You Cultivate, I Farm

As Lu Xuan contemplated moving forward to completely annihilate the grass puppet, a sudden burst of golden sword qi shot out like lightning, swiftly arriving in front of the masked cultivator.

"What sword technique is this?!"

The sword technique was too sudden, leaving the masked cultivator no time to summon a defensive artifact.

With no other choice, he barely managed to evade by shifting his body.

Swish.

The golden sword qi pierced through his shoulder, blood gushing out and staining the spiritual field beneath him.

Without losing momentum, the sword qi pierced through the courtyard wall behind him.

"Quick, escape!"

Ignoring the intense pain in his shoulder, the masked cultivator had a single thought—to flee the spiritual field.

With vast experience, he knew that this level of sword technique was beyond the capability of a mere third-level Qi cultivator.

A few more strikes, even just one, posed a risk of his demise.

A gust of wind approached from behind, a silver-white blade following suit.

With a thought, the cultivator swiftly circulated his spiritual energy, conjuring an ice wall in mid-air, blocking the incoming blade.

Unexpectedly, as the blade was about to collide with the ice wall, it silently fragmented into dozens of thin pieces, resembling silver-white butterflies, assaulting the masked cultivator from various angles.

This unforeseen attack caught the masked cultivator off guard, piercing his limbs, shoulders, and chest with fragments.

In a flash, a black shadow appeared—a sleek spirit beast stared coldly at the cultivator with its emerald eyes, momentarily distracting him with its eerie gaze.

Before he could react, the spirit beast lifted its sturdy white paw and struck his head, sending him crashing to the ground, tumbling in agony before losing consciousness.

---

The masked cultivator's consciousness gradually emerged from infinite darkness.

He didn't immediately open his eyes but carefully assessed his current condition.

It was dire—his spiritual power was as lost as a stone in the ocean, his spiritual sea destroyed, and his cultivation obliterated.

Moreover, his body was restrained, wounds exposed and throbbing with pain.

A sharp coldness lingered in his throat, heart, and lower abdomen, ready to invade upon the slightest movement.

"Are you awake?"

A gentle voice echoed nearby.

The cultivator kept his eyes shut, seemingly in a daze.

"If you don't wake, I'll ensure you never do."

The gentle voice calmly threatened.

Reluctantly, the masked cultivator opened his eyes, surveying his surroundings.

He found himself in a sparsely furnished room, bound with dark ropes, fragments from earlier looming dangerously close to vital spots.

Facing him was a young cultivator with clear, bright eyes.

"I didn't expect a wandering spirit plant cultivator like you to conceal yourself so deeply."

"That sword technique... near mastery. Even among the swordmasters I've encountered, few possess such mastery."

"Plus, you're so young."

The more he spoke, the more regretful the masked cultivator felt. He had presumed it would be easy to handle a third-level Qi cultivator specializing in spirit plants, yet he ended up severely injured and easily subdued.

"Speak. Why did you enter my estate and attempt harm?"

Lu Xuan disregarded the cultivator's excuses, smiling as he inquired.

"I just happened to pass by and wanted to enter Your Excellency's spiritual field to steal a few spirit plants, never expected to encounter such a tough opponent."

The masked cultivator casually fabricated a reason, attempting to deceive his captor.

"Do you think I'd believe that?"

Lu Xuan couldn't help but chuckle, his expression turning cold as he let the fragment near the cultivator's throat puncture the skin, crimson droplets oozing out.

"Directly tell me who sent you."

The masked cultivator fell into silence.

"Whether you speak or not, I already have a fair idea."

"I usually keep to myself and am friendly. To provoke someone, evoke murderous intent, is quite easy to fathom."

"But if you don't speak, the outcome will be vastly different. This artifact in front of you will slice you into thin layers, keeping you alive as long as possible."

"When you have a shred of breath left, I'll deliver you to the black market. There, many dark cultivators purchase souls of practitioners. As a mid-level Qi cultivator, you'd fetch a good price."

Lu Xuan spoke coldly.

"If I speak, will you spare me?"

"If you do, I'll give you a clean and swift end. If not, you'll endure endless torment, physical and spiritual. The choice is yours."

"It's Zhou Haiwen, a spirit plant cultivator. He offered spirit stones to have you killed and promised all the spirit plants in your field in exchange for the jade scroll you possess."

The masked cultivator, no longer hesitating, spilled everything, still hoping Lu Xuan might spare him.

"As expected, that persistent spirit plant cultivator. I presume he wants to gain the method of cultivating perfect-quality spirit plants from me."

Lu Xuan had already guessed most of it and, after the cultivator's confession, confirmed his suspicions.

"Tell me his address. Don't attempt to deceive me. You know, being fellow hired spirit plant cultivators at the Hundred Herbs Hall, obtaining his information isn't challenging."

"Fine, I'll tell you."

After revealing the information about the cultivator, the masked individual divulged everything, still holding a faint hope that Lu Xuan might show mercy.contemporary romance

"Alright, you can rest peacefully now."

Lu Xuan softly spoke, the thin fragment before the cultivator's throat thrust forward, piercing deeply into his windpipe.

After dispatching the cultivator, Lu Xuan manipulated his spiritual energy, conjuring a head-sized fireball above the body.

Soon, it fragmented into flames, consuming the body within ten breaths, reducing it to ash.

Lu Xuan then produced a banishing talisman, a faint white light emanating from the ashes, rippling outward.

Nothing peculiar happened.

Satisfied, he gathered the thick layer of ash on the ground, sprinkling it among the soil of the spiritual field.

"Tonight, you little ones have narrowly escaped. Let me provide some good fertilizer to compensate."

Since Qin Ming's incident, this was the second cultivator to end up as fertilizer in the spiritual field.

After tidying the courtyard and using his spiritual awareness to inspect the surroundings, Lu Xuan instructed the Cloud-Stepping Lynx to guard the estate and silently moved outside.

Cultivators patrolled the marketplace day and night, but the defense varied across regions.

The outer zones, like the one Lu Xuan previously resided in, had meager protection.

Now, the estate he occupied had increased security, yet typically, it was only superficial, manned by a few low-level Qi cultivators.

It was only in the core areas that mid-level or higher cultivators diligently guarded against intrusions by dark practitioners or malevolent beings.

Moments later, Lu Xuan arrived at his destination—the residence of the spirit plant cultivator surnamed Zhou.

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