My Portable Spirit Farm: Rise of the Humble Servant

Chapter 256: Seeing the Ancient Tree Again

“Killing intent pollution?”

The Ancient Green Cloud Tree’s voice paused, then turned unctuous. “Ah… you mean that. Well, it’s not completely impossible…”

It spoke with deliberate slowness, affecting an air of casual curiosity. “But… kid, that ‘Cradle of Life’ you offered me before… ahem, the black soil. Do you happen to have any left?”

Chen Ping scoffed inwardly. So that was its game! The old spirit’s greed was louder than a cracked bell. He immediately plastered a deeply troubled expression across his face and shook his head with absolute certainty.

“Ancient One, you jest. A divine treasure like that? This Junior only stumbled upon a minuscule amount by some heaven-defying Fated Chance. I gave it all to you. My pockets are completely empty.”

“Ah… a pity. A terrible pity…” The Ancient Tree’s voice dripped with exaggerated sorrow. “If there was more of that Cradle of Life, this old man might have been willing to sacrifice some foundational life essence to help you. It would take a month or two to purge that killing intent thoroughly. But alas… without the Cradle of Life to replenish my roots, my spirit is willing, but my sap is dry.”

It smoothly pivoted to another solution. “If there is no Cradle of Life, there is a cruder method. Find a spirit plant called Evil Cleansing Wood and sow it across the Spirit Fields in massive quantities. It slowly leeches the pollution from the soil. Of course, the effect is negligible. You probably wouldn’t see results for eighty to a hundred years.”

Chen Ping cursed the old bastard. It had him in a vice. It knew he couldn’t wait a century, and it knew he wouldn’t let his own 50 acres of Spirit Fields sit useless for a lifetime. The tree had clearly sensed he still had a stash!

Weighing his options, Chen Ping gritted his teeth. “Ancient One… if this Junior is fortunate enough to scrape together just a few more grains of that Cradle of Life, would you act? Furthermore, you must swear upon your foundational spirit to the Great Dao that you will never reveal to anyone that I possess this item! If you breathe a word of it, may your Dao shatter and your spirit be annihilated!”

The Ancient Green Cloud Tree roared with inward ecstasy.

The gamble paid off! The kid really had a stockpile! And judging by his tone, he was ready to deal.

Without a second of hesitation, the ancient entity swore a vicious, binding oath to the heavens, its voice thrumming with absolute solemnity to guarantee its eternal silence.

Satisfied, Chen Ping retreated into his Jade Pendant space. He extracted roughly a small vial’s worth of the black soil and sealed it away. Feigning immense heartbreak, he materialized the jade vial before the Ancient Green Cloud Tree.

A thick wooden branch whipped forward, moving with blinding, desperate speed. It gingerly, yet ravenously, coiled around the vial and snatched it back into the canopy.

“Good! Good! Such immaculate foundational life force! It’s even purer than the last batch!” The Ancient Tree trembled with irrepressible euphoria. “Kid, put your heart at ease! One week! Give this old man one week, and I will scour every speck of that killing intent from the Sect’s Spirit Fields! I swear on my roots they will be even better than their original grade!”

The ancient spirit was practically giddy. It had only hoped to extort a small snack, but this windfall was staggering. With soil this pure, it could attempt to break into the fifth rank within a decade. Within a century, it might even glimpse the elusive sixth rank!

Chen Ping nodded and turned to leave.

The tree practically tripped over its own roots to see him out, its tone syrupy with newfound affection. “Kid, don’t be a stranger! Come visit this old man whenever you run into trouble!”

Stepping out of the Qingyun Secret Realm, Chen Ping glanced back at the portal and shook his head. This old tree was ruthlessly pragmatic.

Still, the problem was solved. In a week, the Spirit Plant Hall and his own Spirit Fields would breathe again. The cost was steep… or at least, it would be to anyone else. To the rest of the Cultivation world, that black soil was a peerless treasure on par with immortal earth.

To Chen Ping, it was just a drop in an endless bucket.

Chen Ping stepped through the distorted light of the portal. Before his eyes could even adjust to the harsh sunlight outside, he realized he wasn’t alone.

Headmaster Li Lingfeng and Elder Zhao Yuanqi stood silently a few paces away, their gazes boring into him. They had clearly been waiting.

Li Lingfeng remained composed, though his eyes were sharp with inquiry. Zhao Yuanqi, however, was practically vibrating with impatience. The moment Chen Ping steadied his footing, the Elder blurted out, “Junior Brother Chen! Well? Is the Ancient One… is it willing to intervene?”

Chen Ping immediately cupped his hands in a respectful salute. He launched into his pre-rehearsed, heavily redacted report.

“Reporting to the Headmaster, Elder Zhao. Upon hearing of the Spirit Plant Hall’s misery and the ruination of the Sect’s Spirit Fields, the Ancient One was deeply moved. It declared that as the Sect’s guardian Spirit Root, it could not stand idly by. It has resolved to burn some of its foundational power to completely purge the accumulated killing intent from the earth and restore the Qingyun Sect’s fields.”

A brilliant light flashed in Li Lingfeng’s eyes. He opened his mouth to press for details, but Zhao Yuanqi beat him to it, sucking in a sharp breath.

“What?!” Zhao Yuanqi gasped, his voice cracking with disbelief. “It… it actually agreed? Junior Brother Chen, you are incredible! You actually managed to persuade that stubborn old—” He caught himself, swallowing the disrespectful insult, but his shock remained palpable.

“I won’t lie to you, Junior Brother,” Zhao Yuanqi continued. “Years ago, when we first discovered the pollution, the Headmaster and I begged the Ancient One to help us countless times.”

“But that old fellow… ahem, the Ancient One, flatly rejected us. Every single time. It always gave the same excuse: it claimed it was terminally ill, its lifespan hanging by a thread, and that expending foundational power would be suicide. It was entirely unreasonable! How did you…”

Chen Ping’s mouth twitched. He fought the urge to roll his eyes.

Nonsense! he thought. You walked in empty-handed and expected an ancient monster to burn its own life force for free? Who would agree to that? It didn’t survive for eons by being a charity worker. Without offering a shred of tangible benefit, relying purely on smooth words and ‘Sect duty,’ of course that ghost-crafty old tree told you to get lost!

Outwardly, Chen Ping maintained a perfectly baffled expression. He carefully chose his next words.

“Well… perhaps the Ancient One saw how much the Sect has struggled in recent years. Seeing the disciples’ arduous Cultivation, perhaps it finally softened its heart and decided to invest in the Sect’s future? It probably wishes to see the Qingyun Sect reclaim its former glory.”

Zhao Yuanqi’s expression twisted into a knot of deep suspicion. He frowned, clearly not buying a single word of it.

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