70: Idle Planting Technique: Withered Trees Come Back to Life

One thousand five hundred contribution points—what did that mean for a newcomer who had just been promoted to an Inner Disciple, without power or influence?

It meant he would shoulder a massive debt!

From then on, all his time would be spent on the hardest, most tiring chores to repay this astronomical debt! He would no longer have any time to Cultivate, to become stronger!

“What’s wrong, Genius Lin?”

Zhou Kai looked at Lin Ye’s face, which had instantly turned “pale” upon hearing that number, and the delight in his heart almost overflowed!

He leaned forward, stuffing the scorching mission jade token, which symbolized a death trap, into Lin Ye’s hand, then patted his shoulder with a tone full of “concern” and “sympathy.”

“Junior Brother Lin, don’t be afraid. I believe that with your ‘late bloomer’ perseverance, a mere patch of fire saliva grass certainly won’t stump you.”

“We’re all waiting to see you create another miracle!”

The two followers behind him let out unbridled, maliciously gleeful laughter.

However, just when everyone thought Lin Ye would collapse under this immense pressure, beg for mercy, or even lose his composure and kneel to plead—

The young man, who had remained silent, slowly raised his head.

He didn’t look at Zhou Kai’s twisted, smug face.

He simply calmly gripped the scorching jade token in his hand.

Then, facing Zhou Kai, and all the sympathetic and gloating gazes around him, he calmly nodded.

“Good.”

The mocking smile on Zhou Kai’s face instantly froze!

He never expected Lin Ye to react this way!

“You...”

Zhou Kai wanted to say something more, but Lin Ye no longer gave him any chance.

Lin Ye turned around and, under thousands of complex gazes filled with “bewilderment,” “shock,” and “seeing a fool,” calmly walked out of the Pill Hall, step by step.

His back was still as thin as ever.

But at this moment, it appeared incomparably... aloof!

...Pill Hall, Medicinal Garden Number Three.

This was the most unique medicinal garden in the entire Inner Sect, because it was located at the foot of an active volcano perpetually shrouded in ground fire.

The air was filled with a strong, scorching Qi reeking of sulfur. Even the ground was like a red-hot iron, hot enough to instantly melt the soles of an ordinary person’s shoes!

And in the deepest part of this harsh medicinal garden, on a patch of land no more than ten zhang in circumference, covered by an independent Formation, lay the fire saliva grass that the Pill Hall had long since condemned to death!

When Lin Ye arrived here, “led” by a Pill Hall Disciple, even though he had mentally prepared himself, his heart couldn’t help but sink.

The vibrant red earth that should have been full of life was now a desolate yellow!

Hundreds of fire saliva grass plants, which should have been burning like flames, were now like weeds exposed to the scorching sun for seven days and seven nights—their leaves curled, withered, and scorched black, lying limply on the ground, devoid of any vitality.

Even the deep red earth had become cracked and compacted due to the excessive pulsation of the ground fire, resembling a cracked riverbed and exuding an aura of death.

“Senior Brother Lin...” The Pill Hall Disciple leading the way looked at Lin Ye with sympathetic eyes and said cautiously, “This... this is it. According to the rules, within these three days, no one except you is allowed to step half a pace into this Formation.”

“This Disciple... will take his leave first.”

With that, he fled as if escaping a plague, without looking back, like a bird taking flight.

Lin Ye ignored him.

He simply stood silently before the death-ridden medicinal field, slowly squatting down.

He reached out and gently picked up a fire saliva grass that had long since withered.

The withered leaf instantly turned to ash at his fingertips.

He plunged his finger into the cracked, scorching soil.

He could clearly feel the remaining ground fire power beneath the soil, still wildly crashing and burning like an untamed wild horse, scorching the last, long-severed roots of these Spiritual Plants.

A dead end!

This was a complete and utter dead end!

However, a cold, mocking curve slowly appeared on Lin Ye’s calm face.

“Zhao Wuji, Zhou Kai...”

“You calculated everything, but you missed one thing.”

“This ‘fool’ of yours is best at turning all the ‘impossibilities’ in your eyes...”

“...into possibilities!”

With a thought, he completely immersed his consciousness into the world only he could see!

“System! Open the Mall!”

His gaze, like the most precise instrument, quickly scanned the [Auxiliary Secret Arts] section.

Soon, he found a name that made his eyes light up!

“[Secret Art Name: ‘Advanced Spiritual Plant Cultivation Art’ (Profound Rank Low Grade)]”

“[Secret Art Effect: Contains the essence of an ancient Spiritual Plant Master’s life, allowing you to understand the habits of thousands of Spiritual Plants, mastering many secret techniques such as Inducing childbirth (catalyzing growth), grafting (grafting), and Improve (improving).]”

“[Exchange Price: Two hundred contribution points.]”

“Exchange!”

Lin Ye didn’t hesitate, deducting another two hundred from his already limited contribution points!

“[Exchange successful!]”

A vast, ocean-like torrent of complex information about Spiritual Plant cultivation instantly flooded his mind!

“System! Activate emergency idle task! Target—‘Advanced Spiritual Plant Cultivation Art’!”

Without a moment’s delay, he immediately added this Secret Art, capable of turning decay into magic, to the background idle list!

“[Single background idle task created successfully!]”

After doing all this, Lin Ye slowly stood up from the ground.

He didn’t immediately begin the so-called “treatment,” but rather, like a true farmer, unhurriedly began to tidy up the medicinal field.

He first fetched tools and carefully, bit by bit, loosened all the compacted soil.

Then, he fetched clear water and thoroughly soaked the soil.

Everything he did seemed like a joke to the Pill Hall Disciples hiding in the shadows, monitoring him.

“Hahaha! Look at that fool! Does he think this is planting mortal crops? Tilling the land? Watering it? I’m dying of laughter!”

“Exactly! This fire saliva grass is a fire-element Spiritual Plant; it likes drought, not moisture! Watering it like this will only make the already rotting roots die faster!”

However, Lin Ye acted as if he heard nothing.

That night, when everyone thought he had exhausted his options and could only wait for death—

He first, according to the knowledge provided by the ‘Advanced Spiritual Plant Cultivation Art’ that had been idling for an entire afternoon in his mind, collected several inconspicuous types of moss and Ore powder containing neutralizing power from the corner of the medicinal garden, mixed them with clear water, and concocted a basin of murky, mud-like... special nutrient solution.

Immediately, he made a bold move!

He silently came to the center of the medicinal field and slowly placed his right hand on the scorching, cracked earth!

“Heaven Burning Heart Sutra, activate!”

With a thought, an extremely subtle wisp of Heaven Burning True Fire, a hundred times thinner than a strand of hair, controlled to its utmost by him, silently merged into the depths of the earth through his palm, like a docile spiritual snake!

He wasn’t trying to burn!

But to... simulate!

He wanted to use his Origin True Fire, which was far superior in quality to ordinary ground fire, to simulate the most perfect, most stable... geomorphic environment required for the growth of fire saliva grass!

After doing all this, he then evenly poured the already prepared “nutrient solution” onto the roots of every withered fire saliva grass...

Three days passed in a flash.

This day was the final deadline for Lin Ye to submit his “answer sheet.”

Early in the morning, Zhou Kai led a large group of Pill Hall Disciples, in a grand procession, to the outside of Medicinal Garden Number Three.

A cruel, uncontrollable sneer hung on his face.

“Go! Brothers! Let’s go see how our Genius Lin... creates a miracle!”

He kicked open the already ajar medicinal garden gate and, amidst a chorus of laughter, swaggered in.

However, the moment he stepped into the medicinal garden and saw the land that should have been withered and desolate—

The cruel sneer on his face suddenly froze!

The laughter behind him abruptly ceased!

Everyone’s eyes widened to the extreme, as if they had seen a ghost!

For on that ten-zhang patch of land, where was there any trace of witheredness or desolation?!

Instead, there was a patch of vibrant... fiery crimson!

Hundreds of fire saliva grass plants had not only all revived but had grown even more robust! Even more enchanting!

Each of them was like a carving made of the most perfect fire agate, entirely crimson and crystal clear! Moreover, their leaves had developed natural pill patterns that seemed to dance like flames, full of spirituality!

A spicy medicinal fragrance, ten times more intense than before and full of vigorous life, assailed them!

“High... High Grade!”

Behind Zhou Kai, a seasoned Pill Hall Disciple, with a disbelieving, dream-like voice, painstakingly uttered these two words!

“The quality of these fire saliva grass... it actually... actually all increased to... High Grade!!!”

Withered wood, returned to spring!

Turning decay into magic...