417: Chapter 417 Valley of Longevity

Chu Lan was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Valley Master."

"Good." Fairy Qingmu turned toward a curtain on the side of the hall. "Junior Sister Poison Vine, you may come out."

A woman dressed in a dark green robe walked out from behind the curtain. Her face was older than Fairy Qingmu's, with slightly high cheekbones and deep-set eyes that glinted with a cold light. A token hung at her waist, engraved with the words "Poison Vine." She was at the fifth level of the Golden Core stage. Her gaze swept across the faces of the nine people, finally landing on Chu Lan. After sizing her up, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

"A Spirit Plant Trial." Poison Vine's voice was much colder than Fairy Qingmu's. "Within three days, Cultivate a 'Detoxifying Spiritual Plant' and use it to cure a poisoned Yao Beast. I will provide the seeds and the soil. You cannot use your own Spirit Plant resources; you may only use what I give you."

Chu Lan frowned. "I can't use my own Spirit Plant seeds?"

"Rules are rules." Poison Vine took a cloth bag from her sleeve and tossed it in front of Chu Lan. The bag hit the ground with a dull thud. She then took a jade box from her sleeve and opened the lid, revealing some brownish soil. The color was dark, and it gave off a faint, putrid smell. "The seeds and soil are all here. In three days, I want to see the Detoxifying Spiritual Plant and the cured Yao Beast. If you cannot do it, you fail the trial. Those who fail cannot obtain the Green Wood Pulse Continuation Technique."

Fairy Qingmu's brow furrowed slightly, but she didn't speak. Poison Vine was her Junior Sister and held significant seniority in Changsheng Valley; her obsession with Spirit Plants was also well-known. Since she had set the rules, Fairy Qingmu couldn't easily overturn them in front of outsiders.

Chu Lan bent down to pick up the cloth bag and glanced inside, her expression changing slightly. The seeds inside were shriveled and gray, and a few were even cracked—these were the lowest quality Spirit Plant seeds, almost impossible to germinate. She then looked at the soil, pinched a small bit, and sniffed it; her face darkened further. The soil was toxic—not a lethal toxin, but enough to inhibit the germination of most Spirit Plant seeds.

Poison Vine was clearly making things difficult for her on purpose.

Chu Lan took a deep breath, put away the cloth bag and the jade box, and by the time she looked up, her eyes had regained their calm. "I accept."

Fairy Qingmu glanced at Poison Vine, looking as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately she just nodded. "The trial will take place in the valley's 'Spirit Plant Garden,' where there are independent spirit fields. You all may watch from the side, but you cannot help. Everything depends on Chu Lan's own ability."

The Spirit Plant Garden was located behind the Qingmu Hall, covering about ten mu. There were many types of Spirit Plants in the garden, ranging from low-grade Qi Gathering Grass to high-grade Spirit-Sustaining Flowers.

In the deepest part of the garden was an independent spirit field, about one zhang square, surrounded by a Formation to isolate it from outside interference. Poison Vine led Chu Lan to that spirit field and said coldly, "Right here. Three days."

Chu Lan stepped into the spirit field and placed the cloth bag and jade box on the ground. She didn't rush to act; instead, she sat cross-legged and closed her eyes to focus. Outside the field, the nine people stood at the edge of the Formation, watching Chu Lan through the transparent spiritual energy barrier.

The teammates' expressions varied; some were nervous, some were worried, and some were calm. Gao Feng stood there with his arms crossed, looking as composed as ever.

Luo Li asked softly, "Can she do it?"

"She can," Gao Feng replied without hesitation.

Chu Lan opened her eyes and took out an emerald-green seed from her robes—it wasn't the low-quality seed Poison Vine had given her, but a cutting of the azure wood holy seed she had obtained in the Green Wood Realm. She carefully buried the cutting in the toxic soil and slowly infused the pure life force of the azure wood holy seed into the earth.

The cutting of the azure wood holy seed struggled for a moment in the toxic soil; as soon as the roots poked out, they were met with the erosion of the toxins. The toxins tried to corrode the new roots, and the life force of the azure wood holy seed was rapidly consumed as it fought back. Chu Lan gritted her teeth, continuously converting her own spiritual energy into the life force required by the azure wood holy seed and feeding it into the cutting.

The soil in the spirit field changed from dark brown to light brown, and then from light brown to yellowish-brown at a pace visible to the naked eye. The toxins were purified bit by bit by the pure life force of the azure wood holy seed. Striking while the iron was hot, Chu Lan took out a jade bottle from her robes and dripped a silver-white liquid into the soil—the time spirit spring.

The moment the time spirit spring seeped into the soil, the cutting of the azure wood holy seed trembled violently. The withered roots regained their vitality, absorbing nutrients from the soil and growing at an incredible speed. In less than half an hour, an emerald-green seedling about a foot tall broke through the earth, its leaves a tender green and emitting a faint luster.

Poison Vine's expression began to change. She hadn't expected Chu Lan to possess such high-grade Spirit Plant resources. A cutting of the azure wood holy seed and the time spirit spring—these two items would be considered Sect-protecting treasures in any Sect.

By the evening of the first day, the Detoxifying Spiritual Plant had grown to a foot in height, with thick leaves and pale green sap flowing through its veins. Chu Lan pulled the plant from the soil, its roots intact and its medicinal efficacy at its peak. Her single day of progress was equivalent to ten days of work for an ordinary Spirit Plant Master. Poison Vine's face was now very grim.

On the morning of the second day, Poison Vine brought a Green-Eyed Spirit Fox to the Spirit Plant Garden.

The fox was the size of an adult hound with silver-white fur. Its pair of emerald-green eyes, which should have been bright and agile, were now dim and lifeless. It curled up in an iron cage, with a palm-sized black patch on its abdomen—a sign that the toxins were spreading. Its spiritual energy fluctuations were weak, and while its cultivation was at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, its aura was erratic, and it could die from the poison at any moment.

"This Green-Eyed Spirit Fox accidentally ate a type of poisonous fruit in the valley. I have used medicine to keep it alive, but the toxins cannot be cleared." Poison Vine looked coldly at Chu Lan. "You need to formulate an antidote from your Detoxifying Spiritual Plant to cure this spirit fox. You have a time limit of two hours."

Chu Lan walked to the iron cage, knelt down, and observed the spirit fox's condition through the bars. Its breathing was rapid and shallow, its pupils reacted slowly to light, and the black patch on its abdomen was still slowly expanding.

Chu Lan reached out her finger and pressed it lightly against the spirit fox's abdomen, sending her spiritual sense into its body to investigate the nature of the toxin. The potent poison was a mixture of three different toxic plants; once inside the fox's body, they became intertwined. Ordinary detoxifying medicines could only neutralize one type, while the remaining two would mutate due to the medicine's intervention, becoming even harder to clear.

This toxin had been artificially formulated. Chu Lan looked up at Poison Vine. Poison Vine was expressionless, but there was a hint of smugness in her eyes.

Chu Lan didn't waste any time. She took out the Detoxifying Spiritual Plant from her sleeve and ground it into juice, then took out several auxiliary Spirit Medicines from her Storage Pouch—these were not within the scope of Poison Vine's prohibition, as Poison Vine had only restricted the seeds and soil, not her use of existing medicines. She didn't touch the azure wood holy seed cutting or the time spirit spring; those were her trump cards and didn't need to be used here.

The detoxification process for the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox lasted for over an hour. Chu Lan used her Spirit Plant Art to directly inject the formulated antidote into the fox's Meridians, while Yao Guang assisted from the outside with the Rejuvenation Technique to help the fox repair the internal organs eroded by the toxins. The two had coordinated many times in the Wanfa Tower, and they could work in sync without needing words.

Chu Lan was responsible for the detoxification, while Yao Guang was responsible for repairing the damaged tissue—one on offense, one on defense. After the toxins were neutralized by the antidote, Yao Guang's Rejuvenation Technique simultaneously repaired the new tissue.

The black patch on the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox's abdomen shrank at a visible rate, from the size of a palm to a fist, from a fist to an egg, and from an egg to a fingernail.

An hour later, the black patch had completely disappeared. The spirit fox's breathing became steady, and its pupils regained their luster. It slowly opened its emerald-green eyes, looked at Chu Lan, and gently licked her finger.

Chu Lan breathed a sigh of relief, leaned against the cage, and smiled.

Yao Guang also withdrew her healing power; her face was somewhat pale, but her eyes were full of gratification.

Fairy Qingmu stepped forward and knelt to check the spirit fox's condition. After a moment, she stood up and turned to Chu Lan, her gaze full of admiration. "The quality of the Detoxifying Spiritual Plant is superior, the antidote formulation was precise, and the healing process was seamless. Chu Lan, your attainment in the Spirit Plant Art is not inferior to any Personal Disciple in this valley." She paused, her tone becoming even softer. "Would you be willing to stay in Changsheng Valley? I can take you as a Personal Disciple; Spirit Plant resources, Cultivation Techniques, Pill Formulas, and ancient texts—you shall have them all."

Chu Lan looked up into Fairy Qingmu's sincere eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then shook her head. "Thank you for your kindness, Valley Master. But I must follow Senior Brother Gao Feng. His journey isn't over yet, and I will not stop either."

Fairy Qingmu glanced at her, then at Gao Feng, and didn't press further. She nodded and said, "Fine, I won't force you. You have passed the trial. You may take the Legacy of the Green Wood Pulse Continuation Technique with you."

Poison Vine's face was as gloomy as the sky before a storm; she flicked her sleeve and turned to leave.

Night fell. Chu Lan was alone in the Spirit Plant Garden packing her tools, placing the remaining Detoxifying Spiritual Plants into a jade box. The sound of footsteps came from behind her; she didn't turn around, recognizing the dark green scent of medicinal herbs.

"Elder Poison Vine."

Poison Vine walked up to her, took a Storage Pouch from her sleeve, and handed it over. "There are over twenty types of high-grade Spirit Plant seeds in here; every one is a secret of Changsheng Valley. If you are willing to stay, these things will be yours. I can even give you the complete Legacy of the Green Wood Pulse Continuation Technique, even more detailed than what was given to Gao Feng."

Chu Lan looked at the Storage Pouch and then at Poison Vine's eyes, which glinted coldly in the night. She didn't take it.

"Elder Poison Vine, I have already answered the Valley Master. I will follow Senior Brother Gao Feng."

Poison Vine's expression turned cold. "What can you learn by following Gao Feng? Can a mere martial artist teach you the Spirit Plant Art? Can he give you Spirit Plant resources? How far can he take you on the Path of Spirit Plants?" Her voice became shrill. "If you stay in Changsheng Valley, with your talent, you will surely reach the Golden Core stage within ten years, and within a hundred years, you could hope to inherit the position of Valley Master. Think carefully."

Chu Lan was silent for a moment, then she stuck her trowel back into the soil, clapped the dirt off her hands, and said calmly, "Elder, I didn't follow Senior Brother Gao Feng for the sake of the Spirit Plant Art in the first place. Back at the Heavenly Sword Sect, I didn't know the Aurora Sword Art could be used that way; at the Wanfa Sect, I didn't know the power of the Five Elements could be integrated into Spirit Plants; at the Lingbao Sect, I didn't know that repairing Magical Artifacts required the assistance of Spirit Plants. What he taught me wasn't the Spirit Plant Art, but something far more important than that."