After Luo Feibai departed, Li Ye's hands never stopped tending to the rice stalk before him one distinctly different from the surrounding fields of Qingxuan Rice.
Streams of verdant divine light and the mystical flame of the Wood God flowed steadily into the plant, accelerating its growth toward full maturity.
Aside from the widespread Qingluo Silvergrass, the crop Li Ye had planted and cultivated the most over the years was Qingxuan Rice.
Ever since his [Tongtian] trait was upgraded to level two, it had finally begun to show its worth again this rice plant had successfully been raised by one tier, fundamentally elevated to Tier-3.
However, there was a small regret this time: it had not triggered the [Wood Spirit] trait, nor had it inspired any resonance or breakthrough among the other Qingxuan Rice crops.
Still, this outcome confirmed his earlier hypothesis [Wood Spirit] indeed has a unique resonance effect on spiritual plants of the same kind, allowing their very essence to be elevated together.
Over the years, the Qingluo Wood Spirit had grown rapidly and was already approaching the threshold of becoming a first-tier spirit creature. It wouldn't be long before it could take form and move about freely.
Its original host plant had also grown significantly more robust than the surrounding Qingluo Silvergrass, clearly benefiting from its presence…
Perhaps this kind of wood spirit, even without the aid of the [Tongtian] trait, could eventually elevate its tier through such influence alone bringing with it a chain reaction among similar spiritual plants.
But that path would take an unknown amount of time far less efficient than simply triggering a tier-up with the [Tongtian] trait and unlocking greater potential in one go.
At this point in his thoughts, Li Ye couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"I was too optimistic… expecting two traits with only 'slight activation chance' to both trigger on the same spiritual plant that's just wishful thinking…"
"Still, if I can't rely on luck, I have other means of raising their tier."
With only a single Tier-3 Qingxuan Rice seedling, using traditional methods to accumulate enough seed for an entire field would be a painstakingly slow process either taking years to grow bit by bit or simply keeping it as a rare specimen.
But to Li Ye, this wasn't a concern at all.
Having cultivated the Wood God's secret technique to its current level and with constant boosts from the Void Realm's spiritual aura it was practically effortless for him to accelerate the growth of spiritual plants.
Among spirit crops of similar tiers, Qingxuan Rice was relatively undemanding in its growing conditions. On top of that, Li Ye's planting skill had reached Tier 3, and his Wood God Art was incredibly potent. When it came to nurturing this new rice variety, his methods were more than effective.
Before long, the Tier-3 Qingxuan Rice plant before him had fully matured.
Its vibrant green stalks were streaked with faint golden lines, and its rice grains hung heavy and full, each one round and shining like a tiny elixir.
With a swift gesture, Li Ye harvested the grains from his first batch of seeds.
He examined them closely, nodding in satisfaction.
"Trying to force too many Tier-3 rice plants at once would drain my mana heavily. I'm nearly done accumulating what I need for advancement I can't afford a setback over something so small. I'll just section off a small plot of spirit farmland and raise them in stages for now…"
........
Once the Tier-3 Qingxuan Rice was properly processed, Li Ye finally pulled his mind away from tending the spiritual plants and turned his thoughts toward the matter of Thousand Island Water City.
Five years ago, the Bihu Sanren had already perished beneath the Lava Palace.
Li Ye had waited a full two years afterward, seeing no unusual signs, before finally retrieving the Sanren's remains and belongings for a proper burial.
Given that news of his nearing the end of his lifespan had long spread throughout the cultivation world of the Four Nations, and that he hadn't shown himself in any way for five full years, it was only natural that rumors of his death could no longer be contained.
But with that, it was likely that Thousand Island Water City was about to face a turbulent period.
"In the end, I still owe the Bihu Sanren a significant debt…"
Li Ye frowned slightly.
He had never taken a formal master. His cultivation path had been entirely self-taught relying on manuals he'd collected, piecing together insights and notes on his own.
The most structured and refined guidance he had ever received was the cultivation insights gifted to him by Ji Qing. It allowed him to grasp the nuances of Foundation Establishment and prepare for many obstacles in advance.
It had benefited him immensely.
That kind of kindness and Ji Qing had helped him several times beyond that was something Li Ye would never forget.
He had never expected that someone as powerful as Ji Qing, who practiced both physical and magical arts, would fall during the demonic tide.
At the time, Li Ye had been too focused on escaping and had no accurate intel on the internal affairs of the Purple Profound Sect.
It wasn't until later, after successfully establishing his Foundation in the Chidi Mountains and becoming its ruler, that he gathered new intelligence and finally learned of Ji Qing's death.
But by then, what could he do? It was already too late.
Even if he had known back then, with only a Qi Refining cultivation at the time, he wouldn't have been able to save Ji Qing anyway.
Li Ye couldn't help but feel regret over it.
And now, the Bihu Notes had served as a second moment of profound guidance.
That jade slip had helped him immensely not only resolving the many issues he currently faced in cultivation and making his progress smoother, but also pointing the way forward, giving him deeper understanding into the secrets of Golden Core.
With old regrets in his heart and new favors received, it would be cold-blooded not to repay this debt somehow.
However, he soon shook his head.
"They've got a Tier-3 Black Flood Dragon and a Tier-3 grand formation guarding their foundation. Honestly, that's stronger than my current Tier-3 formation and Tier-3 life-bound puppet combined. I doubt they need my help."
"Holding their ground should be fine. It's only if a Golden Core-level force tries to brazenly seize their resource points that things could get tricky…"
"Oh well. As long as the damage doesn't threaten the survival of their sect, I don't need to stick my neck out just to repay a debt. I'll observe for now."
Li Ye had made up his mind.
Repaying a favor didn't mean putting himself in danger. Even if Thousand Island Water City were to truly fall one day, stepping in with a puppet to help some of the disciples escape would be repayment enough.
There was no need to throw himself into peril.
Besides… compared to all of this, his cultivation was nearly reaching the peak. Continuing his intensive training and pushing into late-stage Foundation Establishment was far more important right now!
…
Once the news of Bihu Sanren's death spread, there was plenty of discussion in the cultivation world of the Four Nations, but little genuine surprise.
Though probing actions were inevitable, the other three nations' Golden Core sects did not rashly initiate war or attempt to seize Jingguo's territory, nor did they openly provoke Thousand Island Water City.
The internal situation in the lake region remained largely stable.
After all, that Tier-3 Black Flood Dragon was no pushover in some ways, it was even more dangerous than the aging Bihu Sanren had been.
Most of the islands remained obedient and showed no signs of rebellion.
Even a few island lords couldn't read the situation and tried to get involved with the other three nations as test cases were swiftly eliminated. Thousand Island Water City mobilized immediately and struck with overwhelming force.
Heads rolled. The lake ran red with blood.
After that, the entire lake region seemed to return to the order and calm it had under the Bihu Sanren's rule as if nothing had changed.
"This is for the best," Li Ye thought, "Even if trouble brews behind the scenes, it will take time to develop. That means the Four Nations' situation can remain stable for quite some time…"
Pleased with this outcome, Li Ye once again immersed himself in cultivation.
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