After identifying the formulas for Fire Spirit Honey, Wood-Ginseng Honey, and Fire Spirit Tempering Honey, Qi Ping felt a weight lift from his shoulders. A minor stage of his plan was complete.
The next goal was to use the remaining 20-year Fire Spirit Grass to brew Fire Spirit Honey and restore the Li-Fire Crow to the late stage as soon as possible. Then, in four or five days, he would use the 100-year grass to push the crow toward first-tier perfection.
'I hope Ya Ya can reach perfection. With a crow that can counter demon insects, I will be much more confident in exploring the secrets beneath the Blood Ginseng patch.'
Qi Ping estimated he didn't have much time left. Regardless of whether the crow reached perfection, he had to dig up the truth. After cultivating spirit herbs here for so long, and with the insect plague drawing one wave after another to this spot, his curiosity about what lay beneath had reached its peak. Only the potential danger had kept him from acting recklessly.
The risk of losing his spirit land was his main concern, but this land was no longer that important to him. It could no longer sustain his growth and was severely limiting his swarm's expansion. Only by moving to a place with denser spiritual energy and more naturally growing herbs could his swarm grow and provide him with a substantial income in spirit stones.
'If the thing underground can continue to let me grow high-grade herbs in a mid-grade land, that would be ideal.'
High-grade spirit lands were difficult to rent, so having a portable "buff" would be the best outcome.
In the midst of peaceful cultivation and farming, five days passed in a flash. On this day, the Fire Spirit Grass officially reached the 100-year mark! The heat and density of the fire-attribute spiritual energy surrounding it were so intense that the air almost seemed to liquefy!
The scene was awe-inspiring, even drawing the Li-Fire Crow from its meditation.
"100-year Fire Spirit Grass... truly extraordinary!"
Qi Ping had waited a long time for this. He immediately took out the supplementary herbs and handed them along with the 100-year grass to the Brewer Pot-bellied Bees. The sooner the honey was ready, the sooner the crow could recover.
'The medicinal properties of the 100-year grass are far stronger than the 20-year version. It will likely take about ten days for the bees to finish brewing it.'
Qi Ping didn't rush. He continued his own cultivation. His fourth-level Qi Refinement was now thoroughly stabilized, and with the help of his honey, he was steadily approaching the fifth level. He was quite satisfied with this speed. Among rogue cultivators, this was incredibly fast; even many disciples of the three great families couldn't match him.
With the Li-Fire Body and the Golden Marrow Honey, every day brought a palpable increase in his spiritual power. This feeling of constant feedback—of growing stronger with every session—was as addictive as a drug to Qi Ping. Compared to the days when he cultivated and felt no change at all, it was night and day. This was what cultivation was supposed to be.
Furthermore, thanks to the Li-Fire Body and the Forest Druid bonuses, his cultivation was not hollow or unstable; his foundation was exceptionally solid. This meant he had no hidden dangers in his base, and as long as he continued, breaking through to Foundation Establishment wouldn't be overly difficult. Once he became a Foundation Establishment master, he would be among the true experts of Bluestone County!
Three days later, the 20-year Fire Spirit Grass was successfully brewed into honey. Qi Ping collected it, filling two small jade bottles about the size of a fist. He immediately brought them to the crow.
It was noon, and the midsummer sun was scorching. The Li-Fire Crow stood under the sun, feeling no discomfort at all; on the contrary, it felt perfectly at ease. For the crow, this was the best season of the year. Dense solar power swirled around it, casting a faint golden sheen over its black feathers.
'According to the records, a normal Li-Fire Crow shouldn't be able to perceive or absorb this much solar power.'
Yet the solar energy around Ya Ya was absurdly dense. 'Meng Yan said its bloodline was thick, which wasn't a lie. But achieving this level likely has something to do with its "Breaking to Rebuild" state.'
A moment later, the crow exited its meditation and flew to Qi Ping's shoulder.
"Caw, caw... (Boss, why are you here?)"
"For you!" Qi Ping handed over the two bottles of Fire Spirit Honey.
"Caw, caw... (Fire Spirit Honey!)" The crow's eyes went wide.
"Use it to recover your late-stage cultivation as quickly as possible. Our situation is not safe."
"Caw, caw... (Thank you, Boss! I won't let you down!)"
The crow flew back to its spot and, without hesitation, swallowed both bottles in two gulps! It knew the strength of the spiritual energy within from its previous tests, and since its body had once been at first-tier perfection, it had no fear of the power within two bottles. It wanted the most concentrated fire energy possible to stimulate its bloodline!
As the honey entered its stomach, an incredibly dense surge of fire energy filled its body. The entire crow seemed to ignite with flames! Simultaneously, it entered its Solar Perception state, drawing in the surrounding solar power. As time passed, a powerful pressure of fire-attribute energy began to erupt from the crow.
The breakthrough was seamless. As the crow's aura reached a critical point, a surge of fire energy—far stronger than that of an average seventh-level Qi Refinement cultivator—erupted! At that exact moment, the Wood-Flame spiritual energy within Qi Ping suddenly grew restless, and his physical affinity for fire-attribute spiritual energy jumped up a level.