Chapter Fifty-Two: Questioning and Sudden Upheaval

Inside the Hall of Enlightened Truth.

Many cultivators eagerly spoke up, actively answering Elder Zhuang Xiran’s questions.

“Cultivating spiritual plants is to seize the essence of heaven and earth, to hold the transformation of all things in one’s palm. There is endless joy in it.”

...

After a while of answering questions,

Elder Zhuang Xiran let his gaze sweep over the crowd, then pointed casually and said, “The cultivator over there, please stand and give your answer.”

Qin Ming had been listening with keen interest and had no intention of speaking. When he saw Elder Zhuang pointing in his direction, he looked around uncertainly.

But he quickly realized that every cultivator’s gaze was now focused on him.

Qin Ming suddenly understood.

The one Elder Zhuang had pointed to was clearly himself.

He froze for a moment; being the center of so many eyes made him feel oddly uncomfortable.

How could it be such a coincidence?

Nonetheless, he remained unflustered. He stood up calmly and, after a brief thought, said,

“The way of spiritual planting… requires one to be familiar with the habits of various crops, to master spiritual rain, weed and remove pests, and to deal daily with spiritual fields and blessed soil.”

“In essence… it’s just farming.”

The moment the words fell, the air grew noticeably silent.

The expressions of the cultivators present wavered; some even stifled their laughter.

But a few nodded in approval, seemingly agreeing with his statement.

“Heh, you may sit down.”

At that moment, Elder Zhuang Xiran, for once, revealed a faint smile.

All the cultivators were stunned, some utterly confused.

“In truth, what he said is not without merit. The path of spiritual planting, at its core, is no different from farming.”

“Only—”

“Ordinary folk plant grains to sustain life.”

“We, the cultivators, plant fields to gather resources for our journey on the path of immortality.”

…

Just as Qin Ming was about to sit down, he noticed a cultivator seated to his left and ahead was staring at him intently.

Qin Ming looked up. Their gazes met—and in that instant, he felt his whole body tense.

It was Jiang Kun!

‘That bastard—what is he doing at a spiritual planter’s lecture?’

In an instant, Qin Ming’s nerves tightened and countless thoughts raced through his mind.

The four men Jiang Kun had sent had already been dealt with by him, their bodies destroyed.

Could the other party possibly suspect it was him?

Perhaps not, or perhaps he had some reservations.

With these thoughts, Qin Ming sat back down.

At the same time, Jiang Kun, who sat at the front, was also frowning, his expression uncertain.

Although he harbored some suspicion, no matter how he thought, he couldn’t connect the deaths of four mid-to-late stage Qi Refining cultivators to a spiritual farmer.

“Hmph, after the lecture, I’ll test him a bit,” Jiang Kun decided, shooting Qin Ming a glance before turning back to the front.

A chill crept into Qin Ming’s heart—a bad premonition.

The hall quieted once more.

Elder Zhuang Xiran began his lecture on the way of spiritual planting.

Although Qin Ming’s mood was unsettled by Jiang Kun’s presence, he quickly refocused and listened intently to the second-rank spiritual planter’s teachings.

By the end of the lecture, Qin Ming was filled with admiration and had gained much insight.

Elder Zhuang’s mastery of spiritual planting left the cultivators present utterly enthralled.

The public lecture lasted an entire day.

At the end, Elder Zhuang Xiran also answered questions from the spiritual planters present.

“That’s all for today’s lecture on spiritual planting.”

“There will be further content taught tonight.”

“Tomorrow, I will test all of you.”

“You may stay the night at the Guest Pavilion.”

“However, the coming tests are reserved for middle-grade and above spiritual planters. The rest of you are dismissed.”

With that, Elder Zhuang Xiran left.

The cultivators in the Hall of Enlightened Truth also dispersed.

Qin Ming planned to make a quiet exit.

But just as one foot crossed the threshold, a familiar voice called out behind him.

“Fellow Daoist Qin, no need to rush off!”

Qin Ming turned around, and sure enough, it was Jiang Kun.

Jiang Kun narrowed his sharp phoenix eyes, fixing Qin Ming with a cold stare. “My useless junior brother, Chen Zi’ang, was found dead and his body destroyed in the back mountain near the spiritual fields.”

“I wonder, Fellow Daoist Qin, what do you make of this?”

As he finished, his gaze locked on Qin Ming, watching for any change in his expression.

Qin Ming feigned shock and replied, “Ah? Such a thing happened?”

Jiang Kun pressed on, “Do you really not know? I heard that before his accident, Brother Chen had gone looking for you.”

“That’s right. Senior Brother Chen did come to discuss the matter of joining your pavilion with me one day.”

“After that, I didn’t see him for several days.”

“And the jade token in your hand—where did you get it?” Jiang Kun continued.

“This jade token was a gift from Pavilion Master Gu. If Senior Brother Jiang doubts me, you can ask her yourself.” Qin Ming lied without the slightest hint of guilt.

In any case, Jiang Kun and Mirror Snow Pavilion were mortal enemies; he would never go to Gu Qingzhao for confirmation.

Qin Ming spoke with unwavering composure.

After a pause, he suddenly asked, “Senior Brother Jiang, you’re not suspecting me, a mere spiritual farmer, are you?”

Jiang Kun’s eyes flickered. After a moment’s thought, he broke into a smile. “Of course not.”

“I just had a few doubts in my heart and wanted to ask.”

Qin Ming smiled thinly. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

He was now certain the other party had no evidence—only suspicion.

And surely Jiang Kun wouldn’t dare do anything rash inside Lingyu Sect.

Qin Ming then followed the other spiritual planters to the neighboring Guest Pavilion, where he took a brief rest and had some refreshments.

After Qin Ming had left,

a cultivator at Jiang Kun’s side came forward and asked, “Senior Brother Jiang, what should we do? Should we…”

“Not yet… Let’s wait and see.”

“The matter with Uncle Zhuang is important these two days. We can’t afford any trouble.”

“If we act, it won’t be within the sect grounds.”

“I still can’t fathom how those four with Junior Brother Chen died.”

“Keep a close eye on that boy for now. When Uncle Zhuang’s business is done, we’ll decide what to do.”

Jiang Kun’s face darkened as he gave these instructions.

“Yes, sir!”

…

As Qin Ming drank his tea, he pondered what had just happened.

He already had a plan in mind.

An hour later, the lecture resumed.

This time, two-thirds of the spiritual planters were gone.

Only about a hundred cultivators remained.

Qin Ming glanced around the hall and noticed that Jiang Kun was absent as well.

Soon after,

Elder Zhuang Xiran re-entered the hall.

He surveyed the cultivators present, nodded in satisfaction, and began teaching again.

But just then—

A thunderous roar erupted outside, shaking the ground as if the mountains would split!

The cultivators inside were thrown into chaos, their hearts gripped by sudden panic.