Chapter 188: Tier-4 Spiritual Field
"SunlightGlaze Flower… After so many years, I finally get to see this spirit plant again."
After evaluating the spirit rice next to Gu Mo's exhibit, several elders came straight to his display table.
Looking at the crystal-clear blossoms, one elder couldn't help but sigh in awe.
"Elder Gu, what's your evaluation of this spirit plant?" Hou Chunyu turned toward Elder Gu.
"Top-grade," Elder Gu replied without hesitation.
Despite the wager he had with Hou Chunyu, as a Nascent Soul True Lord, Elder Gu wouldn't stoop so low as to deliberately disparage a disciple's cultivated spirit plant.
"In that case, Elder Hou, how about you give an assessment of the Roaring Ancient Tree?" Elder Gu gestured, and the exhibit belonging to his disciple was floated over.
"A new subspecies of the War Tree—there's no doubt it's top-grade." Hou Chunyu nodded. Although the Roaring Ancient Tree was still a sapling, that didn't diminish its value.
This sapling stood over ten meters tall, and fully matured War Trees were colossal beings, often several hundred meters in height.
With both the SunlightGlaze Flower and the Roaring Ancient Tree rated as top-grade, the other elders felt this bet might end in a draw.
But neither Hou Chunyu nor Elder Gu intended to stop there—each believed they still had a real shot at victory.
"Though both are top-grade, I believe the SunlightGlaze Flower has the edge," Hou Chunyu stated. In terms of rarity, quality, and value, the SunlightGlaze Flower clearly surpassed its rival.
The Roaring Ancient Tree was just a minor subspecies among War Trees, but the SunlightGlaze Flower was one of a kind. Especially since it condensed Solar Force, its value was immeasurable.
Unfortunately, the SunlightGlaze Flower was a Tier-3 spirit plant, so the Solar Force it produced was also Tier-3, limiting its effect on Tier-4 plants. Even so, its effects were comparable to one-third of what a Tier-4 spirit item could do to promote growth.
Elder Gu couldn't refute Hou Chunyu's statement. As top-tier spirit plant cultivators, they were all well aware of each plant's properties.
Elder Gu also had no intention of arguing over which plant was more valuable. Once he learned that Gu Mo was exhibiting a SunlightGlaze Flower, he knew his disciple's Roaring Ancient Tree wasn't enough to compete.
Luckily, he had one more card up his sleeve—otherwise, he would've lost outright.
He immediately gave his disciple a look. Catching the signal, the Golden Core disciple who had cultivated the Roaring Ancient Tree bowed to the elders.
"This disciple has another spirit plant that pairs with the Roaring Ancient Tree. Please evaluate it, Elders!"
He then produced a new plant—an entwining vine dotted with trumpet-shaped flowers.
"This spirit plant is called Sound-Gathering Vine. It enhances the Roaring Ancient Tree's sonic attacks and focuses the sound waves for targeted strikes."
As he explained, admiration flickered in everyone's eyes.
Together, the Roaring Ancient Tree and Sound-Gathering Vine elevated the tree's power by an entire tier.
"Well?"
Elder Gu looked to Hou Chunyu.
"Elder Gu, isn't it a bit unfair to compare two plants against one?" Hou Chunyu raised a brow.
"The exhibition rules never stated you couldn't showcase two plants. Besides, these two are companion plants—they were bred to work together, so they can be judged as one unit. Of course, for fairness, your disciple can also bring out a second plant." Elder Gu smiled.
He wouldn't have agreed to this bet if he wasn't confident of winning. No matter what other plant Hou Chunyu's disciple produced, it wouldn't outshine the Roaring Ancient Tree paired with the Sound-Gathering Vine.
"My good disciple, do you have any other plants on hand?" Hou Chunyu's voice rang in Gu Mo's ears. He was finally realizing that he had fallen for that old fox Gu's setup.
"Master Ancestor, what's going on?" Gu Mo asked in confusion. From his perspective, getting a top-grade rating at the exhibition was already a perfect outcome. After the exhibition, he could collect the reward for his top-grade rating.
More importantly, the SunlightGlaze Flower had now been revealed to the public. While this would attract people seeking to purchase Solar Force, it also helped deflect any suspicion about Gu Mo using Sun Essence in the future.
In other words, the goals of this exhibition had already been achieved. But judging by Hou Chunyu and Elder Gu's expressions, it seemed there was something more going on.
"Well, here's the situation…"
Hou Chunyu quickly explained the bet to Gu Mo. "If you can help me win this bet, I'll gift you that Wood Core. How about it?"
"Master Ancestor… could we trade for something else?" Gu Mo's interest was piqued. The Wood Core was indeed a rare treasure—it was a crucial component for crafting Puppet Avatars.
Puppet Avatars were among the higher tiers of avatars. Especially this Wood Core, which was Tier-4—it could be used to craft a puppet on the Nascent Soul level, an extremely attractive offer even for Nascent Soul cultivators.
But to Gu Mo, it wasn't tempting at all. His avatars condensed from divine abilities were leagues ahead of any puppet.
"What do you want instead?"
Hou Chunyu was briefly stunned, then inwardly delighted. The boy was negotiating—clearly, he had something up his sleeve.
Still, to surpass a Roaring Ancient Tree enhanced by a Sound-Gathering Vine, Gu Mo's second plant had to be something extraordinary.
"Master Ancestor, I want a Tier-4 spirit field!"
Gu Mo didn't hesitate to ask for what he truly desired. He didn't care much for techniques or treasures—what he wanted most was a high-grade spirit field.
After all, for Gu Mo, farming was the path to power.
"Alright. But it won't be a standard spirit field," Hou Chunyu replied after a moment. The sect forbade private trading of spirit fields, but as an elder, Hou Chunyu could find some loophole—he might be able to get Gu Mo a small Tier-4 field to experiment with.
"No problem!"
Gu Mo agreed without hesitation. As long as it was Tier-4, size didn't matter.
Seeing Gu Mo's confident reply, Hou Chunyu's heavy expression brightened. "Good disciple, go ahead and bring out that hidden plant of yours."
"Yes, Master Ancestor."
Gu Mo nodded and produced… a tree stump.
Everyone was stunned. Even Hou Chunyu looked puzzled—everyone except one person: Liu Shulan.
Ever since she'd received Gu Mo's Torch Stump, she'd been studying it nonstop. The more she analyzed it, the more shocked she became.
This plant had no flaws.
Generally, newly cultivated plants had flaws—it was nearly impossible for a man-made hybrid to reach perfection, especially compared to spirit plants that had evolved over millions of years.
But this Torch Stump was more than perfect—it surpassed naturally occurring spirit plants.
As Gu Mo presented it, Liu Shulan knew: Elder Gu had lost. Even without the SunlightGlaze Flower, the Torch Stump alone would win.
"What is this?"
Elder Gu stared at the tree stump. Despite his vast knowledge, he couldn't identify the species. If not for sensing faint life energy, he'd have dismissed it as dead wood.
"This is a spirit plant I cultivated by accident. I call it the Torch Stump," Gu Mo began explaining.
As his description continued, everyone's expression changed. This was a plant capable of revolutionizing both alchemy and crafting professions. Unconsciously, many turned to look at Liu Shulan—the sect's top alchemy elder—curious about her reaction.
But Liu Shulan remained calm and composed. That told the others she'd known all along.
"You little brat… You told an outsider about this but didn't even mention it to your own Master Ancestor?" Hou Chunyu grumbled via voice transmission.
"Master Ancestor, you wouldn't even have a use for it," Gu Mo replied helplessly.
Although impressive, the Torch Stump didn't shock the crowd as much as the SunlightGlaze Flower. Most of the onlookers were spirit plant cultivators, and the Torch Stump didn't hold much personal appeal to them.
But when Gu Mo revealed that the Torch Stump could carry Heavenly Flame, even the disciples of Shennong Valley—who'd had little interest in it—were completely stunned.
Seeing everyone's dumbstruck faces, Liu Shulan felt immensely satisfied. The same sense of awe she once felt—everyone else was finally getting a taste of it.
"That Wood Core, come retrieve it from me another day."
With those words, Elder Gu left with his disciple. There was no need to argue any further.
Thus, the exhibition concluded. This year's spirit plant showcase would undoubtedly become a hot topic among the sect's disciples for quite some time.
As for Gu Mo—he became the center of attention.
Many sought to purchase Solar Force from him. Gu Mo turned them all down, citing limited supply.
However, he personally met with two specific people: Ding Shiyan, the cultivator of the Swordheart Bamboo, and Qu Feng, the cultivator of the incomplete spirit rice.
To them, he gifted all of his remaining Solar Force.
He had no use for it himself. It was only meant to act as cover, after all. If trust deepened in the future, he might even consider providing Sun Essence.
The Swordheart Bamboo was particularly important to him—he hoped Ding Shiyan could soon eliminate its flaws.
As for Qu Feng, Gu Mo simply had a good impression of him and decided to casually invest. If the spirit rice project failed, no loss. But if it succeeded, the returns could be astronomical.
"Senior Brother Gu Mo, I'll complete the Swordheart Bamboo as soon as I can."
Ding Shiyan smiled brightly after receiving the Solar Force.
She had been worried she wouldn't be able to acquire any—but this junior brother clearly valued her Swordheart Bamboo greatly. Moreover, he seemed to have a strong grasp of swordsmanship himself.
That gave Ding Shiyan a rare sense of camaraderie. Few in Shennong Valley cultivated swordsmanship, and she'd always had to figure things out on her own.
"I'll be waiting for good news, Senior Sister." Gu Mo smiled.
He also marveled at her sword talent. To comprehend sword intent without guidance and reach peak Golden Core? That was terrifying.
And she wasn't just a sword cultivator—her mastery of spirit plants was just as strong. After all, Shennong Valley had complete and powerful spirit cultivation legacies.
Had she devoted herself fully to plant cultivation, she would've become a core disciple by now.
"Senior Brother Gu Mo, I'll work hard too."
Compared to Ding Shiyan's confidence, Qu Feng lacked assurance. His plan for a new spirit rice was too ambitious—it was a colossal challenge.
"I'll be waiting for good news from you too, Junior Brother." Gu Mo smiled encouragingly.
Though only at the Foundation Establishment stage, Qu Feng had excellent talent—otherwise, he wouldn't have come up with his bold new spirit rice concept.
Ever since joining Shennong Valley, he'd devoted himself entirely to spirit plants, rarely venturing out. That explained his relatively straightforward and sincere nature.
Gu Mo found such people easy to trust—but true trust would take time.
After Ding Shiyan and Qu Feng left, someone else arrived at Gu Mo's courtyard.
"Disciple greets Elder Liu!"
It was Liu Shulan, here for the Solar Force as well. Not for spirit plant cultivation, but for alchemy.
Solar Force was a pure yang energy—extremely effective in countering yin and demonic energies. With the current war between righteous and demonic cultivators, many wounded disciples were suffering from demonic invasions of the body, which were notoriously hard to cleanse.
But by combining Solar Force with certain spirit herbs, one could craft Solar yang pills, which swiftly neutralized such corruption. In this context, the SunlightGlaze Flower's value only continued to rise.
"Elder Liu, I'm afraid I've run out of Solar Force." Gu Mo spread his hands apologetically. He had already given all his reserves to Ding Shiyan and Qu Feng. He couldn't very well hand over his Sun Essence.
"No matter. You're an alchemist yourself—here's the Solar yang pill recipe. You can refine it yourself. The sect will pay handsomely for them." Liu Shulan handed over a pill recipe.
"Thank you, Elder Liu!"
Gu Mo accepted the recipe with both hands. A pill capable of dissolving yin and demonic qi in the current environment was extremely valuable.
"All right, I'll be going. Without your Solar Force, that recipe is just scrap paper. Once you've got more, send some over."
Liu Shulan waved casually and left—lest anyone think she was trying to poach talent.
As she departed, Elder Hou Chunyu arrived.
Seeing his Master Ancestor, Gu Mo's heart stirred—his Tier-4 spirit field was finally within reach.
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