8 A Plant-based Jackpot
With myriad thoughts swirling in his mind, Aksai exited the farmhouse, greeted by the familiar farmland view from the oil painting.
Sensing the Spirit energy akin to that of his home, he noted its 1st-order low-grade concentration, suitable for cultivating 1st-order plants.
Aksai observed that the place was somewhat less ideal for his Tantra practice because it had a bit lower concentration of Spirit energy than his current place. This was especially true after he broke into the late-stage of the Spirit Refining Realm last night.
Aksai wasn't bothered. As long as he could raise and cultivate some precious herbs in secret without the actual landlord noticing, he was okay with it. Aksai could always play the role of a regular farmer and spend his time cultivating outside.
An initial inspection of the farmland revealed nothing unusual, prompting Aksai to walk through and examine the resilient Spirit herbs. As soon as he did that, his expression turned jubilant and metaphorical money signs reflected in his eyes.
Kaching– A plant-based jackpot was struck!
"This is… Celestial Glowroot! And this… 1st Order Aetherial Lotus. And what's that here? Holy sh— it's Frostfire Orchid. Hahahaha, I hit a motherlode."
Aksai couldn't help laughing to his heart's content when he identified the few plants that had survived in the mysterious farmland.
These plants and herbs were of exceptional quality, promising substantial returns in spirit stones if he decided to sell them outside.
All of them were of 1st Order quality. Moreover, most of them could be refined by the alchemist to create 1st-order consumables, which even late-stage Spirit Refiners could use for substantial progress in their cultivation journey.
Some of these cultivation resources could also aid the cultivators in their practice of cultivation techniques. Certain ingredients could be turned into life-saving elixirs, usable either during or after battles.
"Haah! Looks like I need to offer a bottle of Shawu wine on my old man's grave as a tribute. The inheritance he passed me is indeed worthy of the hype he made.
I guess I can believe some of his seemingly far-fetched stories about the Everwood family's glory days in the past, which he had heard from his father, and the latter from his father, and so on," Aksai thought to himself and chuckled.
The combination of the neural link fabric and this mysterious farming haven made Aksai feel as though he had exhausted the luck of his foreseeable lifetime.
"As for how to make use of this inheritance? First of all, this farmland can be turned into my secret hideout to cultivate plants I don't want others to see," Aksai caressed his chin and stroked his non-existent beard as he thought of how to make use of such a heaven-sent opportunity for him.
He could use this place as his own warehouse, considering how spacious it was. Or use teleportation as a live-saving escape method. And these were only the most basic uses. There were so many ways he could make use of the teleportation mechanism after checking its limitations.
He then stopped himself from letting his mind run off on its own and decided to prioritize his safety first.
"This family heritage is indeed heaven-defying," Aksai sighed with emotion as he realized how lucky it was for him to have obtained this oil painting. He also realized that he needed to keep this painting a secret at all costs.
"Forget about the Foundation building Experts; even the cultivators in the 3rd Realm – the Core Formation Lords will also come to rob this away from me if they came to know about its existence. Just the fact that it can teleport someone without using any external assistance is enough for them to act.
I have heard many stories in which the groundbreaking opportunities obtained by some of the drifting cultivators ended up becoming the reason for their downfall.
This is an empire-topping treasure that I hold in my hands. I'll meet worse death than those poor fools if I'm not careful," Aksai said to himself as he looked at the oil painting he was holding.
Aksai refrained from plucking the herbs for the time being.
He lacked proper and secure channels to sell such precious 1st-order cultivation ingredients.
Additionally, he was financially strapped and lacked a spatial storage item to transport the items safely. Carrying them in a bag would be too conspicuous and invite potential robbers.
"There's no hurry. I'm a man of patience."
Aksai chose not to harvest the herbs in the mysterious farmland. Instead, he cautiously walked toward the edge of the farmland, bordered by ancient-looking trees. These trees acted as a natural fence, and volumetric fog filled the gaps between them, obscuring the view beyond.
Approaching the trees with care, Aksai discovered that, despite his efforts to cross the natural fence and reach the other side, some strange spell or power consistently brought him back to where he started.
"This...this is a 1st Order barrier-type Array Formation," Aksai quickly discerned the situation. He shook his head, reflecting on the limited progress he had made in gaining basic knowledge of Array Formations.
[ Artifact Creation Expertise: 1st Order (Low level. Needs more data to rank up to the mid-level. Current estimated progress 0.7%) ]
With his current expertise, he couldn't even identify the special characteristics of the Array Formation, let alone crack it and reach the other side. He needed to thank his stars because had it been an attack-type Array Formation, he would have been severely injured.
Realizing the futility of struggling against the barrier, Aksai abandoned the idea of crossing to the other side. Instead, he spent more time in the mysterious farmland, familiarizing himself with everything at his disposal.
This inheritance was his responsibility, and understanding it thoroughly was crucial before attempting to derive any benefits from it.
After spending a few hours inside the mysterious farmland, Aksai channeled his Spirit Sense back into the oil painting he was holding and returned to his dilapidated dwelling. The feeling of coming home after a long journey enveloped him.
