Chapter 16
"It seems this Dark Marrow Fungus dislikes light and requires decaying spirit wood for its growth," Lu Xuan assessed based on the hints in his mind.
"Disliking light is quite simple. Though due to the nature of spirit fields and soils, it's not easy to move it indoors. But I can set up a simple canopy to provide shade," he mused.
"But finding decaying spirit wood will be challenging. Spirit wood is relatively common, but who has that kind of decayed wood?" Lu Xuan pondered, retrieving tools from home and constructing a makeshift wooden shelter around the Dark Marrow Fungus.
Being a second-grade spirit plant, the sooner it's planted, the earlier it'll yield. Determined not to delay, he decided to go out and search.
He headed toward the center of the market, arriving at a massive courtyard after a short while. Peering over the stone wall, he could vaguely see tall, dense spirit wood planted inside.
The owner of the courtyard was a cultivator surnamed Zhou, at the third stage of Qi cultivation. Lu Xuan had only heard of him before and had rarely interacted with him.
It was said that this Zhou cultivator had a close relationship with a high-ranking cultivator in the central market, which explained how he occupied such a vast courtyard and cultivated so many spirit woods.
Decayed spirit wood resulted from pest infestation during cultivation, prolonged storage, or inadequate conditions, causing the wood's properties to decay.
Considering Zhou's extensive cultivation of spirit wood, it was possible that he might have some decayed wood in his possession.
Approaching, Lu Xuan was greeted by a young cultivator. He stated his purpose, and the youth led him to the elder Zhou cultivator.
"I am Zhou Yuan. May I know the name of the young brother?" the elder asked.
"I am Lu Xuan."
"Ah, Daoist Lu. My son mentioned you wish to inquire about decayed spirit wood in our house. May I ask for what purpose?" Zhou Yuan inquired.
"Not concealing anything, Brother Zhou. I've recently gained some insights into nurturing spirit plants and wanted to verify a speculation with the decayed wood. I've heard Brother Zhou's expertise in cultivating spirit wood and thought to come and see if there's any decayed wood," Lu Xuan replied, half-truthfully.
"I see."
Zhou Yuan nodded, neither entirely believing nor dismissing Lu Xuan's words.
"Due to various reasons, we indeed have some pieces of decayed spirit wood."
The spirit field in the yard was already packed, with no space for additional plants.
Twenty budding Firefly Grass, rapidly entering their growth phase, and two Lunar Erosion Trees, with their Lunar Erosion Fruits mostly ripe.
A first-grade Crimson Cloud Pine, low in requirements for spiritual environment, only needing occasional stimulation with Fireball Technique.
A second-grade Sword Grass, requiring the techniques of Golden Sword Technique and Spirit Rain Technique, and a second-grade Dark Marrow Fungus, mainly nurtured by decayed spirit wood, sparing Lu Xuan the use of Spirit Rain Technique.
Only needing Spirit Rain Technique and Earth Attraction Technique to maintain the wood's decayed state was sufficient.
Upon review, Lu Xuan realized he had fewer first-grade spirit plants in the spirit field; just the Crimson Cloud Pine. The unexpected joy from the two newly acquired second-grade spirit seeds outweighed this observation.
During this time, he harvested five Lunar Erosion Fruits. Four were of good quality, and one was of superior quality.
The five white light orbs brought two fragments of the Fractured Silver Blade. With this, the artifact became almost complete, with just a few minor gaps.
With fourteen Lunar Erosion Fruits remaining, Lu Xuan estimated no significant issues.
He also obtained two first-grade talismans, a Sword Qi Talisman and a Expelling Evil Talisman, both being relatively decent in this tier.
As for the superior quality Lunar Erosion Fruit, after absorption by Lu Xuan, a stream of information emerged in his mind.
"The Primordial Essence Pill recipe, documenting the materials and methods for refining the Primordial Essence Pill, a first-grade pill."
"It's an alchemical recipe! No wonder it's of superior quality," Lu Xuan expressed surprise. Previously, he had retrieved refined Primordial Essence Pills several times from these white light orbs. This time, it directly revealed the recipe.
Well, teaching someone to fish is better than giving them a fish. It seemed he'd have to spend some time learning how to refine pills.
"Just that I have no prior knowledge. Starting from scratch might lead to a higher failure rate," Lu Xuan thought.
"I wonder if this Lunar Erosion Fruit will yield more Primordial Essence Pill recipes. And if obtaining such recipes through absorption will automatically increase my alchemical expertise, similar to what happened with the Earth Attraction Technique and Golden Sword Technique after repeated absorption," Lu Xuan pondered optimistically, gazing at the dozen or so plump Lunar Erosion Fruits nestled among the verdant leaves.
---------------
