The Fire Sun Grass is regarded as a divine herb by cultivators who practice fire-based techniques. Pills refined from it contain pure fire energy, making them ideal for cultivation with minimal side effects.
Not only that, but for sects like the Yin-Yang Sect, which practice dual cultivation techniques, female disciples can even rely solely on pills made from Fire Sun Grass for their cultivation, eliminating the need for a cultivation partner.
Resisting cold toxins is just one of its many benefits—and a minor one at that.
The Blazing Fire Grass that Li Chuan had just mentioned, however, closely resembles Fire Sun Grass in appearance, growth environment, and even the self-protective traits it exhibits when harvested.
Both are fire-attributed spiritual herbs, with only one key difference: the Blazing Fire Grass self-immolates upon reaching maturity.
That alone would be troublesome enough.
But it doesn’t just burn itself—it also ignites the surrounding spiritual energy.
If Blazing Fire Grass isn’t promptly removed from an area, it will not only turn the land into a sea of flames but also create a scorched zone where spiritual energy is repelled for years.
By then, not only spiritual plants but even ordinary vegetation would struggle to survive.
In the cultivation world, it is common practice for cultivators to clear away toxic or useless spiritual plants in the wild. Since spiritual plants and cultivators both rely on spiritual energy for growth and cultivation, allowing such plants to thrive means competing for limited resources.
The more of these plants there are, the less spiritual energy cultivators can absorb, making cultivation increasingly difficult.
So whether it’s something as destructive as Blazing Fire Grass or just a cluster of worthless spiritual herbs, they’ll be eradicated without hesitation.
Blazing Fire Grass and Fire Sun Grass actually belong to the same species—they simply evolved in different directions.
Li Chuan speculated that there must have been patches of both herbs here at one point, but the cultivator who destroyed them lacked sufficient knowledge of spiritual plants and mistook the Fire Sun Grass for Blazing Fire Grass, wiping them all out.
In the cultivation world, such incidents happen far too often—it’s just that those responsible never realize they’ve squandered something rare and precious.
Regardless, Li Chuan still considered this a great windfall. He happily dug up the Fire Sun Grass and stored it in his Qiankun pouch before resuming his search.
Since he sensed that his breakthrough was near, he didn’t plan to spend too much time gathering herbs and instead prioritized his advancement.
After finding two more spiritual herbs worth only a few spirit stones, he turned back and flew toward the entrance.
Had it not been for the fact that most of the spiritual energy in this minor realm was currently being absorbed by the spiritual plants in the cultivated fields, he could have simply meditated and cultivated right there in the woods.
“Huh? Huh!” After flying for about half an incense stick’s worth of time, Li Chuan suddenly halted mid-air above a patch of spiritual fields, letting out two surprised exclamations.
His gaze was fixed on a ridge between the crisscrossing fields below.
With excitement bubbling in his chest, Li Chuan slowly descended.
As the saying goes, treasures often appear when least expected—and this was one of those moments.
Who would have thought that in such an open, frequently traversed area like a field ridge, there would be an incredibly rare spiritual herb?
This was a vast expanse of spiritual fields, with at least forty or fifty plots arranged in a grid.
Nearly every plot was guarded, as the spiritual grains within were nearly ripe for harvest. If someone were to steal them now, the loss would be devastating.
The moment Li Chuan landed, the owners of the adjacent fields immediately stood up.
“Elder Brother, may I ask what brings you here?” A black-robed middle-aged disciple, standing only a dozen meters away, clasped his hands and asked warily.
Though it was unlikely that Li Chuan would openly try to steal their grains, the sudden appearance of a stranger near their fields naturally put them on edge.
Li Chuan’s gaze shifted from the cluster of weeds on the ridge to the surrounding cultivators.
Among those weeds, one stood out slightly—its hue a touch greener than the others. Without careful observation, it would easily go unnoticed.
Of course, even if someone did notice, they’d likely mistake it for an ordinary Spirit-Guarding Grass.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have grown so brazenly in plain sight.
As for Spirit-Guarding Grass, it’s a general term for weeds that prevent spiritual energy from dissipating.
The spiritual energy in these fields rises from underground, continuously seeping upward.
Without something to contain it, this energy would eventually disperse into the sky.
That’s where Spirit-Guarding Grass comes in—its nature allows it to trap spiritual energy within the land, ensuring it nourishes the fields instead of escaping.
In truth, all the wild grasses growing on untended spiritual land are Spirit-Guarding Grass. They’re the reason these lands retain their spiritual energy.
That’s why the ridges between the fields were left overgrown—not out of laziness, but necessity.
They acted as a naturally formed barrier. Removing them would cause the fields to lose spiritual energy, directly affecting the growth of the spiritual grains and, in the long run, the lifespan of the fields themselves.
Facing their guarded expressions, Li Chuan remained calm and feigned confusion.
“I noticed that these first-tier spiritual fields are at least mid-to-high grade, yet the spiritual grains growing here seem stunted—barely yielding the lowest quality. I found it odd, so I came down to take a look.”
His words darkened their expressions.
Because he was right.
The surrounding fields weren’t just mid-to-high grade—they were top-tier.
Yet, they were producing grains of the poorest quality. Whether the harvested spiritual rice would even retain its efficacy was uncertain—a constant source of distress for the field owners lately.
They’d even consulted spiritual plant specialists, but none had uncovered the cause.
Now, Li Chuan’s blunt observation only rubbed salt in their wounds.
“There’s no need for Elder Brother to concern himself with this matter,” the black-robed man replied coolly.
“If you’re just here out of curiosity, you may leave. We’ve already sought the advice of spiritual plant specialists, and even they couldn’t determine the cause. There’s no way you could.”
Another gray-robed man to Li Chuan’s left spoke up, his tone equally dismissive.
Though these men were only at the first level of Qi Refining, they were confident they could overpower Li Chuan if it came to a fight. So, they saw no reason to be polite to a passerby who’d stopped just to gawk.
Li Chuan, however, smiled.
“I do have some expertise in spiritual plants. What if I told you I’ve already figured out why your fields are underperforming? How would you repay me?”
“If this issue isn’t resolved, even when your grains mature, they’ll struggle to form complete spiritual rice—perhaps not even the lowest grade.”
Their faces paled at his words.
This was their greatest fear—and something the specialists had warned them about.
"Senior Brother, are you serious? Can you really help us resolve the issue with the spirit fields?" The middle-aged man in black robes forced a smile as he hurried over to Li Chuan. "Might we ask what you desire in return? Truth be told, we’re in rather dire straits ourselves. We hope you might show some leniency, given our shared ties as fellow disciples of the sect."