472: Chapter 472 The Spirit Plant Master's Pilgrimage

The bells of the Time-Space Hall echoed through the mountains, and the Disciples of Taixu Palace had already begun their morning training. As Su Ning crossed the plaza, several Disciples who had once trained with her waved goodbye.

Su Ning nodded and walked toward the mountain gate. A silvery-white light gate lit up before her; she stepped into it and vanished within the silvery-white radiance.

The entrance to Changsheng Valley was hidden among the mountains; if not for the spatial coordinates on the token given by Fairy Qingmu, Chu Lan likely wouldn't have found it even after searching for three days.

She passed through a forest of emerald bamboo, where the leaves rustled in the wind and sunlight leaked through the gaps, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Ahead appeared an archway woven from vines, covered in small, pale purple flowers. Their fragrance was elegant—neither too strong nor too faint, just right.

Chu Lan took a deep breath. The air was filled with the delicate scents of various Spirit Plants—the coolness of Ice Soul Grass, the intensity of Fire Spirit Flower, the sweetness of Rejuvenation Grass, and the aura of ancient Spirit Plants whose names she did not know.

Just by smelling these scents, she felt the azure wood holy seed within her glowing faintly. The golden veins on its leaves pulsed a few times, as if responding to the call of this land.

"So this is Changsheng Valley…" Chu Lan murmured to herself, her eyes filled with longing.

Since childhood, she had possessed an extraordinary passion for Spirit Plants. The Yao Family's Spirit Plant Garden had been her childhood paradise; to her, those flowers and trees were not cold, unfeeling plants, but living companions.

After the fall of the Yao Family, she thought she would never see such a Spirit Plant Garden again. But Changsheng Valley was even more beautiful than she had imagined. Beyond the archway was a winding path, lined on both sides with various Spirit Plants—some she recognized, some she had only seen in ancient texts, and others whose names she couldn't even name.

As she stepped into the valley entrance, two Changsheng Valley Disciples approached her. One male, one female, both wearing green robes with Spirit Plant bags hanging from their waists, their attitudes were neither warm nor cold. The female Disciple looked her over, her gaze lingering for an instant on the Spirit Plant bag at her waist: "Who are you? What is your business in Changsheng Valley?"

Chu Lan took the token given to her by Fairy Qingmu from her robe—a green wooden tablet engraved with the image of a Changsheng Tree. The edges of the tablet had fine, intricate patterns, glowing with a faint green light in the sunlight. She presented it with both hands: "My name is Chu Lan. I have been invited by Fairy Qingmu to come and exchange knowledge on Spirit Plant Art."

The male Disciple took the tablet, turned it over to look at it, and his expression suddenly changed: "This is the Valley Master's VIP token! Please, follow me." He respectfully returned the tablet to Chu Lan and stepped aside to lead the way. The female Disciple also withdrew her scrutinizing gaze, showing a bit more courtesy.

Chu Lan followed the two Disciples through the entrance and onto the winding path. The sides were planted with various Spirit Plants, some she recognized—Gathering Spirit Grass, Spirit-Nurturing Flower, Heart-Clearing Lotus, and Mind-Calming Grass—all varieties that were also in her own Spirit Plant Garden. But there were even more ancient Spirit Plants that she had only seen in ancient texts. She walked very slowly, her eyes unable to take it all in.

A Spirit Plant that was entirely silver-white caught her attention. Its leaves were slender like swords, and silver sap flowed through its veins, resembling solidified starlight. She stopped: "This is…"

"Star Flower." Seeing her pause, the female Disciple's tone softened slightly, "The Valley Master brought it back from the Star Sea. There are only three in the entire Cultivation World. Its petals can be ground into powder to refine 'Star Pills,' which, when consumed, can enhance one's perception of the Space Power for a short time. However, it is extremely difficult to Cultivate; its requirements for the concentration of Spiritual Qi are almost perversely demanding. It took the Valley Master thirty years to make it bloom." Chu Lan reluctantly tore her gaze away and continued forward.

At the end of the path was a great hall carved from ancient wood. The growth rings on the trunk of the hall's structure were clearly visible, and the branches extended to form the beams of the roof. Vines hung down from the beams, blooming with tiny white flowers. Above the hall door were three archaic characters—Qingmu Hall.

Chu Lan was brought into the hall. Fairy Qingmu was studying an ancient text on Spirit Plants, with a yellowed bamboo scroll spread out on the desk in front of her. Beside it sat a cup of spirit tea, with steam curling upward. She looked to be in her thirties, with a gentle appearance and an ethereal temperament, though she had actually lived for eight hundred years. Her Golden Core Sixth Layer cultivation was restrained like a deep pool, impossible to fathom. Seeing Chu Lan, she put down the scroll and smiled slightly: "Chu Lan, you've come. How is the azure wood holy seed?"

Chu Lan released the power of the azure wood holy seed, and a cluster of emerald light emerged from her palm. Within the light, a faint phantom of a small tree was visible; its trunk was slender, its leaves were tender green, and golden veins pulsed on the leaves, like the heartbeat of a sapling. Surprise flashed in Fairy Qingmu's eyes. She stood up, walked over to Chu Lan, and studied the cluster of light for a long time: "The azure wood holy seed has already connected with your Bloodline? This isn't something that can be achieved in three or five years. You child, your talent is truly extraordinary."

Chu Lan withdrew the power of the holy seed and asked Fairy Qingmu how to learn the Spirit Plant Art of Changsheng Valley.

Fairy Qingmu sat back down, picked up the spirit tea, and took a sip. After pondering for a moment, she said that to learn high-level Spirit Plant Art in Changsheng Valley, one must first pass the "Spirit Plant Trial."

The task was to Cultivate a Soul-Returning Grass within three days and use it to save a dying Spirit Beast. Soul-Returning Grass was an extremely difficult ancient Spirit Plant to Cultivate; its seeds needed specific Spiritual Qi concentrations and temperatures to germinate. During the seedling stage, it was extremely fragile and would wither at the slightest mistake. Changsheng Valley would provide the seeds and soil, but the quality would be low—this was a deliberately set obstacle.

Chu Lan asked where the Spirit Beast was. Fairy Qingmu said to wait until the Soul-Returning Grass was cultivated before discussing that.

Chu Lan was taken to an isolated plot of spirit field within the Spirit Plant Garden. The field was not large, only about ten feet square, surrounded by a Formation for isolation. Fairy Qingmu gave her three Soul-Returning Grass seeds and a small bag of soil. The seeds were shriveled and gray, with a few even cracked. The soil was dark brown and emitted a faint, rotten odor. Chu Lan pinched a small amount of soil with her fingers and smelled it, her brows furrowing slightly—the soil was poisonous. The toxins were not fatal, but they would inhibit the seeds from germinating.

She did not complain. She took the time spirit spring from her Storage Pouch. It was one of her most precious resources; every bit used was a bit less, but she could not be stingy now. She placed the three seeds into a jade bowl and poured the time spirit spring over them to soak. The silvery-white liquid of the spirit spring covered the seeds, and those shriveled seeds slowly expanded in the spring water, their color changing from grayish-white to pale yellow, and then from pale yellow to emerald green. This was a sign that the seeds were regaining their vitality.

An hour later, she scooped out the seeds and planted them in the soil. The power of the azure wood holy seed surged from her palm, and the emerald light enveloped the entire spirit field. Under the purification of the azure wood holy seed, the toxins in the soil quickly decomposed, the dark brown color gradually fading to a yellowish-brown. Nourished by both the spirit spring and the holy seed, the seeds took root and sprouted at a speed visible to the naked eye.

On the first day, the tender shoots broke through the soil. On the second day, the seedlings grew to a finger's height, with tender green leaves and clear veins. On the third day, the Soul-Returning Grass bloomed with pale blue flowers, the petals as thin as cicada wings, trembling gently in the breeze. The fragrance was elegant, with a faint scent of grass and trees. Chu Lan pulled the Soul-Returning Grass up by its roots; the roots were intact, and the medicinal efficacy had reached its Peak. Three days, three seeds, all survived. Even Changsheng Valley itself took at least five days to Cultivate Soul-Returning Grass.

Fairy Qingmu looked at the Soul-Returning Grass, silent for a good while, before sighing: "Your resources are even better than those of Changsheng Valley. The time spirit spring, the azure wood holy seed, and… the spirit spring in that space within you, it's purer than the time spirit spring, isn't it? I have nothing left to teach you."

Chu Lan shook her head: "What I want to learn is the systematic knowledge of Spirit Plant Arrays and Spirit Plant cultivation. What I have is self-taught and lacks a System. I know how to use Spirit Plants, but I don't know why they are used that way. I want to know the principles; I want to know why Iron Thorn can trap shadows, and why the Shadow-Eating Vine can devour resentment. To know the what is not enough; one must also know the why."

Fairy Qingmu looked into her eyes for a long time. In those eyes, there was no greed, no eagerness for quick success, only a passion for Spirit Plants and a thirst for knowledge. Fairy Qingmu nodded and said, "Very well, I will teach you."

The Qingmu Compendium, the core of the Spirit Plant Art accumulated by Changsheng Valley over thousands of years, covered Spirit Plant identification, cultivation, hybridization, mutation, and the layout of Spirit Plant Arrays. It was an encyclopedic body of knowledge. The Jade Slip was a finger thick, filled with dense text. Chu Lan studied with insatiable hunger, sleeping only two hours a day. During the day, she practiced in the Spirit Plant Garden, and at night, she studied the Jade Slip in the guest quarters.

A month later, she had memorized the entire Qingmu Compendium. Her level in Spirit Plant Art had risen from "Genius" to "Grandmaster." She could not only Cultivate known Spirit Plants but also perform hybridization and breeding based on the growth patterns of Spirit Plants to create new varieties. She integrated the power of the time spirit spring and the azure wood holy seed into a Spirit Plant Array, innovating a "Time Spirit Plant Array"—using the power of time to accelerate the growth of Spirit Plants while using the power of Spirit Plants to stabilize the flow of time. This was a step she had taken on her own, building upon the thousands of years of Spirit Plant Art in Changsheng Valley.

Her cultivation also broke through unconsciously. From the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer Middle Stage to the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer Peak, she was only one step away from the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer.

However, not everyone in Changsheng Valley welcomed Chu Lan. Elder Qingfeng was of the Conservatives in Changsheng Valley, at the Golden Core Fifth Layer, and believed that the Spirit Plant Art of Changsheng Valley should not be passed on to outsiders. She had repeatedly made things difficult for Chu Lan in secret.

The first time, a large number of pests suddenly appeared in the Spirit Plant Garden where Chu Lan was studying, specifically eating the roots and stems of the Spirit Plants. Chu Lan did not panic; she took several seeds of a bug-catching grass from her Spirit Plant bag and planted them around the spirit field. The bug-catching grass grew overnight, opening its giant maws to devour all the pests.

The second time, poisonous weeds were mixed into a batch of Spirit Plants she was cultivating, the toxins inhibiting the growth of the Spirit Plants. Chu Lan purified the toxins with the power of the azure wood holy seed; not only did those Spirit Plants not wither, but they grew even more lushly.

The third time, Elder Qingfeng questioned Chu Lan in front of Fairy Qingmu: "Valley Master, she is an outsider, by what right does she learn the secret techniques of our Changsheng Valley? Our Changsheng Valley has been established for thousands of years and has never passed on its secrets to outsiders. If we make an exception today, I fear that tomorrow even our sect's greatest treasure will be given away."

The hall fell silent.

Fairy Qingmu did not speak immediately, only looking at Chu Lan.