150: Opening ponds to raise dragon carp

At the break of dawn, he rose and took out the spirit plant seedlings dug up from the Secret Realm one by one.

Inside the spirit plant pouch, the seedlings remained fresh, nourished by the Wood Spiritual Power; their leaves unfurled, and their roots were coated in fine spirit soil.

He first went to the spirit field and carefully took out dozens of Dragon Blood Grass seedlings.

He gathered Wood Element Spiritual Energy at his fingertips and dug shallow pits between the ridges.

He bent down to plant the seedlings, gently covering them with soil and watering them with spirit fertilizer to ensure the roots were closely bonded with the soil.

Next, he took a batch of Mountain Ginseng seedlings and headed down to the western hillside.

Here, the trees were dense, their branches and leaves intertwined, blocking the sky; the ground was perpetually moist, and moss covered the stones.

Mountain Ginseng prefers a shady and damp forest environment, which made this place perfect.

Lin Yan chose a spot at the foot of a mountain hollow, brushed away the decaying leaves and gravel, and dug holes of appropriate depth.

The Mountain Ginseng seedlings had slender, tender green leaves, and their entire bodies glowed with a faint cyan Spiritual Qi, looking very delicate.

He moved even more gently, fearing he might damage those fragile roots; after planting them, he used dead leaves and thin vines to provide some cover.

"Mountain Ginseng has a long Lifespan, and even without mutations, it can grow into a thousand-year spirit object."

"It can be considered a long-term investment..."

After applying the fertilizer, Lin Yan turned his gaze to the eastern hillside.

The eastern mountain had abundant sunlight, open mountain breezes, and the exposed rocks radiated warmth.

Lin Yan planted three dragon scale tree seedlings here.

The dragon scale tree seedlings had branches as hard as iron, with narrow leaves, and the leaf veins faintly revealed Dragon scale patterns.

He chose a sunny stone platform, used Spiritual Power to pack the soil firmly, stood the saplings straight and steady, and finally watered them with spirit fertilizer to stabilize their vitality.

"The dragon scale tree is a Tier 6 Spirit Wood, and it is extremely precious once it matures."

"Legend says it can only grow in places with dense Dragon Qi... I have the System, so there is no need to worry; it will be perfect to incorporate it into the Thousand Wood Spirit Raising Formation later."

For the remaining various rare flowers and herbs, Lin Yan planted them separately according to their respective habits.

Water-loving Water Pattern Orchids, drought-resistant Red Sand Flowers, and Star Dew Grass that requires dense Spiritual Qi...

There were also some seedlings whose names he couldn't recall; some had leaves like butterfly wings, others had stems that glowed with fluorescence...

He either determined the Yin and Yang based on the orientation of their leaves, or judged the dryness and wetness by the scent of their root Systems, finding the most suitable corner in the valley to plant them one by one.

...

Within three days, under Lin Yan's cultivation, the spirit plant seedlings stabilized their vitality and entered the growth stage.

【spirit plant Name: Mountain Ginseng】

【growth progress: 12 / 100】

【Growth Status: Continuous catalysis, experience + 3】

【Absorbed a small amount of spirit fertilizer, experience + 1】

...

【spirit plant Name: dragon scale tree】

【growth progress: 639 / 10000000】

【spirit plant Characteristic: Likes Dragon Qi, hard as Dragon scales when mature】

【Growth Status: Continuous catalysis, experience + 3】

【Absorbed a small amount of spirit fertilizer, experience + 1】

...

After finishing with the spirit plants, Lin Yan wasted no time in starting another more important task.

That was to settle the Dragon Carp.

The morning mountain breeze, carrying moist Spiritual Qi, blew down from the northern slope.

Lin Yan put away his spirit hoe and came to the spring at the foot of the northern mountain.

In a small spring, clear water gushed out from the cracks in the rocks, and a layer of Spiritual Qi, as fine as light smoke, floated on the water surface.

As the Azure Blade Willow promoted to a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, the Spiritual Qi in the valley grew stronger, and the Spiritual Qi contained in this mountain spring water also became increasingly dense.

Lin Yan often used this mountain spring water to mix spirit fertilizer or to water the spirit plants directly.

Now, he intended to open up a pond at the mountain spring to raise the Dragon Carp.

He took out a large wooden bucket and filled it with a bucket of mountain spring water.

He carefully took the Dragon Carp out of the spirit beast pouch.

Every Dragon Carp shimmered with a faint golden glow, with fine, thread-like crimson-gold patterns faintly flowing beneath their skin; that was the mark of the True Dragon Bloodline.

Their bodies were more slender than ordinary carp, more elongated and robust; looking closely, one could see a hint of the grace of a Dragon.

Even more miraculously, they had two small curved horns growing on their heads!

They looked truly extraordinary!

The Spirit Beasts were inspected by him one by one; there were seventeen in total!

After confirming that each one was energetic and had no injuries on its body surface, he slowly placed them into the wooden basin.

He let them rest in the spirit spring water first, allowing them to adapt to the water aura of the valley.

The Dragon Carp had been cooped up in the spirit beast pouch for too long, and once released, they were very active, leaping out of the wooden bucket from time to time.

Lin Yan hurriedly used his Spiritual Power to seal the wooden bucket, preventing these foolish guys from committing suicide.

Afterward, he began the work of digging the pond.

Opening the pond started with diverting the water.

Lin Yan built a shallow diversion channel with bluestone, letting the spring water first enter a "sedimentation pool," and then pass through two staggered drop-water ledges into the main pool.

Flowing water is more active.

The pond banks were paved with pebbles, sloping inward to both stabilize the soil and prevent collapse.

A deep pool was dug in the center of the main pool, with shallow beaches and gentle slopes left around the perimeter, creating layers of depth.

In the future, some clusters of water grass or emergent plants like lotus flowers could be planted on the shallow beaches.

Not only could this provide food for the Dragon Carp, but it could also allow the Dragon Carp to avoid the sun, play, and provide attachment points for spawning.

The inlet, outlet, and spillway were all fitted with double-layered fish screens, which prevented escape without blocking the flowing water.

When everything was ready, Lin Yan swept his spiritual sense across the bottom of the pool to confirm there were no sharp gravel or dangerous undercurrents, and only then did he lead the spring water into the pool.

The clear spring water rushed in, and soon, the water color turned from transparent to pale cyan, the splashing sound of the water stirring up faint ripples of light.

Lin Yan brought the wooden basin close to the water surface and tilted it gently.

With a thought, he released the Spiritual Power sealing the wooden bucket.

The seventeen Spirit Beasts shot out like arrows released from a bow, flashing in an instant and diving into their new home.

A moment later, they were either patrolling along the shallow beaches or pausing by the deep pool, occasionally leaping out of the water, splashing circles of ripples...

"Not bad!" Lin Yan nodded with satisfaction.

These Spirit Beasts showed no abnormalities and could adapt to this pond environment.

If they could survive, there was hope for reproduction, and if they could reproduce, there would be an endless supply of Dragon Carp!

With an endless supply of Dragon Carp, whether it was improving his Body Refining cultivation, cultivating spirit plants, or even activating his own Sword Bone, there was hope...

Lin Yan stood by the pond and took out the only remaining Dragon Blood Grass.

With a thought, the Spiritual Power in his palm became like a sword, and a cyan glow as thin as a cicada's wing moved across the grass.

In an instant, the entire Dragon Blood Grass was cut inch by inch from root to tip.

He was very careful; each segment was wrapped in complete Dragon Qi and vitality, turning into dozens of slender grass segments that lay quietly in his palm.

"Let's give you a good meal first." He whispered to himself, his wrist flicking lightly, and the dozens of Dragon Blood Grass segments scattered into the pond like crimson stars.

The moment the Dragon Blood Grass entered the water, the essence of the dragon blood slowly released into the current.

The seventeen Dragon Carp in the pond, which had been swimming leisurely, now seemed like cats smelling fish, gathering from the deep pool and shallow beaches.

Perhaps because the environment had changed, they were not as impatient as they were when they first saw the Dragon Blood Grass.

The Dragon Carp first flicked their tail fins lightly, swimming around the Dragon Blood Grass.

Soon, a bold Dragon Carp took the lead, opening its mouth to gently grab a leaf segment, and then, with its fish mouth opening and closing, swallowed it into its belly.

As the Dragon Blood Grass entered its belly, it couldn't help but happily flick its tail, splashing a string of water, its scales suddenly glowing brighter, and the fine, thread-like crimson-gold patterns under its skin flowed more clearly.

Seeing this, the other Dragon Carp were no longer reserved, either crowding the edge of the shallow beach to peck at the food or diving into the water to chase the floating Dragon Blood Grass fragments, and the pond surface immediately rippled with layers of lively waves.