Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 65

After making up his mind, Qi Ping hurried back to the area where the blood ginseng grew. He took out the Fire Spirit Grass, blood ginseng, and Glow Grass—all still covered in soil—from his storage bag.

The place had long since changed dramatically from before.

Qi Ping had planted various flowers and plants here.

Similar setups existed in hundreds of other spots throughout the dense forest. When no spiritual herbs were actively absorbing spiritual energy, the blood ginseng patch looked no different from any other area on the surface.

This was why the woman in green had passed through the forest multiple times without noticing anything unusual.

Once Qi Ping confirmed that the woman in green hadn’t returned to spy on him, he felt reassured and began replanting the herbs.

“One stalk of Glow Grass…”

“Seventeen blood ginseng plants…”

Qi Ping now had seventeen blood ginseng plants in his possession, with medicinal efficacies ranging from a few years to several decades.

Thanks to their ability to reproduce on their own, the number of blood ginseng plants had actually increased over time despite continuous harvesting. Although the rate of new growth wasn’t fast, it was enough to ensure a steady supply.

The Glow Grass had also produced plenty of seeds. Since there was no immediate need for more, Qi Ping hadn’t bothered cultivating them yet. One plant was enough for the Golden Marrow Bees to use in their honey-making.

“One Fire Spirit Grass with sixty years of medicinal efficacy, one with twenty years, and five with three to four years…”

The only thing Qi Ping found somewhat disappointing was that fifty years of efficacy didn’t seem to be a transformative milestone for Fire Spirit Grass.

He estimated that, similar to blood ginseng, the transformation likely occurred at the hundred-year mark.

To restore the Lihuo Crow’s bloodline, ordinary mid-grade Fire Spirit Grass would hardly suffice unless used in very large quantities.

To improve efficiency, Qi Ping decided to wait until the Fire Spirit Grass reached its hundred-year efficacy milestone before proceeding.

The twenty-year-efficacy Fire Spirit Grass would be used for testing a liquid version of the Fire Spirit Body Tempering Elixir and experimenting with which combinations of spiritual herbs could best amplify its fire-attribute effects.

For the first task, since there was a specific elixir recipe to follow, Qi Ping would handle the experiments himself.

For the second task, which lacked a foundational recipe, Qi Ping planned to leave it to the Brewmaster Big-Belly Bee.

【The Brewmaster Big-Belly Bee possesses extremely keen spiritual intuition regarding medicinal herbs. It can keenly blend different herbs to maximize their effects and then brew them into honey.】

As long as Qi Ping provided different combinations of spiritual herbs, the Brewmaster Big-Belly Bee could proportion them appropriately and brew honey accordingly.

The reason for the bee’s diminished intelligence was likely because all its energy had been channeled into enhancing its sensitivity to spiritual herbs.

For the Golden Marrow Bees, this was probably their physiological limit. Unless they underwent a comprehensive enhancement like the Balance Bee, they wouldn’t be able to withstand further transformations into a stronger state.

After replanting all the spiritual herbs, Qi Ping used his Plant Growth skill four times, focusing all efforts on accelerating the growth of the sixty-year-efficacy Fire Spirit Grass.

Watching the Fire Spirit Grass grow noticeably larger, Qi Ping broke into a happy smile.

The feeling of hard work paying off was truly satisfying.

“Almost there… Once the Fire Spirit Grass reaches a hundred years of efficacy, and I’ve figured out the optimal combination to maximize its effects, it’ll be time for you to restore your bloodline power!”

Qi Ping gently patted the Lihuo Crow’s head, comforting it as he saw the longing in its eyes.

“Caw caw… (I’ll follow your lead, Boss!)”

Over time, Qi Ping had gradually come to understand the Lihuo Crow’s personality.

Not only was it highly intelligent, but it was also exceptionally diligent in its cultivation.

Before the first rays of sunlight appeared at dawn, the Lihuo Crow would already be perched atop a tree, waiting for the sun to rise.

Once the sunlight arrived, it would diligently absorb solar energy.

This would continue until evening, when the last rays of sunlight disappeared, and only then would it rest.

After a full day of such effort, the Lihuo Crow would often be exhausted.

But no matter how tired it was, it would always rise on time the next day, never missing a single ray of sunlight.

This level of dedication made Qi Ping feel somewhat ashamed by comparison.

Although Qi Ping enjoyed farming, cultivating spiritual herbs, and improving his cultivation, he preferred a balanced rhythm—combining work and rest for a comfortable life.

His current meticulous and diligent farming and cultivation were driven more by external threats. He feared that a powerful enemy might suddenly appear, leading to his demise in some disaster. If that happened, he would regret not making the most of his advantages.

So, his efforts were born out of necessity rather than inner conviction.

But the Lihuo Crow was different. Qi Ping could sense a strong belief driving its actions.

It wasn’t out of hatred or anything negative—just a pure desire to grow stronger.

This daily, unwavering absorption of solar energy didn’t seem to wear the Lihuo Crow down. Instead, it felt immensely satisfied and highly motivated.

Qi Ping was pleasantly surprised by this.

This bird was clearly destined for greatness!

For a spiritual beast to break through its bloodline limitations, two factors were crucial: abundant, high-quality resources, and strong willpower and determination.

Only with unwavering determination could a spiritual beast shatter the shackles of its bloodline and reach greater heights.

When Qi Ping first saw the Lihuo Crow, its indomitable spirit was a key reason he chose it.

Now, after spending time together, Qi Ping knew he hadn’t been mistaken.

In fact, the Lihuo Crow’s determination was even stronger and more impressive than he had initially thought.

According to the Lihuo Crow, after its bloodline was damaged, its strength had nearly fallen to the early first-order stage. But through persistent absorption of solar energy, it had almost recovered to the late first-order stage.

What surprised Qi Ping even more was that the Lihuo Crow mentioned faintly sensing that its restored bloodline had grown slightly stronger.

Upon hearing this, Qi Ping’s first thought was four words:

“Break and then rebuild!”

If it truly was a case of breaking and rebuilding, the likelihood of the Lihuo Crow’s bloodline advancing to a higher level was very high.

Qi Ping felt he had truly stumbled upon a treasure.

Perhaps the Lihuo Crow’s enhanced bloodline could rival spiritual beasts worth six to seven thousand spirit stones—maybe even more. Yet Qi Ping had bought it for only fifteen hundred spirit stones, and it even came with a storage bag he desperately needed.

This was an incredible bargain!

Sometimes, when he saw the Lihuo Crow, Qi Ping couldn’t help but think: “You’re amazing, little crow!”

After replanting and nurturing all the spiritual herbs, Qi Ping resumed his cultivation of the Wood Flame Art.

His talent now was far beyond what it used to be. A single day of cultivation was more efficient than ten days in the past.

With such talent, Qi Ping naturally didn’t want to waste any time.

Besides, this kind of cultivation speed was genuinely exhilarating!

If he could endure the snail-like pace of his previous cultivation, there was no reason he couldn’t handle this.

Two days passed, and the Golden Marrow Bees helped him find two common medicinal herbs needed as supplementary ingredients. The reason he didn’t buy them at the market was to avoid drawing attention to his plans for crafting the Fire Spirit Body Tempering Elixir. Caution remained Qi Ping’s style.

With these two herbs acquired, Qi Ping was only missing one final ingredient—the Spirit Nurturing Fruit. Once he obtained it, he could begin experimenting with modifying the Fire Spirit Body Tempering Elixir recipe…