The Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon was currently rooted at the very center of the spiritual plot. Its feet were buried in the soil, and a layer of faint purple energy pulsed from its roots throughout its body. It exuded an eerie aura.
Its heterochromatic eyes were tightly shut, as if it were in a deep slumber. It only opened them when Qi Ping approached. Its expression shifted from confusion to joy, and it pulled its feet from the ground to fly onto his arm.
"Gulu gulu... (Hug...)"
"Gulu gulu... (Play with you...)"
Compared to two days ago, the little demon could already express vague concepts. At this rate, it would be able to communicate normally soon. Although this was Qi Ping's first time dealing with a newly awakened consciousness, he didn't find it inconvenient. It was young, after all.
Moreover, it didn't require much maintenance. When it was hungry, it would simply return to the spiritual plot.
Observing its aura, Qi Ping noticed it was growing much faster than the little fox. Even though he hadn't used Plant Growth for several days, its strength had clearly increased. He didn't know the reason; he could only attribute it to its unique juvenile humanoid form.
He smiled and pinched the demon's chubby little cheek, finding it cool to the touch—completely different from the fox's warm body.
After playing for a bit, he "replanted" the little fellow and began using Plant Growth again. Since the skill worked on it, the Flower Demon was the one most likely to reach maturity quickly.
With his soul strengthened, Qi Ping only needed to spend a fraction of his energy to satisfy his normal cultivation. Since he didn't need to nurture bees right now, he planned to use some of his surplus energy to prepare the spiritual-medicinal honey Ya Ya needed for her breakthrough.
He needed to cultivate some Fire-Spirit Grass and Fire-Glow fruits with several centuries of potency. Fortunately, he already had the recipes for the honey suitable for Ya Ya, so he didn't need to waste time testing new formulas.
The rest of his energy would go to the little Flower Demon.
Chaos was intensifying in the Qingtian Domain. According to Meng Yan, more people were dying every day—members of major sects and local clans alike. Qi Ping had only avoided the storm because he was hidden in the mountains.
But he didn't know when the trouble would find him. He was careful, but he rented a plot in the B-District, spent large sums of spirit stones, and remained unharmed while seventy percent of rogue cultivators were dead or missing. If anyone looked closely, it would raise eyebrows. Even if he had logical explanations, if the factions went mad enough, he would be caught in the crossfire, and he might even draw the attention of Foundation Establishment experts.
Under such circumstances, getting the Flower Demon to Rank Two would be a massive safeguard. A Rank Two Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon plus ten thousand combat bees could definitely kill many Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As someone who shared the Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm talent, he knew exactly what a Rank Two demon could do with that ability.
Under the influence of Plant Growth, the purple energy surrounding the demon grew denser, and its aura strengthened rapidly.
'The effect is truly excellent!'
Qi Ping was pleased to see its rapid progress. The only downside was that his recently strengthened soul was becoming insufficient once more.
Originally, with the Fairy-Trance Divine Seal, his soul strength was more than enough for himself and Ya Ya's medicine. He even had energy left for extra meditation. But with the addition of the Flower Demon, his soul energy was stretched thin again.
'I still need to be frugal!'
'Just like before, I must use Plant Growth to consume as much soul energy as possible without affecting my own cultivation and insights, then continue once I've recovered. I must avoid any waste of energy.'
He had briefly considered contracting more plant-type spirit beasts, but now he had to reconsider. Unless the advantage was massive, he should decide based on his talent needs and the strength of the beast.
'Forget it, I shouldn't complain. This is already quite good!'
'The spiritual herbs I grow with Plant Growth not only satisfy my needs but can also be tailored for my companions. Compared to other cultivators, my advantage is already immense.'
It was like spirit stones; you could never have enough. Qi Ping had been ecstatic when he calculated that his two plots could earn ten thousand stones. But then he spent seventeen thousand on the fox and the flower, and he still owed ten thousand. Even with Plant Growth, it would take half a year to pay it back.
This meant that for the next six months, he would be broke. Yet, in half a year, his Druid level would rise, and his cultivation would likely hit the ninth level of Qi Refinement. He would need to buy new spirit beasts, find Foundation Establishment manuals, and gain knowledge on breaking through. How to earn stones safely would once again be a massive problem.
Desire was endless; once you reached a new stage, you wanted more!
'I must stay calm and use my resources diligently. Once my strength is up, I can find ways to accumulate wealth. It will happen eventually!'
'The path of immortality is long. There will always be problems. The most important thing is to clarify the Dao-heart and take every step firmly!'
Thinking this, his fleeting annoyance vanished, replaced by resolve and peace. Immortality was still a distant, illusory concept; for now, planning and executing each task was what mattered.
Beekeeping, brewing, growing medicine, mastering the Explosive Flame spell and Wood-Flame Manual, reaching the peak of Qi Refinement, and earning stones safely... these all required his full attention.
'The primary goal now is preparing the fire-attribute honey for Ya Ya and using Plant Growth to get the Flower Demon to Rank Two as fast as possible.'
'The rest of my time will go toward mastering my techniques to perfection so I have a better chance at Foundation Establishment. Now that I have Flame Intent and a stronger soul, it shouldn't take too long.'
'Finally, I must wait for Plant Growth to reach Level 4. Then I can grow Blood Ginseng with five hundred years of potency. The bees have been at Rank One for so long; it's nearly time for them to evolve to Rank Two. I should have the Queen Bee start selecting and breeding the best Balanced Drones now...'