Chapter 65: News of the Elder Spirit Planter
The Wine God's Soul Refining Method was a secret technique for cultivating the soul. However, since Gu Mo's past life knowledge offered little help in this area, his progress in cultivating this technique was somewhat slow.
That said, the effectiveness of the Wine God's Soul Refining Method was not primarily dependent on the technique itself; rather, the key lay in the quality of the spiritual wine. As long as the wine was of high enough grade, progress in cultivating this technique would not be slow.
Of course, a deeper understanding of the secret technique would improve the efficiency of utilizing the spiritual wine, which, in a way, could also reduce the cost of cultivation.
After handing over the prepared 50 catties of Water Spirit Rice to Gou Youyu, the latter also provided Gu Mo with spiritual wine tailored for cultivating the Wine God's Soul Refining Method. Once the transaction was completed, Gu Mo began asking Gou Youyu about some doubts he had regarding the technique.
In the face of Gu Mo's inquiries, Gou Youyu answered without reservation. He knew very well that forming a connection with Gu Mo could be a great opportunity for him.
Opportunities were not limited to cultivation techniques, spiritual pills, or magical treasures. Sometimes, a powerful cultivator or one with a unique ability could also serve as someone else's great fortune.
Right now, Gu Mo was that opportunity for Gou Youyu because Gu Mo could provide him with high-grade Water Spirit Rice. With better ingredients, Gou Youyu could brew superior spiritual wine, cultivate the Wine God's Soul Refining Method, and improve his own strength.
"By the way, Shopkeeper Gou, do you have any leads on disguise-related secret techniques or doppelgänger techniques?" After resolving his doubts about the Wine God's Soul Refining Method, Gu Mo had a sudden thought and asked.
Previously, Gu Mo had been just an unnoticed labor disciple, but as his reputation in the Spirit Planting Hall grew, more and more people would come to know of him. He felt it was time to acquire a disguise technique to make travel more convenient.
Of course, staying within his spiritual farmland was still the safest option. Inside his domain, he could easily deal with early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, if he were to leave the farmland and encounter Foundation Establishment cultivators head-on, his survival chances would be grim.
Gu Mo's combat prowess was vastly different inside and outside his territory. After all, both Peashooters and Potato Mines excelled in defensive warfare.
That said, it was unrealistic never to leave his farm. If he could obtain a doppelgänger technique, it would be an excellent solution.
"Disguise techniques aren't hard to come by; if you ask around, you should be able to find one. But doppelgänger techniques—those are much rarer," Gou Youyu replied after some thought.
For rogue cultivators lacking a strong sense of security, a disguise technique was practically essential for survival. As such, it wouldn't be too difficult for Gu Mo to obtain one. However, doppelgänger techniques were exceedingly rare.
"No worries. Please help me inquire, and contact me if you find anything," Gu Mo said, waving his hand. This was merely a passing thought—getting one would be great, but it wasn't as urgent as a cultivation-concealing technique, which was essential for his full-fledged cultivation.
"Alright!"
Gou Youyu nodded.
With that matter settled, Gu Mo left the marketplace and flew back to his farmland. Now that he had a flying sword, his travel time was becoming significantly shorter.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo!"
Not long after he returned, Mai Yunfa arrived. He handed over a heavy pouch—inside were 5,000 spirit stones.
Gu Mo had given Mai Yunfa 50 catties of Water Spirit Rice to auction, meaning each catty had been sold for 100 spirit stones—a rather high price. This was likely because it was the first auction; future sales would probably see a price drop.
"Senior Brother Mai, thank you!"
Gu Mo took out 1,000 spirit stones and handed them to Mai Yunfa as his commission. Mai Yunfa didn't refuse—unlike the wealthy inner disciples, he was just an outer disciple, and 1,000 spirit stones were a significant fortune for him.
"Heh, Junior Brother, I won't take your kindness for free." Mai Yunfa grinned mysteriously. "I heard that the sect's Rank 3 Spirit Planter Elder is coming out of seclusion early. So, before long, we'll be able to receive the Spirit Planter inheritance from them."
"Coming out early?"
Gu Mo was surprised. Cultivators rarely ended their seclusion early unless something important had happened.
"I'm not sure why, but I heard that the Sect Master personally summoned the Spirit Planter Elder from seclusion," Mai Yunfa replied, scratching his head. He had overheard this from Deacon Zhao but didn't know the specifics. However, if the Rank 3 Spirit Planter Elder was coming out, those qualified to attend their lectures would soon be able to receive direct teachings.
This was their only path to becoming true Spirit Planters. If they could gain enlightenment from the elder's teachings and become real Spirit Planters, their future prospects would be limitless.
"Thank you for the information, Senior Brother Mai."
Since Mai Yunfa didn't know more, Gu Mo suppressed his curiosity and expressed his gratitude. Matters at the level of a Golden Core elder were far beyond the reach of mere labor disciples like them.
"I'll keep you updated when I get more details," Mai Yunfa assured him confidently.
After Mai Yunfa left, Gu Mo resumed tending to his farmland, planting a new batch of Water Spirit Rice. Then, he focused on cultivating the Wine God's Soul Refining Method, gathering Sun Essence to upgrade his Sunflowers, and occasionally studying Spiritual Farmer Spells. Unlike other cultivators who had to dedicate themselves to harsh training, Gu Mo had plenty of time.
His current plan was to first upgrade five of his Sunflowers to Rank 2 before focusing on other aspects. The reason for upgrading only five out of fifteen was simple—five Rank 2 Sunflowers were sufficient for his cultivation and for enhancing his Peashooters and Potato Mines.
While upgrading more Sunflowers would boost cultivation speed and reduce the time required to enhance his plants, it would also extend the total upgrading time. Even just upgrading five Sunflowers would take roughly a year. If he were to upgrade all fifteen, it would take at least two and a half years.
Gu Mo could afford to wait two and a half years, but the issue was that in the Black Mist Space's vending machine, both Rank 1 and Rank 2 Sunflower Essences were counted the same when used as currency.
Given this, Gu Mo naturally chose to use Rank 1 Sunflower Essence to purchase new plants. That's why he kept ten Rank 1 Sunflowers specifically for acquiring new plant species.
Currently, he only had Sunflowers, Peashooters, and Potato Mines, but the vending machine clearly held more options.
Gu Mo was quite eager to discover new plants, but for now, upgrading his Rank 2 Sunflowers took priority.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo!"
In the midst of his peaceful routine, Mai Yunfa reappeared, bringing an explosive piece of news regarding the Spirit Planter Elder.
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