Chapter 31: Application of Learning
Chapter 31: Application of Learning
Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii
Yun Zhi pinched Lu Yang's collar with two fingers, shook him in front of her eyes, still unable to figure out the principle, and then put him back.
Lu Yang was equally perplexed. He followed the mantra and method taught by his senior sister, so why did the spell turn out to be two different spells?
"This makes no sense."
"I will demonstrate it to you again." Yun Zhi was a very responsible teacher. Though her teaching was quite average, she had patience.
Yun Zhi took out an hourglass, placed it upside down on the ground, then held Lu Yang's shoulder, and the two of them jumped through space together.
Lu Yang only felt a flash before his eyes, and they arrived in a strange space, with colorful flowing light on both sides.
Lu Yang instinctively wanted to touch the flowing light but was stopped by Yun Zhi.
"That is a strange scene formed by the distortion of space. Don't even think about it. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be torn apart and shattered if they touch it."
Frightened, Lu Yang quickly withdrew his hand.
The two exited the space and saw a giant white snake coiling around mountains, swallowing the sun and moon, refining the essence of heaven and earth. Its eyes were vivid, and the two happened to land in the snake's mouth, then entered its belly.
Just as the stomach acid was about to drip, Yun Zhi stepped again, returning to the strange space.
Following Yun Zhi's steps, Lu Yang saw all kinds of bizarre scenes: an ocean made of magma, a great cultivator suffering a thunder tribulation, a silent swordsman carrying a thick and wide blade...
These places were unseen and unheard of by Lu Yang, truly unimaginable.
Eventually, the two returned to the starting point, Lu Yang panting and still in shock.
"The places I took you just now are within the Dao Seeking Sect, and you can visit them yourself in the future."
The Dao Seeking Sect was too vast, and the places beyond the nine core mountains were still unknown to Lu Yang.
"Try casting the spell again?"
Yun Zhi felt that there might be something different this time.
Facing Yun Zhi's eager gaze, Lu Yang braced himself and cast the spell again.
After a day of practice with the two, Lu Yang finally learned to sense the underground environment and how not to get stepped on after shrinking.
Shrinking Earth into Inches was not successful even once, but shrinking and inches were successful every time, becoming more proficient each time.
By the end, he didn't even need the mantra. A single thought was enough to cast the spell, as if he had been immersed in this way for months or years.
Lu Yang's initial intention to learn Shrinking Earth into Inches was to use the spell for traveling. Now that he had learned the spell "shrinking" for traveling, it was in line with his original intention.
It's just that the method was indescribable, and the speed was somewhat slow.
Watching Lu Yang freely change size and burrow in and out of the earth, Yun Zhi casually asked, "Little junior brother, I heard it's tough for you to get tasks in the mission hall?"
"Yeah, most of the tasks can only be completed by cultivators at the Golden Core stage or above. There are very few suitable for me." Lu Yang was considering squatting in the mission hall for a few days to see if he could find a suitable task.
"It's quite coincidental. A few days ago, I was in a meeting with the elders, and someone mentioned that there was a problem in the medicinal garden. A task was posted in the mission hall, but no one took it. I think you are a suitable candidate. Why don't you go check it out in the medicinal garden?"
Lu Yang knew that since his master entered seclusion, it was his senior sister who had been presiding over the meetings in his place.
"What kind of task?" Lu Yang was curious. His specialty in the Dao Seeking Sect was not prominent. What kind of task would be suitable for him, especially the medicinal garden about which he knew nothing?
He hadn't even fully learned how to identify medicinal herbs.
"You'll know when you get there." Yun Zhi did not answer.
...
In Lu Yang's view, the Dao Seeking Sect itself was a miniature cultivation world. Without leaving the mountain gate, one could find someone to help with alchemy, artifact refinement, and formation setting... Most of the time, it could be self-sufficient.
Alchemy requires medicinal herbs, and the Dao Seeking Sect has a significant demand for them. They can't always rely on external purchases.
To address the medicinal herb issue, the Dao Seeking Sect has developed a large medicinal garden within the sect for cultivating herbs. The mission hall also posts tasks for assisting in cultivating these herbs.
Cultivating herbs requires specialized knowledge, and Lu Yang is clueless about it. He still hasn't even distinguished what medicinal herbs or spiritual beasts he eats daily, let alone cultivating them.
From a distance, Lu Yang could smell the fragrance of the medicinal garden. Unlike the Pellet Cauldron Peak, which might sometimes smell like poison, this was the pure scent of medicinal herbs. It's said that if ordinary people smell it for a long time, it can prolong life and ward off diseases.
At the entrance of the medicinal garden lay an old man, a fan covering his face, leisurely lying in a rocking chair, napping.
"Old man, is this the medicinal garden?" Lu Yang asked.
The old man lazily opened one eye to glance at Lu Yang: "Who are you?"
"Lu Yang."
"I didn't ask your name, I asked your identity."
"The fourth disciple of the sect leader, junior brother of Senior Sister Yun Zhi."
The old man didn't react much initially, considering the sect leader had been missing for ten years. But upon hearing the latter part, he suddenly realized its significance.
The disciple of the sect leader meant he was Yun Zhi's junior brother!
The old man quickly got up, his body more agile than Lu Yang's.
In the cultivation world, one can't judge others' abilities and age by their appearance. Whether someone is a grandparent or a grandchild standing together is hard to determine.
In the cultivation world, respecting the elderly and loving the young is not advocated, as the old and young might be stronger than you.
"So you were referred by Yun Zhi. You should have said so earlier." The old man became friendly with Lu Yang, as if they were close brothers.
"We are all from the Dao Seeking Sect. Just call me Old Ba. I am in charge of this little piece of the medicinal garden."
Lu Yang suspected Old Ba was taking advantage of him, but he had no proof.
"What did Yun Zhi send you here to do? Harvest herbs? How many years old do you need, a thousand or two thousand?"
Considering Old Ba's demeanor, Lu Yang couldn't help but think of the meals his senior sister made for him. Could they all have been harvested from the medicinal garden, being a thousand or two thousand years old?
A thousand-year-old medicinal herb is not cabbage and is quite precious for the Dao Seeking Sect.
No, no, Senior Sister is quite frugal and wouldn't waste medicinal herbs on herself.
Lu Yang politely asked, "Senior Sister said that a task was posted in the medicinal garden a few days ago, and no one took it. May I know what the task is?"
Old Ba suddenly realized, "Oh, that task. Do you know how to cultivate medicinal herbs?"
"Not at all," Lu Yang answered honestly.
"Let me explain simply. Cultivating medicinal herbs involves many steps, one of which is loosening the soil to allow the herbs to better absorb spiritual energy from the ground and the air."
"Usually, this task is done by a couple of Silver Ring Heavenly King Worms."
"Recently, they have some family issues and no one is doing the job, so I posted a task to loosen the soil in the medicinal garden. This requires one of the Five Elements Dao, the Earth Escape Technique. There are quite a few youngsters who know this technique, but they all find it too troublesome to accept the task. It's fortunate that Yun Zhi sent you here."
"So, what I need to do is..."
"Imitate an earthworm, burrow into the soil, and loosen the soil of the medicinal garden."
Lu Yang: "..."
Lu Yang suspected his senior sister was playing a trick on him, but he still had no proof.
(End of the chapter)