Chapter 68: Plant Perception
If the fusion of spiritual plants could be seen as the cultivation world's version of grafting, then the cultivation of spiritual plants, as far as Gu Mo was concerned, could be understood as hybridization. Especially when the elder used Spirit Jade Rice as an example—hybrid rice, who hadn't heard of it before?
At that moment, Gu Mo felt that the profession of a spiritual botanist didn't seem too difficult to grasp. In contrast, the rest of the disciples were struggling, lost in deep contemplation.
Expecting them to understand grafting and hybridization concepts in such a short time was clearly unrealistic. The Jindan elder, however, seemed to have no intention of explaining further.
"That concludes the fundamental knowledge of spiritual botany. As long as you grasp these concepts, you can become a qualified spiritual botanist." Qi Chunde swept his gaze over the crowd, pausing briefly on Gu Mo. The divine sense of a golden core cultivator was extraordinarily powerful.
He could clearly perceive everyone's reactions, and Gu Mo's eyes held an unmistakable look of comprehension. This menial disciple actually understood what he had just explained. To grasp the concept after hearing it only once—this level of comprehension was truly remarkable.
In contrast, the other disciples all wore troubled expressions, clearly failing to grasp the lesson. Among all these outer sect disciples, and even an inner sect disciple, none could compare to a mere menial disciple in terms of understanding.
Of course, this batch of disciples was still better than the previous ones. At least a few of them had the potential to become spiritual botanists, which meant Qi Chunde had something to report back to the sect leader.
As a guest elder of Qinglu Sect, Qi Chunde had never intended to pass down a spiritual botany legacy here. However, the treasures offered by the sect leader were too enticing to refuse, so he reluctantly left behind some teachings. Naturally, he would never reveal any knowledge related to his sect's core inheritance.
As for taking disciples, Qi Chunde had no such intention. He wasn't originally from this cultivation realm. He had been ambushed while on a mission and was forced to flee using a life-saving escape technique, ending up far from his homeland.
After wandering for some time, he arrived in this cultivation world and eventually accepted the Qinglu Sect leader's invitation to become a guest elder. However, he would leave this place sooner or later, so there was no reason for him to pass down his sect's heritage here.
Another reason was that he hadn't encountered a disciple worthy of his attention. That menial disciple might have good comprehension, but he was far from meeting Qi Chunde's ideal standards.
This cultivation realm was too remote, and spiritual botanists were often looked down upon. Even if true prodigies appeared, they would prioritize fields like alchemy, artifact forging, formations, or talisman crafting over spiritual botany.
With a soft sigh, Qi Chunde's figure drifted away, making no effort to guide or answer questions. He left the disciples to comprehend the teachings on their own.
The crowd was left stunned. They had hoped for further guidance from the elder, but in the end, they got nothing.
"Junior brothers, please follow me," Song Xing and Li Jinmei, who had been waiting nearby, spoke up, leading the group away.
They were already accustomed to this process. When they first came here, they had to rely on themselves to comprehend the knowledge passed down by the elder.
So when the others sought their guidance, both chose to remain silent. They had put in great effort to grasp these teachings; they had no obligation to share them for free.
Besides, the fewer spiritual botanists in the sect, the more valuable they would become. Secretly, they didn't want too many new spiritual botanists to emerge.
"Junior Brother Mai, stay behind for a moment." Song Xing transmitted a message to Mai Yunfa. While in the spiritual botany hall, Deacon Zhao had looked after him, so Song Xing couldn't refuse his request.
Zhao Qiancheng wasn't relying solely on positioning Mai Yunfa at the front of the crowd to gain the elder's attention. As a deacon, he knew that the odds of catching a elder's attention that way were extremely low.
So, his second strategy was to have Song Xing personally guide Mai Yunfa in spiritual botany.
"Alright," Mai Yunfa nodded subtly.
Meanwhile, in another corner, Inner Sect disciple Shan Yu was also sending a private message.
"Sister Li, I have some spiritual wine and fruits. Would you be interested in sharing a drink with me?"
"Senior brother's invitation is my honor," Li Jinmei replied cheerfully.
Although she was one of the only two spiritual botanists in the sect, she was still just an outer sect disciple. Compared to an inner sect disciple, she had less access to resources and lower status.
Shan Yu wanted insights into spiritual botany, while Li Jinmei sought access to inner sect resources. Since both had something to gain, their arrangement was mutually beneficial.
As for the other outer sect disciples who lacked connections and resources, they had no choice but to try and comprehend the teachings on their own.
However, Gu Mo was an exception.
Returning to his small hut near the spiritual fields, Gu Mo quickly began organizing the knowledge he had gained. The most crucial part of this inheritance was a unique technique exclusive to spiritual botanists—Plant Perception.
Just as alchemists had Alchemy Arts, and artifact refiners had Forging Arts, Plant Perception was the core technique of spiritual botanists.
Only by mastering Plant Perception could one be considered truly initiated into the profession. Of course, becoming a true spiritual botanist required additional skills such as plant cultivation, fusion, and enhancement.
It was similar to alchemy—learning Alchemy Arts was just the foundation. To refine real pills, one also needed to study various pill formulas.
According to the elder, just as cultivators and spirit beasts had meridians, so did spiritual plants. The ability to perceive these plant meridians was the first requirement for becoming a spiritual botanist. And Plant Perception was the technique used to achieve this.
Cultivating this technique required a strong soul. The more powerful the soul, the easier it was to practice. Fortunately, Gu Mo had been cultivating the Wine God's Soul Refining Technique, which had significantly enhanced his soul strength beyond that of his peers. As a result, he encountered very few obstacles in mastering this technique.
Since he didn't need to spend time on conventional cultivation, he could dedicate all his energy to comprehension. In just over a month, he successfully initiated Plant Perception.
Eager to test his newfound ability, Gu Mo stepped into his spiritual field and reached out to a Water Spirit Rice stalk.
Activating the technique, he placed his fingers on the plant, and instantly, a network of glowing meridians appeared on the rice stalk.
"So, this is the meridian system of Water Spirit Rice... How fascinating." Gu Mo gazed at the glowing lines in amazement.
Within the meridians, he could even see faint blue streams of water-attribute spiritual energy flowing—just like a cultivator circulating energy while training. Of course, for spiritual plants, this energy flow was meant to facilitate growth.
Suddenly, a thought struck Gu Mo.
What if I manually accelerate the flow of spiritual energy within a plant's meridians? Would it grow faster?
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