You Cultivate, I Farm

Chapter 363: Taming the Cranes

"Filth-Eating Grass... another formidable addition to the netherworld courtyard."

Lu Xuan took out the Filth-Eating Grass spirit seed. The inner sect's pure spiritual energy was unsuitable for its growth, so he planned to transplant it to the small courtyard in Jianmen Town at the next opportunity.

"It feeds on filth and corrupt air, capable of contaminating a cultivator's eyes and mind. One must be careful not to dirty one's heart or eyes during the planting process."

He suddenly realized that every spirit plant in the netherworld courtyard was of exceptional quality: the Aberrant Longevity Peach, and Holy Infant Fruit, along with the newly acquired Filth-Eating Grass. Each one was no ordinary spirit plant.

"However, the area of the spiritual field is still too small, and the spiritual energy is not dense enough. It's not the ideal environment for various peculiar spirit plants to grow. I'll have to find a better place when I get the chance."

He thought to himself.

That day, as he was cultivating spirit plants, an unexpected visitor arrived.

"Brother Zhong, what wind has blown you here?"

Lu Xuan greeted with a smile. The visitor was none other than Zhong Hao, who had raised a pair of Snarling Shadow Beasts.

Zhong Hao, with his robust frame, laughed heartily.

He casually observed Lu Xuan's cave dwelling while speaking.

"The spirit beasts in Junior Brother Lu's dwelling seem to be well-fed. Although their ranks are not very high, each one is vibrant and lively."

Zhong Hao glanced at the Cloud-Stepping Lynx, Wind Falcon, and other spirit beasts, and sighed.

"They're nothing compared to the spirit beasts you've raised."

Lu Xuan modestly replied.

"This visit is about a matter concerning spirit beasts."

"Besides my own, I usually help the sect tame spirit beasts, especially those of higher ranks."

"The sect has a batch of new high-rank young beasts that need someone to tame them. Last time, Junior Brother helped me solve the breeding problem of the Snarling Shadow Beasts. Furthermore, from our exchanges afterward, it's evident that Junior Brother has exceptional skills in raising spirit beasts. Therefore, I specifically came to ask if you would be willing to tame them?"

"Why not just establish contracts with the spirit beasts? Wouldn't they obediently follow orders then? Why the need for taming?"

Lu Xuan expressed his confusion to the robust cultivator.

"Junior Brother might not know, but those spirit beasts are not personal possessions, so it's not feasible for any one of us to establish contracts with them."

"They each have their uses: guarding secret realms, producing cultivation resources, serving as sect transport, etc. Taming them means making them understand various commands better, mitigating their ferocious nature, thus better serving the sect."

Zhong Hao patiently explained.

"Can't we just use magical artifacts to control them directly without establishing contracts?"

Lu Xuan remembered the imitation Dragon-Binding Ring magical artifact used initially to raise the Flood Dragon Python in Thousand Dragon Lake.

"Those are high-rank spirit beasts; naturally, the required magical artifacts are also of high ranks. This would significantly increase the cost. Moreover, even if there are magical artifacts, formations, and other controls, the ferocity within the spirit beasts must be tamed. Otherwise, they might suddenly erupt one day, leading to severe losses."

"I see."

Lu Xuan nodded upon hearing this.

"Then I'll give it a try. Thank you, Senior Brother, for the recommendation."

"It's all thanks to your own abilities."

From their conversation, Lu Xuan learned that the pair of Snarling Shadow Beasts had successfully conceived after mating for several months, but it would still take a few years for the young beasts to be born.

After a brief chat, Lu Xuan followed Zhong Hao and flew towards the location of the young beasts awaiting taming.

Passing by a vast marsh, Lu Xuan paused as he watched hundreds, if not thousands, of spirit cranes soaring freely in the water.

The marsh covered hundreds of acres, lush with aquatic plants and shrouded in spiritual energy. Many spirit cranes either preened their white feathers reflected in the water or frolicked joyously, occasionally pecking at the spirit fish and shrimp in the water.

Seeing this scene, the corners of Lu Xuan's mouth couldn't help but lift.

Just as he was about to leave, suddenly, a spirit crane spotted him and issued a crisp, rapid, and excited cry.

This call seemed to trigger a chain reaction, with cries from the cranes in the marsh rising one after another. Thousands of spirit cranes, flapping their pristine wings, drew beautiful

arcs in the sky as they swiftly flew towards Lu Xuan.

The man had returned! Even after more than a decade, the entire spirit crane flock still vividly remembered the changes Lu Xuan brought to them.

Without his intervention, all the spirit cranes might have continued to carry cultivators day and night as before, receiving meager rewards, living precarious lives, and barely sustaining themselves.

This could have led to the entire flock slowly becoming stagnant, like a pool of still water.

"Go away, go away, back off, back off!"

Suddenly, an outer sect disciple flew over from afar, fearing that the spirit cranes in the marsh might collide with the two inner sect uncles, urgently shooing all the spirit cranes away.

"Two uncles, the spirit cranes I'm raising are blind and might have bumped into Brother; please forgive them."

The flying outer sect disciple, with dark skin and at the peak of Qi cultivation, bowed deeply, his expression filled with trepidation.

"It's fine, just catching up with old friends. Brother Xu need not worry."

Lu Xuan looked at the outer sect disciple before him and spoke kindly.

He had some memory of this person, named Xu Yi, who had been responsible for raising the entire spirit crane flock when he first undertook the task of breeding spirit cranes years ago.

Xu Yi looked up sharply upon hearing this, his expression turning to astonishment.

"Lu... Uncle Lu."

He hadn't expected to encounter Lu Xuan in this manner. More than a decade ago, Lu Xuan was just a high-level Qi cultivation cultivator who had newly joined the sect. They had met because of the spirit crane breeding task.

Unexpectedly, upon meeting again, Lu Xuan had become an inner sect disciple.

And he was still at the peak of Qi cultivation, uncertain when he might attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Brother Xu, how have you been?"

"Thanks to Uncle Lu's concern, I'm doing well. I plan to refine my body and spirit for a few more years before attempting to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage."

Xu Yi bowed slightly, speaking respectfully.

Lu Xuan sighed softly in his heart, looking around at the many spirit cranes joyfully flying around him.

"Have the lives of these spirit cranes changed compared to before?"

"Thanks to Uncle Lu's blessing, the Beast Taming Hall took your advice and asked the Formation Hall to create small magical artifacts with positioning and communication functions, freeing most of the spirit cranes from labor."

"At the same time, their transport rewards were increased, their living areas expanded, and their living conditions improved."

"With these changes, the entire spirit crane flock gradually entered a positive cycle, everything developing in a favorable direction."

"That's good to hear."

Lu Xuan nodded in satisfaction, encouraged Xu Yi with a few words, and then continued flying towards the mountains with the robust cultivator waiting beside him.

The many spirit cranes cried out in unison, spontaneously following Lu Xuan, their calls filled with reluctance.

"Alright, go on, live the life you want."

Lu Xuan waved at the many spirit cranes, accelerated the speed of his flying sword, and looked back at the spirit cranes soaring freely in the sky, feeling genuinely joyful for them.

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