Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 96

After settling on the plan for the Hundred Spirit Honey formula that combined Spirit Nurturing Fruit with Hundred Spirit Grass, Qi Ping stopped dwelling on the matter.

He even openly gave this new honey a name: Spirit Nurturing Honey.

He would publicly claim it was brewed by his bees from Spirit Nurturing Fruit and other precious ingredients, stating it had pure spiritual energy and possessed properties that nourished and refined one’s qi… that would suffice.

It was suitable for cultivation in the early Qi Refinement stage and still had decent effects in the middle stage.

Priced at six spirit stones per portion, it would absolutely sell easily.

“The first batch of Hundred Spirit Grass will mature in about twenty days. This batch isn’t large, so I can just buy some more from Sister Nan later…”

“But when the larger batches mature in two or three months, the yield from Sister Nan’s Spirit Nurturing Fruit definitely won’t be enough…”

“If I try to buy in bulk directly within the Misty Cloud Mountains then, the price would be lowest, but it might arouse suspicion and easily expose me.”

“Buying from Boss Gao would probably be more expensive, but it’s more convenient and offers better secrecy.”

After thinking it over, Qi Ping decided he would definitely buy the Spirit Nurturing Fruit from Sister Nan.

Then, when the second and third batches of Hundred Spirit Grass matured later, he would go to Boss Gao to purchase another batch, and conveniently sell the first batch of brewed Spirit Nurturing Honey for spirit stones.

“If I want to reduce costs further down the line, I’ll have to rent more spirit land to plant Spirit Nurturing Fruit myself. Or, I could rent a plot and have Sister Nan farm it for me. She already has experience growing them, and her spiritual fertilizer technique might come in handy later.”

Growing spiritual herbs was never simple. Each type had its own suitable growth environment and required specific resources, needing a lot of effort to manage properly.

This was precisely why the three major families and Qingyuan Sect disciples didn’t typically farm them directly themselves. Sometimes, rogue cultivators were really just earning meager ‘hard labor’ spirit stones—paltry sums not worth the time and effort for a sect disciple.

Simply renting the land out and collecting annual fees was the most hassle-free approach.

The reason Qi Ping found herb cultivation relatively easy was primarily because his [Plant Growth] skill was overwhelmingly powerful. It could directly substitute for many conditions and supplement the special energies and spiritual qi the herbs needed. Otherwise, he would struggle to grow certain herbs that required specific fire-attribute qi or beast blood, for example.

So far, Qi Ping had found that most herbs he encountered could be supplemented using Plant Growth.

But his Plant Growth skill wasn’t omnipotent. His energy and focus were limited. He was already stretched thin providing for himself and his animal companions. He couldn’t possibly use Plant Growth to cultivate something like Spirit Nurturing Fruit, a purely economic crop for making money. Using a divine skill for such a purpose would be truly foolish.

Hundred Spirit Grass was a pure exception.

This stuff wasn’t picky about its environment. As long as there was sufficient spiritual energy, it could basically grow just about anywhere halfway decent.

But precisely because its spiritual power was impure and its properties muddled, it was relegated to being fodder for livestock like spirit cattle.

Yet, Qi Ping had accidentally unlocked its value using his Master Brewer Pot-bellied Bees, turning it into his most profitable, lowest-risk ‘low-end’ industry currently.

This was far better than using Plant Growth to cultivate valuable herbs for sale himself.

Using Plant Growth to grow precious herbs for sale carried higher risks and monopolized the time of his precious skill. It was much worse than making money by brewing honey from Hundred Spirit Grass.

Having decided on the source for the Spirit Nurturing Fruit, Qi Ping wasn’t in a hurry to go buy it from Sister Nan. Instead, he continued cultivating and focused on accelerating the growth of the Blood Ginseng needed to support the resources for the Bee Queen’s population explosion.

There was still some time before the first batch of Hundred Spirit Grass matured. Qi Ping planned to wait until his bee swarm had expanded further before venturing out.

In the current situation in Qingshi County, it was best to go out less unless absolutely necessary.

And with an increased combat bee swarm, Qi Ping could travel with greater peace of mind.

After all, he now had a Spirit Beast Bag; carrying ten thousand bees on his person was effortless.

However, just a few days later, while Qi Ping had no plans to go out, someone came looking for him at the mountainside of Peak Twenty-Nine.

“Honored Seniors, what brings you here?” asked Qi Ping, who had just stashed the mid Tier-1 spiritual herb into his storage pouch. He stood before the two late Qi Refinement cultivators, appearing somewhat trembling and nervous, his voice quavering.

The two, one man and one woman, were at the ninth and eighth level of Qi Refinement respectively.

Judging by their demeanor and bearing, they seemed like sect disciples, their interactions somewhat resembling those of a senior and junior brother-sister pair.

They both wore white clothes made of Heavenly Silkworm silk, making it impossible to tell their exact origin.

Qi Ping couldn’t determine if they were from the Qingyuan Sect or not.

However, what concerned Qi Ping most was that the bee swarm sensed hostility from these two.

Given the swarm’s acute perception, they couldn’t be mistaken on this point. So, these two were most likely up to no good.

The hostility wasn’t overwhelmingly strong yet, so Qi Ping decided to first figure out their identities and what they were really after.

It would be best if he could avoid a fight.

If he was forced to abandon the thriving enterprise he had painstakingly built because of these two, it would be a devastating loss. Not only would the rent be wasted, but more importantly, what would all his bees eat?

Were they supposed to subsist on wind and dew, exposed to the elements?

“I ask you, are you Qi Ping?”

The speaker was the man, who looked quite arrogant. He stood on a flying sword in the air, looking down at Qi Ping.

Simultaneously, the spiritual pressure of his ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivation directly pressed down on Qi Ping.

An ordinary early Qi Refinement cultivator would probably have been forced to their knees under this pressure.

So, Qi Ping had to restrain his physical strength and put on an act, making his body tremble violently.

“Answering the Senior, this humble one is indeed Qi Ping,” Qi Ping replied, his voice shaking.

“Then I will ask, and you will answer. If you dare lie, I will sense it, and I will kill you directly!” the white-clothed man said, his tone icy.

It even carried a hint of killing intent.

“Senior, please, ask anyth—”

However, before Qi Ping could finish, the white-clothed man, noticing that Qi Ping was still standing, flashed a hint of displeasure across his brow and increased the spiritual pressure.

This single act finally provoked Qi Ping.

Did this guy want him to kneel or grovel on the ground?

“It seems things can’t be resolved peacefully today. Since you’re seeking death, I’ll grant your wish,” Qi Ping thought darkly, a surge of killing intent rising within him.

With his current strength, was he supposed to kneel and wag his tail to beg for survival?

What would be the point of cultivating immortality then?

It had to be understood that the vast majority of cultivators possessed a certain defiant spirit within them; the more talented ones often more so. A humiliating experience could even become a terrifying inner demon on their future cultivation path, likely leading to their demise if not overcome.

While some cultivators might be indifferent to such things, they were the minority.

And now, this white-clothed man was oppressing him like this, seemingly wanting him to kneel. Even if he didn’t necessarily plan to kill Qi Ping today, it couldn’t mask the maliciousness of his intentions.

Qi Ping hadn’t minded the initial spiritual pressure—deterrence was normal—but at this moment, he truly felt the urge to kill!

Now he just hoped the possessions on these two would compensate for his potential losses…

But just as Qi Ping prepared to make his move, a blue sword light suddenly flashed past at incredible speed…

The next moment, the white-clothed man’s head flew high into the air!

As it spun through the air, the man’s head even retained consciousness long enough to see his own body, now spurting blood from the neck, and the owner of that blue sword light…