Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 173: Martial Aunt Xiaohua

The risks involved in probing the Tier 5 Ancient Tree were too unpredictable, so Gu Mo decided to first gather some intelligence. As the foundation of Shennong Valley, the sect undoubtedly held a trove of information about this Tier 5 Ancient Tree.

He wouldn't be able to access classified intelligence, of course, but gaining a general understanding of the tree's temperament shouldn't be an issue.

In any case, Gu Mo wasn't planning to begin cultivating just yet. First, he needed to settle down and obtain a new inheritance technique.

Atop the Tier 5 Ancient Tree's crown was an enormous platform, formed from the interweaving of tens of thousands of leaves. Upon this leafy platform stood a grand palace—this was the seat of power in Shennong Valley.

At regular intervals, the sect's top elders would convene here to chart Shennong Valley's future. As one of the six premier sects among both orthodox and demonic factions, every move Shennong Valley made could influence the entire power dynamic of the Heaven origin Realm.

"Lately, the three demonic sects have started stirring again. We must begin preparations early," said the Valley Master of Shennong Valley, seated at the highest seat, his expression solemn.

The Heaven origin Realm was defined by the ongoing struggle between the orthodox and demonic paths—a clash of Daoist legacies. Such competition was by far the most brutal. In ordinary rivalries, defeat might result in loss of resources, disciples, or even the fall of a sect's base. But as long as the sect's Dao lineage survived, there was always the hope of rising again.

But in a competition of Daoist orthodoxy, failure meant utter annihilation. There would be no rising from the ashes. On the other hand, if one side triumphed, the rewards would be astronomical.

"Do any of the Elders have other matters to raise?"

After discussing the major issue at hand, the Valley Master swept his gaze across the gathered elders. While this meeting had primarily focused on the orthodox-demonic rivalry, internal sect matters were also fair game for discussion.

After all, every large sect had internal factions—it was inevitable. And for a sect like Shennong Valley, which operated on a branch-inheritance system, these factional lines were even clearer.

Conflicts between factions were bound to arise over all sorts of matters. In such cases, it was up to the Valley Master to mediate.

"Valley Master!"

No sooner had he spoken than Hou Chunyu rose to his feet and presented a jade slip containing intelligence about Gu Mo.

A prodigy like Gu Mo joining the sect was something Hou Chunyu naturally had to report. He was also intent on fighting for higher treatment on Gu Mo's behalf.

Only with both talent and sufficient resources could a prodigy truly thrive.

"Oh?"

The Valley Master scanned the jade slip with his spiritual sense, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes. If the information proved true, Gu Mo's talent would certainly qualify him for True Inheritor status.

Hou Chunyu indeed planned to secure True Inheritor treatment for Gu Mo. But that was treatment only—not the official title. Becoming a True Inheritor required competing and passing the proper trials; the title was never simply handed out.

"Elders, take a look."

The Valley Master passed the jade slip to the other elders. For ordinary Inner Sect disciples, elders had full discretion to allocate resources—the cost was borne by each branch.

But True Inheritor-level treatment was another matter entirely. It involved access to Shennong Valley's shared core resources. Granting such treatment to one more person meant one more claimant to the sect's most precious assets.

"This youth is truly exceptional!"

After reading through Gu Mo's profile, none of the elders questioned his talent. Seeing this, Hou Chunyu felt a flicker of hope—perhaps he really could secure True Inheritor-level treatment for Gu Mo.

"I don't think this is appropriate," came a dissenting voice.

"Elder Gu, what exactly is inappropriate?" Hou Chunyu turned toward the speaker, eyes narrowed. "Are you saying this level of talent doesn't warrant True Inheritor treatment?"

This Elder Gu was also a Nascent Soul stage True Lord, and an old rival of Hou Chunyu.

"This youth's aptitude is indeed worthy of True Inheritor consideration," Gu nodded, not denying the facts. After all, trying to dispute hard data would be an insult to everyone's intelligence.

"But…"

He shifted the tone. "This disciple has not undergone training within the sect from a young age. Having joined with a Gold Core cultivation base, we cannot yet determine his disposition, nor his loyalty to the sect."

The moment those words landed, several elders nodded in agreement. All major sects began training their disciples early—this nurtured a strong sense of belonging, and allowed their character to be observed as they matured.

Gu Mo had joined Shennong Valley directly at the Gold Core stage, leaving many unknowns. Most notably, he hadn't even received personal instruction from Qi Chunde—so how deeply could his sense of identification with the sect really go?

To reach the Gold Core stage without a master's guidance was impressive, yes. But who could say for certain that no other sect had secretly aided him? That he wasn't a planted spy sent to infiltrate Shennong Valley?

"This… this…"

Faced with Elder Gu's line of questioning, Hou Chunyu found himself momentarily at a loss for words. It was a valid concern. In the long history of Shennong Valley, there had never been such a case—someone forcefully cultivating the Qingmu Sutra to perfection and joining the sect at the Gold Core stage.

Frankly, the mere existence of such an anomaly made Gu Mo unlikely to ever become part of the sect's core leadership.

While Gu Mo's talent was indeed impressive—on par with existing True Inheritors—Shennong Valley was a top-tier sect. It had no shortage of highly talented disciples. In fact, the top-ranked True Inheritors likely surpassed Gu Mo in innate talent.

Since Gu Mo was not irreplaceable, it was only reasonable for Shennong Valley to place safety and stability first, and keep him out of the inner circle.

"Sigh…"

In the end, Hou Chunyu let out a long sigh. He had truly taken a liking to Gu Mo—not only because the youth was Qi Chunde's disciple, but also because of Xiaohua's unusual attachment to him.

Xiaohua was a special case. Though Hou Chunyu had raised her to the peak of Tier 3, he still didn't fully understand her origins. Even her transformation into human form hadn't been his doing. One day, after advancing to Tier 3, she had simply transformed on her own.

To this day, Hou Chunyu hadn't been able to uncover the reason. He could only attribute it to the extraordinary nature of Xiaohua's original form.

Despite the many mysteries surrounding Xiaohua, one thing Hou Chunyu was certain of—anyone she was this close to was definitely not ordinary.

Though the request for Gu Mo to receive True Inheritor-level treatment was rejected, his status as an Inner Sect disciple was approved. Normally, Inner Sect privileges were more than enough for a typical genius. But for someone like Gu Mo—a true prodigy—they were far from sufficient.

As a top-tier sect, Shennong Valley possessed many unique and exceptional cultivation grounds—some could rapidly accelerate cultivation, while others even aided in comprehending the Dao.

However, access to these resources was reserved solely for True Inheritors and sect elders—and even they had to queue up and spend sect contribution points to use them.

On the third day after Gu Mo entered Shennong Valley.

Over the past few days, he'd followed Martial Uncle Wei Yang and gotten to know the other members of his branch. It was just… a bit awkward. Among his peers, most were still at the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining stages. Those with cultivation equal to his were all Martial Uncles or Martial Aunts.

Stuck between generations, Gu Mo found himself in a rather uncomfortable position. Of course, Shennong Valley wasn't lacking in talent—those who matched Gu Mo's level were all in the True Inheritor class. In Shennong Valley, becoming a True Inheritor meant officially leaving behind your original branch and becoming part of the sect's core.

This departure from one's branch didn't mean severing ties entirely. Rather, it meant that the resources required to cultivate a True Inheritor were beyond what a single branch could support—it necessitated tapping into the sect's main reserves.

And if a branch managed to produce a True Inheritor, the sect would reward it handsomely. Once that True Inheritor ascended to the sect's leadership, they would also become a powerful backing for their original branch.

According to rumors, someone from Gu Mo's current branch had also become a True Inheritor in the past. That person had been the youngest disciple taken in by Master Hou Chunyu, making him Gu Mo's Little Martial Uncle—even though they were nearly the same age.

Originally, Gu Mo's master, Qi Chunde, had a real chance at becoming a True Inheritor. Unfortunately, his cultivation path went awry, and he ultimately missed the opportunity.

Frustrated by Qi Chunde's failure, Hou Chunyu had left the sect to personally search for a promising disciple. After all, the other branches had already produced True Inheritors. If their branch failed to do so, they would be at a serious disadvantage in the future.

Luckily, Hou Chunyu eventually found a disciple with top-grade spiritual roots. After intensive nurturing, this disciple successfully won a place among the True Inheritors during the last round of competition—earning their branch a place in the spotlight.

That disciple, however, was now cultivating deep within a Shennong Valley secret realm, and Gu Mo hadn't had a chance to meet them. As a result, Gu Mo's powerful cultivation level left him isolated—his peers looked at him with reverence, while his cultivation-mates were all his seniors.

It left him with no one to really talk to.

"Little Nephew Mo! Someone came to play with you!"

Suddenly, a crisp and childlike voice rang out. Gu Mo might not have any peers to speak with, but that didn't mean he had no one to talk to—at least not when it came to spiritual plant seniors.

Standing outside Gu Mo's courtyard was none other than Martial Aunt Xiaohua, who was extremely close to him.

Gu Mo promptly opened the door and welcomed the adorable young girl with a flower growing from her head. Once inside, Xiaohua happily sprawled herself out in a sunny spot.

Sighing, Gu Mo approached and activated his Plant Perception technique. Instantly, a dense network of glowing meridians lit up over Xiaohua's body, causing Gu Mo's scalp to tingle.

Only a small fraction of these meridians had been activated—and the one who had managed to do so wasn't Gu Mo, but Master Hou Chunyu himself, a late-stage Nascent Soul 4th-rank Spiritual Plant Master.

It had taken Hou Chunyu several centuries to activate even that small portion. Gu Mo had already suspected Xiaohua was extraordinary, but now, after witnessing her internal meridians, he was certain. If those meridians could be fully activated—he couldn't even imagine what level she might reach.

Placing his palm on Xiaohua's body, Gu Mo gently channeled his Core Force into her, initiating the Plant Growth Secret Art.

"Mm~"

As the warmth of Gu Mo's Core Force entered her, Xiaohua let out a contented sigh. His solar-imbued energy felt particularly soothing to a spiritual plant like her.

And as he continued to channel his technique, Xiaohua's internal meridians slowly began to expand. Though the progress was gradual, it was real—Gu Mo was doing the same thing Hou Chunyu had spent centuries achieving, just with his own solar-natured power.

It made him wonder—if he gave Xiaohua a dose of Solar Essence, could that push her directly into the 4th-rank Demon King realm?

But Gu Mo quickly buried the thought. The matter of Solar Essence couldn't be revealed lightly. At the very least, he needed to first test the Tier 5 Ancient Tree's attitude before considering such a move.

"Whew…"

After completing a full cycle of the Plant Growth technique, Gu Mo let out a long breath. At that moment, Little Carp emerged from his sleeve and flew into the air. A dark cloud quickly formed above, and soon a gentle, pattering spiritual rain began to fall.

The droplets struck Xiaohua's body, clearly delighting her. This wasn't just an ordinary rain spell—this was Little Carp's innate divine ability: Cloud-Walking Rain Summoning.

The spiritual rain it produced contained unique energies that offered special benefits to spiritual plants.

"Little Mo, Little Carp—here's a reward from your Martial Aunt," said Xiaohua as she stood up, thoroughly refreshed. She plucked a petal from the flower on her head and handed it to Gu Mo.

"Thank you, Martial Aunt Xiaohua!"

Gu Mo accepted the petal with genuine joy. It was the second petal he had received from her, and he already understood its value. Taken directly, the petal enhanced the soul; refined with other herbs, it could be used to create pills that healed soul damage.

Pills to treat physical injuries were common—but those that could heal soul wounds were exceedingly rare. This made the petal incredibly valuable.

Gu Mo remained deeply curious about Xiaohua's origins—but alas, not even she knew them herself.

"Little Mo, Little Carp—train hard, okay? Martial Aunt still has lots of good stuff!" said Xiaohua cheerily. She patted Little Carp's head, then tried to do the same to Gu Mo. Unfortunately, she was too short. Seeing this, Gu Mo quickly crouched down so she could pat him properly—showing due respect to an elder.

And with that, Xiaohua skipped away merrily.

"She really does like you two," said a voice from behind. As Xiaohua disappeared down the path, Hou Chunyu entered the courtyard with a wistful expression.

Xiaohua's way of expressing affection was simple—she gave away her petals. Most people had only ever received one. Getting two, like Gu Mo, was exceedingly rare.

"Greetings, Master Ancestor," Gu Mo said, bowing deeply. Little Carp followed suit. Though it usually stayed hidden in his sleeve, there was no hiding it from a Nascent Soul powerhouse like Hou Chunyu.

"Do you know where Martial Aunt Xiaohua came from?" Gu Mo asked, curious.

"I don't," Hou Chunyu replied, shaking his head. "Her original form was a withered spiritual root I discovered in a ruin—barely clinging to life. I brought it back to cultivate, just on a whim. Never imagined it would actually survive."

After hundreds of years of nurturing, that withered root had undergone a complete transformation—blossoming into a rare and beautiful flower. Then, after reaching Tier 3, it had suddenly transformed into a human.

Based on the fact that her petals could enhance the soul, Hou Chunyu speculated that Xiaohua belonged to the Soul-Type Spiritual Plants—creatures born with powerful souls. Given that, it wouldn't be too far-fetched for her to achieve a human form at Tier 3.

(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)