Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Wang Chengming did not immediately set off for the edge of the desert. Instead, he first returned to his dwelling, took out two empty gourds, carefully filled them with clear water, and hung them at his waist.
The Qing Sha Oasis was not vast, spanning only about twenty li.
The entire oasis was an irregular circle, with a central area of about ten li, protected by a first-order top-grade defensive Formation. This was where the Wang Family Cultivators lived, and the Clan members generally referred to it as "Qing Sha Hill."
The outer perimeter of the oasis consisted of Spiritual Fields cultivated by Mortals and rented by Loose Cultivators. The Spiritual Veins were thin, barely able to support the growth of Qingya Rice, which was just barely of the first-order.
Despite this, because the Qing Sha Oasis possessed a second-order Low Grade Spiritual Vein, it still attracted many low-level Loose Cultivators seeking to make a living.
The Family's academy was located on the outskirts of Qing Sha Hill.
Wang Chengming followed the familiar path, passing through sparsely distributed Spiritual Fields.
After an incense stick's time, the ground gradually transitioned from cracked soil to fine yellow sand. With each step, grains of sand slipped from the soles of his boots.
The mud before him had completely disappeared, replaced by undulating sand dunes. Beside him, several resilient, wind-eroded old trees stood, their bark long since cracked and mottled, as if they could be swallowed by the wind and sand at any moment.
Wang Chengming looked down at the thick layer of yellowish-brown sand beneath his feet. Without hesitation, he slowly unhooked the two water gourds from his waist and poured every last drop of clear water into the sand.
The water droplets hit the sand, instantly absorbed by the scorching grains, emitting a faint "hissing" sound, leaving only a few dark marks on the ground.
Having completed this, he took three slightly dull seeds from his in arms, gently rubbed them with his thumb, and then carefully buried them in the sand.
Immediately after, he formed hand seals, Spiritual Qi flowing at his fingertips, and softly chanted the Spell: "Qingmu Cui Ya Technique."
A vibrant green Spiritual Light illuminated from his palm, transforming into a stream of light that disappeared into the sand, as tendrils of green silk intertwined around the seeds.
sea buckthorn grass is merely a first-order Low Grade Spiritual Plant, yet it possesses a unique ability: to gather sand and transform it into soil.
Legend has it that sea buckthorn grass was a Spiritual Plant cultivated ten thousand years ago by a Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator who wished to reverse the desertification of the Immortal Realm. It could fully mature in just a short month.
Once it matured, it would immediately wither, transforming itself into nutrients to convert the sand into soil.
It was a pity that without a Cultivator's protection, even if sea buckthorn grass could turn sand into soil, facing a Black Annihilation Sandstorm, all the soil would turn into flying sand in a matter of breaths, to be re-swallowed by the endless yellow sand.
Feeling the tender shoots slowly emerging from the seeds, Wang Chengming cast his Spell again to Birth the other two seeds.
However, the next moment, the smile on his face slightly froze.
The remaining two sea buckthorn grasses, under the activation of his magic power, showed no signs of movement for a long time. After half a breath, their Spiritual Qi suddenly dissipated, the seeds slightly burst, and they completely lost their vitality.
He frowned, squatting down to examine them, and found no trace of Spiritual Qi permeating this sandy area; even the fine sand remained dry.
"Indeed… this is not a true Spiritual Field," he murmured.
Even though sea buckthorn grass was said to be able to 'gather sand and transform it into soil,' without a stable Spiritual Qi circulation environment, even using Spells to Germination would ultimately be futile.
He recalled the Family records: even for low-level Spiritual Plants, without a minimum levelof Spiritual Qi nourishment, relying solely on Spells for Birth would at most yield a success rate of less than thirty percent. Even if they successfully sprouted, without subsequent Spiritual Qi nourishment, they would be extremely prone to withering.
Feeling that most of his magic power had been consumed, he did not stop; at least one had successfully sprouted.
Wang Chengming wiped the sweat from his forehead, and the Spell in his palm changed again, with one Spiritual Light after another flashing between his fingers.
In a few breaths, a faint cloud slowly condensed before him. Spiritual Qi transformed into water vapor, the surrounding temperature dropped sharply, and even the dry heat of the yellow sand seemed to be suppressed by a degree.
The cloud grew thicker and thicker, but along with it came the frantic dissipation of his internal magic power, which was drained at a rate almost visible to the naked eye.
Finally, at the moment the last Spell was completed, the cloud above his head suddenly shook, and then with a "whoosh," large raindrops carrying wisps of Spiritual Qi poured down.
The raindrops hit the scorching sand, instantly raising rolling white mist, as if boiling water had been spilled on a hot iron plate.
Wang Chengming stared intently at the area of yellow sand where the sea buckthorn grass had just been planted.
He breathed rapidly, his gaze fixed on the sand's surface.
Not long after—just as the cloud gradually dispersed—several faint green shoots quietly emerged from the sand!
Just then, a line of faint golden text suddenly flashed across Wang Chengming's vision.
First time planting sea buckthorn grass, Azure Wood Dao Accumulation +10.
He was stunned, then his entire being seemed to be engulfed in ecstasy.
"Hahaha!" Wang Chengming suddenly threw his head back and laughed, his voice echoing for a long time in the empty sand dunes.
10 points of Azure Wood Dao Accumulation!
Ever since that day he saw the line [Azure Wood Dao Accumulation: 0] on the panel, he knew that this was the key to his path to higher cultivation.
Now, 10 points of Dao Accumulation shone brightly on the panel.
Amidst the yellow sand, a hint of tender green, though inconspicuous, quietly took root like a spark of hope.
"Perhaps… this is the true starting point of my path of cultivation."
Wang Chengming looked up at the sky. Night was falling, and the sunset glowed like blood, but his heart had never been as clear as it was now.
Just as he was about to leave and return to his residence, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of churning yellow sand in the distance. A dark figure, raising plumes of dust, was rapidly approaching the oasis.
His heart tightened: "A Yao Beast? No, that's not right!"
Wang Chengming's first reaction was a Yao Beast attack, but a second thought dismissed that guess.
The Yao Beasts around Qing Sha Oasis had mostly been cleared out, and the oasis had over a hundred Qi Refining Cultivators from the Wang Clan, plus the gathering of Loose Cultivators in the vicinity. Once a Yao Beast was discovered, it would usually be hunted down by the swarming Cultivators.
After all, resources were scarce in the desert,and no one would give up a Yao Beast that could be hunted without venturing deep into the desert.
The dark figure's speed was extremely fast, covering a hundred zhang in an instant, bringing with it a strong scent of blood.
Wang Chengming narrowed his eyes, barely making out the figure—it was none other than Wang Chengyu, the captain of the Demon Hunting Team!
"It's Fourth Brother!" Wang Chengming's expression changed, and a sudden sense of unease rose in his heart.
Wang Chengyu was in rags, covered in blood, utterly disheveled, his face ashen. Even the Spiritual Light of his flight was flickering precariously.
"This is bad, something's happened!"
Wang Chengming's steps quickened, instinctively wanting to run towards the Clan to request support, but his peripheral vision swept the surroundings again—there were no signs of an enemy pursuing.
This made him breathe a sigh of relief. If there were a powerful enemy in pursuit, with Fourth Brother's Late Stage Qi Refining cultivation only able to flee, a Cultivator like him, at Qi Refining first layer, would be of no help at all, and his rash approach would only be a burden.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Chengyu stumbled and fell before Wang Chengming, barely steadying himself, almost collapsing.
"Fourth Brother!" Wang Chengming quickly supported him, feeling his body's weakness, even his bones trembling slightly, clearly having pushed himself to his limit.
"What happened? Where are the other members of the Demon Hunting Team? You… how did you end up like this?"
Wang Chengyu's face was pale, and as he gasped, his eyes still held anger.
"I… we were ambushed… the others… quickly inform the Clan Chief…"
Before he finished speaking, his vision went black, and he fainted.
Wang Chengming's hands trembled, almost failing to support him.