Qi Ping grew two types of spirit flowers on the Cloud-Mist Mountains: Moon-Sleeper Flowers and Sun-Essence Flowers. He chose these because they were relatively easy to seed, had long blooming periods, and their flowering time wasn't strictly limited by the seasons. They were perfect for providing the bees with a long-term source of nectar.
Additionally, these two species had lower requirements for spiritual energy and environment. Generally, a First-Order spirit flower requires a First-Order spirit land or spirit vein to grow properly.
The peak Qi Ping currently rented, Peak 007 in Area D, was on the outskirts of the Cloud-Mist Mountains. Its spiritual energy didn't even reach the level of a First-Order spirit land. Only a tiny patch of ground on the entire peak had a concentration that barely reached one-quarter of the lowest-grade spirit land.
Under these restrictions, there weren't many spirit flowers Qi Ping could choose from. Moon-Sleeper and Sun-Essence flowers were the most cost-effective. Yet even so, many would still wither due to the lack of energy.
During severe bouts of withering, the seeds saved from previous years wouldn't be enough for replanting, forcing him to buy more from the Qingshi Market. Fortunately, the seeds were cheap and only cost a few spirit stones.
This was the massive limitation of lacking a good spirit vein or land. Qi Ping had considered renting a better plot—Area B or some parts of Area C were quite good—but after learning the rent, he gave up immediately. Such plots were not something a bottom-tier loose cultivator like him could handle.
With such high rent, one had to raise higher-grade bees and plant more spirit flowers just to break even. If one did well, the profits were naturally high. But if things went south—due to disease, insects, beast attacks, or marauders—any single issue could bankrupt a cultivator, leaving them unable to pay rent.
Falling behind on rent was more than just a debt. If the Qingyuan Sect confirmed that the debtor couldn't pay in the short term, they might be seized as slaves. Roles like herb-slaves or mine-slaves were life-threatening jobs, and even those who survived often had their cultivation foundations ruined.
Facing such risks, Qi Ping felt the peaks in Area D were much safer. Even if he had no income for a year or two, he could still scrape together the rent, avoiding the risk of slavery. As long as he raised his bees carefully, he could earn some spirit stones every year. In a good harvest, he could even save a little after expenses!
Thus, after evaluating everything, Area D was the most suitable place for someone like Qi Ping. And Moon-Sleeper and Sun-Essence flowers were the most cost-effective choices, despite the risk of withering.
However, this problem was completely solved by one of the Druid's skills! That skill was Plant Growth.
[Plant Growth: Can increase the growth speed of plants by consuming energy.]
Through experimentation, Qi Ping found that applying Plant Growth not only accelerated their growth but also ensured the plants wouldn't show signs of withering for a long time. Even if they had already started to wither, the skill could save them!
These spirit flowers withered because they lacked spiritual energy. The principle of the Plant Growth skill was to generate a type of energy that plants could absorb in a short time. When these energy-starved plants received this power, they naturally stopped withering.
This discovery brought Qi Ping immense joy! The withering of the Moon-Sleeper and Sun-Essence flowers had troubled him and Old Man Zhou for a long time. A problem they had racked their brains to solve was now fixed directly by a single skill!
After a period of Qi Ping's management, the withering disappeared entirely, and the flower yield increased dramatically. This absolutely thrilled the Black Little Bees! After his treatment, the nectar yield was more than double what it had been.
Combined with the fact that the Queen's bloodline had improved after eating the Golden Marrow Honey, the increased nectar was a double blessing for the colony! Their admiration for Qi Ping reached new heights, and their trust in him deepened further.
Qi Ping had gradually gained over ten thousand loyal little fans! He felt this was a good thing. Although the combat power of these bees was negligible, they made excellent scouts. That was over ten thousand pairs of eyes!
Besides the Black Little Bees, the Golden Marrow Bees also benefited. Adding the nectar of Moon-Sleeper and Sun-Essence flowers slightly improved the overall quality and effect of their honey.
...
In the Cloud-Mist Mountains, atop that tall Ancient Cedar, Qi Ping sat cross-legged, slowly absorbing the world's spiritual energy and sensing the intent of the Wood Shield Art.
The night gradually faded, and a ray of warm sunlight pierced through the canopy, illuminating his clean, handsome face. Qi Ping slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of dark, clear pupils.
"It's dawn..."
After a night of rest, the mental and spiritual power he had exhausted by accelerating the Blood Ginseng had completely recovered, leaving him feeling refreshed. He also noticed that his mental strength grew slightly every time it recovered from exhaustion. Accumulated over time, this growth was quite impressive.
Thanks to the recovery bonus of being a Jungle Druid in the forest, he could now even maintain a portion of his consciousness to absorb spiritual energy and sense the Wood Shield Art while he rested. This significantly boosted his efficiency, and his control over spiritual power and proficiency with the technique were steadily improving.
Seeing him awake, the Golden Marrow Bees that had been guarding the branches or dozing nearby flew over. Some landed before him, while others settled on his shoulders. Qi Ping was long used to this; it had been the same every day for the past month.
"Unbelievably, it's already been over a month since I awakened the Druid class..."
"It's almost time to pay the rent..."
"The day after tomorrow is the Fusheng Society meeting. I can go there to scout the current situation and then sell the Black Little Bee honey I've collected to prepare the spirit stones for the rent..."
"I also need to buy some daily supplies like spirit rice and some wine that Old Man Zhou likes..."
Qi Ping began planning his next steps. Over the past month, his life had been fulfilling—tending bees, collecting honey, cultivating, and nurturing Blood Ginseng and Moon-Sleeper flowers. He even found time to plant some ordinary flowers.
During this period, led by the Golden Marrow Bees, he had discovered two more spirit herbs: a First-Order Low-Rank Concentration Grass and a First-Order Low-Rank Water-Glimmer Flower. Due to the lack of spiritual energy in their original location, both were in poor condition.