Chapter 256: Everyone's Secret Realm Harvest

But admiration was one thing. Chen Mobai immediately thought of a serious problem.

Where was he going to get three Longevity Tree fruits, especially a complete set of small, medium, and large ones? The only recent record of Longevity Tree fruit acquisition in the Divine Wood Sect was by Yue Zutao. He didn't even know if the Longevity Tree fruit Yue Zutao obtained was small, medium, or large.

This meant the only confirmed way to obtain Longevity Tree fruits was from the Artifact Tree. However, Chen Mobai himself could no longer enter this divine tree to acquire fruits. He could only hope that his junior disciples who successfully built their foundations later would enter this secret realm.

Then another problem arose. The type of fruit obtained from the Artifact Tree was purely a matter of luck; no one could guarantee finding a Longevity Tree fruit. Moreover, even if someone did get a Longevity Tree fruit, why would they give it to him?

Chen Mobai paced back and forth in front of the Talent Tree, contemplating how to solve this problem. Suddenly, he clapped his hands, thinking of his two disciples.

If he fully supported them in building their foundations, and they managed to obtain Longevity Tree fruits, he could then offer enough spirit stones or cultivation techniques in exchange. However, even if both of them were very lucky and found the two Longevity Tree fruits he needed from the Artifact Tree, he would still be one short.

For the first volume of the Two-Phase Reversion Art, a complete set of small, medium, and large Longevity Tree fruits was essential. This was because after consuming a fruit to break through a realm, one had to consume the entire set to achieve Foundation Establishment completion, transforming it into resources for core formation in another cultivation method.

No, it wasn't strictly necessary to have the complete set immediately. He could cultivate and break through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment himself, and then consume the medium and large fruits. But doing so would still waste time.

Before obtaining the Two-Phase Reversion Art, he had been patient enough to cultivate Longevity Spiritual Energy step by step to break through realms. Now, however, knowing there was such a quick method, he was somewhat reluctant to slowly condense liquid spiritual energy and spend twenty years on breakthroughs.

Still, there wasn't a much better solution right now, so he could only plan this way for the time being. His immediate priority was to help his two disciples establish their foundations. At the very least, he needed to ensure they succeeded in their first attempt at Foundation Establishment, so they would have the opportunity to enter the Divine Tree secret realm... Wait, could he help them sneak in? Or, could he smuggle a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Immortal Sect to gather fruits!?

But the moment this thought emerged, Chen Mobai himself quickly dismissed it. He would rather cultivate slowly and improve his realm step by step than risk exposing the secret of his Turtle Treasure. It was just a matter of time, wasn't it?

He was only 24 years old now, and with the lifespan added by the Longevity Scripture, he still had at least 150 years to form his Core. Next, he could try to take on more trustworthy disciples of good character, and then gather information on Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Divine Wood Sect, or even the Five Elements Sect, who had entered the Divine Tree secret realm, to see if anyone else besides Yue Zutao had obtained Longevity Tree fruits.

Chen Mobai felt there should be others. After all, in the Heavenly River Realm, due to different customs, many cultivators preferred to keep their trump cards and not reveal their gains.

At the same time, he also needed to start collecting pills that could increase lifespan. After all, another side effect of consuming Longevity Tree fruits was the consumption of lifespan to break through realms.

After making a plan of the tasks ahead, Chen Mobai's mind settled down again. It was then that he remembered he still had one more chance to 'pluck' from the Talent Tree after using the Wood Spirit Talisman.

After injecting Pure Yang spiritual energy, another secret art entered his glabella. Profound Fire Divine Thunder Art! It was considered a powerful offensive spell, which could also be crafted into talismans upon mastery, reaching a maximum of Tier 3. Its power was ultimate in rigidity and yang, making it a bane to evil spirits and ghosts.

However, with the great surprise of the Two-Phase Reversion Art, Chen Mobai no longer felt much about this spell. While the Wood Spirit Talisman's effects were still active, he meditated on wood-attribute spells as he flew towards the Great Dao Tree. Last time, he had used a clever trick to take ten steps; this time, he intended to rely on himself to see how many steps he could take.

The next day, at Little South Mountain. Before his two disciples arrived, Chen Mobai pondered the method for crafting the Wood Spirit Talisman.

This talisman required 5,000 merit points to purchase. He planned to give one to each of his two disciples when they entered the Divine Tree secret realm, instructing them to use it before the Artifact Tree. Since it was too expensive, he thought it would be more cost-effective to draw them himself.

Soon after, his eldest disciple, Liu Wenbai, arrived. This surprised Chen Mobai a little. He knew Zhuo Ming should be managing the spiritual fields down the mountain, so logically, she should have arrived first.

"Junior Sister Zhuo went to deliver goods to the shop in Divine Wood City yesterday. If she received the communication talisman, she would probably be a bit late," Liu Wenbai explained. Liu Wenbai knew that his master only cared about the Supreme Sword Dao and paid little attention to such trivial matters, so he immediately spoke up to explain for his junior sister.

"Ah, I forgot I had also tasked her with that," Chen Mobai said with a look of realization. As a Foundation Establishment elder of the sect, Chen Mobai had a courtyard and a shop in Divine Wood City, in addition to his residence at Little South Mountain. He had previously instructed Zhuo Ming to manage them. According to his instructions, they were supposed to sell spirit rice and spirit wine, but he wondered how the business was doing.

"Then let's not wait for her. It's rare for me to emerge from seclusion. Tell me about the difficulties you've encountered in your cultivation..." Chen Mobai shook his head, pushing aside the memory of only taking seven steps in front of the Great Dao Tree yesterday. Liu Wenbai respectfully listened, then spoke of some doubts he had encountered while breaking through to the ninth layer.

Chen Mobai possessed the Formless Puppet, and last night, he had already used a mid-grade spirit stone to simulate Liu Wenbai's Foundation Establishment process, understanding all the problems he might encounter. After answering several questions in Liu Wenbai's mind, Chen Mobai took the initiative, asking some problems that clearly existed in his eldest disciple's cultivation but that he hadn't noticed himself.

When Zhuo Ming arrived at Little South Mountain, she found Liu Wenbai sweating profusely but sitting calmly in front of the master's wooden hut, eyes closed in meditation, with a look of sudden realization. "You've arrived. Wenbai has had an epiphany under my guidance and should be able to break through to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation after he wakes up," Chen Mobai said. Upon hearing this, Zhuo Ming immediately looked envious.

In the past six months, she had only managed to cultivate back to the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, wondering how long it would take to achieve full Qi Condensation. However, Zhuo Ming was accustomed to hardship since childhood. Although envious of Liu Wenbai's progress, she knew the importance of steady progress and was not in a hurry to break through. She was very clear that as long as she stuck closely to her master, she could at least guarantee one Foundation Establishment Pill in the future.

"Master, here is the ledger for the Little South Mountain shop. Please take a look." Chen Mobai took the ledger Zhuo Ming handed him and casually glanced at it, noticing that the spirit rice was selling exceptionally well.

In just six months, all thirty mu of spirit rice harvested last year from Little Yang Ridge, after the Cultivation Department took its share, had been sold out. The total income was 150 low-grade spirit stones. Then he looked at the spirit wine. After half a year, only eighteen jars had been sold.

"Did I price it too high?" Chen Mobai asked Zhuo Ming, a little confused, after putting down the ledger. He had set the price of a small jar of Jade Bud Spirit Wine at 5 low-grade spirit stones.

This price was five times higher than the common market price of 1 spirit stone, yet his spirit wine surpassed others in both texture and taste by more than tenfold. Sun Gaochang and others had personally confirmed this; it was indeed overwhelmingly delicious. Logically speaking, the price shouldn't be expensive.

"Master, most disciples in the Divine Wood Sect are like me, struggling daily to make ends meet with spirit stones for cultivation." "Even those with substantial wealth would rather save spirit stones to buy artifacts or cultivation techniques. Who would be willing to spend spirit stones on mere culinary desires?" "With 5 spirit stones, wouldn't it be better to buy a bottle of pills to enhance spiritual power!"

Having spent these years together, Zhuo Ming knew that while Chen Mobai was somewhat slow in certain aspects, he was very easygoing and had no airs as a master, so she no longer spoke as reservedly as she had initially. "I see. It seems my wine can only target the high-end market." Chen Mobai fully understood after listening.

He then looked at the ledger again and found that most of the eighteen jars of wine had been bought by his close friends, who were mostly Foundation Establishment elders. Only cultivators of that level had enough financial means to buy two jars of spirit wine to satisfy their culinary desires.

"Although Master's spirit wine also has the effect of promoting cultivation after drinking it, it cannot be compared to actual pills. If this aspect could be improved, it might even become popular in the lower-tier market," Zhuo Ming said. Zhuo Ming, however, had a different view, completely unlike Chen Mobai's idea of targeting the high-end market. What did Qi Condensation cultivators value most? Wasn't it the improvement of their cultivation realm! Therefore, pills were the best-selling and most in-demand items.

"Disciple, are you suggesting..." "Master, I'm thinking if we could combine the Hundred Herbs Pill or the Spirit Nourishing Soup with the spirit wine to create a new wine that is both delicious and beneficial for cultivation, perhaps even helping with breakthroughs."

Chen Mobai naturally remembered the two pill formulas from the Hundred Herbs Scripture that Zhuo Ming had given him when she became his disciple. He had no objection to her idea. "Do you have a way?"

"A little. I'd need a trustworthy alchemist to help, otherwise, your secret wine-making recipe might be leaked." Zhuo Ming made a small request.

Even before she became his disciple, Chen Mobai had already been having her help with wine-making. After her initiation, their relationship deepened, and it went without saying. To save trouble, he had directly passed on the wine starter to her. Now, Chen Mobai no longer needed to personally make the Jade Bud Spirit Wine; Zhuo Ming could handle it perfectly. In a few years, it was estimated that her wine would taste even better than his.

"A trustworthy alchemist? I really don't have one on my side." There were some in the Immortal Sect, but there was no way he could bring Qing Nü over. Thinking this, Chen Mobai shook his head under his disciple's expectant gaze.

"Master, aren't you on good terms with Martial Aunt Yan?" Zhuo Ming reminded Chen Mobai.

Yan Jinye, as the former chief of the Alchemy Department and a disciple of Zeng Woyou, was indeed considered an excellent alchemist in the Heavenly River Realm. "We've only met a few times, but I can contact her. However, she's a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so she definitely wouldn't come to help you." Towards the end, Chen Mobai remembered this point again and felt it wasn't very reliable.

"You could ask Martial Aunt Yan to introduce some reliable senior brothers or sisters from the Alchemy Department. If you speak up, Master, it would certainly carry more weight than me running around tirelessly." Chen Mobai nodded. After all, it was just a matter of mentioning it. It just so happened that he hadn't gathered with E Yun, Yuan Chiye, and others for a long time. He could invite Yan Jinye along; she should give him that much respect.

"These are all minor matters. Although I've entrusted you with the spiritual fields and the shop, all of this must be secondary to your own cultivation. After all, for cultivators like us, seeking longevity and the Dao is the most important thing." By saying this, Chen Mobai meant that he didn't take Zhuo Ming's suggestion to heart. He just didn't want to waste the shop, which was why he kept it open to sell spirit rice and spirit wine. An annual income of a few hundred spirit stones was barely better than nothing for him now.

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Ming looked enlightened and stated that she would definitely prioritize cultivation from now on. Next, Chen Mobai fulfilled his duties as a teacher.

Compared to Liu Wenbai, the unrefined Zhuo Ming had more potential for shaping. Furthermore, Zhuo Ming's realm was low, and she hadn't encountered a teacher when she was a rogue cultivator, so she had accumulated many questions in her heart. Normally, Chen Mobai spent little time out of seclusion, so she could only choose to ask important questions.

However, today Chen Mobai was uncharacteristically open, stating that he had recently encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation and intended to thoroughly guide them, encouraging them to ask any questions they had. He would answer every question. Zhuo Ming's eyes lit up upon hearing this. She took out a thick notebook from her storage bag, containing all the questions she had accumulated since entering the cultivation world.

There were questions about cultivation, talisman crafting, and other miscellaneous pills and artifacts. Every now and then, she would flip through this notebook, crossing off any questions she could answer herself. However, to this day, she still had such a thick volume filled with doubts.

Chen Mobai's expression turned bitter, but he had already spoken, so he couldn't go back on his word. And so, master and disciple spent three full days and nights, from sunrise to sunset and back to sunrise, going through all the questions in Zhuo Ming's notebook.

With Chen Mobai's realm and the knowledge of a top student from the Wuqi Dao Academy, he was able to provide almost all the answers. Occasionally, there were a few questions, such as: How strong is a Golden Core ancestor? How many Golden Core cultivators can a Nascent Soul cultivator defeat? Can ascended cultivators return? These Chen Mobai truly couldn't answer. It could only be said that his disciple, though appearing a bit dull, actually had many thoughts in her mind.

Just then, the two spirit stones in Liu Wenbai's palm suddenly shattered. He opened his eyes, a look of joy on his face. Feeling the breakthrough in his body and the spiritual energy that was a third stronger, he felt like letting out a long roar. But seeing Chen Mobai and his junior sister in front of him, he forcibly restrained himself.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master." "Haha, I only hope that you will succeed in your Foundation Establishment on your first attempt in the future, and not waste the opportunity to enter the Divine Tree secret realm," Chen Mobai said sincerely. What Chen Mobai said was his true intention, but his two disciples thought he was simply giving them a blessing.

"By the way, are Senior Brother E and Senior Brother Yuan in the sect?" "Martial Uncle E has gone to Cloud Dream Lake to oversee the situation. Martial Uncle Yuan just returned from his mission last month." "Help me arrange a meeting with him." Liu Wenbai heard this and immediately went to make arrangements.

That evening, the two, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, enjoyed wine and conversation. "It's rare for you, lad, to come down from the mountain peak. The last time I drank with you was half a year ago, wasn't it?" Yuan Chiye took the spirit wine Chen Mobai brought, sniffed it, and poured a full cup with satisfaction.

"Has the spirit stone mine in Lei Nation been resolved?" "Senior Brother Zhou and Senior Brother Luo, who guards Lei Nation, jointly put pressure. I played a supportive role, and we managed to suppress the six major cultivation families of Lei Nation, securing a 40% share of that spirit stone mine."

Yuan Chiye briefly explained the outcome, but Chen Mobai could discern the underlying struggles and conflicts. Snatching food from a tiger's mouth, and directly biting off nearly half the profit, even if they represented the Divine Wood Sect, it certainly wouldn't have been easy. The political maneuvering, coercion, and inducements involved—Yuan Chiye recounted them while drinking wine, his tone initially calm but growing more excited as he spoke, especially when he mentioned how Zhou Wangshen secretly met with the two major families, fought the top Foundation Establishment cultivator of Lei Nation, and even verbally dissuaded the probing attempts of the neighboring country's Hancang Peak guardian...

"Senior Brother Zhou is truly a divine person." Although he was E Yun's subordinate, after collaborating in Lei Nation, Yuan Chiye praised Zhou Wangshen endlessly. He stated that if this person became the sect master, the Divine Wood Sect might even lead the Five Elements Sect again and unify the Eastern Wilderness in their lifetime.

Chen Mobai listened quietly, only subtly changing the topic after Yuan Chiye finished speaking. "Is Junior Sister Yan in the sect recently? My junior disciple wants to research two types of medicinal wine and needs a trustworthy alchemist to help. As the former chief of the Alchemy Department, she should have some recommendations, right?" Chen Mobai naturally brought up what he had promised.

"As for Junior Sister Yan, she hasn't returned since she went to that Foundation Establishment immortal's cave last time. She might be trapped by the array restrictions left in the cave. Later, you can check with the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion and see if there are any rescue missions issued by the Alchemy Department." Hearing this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but nod.

Indeed, remaining still as a mountain and not joining the treasure hunt was the correct decision. After all, in the Heavenly River Realm, the general custom was that immortal's caves left by predecessors were usually full of traps, and some rogue cultivators even specialized in setting up such schemes.

"That's truly a pity. I hope Junior Sister Yan is safe and sound." After saying this, Chen Mobai put Yan Jinye out of his mind. He felt that this person was a bit unlucky, and if she returned to the sect in the future, it would be best to have less contact with her. As for Zhuo Ming's medicinal wine, he decided to let her research it slowly on her own.

"By the way, Senior Brother Yuan, I still don't know what fortunate encounter you had in the Divine Tree secret realm? I was quite lucky and obtained the seed of the Azure Yang Fire." Chen Mobai began to bring up the real reason for inviting Yuan Chiye to drink today. He first spoke frankly, revealing what he had gained from opening the fruit.

"Since it's you, I won't hide it." "It was a gourd of Longevity Tree sap. It wasn't very useful for me personally, so I sold it to Senior Brother Zhou when I was in Lei Nation." "I won't tell you the price, but it was enough for me to pay off all my debts and also buy all the pills I need to cultivate until the middle stage of Foundation Establishment." Yuan Chiye trusted Chen Mobai greatly and revealed the fortunate encounter he had found on the Artifact Tree in the Divine Tree secret realm.

"Oh, congratulations then. Do you know what the other senior brothers and sisters obtained in the secret realm?" Chen Mobai asked indirectly, not really expecting much, but Yuan Chiye gave him a pleasant surprise.

"I'll tell you, but you must not tell anyone else." Yuan Chiye hesitated for a moment but eventually, under a full cup of spirit wine from Chen Mobai, revealed what he knew.

"Senior Brother Zhou Wangshen, in order to cultivate the Longevity Dao Body, made a deal with Senior Brother Wu and Junior Sister Yan. Senior Brother Zhou certainly played a part in the latter two successfully establishing their foundations." "Before entering the Divine Tree secret realm, they all made Dao Heart Oaths and agreements. If they obtained Longevity Tree sap, they had to sell it to Senior Brother Zhou." "So Senior Brother Zhou knew what they had gained in the secret realm, and he also revealed it to me when I traded the Longevity Tree sap with him." "Senior Brother Wu, like me, also obtained a gourd of Longevity Tree sap and sold it directly to Senior Brother Zhou." "As for Junior Sister Yan, her luck was extremely bad; she actually found a Longevity Tree fruit."

At this point, Yuan Chiye looked regretful. Everyone in the Divine Wood Sect knew about the severe side effects of the Longevity Tree fruit. These true disciples, who had successfully established their foundations on their first attempt, all believed they had a chance to form a Golden Core. Naturally, they wouldn't consume this fruit, cutting short their lifespan and ruining their future prospects. Therefore, Yan Jinye herself didn't want to consume the Longevity Tree fruit she possessed, nor did anyone in the Divine Wood Sect want to buy it. If it were put on the outside, some ignorant individuals might rush to buy it.

But these people had little wealth. If it were auctioned at a large commercial guild, all the positive and negative effects of the Longevity Tree fruit would have to be clearly stated, and a Dao Heart Oath would have to be sworn that there was no deception. In that case, it certainly wouldn't fetch a good price. Precisely for this reason, Yuan Chiye, who had earned 100,000 spirit stones from Zhou Wangshen, felt extremely regretful about Yan Jinye's gain in the Divine Tree secret realm.

"This is truly... such bad luck..." Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai bit his teeth as he uttered the last four words. His expression was slightly odd, but Yuan Chiye merely assumed he had drunk too much and was seeing things.

"Come, come, let's have another drink. I'll also be entering seclusion in a few days and might not emerge until the end of the year. Let's drink our fill today." Yuan Chiye had bought enough pills for a year of his cultivation. Chen Mobai's timing in seeking him out today was fortunate; they might not have met if it had been two days later.

After finishing their drinks, before Chen Mobai left, he asked for the location of the Alchemy Department. "Why do you ask?"

"Ah, when I came out of the secret realm, I fell into a coma, and Junior Sister Yan personally took care of me for a while. She hasn't returned for half a year now, and I'm very worried. I was thinking of asking her master, Department Head Zeng, to see if I could offer any humble assistance." Hearing this, Yuan Chiye found it very strange.

"When I mentioned it earlier, I didn't see any change in your expression." "Why are you suddenly so concerned after drinking?"