Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-316

After sending Chu Ting away, Lu Ping held a jade scroll in his hand and carefully examined its contents about the Three Clans Island's Wang Clan.

Lu Ping pondered over the information, comparing the powers between the Wang Clan and his own forces in the Fallen Rift. He cast a few spells and sent out two message swords before entering another round of closed-door cultivation.

Three months later, the spiritual energy around Lu Ping's cave-dwelling was suddenly thrown into turmoil; it was the heavenly phenomenon of a major cultivation breakthrough. However, the phenomenon was much smaller this time. Besides the vortex of spiritual energy, the flora in the surroundings were bent in the direction of the cave-dwelling as if they were bowing to a higher-being.

After the breakthrough was completed, the vortex dispersed, and the trees and branches returned to their normal positions, with only some grasses and flowers remaining bent.

In the Golden House, Lu Ping looked around and murmured, "Fortunately the Golden House has weakened the phenomenon. Otherwise, the entire city would have come hunting for me. Is this the reason behind the Wood Luan's near extinction?"

As the heavenly phenomenon mainly happened inside the Golden House's spatial dimension, Qian Yuan City wasn't affected very much. The residents of the city thought that it was just the breakthrough of an ordinary cultivator, and judging from the small spiritual energy vortex, they felt that this Enlightened Master wouldn't even make it to the Mid Core Forging Realm.

In the Golden House, the initial spirit herb garden had already been expanded by Lu Ping into a larger plot of land. If not for time-constraints, he would've been able to expand it even further. Lu Ping had separated the land into four sections, for ordinary spirit herbs, 500-year spirit herbs, 1,000-year spirit herbs, and 3,000-year spirit herbs.

During the heavenly phenomenon, the spirit herbs in the garden suddenly started growing rapidly. Many of the ordinary spirit herbs were brought close to maturity; the 500-year spirit herbs grew an additional 50 years of medicinal efficacy and the 1,000-year spirit herbs grew 30 years of medicinal efficacy. Only the 3,000-year spirit herbs remained mostly unaffected.

It turned out that the Wood Luans' natural talent was the ability to stimulate the growth of spirit herbs!

Two months later, the surrounding spiritual energy was thrown into turmoil once again. However, this time, the affected spiritual energy was far less, equivalent to the amount of spiritual energy used by an Enlightened Master trying to hone his spells.

This usually wouldn't be a problem, but this phenomenon lasted for three days straight. As a result, many cultivators cursed the Enlightened Master for disrupting the spiritual energy flow for so long. Fortunately, this Enlightened Master had deliberately kept the influence under control, so it didn't really affect the cultivators' cultivation.

A few days later, Lu Ping who was on the summit of the mountain, suddenly appeared on the mountainside, disappeared again, and then reappeared at the foot of the mountain in a field.

After that, he began to flicker like a ghost across the field causing trees to be chopped down, stones cut open, and clouds split apart.

As Lu Ping moved faster, the wind following him suspended the grass, branches, and rocks in the air and then started to break them into smaller and smaller pieces.

Suddenly, a shy-looking young man appeared out of nowhere a thousand feet away from Lu Ping. He looked at Lu Ping and his ghostly movements without saying anything.

Lu Ping noticed the young man, and suddenly stopped in the middle of the field. With a swing of his hand, the suspended objects gathered together and fell onto the ground forming a thirty-foot tall mound.

Then, Lu Ping grabbed at the blank space in front of him and pulled out a sky-blue flying sword out of thin air, putting it away in his interspatial ring. He walked towards the young man with a smile, and asked. "I didn't think you'd come out so fast, have you fully consolidated your foundation?"

The young man smiled back, and replied, "Even if I go into another closed-door cultivation, you'd come knocking on my doors to ask me out soon. I heard that you’re going to replace someone in the Fallen Rift, so I presumed you had some tasks that require my help, is that right?"

Lu Ping laughed, "Brother Luan Yu sure is straightforward. You’re right, I will likely be asking for your help."

This young man was none other than the Wood Luan, Luan Yu. He had now advanced to the Core Forging Realm and fully taken on a human form.

Luan Yu looked at Lu Ping, and said, "I had thought that the gap in strength between us would become smaller after my cultivation advancement, but it appears that’s not the case, and it has even gotten larger. That invisible sword art of yours is really magnificent, it feels no weaker than mini divine abilities. Brother Lu's power has improved greatly."

Lu Ping turned solemn, "It's really nothing compared to Brother Luan's natural talent. That really surprised me!"

Luan Yu's expression became sorrowful as he looked into Lu Ping's eyes, and asked, "Brother Lu, do you know why the Wood Luan race has come so close to extinction?"

Lu Ping thought about it, and said, "Wood Luans are known for their low fertility rate, but judging from the heavenly phenomenon during your breakthrough, perhaps the main reason is because of your natural talent?"

Luan Yu smiled bitterly, "You’re close enough, but it's not exactly as you think. Our natural talent is indeed the ability to stimulate the growth of spirit herbs, but we can only shorten 10 percent, or at most 30 percent, of a spirit herbs' maturity period; the better the spirit herb, the lesser the effect. This alone isn’t catastrophic, and in fact, cultivators would only cherish our existence even more."

"We are blessed with this natural talent, but we are also cursed because of it. Our natural talent originates from our cultivation foundation and it is an extension of our essence."

Lu Ping looked surprised, and asked, "You’re saying… the origins are your Condensed Blood Beads, Golden Cores, and Avatars?"

Luan Yu looked to the sky with a melancholic gaze, "Brother Lu if you took my Golden Core and used it on the spirit herb garden, those two hundred pieces of 3,000-year spirit herbs would all be fully matured in fewer than three years, I can promise you that."

Lu Ping frowned and then exclaimed in disbelief, "Three years? How is that even possible?"

Luan Yu looked back down and smiled at Lu Ping, "It is true. Brother Lu, we are both alchemists, we know how precious 3,000-year spirit herbs are to Great Ancestors. 3,000-year spirit herbs are necessary for half-step Avatar Realm and Avatar Realm medicinal pellets, but due to their rarity, Great Ancestors usually only use half-step Avatar Realm pellets for their cultivation and save Avatar Realm pellets for critical cultivation breakthroughs."

Lu Ping said, "Hence, when the Great Ancestors found out the secret behind the Wood Luan's talent, they started to hunt down your people for their Condensed Blood Beads, Golden Cores, and Avatars. They used them to speed up the growth of spirit herbs, so that they could make more pellets for their own cultivation."

Luan Yu smiled bitterly, "That's right. Although everyone knows that this is an act of exhaustion, no one can resist the temptation, not even Great Ancestors. Ironically, it is the Great Ancestors who are tempted the most. They are the ones at the pinnacle of the cultivation world; when they come together and decide the fate of something, nothing can be done to stop them."

"That's why they can do anything as they wish!"

"That's why my people became victims of their greed!"

Lu Ping looked at the young man in confusion, he never thought that anyone would be able to tell him their secrets so openly. At the same time, he suddenly understood the real reason why Yan Wu-Jiu entrusted Luan Yu to him.

"Brother Luan, what's your future plan?"

"My teacher is occupied by his breakthrough to the Avatar Realm, so he will not be able to look after me. In fact, after I entered the Core Forging Realm and forged my Golden Core, teacher can’t shelter me anymore, even after he becomes a Great Ancestor. After all, he won't be able to prevent every Great Ancestor from hunting me. My only option is to hide, as far as possible from anyone."

Lu Ping looked at Luan Yu's helpless expression. He suddenly laughed, and said, "Brother Luan, to be frank, I'm a lazy person. I never liked managing the spirit herb garden, but I’m forced to do so in order to ensure my alchemy progression. This spatial mystic instrument is isolated from the cultivation world. Would you be willing to help me take care of the spirit herb garden as your payment to live inside this isolated world?"

Luan Yu smiled, his eyes flashed with a hint of gratitude, "Deal!"