Chapter 205 - 177: The Gift, Big Smarty

Chapter 205: Chapter 177: The Gift, Big Smarty

Back inside the wooden hut.

Li Changsheng clasped his hands apologetically toward the group and explained, "I was immersed in my cultivation and was unaware of my senior brothers’ arrival. I hope you won’t take offense."

"Junior Brother Li, you’re too polite. We only just arrived ourselves."

The men all smiled and waved their hands, indicating it was no bother at all.

They were all in the Vein Condensation Realm themselves, so they naturally understood that Li Changsheng would need some time to adapt after his breakthrough.

After a few moments of pleasantries,

Lan Cai Shen’s gaze shifted to the others.

Feeling his gaze upon them, Jin Fang and Ke Jing cursed inwardly. With a flip of his hand, Jin Fang produced a jade box, placed it on the table, and forced a smile. "Congratulations on your breakthrough, Junior Brother. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave."

"This..."

Li Changsheng hesitated for a moment, then clasped his hands. "Thank you, Senior Brother Jin, Senior Brother Ke. I’ll see you two out."

With that, he led the two of them out the door.

Tan Hu and Ma Rong watched them leave, the corners of their mouths twitching upward in a slight smirk.

Just then, Lan Cai Shen’s voice echoed in their minds. "If you have nothing else, you should head back for now. I have some matters to discuss with Junior Brother Li."

Er...

The two men’s expressions froze. They exchanged a look, then reluctantly stood up, placed their prepared gifts on the table, and turned to leave.

Xu Li and his two companions were no fools either. They quickly stood up, respectfully clasped their hands toward Lan Cai Shen, set down their gifts, and also took their leave.

After seeing out Jin Fang and Ke Jing, followed by Tan Hu, Xu Li, and the others, Li Changsheng felt a growing sense of confusion. He returned to the wooden hut, sat down, and asked, "Senior Brother, is there something you needed to see me about?"

Lan Cai Shen nodded slightly and smiled. "It’s about the Spirit Field. I need to discuss something with you, Junior Brother."

’Spirit Field?’

A look of realization dawned on Li Changsheng’s face, and he quickly said, "Senior Brother, are you talking about the Cold Flame Flowers and the Narcissus Spring?"

"Rest assured, Senior Brother. Aside from the six plants lost during the Power Demon Sect’s attack on the Spiritual Land, the remaining fourteen Spirit Plants are all growing extremely well."

Li Changsheng smiled. "Do you have any more seeds, Senior Brother? We could fill the empty spots in the Spirit Field."

"Thank you, Junior Brother."

Lan Cai Shen smiled and clasped his hands, then shook his head. "I only had twenty seeds to begin with, so there’s no need to replant." He paused, then smiled again. "You can manage the rest of the empty Spirit Field as you see fit, Junior Brother. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the growth of the Spirit Medicine, you can plant whatever you like."

Li Changsheng nodded lightly.

Just as he was about to say something, Lan Cai Shen’s expression turned serious. "However, that’s not what I came to talk to you about, Junior Brother. It’s about..."

As Lan Cai Shen spoke, Li Changsheng’s expression was one of astonishment, and it shifted continuously as the explanation went on.

「A Cup of Tea’s Time later.」

Lan Cai Shen left behind his and Elder Qing’s gifts, then mounted his Escape Light and flew away.

Li Changsheng watched him depart. After a moment of contemplation, he turned and went back into the wooden hut.

He didn’t check the gifts.

Sitting in his chair, he shook his head and sighed, ’I knew it wouldn’t be that simple...’

What Lan Cai Shen had told him about was none other than the deep pool next to the Tier Two High-grade Spirit Field—or rather, the Tier Three Spirit Field at the bottom of it.

Perhaps because he had advanced to the Vein Condensation Realm, they were worried he would discover the Tier Three Spirit Field in the pool and cause some unnecessary misunderstanding, which was why Lan Cai Shen had been so direct with him.

Lan Cai Shen also made it clear that he wasn’t the only one who knew about the Tier Three Spirit Field in the pool; Elder Lan and Elder Qing knew about it as well.

They simply hadn’t been able to develop it yet, so the matter was left unspoken.

Li Changsheng mocked himself, ’Heh, and here I thought I’d stumbled upon a hidden treasure...’

But a smile soon appeared on his face.

Before leaving, Lan Cai Shen had mentioned that the sect’s reward for his advancement to the Vein Condensation Realm would arrive soon.

It would also include the path to becoming a Spirit Plant Master.

Lan Cai Shen had said mysteriously that if he became a Spirit Plant Master, a tremendous benefit awaited him.

’A tremendous benefit...’

Li Changsheng shook his head. ’How is that any different from dangling a carrot? But it’s a carrot I have to chase. After all, I do want to become a Spirit Plant Master.’

After a moment of contemplation, Li Changsheng pushed aside his thoughts and began to examine the gifts everyone had brought.

First were the gifts from Xu Li and his two companions. They had each given him a thousand Spirit Stones.

Li Changsheng chuckled and put them away, then took out the jade box from the Patrol Guard Captain and opened it.

Inside the jade box was a blackish-brown stone about the size of a baby’s fist.

’Tier One Top-Grade Metal Spiritual Ore Profound Iron... just a bit high in impurities...’

Li Changsheng shook his head as he put it away. It would be perfect for enhancing Big Flower’s and Xiaohua’s innate Magic.

Next was Ke Jing’s gift of two thousand Spirit Stones and Jin Fang’s gift of a bottle of Second-Order Lower Grade Water Rhythm Spirit Pills.

After putting them all away, Li Changsheng opened the jade boxes from Tan Hu and Ma Rong.

One contained a lustrous, jet-black jade tablet engraved with golden patterns; the other held a fiery red piece of jade covered in complex markings.

He was familiar with both items.

They were a refined Soul Nourishing Jade that had reached Tier Two quality and a Jade Talisman that contained a Second Order Magic.

Li Changsheng picked up the Jade Talisman and examined it closely, confirming that it was a Second-Order Lower Grade Fire Rain Talisman.

After putting it away, he picked up the Soul Nourishing Jade and infused it with his Spiritual Power. Within a complex restriction, a mass of condensed black water appeared before his eyes. He froze as he felt the cold, sinister aura it emitted.

"A Vein Condensation Realm ghost!"

Coming back to his senses, Li Changsheng couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. ’Senior Brother Tan is truly generous...’

Although the ghost’s aura was weak, it was still a Vein Condensation Realm ghost, which made it quite useful.

If nothing else, he had just been worrying about not having any servants.

And now one had arrived!

Li Changsheng played with it gleefully for a moment before setting it aside, planning to refine it later.

Then, he picked up the gifts from Lan Cai Shen and Elder Qing.

The two items, one large and one small, were both packed in wooden boxes.

Li Changsheng reached out and opened one of them.

Inside was a folded, iridescent white robe.