Chapter 1050: A Perfect Match for the Scabbard

“The nine great Sword Peaks may compete with each other, but after all, they are from the same Sect. Being able to lend a helping hand to the fellow Uncles and Brothers of the Hundred Artisans Sword Peak is an honor for Lu Mou.”

Naturally, Lu Xuan would not let go of the high-rank Spirit Plant that was offered for free and he readily agreed.

“Good, then we’ll have to trouble Junior Brother Lu.”

“With the purity of the Spiritual Energy within the Sword Sect, and with your Junior Brother’s cultivation skill that’s nothing short of magical, the survival rate shouldn’t be a concern.”

“As for it becoming a century-old spiritual material, it might not even take fifty years. But for a millennium-old one, that would be quite difficult.”

Xu Wenbai said warmly.

The Black Gang Wood of a century old does not necessarily mean it must be cultivated for many years.

The Spiritual Energy in the Sword Sect is pure and rich, and Lu Xuan’s Cave Abode is a gift especially given to him by the True Sword Master, ranking among the top within the Dongxuan Sword Sect.

With his attentive cultivation, generally speaking, it would take only about thirty to fifty years to cultivate a sixth-grade Spirit Wood, and if one were to use fortuitous treasure items like the Divine Wood Green Gourd and Mixed Element Tree Liquid, the time could be shortened even more.

Xu Wenbai did not stay for long and took his leave after a short while.

After watching him depart, Lu Xuan went to the Spirit Field.

He took out the Blade Refinement Pavilion, mastered the basics of the Ritual Refinement Technique taught by Xu Wenbai, and then tossed it into the air.

Instantly, the Blade Refinement Pavilion rapidly expanded and transformed into a dwelling cast from Sword Qi, covering the Azure Profound Wither Bloom Sword Grass and the Infinite Sword Grass of Freedom inside.

“Thanks for the great gift from the Hundred Artisans Sword Peak. Without a natural Sword Qi land, I’ll just create one artificially.”

Lu Xuan Laughed and found an empty plot of Spirit Field, planting the six Black Gang Wood saplings into the Spirit Soil.

With a single thought, clouds surged above the saplings, and in the blink of an eye, strands of Spirit Rain fell, seeping into the branches and leaves of the saplings.

Lu Xuan’s mind was focused on the saplings, and instantly, a thought flashed through his Sea of Consciousness.

[Black Gang Wood, a type of yearly Spirit Wood, can reach sixth grade in a century, seventh grade in a millennium, it’s extremely tough in texture, containing pure Gang Qi and is an excellent Spirit Wood for crafting high-rank Magic Artifacts, and during its cultivation, it requires planting in Spirit Soil rich with the essence of metal and iron.]

“Spirit Soil with rich essence of metal and iron… for now, the Sword Spirit Field can meet the initial needs of the Spirit Plant. For the later stages, it’s still necessary to find corresponding Spirit Soil.”

Lu Xuan thought to himself.

With the infusion of Sword Qi into the Spirit Field, combining with the sandstone inside, it nurtured a certain essence of metal and iron, so there’s no need to worry about the initial growth of Black Gang Wood.

“Two thousand sword marks, the Hundred Artisans Sword Peak is quite generous.”

Lu Xuan glanced over the large pile of Sword Marks left on the table by Xu Wenbai and swept them all into his Gluttonous Insect Pouch.

“After the Spirit Wood matures and I harvest a batch of light clusters, I’ll go back to the Hundred Artisans Sword Peak and collect another batch of rewards. I’ll be making a killing!”

“I hope the other seven Sword Summits have more of such planting commissions.”

Having obtained six high-grade Spirit Woods for nothing, Lu Xuan was in a good mood.

Two months later, a Communication Talisman flew outside his Cave Abode.

“So it’s Elder Brother Huo returning to the Sect, inviting me and Brother Ge for a small gathering.”

After learning the details from the talisman, Lu Xuan went to the arranged meeting place in Elder Brother Huo’s Cave Abode on the agreed time.

“Congratulations to Elder Brother Huo on your safe return!”

Lu Xuan, familiar with the place, entered Elder Brother Huo’s Cave Abode, holding two bottles of Spirit Brew and congratulated him loudly.

“Junior Brother Lu, you are too kind!”

Fire Scale Child greeted him with a smile, and Ge Pu followed with a smile of his own.

Having not seen each other for several years, the affection between the three had not faded, and they chatted leisurely about Fire Scale Child’s experiences in the unknown Cave Heavens.

Lu Xuan would occasionally exclaim in shock when it came to thrilling moments, as if he were vicariously living through Fire Scale Child’s experiences.

“Having the backing of a colossal entity like the Sword Sect is indeed a blessing for us ‘Cultivators’.”

Towards the end, Fire Scale Child couldn’t help but express his emotions.

“The many fellow disciples who got who knows how many treasures are only a tiny fraction, and if it weren’t for the Sword Sect’s support behind them, there certainly wouldn’t be such an outcome.”

“The disciples that got injured or killed were just unlucky.”

Lu Xuan couldn’t help saying.

Although only a tiny fraction of disciples died in that Cave Heaven, considering the base number of disciples that went out, that was still quite a lot.

“There’s no helping it, fortuitous treasure items won’t just fall from the sky for nothing. If one isn’t willing to take on even this bit of risk, then one might as well say their path of cultivation ends here.”

Fire Scale Child said indifferently, with Ge Pu nodding in agreement at his side.

Lu Xuan, at one side, raised his white jade wine cup, took a sip of True Sword Elixir, and masked the bit of guilt that arose deep within him.

After coming out of Fire Scale Child’s Cave Abode, Lu Xuan sped through the air at extreme speed, when suddenly, the Spectral Splitting Shadow Sword Grass beneath his feet came to a halt, and his attention was drawn by a strange existence not far away.

“Sword Mystic Porcupine is newly out and about scavenging?”

That strange creature was precisely the Sword Mystic Porcupine from Hundred Artisans Sword Peak, covered in sword blades;

it moved and stopped erratically, searching everywhere for abandoned Flying Swords, Spirit Ores, and stray Sword Qi, looking quite furtive.

Upon spotting Lu Xuan, it paused, like a hedgehog rapidly rolling and rushing towards Lu Xuan.

Although its Spiritual Intelligence was far lower than that of an Equal Rank Spirit Beast, it clearly remembered Lu Xuan, who had solved its abnormal problem.

Of course, there was also the Thousand Thunder Sword Grass he fed it at the time.

“Stop!”

With a casual pat, Lu Xuan exerted a billow of robust Spiritual Power, keeping the Sword Mystic Porcupine half a zhang away from himself.

The Sword Mystic Porcupine bounced continuously, in a gesture begging to be petted.

“Like this, it’s hard for me to proceed.”

Lu Xuan laughed wryly, took out a stalk of Third-grade Wind-Thunder Sword Grass from his storage bag, and tossed it to the Sword Mystic Porcupine.

It was unclear how the Sword Mystic Porcupine managed to bite it, but with a crunch, the Innate Sword Instrument Wind-Thunder Sword Grass was split in half, with wisps of Thunder Qi dissipating out.

While the Sword Mystic Porcupine enjoyed the Wind-Thunder Sword Grass, Lu Xuan actively moved closer, occasionally touching this sword blade, that sharp spur.

“Truly a rare species, actually able to absorb and refine abandoned Flying Swords and Spirit Ores to temper the sword blades that grow on its body.”

“Speaking of which, having absorbed so many abandoned Flying Swords and Spirit Ores, is there anything like fine sand containing golden iron hidden inside you?”

“If there is, I’ll feed you a few stalks of top-quality Sword Grass.”

Lu Xuan suddenly had an idea, asking out of curiosity.

The Sword Mystic Porcupine chewed the Sword Grass while slowly rolling as if digesting the meaning in Lu Xuan’s words.

Soon, it stopped its motion, and a puff of tiny sandstones sprayed out from nowhere.

“There really is.”

Lu Xuan was overjoyed in his heart, not expecting that the Sword Mystic Porcupine’s body really contained such sandstones.

He scooped up those tiny sandstones, which were of varied colors—pale gold, dark black, deep red;

when gathered together, one could vaguely sense a sharp aura.

“First, helping the Sword Mystic Porcupine solve its anomaly got me Black Gang Wood, and now I got the Golden Iron Sandstone for cultivating Black Gang Wood from it;

indeed, there’s a set destiny for every sip and bite…”

Lu Xuan muttered softly to himself.

After the Sword Mystic Porcupine finished eating the Wind-Thunder Sword Grass, Lu Xuan took out several stalks of Third-grade and Fourth Grade Sword Grass and tossed them to it.

There weren’t many other Spirit Plants in his storage bag, but he had quite a pile of Sword Grass.

“Come to think of it, with so many varied long and short sword blades, for that lecherous Scabbard, it couldn’t be more of a perfect match!”

He looked at the Sword Mystic Porcupine, covered with sword blades, and an odd thought surfaced in his mind.

The Sword Mystic Porcupine seemed to sense something, felt an innate discomfort, couldn’t help but slightly shake itself, and then focused all its attention on the Sword Grass in its mouth.