...

That trace of aura was like recognizing a scholar or literati in a crowd; the Spiritual plant aura is very easy to identify when it cannot be restrained or removed.

"A Spirit Planter?"

"Perfect, perfect, we are really short of Spirit Planters here!"

"There are still several Spiritual plant cultivation areas here that lack managing Cultivators. Since Fellow Daoist is of Golden Core cultivation, it would be too much of a waste to personally plant them. You can come to this Spiritual Plant Garden. Fellow Daoist, will you come?"

The thin-faced man in front of Lu Qing saw the wooden plaque revealing his identity as a Spirit Planter, and his eyes lit up brightly.

He delivered a series of combination punches in his words, so skilled that there was no stuttering.

It was as if he was answering a question, having already guessed Lu Qing's next thoughts.

"Also, Fellow Daoist, our Spiritual Plant Garden here provides food and lodging, and we don't require Spirit Stones or spirit money!"

"There are multiple positions for Spiritual plant Chiefs here. If you fancy any of them, you can tell me, and I guarantee it will go smoothly!"

Lu Qing's gaze saw several disciples in the distance who, upon witnessing this scene, all showed the same expressions of sympathy and pity.

It seemed they were saying: Look, another unlucky guy is going to a godforsaken place!

Lu Qing was very polite and did not refuse directly.

Slow returns and long durations, these problems for others, naturally did not hold true for him internally.

Hearing about the provided food and lodging, he was actually slightly tempted.

It wasn't that he was being picky; the lowest price for a cave dwelling here was ten Spirit Stones. It seemed very cheap, right?

But the actual scene and the description next to it, even using the most subtle and elegant words, could not hide the fact that besides having some spiritual energy due to its location, it was essentially a thatched hut built in a thatched area!

Lu Qing wasn't a demanding person, but cultivation also required being at ease and content. The main issue was that it was too unreliable; there wasn't even an Array Formation, not a single Restriction. If he were to go into seclusion for cultivation, any disturbance from outside entering would truly be him hearing his neighbors' affairs.

The aura of the Nine Heavens here was vast and wild, with a more rugged style of cultivation. In just one day's observation, Lu Qing felt that this place was not much different from the Sects in his previous impressions.

"Fellow Daoist, don't listen to him. Besides having food, drink, and lodging, you won't even dig up a single Spirit Stone with a hoe over there!"

"That's right! Spirit Stones and spirit money are one thing, but the main thing is if you take on the role of Chief with your cultivation level, the minimum term is ten years starting out!"

"Fellow Daoist is in the prime of his life. If he stays in the Spiritual Plant Garden all the time, it would be a waste!"

"Fellow Daoist, don't listen to their nonsense. Our main focus here is leisurely cultivation. Not to mention, when your state of mind reaches a certain level, where can you not cultivation?!"

The thin-faced young man immediately became anxious.

It was rare to have a young person with good cultivation come, so how could he possibly watch the other party get scared away this time?

The enthusiasm on his face wasn't there from the start.

Others could maintain a straight face, aloof and detached from worldly affairs, but they, as Spirit Planters, truly couldn't do that.

Spirit Planters themselves belonged to the Outer Sect branch. The Outer Sect branch had various types of disciples; it was the branch with the most complex mix of disciple attributes among the seven.

However, due to the lack of a Peak Master, their influence plummeted, and they were often at the bottom among the seven main branches. Therefore, their disciples often left and returned freely, and other disciples would also come here to take on some tasks.

There was only one explanation: it was all forced by cultivation.

"Is that all?"

Lu Qing continued to ask. He was indeed very interested, but his expression showed no preference.

"Yes, yes, Fellow Daoist, please take a look!"

The young man felt a slight joy in his heart and quickly fumbled in his sleeve for a Jade Slip.

If you ignored the duration, the prerequisite of staying in the Spiritual Plant Garden year-round, and the issue of the treatment not being as good as other main branches, other aspects of this place were actually quite good.

After all, the tasks of the Sword Branch were all about fighting and pursuing demonic evils.

Lu Qing saw this and immediately skipped this option.

And here, disciples who had lost their drive or were fated to not reach the Great Dao would often transfer to this Spiritual Plant Garden, earn a meager salary, and while away their time.

Lu Qing observed and knew that the Spiritual Plant Garden here was different. It had governing territories, and it was impossible for anyone without proof of being a Spirit Planter to be allowed to take on a Chief position like this.

Every spot had its person, but even if manpower was tight, they would not lower the requirements; at most, they would privately set up an additional position like Deputy Chief.

Lu Qing now considered himself part of the Sword Branch, but because he also had the title of a beginner Spirit Planter, this was something that had existed since ancient times in the cultivation world, similar to Alchemists and artifact masters, so it still held very high recognized value here.

A Spiritual Plant Garden had a Chief managing Spiritual plant affairs. Under one Chief were eighteen servants, six Spirit Planters, and multiple laborers.

Of course, this was the standard on the surface. If the treatment was poor, they could only be more lenient regarding the Spirit Planter aspect.

There was no shortage of servant disciples. Lu Qing also saw the laborer configuration; these gold-armored and silver-armored laborers were skilled at everything from splitting mountains to moving rivers, but that was cultivation dependent on earth veins, making it difficult to ascend to the heavens.

"Fellow Daoist, you can take another look. The position of Chief in other places has a very high threshold. We have almost no requirements here, as long as you have Golden Core cultivation..."

"Moreover, the Chief position has a monthly salary of sixty spirit coins, which is over seven hundred a year. As for the monthly duties, Fellow Daoist doesn't need to constantly clock in and supervise..."

The thin young man continued to promote it.

"Tell me more about this four directions Spiritual Plant Garden."

Lu Qing showed the 'interested' expression as expected.

The other disciples who saw this couldn't help but shake their heads, guessing the subsequent development without needing to think.

Young people, you won't know the huge pitfalls inside without experiencing some cultivation beatings!

The young man was immediately overjoyed. He hadn't expected that Lu Qing would actually be interested. No wonder the magpies were chirping happily when he went out today; it turned out the good news was here.

"Of course!"

"Fellow Daoist, let me explain it to you in detail. We have the Spiritual Plant Garden on Jade Peak to the south. Jade Peak has exceptionally beautiful scenery, with all sorts of rare grasses and strange flowers, green pines and cypresses. I see that Fellow Daoist also seems to be a pure Cultivator, so Jade Peak is a good choice. Moreover, it's very convenient to manage over there. Fellow Daoist only needs to assign them monthly and yearly tasks to complete, and at other times, you can be free and follow your heart..."

"Besides Jade Peak, there is also a place. That Spiritual Plant Garden is deeply rooted within a mountain valley, with echoing emptiness and abundant pure energy, unaffected by the outside turbid energy. Over there, they even have specially assigned mountain-splitting laborers, which are very convenient for excavating spiritual fields and repairing spiritual land..."

"In addition, there is another place..."

Lu Qing listened to the descriptions of the four places, all of which were praised by the thin young man to be unparalleled, the best in the world.

In terms of conditions, judging by the words, it seemed even better than Lu Qing's cultivation on Spirit Leaf Island before.

He was not blinded by this.

Fortunately, although there were no small clever items like recording stones here, the technique of Round Light was quite proficient.

The young man immediately took out a mirror, and layers of mystical light shone into it.

While speaking, he showed Lu Qing the places without him having to travel around to see them in person.

This enthusiasm formed a sharp contrast with the cold indifference of the task areas next to it.

Spirit Planter.

This thought flashed through Lu Qing's mind.

"Fellow Daoist, which one do you favor?"

"This one."

"Eh! Good, good, good! With competing mountain peaks, Fellow Daoist's future cultivation will surely benefit even more!"

Lu Qing smiled, "Then I'll trouble Fellow Daoist to make a token for me, so I can go to that place."

"Ah, it's my fault, Jin! I got excited and forgot. May I ask for Fellow Daoist's esteemed name?"

"This humble one is Lu Qing."

"Hmm, a good name!" Another compliment.

Lu Qing couldn't help but wonder, are the Spirit Planters here really this poor?

Are they this short-staffed?

"I am Golden Feather, Fellow Daoist Lu. The token is ready. Just show the token, and the Restrictions over there can be freely controlled. I have already sent a flying talisman..."

The young man said while his two hands moved rapidly without a trace, sheets of talisman paper flew out from his sleeve and were attached to a pure white Jade Slip. Then, the name 'Lu Qing' was reflected, and the words 'Chief' were outlined on the back.

In the past, Lu Qing could travel anywhere with a single token, but here, what was used more in each area was this kind of blank Jade Slip combined with talismans to form a token, which was both a task token and a position token.

However, it was more of a symbol of identity.

Lu Qing took it from the young man and did not feel any Spatial Array Formation aura on it.

He also knew that besides controlling the Restrictions of the Spiritual Plant Garden, this token was just a Jade Slip in other aspects.

...