Xiuxian: Start with the medicine boy

I've heard this!

The group of semi-saints felt somewhat relieved.

Internal unrest makes external campaigns difficult to resolve.

This is common sense.

Followed by.

Cheng Buzheng continued, his voice turning cold:
"As for the sects, immortal clans, and other external forces involved in this incident, the punishment and elimination of them will be the sole responsibility of your [Conquest Hall]."

The group of semi-saints were not surprised by this.

This is precisely the original intention and core responsibility of the [Hall of Conquest]—

Internally, the [Hall of Law Enforcement] maintains discipline, while externally, the [Hall of Conquest] wields weapons.

These forces that dare to shatter spiritual veins are undoubtedly the best targets for external conquest.

"To ensure the operation is thorough and leaves no one behind,"

Cheng Buzheng's tone suddenly became somewhat subtle, and his gaze swept over the people in the hall.

"For this operation, our friend Xuanming from the Surveillance Hall will be responsible for providing you with detailed intelligence support and cooperating when necessary."

If you find yourself short-handed or encounter difficult obstacles during your campaigns, you may seek assistance from your friend Xuanming of the Surveillance Hall.

With this remark,
A brief silence fell over the hall.

Fu Wanjun, Yaoguang Banzun, and others were all insightful individuals who instantly grasped the unusual meaning behind these words.

On the surface, this is simply the president's request for the Conquest Hall and the Surveillance Hall to cooperate in combat, a combination of intelligence and force, which is perfectly normal.

However, the phrases "provide intelligence support," "cooperate," and "can request assistance from..."
The implications of this are quite intriguing.

This doesn't seem like a simple collaboration arrangement.

It was more like a deliberate warning and check.

Although they didn't know exactly what happened between the president and that mysterious Xuanming Half-Venerable?
It is unclear whether there have been any changes within the Surveillance Hall.
But the message conveyed by the president's actions was crystal clear:

Xuanming Half-Lord needs to be appropriately "reminded" of his position.

The Conquest Hall, on the other hand, was given some implicit tasks of "supervision" or "checks and balances".

Faced with the clear instructions from Cheng Buzheng, the supreme master of the Nascent Soul realm and the highest authority of the association, these half-saint powerhouses hesitated for only a moment.

For them...
The president's will is the supreme law.

No matter how complicated the entanglements behind them, executing orders is the top priority.

Therefore, in the next moment, led by Fu Wanjun, all the half-venerables of the Conquest Hall bowed in unison, clasped their fists in agreement, and spoke in unison without the slightest hesitation:
"I will obey your orders!"

"I will obey your orders!"

"..."

The voice echoed in the hall, carrying with it a sense of iron will and obedience.

Seeing this, Cheng Buzheng, who was sitting on the throne, nodded almost imperceptibly, seemingly quite satisfied with everyone's reaction.

He said no more, simply waving his hand dismissively and stating indifferently:
"Ah."

"Take the intelligence jade slip with you."

Go and prepare, and get moving as soon as possible.

I want to see results.

"Yes!"

"Subordinates resign!"

"..."

The group of semi-saintly old monsters received the floating jade slip with both hands and carefully put it away.

He then bowed again, slowly took a few steps back, and then turned around and steadily withdrew from the magnificent palace.

With the return of the Hall Masters and Deputy Hall Masters of the Conquest Hall and the issuance of emergency orders...

This war machine, which had been in a state of high readiness since the establishment of the Cultivator Association but had rarely taken large-scale actions, was instantly fully activated!
The order was quickly spread far and wide through covert and efficient channels.

The next day, before dawn.

Zhenhai Immortal City, the giant city where the headquarters of the Cultivator Association is located, slowly opened its four massive city gates in the east, west, south, and north amidst a muffled rumble.

In the city!

One after another, the military camps, training grounds, and flying boat berths belonging to the Conquest Hall were illuminated with soaring light.

Squads of gleaming armored, menacing soldiers poured out from their respective encampments like a black torrent.

They were taciturn and disciplined, with the lowest level being Foundation Establishment cultivation, and many of them were Golden Core leaders or even Nascent Soul generals.

The battle flags fluttered in the wind, embroidered with the unique emblem of the Conquest Hall: crossed swords and surrounded by stars.

Meanwhile, similar scenes were playing out at the branch offices of various large immortal cities.

One after another, massive warships, covered in runes and gleaming with a cold metallic luster, slowly rose into the air and formed a neat array.

A murderous aura soared to the heavens, stirring up the winds and clouds!

Such a large-scale, high-level military mobilization could not be concealed.

···
Zhengjing Immortal City!

A thousand feet away from the Monks' Association branch...
This is not a bustling area of ​​the immortal city, but a vast and well-maintained spiritual field, crisscrossed by paths and shrouded in spiritual mist.

The soil has a fertile, dark brown color, with faint glimmers of light flowing through the cracks in the soil.

The spirit field was divided into countless neat blocks, each shrouded in a faint aura of spirit-gathering and nurturing formations.

At this moment, dozens of cultivators are scattered in various corners of this spiritual field, bending over and busy at work.

Some of them were dressed in coarse cloth short jackets, while others wore faded Taoist robes; their ages ranged considerably.

There was an elderly man with white hair and beard, his face weathered and worn.
There were also boys with still-childish faces and bright, lively eyes.

There are also quite a few men in their prime.

Without exception, their cultivation levels were all only at the Qi Refining stage, making them the lowest level in the cultivation world.

They were carrying out a task regularly issued by the branch of the monastic association.

—Planting "Groundworm Grass".

Earth Element Grass is a low-level spiritual plant with oval-shaped leaves, about the size of a palm, grayish-green in color, and tough in texture.

It cannot be directly consumed to replenish spiritual energy.

It also cannot be used as the main ingredient to refine any common elixirs or magical artifacts.
Its sole function is to slowly absorb the faint aura emanating from the depths of the earth's veins and transform it into relatively gentle spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

At this moment, the sun shines brightly, and a gentle breeze blows across the spiritual field.

As the cultivators carefully dug holes with specially made jade shovels, planting each seedling of Earth Element Grass and channeling a small amount of wood-elemental spiritual energy into them to help them take root, they chatted quietly among themselves to relieve the boredom of the monotonous work.

"...I heard that the 'Baibaoge' store on East Street recently received a new batch of 'Qi-Gathering Powder,' which is 10% more effective than ordinary products on the market, but only 50% more expensive."
"It's a pity we need to save our spirit stones to buy Breakthrough Pills."

"Li Laosan's daughter has been found to have dual spiritual roots!"

"Having been noticed by a deacon of the 'Green Wood Sect,' the Li family was directly accepted as an inner disciple. This has truly turned their fortunes around."

"What are you trying to turn over? The Green Wood Sect lost two Foundation Establishment cultivators during their last exploration of the ancient cultivator's cave, and things are in chaos inside right now..."

The topics were trivial, mostly everyday gossip and mundane matters of cultivation.

The pressures of life and the faint hope for the future are intertwined in the casual conversations of these lowly monks.

at this time···
Near the edge of the field, a boy who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, with a youthful appearance, suddenly stopped what he was doing.

He held a young seedling of the Earth Elemental Grass in his hand, examining the dull, lifeless blade of grass.

He then looked up at the excellent spiritual field in front of him, where the soil seemed to radiate light and rich spiritual energy.

His face showed obvious confusion and regret.

He was young and outspoken, and couldn't help but mutter under his breath:
"A spiritual field with such abundant spiritual energy, yet they choose to plant this stuff..."

It can't be eaten directly, nor can it be used to refine things, just so that it can slowly transform that little bit of spiritual energy?

Is it worth it? "

Although his voice wasn't loud, it was still clearly heard by several cultivators nearby in the relatively quiet spirit field.

The boy felt increasingly regretful as he spoke, and his voice rose slightly:
"If we used all of it to grow 'Jade Marrow Rice,' or low-level spiritual herbs and grains like 'Hemostatic Grass' and 'Qi Gathering Flower,'"
Even if the grade is not high, the number of spirit stones that can be exchanged in a year is probably a frightening amount.

I really don't understand why those big shots in the association would issue such... somewhat bizarre orders?

Isn't this just a waste of good land?

With this remark,
Several other monks working nearby slowed down their movements.

Their faces showed expressions of agreement or contemplation to varying degrees.

Clearly, the boy's doubts were a thought that many of them had once had.

"Hahahahaha..."

Suddenly, a slightly hoarse but powerful laugh broke the brief silence.

The one who laughed was an elderly man at the peak of Qi Refining, not far from the boy.

His hair was gray, his face was dark and covered with wrinkles, and his hands were rough and large with prominent knuckles. He was clearly an old spiritual planter with years of hard work and rich experience.

He stopped what he was doing, leaned on his jade shovel, and looked at the young man with a knowing and tolerant look in his eyes.

"Young man, I had the exact same idea when I first took on this mission!"
I feel the association is just wasting resources and making a mess of things.

The old man chuckled and said, then changed the subject.
"However, by chance, I overheard a Foundation Establishment senior who was in charge of this spirit field area mentioning it to another fellow Daoist, and that's when I understood the real secret."
Knowing that the association's move was truly a well-thought-out strategy!

"Oh? Is there anything else?"

Not far away, a burly, middle-aged man with bronze skin turned around with interest upon hearing this. His voice was loud and clear.

"Brother Wang, tell me about it!"
To be honest, I'm a simple-minded person and I've never quite figured out what use this Earth Element Grass is besides taking up space.

"Perfect timing! Let's listen to the profound insights of this Foundation Establishment senior and broaden our horizons!"

"Yes, Mr. Wang, tell me about it!"

"We're curious too!"

"A Foundation Establishment senior's perspective is definitely different!"

……

The middle-aged man's words resonated with many...

The other cultivators who were planting the Earth Element Grass, whether young or old, all stopped what they were doing.
Did he straighten up, or take a few steps closer?
Their gazes were fixed on the old man known as "Old Wang," their faces filled with curiosity and anticipation.

The atmosphere in this sacred field instantly transformed from dull labor into a small, intellectually stimulating space for exchange.

see,

The old man, Mr. Wang, stopped keeping everyone in suspense.

He cleared his throat, a look of reminiscence on his face, and slowly began to speak:

"Since everyone is interested, then I will tell you exactly what I heard back then."

If there are any omissions or misunderstandings, please forgive me, fellow Daoists.

He paused, organized his thoughts, and his voice became clear and serious:
"That Foundation Establishment senior said this:"

On the surface, in the short term, or even for decades or centuries, the benefits of planting *Gynostemma pentaphyllum*, whether in terms of direct output value or not, are promising.
Or is it indirect income from spirit stones?
All of these are far inferior to cultivating those low-grade spiritual herbs and grains that are in high demand on the market.

It certainly looks like a 'loss'.

Everyone nodded; this was precisely the core of their doubts.

"but,"

Old Wang's tone became more serious, a hint of awe flashing in his eyes.
"In fact, the function of this earthworm grass is not in 'production' at all, but in 'nourishment' and 'transformation'!"
Its seemingly useless root system can absorb the 'earth vein energy' that dissipates from deep within the earth in a very gentle and slow way, which ordinary spiritual plants simply cannot utilize.

This energy from the earth's veins is one of the most subtle and fundamental forces emanating from the very source of the earth's spiritual energy.

"After absorbing the earth's energy, the Earth Element Grass can transform and release it into spiritual energy that is easier for cultivators to absorb and can also nourish other spiritual plants."

This is what we perceive as an 'increased concentration of spiritual energy.'

"But the more crucial aspect is another one!"

Old Wang's voice carried the solemnity of someone recounting a major secret.
"While it transforms and releases spiritual energy, its root system secretes a special substance, and the entire growth and metabolic process..."

It will have an extremely subtle but continuous 'nurturing' and 'stabilizing' effect on the ley lines of the small area where it is rooted.

The effect of a single *Gnaphalium affine* plant is negligible, but if thousands upon thousands of plants spread out in patches over many years...

Planted generation after generation…

His gaze swept across the vast spiritual fields before him, as if he could see the future:

"Therefore, there is a very high chance that the ley lines beneath this area will be strengthened and expanded over a long period of time."
Even... it can be promoted to a true spiritual vein!
And existing low-level spiritual veins may gradually be upgraded in grade as a result!

"Advancing the spiritual vein? Raising the rank?"

Someone gasped and exclaimed in a low voice.

This was something like a legend to these low-level cultivators.

"That's right!" Old Wang nodded affirmatively.
"That senior colleague said that this is a gradual and subtle process."

The time required is extremely long, at least in the thousands of years.

For us Qi Refining cultivators whose lifespan is no more than a hundred years...
Even for many Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, no direct results were visible.

"so,"

Old Wang concluded, his tone carrying a sigh that transcended personal interests.

"The Monks Association's move shows an extremely long-term vision."

It can be said that 'the disadvantages are immediate, but the benefits will last for generations'!
What we sacrifice is a portion of the spiritual fields' profits for generations of cultivators, but in exchange, we jeopardize the very foundation of the entire cultivation world.

The consolidation and potential enhancement of the spiritual vein network.

That senior figure asserted that if this strategy could be steadfastly implemented, covering a sufficiently vast area and lasting for a sufficiently long period of time…

Many years later, the concentration of spiritual energy in our entire cultivation world will inevitably rise to a certain level...

Ah!
To use the senior's own words, it was "to an unbelievable degree!"

"..." (End of this chapter)