Chapter 58: Second-Order Sunflower
"Senior Sister Yuan, you're not of the water spiritual root, so Water Spirit Rice has limited effects on you. As for its benefits in nurturing the meridians and physique, do you really think it would be more effective than Junior Brother's perfected Cleanse Technique?" Gu Mo said helplessly.
"You're right."
Hearing Gu Mo's reasoning, Yuan Niya found it made sense. "Junior Brother Gu Mo, in that case, give me an ultra-enhanced Cleanse Technique. I'm preparing to break through to the third level of Qi Refinement."
"So soon?!"
Gu Mo looked at Yuan Niya in surprise. She hadn't been at the second level of Qi Refinement for long, yet she was already aiming for the third. As expected of an inner sect disciple—her talent was truly enviable.
"Are you ready, Senior Sister?"
A faint smile appeared on Gu Mo's lips. The ultra-enhanced Cleanse Technique was no simple experience.
"Hah, what's a little pain? If all it took to grow stronger was enduring some suffering, countless people would be eager to go through it," Yuan Niya said with determination.
As a child, she had often been bullied because of her black-and-red hair. Getting beaten up was a common occurrence. When she got older, she fought back without hesitation, often ending up covered in wounds.
Pain had been a constant companion throughout her childhood. She didn't fear suffering—what she feared was being too weak.
"Alright!"
The moment she finished speaking, a groan escaped her lips as Gu Mo's ultra-enhanced Cleanse Technique took effect. With his true cultivation at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, the enhanced version of the technique was pushed to its limits.
But just as she had claimed, Yuan Niya gritted her teeth and endured the intense cleansing and marrow-refining effects. Under normal conditions, the Cleanse Technique was a soothing experience. However, when amplified several times over, it bordered on torture.
When the technique finally ended, Yuan Niya collapsed onto the ground, her clothes stained with blood—impurities expelled from her body through the extreme cleansing. The effectiveness was undeniable, but the pain it inflicted was far from ordinary.
"Turn around."
Yuan Niya's voice was weak.
Gu Mo obediently turned his back as he heard the rustling sounds of her changing clothes. Last time, she had returned wearing blood-stained garments, which led to a round of questioning from her master. This time, she had prepared a fresh set in advance.
After all, she had promised Gu Mo to keep this a secret.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, if you ever run into trouble, come find me anytime." Taking advantage of the time it took to change, Yuan Niya, who had regained some strength, left Gu Mo's spirit field under the cover of night.
Once she was gone, peace finally returned to Gu Mo's side, and time passed swiftly in this tranquility.
—
"Just a little more to go!"
Standing before a cultivation pot, Gu Mo held 14 portions of Solar Essence. Inside the pot, a first-order supreme-grade sunflower swayed gently. Its status screen displayed a large upgrade arrow, nearly filled with green, save for a tiny portion at the tip.
Since planting another batch of Water Spirit Rice, six months had passed, and today was the day to complete that upgrade arrow.
Without hesitation, Gu Mo placed all 14 portions of Solar Essence into the pot. The upgrade arrow immediately emitted a faint glow as the last bit of white space turned green. Now, all he had to do was tap the arrow, and the first-order supreme-grade sunflower would evolve into a second-order plant.
He had invested an entire year's worth of Solar Essence into this endeavor. If he had used it for cultivation instead, he could have easily advanced from the fourth level of Qi Refinement to the sixth. Without the mid-to-late-stage bottleneck, he might have even reached the seventh or eighth level.
Now, it was time to reap the rewards.
Gu Mo tapped the glowing upgrade arrow. Instantly, the sunflower was enveloped in radiant light, which lasted for half a quarter of an hour. As the glow faded, the sunflower had undergone subtle changes.
Though its outward appearance remained largely the same, its golden disk now contained faintly visible runes—an unmistakable sign of its advancement.
Focusing his mind, Gu Mo examined the sunflower's updated status:
Name: Sunflower
Grade: Second-order, low-grade
Effect: Condenses Solar Essence
Cultivation Requirement: Second-order Spirit Field
Seeing the confirmed upgrade, a smile spread across Gu Mo's face. To his surprise, there was still an upgrade arrow, indicating that further evolution was possible. However, he had no intention of pushing forward—who knew how much more Solar Essence would be needed for a mid-grade advancement?
His current priority was to upgrade all of his sunflowers to the second order before considering further improvements.
But his joy was short-lived. His expression darkened when he noticed the cultivation requirement: a second-order spirit field.
Where was he supposed to find one? Qinglu Sect undoubtedly had second—and even third-order—spirit fields, but those were far beyond his reach at the moment.
After spending an entire year upgrading the sunflower, would it all go to waste simply because his spirit field wasn't high-grade enough?
Unwilling to accept this, Gu Mo carefully removed the newly evolved sunflower from the pot and transplanted it directly into his spirit field. He needed to test this for himself.
To his relief, the second-order sunflower did not revert to its seed form upon being planted in the first-order field. This meant it could still survive in the lower-grade soil.
That night, Gu Mo returned to check on the plant. As expected, the sunflower's disk had gathered a concentrated amount of Solar Essence. The difference in purity was immediately apparent—this was on an entirely different level compared to first-order sunflowers.
He harvested the essence, and a small, ethereal sun materialized in his palm, shimmering with golden specks.
This confirmed his theory: while second-order sunflowers thrived best in second-order spirit fields, they could still survive in first-order ones and successfully produce Solar Essence—albeit not in its perfect state.
Even so, the essence from a second-order sunflower was fundamentally superior.
Now, Gu Mo prepared to absorb it, eager to experience the difference firsthand.
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