Cultivation is Creation [World-Hopping & Plant-Based Xianxia]

Chapter 28 - 27: Cultivating Plants

The morning dew still clung to the grass as I made my way through the Outer Sect training grounds,

"Unfortunately. Though the basic principles should be the same, just scaled up significantly."

I spent the afternoon working on speed and control, trying to reduce the time between reaching out to a plant and having it respond. The vine became my primary training partner, wrapping around trees, reaching for rocks, and occasionally trying to steal my water flask when my concentration slipped.

As the sun began to set, I finally called it a day. My spiritual essence was nearly depleted, and every plant in the clearing had been subjected to at least one failed experiment in botanical manipulation.

"Not a bad first day," Azure said as I gathered my things. "Though you might want to do something about that before you leave."

He drew my attention to a patch of grass that was still enthusiastically trying to reach the clouds.

"Right." I reached out one last time, gently suggesting that perhaps being three meters tall wasn't the best life choice for grass. It took some convincing, but eventually the patch settled back to a more reasonable height.

The next few weeks fell into a routine. I'd arrive at Ground Seventeen early each morning, spend the day practicing different aspects of the Primordial Wood Arts, and leave exhausted but slightly more skilled than before.

The technique began to make more sense as I worked with it. Plants, I discovered, had their own kind of intelligence. Not consciousness exactly, but patterns of growth and adaptation that could be guided if you understood them properly.

Trees were stubborn, set in their ways and requiring significant energy to influence. Vines were eager to move and grow, but easily distracted by new sources of spiritual energy. Grass was almost too cooperative, ready to explode into growth at the slightest encouragement.

Each type of plant required a different approach. Telling a tree to bend was like trying to convince a mountain to dance. But suggesting that perhaps there was something interesting in that direction, something worth reaching for...

I learned to work with their natures rather than against them. Instead of forcing a thorny bush to attack, I could show it a pattern of growth that happened to include very sharp branches moving very quickly. Rather than commanding roots to form a wall, I could create a sphere of spiritual light that made growing upward seem like the optimal strategy.

The costs began to come down as well. What had started at ten units of spiritual essence per growth was now closer to two, and some of the simpler manipulations barely used any power at all.

By the middle of the month, I noticed something odd – I hadn't seen Wu Lihua in weeks. Usually, she'd find some excuse to train nearby, always watching from just far enough away that I couldn't reasonably complain about it.

"She must be occupied with something important," I muttered during a water break. "Hope it keeps her busy."

"Focus on your training," Azure chided. "Though I notice you've been practicing defensive techniques more than offensive ones."

He wasn't wrong. Most of my successful experiments involved barriers, bindings, and ways to restrict movement. Actual attacks were still challenging – it was hard to convince plants that violence was a natural part of their growth cycle.

"The text mentions something called the Thorned Crown technique," Azure said thoughtfully. "It's meant to be an advanced combat application, but the principles might be adaptable..."

We spent the next week working on offensive moves. I learned to guide thorny vines into spiral patterns that could trap and damage opponents. Discovered how to make tree branches snap forward with crushing force. Even figured out how to create spears of hardened wood by accelerating growth along very specific patterns.

The breakthroughs came with their share of failures. More than once I had to dodge my own attacks when a plant's growth went out of control. One particularly memorable incident involved accidentally creating what Azure termed a "carnivorous fern incident" that took three days to fully resolve.

But slowly, steadily, the technique began to feel natural. I could reach out to nearby plants without conscious thought, my Genesis Seed's energy automatically resonating with their growth patterns. What had started as careful manipulation became more like a dance, each plant moving in harmony with my intentions.

Four weeks after starting, I stood in the centre of my little training ground, surrounded by the results of my training.

The clearing had become something of a botanical obstacle course – trees with branches trained into specific patterns, vines that could move like serpents, patches of grass that could shift from soft to razor-sharp in moments.

"Ready to test it?" Azure asked.

I nodded, then reached out with my spiritual sense. Energy flowed from my Genesis Seed into the surrounding plants, each one responding to my call. A thorny vine whipped through the air, wrapping around an imaginary opponent. Tree branches swept down like battering rams while roots erupted from the ground to trap and bind.

The entire sequence took less than three seconds and used barely twenty units of spiritual essence.

"Well," Azure said with satisfaction, "I'd say you're combat ready. Though you might want to do something about the clearing's appearance before someone finds an excuse to file a complaint."

I looked around at the rather dramatic changes my training had caused. The once-wild training ground now looked more like some sort of botanical testing facility, with plants grown into decidedly unnatural shapes.

"Good point."

It took almost an hour to convince everything to return to approximately natural-looking forms. The trees were cooperative enough, their branches settling back into normal patterns. The vines took more convincing, especially the ones that had gotten used to moving freely. The grass... well, some patches were probably going to remain suspiciously geometric for a while.

As I prepared to leave, I felt a familiar warmth from my Genesis Seed. The month of intensive practice had done more than just teach me a new technique – it had helped the seed's own growth, establishing stronger connections with the natural world.

I hadn't become a master of Primordial Wood Arts, not even close. But I had a foundation now, a practical combat technique that played to my strengths. And more importantly, I understood better how the World Tree Sutra approached power – not through domination, but through connection and growth.

"Azure?"

"Yes?"

"You know how you said most of the combat techniques were meant for higher realms... I can't wait to see what else this cultivation method can do."

"They are significantly more impressive than convincing some vines to dance. But remember, Master, reaching those realms is far from guaranteed. Many cultivators never progress beyond Qi Condensation."

"Always the optimist." I smiled.

"Of course, I believe you have a real chance at breaking through, Master."

My smile widened at that. It was nice having someone believe in me.

Before heading back, I took one last look at my secret training ground. The clearing looked almost normal now, just another patch of wild growth at the edge of the sect's territory. But I knew better – every plant here had learned something new, grown in ways they never would have without the World Tree's guidance.

Kind of like me, really.

Now I just had to hope Wu Lihua stayed busy with whatever had been keeping her occupied. I had techniques to practice, and an audience would just complicate things.

But that was a problem for another day. Right now, I had a very specific plan: food, sleep, and absolutely no talking to plants for at least twelve hours.

The plants, I noticed, seemed a bit disappointed by that last part.