Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 39

[Lv2 Plant Growth (1/200): Can accelerate plant growth by consuming energy.]

“The description is the same as in my past life—no changes there. But the efficiency of accelerated growth should improve significantly…”

Qi Ping remembered that upgrading from Level 1 to Level 2 of the Plant Growth skill typically boosted its effects by about 30%.

“I just wonder how much the amplification will be in this cultivation world…”

He could clearly sense that after leveling up the Plant Growth skill, he could now channel even more of that peculiar energy.

Since Qi Ping was currently at the Blood Ginseng cultivation site, he eagerly decided to test it out.

As the strange energy in his palm slowly seeped into one of the Blood Ginseng plants, its previously withered and shriveled form—after being harvested—immediately plumped up, visibly growing larger in mere moments.

This sight filled Qi Ping with joy.

“The growth acceleration efficiency has also increased by about 30%!” he thought excitedly.

Don’t underestimate that 30%. If Qi Ping devoted more effort to cultivating spirit herbs, his output could nearly double compared to his previous normal cultivation rate!

And that wasn’t even accounting for the fact that the Level 2 Plant Growth skill would be even more effective when nurturing high-year spirit plants.

With twice the herb production, the breeding speed of his Golden Marrow Bees could also skyrocket!

“I can also cultivate more Sunbloom and Moonrest Flowers. These fast-growing, low-maintenance spirit flowers are perfect for supplying the bees’ daily needs. If I supplement them with just a small amount of Blood Ginseng, it won’t affect the hive’s combat strength, and I can reserve more ginseng for raising new larvae.”

Previously, Qi Ping had let the Golden Marrow Bees feed solely on honey brewed from Blood Ginseng.

There were two reasons for this: first, he wanted to enhance the individual strength of the bees, and second, the Blood Ginseng supply had been relatively abundant.

But now, with the need for large-scale expansion, he had to budget carefully.

For daily sustenance, the bees could gather nectar from ordinary flowers or other near-spiritual plants, supplemented with a small amount of Blood Ginseng. That would be more than enough to meet their needs.

Especially once the Brewmaster Potbelly Bees were fully cultivated—they would maximize the efficiency of every bit of spirit herb used, further reducing daily resource consumption.

The surplus herbs could then be entirely devoted to expanding the army, breeding more High-Speed Cutter Bees to prepare for the impending crisis.

After finalizing his plan, Qi Ping relayed the orders to the Golden Marrow Bees. Upon hearing the news, they buzzed with excitement.

They had long wanted to expand their numbers, but Qi Ping had held them back, knowing that limited herb production made uncontrolled growth unsustainable.

Now, with Qi Ping’s new strategy, they immediately grasped the idea. More worker bees were dispatched to gather pollen and nectar from various flowers and spirit herbs, ensuring a steady supply of daily-use honey.

Meanwhile, the high-quality honey brewed from Blood Ginseng would be reserved exclusively for raising High-Speed Cutter Bees, Balanced Bees, and Potbelly Bees.

With the resource problem for army expansion solved, a weight lifted from Qi Ping’s shoulders.

Now, all that was left was to go all out!

…..

The next day…

After waking up, Qi Ping first accelerated the growth of his Blood Ginseng, then met up with Sister Nan as agreed. Together, they headed to the Fushang Society’s courtyard at the foot of the Misty Cloud Mountains.

The weather was gloomy, with dark clouds looming overhead, as if a heavy storm was imminent.

Qi Ping and Sister Nan had thought they arrived early, but several members were already there when they arrived.

At a glance, familiar faces like Wang Shan and Fatty Zhou were present.

There was also a sallow-faced, skinny man named Li Peng. He was slightly older than Qi Ping and at the fourth level of Qi Refinement—one of the most talented members of the Fushang Society.

Only Lin Chaoyang, who had died in the secret realm, could have rivaled his potential.

Li Peng had once had the chance to become a servant disciple—or even an outer disciple—of the Qingyuan Sect, but for some unknown reason, he never went.

Now, he raised a pond of Golden-Eyed Carp in a mountain stream of the Misty Cloud Range. Rumor had it he had his own secret fish-rearing techniques, making him one of the society’s top earners.

Despite his wealth, he cared little for cultivation. Aside from setting aside rent and daily expenses, he squandered the rest in brothels.

His sickly complexion was largely due to overindulgence.

Once, he had even nearly been drained dry by a male cultivator disguised as a courtesan.

Everyone, including Qi Ping, assumed he would learn his lesson—but no. He remained as reckless as ever, visiting pleasure houses whenever he had spare spirit stones.

When broke, he sometimes sought entertainment in the mortal world, though he often complained that mortal women couldn’t compare to female cultivators.

Besides Li Peng, there was also a young woman in white robes—Meng Shanshan.

At the second level of Qi Refinement, her cultivation was mediocre, but she was quite beautiful.

However, she wasn’t particularly close to anyone in the Fushang Society. Her membership was largely due to her father’s past connections.

Currently, she worked as a laborer in a spirit field in the A-zone of the Misty Cloud Mountains.

Qi Ping didn’t have a favorable impression of her.

Two years ago, Old Man Zhou and Meng Shanshan’s father had tried to arrange a match between them—only for her to publicly reject him in front of everyone, declaring that her future husband must at least be an outer disciple of the Qingyuan Sect.

Her bluntness had left the entire society speechless. Back then, it was Qi Ping who had defused the awkwardness and shifted the conversation.

At the time, Qi Ping had simply thought, This woman is insane. He’d never been particularly fond of her, and that incident only worsened his opinion.

So when he arrived this time, he greeted everyone—except Meng Shanshan, whom he treated as air.

The other society members also only gave her curt nods, clearly not fond of her either.

If not for her father’s past contributions, they likely wouldn’t have even invited her.

With Qi Ping and Sister Nan’s arrival, the Fushang Society’s attendees were now complete—six in total.

Originally, there should have been twelve.

But Lin Chaoyang had died in the secret realm. Two had left after the rent hike, and another had fled overnight following the demonic insect outbreak.

Then, just yesterday, one member had gone out to gather intel on the demonic insects—only to be devoured, leaving behind half a skull.

What was once a lively group had dwindled to just six in a shockingly short time.

And the Fushang Society’s situation wasn’t unique—it was a microcosm of the current state of Qing Stone County.

In times of chaos, survival is hardest for rogue cultivators…