Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 13

After acquiring the [Brewing Artisan] talent, Qi Ping could clearly sense that the Golden Marrow Honey had purified and enhanced the effects of the blood ginseng—both in strengthening the body and boosting spiritual energy.

The reason the Golden Marrow Bees could achieve this was not only due to their ability to remove impurities from the blood ginseng but also because they incorporated other spiritually potent materials, such as century-old pine resin and dawn dew.

With their [Brewing Artisan] talent, the Golden Marrow Bees essentially combined the strengths of various spiritual herbs while avoiding their weaknesses. Through skillful fusion, they produced honey with the most potent effects.

“Following this principle, it should be possible to use other spiritual herbs as the main ingredient instead of blood ginseng.”

“These Golden Marrow Bees are like miniature alchemists!”

After gaining a deeper understanding of their brewing abilities, Qi Ping couldn’t help but admire the dazzling golden bees.

Though they were still far from true alchemists and likely limited to the Qi Refining stage, for Qi Ping, this was already an incredible advantage.

Precious elixirs—especially those that enhanced physique or cultivation—were absurdly expensive. Even if Qi Ping sold all the blood ginseng he had discovered, he probably wouldn’t be able to afford many.

So, having a “mini alchemist” like the Golden Marrow Bees, capable of continuously producing potent honey, was invaluable to him.

“However, the Golden Marrow Bees do have their limitations. They can only brew honey that best benefits their own colony, relying on instinct. If other spiritual herbs or flowers are nearby, the effects of their honey will change accordingly.”

“So, if I want honey with specific effects, I’ll need to guide them in studying those ingredients first…”

This was where Qi Ping’s [Brewing Artisan] talent came into play. Since this ability was shared from the Golden Marrow Bees, he could fully comprehend their honey-making process.

By leading the bees in research and experimentation, he could actively create honey with various special effects. He could even explore how to maximize or enhance the properties of certain spiritual herbs.

“Perhaps, by combining the Golden Marrow Bees’ abilities, my Brewing Artisan talent, and some alchemy knowledge, I could develop different types of specialized honey. If successful, these bees could essentially become my personal alchemists…”

The only problem was that alchemy knowledge was extremely rare and precious. As one of the most coveted arts in the cultivation world, it wasn’t something Qi Ping could easily access at his current level.

For now, all he could do was gather basic knowledge about pills and spiritual herbs.

Beyond alchemy, another potential issue in the future was the Golden Marrow Bees’ bloodline limitation—they were only at the mid-level of the first rank.

While this was strong for Qi Ping now, it would eventually become a bottleneck for their growth.

With sufficient resources and the [Beast King’s Blessing] skill, reaching the late-stage of the first rank wouldn’t be too difficult for the bees. However, breaking through to the second rank would be much harder.

If the Golden Marrow Bees couldn’t advance to the second rank, their honey’s effects would remain at the Qi Refining level, making them nearly useless once Qi Ping reached Foundation Establishment.

Of course, by then, he could still use their honey-making ability to earn spirit stones without drawing too much attention.

But Qi Ping saw great potential in the bees’ abilities and wanted them to keep growing alongside him. After all, they were his first animal companions—he naturally hoped they could journey far with him.

“I’ll have to find a way to improve the bloodline level of the Golden Marrow Bees in the future!”

“Buzz… (Boss, why are you staring at us like that?)”

“Buzz… (Is the honey not good?)”

“Buzz… (That can’t be—Boss’s aura has clearly gotten stronger!)”

The Golden Marrow Bees tilted their tiny heads in confusion as Qi Ping studied them intently.

“No, the honey is great. I was just thinking about how amazing you all are!”

Seeing their lively little forms, Qi Ping couldn’t help but praise them sincerely.

“Buzz… (Aww, Boss, you’re making us blush!)”

“Buzz… (As long as Boss is happy!)”

Some of the bees even twirled happily in the air at his words.

After this little exchange, Qi Ping gradually settled into his new cultivation routine.

Every day, he tended to the bees, planted flowers, cultivated, and nurtured the blood ginseng—much like his previous lifestyle.

The biggest difference was that instead of just keeping a hive of ordinary Black Dwarf Bees, he now had the more advanced Golden Marrow Bees to care for. This meant planting more flowers and dedicating extra time to cultivating blood ginseng, which took a heavy toll on his spiritual and physical energy.

Still, whenever he saw notifications like [Druid Level EXP +1] or [Plant Growth Skill EXP +1], he felt it was all worth it.

Not only was he gaining from the blood ginseng, but his Druid level and skills were steadily improving. The satisfaction of seeing tangible progress from his efforts was incomparable to his past struggles, where hard work rarely paid off.

Occasionally, he also received [Beast King’s Blessing EXP +1]. This was because, as the blood ginseng flourished, the Golden Marrow Honey’s effects grew stronger, and the bee colony’s overall power increased—both in individual strength and numbers.

The bees were utterly in awe of their “Boss” for helping them achieve their greatest aspiration: the growth of their entire swarm!

“Buzz… (Boss, your talent is incredible!)”

This was the phrase they repeated most often.

However, even as the colony grew stronger, the [Beast King’s Blessing] skill leveled up much slower than his Druid level—at least ten times slower.

……

Compared to blood ginseng, cultivating ordinary flowers was far simpler.

Since it was spring, the Misty Cloud Mountains’ humidity, soil, and spiritual energy provided an excellent environment for flowers. Most seeds sprouted and grew without needing the [Plant Growth] skill.

The only concern was occasional pest infestations. Creatures like nectar-devouring bugs and multi-eyed moths could cause serious damage.

For ordinary pests, Qi Ping simply killed them with a surge of spiritual energy—a task he was now very familiar with.

The real problem was large-scale infestations that could destroy entire flower fields before he noticed. Thankfully, such disasters were rare. In his five years here, Qi Ping had only seen one major outbreak, which had wiped out most of the mountain’s flowers. Old Man Zhou had struggled just to save a small portion.

The losses back then had been severe.

But now, with his ability to communicate with bees, Qi Ping had instructed them to alert him immediately if pests appeared—and to rally the Golden Marrow Bees to eliminate the threat.

However, cultivating spiritual flowers was a much greater challenge…