Chapter 139: Tier-3 Spirit Field
Chapter 139: Tier-3 Spirit Field
"Young Master!"
Just as He Shaogang was wondering what big fish he might reel in this time, Yao Shifeng approached with a bow. Compared to before, his aura had undergone a drastic transformation.
He had actually reached the threshold of Foundation Establishment. For someone with an inferior spiritual root to achieve this in such a short time—only someone like Gu Mo with his external cheat could pull it off.
And yet, Yao Shifeng had accomplished this feat as well. The difference was, Gu Mo relied on a botanical cheat, while Yao Shifeng depended on demonic arts.
Only demonic arts, which did not require talent in spiritual roots, could allow Yao Shifeng to reach Foundation Establishment so quickly. But cultivating such arts required vast amounts of cultivators' blood essence and souls. Without enough of either, even demonic arts couldn't advance this rapidly.
During Fenghua Sect's invasion of Qinglu Sect, many disciples were killed—among them, Foundation Establishment deacons and even Core Formation elders. Their blood essence and souls were secretly harvested by Fenghua Sect.
These were then bestowed upon Yao Shifeng by He Shaogang to fuel his progress in the demonic arts. If not for Yao Shifeng's inability to withstand the backlash from the rapid cultivation, his level would've surged even higher. Just the essence and soul of a single Core Formation elder could've easily propelled Yao Shifeng to late-stage Foundation Establishment.
As for cultivating demonic arts using the blood and souls of his original sect members, Yao Shifeng had initially felt some resistance. But after experiencing the explosive growth in his cultivation, that resistance vanished completely.
As someone with an inferior spiritual root, this was his first time experiencing such rapid advancement. Even if the path was through demonic arts—reviled by all—Yao Shifeng no longer cared.
"What did you find?" He Shaogang looked toward Yao Shifeng.
He had already prepared a treasure capable of suppressing Heartflame, which had a high chance of attracting Yuan Niya and other disciples of Qinglu Sect. But besides Yuan Niya, his true kill-on-sight target was Gu Mo.
Though Fenghua Sect had already fully replaced Qinglu Sect, making exposure no longer a concern, He Shaogang's killing intent toward Gu Mo had not diminished in the slightest.
After all, Gu Mo's talent rivaled Yuan Niya's—perhaps even surpassed it. Such a person had to be eliminated as soon as possible.
However, treasures that suppressed Heartflame weren't effective bait for Gu Mo. So He Shaogang had to take another approach—starting with Gu Mo's identity as a spirit plant master.
In this cultivation world, spirit plant masters were still rare. So whenever one surfaced, He Shaogang would dispatch someone to investigate, checking if the person was actually Gu Mo.
This time, a spirit plant master had appeared within the Lu family. Naturally, He Shaogang sent Yao Shifeng to investigate.
"That spirit plant master from the Lu family is named Hu Shuo. He specializes in cultivating Sword Bamboo, and of a very high quality," Yao Shifeng reported.
"So, do you think this person is Gu Mo?" He Shaogang asked.
"Based on my assessment, the likelihood is low—but it can't be completely ruled out," Yao Shifeng replied after some thought. The title of spirit plant master was clearly still far off from Gu Mo's caliber.
But considering Gu Mo's talent in this field, and the fact that his master Shennong Valley... Fenghua Sect, being an overseas sect, was well aware of how powerful Shennong Valley was—the pinnacle of spirit plant cultivation heritage.
"Keep monitoring. Once the grand auction is over, we'll go meet this so-called master ourselves," He Shaogang said with a nod. Even if the chances were slim that this man was Gu Mo, he wasn't going to let it slide. After all, Fenghua Sect had just secured its foothold—it needed talented individuals in every area.
If the master wasn't Gu Mo, He Shaogang still planned to recruit him into Fenghua Sect. A major sect couldn't afford weaknesses in any department.
"Yes, sir."
With that, Yao Shifeng bowed and retreated.
—
Lu Family.
"Since there are no Tier-3 spirit fields available, let's just upgrade this one." Having confirmed through his false-core incarnation that the grand auction didn't include any suitable fields, Gu Mo decided not to wait any longer. He would upgrade this Tier-2 high-grade spirit field to Tier-3 himself.
After all, if it wasn't on the auction list, then it likely wasn't available at all. The auction house might keep a few surprise items hidden, but those were usually peculiar rather than truly valuable.
Real treasures—like a Tier-3 spirit field—would be pre-announced by the immortal city to attract the right buyers. Without that, there'd be no way to drive the price high enough.
"Lingmei!"
Gu Mo called over Lu Lingmei, who was in the middle of cultivating, and asked her to fetch her mother.
"Master Hu, is there something urgent?" Fang Jiaoyan arrived at the field, shooting a glance at Lu Lingmei. If Gu Mo was about to try something new, she was ready to send her daughter away.
"I'm about to upgrade this Tier-2 high-grade spirit field to Tier-3. It might cause a bit of a commotion. Just keep an eye out," Gu Mo said plainly. He didn't intend to hide the upgrade—after all, this field still technically belonged to the Lu family. He was only using it for a while.
Once the field could no longer meet his needs, Gu Mo planned to leave and find a better one.
"Ah!"
Both Fang Jiaoyan and Lu Lingmei were stunned speechless. For a moment, neither could react. Spirit field upgrading—it was an incredibly niche concept.
"Master, are you saying... you're upgrading the Lu family's spirit field?" Fang Jiaoyan's voice trembled slightly as the shock wore off.
She knew exactly what it meant to upgrade a Tier-2 high-grade spirit field to Tier-3—it would become the foundation for the Lu family to rise to a Core Formation-level clan.
And she also knew what kind of massive cost such an upgrade entailed.
"That's right. Consider it part of your compensation," Gu Mo said casually. But he underestimated the impact of his words.
As someone who had survived the harsh realities of the cultivation world, Fang Jiaoyan knew all too well how hard survival could be. And now someone was essentially gifting her a Tier-3 spirit field. The emotional shock was immense—her legs even felt weak.
The way she looked at Gu Mo turned... almost sultry. If Lu Lingmei hadn't been present, she might've thrown herself into Gu Mo's arms then and there, ready to surrender completely.
"Alright, go make the arrangements. Keep this under wraps as much as possible," Gu Mo waved dismissively. He was already thinking about what new positions to try out that night—with Fang Jiaoyan in this mood, probably anything would be on the table.
"Yes, sir!"
Fang Jiaoyan nodded earnestly. She understood clearly: if news of the Lu family obtaining a Tier-3 field got out, it wouldn't be an issue while Gu Mo was around. But once he left, the Lu family would be in serious danger.
To avoid that, they either had to keep the upgrade a secret—or gain enough strength to control a Tier-3 field before Gu Mo departed.
Gu Mo stood at the center of the spirit field, holding the Geopulse Pearl. Upgrading the Lu family's spirit field was, truthfully, a loss for him—like a tenant turning the landlord's modest cottage into a grand villa.
But thinking of how Fang Jiaoyan had faithfully served him all these years, and considering that he truly needed a Tier-3 spirit field, Gu Mo wasn't heartless. As he'd just said, this would serve as compensation for Fang Jiaoyan's dedicated service over the years.
With that, Gu Mo buried the Geopulse Pearl into the spirit field. In the next instant, the entire mountain began to tremble—an effect caused by the Geopulse Pearl as it activated and began expanding the spirit vein.
The trembling of the mountain naturally caught the attention of the Lu family clansmen at its base. However, Fang Jiaoyan had already prepared a cover story. Besides, the notion of upgrading a spirit field was far too fantastical for anyone to suspect the truth.
Night fell.
The tremors gradually subsided, and Gu Mo could sharply sense that the spiritual energy at the center of the field had undergone a qualitative transformation. This meant that a small patch of land in the heart of the field had officially reached Tier-3.
That area would slowly continue to expand over time. Gu Mo wasn't sure how large it would ultimately become, but for now, the Tier-3 upgrade was complete.
"Hu Lang!"
As Gu Mo observed the changes in the spirit field, a charming voice called out. It was Fang Jiaoyan. When no one else was around, she would affectionately refer to Gu Mo as "Hu Lang." Clearly, she had already sent Lu Lingmei away.
Upon hearing her, Gu Mo activated the formation, and Fang Jiaoyan slipped inside.
The illusion array, the concealment array, and the breath-masking array together thoroughly hid the transformations happening in the spirit field—and, of course, anything else that might need concealing.
"So much work these past few days," Lu Lingmei muttered miserably. Her mother had told her she was the future matriarch of the Lu family and needed to start shouldering family duties. As a result, Lu Lingmei had been swamped with responsibilities, leaving her no time to visit her elder.
Fortunately, a few days later, Fang Jiaoyan reappeared and freed her from her duties. Only then did Lu Lingmei escape, visibly relieved.
"Just one mu, huh."
Gu Mo stood in the spirit field, sensing the changes. The central one mu of land had been upgraded to Tier-3, while the rest remained peak Tier-2. But over time, the Tier-3 area would gradually expand.
After all, spirit field upgrades couldn't happen overnight. This single mu had only reached Tier-3 thanks to the power of the Geopulse Pearl, which had accelerated the process.
Normally, it would take hundreds or even thousands of years for a spirit vein to naturally evolve.
Even so, one mu of Tier-3 land was enough for Gu Mo. Since it was an on-site upgrade, none of the existing plants needed to be transplanted. The five Tier-3 Sunflowers he had carefully nurtured were already planted right in the very center.
All Gu Mo had to do was wait for nightfall to harvest genuine Tier-3 Solar Essence.
The day passed in a flash. As the last sliver of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon, Gu Mo rushed into the spirit field to collect the Solar Essence from the five Tier-3 Sunflowers.
The moment he took it in hand, he noticed the difference. Previously, Tier-3 Sunflowers produced Solar Essence with a silver glow. But this time, the essence radiated a solid golden light—like the sun itself.
"As I thought—this is true Golden Core Force, and incredibly pure at that."
Gu Mo refined a full dose of the Tier-3 Solar Essence. As golden light suffused the spiritual energy within his body and the golden force settled into his dantian with palpable weight, he instantly knew: this was authentic Golden Core Force.
Now, all he needed to do was continue refining complete Tier-3 Solar Essence to fill his meridians with Golden Core Force. Even without condensing a true Golden Core, he would still possess the power of a Golden Core cultivator.
After all, his body now contained pure Golden Core Force. With the aid of the Spirit Tempering Art, his physique would soon reach the Golden Core level. Nourished by both the force and his physical form, his divine soul would also quickly ascend to the same tier.
With Golden Core-level force, physique, and soul, Gu Mo would, in every practical sense, be a genuine Golden Core cultivator.
The only catch was that he hadn't formally condensed a Golden Core. The Golden Core Force he obtained from Solar Essence would slowly diminish as it was used.
True Golden Core cultivators, by contrast, could absorb spiritual energy from the world through their core, continually converting it into Golden Core Force.
Still, even if he couldn't yet match a true Golden Core cultivator, Gu Mo now had the confidence to stand against one. In fact, if he could supplement his arsenal with powerful offensive techniques, he might even be able to defeat early-stage Golden Core cultivators in a burst of power.
"I should upgrade my plants first."
In the end, Gu Mo set aside the idea of advancing himself for now. Upgrading his plants would boost his combat strength much faster. While his main body still needed time to reinforce his physique, refine his soul, and master powerful techniques to fully match a Golden Core cultivator, his plants could be enhanced to that level almost immediately.
If he could upgrade the Peashooter, Torchwood, Cherry Bomb, and Potato Mine to Tier-3, they'd become devastating weapons capable of threatening even mid-stage Golden Core opponents.
And now, with five Tier-3 Sunflowers producing Solar Essence, all of those upgrades could be achieved in a short time.
So the fastest path to increasing his combat power was to enhance his plants. Once he had strong enough means to protect himself, Gu Mo could slowly work on his own cultivation.
That said, as the plant upgrades progressed, his Pseudo-Core Avatar's combat strength had started to fall behind. It just so happened that Gu Mo was planning to summon it and see if the Golden Core Force could repair its pseudo-core and push it to a true Golden Core.
There had been one or two historical cases of pseudo-cores evolving into true Golden Cores, but only when the cultivators involved had consumed extremely rare, high-grade treasures—rumored to be Tier-5 spiritual items, beyond the scope of replication.
As for using Golden Core Force to upgrade a pseudo-core? That had never been recorded. After all, where would a pseudo-core cultivator even get their hands on Golden Core Force? Using someone else's would be suicide. The two types of force are completely incompatible, even if the cultivators used the same techniques or were literal twins.
But Gu Mo was different. His main body and avatar originated from the same source. The forces wouldn't reject each other. Even if the attempt failed, there wouldn't be any adverse effects.
And if it succeeded—he'd gain a Golden Core Avatar.
That would be a massive win.
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