They were a group of more than thirty people who had spent over a month constructing dozens of houses. In addition to the two weeks it took to clear the land for the spirit fields, it had taken them nearly two months to completely transform this Mountain Valley.
Originally, this Mountain Valley was filled with trees and scattered rocks, but now it was neatly organized. Spirit Spring Water had been diverted into the fields, and dozens of houses were scattered around the valley.
There were only two things left to do. First, they needed to prepare seeds or seedlings. The second was to set up a defensive formation. In this remote wilderness, having no defensive formation was not an option. Both humans and Demonic Beasts posed a danger.
Especially when certain Spiritual Herbs matured, they would emit a unique aroma. Some of these aromas could travel quite far, attracting people or Demonic Beasts from a distance.
A protective formation not only defended against external threats but also prevented the leakage of these aromas, reducing many potential problems.
"You will temporarily stay here with your people. If there's a danger you can't handle, evacuate with your group. I will return to Azure Void City first to find Spiritual Herb seeds or seedlings. Additionally, I will need to hire a formation master to set up a formation here."
Wang Hong arranged Luo Zhongjie and the others and then left Mountain Valley.
On his way, he found a secluded place, quietly hid, and entered his Space.
Inside the Space, he cleared a few acres of land specifically for cultivating seedlings. Currently, time inside his Space passed at a rate of one hundred sixty-five times that of the outside world.
Tier-one Spiritual Herbs were relatively quicker to mature, usually taking a few decades. However, tier-two Spiritual Herbs required several hundred years to mature, longer than the lifespan of a Foundation Building cultivator.
With over three hundred acres of tier-one spirit fields, if he added some Space soil to them, he could even plant tier-two or tier-three Spiritual Objects.
However, he didn't plan to do so. If all the tier-one spirit fields were filled with tier-two Spiritual Objects and they thrived, he might have to resort to drastic measures if someone wanted to inspect the place.
He intended to allocate fifty acres for that purpose and use some Space soil to plant mutated Spirit Grains. The rest of the spirit fields, he decided to cultivate honestly, growing whatever was appropriate.
After returning to Azure Void City, Wang Hong first sought out Xu Lun.
"East Master, is it all set up over there? I heard from Ling Shuai that they managed to clear hundreds of acres of spirit fields in that Mountain Valley."
Xu Lun approached Wang Hong excitedly, clearly sharing in the joy of this achievement.
"Yes, it's all cleared. There are over three hundred acres and ten acres of tier-two spirit fields," Wang Hong said with a smile.
"I've come back this time to find a formation master to set up a defensive formation in Mountain Valley. Do you know which of the tier-two formation masters in Azure Void City has the highest proficiency in formations?"
Mountain Valley was too vast, and ordinary array plates wouldn't be able to cover such a distance. They needed a formation master to set it up on-site.
Xu Lun pondered for a while before responding slowly:
Among the tier-two formation masters in Azure Void City, there was one particularly skilled individual. However, this person was quite arrogant and had no interest in ordinary compensation. It might be challenging to persuade her," Xu Lun explained.
"Oh, there's such a remarkable person? You may as well tell me about her. I'll give it a try, even if I can't convince her, I won't lose anything," Wang Hong replied with keen interest.
"This person is named Cai, a female cultivator who resides in the South City District. She is deeply engrossed in the study of formations, rarely entertaining outsiders. East Master, you can give it a shot," Xu Lun said.
"Alright, I'll go and look for her," Wang Hong said and was about to leave. However, Xu Lun called him back and handed him a Jade Scroll.
"East Master, if you can't persuade her, this Jade Scroll contains the addresses of a few other competent tier-two formation masters. You might find them useful," Xu Lun said, clearly not holding high hopes for Wang Hong's success.
Wang Hong found the address Xu Lun had mentioned—a tranquil courtyard with a cluster of spirit bamboo at the entrance. He approached the door and gently knocked. After a moment, he heard faint footsteps approaching the door.
The wooden door opened slowly, revealing the face of a young woman in her twenties.
"Whom are you looking for?" the woman asked.
"Is this the residence of Daoist Cai?" Wang Hong inquired.
"Yes, what is it? My mistress does not usually receive visitors," the woman replied and seemed ready to close the door.
Wang Hong quickly took another step forward and said, "Please wait. I happened to obtain a type of Spirit Tea that I believe is quite invigorating and can dispel fatigue. I would like Daoist Cai to taste it."
Wang Hong retrieved a small wooden box from his Storage Bag and handed it to the woman.
"My mistress doesn't accept gifts," the woman responded.
Seeing the woman about to decline again, Wang Hong added, "This Spirit Tea is exceptional, and your mistress will surely appreciate it."
The young woman accepted the wooden box, thinking that she could let her mistress decide whether to accept it or not.
"Alright, wait here," the woman said. She closed the door, and soon, the faint footsteps faded into the distance.
The young woman entered an attic room where a woman in white sat.
The woman had a serene and elegant appearance, untainted by the dust of the world, exuding a transcendent beauty.
"Miss, someone was here earlier, offering a Spirit Tea. He said you might like it," the young woman said, placing the wooden box containing the Spirit Tea on the table in front of the woman in white.
"That person is quite stingy, isn't he? Who measures tea by the leaf?" the young woman grumbled from the side.
Meanwhile, the woman in white approached the wooden box, gently opened the lid, and found only five emerald-green tea leaves inside.
"This person is quite miserly indeed. Who measures tea by the leaf ?" she commented.
Nevertheless, she took a breath and instantly felt a significant improvement in her overall well-being.
"This tea seems quite good and should be beneficial for me. Go and invite him in," the woman in white instructed. For a formation master like her, who often exhausted her mental energy when deducing formations, this Spirit Tea was a rare treasure.
When they deduced formations, it took a significant toll on their mental strength, often leading to fatigue and even straining their spiritual energy.
The woman had just taken a sip and felt the refreshing effects of the Spirit Tea on her mind. This made her reconsider her usual practice of avoiding visitors.
Soon, the young woman led Wang Hong into the attic.
"Esteemed guest, welcome. Please have a seat," the woman in white greeted Wang Hong. After he took a seat, she continued, "May I inquire about the purpose of your visit?"
"I would like to request Daoist Cai's assistance in setting up a formation," Wang Hong replied directly, not beating around the bush.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]