C12 Spirit Herb Seed

"Reminding me not to be arrogant?" Lin Hao snorted with disdain.

"How could he possibly be that benevolent? He's surely curious about the rapid improvement in my cultivation level and is angling for some advantage."

As Lin Hao made his way home, he pondered, "Lin Xiong and my father have always been at odds, and now he's showing me the same cold shoulder. It's highly probable that my parents' disappearance is connected to Lin Xiong! I need to enhance my cultivation swiftly. I'm determined to compete in the upcoming Four Clans Competition and secure that top-grade Enchanted Item."

Upon reaching his dwelling, Lin Hao settled into a deep meditation to continue his cultivation.

The following morning, Lin Hao emerged from his practice feeling refreshed and sensed that the fifth level of Qi Refining was within his grasp.

Armed with several hundred low-grade soulstones, Lin Hao headed to the Immortal Market in Thunderfall City.

The Immortal Market, a bustling hub established by the Four Great Families of Thunderfall City, allowed for the free exchange of soulstones and magic weapons for desirable goods.

While the selection wasn't exhaustive, it was quite impressive for a modest city like Thunderfall.

"Come take a look, top-quality magic weapons for just 50 low-grade soulstones!"

"Charms for sale at reasonable prices!"

"Dire beast cores available—come and see!"

Upon entering the market, Lin Hao was greeted by a cacophony of vendors hawking their wares. He scanned the stalls, ready to purchase anything that truly caught his interest.

However, his primary goal was to acquire seeds for panaceas.

"Panacea seeds for sale! Affordable and guaranteed to thrive!"

Continuing through the market, Lin Hao spotted an elderly vendor energetically promoting his goods.

Approaching the stall, Lin Hao inquired, "How much for these panacea seeds?"

The old man perked up at the sight of a potential buyer and replied, "The gold needle leaf seeds are just one low-grade soulstone each. The moon spirit grass is five low-grade soulstones, and the other seeds are merely half a soulstone each."

Lin Hao frowned slightly and said, "Aren't these all low-level seeds? Yet they're priced so high?"

"Young man, you must understand the value of panacea seeds nowadays—they're incredibly precious. Advanced? If I had any, I certainly wouldn't be selling them," the old man responded with a hint of frustration. "I wouldn't even part with these low-level seeds if I weren't in urgent need of soulstones."

Lin Hao considered the matter and agreed with himself. Panacea seeds were indeed precious. While they might not be as valuable as fully grown panaceas, the advantage was that they could be cultivated to maturity.

"Alright, I'll take ten gold needle leaves and ten Moon Spirit Grass seeds. I'll pass on the others." After some thought, Lin Hao decided to purchase just a small quantity to test the quality of the spirit field within his jasper bracelet. He would make further decisions based on the results. Besides, the efficacy of the spirit field was known to diminish with use unless one could find a superior Spiritvein to enhance it.

"Alrighty!" The elderly vendor handed Lin Hao a bag of seeds, chuckling as he said, "That'll be sixty low grade soulstones."

Having settled the bill, Lin Hao strolled through the market, eventually purchasing only a storage bag before rushing back to his lodging.

Once home, Lin Hao secured the door and, with a thought directed by his Divine Sense, found himself in the Jade Realm.

Standing before a thatched hut, he took up a hoe and began to till the one-acre low grade spirit field.

Since he had purchased just a few panacea seeds, Lin Hao decided to plant them in the one-acre spirit field to assess the outcome.

With each turn of the soil, his excitement grew. The spiritual energy in this low grade spirit field was significantly richer than that in his family's land, which spurred him to work even harder.

After about an hour, a sweaty Lin Hao paused and declared, "At last, this acre of spirit field is evenly tilled. Now it's time to plant the seeds."

Lacking experience in planting, Lin Hao simply buried the panacea seeds beneath the soil of the spirit field and watered them with several buckets of water.

"All done. I'm curious about the results, but I'll leave for now and check back in a few days," Lin Hao mused.

Back in his room, he pondered for a moment before deciding to visit his family's library to explore potential techniques to learn.

Even though he had mastered the Fireball and gold needle techniques, along with other offensive skills, he was still in need of defensive magic. With this in mind, Lin Hao resolved to acquire some.

After the seed purchase and planting, which had taken up much of his day, Lin Hao noted it was already afternoon as he stepped out again.

Upon entering the library, Lin Hao started searching for defensive magic.

"Hey, did you hear that Lin Qing's death is tied to the Wang family?"

"Really?"

"It's true. I heard Lin Qing's Enchanted Item is with the Wang family now, and Lin Xiong is demanding an explanation from them."

While Lin Hao was perusing defensive magic, he overheard some of the younger family members discussing Lin Qing's fate.

"Has Scarface's news spread already?" Lin Hao mused. "Good, this will shift their focus away from me for a while. It'll give me the time I need to enhance my cultivation."

"Keep the noise down in the library!"

At that moment, the white-browed elder, who managed the library, called out.

Dismissing these distractions, Lin Hao continued his search for defensive magic.

"Petrification?" A book on defensive magic caught Lin Hao's eye as he browsed.

"Create a stone statue around oneself, akin to a Vajra Mantle, providing a safe haven from attacks." Lin Hao read the opening line as he opened the book.

"If I master Petrification and conceal myself within it during battle, then unleash the gold needle unexpectedly, I could very well turn the tide of the fight!" Lin Hao contemplated.

Having advanced his gold needle technique to the second level, further improvement was virtually impossible at his current stage without elevating his cultivation.

As Lin Hao was about to borrow Petrification, the elder overseeing the library approached, glanced at the book in Lin Hao's hands, and said sternly, "This Petrification isn't within your reach yet. To learn it, you must be at the sixth level of Qi Refining. You haven't achieved that yet, have you? Don't bite off more than you can chew!"

Lin Hao replied with due respect, "Elder, I haven't reached the sixth level of Qi Refining. I'm borrowing it to preview the content, with the intention of studying it after my next breakthrough."

"Well, that's acceptable. Familiarize yourself with it now, and it will be easier to learn later," the white-browed elder advised. "Remember, if you have any questions, feel free to come to me."

Lin Hao expressed his gratitude repeatedly, "If I encounter anything I don't understand, I'll be sure to seek your guidance. For now, I must bid you farewell."

"Very well, return home and dedicate yourself to your cultivation. You mustn't disappoint your father's expectations!" the white-browed elder advised.

Startled, Lin Hao called out, "Elder, do you know of my father's whereabouts?"

The white-browed elder fell silent for a moment before responding, "Return home. I'm afraid I don't know either. Perhaps when your strength has grown, you'll be able to uncover the truth on your own."

With those words, the white-browed elder retreated into the depths of the library.

Watching the elder's retreating figure, Lin Hao whispered to himself, "Could he possibly know something about my father's location?"

Fingering the jasper bracelet on his wrist, Lin Hao declared resolutely, "I will cultivate diligently and find my parents soon! With this jasper bracelet, I'm certain to grow stronger!"

Rushing back to his living quarters, Lin Hao commenced his training in the "Petrification" technique. Although it was typically reserved for those at the sixth level of Qi Refining, the concentration of spiritual energy within Lin Hao's body was significantly higher than his current level.

Thus, Lin Hao was able to practice the "Petrification".