Medicinal Garden.
Zhiwei hurried away, leaving She Qingqing standing there in a daze, staring at a bag of Moon Grass seeds.
"Moon Grass..."
She glanced at the Spiritual Peach Tree in one corner of the medicinal garden, then at the seeds in her hands.
The investment in the medicinal garden the sect talked about—is it starting now?
Perhaps cultivating an alchemist is also one way of investing in the medicinal garden.
She knew about Moon Grass, this kind of spirit medicine, and understood how to plant it.
Moon Grass needs to absorb moonlight during its growth and must be planted outdoors, making it much easier to manage compared to other spirit medicines in the garden.
After pondering with the seeds for a while, She Qingqing began to take action.
She selected a piece of empty land, picked up a hoe, and started planting Moon Grass with very practiced movements.
...
When Zhiwei came out of the Library Pavilion, two hours had passed.
Due to a shortage of manpower in the sect, the Library Pavilion had not been maintained in a long time. To search for the books that Lu Ping had instructed her to find, Zhiwei meticulously pored over everything for quite some time.
Additionally, she picked out three books: "Comprehensive Herbal Medicine," "Complete Record of Alchemy," and "Chu Kingdom's Alchemy Manual."
In total, there were seven books. After recording them all, Zhiwei returned to the medicinal garden and handed them all to She Qingqing, instructing her to study well, especially the four books mentioned by Lu Ping, as they were of utmost importance.
Becoming an alchemist actually begins with theoretical knowledge. This phase is collectively known as being an alchemy apprentice. Once the theoretical knowledge is thoroughly grasped, one can start trying to refine Tier One Lower-Grade Elixirs.
Refining a Tier One Lower-Grade Elixir is not considered difficult; anyone who studies hard can master it. However, the success of the elixir depends on the alchemist's technique and ability, varying from person to person.
Successfully refining a Tier One Lower-Grade Elixir means becoming a Tier One Lower-Grade Alchemist. The threshold is not high, and entry is straightforward.
However, beyond Tier One Lower Grade, the difficulty of advancing as an alchemist will gradually increase, and the resources consumed will be ever more numerous.
"She Qingqing, work hard."
Seeing that the Moon Grass was planted, Zhiwei then got up and left.
"I will!"
Unwilling to accept benefits without merit, and being so appreciated by the sect, She Qingqing only felt an additional pressure on her shoulders. But this pressure could become a motivating force for moving forward.
She vowed to study alchemy diligently, not only for herself but also for the sect.
After leaving the medicinal garden, Zhiwei went to the rear mountain cave mansion to report She Qingqing's situation to Lu Ping.
She Qingqing had already agreed to study alchemy, which was an outcome Lu Ping had anticipated.
When Lu Ping roamed Lingxi State, he had also joined a sect and took on the role of caretaker for the medicinal garden.
It was during those years of tending to the medicinal garden that he gradually developed an interest in studying alchemy, learning it on his own during spare time. Later, he was fortunate enough to apprentice under Qingxi Daoist, officially stepping into the path of alchemy.
Unfortunately, after studying for only a few years, the sect erupted into a war with other sects, leading to its demise.
With the sect gone, Lu Ping had no choice but to leave, becoming a loose cultivator again, putting his alchemy studies on hold, and focusing entirely on cultivation.
It wasn't until he reached the Golden Core Stage, where his cultivation progress slowed, that Lu Ping delved into the Alchemy Dao again, ultimately reaching the level of a Tier Three Alchemist.
In summary, She Qingqing is quite similar to the past Lu Ping—they both started their enlightenment in the Alchemy Dao in the medicinal garden.
Once She Qingqing has grasped alchemy knowledge and established a solid foundation, she can be taught how to refine elixirs.
However, the waiting time for this won't be short, about a year's worth of time is necessary.
Lu Ping also decided to give She Qingqing a boost to shorten the time as much as possible.
After glancing at the remaining 46 Reputation Points, he opened the Mall, and among many options, he found [One-Star - Diligent and Studious], spending 15 Reputation Points to exchange it and apply it to She Qingqing.
This effect can last for a year, more than enough to inspire She Qingqing to study diligently and quickly enter the ranks of Alchemy Dao.
After this operation, there were only 31 Reputation Points left.
Time flowed, the sun rose and set, summer passed and autumn came, and over a month flew by.
After initiating the task of nurturing an alchemist for the sect, Lu Ping found himself rather free during this period.
He roamed back and forth many times on Cyan Lotus Mountain, often seeing disciples laughing and playing, supporting each other, and even some whose youthful affections led them to busily help the juniors they fancied, enjoying the process.
Lu Yuanshan, Zhiwei, and Lu Changfeng were all busy with sect affairs or secluded cultivation, filling their days so tightly that they rarely took time for leisure.
She Qingqing was very serious; she tended the medicinal garden by day and studied alchemy theory by night. When Lu Ping passed by the medicinal garden, he often saw her room's candlelight lasting late into the night.
The effect of [Diligent and Studious] continued to work, and She Qingqing was willing to put in the effort.
[The harvest season is permeating the sect with a festive atmosphere]
On this day, a dialog box popped up in front of Lu Ping's eyes.
The system, while synchronizing messages, would occasionally pop up some updates about the sect's atmosphere to let Lu Ping know about the situation within the sect.
Paying attention to it, Lu Ping found the source of the festivity.
As the autumn harvest season arrived, the spirit rice in the sect's spirit field had matured, and a bountiful harvest was imminent.
In such a scenario of abundance, he certainly had to take a look.
Lu Ping maneuvered his consciousness body, drifting toward the spirit field.
The sect's spirit field spanned a total of ten acres, located around the midsection of Cyan Lotus Mountain, next to an area called Yanyang Lake, one of the sect's three major industries, also the most profitable one.
Lu Ping floated over Yanyang Lake. The clear, emerald lake surface was undisturbed, very tranquil, reflecting the bright sky and sun, blending water and sky, yet unable to reflect Lu Ping's faint silhouette.
"Doesn't it seem like a waste to have such a lake in the sect, used only for supplying daily water needs?"
Yanyang Lake, irregularly circular, covered a large area, with a diameter of about three thousand meters, making it the largest freshwater lake on Cyan Lotus Mountain.
"Raising spirit fish in Yanyang Lake would add another industry to the sect, relieving some financial strain."
Passing by Yanyang Lake, Lu Ping conceived this idea.
Due to the nurturing by Cyan Lotus Mountain's spirit vein, there was a small amount of Spiritual Qi contained within Yanyang Lake, barely sufficient to cultivate some low-tier spirit fish.
The idea of cultivating spirit fish was indeed feasible.
Actually, Lu Yuanshan had also entertained the same idea as Lu Ping, but he felt that to cultivate spirit fish, substantial initial funds would be needed to purchase fish fry.
Additionally, the growth cycle of spirit fish is slow, and the farming expenses are considerable; considering these points, the matter could only be shelved, not pursued.
Having crossed Yanyang Lake, just outside the spirit field, Lu Ping saw many figures gathered within.
They were all sect disciples, currently grouped in teams, armed with magical artifacts, bending over busily harvesting spirit rice, presenting a scene of agricultural labor.
To Lu Ping, who had never participated in farming, this scene seemed very novel.
The breeze gently moved the golden spirit rice, making them sway softly.
Clusters upon clusters of spirit rice, each grain full and fragrant, grew on the spirit stalks.
These are not ordinary grains; they are Jade Crystal Rice, belonging to Tier One Top-Grade, containing the essence of spiritual purity, sweet and delicious.
Once matured, Jade Crystal Rice needs to be harvested within three days. Once the spirit rice is ripe, it should be picked quickly as its harvesting period is quite short.
After the harvesting period passes, the spirit rice will fall to the ground, where it will rapidly split and sprout, rendering them inedible.
Therefore, timely harvesting after the Jade Crystal Rice ripens is crucial.
"""