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Chapter 91: Earth-tier Techniques!
Not long after, Ling Feng arrived at the medicinal field Chen Sisi mentioned. The field was filled with knee-high purple shrubs, each with small, palm-sized purple leaves. Beneath these leaves, there wriggled dark-colored little insects.
If someone unfamiliar saw these dark little insects, they would surely mistake them for real bugs. However, these were actually the fruits produced by the Purple Molewood, known as the Purple Insect Fruit.
These fruits, at a glance, closely resembled worms, and they even appeared to move, resembling real insects. However, it was merely the Purple Insect Fruit continuously adjusting its direction, absorbing the dispersed spiritual energy of the world.
Therefore, from a distance, it looked as if those insects were crawling on the leaves.
Although the Purple Insect Fruit was considered a unique fruit, within this medicinal garden, it wasn't considered a top-tier medicinal herb. Even if someone arrived here, they wouldn't pay too much attention to it.
Ling Feng received a hint and knew that there might be Purple Spirit Crystals here, which was why he came specifically to harvest them.
Previously, Ling Feng had faintly caught a whiff of a unique fragrance, and upon reflection, he believed it must have been emitted by the Purple Spirit Crystals.
Squatting down, Ling Feng's eyes immediately brightened.
He had seen some Purple Molewood in other places before, but compared to the ones here, they were in completely different leagues. Especially in this particular medicinal field, they grew exceptionally lush.
Generally, a single Purple Molewood would produce at most one Purple Insect Fruit, but here, there were several bushes, each bearing three or four, or even more Purple Insect Fruits.
"No wonder Chen Sisi mentioned that there are Purple Spirit Crystals here." Ling Feng nodded to himself. Ordinary people, especially those visiting a medicinal garden for the first time, wouldn't pay attention to these not-so-precious fruits.
Ling Feng rubbed his nose. Because of what had happened just now, he didn't have much time left, so he needed to make the most of it.
Carefully lifting the lush leaves of the Purple Molewood, Ling Feng finally spotted a Purple Spirit Crystal beneath a cluster of three converging purple leaves!
The Purple Spirit Crystal looked like a thin strand of hair, shimmering brightly with a purple glow. If one didn't observe carefully, it would be challenging to notice the precious Purple Spirit Crystal here.
As a menial disciple, Chen Sisi didn't have the qualification to directly harvest medicinal herbs. Originally, she planned to report to the steward after clearing the weeds. However, due to Ling Feng's assistance, she decided to conceal the discovery of the Purple Spirit Crystal.
Carefully collecting the Purple Spirit Crystal, Ling Feng's figure flickered, and he continued to search for other herbs.
...
Soon, half an hour had passed.
Disciples who entered the medicinal garden returned one after another, and Ling Feng also came back on time from the garden. Finally, he returned to Wen Tingguang and Yue Yunlan.
"How was it, Kid? Did you have a good harvest?" Wen Tingguang raised an eyebrow and grinned at Ling Feng.
"Yeah, not bad." Ling Feng nodded slightly and coincidentally met Yue Yunlan's eyes. The girl, with her exceptionally beautiful features, cast an encouraging glance at him.
Elder Li counted the number of people and suddenly furrowed his brow, speaking in a deep voice, "Why is there one person missing?"
"It's Wu Pingzhi, Wu Pingzhi hasn't returned!" a youth who was close to Wu Pingzhi shouted loudly.
"Wu Pingzhi?" Elder Li pondered for a moment and then raised his voice, "Has anyone seen Wu Pingzhi inside the medicinal garden?"
The disciples looked at each other, all shaking their heads.
A powerful and robust voice echoed from the medicinal garden, "No need to look for him. That brat has already been driven away by me! Hmph, daring to be disobedient right under my nose, he's not qualified to stay in the medicinal garden!"
The voice unmistakably belonged to Yuan Qiansheng.
"Uh..." Elder Li was stunned for a moment. Seeing that it was Yuan Qiansheng, he could only sigh.
Yuan Qiansheng was notorious for his hot temper. If Wu Pingzhi had clashed with him, it probably wouldn't end well for Wu Pingzhi.
"Well, since it's Elder Yuan's decision, there's nothing more for me to say."
Elder Li's gaze swept over all the disciples who had returned and finally landed on the young man in red.
The young man in red wore a smug smile on his face, clearly satisfied with his gains from this trip.
Elder Li nodded in approval. The young man was named Li Yunfan, an outstanding junior member of Elder Li's family.
Don't be fooled by the appearance of the disciples in the medicinal herb garden. It seemed like they were only responsible for tending to the precious flowers and herbs. However, in reality, the medicinal herb garden was a significant opportunity.
On ordinary days, the menial disciples took care of the tasks related to the herbs. These disciples from the medicinal herb garden only had to deliver the gathered plants to the alchemy room.
Not only were the tasks leisurely, but they lacked no martial techniques and cultivation methods. They could even manage to withhold some waste materials on the side, and no one would dare to raise any objections.
Therefore, the medicinal herb garden was a coveted place for most of the newly admitted disciples to the Cangqiong Sect!
If one achieved victory in the herb-picking competition upon entering the garden, they could even be rewarded with the medicinal herb garden's peak earth-tier cultivation technique, True Art of Xuanyuan.
In the sect's hierarchy, based on the grading of cultivation techniques, they could be classified as: non-standard techniques, standard techniques, yellow-tier techniques, mystical-tier techniques, earth-tier techniques, sky-tier techniques, and king-tier techniques.
Of course, there were also legendary sacred-tier techniques and divine-tier techniques. However, these were almost like myths, rarely encountered in reality.
The Wenxian Qi Refining Technique that Ling Feng cultivated, which was a technique created by the founder of the Wenxian Sect, barely qualified as a yellow-tier cultivation technique. In comparison to the True Art of Xuanyuan, it was like comparing heaven and earth.
The reason Wen Tingguang had Ling Feng participate in the herb-picking competition in the medicinal herb garden was to enable Ling Feng to learn the True Art of Xuanyuan.
It was an Earth-grade cultivation technique that could be practiced by cultivators with any attribute or physique. Even within Cangqiong Sect, it was considered an excellent cultivation method.
If Ling Feng were to switch to practicing the True Art of Xuanyuan as soon as possible, it would undoubtedly bring him numerous benefits without any drawbacks.
Similarly, Elder Li also wished that the younger generation of his family could acquire this cultivation technique to bring honor and prestige to their lineage.
"Now, take out all the herbs you've gathered. Every new disciple joining the medicinal herb garden can claim ownership of the herbs they collect on their first day."
When Elder Li made this statement, the disciples immediately became excited, unable to contain their joy. It was evidently an unexpected delight.
"All right, line up one by one. I will record the types of herbs each of you has gathered."
After Elder Li finished speaking, he took a seat at a table that had been prepared in advance. Wen Tingguang and Yuan Qiansheng also took their respective seats.
They would personally review all the herbs collected by everyone to assess their overall proficiency.
"I'll go first." Li Yunfan stepped forward, holding out his medicine basket with pride. "Elder Li, I've only collected three types of mystical-grade herbs. Among them, this Cold Frost Fruit should be the most precious fruit in the first section of the medicinal herb garden, right?"
"Yes, the Cold Frost Fruit is indeed one of the rarest mystical-grade herbs. Well done, the three herbs you've collected all belong to the top-notch varieties in the first section."
Elder Li nodded slightly and recorded the names of the three herbs Li Yunfan had collected.
Wen Tingguang and Yuan Qiansheng took a glance and nodded in agreement, without any objections.
In this competition only the first section of the medicinal herb garden was opened up, and within this section, the most precious herbs were indeed the mystical-grade herbs.
Upon hearing Elder Li's appraisal, Li Yunfan immediately displayed a smug expression. He even turned back to provocatively glance at Ling Feng, inwardly sneering.
So what if you have the support of Elder Wen? The True Art of Xuanyuan is destined to be mine!
Ling Feng didn't even bother to glance at him. The winner and loser will be revealed soon enough!