of a Foundation Establishment Stage Grand Elder.

Not only did he save his life, but he also turned the tables to grab the best treatment in the outer Sect.

This state of mind, this forbearance, this scheming, was simply chilling!

"No matter what, the herb garden is preserved, and I can continue to Cultivate with peace of mind."

Su Qinghan put away her long sword, her tone growing rarely gentle.

"Qi Yang, consider that I owe you a favor."

Qi Yang waved his hands repeatedly, his face wrinkling with smiles.

"Fairy is too polite. We are all people in the same boat, looking out for each other, looking out for each other."

Su Qinghan took a deep look at him, didn't say anything more, turned around, and returned to the West Wing Room.

The courtyard returned to dead silence once again.

The honest smile on Qi Yang's face slowly disappeared little by little.

He walked to the withered wooden door, took out a wooden plaque from his Storage Pouch, and carved four large characters on it with his finger.

Special Grade Herb Garden.

Then he hung it heavily on the lintel.

"Starting from today, I call the shots here."