Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 109

This trip to the Bluestone Market yielded far greater rewards than Qi Ping had ever anticipated.

First, from Boss Gao, he obtained:

• “Alchemy Notes of a Rank One Alchemist”

• “A Complete Guide to Spiritual Herb Properties”

These books would finally allow him to remedy his long-standing lack of knowledge regarding spiritual herbs and alchemy.

“Now I won’t have to haphazardly experiment with honey recipes anymore!”
“Once I thoroughly study these two books, I can gradually begin my journey into alchemy. Perhaps there will even be an opportunity to learn proper pill refining someday.”

However, compared to alchemy, what Qi Ping truly desired to learn most was the Dao of Formations.
His greatest wish was that one day, he could deploy an incredibly powerful Spirit Gathering Formation across his territory, drawing in vast amounts of spiritual energy to fuel his farming.

Beyond just a Spirit Gathering Formation, he could also set up various Illusion Formations, Killing Formations, and Trap Formations… to protect his farming operations, his animal companions, and himself. But what he anticipated most was the potential fusion of formations with his animal companions.

This would truly allow him to leverage the advantage of having many animal partners.
Furthermore, if he ever faced a powerful enemy, he could use the formations to delay and obscure, buying himself precious time to escape.

The two alchemy-related books from Boss Gao were certainly a good find, but they paled in comparison to the harvest he reaped from the iron-tower of a man, Meng Yan.

First and foremost was the matter of Dao Heart and Artistic Conception. Not only did he learn about the concept from Meng Yan, gaining a clearer and deeper understanding of its importance in cultivating the heart and comprehending the Dao, but the even greater prize was that he also acquired a method to illuminate and understand his own Dao Heart!

Moreover, through his discussion on the Dao with Meng Yan, he gained greater insight into his own path of cultivation and a more resolute belief in it. This was the most fundamental harvest for his cultivation journey.

In the short term, the most significant gain for Qi Ping was undoubtedly establishing a connection and building a rapport with Meng Yan himself!
Given Meng Yan’s status as a direct disciple under a Golden Core Elder of the Qingyuan Sect, the benefits of an alliance with him were immense.

Using him as a conduit, Qi Ping could potentially access rare techniques, treasures, and spirit beasts he wouldn’t have dared to even think about before.

• The “Embryonic Breathing Art,” capable of concealing one’s aura, soul, and artistic conception!

• A set of precious spells imbued with the true essence of fire, the “Inferno Burst Spell Series,” including the attack spell “Inferno Burst,” the movement technique “Inferno Burst Step,” and the defensive spell “Inferno Burst Net”!

• One Rank One, High-Grade Scarlet Dragon Fruit!

• Two seeds for the Rank One, High-Grade Firefall Flower!

Each of these four items, all directly gifted by Meng Yan, held significant importance for Qi Ping.

“One has to admit, Meng Yan’s decisiveness is remarkable. To simply give away so many precious items…”

These things were incredibly useful for Qi Ping.
Because of them, he felt that the risk of participating in the battle had been well worth it.

Coupled with his [Nature’s Perception] talent, he could effectively prepare an escape beforehand if danger arose, maximizing his personal safety.

“Most importantly, with Meng Yan’s connections, I should be able to find a powerful spirit beast to become my third animal partner…”
“With a suitable Soul and Comprehension talent, plus the resources I now have, comprehending the True Meaning of Fire and breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage should encounter no bottlenecks.”

This would also save him the considerable expense and trouble of competing for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

“Next, I need to focus on cultivating high-grade spiritual herbs to boost my cultivation and prepare the spirit stones needed to purchase a spirit beast.”
“I obtained eight hundred spirit stones from Boss Gao, but buying that batch of Spirit Nurturing Fruits cost over three hundred. Adding that to the five hundred-plus I had left, I now have just over a thousand spirit stones on hand. The various talismans I have could probably fetch another thousand or so. There’s still a significant gap from the amount needed to buy a good spirit beast…”

The only uncertainty for Qi Ping now was just how much the price of spirit beast cubs had fallen. He could only hope the prices had dropped sharply, allowing him to acquire a spirit beast with stronger bloodline talent at a lower cost.

He also planned to use this period of falling spirit beast prices to slowly consider the matter of his fourth animal partner, though he hadn’t yet settled on a direction for that choice.

“First, I’ll secure the third partner! Once I have some extra spirit stones, I’ll have Meng Yan help inquire about rare spirit beasts with powerful bloodlines. Since I lack a specific direction, I’ll simply choose the spirit beast with the strongest bloodline and the highest potential for growth within my means, especially one with a special innate talent. That way, I definitely won’t regret it.”

Now that he had some capital, Qi Ping certainly wouldn’t settle for an ordinary spirit beast. That would be a complete waste of an animal partner slot.

After taking stock of his gains, Qi Ping eagerly put them to use.

First, he gave the Scarlet Dragon Fruit to the brewer, Big-Belly Bees, instructing them to refine its medicinal properties into the simplest form of Scarlet Dragon Honey. Without more fruits to experiment with, he decided against testing various honey recipes for it.

However, while Qi Ping was carefully dividing the Scarlet Dragon Fruit, a delightful surprise occurred.
After he meticulously split the fruit open, he found a seed inside!
“A viable Scarlet Dragon Fruit seed?”

Qi Ping was utterly stunned!
This was incredibly rare!

Compared to spiritual herbs like flowers or grasses, fruit-bearing spiritual plants had a much harder time producing viable seeds!
Additionally, once you successfully planted one tree, it could bear fruit continuously for years to come!
There was even a chance for new spiritual seed variants to emerge!
Therefore, the price for spiritual seeds of fruit trees was extremely high, often even exceeding the price of the spiritual fruit itself.

“This is a huge windfall!”

Once this spiritual seed was cultivated, it meant Qi Ping would have a continuous supply of Scarlet Dragon Fruit at his disposal!
Furthermore, as the Scarlet Dragon Tree matured over the years, the potency of the fruit it bore would steadily increase!
Most crucially, the Scarlet Dragon Fruit was one of the most compatible spiritual herbs for practicing the Inferno Burst spell series. With a sufficient supply, Qi Ping’s progress in mastering these spells would accelerate significantly, and his cultivation realm would also improve concurrently!

“In that case, I’ll set aside the flesh of this Scarlet Dragon Fruit for now. I’ll try blending it with all the spiritual herbs and pollens I currently have, to see which honey recipe is most effective for boosting cultivation and practicing the Wood Flame Art. I can also start cultivating the Firefall Flowers; perhaps their nectar will have a remarkable effect in the recipes too.”

After finalizing his plans, Qi Ping excitedly immersed himself in cultivating the Scarlet Dragon seed and practicing the Inferno Burst spells.

This was Qi Ping’s first exposure to high-grade mystical spells. Even within the Qingyuan Sect, these spells weren’t something ordinary disciples could practice, so his excitement was understandable.

He was so engrossed that he even temporarily slowed down the rapid expansion of his bee swarm, deciding to prioritize mastering the Inferno Burst spells first. This process would also simultaneously enhance his cultivation base and the potency of his Beast King’s Flame.

As he practiced, Qi Ping gradually discovered that with the assistance of his innate Beast King’s Flame, the process of learning the Inferno Burst spells was proceeding with unexpectedly smooth and incredible ease!