Having made up his mind, Qi Ping hurried back to the Blood Ginseng patch and pulled out the Fire Spirit Grass, Blood Ginseng, and Flowing Light Grass—all still encased in soil—from his storage bag. Compared to before, this place had changed significantly.
Qi Ping had planted numerous flowers here. There were over a hundred similar spots in the forest. When there were no spirit herbs actively absorbing spiritual energy, the Blood Ginseng patch looked no different from any other part of the forest. This was why the woman in blue had walked through the forest many times without noticing anything unusual.
After confirming the woman hadn't returned to spy on him, Qi Ping replanted everything with peace of mind.
'One stalk of Flowing Light Grass...'
'Seventeen stalks of Blood Ginseng...'
Qi Ping currently possessed seventeen stalks of Blood Ginseng, with ages ranging from a few years to several decades. Since these plants had reached the point where they could naturally propagate, their numbers had actually increased despite his consumption. Although the rate of new growth wasn't fast, it was enough to ensure steady production. The Flowing Light Grass had also produced many seeds, but since he had no need for them, he hadn't nurtured them; one stalk was enough to supplement the bees' honey brewing.
'One stalk of Fire Spirit Grass at sixty years, one at twenty years, and five at three or four years...'
The only pity was that fifty years wasn't a breakthrough point for the potency of Fire Spirit Grass. Qi Ping estimated it was likely similar to the Blood Ginseng, with the major transformation occurring at one hundred years. To restore the Li-Fire Crow's bloodline, ordinary mid-grade Fire Spirit Grass wouldn't cut it unless he had massive quantities. To increase efficiency, Qi Ping planned to wait until the grass reached the hundred-year threshold.
He would use the twenty-year-old Fire Spirit Grass to experiment with the medicinal liquid version of the pill and try to find which combination of herbs best brought out its fire-attribute medicinal properties. He would handle the former since he had a specific formula, but for the latter—which lacked a foundation—he planned to leave it to the Brewer Pot-bellied Bees.
[Brewer Pot-bellied Bees possess an extremely keen spiritual sense regarding herbs, allowing them to acutely combine different herbs to maximize their effects before brewing them into honey.]
As long as Qi Ping threw in different herb combinations, the Brewer Pot-bellied Bees could determine the correct proportions to brew the honey. Their intelligence had likely been sacrificed to evolve this acute sensitivity to spiritual herbs. For Golden Marrow Bees, this was likely their physical limit—unless, like the Balanced Bees, their entire physiology was enhanced to withstand a new round of evolution to an even more powerful state.
After Qi Ping planted all the spirit herbs, he cast Plant Growth four times, focusing all of it on accelerating the sixty-year-old Fire Spirit Grass. Seeing the plant grow once again, a joyful smile spread across his face. This feeling of seeing results from hard work was truly wonderful.
"Soon, soon. Once the Fire Spirit Grass reaches a hundred years, I should have finished experimenting with the optimal combination to bring out its effects. That's when you'll restore your bloodline!" Qi Ping comforted the Li-Fire Crow, which was looking at the plant with longing.
"Caw, caw... (I'll listen to the boss!)"
During this time, Qi Ping had gradually come to understand the crow's personality. Not only was it highly intelligent, but it was also incredibly diligent in its cultivation. Before the first light of dawn, the Li-Fire Crow would fly to the top of a tree, waiting for the first ray of sunlight. Once it began bathing in the sun, it would strive to absorb solar energy, continuing until nightfall when the last ray vanished.
Often, by the end of the day, the crow was exhausted. But no matter how tired it was, it would always wake up on time the next day, refusing to miss a single wisp of sunlight. This level of dedication made Qi Ping feel somewhat ashamed of himself.
Although Qi Ping enjoyed "grinding" herb growth and his cultivation, he preferred a balanced rhythm that ensured a comfortable life. His current calculated approach to farming and cultivation was driven more by a fear of external crises and the dread of being killed by a powerful enemy. If that happened, he would certainly regret not utilizing such good conditions. His effort was born from a sense of crisis, not innate conviction.
But the Li-Fire Crow was different. Qi Ping could sense a powerful conviction supporting its actions. It wasn't fueled by hatred or anything of the sort, but simply a belief in becoming stronger. This never-ending, day-after-day absorption of solar energy didn't make the crow feel tired; instead, it felt satisfied and full of fighting spirit.
Qi Ping was pleasantly surprised by this. This was perfect material for a powerful beast! For a spirit beast to break through its bloodline limits, two factors were vital: massive amounts of high-grade resources and a powerful conviction and will. Only a sufficiently strong will could allow the beast to break the shackles of its bloodline and reach a higher level. When Qi Ping first chose the crow, its unyielding spirit was a major reason for his choice. Their time together had proven him right.
In fact, the crow's drive was even stronger and more surprising than he had estimated. According to the crow, its strength had nearly dropped to the early stage of the first tier due to its bloodline being damaged, but through its continuous absorption of solar energy, its power had nearly recovered to the late stage of the first tier.
Even more surprisingly, the crow said it could faintly feel that its recovered bloodline seemed slightly stronger than before. Upon hearing this, Qi Ping's first thought was: Breaking to Rebuild!
Once a creature broke its foundations and rebuilt them, the probability of its bloodline advancing was very high. Qi Ping realized he had truly found a treasure. It was possible that the crow's advanced bloodline would be comparable to spirit beasts worth six or seven thousand spirit stones, yet he had only paid fifteen hundred and received a complimentary storage bag. It was a massive steal! Occasionally, when looking at the crow, Qi Ping wanted to shout: "The Crow is Awesome!"
After planting and nurturing all the herbs, Qi Ping began practicing the Wood-Flame Manual again. His talent was no longer what it used to be; practicing for one day was far more efficient than practicing for ten days in the past. With such talent, he naturally wouldn't waste time. And this speed of cultivation was truly refreshing! He had been able to persist through the snail-like pace of the past, so this was nothing.
This continued for two days until the bees helped him find two ordinary herbs to serve as supplementary ingredients. The reason he didn't buy them at the market was to prevent anyone from deducing that he was trying to refine Fire Spirit Tempering Pills; caution was still his style. With those two herbs gathered, he only lacked the final ingredient—the Spirit-Storing Fruit. Once he had that, he could begin the experimental modification of the pill formula.