Chapter 288 - 277: 9 Essence Souls
Han Chi County wasn’t considered large among the Chenghua Sect’s hundreds of counties. In terms of both its number of cultivators and its geographical area, it ranked in the lower-middle tier.
But like a sparrow, though small, it had all its vital organs. Han Chi County had a Talisman Pavilion for creating talismans, a forging hall for Artifact Refining, an alchemy platform for Alchemy, as well as medicinal fields, Tea Gardens, sang forests, wineries, and apiaries...
The Spirit Dao Institute had chosen this location because it could draw out earth fire. Moreover, its earth veins contained all five elements, making it suitable for the growth of Spirit Plants and convenient for disciples to learn various Daoist arts.
Over time, these industries gradually developed and became quite successful. Among them, the Spiritual Silk Dharma Robes, Songyu Peak tea, and Hidden Sword Cold Fish were the most famous.
Zhao Lin planned to search these places for a suitable Essence Soul.
Although the county also had Spirit Beasts like the Blue-necked Egret, the Five-Colored Deer, and the Golden Red Ape, Zhao Lin didn’t dare to target them.
Besides, these Spirit Beasts were mainly for show or served as mounts for Foundation Establishment cultivators; they possessed no outstanding special abilities.
Zhao Lin arrived at the foot of Guangze Peak. He glanced at the map in his hand and looked up the mountain, where he saw a large forest of Bailingsang trees on the northern slope.
He nodded slightly and muttered to himself, "The Sang Garden should be over there!"
He followed the mountain path north and upward. As he neared the forest of sang trees, a restrictive array blocked his way.
The array was filled with a gray haze and emitted clear fluctuations of Spiritual Power. On the ground was a sign that read, "No Unauthorized Entry."
Zhao Lin stopped and took out his Identity Jade Token. He held it up to the array, and a beam of white light shot from the token into the barrier.
Before long, a cultivator in his thirties walked out. His eyebrows were so thick and coarse they looked like a pair of brushes. He sized up Zhao Lin with a puzzled expression.
Before the man could speak, Zhao Lin took the initiative to explain, "Senior Brother, my name is Zhao Lin. I am a new disciple at the Spirit Dao Institute."
The thick-browed senior brother had already figured as much from Zhao Lin’s attire, but he still held out his hand and said expressionlessly, "Let me see your token."
With a flick of his wrist, Zhao Lin sent the jade token flying slowly into the thick-browed senior brother’s hand as if it had grown wings.
A flicker of surprise crossed the thick-browed senior brother’s eyes. ’Zhao Lin is only at the Qi Refining First Layer. How can he control objects from a distance?’
But he quickly realized the other man was using martial arts.
"I heard there was a Martial Cultivator among the new disciples. So it’s you!"
A smile finally appeared on the thick-browed senior brother’s face. "What brings you here?"
Zhao Lin replied humbly, "As you probably know, Senior Brother, disciples must choose a Daoist art after their first year. I wanted to learn about them in advance, just to get a general idea."
The thick-browed senior brother chuckled. "Planting sang trees and raising silkworms is a traditional Daoist art of our Chenghua Sect. It’s rare for a junior brother to be interested. Come in."
With that, he waved his hand and dispelled the restrictive array.
As they walked into the sang forest, Zhao Lin put on a curious expression and asked a few questions.
The thick-browed senior brother was quite enthusiastic. He led Zhao Lin on a stroll through the forest, explaining the entire process of making Dharma Robes from Spiritual Silk.
A so-called "Daoist art" was a collection of related Daoist Skills and techniques.
Take Alchemy, for example. It began with identifying medicinal ingredients, progressed to understanding the structure of a Pill Furnace and familiarizing oneself with a cauldron’s temperament, and included the most crucial fire-controlling Magic.
Refining a single cauldron of pills could require seven or eight, or even more than ten, different types of fire-controlling Magic. It was by no means a skill learned overnight.
Making Dharma Robes was much the same. One had to be proficient in the way of Spirit Plants, know Magic to soothe the Spiritual Silkworms, and possess methods to control temperature and humidity, expel pests, and so on.
The thick-browed senior brother explained in great detail, and Zhao Lin listened intently. ’Although I’m not interested in planting sang trees, it’s always good to learn more. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up in this line of work someday?’
When the thick-browed senior brother mentioned pests that affected the sang trees’ growth, such as shield bugs, bitter knot worms, and folded-wing roaches, Zhao Lin asked carefully about their characteristics, but found none were suitable for his cultivation.
After the thick-browed senior brother finished his explanation, he had other matters to attend to, so he called over a silkworm farmer to take Zhao Lin on a tour of the silkworm house.
The silkworm farmer was a man in his fifties with graying hair. He had no fluctuations of Spiritual Power, and Zhao Lin could tell at a glance that he was a mortal. Still, he said respectfully, "I’ll be in your care, old sir."
The thick-browed senior brother grinned, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.
This old silkworm farmer was actually the thick-browed senior brother’s uncle from the mortal world. He had lost his parents at a young age and was raised entirely by this uncle.
After he began to cultivate the Dao, he brought his uncle to the sect to repay his kindness, hoping the old man could live out his days in peace and comfort.
But the old man had worked hard his entire life and couldn’t stay idle, even in the Cultivation Realm. The thick-browed senior brother had no choice but to arrange for him to work in the Sang Garden alongside him.
The thick-browed senior brother was naturally pleased to see Zhao Lin show his uncle such respect.
A smile appeared on the old silkworm farmer’s face as well. He bowed and said, "You are too kind, Immortal Master. Please, follow this old man."
The silkworm house contained many stone niches. Each niche housed anywhere from seven or eight to more than a dozen Spiritual Silkworms.
The Spiritual Silkworms were a rainbow of colors, constantly munching on Bailingsang leaves and creating a rustling sound like a soft drizzle.
Zhao Lin approached the stone niches and noticed they were covered by a restrictive array to prevent the Spiritual Silkworms from escaping.
When he looked at the Spiritual Silkworms inside, he couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
Seeing his reaction, the old silkworm farmer began to explain, "Immortal Master, please look. The white ones are Cold Ice Silkworms, the red ones are Fire Cloud Silkworms, and the green ones are Water and Wood Silkworms..."
"The Spiritual Silk these silkworms produce is not only strong and tough—impervious to water, fire, and sharp blades—but Dharma Robes made from different types of silk can also resist various kinds of magical attacks."
Though the old man wasn’t a cultivator, he spoke with surprising expertise.
In truth, Zhao Lin would have recognized them even without the introduction. ’These exotic insects, incomparably rare in the small worlds, are treated as mere silk-producing bugs here.’