Chapter 147: The Heaven-Revolving Bottle, Beast Spirit Liquid, and Century-Long Blooming Period

The sacred plot of land lay just at the entrance of his courtyard. It was the spiritual field he had deliberately set aside after completing his last monthly task. Glancing at the top-grade, high-level Thunder Spirit Rice seeds in his hand, he realized there were more than enough to plant an entire acre with some to spare.

Without hesitation, he soaked the seeds in spring water from the spiritual spring and then applied the germination technique to expedite their growth. Though over three hundred seeds were being germinated simultaneously—far more than the mere handful he had previously nurtured—the effect was naturally less potent per seed. Yet, after several rounds of the technique, some of the faster-growing seeds had already sprouted tender roots and shoots. After dozens of repetitions, the majority had taken root and begun to sprout.

Due to the environment, he did not apply spiritual beast fertilizer this time. Fortunately, the land was of second-grade spiritual quality, sufficient to nourish the growth of the Thunder Spirit Rice plants. After a flurry of activity, all the seeds were planted, and the sky grew dark accordingly.

At this hour, Zhou Changwang’s eyes, cleansed by the Clear Vision Elixir and purified by the Golden Spirit Liquid, were far sharper than before, allowing him to see clearly even at night. Thus, he insisted on casting the Spiritual Rain technique once more, guiding the spiritual spring’s water to irrigate the entire field thoroughly.

Naturally, he also performed a final ritual on the Spirit Star Fruit Tree to boost its annual growth rings.

Back in his room, Zhou Changwang began his daily ritual of drawing talismans. He had handed over many previously drawn talismans to Qian Xiaoyue, and after much effort, the sealing talismans he had crafted were all used up in battle, so replenishment was necessary.

Sealing talismans were relatively simple to create, and with his skills now perfected, drawing them was effortless. Within just half an hour, he had produced dozens of talismans, mostly finished products and limit-breaking types. He intended to keep around a hundred for personal use. After all, these talismans, capable of matching the full-force strike of cultivators above the seventh level of Qi Refinement, were not something he wanted to distribute carelessly, lest they draw undue attention.

His main focus remained on crafting summoning talismans, corpse talismans, and evil mask ghost talismans. The corpse talisman had reached a stage of great perfection, mostly completed talismans, with only the occasional limit-breaking or premium talisman. Meanwhile, the evil mask ghost talisman was at a moderate stage, with most being premium talismans and only a few finished products.

The premium evil mask ghost talismans summoned ghosts possessing the strength of a fourth-level Qi Refinement cultivator, while the finished talismans summoned fifth-level ones—strong auxiliaries for many mid-level Qi Refinement cultivators.

He had already sold some corpse talismans on the black market, and many cultivators had tested them. He was confident that the next sale would bring repeat customers. These two types of talismans had become his main source of income in spiritual stones.

After all, to cultivate the Spirit Star Fruit Tree, he needed abundant resources, and resources could only be exchanged with spiritual stones. Though selling talismans carried certain risks, he was no longer the cautious second or third-level Qi Refinement novice of the past. With all his spells perfected, he had enough confidence now to face any trouble. And minor problems, he could handle himself.

The next day, Zhou Changwang awoke from cultivation, his level at Qi Refinement, sixth layer (25/100).

“Qi Refinement sixth layer, not bad at all. Gaining a Jade Blossom Pill every few days accelerates cultivation—it’s not slow,” he mused, satisfied with his progress. Though after reaching this level, each Jade Blossom Pill only increased his cultivation by three to five points, small gains accumulated. Plus, his mastery of the Pure Yang Five Elements Technique and consumption of Thunder Spirit Rice granted him an additional one to two points steadily.

Thus, he had quickly advanced to twenty-five points.

“Now, for the growth of the Spirit Star Fruit Tree…” he muttered, casting the annual growth ring technique thrice once more.

Having reached eighty years of growth rings, the spiritual energy from the soil could no longer support the full eight growth ring techniques. At most, only three rings could be sustained. Beyond that, the soil’s spiritual energy would be exhausted, forcing Zhou Changwang to expend spiritual stones to supplement the tree’s growth—a costly and inefficient method.

“Is there another way?” He sighed, troubled.

Even casting three rings thrice a day, supplemented by spiritual rain and spring water, totaling nine rings daily, could only add about five months of growth. But as the tree aged, its spiritual energy demand grew exponentially, and soon he might only manage two or even one ring at a time.

Shaking his head, he realized at this pace, it would take years to cultivate the Spirit Star Fruit Tree fully.

He began to ponder alternative methods.

After completing his daily rituals, he sat in his courtyard, reviewing one jade slip after another in his storage pouch. Whether personal biographies or travelogues of cultivators, these jade slips, though lacking specific cultivation techniques or spells, broadened his horizons.

During leisure moments, he enjoyed reading them to gain knowledge. Many were written by spiritual botanists, detailing various cultivation techniques—while he was familiar with many, some finer details eluded him, and he could learn much from these records.

“Learning is earning,” Zhou Changwang reflected. “This too is a form of cultivation.”

He compared notes, such as a particular cultivator’s travelogue describing several places visited, their customs, and peculiar events encountered. This cultivator was a mere sixth-level Qi Refinement, who, after abandoning hopes of breaking through to Foundation Establishment by sixty, dedicated himself to traveling, favoring mundane nations.

With his strength, occasional feats earned him invitations from local powers, providing fresh and fascinating insights. Among the folk tales were stories of zombies, ghosts, monsters, and rare treasures.

One such treasure, called the Celestial Bottle, was said to absorb the essence of day and night during the mid and end of the month. Pouring its contents onto spiritual plants could rapidly accelerate their growth by months, even years—akin to the germination and growth ring techniques but drawing energy from moonlight essence rather than the ambient spiritual energy, making it less reliant on environment.

Additionally, in another jade slip, he read accounts from a cultivator who had escaped the demonic sect. According to this source, the demonic spiritual botanists primarily cultivated bloodthirsty spirit flowers, which they nourished by pouring fresh human blood, known as "livestock." They also possessed a soul-devouring method that absorbed the life essence of cultivators and beasts to hasten plant growth.

“These Celestial Bottles must be rare spiritual botanical artifacts,” Zhou Changwang mused. “Only major sects likely possess the forging techniques, which are closely guarded. As for the soul-devouring method, it’s similar to my Life Extraction Finger technique—the latter seizes the vitality of plants, while the former absorbs the life force of cultivators and beasts.”

His expression shifted as a thought struck him.

“If the demonic sect has a way to steal life essence from cultivators and beasts to nurture plants, could the great orthodox sects have similar methods? Even if they don’t use cultivators as ‘fertilizer’ like the demon sect, what about beasts? The vitality of beasts often surpasses that of cultivators.”

His mind stirred.

He then thought of himself. Besides the Life Extraction Finger, he also mastered a technique called Soul Seizure, acquired from slaying a seventh-level Qi Refinement cultivator in Fengming Market. It was said to steal a being’s spiritual energy for personal use.

If he didn't channel the energy into himself, could he instead transfer it to spiritual plants to aid their growth?

Excited, he could barely sit still.

Soul Seizure, a mid-level first-grade spell with only forty-seven rune structures—over twenty of which he had mastered and refined countless times—was quickly relearned within half an hour.

Stepping out onto his spiritual land near Little Peak Mountain, he wandered briefly. Within the time it took a single incense stick to burn, he had captured over ten venomous snakes and half a dozen hares and pheasants.

He first cast Soul Seizure on a venomous snake. Instantly, he felt a surge of vitality being drawn out, attempting to flow into his body. But under his control, just like with the Life Extraction Finger, he condensed the life force into a ‘spiritual liquid’ that he collected drop by drop into a jade bottle.

From a single snake, barely a drop of spiritual liquid was extracted before it dried into a snake’s husk.

He repeated the process, drawing from each soon-to-be demonized snake, collecting about ten drops in total.

Next, he carefully dripped this spiritual liquid onto a Qingyun Grass plant he had grown himself, only half a year old in growth rings. The plant quickly absorbed the liquid.

Then, Zhou Changwang cast the annual growth ring technique once.

Instantly, the Qingyun Grass surged in growth to a year and a half. Two more rings later, it matured to three years.

“It works,” he confirmed. “The spiritual soil can only supply energy for about a year of growth rings, but beyond that, the spiritual liquid must be responsible for the continued growth.”

“Let’s call this ‘Beast Spirit Liquid.’ I wonder if plants grown with it have any adverse effects?”

Frowning, his gaze fell on the spiritual dog lounging at the courtyard entrance. Noticing his stare, the dog grew uneasy but stood and wagged its tail instinctively.

Qingyun Grass was a key ingredient for refining Cloud Spirit Pills, a valuable material that could enhance a cultivator’s spiritual energy when consumed. But this time, Zhou Changwang wouldn’t consume it himself. After cooking spiritual rice, he added Qingyun Grass to a bowl and offered it to the spiritual dog.

For the dog, rice topped with spiritual herbs was a rare treat. It spun excitedly, its tail wagging like a whirlwind, and quickly devoured the bowl.

Zhou Changwang watched with mild guilt but soon dismissed it, observing silently.

That night, the spiritual dog was unusually lively. The spiritual rice already contained energy, but the Qingyun Grass’s abundant spiritual energy made it restless, rolling on the ground and gnashing its teeth sporadically.

The next day, Zhou Changwang saw the dog had advanced from first to second level Qi Refinement—stronger, larger, and radiating more powerful energy.

“Seems there’s no difference,” he observed carefully, doubting his experiment because he had no control for comparison.

He then looked to the several hares he had confined. The snakes had all been drained of spiritual liquid, turned to husks, and burned away.

“The hares are the best subjects for observation,” he decided quietly.

He then matured two more plants—not Qingyun Grass this time, which was costly—but Thunder Spirit Rice trees of first-grade mid-level.

Lower-grade plants matured faster, and the hares, being only slightly demonized due to the spiritual soil, couldn’t tolerate overly strong spiritual energy.

Naturally, the maturation was quicker.

One tree was matured normally, the other with the Beast Spirit Liquid.

After cooking the rice, he fed four hares—numbered one to four—with varying portions: half a bowl and a full bowl.

The hares fed a full bowl—number two and four—grew rapidly, evolving by days five and six into demon beasts comparable to first-level Qi Refinement.

Those fed half bowls—number one and three—also advanced by day nine, becoming first-level Qi Refinement demon beasts.

“So, there’s little difference? Or no difference at all?” Zhou Changwang concluded after comparison. “Plants grown with Beast Spirit Liquid have the same vitality effects?”

Still cautious, he continued to observe the ‘demon hares,’ even capturing more for further comparison.

It wasn’t until the second upcoming black market that he confirmed the effectiveness of Beast Spirit Liquid matched that of pure vitality liquid, both usable for nurturing spiritual plants.

Moreover, one bottle of Beast Spirit Liquid was one and a half times as effective as vitality liquid.

He reached this conclusion after using Soul Seizure to extract Beast Spirit Liquid from the hares and feeding it to the Spirit Star Fruit Tree.

“However, this method of forcibly extracting life essence from beasts is quite cruel…” Zhou Changwang sighed, noticing the spiritual dog’s fearful glances at him, feeling somewhat helpless.

Also, there weren’t many beasts around for constant extraction unless he went hunting.

“Is this method really viable?” He frowned.

Suddenly recalling something, he flipped his hand, producing a fiery red crystal about the size of a child’s fist—a demon pill.

This was a Foundation Establishment-level demon beast’s demon pill, obtained from the seventh-level Qi Refinement cultivator Fu Hongyue he had slain in the black market.

“A demon pill contains the essence of demon beasts’ life force, the richest reservoir of vital spiritual energy. Perhaps I can extract Beast Spirit Liquid from it to nurture plants?”

Eager, Zhou Changwang started experimenting.

Casting Soul Seizure on the demon pill, at first no results came. Just as he was about to give up, he felt energy being drawn out.

Quickly, it condensed into a drop of Beast Spirit Liquid, then a second, third…

“It works!” he exclaimed excitedly.

He continued extracting, his Soul Seizure advancing in power: +1, +1, +2…

Soon, he had numerous drops of Beast Spirit Liquid, carefully stored in jade bottles.

One bottle, two, three…

His Soul Seizure technique reached a minor mastery stage, and extraction speed increased rapidly.

By the time he had eighty bottles, his mind felt clear.

The second-grade demon pill was emptied, then crushed gently.

“One low-grade second-grade demon pill yields eighty bottles of Beast Spirit Liquid. Valued like vitality liquid, that’s four thousand lower-grade spiritual stones. With the liquid’s effect 1.5 times stronger, it’s equivalent to six thousand stones.

A second-grade low-grade demon pill costs between three to six thousand stones, so the difference isn’t much.

Extracting Beast Spirit Liquid from demon pills requires constant Soul Seizure casting, which is labor-intensive,” he calculated, feeling satisfied.

Vitality liquid was available on the market but scarce—only a few hundred bottles per month. If another spiritual botanist, like himself, sought to cultivate a third-grade or higher plant, competition would drive prices up, and he might receive less than half the output.

In contrast, extracting from demon pills faced almost no competition, no need to fight other spiritual botanists.

Though demon pills were scarce, only Foundation Establishment-level demon beasts reliably produced them; Qi Refinement-level beasts depended on luck.

Estimating that a hundred Qi Refinement beasts might yield one demon pill, he noted many cultivators specialized in hunting demon beasts, some venturing into the perilous Divine Wind Valley—despite its lethal mists and toxins—for rich rewards.

Hunting parties often stored demon pills.

He planned to buy some when the black market opened again.

“In two days, the black market reopens. Hopefully, I can acquire enough demon pills to cultivate the Spirit Star Fruit Tree quickly,” Zhou Changwang thought eagerly.

Returning to the Spirit Star Fruit Tree, he began casting the annual growth ring technique repeatedly.

After three rings, he opened a jade bottle and, using the Life Extraction Finger technique, infused the Beast Spirit Liquid into the tree, continuing his casting.

One ring, two, three…

One bottle, two, three…

Thirty bottles of Beast Spirit Liquid were poured into the tree, pushing its growth rings to ninety-five years.

“As expected, growth slows down the older the tree gets, and the spiritual energy required increases.

Thirty bottles only added ten years.

But it’s faster now.

Soon, it will surpass a hundred years of growth rings and officially enter the flowering phase.”

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Changwang ceased casting. Night had fallen, and he adhered to his cultivation rhythm without disruption.

Besides, with the black market imminent, he needed to craft more talismans to earn spiritual stones for purchasing more demon pills.

Demon pills were expensive; even first-grade mid-level ones cost over three hundred lower-grade spiritual stones.

The following day, Zhou Changwang returned to the tree, continuing cultivation with growth ring techniques and Beast Spirit Liquid.

Suddenly, he felt the tree tremble slightly.

Between its branches, a delicate flower bud blossomed. Though fragile, he was certain—it was a flower bud.

“Success! The Spirit Star Fruit Tree has surpassed a hundred years of growth rings, moving from its growth phase into the flowering phase.”

His eyes widened in astonishment and joy.

(End of chapter)