Xu Taiping followed the instructions and pulled a pod from the bean plant, then carefully opened it with his hand.
"Immortal Lady, what is this?"
After peeling the pod, Xu Taiping saw that it was not beans, but a handful of crystal-clear, luminous crystal beads.
"These are spirit crystals, the crystallized essence of the spiritual energy contained in this land. In the future, you can hold one in your mouth while cultivating, and combine it with the medicinal formula I gave you, and even bones can cultivate rapidly."
Immortal Fairy Lingyue said with great confidence.
Xu Taiping couldn't help but blurt out.
"Cultivating bones is not a difficult task. It's just that in the continent where you are, many cultivation lineages have been severed, leading to the situation where bones cannot cultivate."
Immortal Fairy Lingyue nodded indifferently and continued,
"Among the treasures nurtured by the Dizang fruit, these spirit crystals are actually the lowest grade. However, this land is too barren, so it can only nurture treasures of this grade. Even if it grows for a longer time, it can only improve the quality of the spirit crystals, but it cannot nurture a true magical treasure with divine powers."
Hearing this, Xu Taiping nodded thoughtfully and then asked, "If I plant this seed on the Seven Peaks, can it nurture a magical treasure with divine powers as you mentioned?"
"You catch on quickly. If I were not just a remnant soul, I would have taken you as a disciple."
The more Immortal Fairy Lingyue looked at Xu Taiping, the more she liked him.
Xu Taiping felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and scratched his head awkwardly.
"However, to make the Dizang fruit bear more powerful treasures, besides planting the seed on the Seven Peaks where the spiritual energy is more abundant, there is another thing we need to do."
Immortal Fairy Lingyue said.
Xu Taiping asked hurriedly.
"Taiping, first pick the remaining two pods from the bean plant, then peel them and hold them in your palm."
Immortal Fairy Lingyue did not rush to explain but pointed to the two remaining green pods on the bean plant.
Having chosen to trust Immortal Fairy Lingyue, Xu Taiping acted decisively, picking the two pods and peeling them without hesitation.
After peeling the two pods, Xu Taiping found, as Immortal Fairy Lingyue had said, that they contained spirit crystals that looked like yellow beans.
Xu Taiping put away the spirit crystals he had and then held the remaining ones up to the translucent image of Immortal Fairy Lingyue.
He kept what was promised to him and gave her what belonged to her.
This scene made Immortal Fairy Lingyue nod in approval.
She praised him again in her heart:
"At such a young age, he is cautious but not afraid, and acts decisively and freely. He is indeed one of us."
However, she did not say this to Xu Taiping. She just nodded at him and then sucked in the yellow bean spirit crystals in his hand.
With a slight sucking sound, Xu Taiping saw the seven or eight yellow bean spirit crystals in his palm instantly turn into purple mist, which flowed into the mouth of Immortal Fairy Lingyue's translucent image like a river into the sea.
After absorbing the purple mist from the spirit crystals, Xu Taiping clearly felt that her image became much clearer, no longer wavering like mist in the wind.
"Thank you, Little Friend Taiping, for prolonging my life."
Immortal Fairy Lingyue did not hesitate to express her gratitude.
"Immortal Lady, there's no need to be so formal. This is a transaction between us."
Xu Taiping remained calm and composed, shaking his head.
Immortal Fairy Lingyue nodded in agreement and then pointed to the bean plant below.
"Look at the changes in this bean plant."
Hearing this, Xu Taiping looked down and was surprised to find that the once vibrant bean plant was now completely withered, like a wild weed.
"Immortal Lady, the bean plant is withered. How can we get the seeds?"
Xu Taiping was surprised, but not frightened, as he knew the Immortal Lady must have a solution.
Immortal Fairy Lingyue smiled.
"It is the second thing I mentioned that you need to do."
Hearing this, Xu Taiping immediately showed a look of eager attention, staring intently at Immortal Fairy Lingyue.
Immortal Fairy Lingyue did not keep him in suspense and directly told him:
"After the Dizang fruit bears fruit, once all the fruits are harvested, it will wither on its own. Even if you wait until next year, it will not bear fruit again."
"To make it bear fruit again, you need to use the rootless fire to burn it. When it is completely reduced to ashes, its seeds will grow from the ashes. This step is called 'burning the seeds.'"
Immortal Fairy Lingyue's answer undoubtedly surprised Xu Taiping again.
However, what he was more concerned about was the rootless fire mentioned by Immortal Fairy Lingyue.
"Immortal Lady, what is rootless fire?"
Immortal Fairy Lingyue seemed to be waiting for Xu Taiping to ask, so she smiled in relief and then explained:
"The so-called rootless fire, as the name suggests, is a flame that does not need external objects to ignite."
"There are two types of rootless fire: one is born naturally, and the other is refined by cultivators using true qi and cultivation techniques, which we call true fire."
"The naturally occurring rootless fire, also called spirit fire, is a rare and precious thing, hard to come by."
"So the rootless fire you can find is the true fire refined by cultivators, which is often stored in magical treasures and talismans."
If she had only explained the rootless fire, Immortal Fairy Lingyue would not have been so detailed. Clearly, her words were intended to guide Xu Taiping in his cultivation.
"Thank you, Immortal Lady, for your guidance."
Xu Taiping felt greatly benefited and immediately bowed in gratitude.
"So, Immortal Lady, you want me to find a talisman containing true fire, right?"
He then confirmed with Immortal Fairy Lingyue.
Immortal Fairy Lingyue nodded with a smile.
"Although true fire talismans are not rare, and the first burning of the Dizang fruit does not require a high-grade true fire, you currently don't have the money to buy one. So you can either cultivate to refine true fire yourself, or work hard to manage this medicinal garden, earn enough merit money, and then exchange it. There's no need to rush."
Immortal Fairy Lingyue suggested to Xu Taiping.
"Immortal Lady, rest assured. I will work hard to cultivate and manage this half-acre medicinal garden, striving to obtain the true fire for burning the seeds as soon as possible."
Xu Taiping nodded seriously.