Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 2: Spiritual Plant Master

“Chen’er, at your age, there's no need to worry about spirit stones. Go out and play with the clan kids, or practice some basic five-element spells.”

Bai Jiu’an found that his nephew was truly a bit too precocious. When he was that age, he was still playing with mud in the fields, wrestling toys from the neighbor’s kids. Even after being found to possess spiritual roots, how could such a young child bear the dullness of cultivation? He slacked off whenever he had the chance.

It wasn’t until he was fifteen or sixteen, when his temperament settled and he realized the importance of cultivation, that he began to take it seriously.

Today, Bai Zichen wore a brand-new standard cyan daoist robe, with a cluster of robust black bamboo embroidered on the chest, a benefit every cultivator in the Bai clan received.

The robe’s material was ordinary, but it was inscribed with silk runes for self-cleaning and mending tears. Outside in the market, it’d easily cost five spirit stones.

At his waist hung a newly acquired brocade pouch containing two spirit stones and a stack of talismans, the former was his annual stipend as a first-layer Qi Refining cultivator; the latter was a gift from his uncle Bai Jiu’an for entering the path of cultivation.

Spirit stones served not only as currency in the cultivation world, but also as essential cultivation resources. Their importance was self-evident. Though Bai Zichen wasn’t yet familiar with the economic system of the cultivation world, from what he’d read in miscellaneous texts, he knew that two stones wouldn’t go far.

“Uncle, the books say that among the hundreds immortal arts, artifact forging, pill refining, and talisman drawing are the top three for making spirit stones. Why did you become a spiritual plant master?”

Despite his young age, Bai Zichen had already decided to learn a craft to earn a living. And what better source than his direct uncle? Unfortunately, those respected high-tier skills were all outside his uncle’s expertise.

“Those three professions demand immense talent and a massive investment early on. Except for sects like Azure Maple Sect, what clan would pour resources into training someone like that?”

Bai Jiu’an reached out and patted his young nephew’s head, not at all annoyed by such a childlike question.

“Take pill refining, for example. Even the most basic pills require over a hundred spirit stones’ worth of ingredients per furnace. A few dozen failures can cripple a small clan.”

“And don’t underestimate spiritual plant masters. It doesn’t require much investment. If even one or two of the spiritual plants you nurture grow successfully, the profits won’t be small.”

No matter how you dress it up, the prospects of a spiritual plant master couldn’t compare to pill or artifact refiners. It really just came down to the low costs.

Bai Zichen muttered inwardly but didn’t have much prejudice against the profession. He was still young, and without access to learn the high-tier trades, starting as a plant master was perfectly fine.

Bai Jiu’an led Bai Zichen to a bamboo grove, formed a spell with his fingers, and released a few tiny green lights that danced around his fingertips before sinking into the bamboo before them. The leaves rustled, and in mere moments, the bamboo visibly perked up, its branches and leaves appeared fuller and more vibrant.

“The ‘Yi Wood Azure Spirit Art,’ a unique technique passed down by our ancestors, its the only one of its kind in the entire Heishan County. It's incredibly beneficial to all things related to flora, not only does it promote growth and vitality, but it also refines essence and enhances quality. Thanks to this technique, the spiritual plants our Bai Clan cultivates are quite well-known in Heishan County. It's the clan’s most important product.”

As he spoke, Bai Jiu’an continued casting the spell, enhancing several acres of bamboo in no time.

“Huh? Isn’t this the same black bamboo planted outside the town? Is it also a kind of spiritual plant?”

Bai Zichen looked closely. Aside from being deeper in color and more vibrant, the bamboo didn’t seem much different from the large groves in town.

“Haha, smart boy. This is black bamboo. But it’s still far from being a true spiritual plant!”

Back when their ancestors settled in the Heishan Mountains, they inherited a pouch of first-rank low-grade spirit plant seeds, Profound Black Bamboo. Over time, they cultivated them, gradually expanding the bamboo groves.

However, with the passage of years, most new black bamboo degenerated into ordinary bamboo, just slightly tougher than common varieties. But with careful nurturing from spiritual plant masters and countless applications of the Yi Wood Azure Spirit Art, it could possibly evolve back into Profound Black Bamboo.

The reason black bamboo was planted all around the towns was due to the Bai clan’s directive, ensuring an ample reserve for cultivation.

“There are dozens of nameless hills like this within the family’s domain. Once you reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining, around the fourth layer, you can apply for your own hill to develop a spiritual field and grow your plants. For now, just find a spot to practice here on my Fufeng Ridge.”

Bai Zichen was delighted. The clan’s benefits were surprisingly generous. Even a small mountain like this could house hundreds of mortals, land he never could’ve imagined owning in his previous life.

Around 200–300 black bamboo trees occupied the most spiritually abundant area of the ridge. Behind them rose a sheer cliff, its surface covered in lush vines. Below lay a narrow pond only a few meters wide.

On another side, a flat area of about 100 zhang in length and width had been cleared. It was planted with a blazing red crop, with slender stems and leaves that grew waist-high.

A breeze blew by, and the field swayed all to one side like waves of fire, leaving Bai Zichen stunned.

At the edge of the flatland, a small wall surrounded three shabby gray buildings.

Bai Jiu’an was more casual when handling this red crop. A wave of his Yi Wood Azure Spirit Art covered the entire spiritual field. The green glow was so faint it was barely visible. In just a few strokes, the work was done.

“Sunflame Grass. Once fully grown, its fibers can be used to make talisman paper for first-rank fire-element talismans. Not worth much. A plot this size might fetch a dozen spirit stones. But it thrives on poor spiritual energy, is easy to care for, and most low-tier cultivators grow a bit of it.”

Bai Jiu’an had noticed by now, his nephew wasn’t an ordinary child. Throughout the day, he’d shown intense focus on every detail of plant care. He persistently asked questions without the slightest impatience or boredom. So Bai Jiu’an simply took the initiative to explain more.

“I only come here to tend to the spiritual plants. I spend less than half a month a year living here, so I just built some simple housing. In a few more years, once I reach the late stage of Qi Refining, I’ll be able to bring a few mortal servants into the mountains to help manage daily life.”

At first, the Bai clan lived with mortals, but after several generations and rising cultivator numbers, opinions shifted. That generation’s clan leader set new rules: all Bai mortals without spiritual roots were to be relocated to a nearby town at the mountain’s base.

Only cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining could apply to bring a set number of mortals into the mountains.

This made management easier and prevented too much human presence from disturbing the mountain’s spiritual energy.

But this rule became a hardship for lower-tier cultivators. Qi Refining stage cultivators hadn’t yet reached the level of fasting from food and still needed to cook, clean, and handle chores themselves. Many who had just been discovered to possess spiritual roots thought they had already soared above the mortal world, only to find themselves bitterly complaining about these chores.

Those with unstable temperaments and a taste for ease and pleasure often couldn’t bear the hardship, and the moment they had a chance, they’d sneak down to the nearby towns to enjoy a few carefree days.

Of course, Bai Jiu’an didn’t live on Fufeng Ridge full-time because of clan duties. He traveled often, gathering resources for cultivation. Otherwise, with his four-root aptitude, he couldn’t possibly be so close to the late Qi Refining stage already.

That night, after eating a spiritual meal with his uncle, Bai Zichen returned to his room, though calling it a spiritual meal was generous. It was just some ordinary rice and vegetables from a roughly managed spiritual field, occasionally nourished by a rare casting of the Yi Wood Azure Spirit Art. It offered no real aid to cultivation.

Coupled with Bai Jiu’an’s poor cooking skills and lack of decent ingredients, the food was dry and flavorless for the meat-loving Bai Zichen, who could only pray that his uncle’s cultivation would soon advance and that he’d bring back a proper chef.

(Chapter End)