Chapter 1002

Transplanting the Five Elements Spiritual Tree

Chen Mobai knelt down and carefully examined the scorched sprouts and leaves. Using his "Voice of the Empty Valley" ability, he quickly detected the faint vital energy remaining within them. Although these rice seeds appeared to have failed, the fact that they could sprout in this soil indicated their potential to adapt to this new environment.

"Master," Zhuo Ming said, "I plan to hybridize these spiritual rice seeds that managed to sprout and see if we can cultivate new generations of seeds adapted to this soil environment..."

Zhuo Ming, standing beside them, was already the Five Elements Sect's undisputed top spiritual plant cultivator. Even Chen Mobai could only guide her by relying on knowledge from the Immortal Sect. In terms of practical experience, there was no need to mention it; Zhuo Ming had been busy with spiritual rice cultivation and hybridization ever since she joined Xiaonanshan. It had become her instinct to consider cultivating spiritual rice whenever she saw different types of spiritual soil.

"Your direction is very correct," Chen Mobai said, nodding. "What's needed first is to cultivate spiritual rice that can grow; then we can focus on quality, taste, and so on..."

"It will probably take a very long time, though," Zhuo Ming added. She wasn't afraid of a lack of results. After all, when she cultivated Tier 2 spiritual rice in Giant Wood Ridge, she failed nearly a thousand times before finding the correct seeds. This was precisely why the major sects in the Skyriver Realm highly valued their spiritual rice seeds, as it could be the result of several generations of arduous effort.

"Let's focus on restoring the Eastern Wu lands and its spiritual veins first," Chen Mobai advised, seeing Zhuo Ming's gaze fixed on the scorched sprouts and fearing she might waste too much time on this. "Spiritual rice is no longer a primary concern for our Five Elements Sect."

"Yes, Master!" Zhuo Ming immediately nodded. Thanks to her efforts, and Chen Mobai leading the sect in campaigns for over a century, the Five Elements Sect now possessed four types of Tier 3 spiritual rice with different attributes, nineteen types of Tier 2 spiritual rice, and hundreds of types of Tier 1 spiritual rice. This covered all needs, from Core Formation to Qi Condensation, body tempering, mental cultivation, spiritual power, vital essence, and more.

The only thing currently lacking was Tier 4 spiritual rice, required by Nascent Soul cultivators. This grade of spiritual rice was not found in the three border regions of Eastern Continent; it was basically imported from the Eastern Lands or Eastern Peaks. The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Five Elements Sect primarily consumed Three-Colored Spiritual Rice imported from the Starlit Heavenly Dao Sect. It was said that this Tier 4 spiritual rice could only grow when irrigated with diluted Three-Light Divine Water. Long-term consumption could enhance a cultivator's essence, qi, and spirit, making it exceptionally precious even among Nascent Soul cultivators, and beyond the reach of ordinary forces.

The Starlit Heavenly Dao Sect was willing to sell it to the Five Elements Sect because the furnace of Golden Liquid Jade Reversion Pills refined by Qing Nü had allowed them to gain two more Core Formation cultivators. After verifying the efficacy of the Five Elements Sect's Core Formation elixirs, the Starlit Heavenly Dao Sect's attitude naturally became very favorable. However, the Starlit Heavenly Dao Sect had too many Nascent Soul cultivators; even for their own consumption, the Three-Colored Spiritual Rice was insufficient, so the quantity sold to the Five Elements Sect was only enough for one or two people.

Chen Mobai himself didn't need it. Given his status in the Immortal Sect, he could eat different types of Tier 4 spiritual rice with every meal, and had even had the rare opportunity to taste Tier 5 immortal rice, exclusively for Spirit Transformation patriarchs, once. Qi Yuheng had invited him to eat it, and its taste was indeed extraordinary. Within the Five Elements Sect, he didn't eat spiritual rice, and Zhou Shengqing didn't need it. Mo Douguang and Zhou Ye could barely manage by sharing. However, Chen Mobai certainly couldn't let his own Nascent Soul cultivators go hungry. He used his connections to purchase Profound Sky Spiritual Rice from the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect, a holy land. This was top-grade Tier 4 spiritual rice, and only with Ye Qing's approval could the Five Elements Sect purchase it.

However, if the Five Elements Sect were to expand further in the future, it would definitely need its own Tier 4 spiritual rice. Zhuo Ming had thought of this point and also noticed that while the spiritual veins of the Eastern Wu lands were shattered, the soil contained unprecedented fertility, which led her to wonder if they could experiment with cultivating Tier 4 spiritual rice here. Regarding this, Chen Mobai already had a solution: to directly bring seeds from the Immortal Sect for cultivation. Previously, because the Five Elements Sect's strength was insufficient, they needed to maintain a low profile and dared not reveal these valuable items. But now it was different. After the Righteous-Demonic War, the Five Elements Sect's strength had been fully revealed, and they were renowned even in the Eastern Lands. Having many might not be feasible, but possessing the cultivation technique for one type of Tier 4 spiritual rice was not a problem. They could just say it was passed down from the Longevity Sect.

"The soil here is exceptionally fertile," Qing Nü remarked. She had already examined the soil with her professional expertise while the master and disciple discussed spiritual rice seeds, and she was quite surprised. "When the Five Elements spiritual veins fully form in the future, even casual cultivation might yield Tier 4 spiritual fields, and the central areas could even be Tier 5 spiritual fields. It would be a great pity not to use them for farming."

"Thunder represents both destruction and vitality," Chen Mobai explained, having perceived the state of the Eastern Wu lands with his Earth Spirit realm. "When Elder Su and I ignited hundreds of spiritual veins, turning millions of demonic beasts from the desolate sea into ash, that was destruction. But the energy between heaven and earth cycles; now, during the restoration process, the vitality stored within will also be released..." Not only him, but Zhuo Ming as well. When she arrived, her All-Encompassing Spirit Sense immediately detected the vibrant life force contained within the scarred lands. Millions of demonic beasts and countless other living beings apart from humans on the Eastern Wu lands were buried there. Coupled with the continuous irrigation from Cloud Dream Lake, once the Eastern Wu lands were fully restored, they would become the largest plains in the border regions of Eastern Continent. According to Chen Mobai's estimation, all the spiritual fields in the entire Eastern Desolation combined would not compare to this plain, which he had destroyed by detonating spiritual veins. Moreover, the most crucial point was that the quality of these spiritual fields would be exceptionally high. It was precisely this realization that led Zhuo Ming to attempt cultivating spiritual rice, driven by a desire not to waste resources.

"The only problem," Zhuo Ming stated, explaining the biggest issue she had encountered over the years, "is that the soil retains a large amount of lightning essence. Only a handful of spiritual plants can grow and survive in such an environment." These lightning essences were remnants from detonating hundreds of spiritual veins, and their concentration was extremely high, making them difficult to resolve even with her Earth Mother Seal.

"There are indeed some medicinal herbs that require absorbing lightning essence," Qing Nü said, seemingly having thought of something, and then transmitted the latter half of her sentence to Chen Mobai. "But such a large plain definitely can't be fully planted with just medicinal herbs; spiritual rice is still needed. Ming'er has too much to exert herself with, so why don't you..."

"That's a good method indeed." Chen Mobai's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he nodded repeatedly. Qing Nü told Chen Mobai that they could take some of the spiritual soil back to the Immortal Sect and have the Jumang Daoist Academy assist with research and cultivation. Although Zhuo Ming was a genius in cultivating spiritual rice, she was still in the Skyriver Realm environment, and her individual efforts could never compare to the Immortal Sect's thousands of years of accumulated knowledge. With Chen Mobai's current status, while he couldn't bring Immortal Sect spiritual plant cultivators here to experiment, taking a few acres of this soil back was easy. It would be a good way to give Wenren Xuewei something to do. After the War of Expansion, she stayed cooped up in the Jumang Daoist Academy every day, drinking tea and even neglecting her cultivation. As the Immortal Sect's foremost university for spiritual plants, the Jumang Daoist Academy excelled at such tasks. Zhuo Ming might need decades, or even a century, to cultivate new Tier 4 spiritual rice seeds suitable for this environment. If the Jumang Daoist Academy took action, it could probably be accomplished in a maximum of ten years. If they were lucky, they might find the correct direction and succeed directly after one or two hybridizations.

The main reason Qing Nü could think of this was her professional expertise. As a graduate of the Jumang Daoist Academy, she knew best the techniques of her academy in spiritual plant cultivation. Sometimes, when she transplanted a high-grade medicinal herb back to Huanglong Cave Mansion from the Skyriver Realm, she still needed Chen Mobai to take her back to log into the Jumang Daoist Academy's campus network to check data. They could simply say that they had accidentally obtained some special Five Elements soil from a void blind box. After solving this problem, Chen Mobai felt quite relieved and pleased.

"Since the Eastern Wu's Five Elements Ancestral Vein has reached Tier 3," Chen Mobai said, stating the main purpose of his visit today, "and since I'm here now, why don't we transplant the Five Elements Spiritual Tree?" Zhuo Ming nodded and led them to the center of the ancestral vein. This place was completely different from when Chen Mobai had first formed the spiritual veins. At that time, it was covered in cracks and looked desolate, but now it was flat and vast, with fertile soil shimmering with five-colored luster under the sunlight. Stepping on it, one could feel the fine, soft texture of the soil and the abundant spiritual energy it contained.

"This Heavenly Origin Pearl is not of much use to me anymore," Chen Mobai said. "For now, I'll integrate it into this spiritual vein to serve as its core. By the time this ancestral vein reaches Tier 5, Ming'er, you should have formed your Nascent Soul. At that point, you can retrieve this artifact; it will be very useful for self-defense, or for cultivating the Five Elements Divine Light that complements the Primordial Dao Fruit, and so on. I'll first transmit the incantation for its refinement to you; make sure to remember it well..." After landing, Chen Mobai was extremely satisfied with Zhuo Ming's hard work over the years and couldn't help but bestow his Heavenly Origin Pearl upon her.

"Thank you, Master!" Zhuo Ming was overjoyed. Su Ziluo, standing nearby, looked envious. A Tier 5 artifact was extremely rare, even within the One Yuan Dao Palace, and the Heavenly Origin Pearl, which could greatly enhance the cultivation efficiency of the Primordial Dao Fruit, was even more so.

After transmitting the incantation, Chen Mobai removed the Heavenly Origin Pearl from his Five Extremes Heavenly Heart Pendant. With a gentle flip of his palm, the treasure pearl, radiating five-colored light, floated above his palm. Under the effect of the "Can Tong Qi," the Heavenly Origin Pearl burst forth with dazzling brilliance and, as he moved his hand away, slowly sank and merged into the core of the ancestral vein. If others were to perform this task, they would likely need extensive preparations, possibly even setting up formations. But Chen Mobai, being in the Earth Spirit realm, had perfected his geomancy skills, effortlessly guiding the Heavenly Origin Pearl to merge with the spiritual vein beneath their feet. This ancestral vein had been personally formed by him, and Zhuo Ming had nurtured and improved it with balanced Five Elements spiritual energy according to his instructions, so the Heavenly Origin Pearl merged without any obstruction.

However, during this process, Chen Mobai also noticed that there was still a slight imbalance in the Five Elements spiritual energy of this vein. After all, Zhuo Ming's cultivation was only at Core Formation, and even Chen Mobai himself had deviations when he initially balanced the Five Elements of the inorganic soil, let alone her. But after the Heavenly Origin Pearl merged, all these imbalances were corrected. The greatest purpose of this artifact, when refined by True Monarch Yiyuan, was precisely for this. The moment it integrated, five-colored flowing light erupted from the ground, illuminating the entire area of soil with extraordinary splendor.

"Ming'er, you try it now! I'll guide you!" Chen Mobai completed the most difficult integration work, then immediately waved his beloved disciple, who was standing nearby, over to his side. Zhuo Ming came over, and under Chen Mobai's guidance, she communicated with the Heavenly Origin Pearl using the refinement incantation she had just received. Chen Mobai had originally thought that the Heavenly Origin Pearl's artifact spirit might not accept her so quickly, but to his surprise, the moment Zhuo Ming's consciousness entered, it immediately merged with it. Compared to Chen Mobai, who used the "Can Tong Qi" to control it, Zhuo Ming was recognized by the Heavenly Origin Pearl as someone who could become its master.

"Excellent, excellent! Ming'er, you truly are my true successor!" Realizing this, Chen Mobai laughed heartily, severed his connection with the Heavenly Origin Pearl, and then instructed Zhuo Ming on how to use the artifact's power to gather Five Elements spiritual energy to upgrade the spiritual vein and restore the land. Zhuo Ming was initially a bit awkward, as the Heavenly Origin Pearl was, after all, a Tier 5 artifact. But she quickly grasped the knack with the artifact spirit's spontaneous cooperation. Soon, surging Five Elements power began to spread out from deep within the earth like surging waves. Using her All-Encompassing Spirit Sense, Zhuo Ming commanded the Heavenly Origin Pearl to gather the Five Elements spiritual energy from deep within the earth, beginning to regulate the land and enhance the spiritual vein. Originally, after the Heavenly Origin Pearl was integrated, Chen Mobai would have needed to work diligently for some time, but with Zhuo Ming's excellent performance, he was able to relax.

With the Heavenly Origin Pearl, this Five Elements Ancestral Vein had already reached Tier 5. However, Chen Mobai hoped that when the Heavenly Origin Pearl was eventually removed, the vein would still remain at Tier 5. So he opened his personal domain, preparing to transplant the Five Elements Spiritual Tree he had nurtured for a long time. According to his plan, by the time the Five Elements Ancestral Vein here genuinely upgraded to Tier 5, this Five Elements Spiritual Tree would at least be able to simultaneously advance to top-grade Tier 4. It was even possible for it to reach Tier 5. Zhuo Ming was regulating the earth vein, but with Qing Nü present, the couple effortlessly transplanted the Tier 3 Five Elements Spiritual Tree from the domain with their combined efforts. Su Ziluo watched the small tree, radiating five-colored luster, emerge from the void and settle into the very center of the ancestral vein, secretly nodding. She had heard of the Five Elements Spiritual Tree when she was in the One Yuan Dao Palace. It was said that Grandmaster Yiyuan was able to achieve Spirit Transformation because he had obtained a Tier 5 Five Elements Spiritual Tree from a Longevity Sect secret realm. This current Five Elements Spiritual Tree should be from that secret realm, proving that Chen Mobai was the legitimate successor of Yiyuan, and such a fortuitous encounter must have been left for him by Grandmaster Yiyuan.

As the Five Elements Spiritual Tree's roots extended into the earth, Zhuo Ming also reached out and placed her hand on the jade-like bark, perceiving it with her All-Encompassing Spirit Sense. Under her divine ability, the Five Elements Spiritual Tree, having just emerged from the domain, began to undergo subtle changes. Its previously somewhat contracted roots gradually expanded and grew, beginning to take root in this land. At this moment, the Heavenly Origin Pearl also floated up from deep within the earth, and the Five Elements Spiritual Tree's roots immediately, and seemingly involuntarily, wrapped around this Tier 5 treasure pearl. Both were old acquaintances from within Chen Mobai's personal domain. After sensing the familiar Five Elements spiritual vein, the somewhat withered five-colored flowers on the jade-like branches of the Five Elements Spiritual Tree immediately bloomed. As the five-colored radiance flickered, it resembled a jade tree adorned with various lanterns, overflowing with shimmering light. This sight made Chen Mobai nod continuously. The Five Elements Spiritual Tree was very delicate and difficult to cultivate, but its current state indicated that the transplantation was successful.

After walking a circle, he took out a formation plate and five formation flags, inserting them into the five cardinal directions, and with the Heavenly Origin Pearl as the core, set up a top-grade Tier 4 Five Elements Formation. This formation, besides protecting the Five Elements Spiritual Tree, could continuously condense Five Elements spiritual energy, ripen and nurture Five Elements spiritual fruits, and also provide some assistance in regulating the Eastern Wu lands. Tier 3 Five Elements spiritual fruits also had some effect on Core Formation, with a success rate of about one or two percent if eaten raw. However, Chen Mobai would certainly not be so wasteful. With Qing Nü, a master alchemist, they could be refined into elixirs that enhance Five Elements spiritual power. They could even be refined into Super Foundation Establishment Pills, a lower-tier version of the Five Elements Golden Core Elixir, specifically for cultivators using Five Elements cultivation techniques to establish their foundation. To prevent any mishaps, Chen Mobai and Qing Nü stayed here for an additional period. As time passed, the leaves of the Five Elements Spiritual Tree grew more luxuriant, and the glow of its five-colored spiritual flowers became even more brilliant. This indicated that the Five Elements Spiritual Tree had completely adapted to its new environment.

"After diligently working for a century, I finally dare to openly display these things," Chen Mobai mused, stroking the Five Elements Spiritual Tree before leaving. He felt that only at his current status and realm did he dare to gradually reveal his valuable possessions without fear of being coveted by the wolf-like local powers of the Eastern Continent.

"Step by step," Qing Nü said with a smile, "the Five Elements Sect will one day become a Holy Land in your hands." Zhuo Ming also nodded in agreement. Su Ziluo listened with a puzzled expression. In her view, Chen Mobai could easily inherit the One Yuan Dao Palace and preside over a Holy Land simply by returning to Five Emperors Mountain. Why would he bother painstakingly managing the Five Elements Sect here in the border regions of Eastern Continent?

"Hahaha, I hope so," Chen Mobai laughed, then gave Zhuo Ming a couple of instructions. The Five Elements spiritual fruits in the One Yuan Secret Realm would ripen in two years. After this batch was harvested, Chen Mobai would try to see if he could incorporate the entire One Yuan Secret Realm into his personal domain. His domain space was large enough now, but this secret realm was originally opened by the Longevity Sect to cultivate Five Elements Spiritual Trees, and later found by True Monarch Yiyuan and transformed into the present place for transmitting doctrines. This meant that at least two Spirit Transformation or even Void Refinement cultivators had left their marks within it. Chen Mobai, currently only at the Nascent Soul stage, was not very confident about this. But since the secret realm was his anyway, if one attempt failed, he could try multiple times. At worst, he would succeed eventually after reaching Spirit Transformation.

"If I go into seclusion then," Chen Mobai said, "you can come back and find your Mistress. I will leave the key to the One Yuan Secret Realm with her." Chen Mobai had buried the Heavenly Origin Pearl here, but he still kept the Five Directions Jade Pendant and the Pure Heart Red Rope. The former was the key to entering and exiting the One Yuan Secret Realm, while the latter could clarify the mind, suppress inner demons, and was extremely useful when breaking through cultivation realms. He had his own natal artifact, the Morning Bell, so the Pure Heart Red Rope was of little use to him, but he could lend it to others around him. Earlier, when Qing Nü was in seclusion breaking through to the late Core Formation stage, her foundation was somewhat unstable due to consuming many elixirs. With the help of the Pure Heart Red Rope, she was unaffected and successfully advanced without issues. Su Ziluo saw Chen Mobai hand both the Five Directions Jade Pendant and the Pure Heart Red Rope to Qing Nü, her mouth slightly agape, but she dared not say anything.

After leaving Eastern Wu, Chen Mobai took Qing Nü to inspect various other locations. After Shi Wanyu's passing, Chen Mobai cherished Qing Nü, his wife who would accompany him to the very end, even more. The two first went to Beiyuan City. Chen Mobai handled the accumulated matters from the past seven or eight years, while Qing Nü went to inspect the headquarters of the Danxia Pavilion. The Five Elements Sect's team for maintaining its overall operation was now very mature, and there were very few matters that required Chen Mobai, a Nascent Soul patriarch, to personally handle.

"You've done well..." Chen Mobai nodded in satisfaction after listening to E Yun's report. After the Righteous-Demonic War, with the Five Elements Sect having seized Eastern Wu and most of the Eastern Yi territories, it entered a period of rapid development. Thanks to the popularization of the Three Treasures of Foundation Establishment, almost every year saw a double-digit increase in new Foundation Establishment cultivators. As of today, the Five Elements Sect already had 789 Foundation Establishment cultivators, soon to break 800. These were true direct lineage Foundation Establishment cultivators, nurtured step by step by the sect. If one also included the Eastern Wu and Eastern Yi cultivators who had been incorporated, the number would have long surpassed a thousand. In terms of Core Formation cultivators, their numbers also increased significantly due to the proliferation of Heretical Golden Cores. For example, Xie Yuntian, Quan Shanlin, Zheng Deming, Tan Rong, Ji Guanhai, Yi Shaoqing, Ma Wuniang, and Kong Shanxu, who had previously failed multiple Core Formations.

Theoretically, Heretical Golden Cores were also considered Core Formation elixirs. According to the Five Elements Sect's rules, Xie Yuntian, Quan Shanlin, and others should not have been able to exchange for them again. However, Chen Mobai did not strictly enforce this rule. Furthermore, considering that these individuals had been retired and had made significant contributions, risking their lives for the Five Elements Sect in their youth, Chen Mobai specifically issued supplementary clauses, allowing E Yun to provide them with Heretical Golden Cores. Among them, Tan Rong and Ji Guanhai had not yet reached retirement age, but Sheng Zhaoxi and Nujiang still had some influence, and since there were plenty of Heretical Golden Cores, they were given to them. When Chen Mobai originally asked Sheng Zhaoxi to retire, she had made this request, hoping to secure another chance for her disciple, Tan Rong, to form a core. Chen Mobai naturally agreed. Moreover, after Sheng Zhaoxi retired, he opened a new factory for manufacturing war artifacts and rehired her as its director.

"According to your instructions, Sect Master," E Yun said, "one Heretical Golden Core will be put on the shelves each year. Here is the list for the next few years..." Chen Mobai had no objections to the list E Yun handed him, because most of the people he was familiar with had already made their exchanges earlier, and those he had some impression of were at the very top of this list. His only concern was the new Foundation Establishment Completion cultivators who had emerged in the sect over the years. These were uncut jades; if even one of them succeeded in truly forming a Core by consuming a Core Formation elixir, their value would be equivalent to several cultivators who had formed Heretical Golden Cores.

"Over these years," E Yun reported, "there have been seven Foundation Establishment Completion cultivators: Ding Ying, Qi Rui, Wei Liuting, Dong Xuanze, Lian Maozhi..." These were also disciples Chen Mobai was familiar with, and naturally, they deserved strong support.

"How is the collection of materials for the Golden Liquid Jade Reversion Pills coming along?" Chen Mobai asked. Seven Foundation Establishment Completion cultivators were enough for one batch.

"It should be almost complete," E Yun replied, using an uncharacteristically uncertain tone. "Because matters concerning elixirs are handled by True Person Danxia, I haven't asked too many questions..." Chen Mobai understood his meaning. Although Qing Nü did not manage sect affairs in the Five Elements Sect and had a very good temperament, she was, after all, his Dao companion, and was rumored to have an immense background and origin. Thus, E Yun wouldn't dare to rush her with alchemy.

"I'll arrange this matter," Chen Mobai said. "You inform these seven disciples to prepare their sect contributions; they should be able to exchange for Golden Liquid Jade Reversion Pills at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion in about a year."

"Yes, Sect Master!" After handling the accumulated affairs of these past years in the main hall of Beiyuan City, Chen Mobai returned to his courtyard atop Beiyuan Mountain. This place was now a Tier 5 spiritual vein, but unfortunately, no Nascent Soul cultivator was stationed here. After the Righteous-Demonic War ended, Zhou Shengqing returned to Giant Wood Ridge. Mo Douguang was at Golden Light Cliff, and Zhou Ye was in Eastern Yi. As for Chen Mobai, it went without saying that he might not visit even once in ten years. He brewed a pot of tea on the mountaintop. Halfway through enjoying it, Qing Nü flew up, her expression slightly displeased.

"There are problems with the people below," Qing Nü began, recounting her findings from auditing. "Some city deacons have colluded internally and externally, manipulating the eligibility to purchase valuable elixirs through backroom deals, and falsely reporting losses..." She had been in seclusion breaking through her realm, and had not visited Danxia Pavilion for seven or eight years, giving some greedy deacons an opportunity. Initially, it was just minor pilfering, but one instance led to another, and now the interests involved were substantial. Some elixirs in Danxia Pavilion had a spoilage rate. Certain areas falsely reported losses, thereby pocketing some elixirs, resulting in a profit loss of millions of spiritual stones. Qing Nü's accounting methods came from the Immortal Sect. Although Danxia Pavilion's annual profits were still growing, once the ledgers were merged, a suspicious slight dip in the profit trend line became clearly apparent, and an investigation quickly uncovered the problem.

"I'll send Yu Lian to deal with it," Chen Mobai said indifferently.

"Never mind, I'll handle it myself," Qing Nü said, still feeling somewhat merciful, knowing that if Yu Lian acted, those underlings would suffer greatly, even if they didn't die. She immediately shook her head.