In the memories Qi Ping held, Old Man Zhou had only ever taken in three people.
The first was the eldest disciple, who had vanished without a trace. Since leaving Old Man Zhou, he had never returned. What was most bizarre was that even now, despite Qi Ping becoming an Earth Immortal Druid, he could find no trace of this eldest senior. It was as if all memories and records of his existence had been thoroughly erased.
The second was Qi Ping himself, the youngest legendary figure of the Star-Sea Continent.
The third was the young boy currently on the mountain peak, whom Qi Ping had encountered once before.
The reason Qi Ping felt that Old Man Zhou had a knack for picking up children of providence was that the boy, Chang Qing, was currently manifesting an incredibly unique talent. Within a ball of pale green light in his palm, the latent potential of a spirit tree was being stimulated! That particular spirit tree was surrounded by a very distinct energy and Daoist rhythm. Even Qi Ping could not fully analyze the form or essence of this power.
To Qi Ping's surprise, Chang Qing was not the only one capable of wielding this special power; his sister, Chang E, was exercising it as well! During the process, both of their pupils transformed into a mysterious, deep green.
'How interesting. What kind of power is this?'
Qi Ping was genuinely astonished. His current knowledge was arguably the most extensive in the Azure Heaven Domain. With his powerful soul, supreme comprehension, and extraordinary recovery traits, he had read nearly every book and record available in the region. Yet, even so, he could not recognize the nature or name of this specific energy. Its mystery was profound.
'It seems capable of discovering and excavating a spirit tree's potential. And in the process, they receive a portion of energy feedback and enlightenment?' After observing for a time, Qi Ping reached this conclusion.
He then shifted his gaze to the peak Chang Qing had rented. It was covered in an incredibly diverse array of spirit trees—far more variety than Qi Ping had seen anywhere else. Under normal circumstances, a cultivator would never do this. Because many spirit trees were difficult to nurture, a cultivator was usually considered exceptional if they could raise a few species well. A person like Chang Qing, who was raising hundreds at once, was practically seeking their own doom.
Yet, he was raising all of them exceptionally well! Most staggering of all was that the probability of these trees developing spirituality was more than ten times higher than in other places. This probability was simply absurd.
'It seems a truly special talent has emerged!'
A faint smile appeared on Qi Ping's face. He wasn't particularly interested in the siblings' unique power itself. Though it appeared formidable, Qi Ping had his own path to walk. The Dao of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, formations, the Treant Warden, and the Beast Guardian—these powers were already enough for him to comprehend. Unless it was a truly extraordinary force, he had little interest in learning more.
Moreover, countless talents and geniuses had emerged in the Azure Heaven Domain over the years. Under Qi Ping's policies, those from the bottom rungs of the Star-Sea Continent—those who previously never had a chance to tread the path of cultivation—had been given the opportunity to flourish. Unique bloodlines and talents were appearing in droves. If he were to covet everything, he would choke himself to death no matter how high his comprehension was.
Thus, at this moment, his priority was to properly utilize these people's strengths, treating them as the bricks and mortar of the Azure Heaven Domain's development, collectively building it toward a pinnacle state!
Chang Qing's value to Qi Ping followed this logic.
'It seems my future dedicated spirit plant cultivators will be these two siblings.'
With them, the probability of nurturing Immortal-grade spirit trees would increase significantly, and he could filter out high-potential trees with maximum efficiency. Naturally, Qi Ping would provide the siblings with ample rewards and opportunities for advancement. But how far they could go would ultimately depend on them. Even if they one day stood at the peak of the cultivation world, Qi Ping would not obstruct or envy them—unless they committed the same vile deeds as the Immortal Alliance or Ling Qianjue.
In truth, Qi Ping currently treated everyone in the Azure Heaven Domain with the same impartiality. Whether they could seize the opportunity depended on their own initiative.
Later, Qi Ping and the Little Immortal Tiger carefully inspected the trees on the mountain, eventually locking their gaze on a certain green bamboo. It looked little different from ordinary bamboo, with its only distinguishing feature being a faint aura of the lightning attribute.
'Azure Lightning Bamboo?'
Qi Ping hadn't expected the source of his special premonition to be a mere Azure Lightning Bamboo. This was a very common type of spirit bamboo with a relatively fast growth rate. Because it carried a trace of lightning power, it was often used to craft evil-dispelling materials. It wasn't considered a precious spirit plant. If it weren't for him, it would likely have been chopped down for crafting material.
But within Qi Ping's perception, this Azure Lightning Bamboo contained an incredibly unique spirituality.
'It is indeed a good seedling, but it doesn't seem to have reached a truly terrifying level yet.'
In fact, among the spirit trees Qi Ping had observed today, it wouldn't even rank in the top five.
'It seems that when it comes to the potential of spirit trees, even I, as a Treant Warden, cannot make an absolute judgment. To see what level they can truly reach, I have to give them a chance and put them to the test!'
This was the difficulty of spirit tree selection. It was likely the reason few in the cultivation world chose to spend vast effort on it. Instead of investing resources into slow screening, it was far more practical to simply purchase a spirit tree of the same rank.
But they weren't like Qi Ping. Any tree with sufficient spirituality could be nurtured by him into a Treant Warrior, or even given the chance to become a spirit creature. Once the strongest and most promising were determined, Qi Ping would choose them as his life-bound spirit trees.
'Azure Lightning Bamboo is of the lightning attribute. Following its natural growth, its future path should be one of controlling thunder—Purple Lightning, Golden Lightning, perhaps even the terrifying Nine Heavens Divine Thunder or Seven-Colored Divine Thunder...'
'That would be quite good!'
Qi Ping lacked lightning power, and this force might prove useful in the future. During his contemplation, Qi Ping quietly placed a mark and a surge of energy into the Azure Lightning Bamboo. Since he had determined it had the potential to reach the Immortal-grade, he naturally wouldn't allow any accidents to befall it.
'I'll take this opportunity to traverse the entire Azure Heaven Domain. Any spirit tree marked for its spirituality will be handled by Lin Yue and moved to the Qingyuan Mountain Range for nurturing!'
Having made his decision, Qi Ping's figure vanished. As for the siblings, once Lin Yue was informed, he would know exactly how to handle them.
In terms of personnel management, Lin Yue was the most capable person Qi Ping knew in the domain! Back when Lin Yue was in the original Qingyuan Sect, he had played both sides while maintaining a detached, carefree image, all while quietly controlling the entire region. He had countless cultivators under him as loyal as death-sworn soldiers. Such capability was simply absurd.
The only issue was that Chang E's physical condition seemed poor. After manifesting her talent for only a short while, she began to cough uncontrollably.
Once Qi Ping left, Chang E's coughing grew even more violent.
"Sister, go and rest! I'll handle the rest!" Chang Qing looked at his sister with immense heartache. Though he was still young, he already bore the responsibility of an older brother. His sister was his only family. He couldn't stop her from helping him, but he would never allow her to exhaust her body to its limit.
"Alright, I'll rest then! I still have some of the spirit medicine that senior gave us, so it's okay!"
Chang E knew her body needed rest. She sat down obediently and began to circulate a wood-attribute technique with health-nurturing and healing effects. She couldn't afford to worry her brother by overtaxing herself. She had already practiced this technique to perfection, and under the influence of the healing power, her condition began to stabilize.
Unfortunately, the source of her physical vitality had been too heavily damaged. It wasn't something ordinary spirit medicines or techniques could heal. Only after a good while did she finally manage to steady her condition. She had long since grown accustomed to these occasional flare-ups. Over the years, her body had frequently suffered pain akin to ten thousand insects devouring her flesh, but she had learned to endure it.
"Brother, when do you think Senior Daoist Bee will start looking for the special spirit trees?"
"Hmm... it should be soon? The policy said he would check within five or six years. I think the time is about right!"
"How many of our trees do you think Senior Daoist Bee will like? If it's even three or four times higher than the probability announced in the policy, we'll be rich! We could exchange merit points for so many things!"
At the thought, Chang E couldn't help but look forward to that day. With enough rewards, the siblings wouldn't have to struggle so hard. Especially for Chang Qing—she had seen the burden of responsibility and pressure he had carried for so many years.
"It should be quite a few! Our ability will surely nurture more high-quality trees!"
Hope flickered in Chang Qing's eyes. He had waited too long for this day. He was willing to expose his ability if it meant gaining the leverage needed to heal Chang E! Furthermore, as he learned more about the Azure Heaven Domain and Daoist Bee over the years, his trust and reverence for the senior only deepened.
Events did not disappoint the siblings. With Qi Ping's capability, he quickly completed his inspection of all spirit trees, marking those with spirituality and handing the map to Lin Yue. He also instructed that the siblings be recruited into the Qingyuan Academy in a reasonable manner, putting them in charge of selecting and nurturing spirit seeds.
Upon receiving Qi Ping's instructions, Lin Yue treated it like a divine decree. He immediately dropped part of his current workload to focus entirely on this task.
Soon, a grand decree for the collection of spirit trees was promulgated. One by one, spirit trees were purchased at generous prices and transplanted to the Qingyuan Mountain Range. At the same time, the promised rewards were distributed, instantly igniting an unprecedented celebration and climax within the Azure Heaven Domain.
"I just planted a dozen 1st-grade low-tier spirit trees in front of my house, and two of them were selected!"
"Me too! I planted some around my spirit herb field, and three of them made the cut! Now I have the resources to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining!"
"Damn it, I regret it. My yard was so empty, and I didn't plant anything! I feel like I missed out on ten thousand spirit stones!"
"I have to start planting as soon as possible! Even if they aren't selected, it won't be a loss to sell them once they grow!"
Encouraged by these rewards, another wave of spirit tree planting swept through the domain. The trend, which had been gradually stabilizing, surged once more! Countless bags of spirit fertilizer and seeds began to flow into the domain from outside. This time, almost every nook and cranny that could hold a plant was utilized!
While renting a spirit field for planting required consideration, using the corners of one's property was a guaranteed profit! Suddenly, the number of spirit trees in the Azure Heaven Domain skyrocketed.
Qi Ping was delighted by this. Not only did more trees increase the probability of discovering Immortal-grade potential, but trees themselves were creatures that provided positive feedback to the world. They absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, nurturing special spiritual power that benefited the world itself. This would also accelerate the growth and strengthening of the Azure Heaven Domain!
Over the years, amidst this scene of vibrant prosperity, the spirit veins and the stability of the domain's heaven and earth were strengthening at a terrifying speed. Even rogue cultivators at the bottom could clearly sense that the spiritual energy was much denser, and cultivation seemed slightly easier. This was the true meaning of a "land of grace and talent."
In this spirit tree collection drive, those most shocked were naturally Chang Qing and Chang E. As they listened to the Qingyuan Academy staff count the trees possessing spirituality one by one, their hearts were filled with extreme nervousness and anticipation! They weren't sure how many would qualify.
When the final result was tallied, the senior sister in charge of the count and transplantation was stunned. Thirteen times! The probability was thirteen times higher than normal!
"Thirteen times!?"
Chang Qing and Chang E looked at each other, seeing endless joy in each other's eyes! Their bitter days had finally come to an end! But soon, the siblings received even more shocking news. The senior sister from the academy regained her composure and said:
"The talent you two show in spirit plant cultivation is extraordinary. The Qingyuan Academy now invites you to become spirit tree cultivation experts within the academy. Your achievements will be announced to the entire academy, and you will receive corresponding authority and resources, along with a monthly salary of..."
The windfall hit them so hard they were left dizzy. They hadn't expected to receive the same treatment as the geniuses who were famous throughout the domain! Once they reacted, uncontrollable joy took over.
"We are willing! We are willing!" Chang Qing and Chang E cried out in unison.