Chapter 517

Chapter 517: The Reckless Demon Cinque Beast

“However… the herbs from those three parties are mostly dried. They don’t possess much herbs that are still alive, let alone a rare medicinal herb like the Sentiment Drowning Flower,” Alliance Head Zhao said.

These three locations were where most medicinal herbs were concentrated at. As dried herbs shared the same medicinal property and they were easier to store, most of the herbs were dried before putting into storage. As such, there were basically no fresh medicinal herbs there.

“There are various sources to a herb king’s medicinal herbs. The most common source would be the herbologists but rare herbs like the Sentiment Drowning Flower wouldn’t appear in those field. Besides, ordinary herbologists don’t have the ability to nurture it. I do know of a herbologist who possesses such capability. That person has a herb garden in the west of the Myriad Kingdom City, and she has all kinds of bizarre herbs in her herb garden. Most of them are rare herbs that one could hardly see in the market. However…”

Alliance Head Zhao smiled bitterly, “The owner of the herb garden has an eccentric personality, and she’s nearly completely unsympathetic. Her herbs aren’t for sale, regardless of how high a price one offers. Back then, I’ve tried to purchase some unique herbs from her for Lian-er’s illness but I was turned away!”

“Aren’t for sale?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed. “What does she need so many medicinal herbs for then?”

Given the humongous quantity of medicinal herbs the other party had, she couldn’t possibly consume all of it herself… And since that was the case, what was the point keeping them?

Medicinal herbs were just like ordinary plants in the sense that they had a limited lifespan. Even though there were some herbs that could live for several centuries, most only had a lifespan of a few years.

More importantly, planting herbs and maintaining the herb garden were extremely expensive. Spirit stones, unique fertilizer, and manpower—these three were essential for any herb garden. Refusing to sell any medicinal herbs meant that one was pumping money in without any income. No matter how rich one was, it was impossible to sustain in the long run!

“I have no idea either. There are many in Myriad Kingdom City who have been wondering about that but no one knows the real answer!”

Alliance Head Zhao shook his head.

“Then… Doesn’t anyone think of stealing from her?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

Given how the other party had the medicinal herbs that most needed, surely there should be some who were willing to take the risk!

“Of course, people try to, but all of them ended in failure! The owner of the herb garden, Xue Yiyao, reached Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle fifty years ago. No one knows what level she has reached since then, and even I am unconfident of defeating her!” Alliance Head Zhao said.

Given how the other party was a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle expert fifty years ago, even if she had been unable to make a breakthrough, she was probably ranked in the very top among the experts of Myriad Kingdom City.

“More importantly, the herb garden has an exceptionally powerful formation set up by Guild Master Zheng of Honghai City’s Formation Master Guild. It is at least of 4-star pinnacle, and many of those who try to steal the herbs within end up being killed or confined before they could even reach the fields… Soon, everyone realized that it is impossible to succeed so no one dared to try so anymore,” Alliance Head Zhao said.

Refusing to sell the herbs and killing or confining those who dare to lay their hands on her herbs… This fellow was indeed a tough nut to crack.

“Is there anywhere else that could have these two medicinal herbs?”

“There isn’t! Other than this herb garden, I can’t think of anywhere else that might this herb, except for dry ones!”

“Dry ones are meaningless to me!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Only living herbs could be used to cultivate the Soulrouse Grass. Once the herb was dried, how could it possibly harness soul energy to gain the effect of waking one’s soul?

“Where is the herb garden you speak of located? I would like to take a look myself!”

Zhang Xuan had to nurture a Soulrouse Grass by hook or by crook—this was the only way he could save Lu Chong. Since he even went to a place as dangerous as the soul oracle tomb for it, no matter how troublesome the owner of the herb garden was, he would just have to find a way to deal with her.

“This…” Hearing that the other party wanted to give it a try, Alliance Head Zhao hesitated for a moment. “Alright then. I’ll have Jin Conghai accompany you. This way, even if she lays a hand on you, you’ll at least be able to withstand her assault for a moment!”

“Alright!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

He didn’t know the location of the herb garden so he needed someone to lead the way.

“Father, I would like to take a look as well!” Zhao Feiwu hurriedly said.

“What are you going there for?” Alliance Head Zhao frowned.

“The owner of the herb garden doesn’t listen to even your words. I want to see how formidable she is!” Zhao Feiwu chuckled.

Having followed behind Zhang Xuan the past few days, she knew that the other party was a person who would never give up until he achieved his goal. Honestly, she was curious to see whether the difficult herb garden owner or the formidable Zhang shi would emerge victorious in the clash.

Seeing that her father was hesitating, Zhao Feiwu hurriedly added, “Don’t worry, Elder Jin is around. Besides, no matter how disrespectful that herb garden owner may be, she won’t lay her hands on me!”

After hesitating for a moment, Alliance Head Zhao said, “Alright then. The two of you’d better be careful, especially Zhang shi. If the other party refuses to sell the herb, by no means should you insist on the issue. If it really comes down to it, I’ll make a trip myself and perhaps she might sell me this favor.”

Back then, he had sent a subordinate to request for the required medicinal herbs only to end up being rejected. After which, he had intended to go over himself but just then, they managed to find some medicinal herbs from the Physician Guild in replacement. Thus, the matter was settled just like that.

Zhang shi was his daughter’s savior, and on top of that, the other party’s outstanding talent also made it likely that he would accomplish great things in the future. Thus, if things didn’t go well, he didn’t mind stepping forward to help.

As the head of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle expert, no matter how eccentric the other party’s temper was, she should still sell the herbs in consideration of his identity.

After asking a few more questions, Zhang Xuan bade Alliance Head Zhao farewell and left with Zhao Feiwu and Jin Conghai. Riding on an aerial savage beast, they left for the west of the city.

The Myriad Kingdom Alliance was exceptionally large, extending for nearly several hundred kilometers. If one were to walk on their feet, it would take several hours to reach the herb garden. This time, the trio didn’t ride on Zhao Feiwu’s mount but the Demon Cinque Beast.

As a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle spirit beast, its movement was as swift as though a bolt of lightning. In just a few dozen minutes, the trio could spot a gigantic garden appearing before their eyes.

The garden was several hundred mu large, and it was shrouded by a light mist. With just a single glance, one could tell that it was guarded by a huge formation.

(One mu = 666.6 square meters)

“Let’s alight here!”

Knowing that they weren’t allowed to fly straight in, Zhang Xuan nodded his head and the Demon Cinque Beast landed at an area not too far away from the main door.

The doors to the garden were tightly shut, and there wasn’t a single person to be seen at the door. It seemed like everyone knew that the herbs here weren’t for sale so they all lost their interest.

Otherwise, given the huge demand for medicinal herbs, it was impossible for a huge herb garden like this to be completely devoid of customers.

Jin Conghai stepped forward and just as he was about to knock on the door, ‘jiya!’, the door opened and a maid stepped forward.

“Our herb garden doesn’t sell any medicinal herb, please leave!”

It seemed like she was already used to people coming over in search of medicinal herbs. As soon as she saw Zhang Xuan and group, she immediately tried to chase them away.

Not expecting to be rejected right before he could say anything, Zhang Xuan felt a little helpless.

How could he hope to purchase any medicinal herb when he was denied entry at the front door?

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to say something to persuade the other party to give way, the galloping of the horses suddenly sounded.

Then, a carriage stopped at a direction not too far away and a middle-aged man alighted.

“Garden Owner Mu, please enter!”

Upon identifying the person, the maid immediately respectfully opened the gates to allow him entry.

“Didn’t you say that you don’t sell any medicinal herbs? Why is he able to enter then?” Jin Conghai frowned.

This was too stark a contrast. They were being turned away at the door while the other party was allowed to strut it.

Was identity a criterion to entering the garden as well?

“I apologize but he’s a guest of our owner. He holds an invitation letter in his hand,” the maid spoke apologetically.

“One can enter as long as they have an invitation letter?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

Before the maid could reply, a cold and arrogant voice sounded. “Of course!”

The one who spoke was a curvaceous lady who seemed to be in her thirties. She had a thick make-up on, and even before her appearance, a heavy scent of rouge was already lingering in the air.

“Garden Owner Xue is conducting a banquet tonight and only other garden owners are allowed to enter. Don’t think that just any lowly peasant can enter this area. If you wish to purchase medicinal herbs, you should just leave right now. We don’t welcome you here!”

Tilting her face up high, the lady spoke arrogantly. Her gaze was filled with cold disdain.

“Banquet? Only garden owners are allowed to enter? If that’s the case, you must be a garden owner as well?” Zhao Feiwu said.

“Of course! I am the garden owner of Greenmist Garden, Luo Qingyan!”

With a proud look, the beautiful lady flicked her wrist and took out a letter. It was the invitation to the herb garden.

“Do you see it? This is the invitation letter. If you don’t have it, leave right now! Don’t cause any trouble!”

Staring coldly at Zhang Xuan, the lady snickered, “Judging from your appearance, you aren’t even twenty years old yet. At your age, I doubt that you can even differentiate among the various herbs. A high-class banquet like this is clearly out of your league, don’t try to get ahead of yourself! Study hard and maybe in fifty years or so, you might just get the chance to come in… Hahahahaha!”

Chuckling beneath her hands, the lady straightened her back. Her voluptuous chests looked uncomfortable in her tight dress, and they threatened to break free from their restraints.

“Fifty years?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. Turning to the maid guarding the door, he asked, “Can anyone with the invitation letter enter?”

“Err… That’s right!”

The maid contemplated over the prior instruction from her superior and hurriedly nodded her head.

“That’s good!”

Hearing the other party’s affirmative reply, Zhang Xuan turned to the curvaceous lady and scratched his head sheepishly, “I wish to negotiate with you. Can you lend me your invitation letter?”

“Lend you? Hahaha!”

As though hearing the most hilarious joke in the world, the curvaceous lady burst into laughter. Following which, she stared down at Zhang Xuan with a look of disdain, “Why should I lend it to you? Garden Owner Xue gave this to me, who do you think you are?”

“You refuse?”

Zhang Xuan glanced at the curvaceous lady.

“You’d better scram before I fly into a temper. Otherwise, I swear you will be carried out of here…”

Bellowing furiously, a powerful aura flowed out from her.

Transcendent Mortal 3-dan.

“You intend to kill me?” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan glanced behind and instructed, “Demon Cinque, negotiate with her in my stead and see if you can borrow the invitation letter from her…”

Roar!

Hearing the order, the Demon Cinque Beast roared deeply and flew over.

“What do you intend to do?”

Before she could react, a humongous shadow appeared before her and a giant backside came crushing down her head.

Putong!

Just like that, she was crushed into the earth. Only her limbs and brain were spared, and she spewed huge mouthfuls of blood.

Ding!

After sitting down on the other party, the Demon Cinque Beast grabbed the invitation letter from the other party’s hands with its mouth and threw it to Zhang Xuan.

“…”

Jin Conghai and Zhao Feiwu staggered. Their eyes were about to pop out from their eyes.

Wasn’t it supposed to be a negotiation? Why… did it suddenly turn out like that…

Chapter 518: The Depressed Zhang Xuan

To be crushed by that massive Demon Cinque Beast who weighed ten thousand kilograms… Just the thought of it was sufficient to leave the two trembling.

Shaking their head, the duo glanced at the curvaceous lady who was on the verge of fainting in sympathy.

Of all people you could offend, why did you have to offend this fellow?

This Zhang shi may seem to be a pushover, but in truth, he was a troublemaker who feared nothing in the world. Otherwise, he couldn’t have possibly charged singlehandedly into the Xuanyuan Kingdom and destroy its entire royal family.

If one were to speak politely with him, he would reply with equal courtesy… But given how you lashed out at him as though a madman, it would be a wonder if he didn’t teach you a lesson!

You are already very lucky that he didn’t make you acknowledge him as your teacher on the spot!

He even dared to command a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert to acknowledge him as teacher. As for you… Piece of cake!

While the duo was shocked by the sight before them, the lady crushed under the Demon Cinque Beast felt like she was on the verge of going insane.

As a powerful, beautiful, and influential garden owner, countless people vied for her favor. She thought that this fellow was just trying to attract her attention or even flirt with her by asking her for the invitation letter… Yet, he actually sent his spirit beast after her…

Spurting large mouthfuls of blood, the curvaceous lady, Luo Qingyan, was frenzied.

“You… I want to kill you!”

Shrieking furiously, she was just about to gather her strength to push away the massive figure above her when she heard the displeased voice of the young man not too far away.

“Demon Cinque, what’s wrong with you? Didn’t I tell you to negotiate with her to borrow the invitation letter from her? Which part of borrow don’t you understand? Why are you acting on your own whim? Do you still have any respect left for me, your master?”

“Roar?” The Demon Cinque Beast was stunned. Its massive lantern-like eyes blinked in confusion.

Even though it possessed intelligence on par with humans, it still wasn’t too well-versed with the language of the humans. Most probably, it mistook Zhang Xuan’s ‘negotiate’ for ‘snatch’.

Besides, this fellow was used to being arrogant. It had always snatched whatever he wanted—if it wasn’t for that, the Myriad Kingdom Alliance wouldn’t have sent so many experts after him.

Even if it had truly interpreted Zhang Xuan’s ‘negotiate’ correctly, how could it have the patience to do so?

“Alright, enough. Stop putting on an act. Since you’ve made a mistake, you should be punished. You shall remain on that spot for an hour. Without my order, you are not to move at all!”

That young man berated furiously.

Pu… Luo Qingyan’s fresh blood spurted out. Her face was filled with tears.

Are you punishing it or me?

You could have gotten it to sit somewhere else, and yet, you ordered it to remain on the spot for an hour… By the time it’s done with its punishment, I will have already died…

While she was spurting blood, Zhao Feiwu stepped forward and said, “We’re here to buy medicinal herbs. It’ll be best if we don’t cause any unnecessary trouble…”

“You’re right!” The young man nodded his head. Thus, he turned to the maid at the entrance and passed the invitation letter over. “Alright, here’s my invitation letter. Can I enter now?”

“…” The maid.

Honestly speaking, she was on the verge of losing her mind as well.

She had seen plenty of arrogant people, but the young man before her topped it all.

The invitation letter should a proof of the person’s standing, identity, and the garden owner’s courtesy. Snatching it like that…

Would any sane person do it that way?

More importantly… Even if you wished to do it, you could have done it discreetly where no one was around. If I didn’t know about it, I could at least overlook the matter and allow you in.

But… to snatch it right before my eyes, do you really think that I’m blind?

What was even more infuriating was that… even after you’re done, you still have the cheek to present the invitation letter to me and innocently ask if you can enter or not…

Enter your head!

Infuriated, her chest puffed up and she was ready to explode at any time.

“No way! How dare you snatch an invitation letter right before my eyes? Unless you kill me, don’t even dream of entering…”

Clenching her pearly teeth tightly together, the maid drove her zhenqi, seemingly prepared to prevent Zhang Xuan from entering even if it would cost her life.

“No way?”

The herb garden’s dignity mustn’t be sullied. Just as she was about to make a move, the young man hesitated for a moment before asking, “Lady, are you ill?”

The maid staggered.

You sure are scum! I didn’t allow you to enter and you immediately say that I’m ill… You’re the one who is ill, your entire family is ill!

She had never felt so angry before. If she could, she would immediately charge forward to beat that fellow to death. Flicking her wrist, a weapon appeared in her hand. Just as she was about to make a move, the young man’s voice sounded once more.

“I see that the Yangbai acupoint on your glabella is slightly red, and the zhenqi flow in the left of your body is a little stifled. If I’m not mistaken, do you suffer from severe headaches every night, and it will feel as though the back of your head is convulsing?”

“You…” The furious maid suddenly froze.

The other party was correct. She did suffer from splitting headaches every night, and it was as if the back of her head was convulsing violently. She had visited the Physician Guild to have it checked but the results were inconclusive. As such, she could only bear with it.

How in the world did this fellow… know about it?

“Not only so, zhenqi doesn’t flow through the meridian of your right thigh smoothly, resulting in your strength being imbalanced. As such, your cultivation has reached a bottleneck, and you find yourself being unable to take the final step forward. If I’m not mistaken, you are secretly cultivating an ice-attribute cultivation technique. Am I right?” the other party’s voice continued.

“Y-you… How did you know?” The maid was taken aback.

She had found her cultivation coming to a standstill recently. In other to boost her cultivation, she chose to cultivate an ice-attribute cultivation technique. However, she kept this matter a secret and even her bosom buddies were kept in the dark. How did this fellow learn of it?

“It doesn’t matter how I know it. You were once injured by the attack of a person who cultivates a yang-attribute cultivation technique, causing a surge of yang energy to clog up your meridians. Your original intention is to cultivate an ice-attribute cultivation technique to neutralize the yang energy so that you can regain your cultivation talent…”

The young man before her shook his head, “Your idea isn’t bad, but the method you used… couldn’t be anymore wrong!”

The maid trembled in shock. Her eyes were so huge that they were about to fall to the floors. Her mouth was agape but not a single word could express her emotions at the moment.

She had indeed fought with a person of yang-attribute a year ago, and due to an injury from that battle, her cultivation came to a standstill. As such, she lost the right to cultivate medicinal herbs and was reduced to becoming a doorman.

With his hands behind his back, the young man calmly explained, “Yin and yang do neutralize one another. However, the surge of yang energy in your body has already fused with your blood and meridian. Cultivating an ice-attribute cultivation technique all of the sudden will only turn your body into a battlefield. Of course, with every battle, the yang attribute zhenqi would slowly diminish with each battle. However… the ice-attribute zhenqi would also be scattered throughout your body during the collision, and some of them would flow along with your bloodstream into your head, thus inducing that sharp splitting headache of yours!”

“This…” The maid’s lips quivered. “Is there any cure for it?”

The other party’s analysis was logical. She had thought that the headache was caused by her fatigue, and never in her dream did she expect that it would be a product from her cultivating an ice-attribute cultivation technique.

Thinking about it, the headache did indeed start from the moment she started cultivating this cultivation technique!

Not only did the other party notice her symptoms, he even found out the cause of the illness, something that even the physicians of the Physician Guild were unable to!

To be able to do so much with a single glance…

Who in the world was this person?

“The treatment method is simple. You just have to practice the Fallen Flower Swordsmanship five times every day while driving your zhenqi. Within ten days, you’ll make a complete recovery!” Zhang Xuan said.

“How… did you know that I have learned the Fallen Flower Swordsmanship?” The maid’s body swayed once more.

The Fallen Flower Swordsmanship was imparted to her by Garden Owner Xue, and among her sisters, she was the only one who’d managed to master it. How did the other party manage to discern so much when all she had done was take out her sword…

Was she dreaming?

Crushing Garden Owner Qingyan to the floor, leaving her spewing large mouthfuls of blood on the ground, to steal her invitation letter… Seeing through her illness with a single glance and offering a solution to it on top of that… Was this fellow spouting nonsense or was he serious?

Ignoring the other party’s question, the young man continued with an impassive expression, “The Fallen Flower Swordsmanship allows one to create sword qi reminiscent of a fallen flower. If you were to drive your zhenqi while executing this technique, you can drive the yang energy clogged within your body out along with the sword qi. If you were to do it five times a day over a course of ten days, the yang energy should completely dissipate, and there should be no aftereffect even if you were to continue cultivating the ice-attribute cultivation technique!”

Hearing that the treatment method was that simple, the maid hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth. Lifting the sword in her hand, she began doing as the other party instructed.

The Fallen Flower Swordsmanship created zhenqi reminiscent of fallen flowers. In an instant, a paradise filled with falling petals seemed to have appeared before everyone’s eyes. However, each of these petals carried an extraordinarily sharp and cold aura, creating a sight of desolate beauty.

Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but feel awed as he watched the swordsmanship. As expected of the Myriad Kingdom City. Even a maid guarding the entrance was at Half-Transcension.

Soon, the maid finished the entire sword routine. Sensing the changes in her body, she widened her eyes in astonishment and delight.

It was just the first time, but her body already felt much more comfortable. The yang energy which she’d thought she would never be able to rid of had indeed dissipated by a little. Even though there was still a significant amount of it left in her meridian, at the very least… this meant that what the other party had said was true!

Her affliction could really be treated by this method!

“Thank you for your guidance!” Sheathing her sword, the maid clasped her fists politely.

At this moment, her anger had already vanished completely.

To be able to see through the problem in her cultivation and allocate a treatment method to it, the other party’s means were even more incredible than the physicians of the Physician Guild… Without a doubt, the person before her was anything but simple.

A person of his caliber couldn’t possibly come here just to cause trouble!

“Un!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly. The other party’s problem wasn’t too complicated so it didn’t take too much trouble. Chuckling softly, he spoke with a refined tone, “May I enter now?”

“This… May I know who gongzi is…” The maid couldn’t help but ask.

Even though she knew that the other party was a formidable figure, she still had to enquire on his identity first. Otherwise, she couldn’t account for his entry to the garden owner.

“This is Zhang shi!” Jin Conghai stepped forward and replied.

“Zhang shi? You’re… a master teacher?” The maid was taken aback.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

Even if I am a master teacher, surely you need not be so surprised. After all, there is a huge bunch of master teachers in Myriad Kingdom City.

“If only I knew that you are a master teacher, I won’t have blocked your path. For the banquet tonight, the garden owner has declared that on top of the other garden owners… all master teachers are allowed to enter the premises of the herb garden freely…” the maid said.

“Master teachers can enter freely?” Zhang Xuan’s body swayed and his vision went dark.

What in the world was this!

If only he knew that it was that simple, he wouldn’t have gotten the Demon Cinque Beast to make a move. Just to enter this herb garden, he went through so much trouble… only to realize that his efforts were meaningless…

“Zhang shi, this way please!” After confirming the other party’s identity, the maid immediately gestured the young man in.

“Un…” Suppressing his frustration, Zhang Xuan proceeded into the garden along with Zhao Feiwu and Jin Conghai. However, barely after taking two steps, he saw the maid pointing to Luo Qingyan, who was still crushed under the Demon Cinque Beast. “Zhang shi, what about Garden Owner Qingyan…”

“Oh. Go and rest by the side first, I’ll call you later on!”

Knowing the other party’s intention, Zhang Xuan waved the Demon Cinque Beast away.

Even though it was an accident that the Demon Cinque Beast had misunderstood his intentions, that lady had it coming. Since she dared to disrespect a master teacher, she should have been ready to be punished.

Roar!

Hearing the command, the Demon Cinque Beast nodded. Shaking its giant backside, it spread its wings and soared into the sky.

“Damn it! Damn it…”

With her squashed body, Luo Qingyan stared hatefully at the departing backs of Zhang Xuan and the others. Her body trembled and she gritted her teeth in resentment.

As the garden owner of Greenmist Herb Garden, her standing was on par with the nobility of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. When had she suffered such injustice?

To be sat on by a spirit beast… This was an insult!

Even if the other party was a master teacher, she refused to simply let this matter go.

“Garden Owner Qingyan, what’s wrong?”

Just as she swore to exact vengeance on that hateful young man, a surprised voice suddenly sounded. Following which, a young man donning a master teacher emblem with four shining stars on top walked over.

Chapter 519: Herbologist Clans

That young man was actually… a 4-star master teacher!

“Luo Qingyan pays respect to Song shi!”

Upon seeing the young man, Luo Qingyan hurriedly clasped her fist respectfully.

If Zhang Xuan was here, he would surely recognize the other party as the man who’d bought the Soulless Metal Humanoid from him in Honghai City.

“Garden Owner Qingyan, this…” Seeing the beautiful and proud garden owner covered with mud from head to toe, Song Chao muttered doubtfully.

After receiving the Soulless Metal Humanoid, he immediately returned back to the Myriad Kingdom City. Recalling the guidance of Zhang shi, he immediately visited all the herb gardens to buy the necessary herbs. It was because of this that he’d met this garden owner several times.

The other party’s beauty had bewitched him, leaving him burning in desire. Upon seeing the other party in such an unkempt state, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“Song shi, I beseech you to save me!”

Luo Qingyan’s eyes shone as she recalled something. She immediately put on a tearful face that seemed as though she was going to kowtow to the other party at any moment just so that he would stand up for her.

“Save you? What’s wrong?” Raising his hand to stop the other party, Song Chao asked doubtfully.

“Someone tried to barge into the herb garden earlier, and knowing that Garden Owner Xue disliked strangers disturbing her, I stopped him. Who knew that… the other party would actually send his tamed beast after me!”

At this moment, Luo Qingyan seemed nothing more than a pitiful weak lady. “Song shi, I really didn’t know that he’s a master teacher. If only I knew earlier, I surely wouldn’t have stopped him…”

“Just because you stopped him, the other party sent his tamed beast after you?” Song Chao frowned.

“Actually, it’s not that master teacher’s fault. Even though he isn’t wearing a master teacher robe and he didn’t indicate his identity, I should have been asked him about it beforehand… Song shi, I won’t do it again. Save me…” Luo Qingyan cried.

Even though she seemed to be regretful of her actions, she was actually playing down her disrespect and emphasizing on the other party’s domineering nature instead.

This way, she made it seem as though Zhang Xuan was the one who was unreasonable. Not only did he not flash his identity, he even injured a person who was just acting within her scope of responsibility.

“Atrocious! How dare a master teacher act in such a manner… This cannot be overlooked!”

As expected, after hearing Luo Qingyan’s distorted version of the story, Song Chao’s face darkened.

Master teachers were a representation of the Master Teacher Pavilion. As such, wherever they went, they had to make sure to act in a manner appropriate for their identity. How could the other party act so domineeringly as though he was a hoodlum?

“Don’t worry. The blame is not on you for this matter. When I see that fellow later on, I’ll make sure to teach him a lesson. I’ll drill the idea of respect into him and have him apologize to you!”

Song Chao waved his hands grandly.

How could a master teacher beat someone who was just doing her responsibility? This was something that only a tyrant would do!

“Thank you, Song shi!” Seeing that the other party was going to stand up for her, Luo Qingyan’s eyes glowed in excitement. She turned to look at the young man in admiration.

Did you see that? This is the might of a 4-star master teacher!

Only a person of his level would dare to teach other master teachers a lesson!

Humph, you sure acted arrogantly back then, having your tamed beast to sit on me. Let’s see how you fare before Song shi!

In her view, given how the other party wasn’t even twenty yet and his cultivation was clearly beneath hers, even if he was a master teacher, he would be at most 3-star only. Before a 4-star master teacher, he would still have to bend his back and act obediently!

“Song shi, I’ll take you to him now!”

The more she thought about it, the more excited she felt. Thus, she offered to lead the way.

“Un!” Nodding his head, Song Chao placed his hands behind his back and followed Luo Qingyan.

…

Under the lead of the maid, Zhang Xuan and group walked through a long corridor and arrived at a grand hall.

At this moment, quite a large crowd had already gathered here. Taking a brief look, there were at least a hundred people here.

The banquet hadn’t even started but the guests were already gathering in groups, discussing something.

“Zhang shi, this is the banquet venue. The garden owner will be arriving soon to welcome all of you. I’ll be leaving now then!”

Nodding her head, the maid took her leave.

If her impression of the young man before was reckless, arrogant, and a braggart, after the other party offered a solution to her affliction, all of these negative emotions turned into admiration, and the other party became her idol.

“Un!” Knowing that the maid had to return to guard the entrance, Zhang Xuan waved his hands and proceeded into depths of the hall.

“Garden Owner Xue usually doesn’t allow us into her herb garden, why would she suddenly invite all of us over? Did something happen? This banquet can’t be as simple as it looks!”

“Don’t you know?”

“I’ve been outside during the past few days and I only returned to Myriad Kingdom City today. I rushed here as soon as I saw the invitation letter so how could I know what is going on?”

“Rumors have it that the herb garden’s Centerpiece is severely ill, and it is on the verge of death. The banquet is just a cover. In truth, what she hopes to achieve is to bring all of us garden owners together to think of a solution!”

“Centerpiece? You mean that…”

“Shhh, lower down your volume! This is all that I heard from my sources. As for what exactly happened, I don’t have a clue either!”

“Since that’s the case, why is she being so secretive about it? To even go to the extent of using a banquet as a cover…”

“That I’m not too sure as well. It’s not like you are unaware of Garden Owner Xue’s eccentric temper. She must have her own reasons for doing so…”

“That’s true!”

Amidst the crowd, the lowered voice of a trio sounded.

“Centerpiece? Could that be…” Zhao Feiwu’s eyebrows suddenly shot up.

“You know about it?” Seeing that the other party seemed to have thought of something, Zhang Xuan immediately turned his gaze to her.

“I’ve once read a book concerning herb gardens so I know a thing or two about it!” Zhao Feiwu nodded her head. Suppressing her voice, she continued, “They should be referring to the ‘Earth Vein Spirit Vine’!”

“Earth Vein Spirit Vine?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

Even though he had read a considerable number of books, he had never come into contact with information regarding herb gardens. As such, he found the name extremely foreign.

“Un!” Zhao Wufei nodded her head. “It’s not really a secret. All herb gardens would have this. The Earth Vein Spirit Vine is a unique that grows by aligning itself with earth veins, absorbing spiritual energy, minerals, and water from it… Then, it uses all of these to nourish the ground, thus creating a superior field suited for growing all kinds of medicinal herbs.”

If one were to release their cattle at the same location, no matter how lush and concentrated the grass was, it was just a matter of time before it all disappeared. Medicinal herbs were the same as well.

It was still fine to grow a medicinal herb in one location, but if one were to try to grow multiple medicinal herbs on the same field, the herbs would start competing for nutrients… And this would sap the field dry swiftly. Without nutrients to sustain the medicinal herbs, no matter how formidable the herb was, it would wither swiftly.

The reason why herb gardens could supply a steady source of medicinal herbs without fail was due to the existence of this thing.

Its decline and death meant that the entire herb garden was doomed. All of the medicinal herbs in the field would be ruined.

“Medicinal herbs growing on a field nourished by the Earth Vein Spirit Vine have a much more beautiful tone and significantly larger size. More importantly, its rate of maturity would be much faster as well. Some of the legendary five-hundred-year-old herbs could reach maturity here in just two hundred years. Otherwise, who could live for five hundred years just to grow a single medicinal herb?” Zhao Feiwu said.

“I see!”

Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

He had been puzzled by how medicinal herbs could be grown in large groups without any adverse effect. After all, unlike normal grains, they required a huge quantity of spiritual energy and nutrients. No matter how fertile the ground was, it was very difficult to sustain such massive output.

It turned out that it was due to the credit of this mystical plant.

“If they are really talking about the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, then it’s no wonder why Garden Owner Xue is panicking. Without the Earth Vein Spirit Vine to condition the field, given how the medicinal herbs were grown in proximity to one another, they would all surely shrivel swiftly…” Zhao Feiwu continued.

The Earth Vein Spirit Vine was like a formation providing the required conditions for the spirit herbs’ survival. Once it died, their source of nutrition would be stopped and they would shrivel swiftly.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded. Just as he was about to speak, a friendly voice suddenly sounded not too far away.

“Brother, did you follow your elders here to participate in the banquet as well?”

The one speaking was an amiable-looking young man. Two dimples would appear on his face when he smiled, and this seemed to make him more approachable.

“Elder?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

“That’s right. The only ones who are privileged to receive the invitation letters are the garden owners, herb kings, and the herbologist clans. I have met the eight herb owners and seven herb kings of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, and you clearly aren’t any of them. Naturally, you must be here with your elder!”

The young man grinned.

“Herbologist clans?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

He knew of garden owners and herb kings, but what in the world were herbologist clans?

“You don’t know of herbologist clans?” Seeing the other party’s perplexed expression, the young man widened his eyes in disbelief.

This was part of the fundamental knowledge of herb gardens. To not even know this, how in the world did the other party manage to get in here?

“The cultivation of medicinal herbs require the care of specialist, and herbologist clans like us provide such manpower to the herb gardens,” the young man explained.

There were farmers to care for the fields and shepherds to care for the herds… Similarly, there were herbologists to care for medicinal herbs.

The high tier a medicinal herb was, the harder it was to cultivate it. Similar to pill forging, it was an extremely profound knowledge. To cultivate a formidable herb, not only would one require time, more importantly, one would also require skilled and experienced workers!

The medicinal herb being unable to live up to its full potential was one thing. In the worst-case scenario, an error made could even cause the plant to wither and die!

Using the spirit herb [Noble Grass] as example, this herb needed to be watered by maidens to live. If the maiden were to get into a relationship with a male, as soon as a drop of water from her were to fall onto the spirit herb, the herb would immediately dissipate into a cloud of smoke.

It was exactly due to this nature of Noble Grass that it was used to check whether a lady was still a maiden or not.

Melody Rapture Grass—It would take on an appearance similar to a human’s eye once it flowers. To keep it alive, a person had to dance and sing to delight it with a melody. Otherwise, it would die very quickly.

There were many of such bizarre medicinal herbs throughout the world, and without the required knowledge, it would be impossible to grow them.

And this knowledge was passed down only within the herbologist clans who devoted their entire lives to raising herbs.

Back then, when the Master Teacher Pavilion was organizing the occupations, herbologists had been raised in the discussion. However, this occupation had a very divided heritage and there wasn’t any clear school. On top of that, it had very little to do with cultivation and skills, being a knowledge-oriented occupation.

As such, it failed to be ranked within the Nine Paths. Otherwise, its name would surely be listed amidst the occupations of the Lower Nine Paths.

Chapter 520: Impossible to Guard Against

“I am just taking a look around, I didn’t come with anyone!”

Understanding what was going on, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

“Just taking a look around?” The young man was taken aback.

Where were they?

The herb garden of Garden Owner Xue! Even an envoy of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance would find it hard to come in here. To be casually taking a look around here… You must be jesting!

He had seen the fellow come in earlier—the maid guarding the entrance had escorted him personally here, and her attitude was exceptionally respectful… Even his grandfather didn’t enjoy such a privilege!

This was precisely the reason why he stepped forward in the hope of making friends. Otherwise, as the successor to a herbologist clan, he didn’t have the time to be chatting everyone up.

Thinking that the other party was just trying to keep a low profile, he decided not to ask any further. Smiling, he introduced himself, “I am Lu Zhan, a member of Myriad Kingdom City’s Lu Clan!”

“Zhang Xuan!” Zhang Xuan replied.

“So, it’s Brother Zhang, nice to meet you!” Despite reporting the Lu Clan’s name, the other party’s expression remained unchanged. Lu Zhan’s complexion immediately turned grave, and he hurriedly clasped his fist respectfully.

As one of the Four Great Clans of the Myriad Kingdom City, the Lu Clan’s power and standing was known throughout the entire alliance.

Even nobles and powerful officials would have to respectfully address him as Lu gongzi upon hearing of his identity. Yet, this fellow remained unmoved. It seemed like he must have a huge backing.

Thinking so, his attitude became even more respectful.

If he were to know that Zhang Xuan had simply never heard of the Lu Clan, it was hard to say whether he would puke blood or faint on the spot.

After chatting a moment longer, Lu Zhan realized that the person before him truly knew nothing about medicinal herbs at all, and his confusion deepened.

Other people were still guessing the reason behind Garden Owner Xue’s invitation, but as the successor to a prestigious herbologist clan, he had already received concrete news about the matter.

After all, many of the herbologist maids serving in this herb garden came from their clan. It wasn’t a problem for them to gather some information.

Just as everyone had guessed, a problem had cropped up with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine!

This was precisely the reason why all those who were invited were the greatest minds in the topic of herbology. Yet, this fellow actually knew nothing at all. He had never even heard of herbologist clans… What exactly was his true identity for Garden Owner Xue to invite him over?

…

While they were chatting, Luo Qingyan and Song Chao arrived at the hall.

“Song shi, that’s the fellow who laid his hands on me!” Scanning the crowd, Luo Qingyan soon saw that hateful fellow and pointed him out.

Following the other party’s finger, Song Chao soon saw a figure.

Zhang Xuan was currently speaking to Lu Zhan, and his back was against them. Thus, Song Chao only saw the other party’s back view. Even though it seemed weirdly familiar to him, he didn’t connect it to Zhang Xuan.

After all, Zhang shi seemed extremely close to Hall Master Sai of Honghai City back then, and so, Song Chao thought that the other party was from Honghai City. Why would someone from Honghai City suddenly appear here, and not to mention, how much of a coincidence would it be for the two of them to appear in the same herb garden?

“There’s no mistake, it is him! He is the one who abused his identity as a master teacher to attack me! Song shi, please redress my grievance. As long as you teach him a lesson in my stead, I, Qingyan… shall be yours!”

Luo Qingyan cuddled up with Song Chao with her voluptuous chests.

She knew what men liked, and using her charms, she had always been able to convince them to help her. Otherwise, how could a young lady like her possibly open up a herb garden in Myriad Kingdom City?

Feeling the astonishing buoyancy pressing against his arm, Song Chao immediately nodded his head and declared righteously, “Don’t worry, even if you didn’t say a thing, I wouldn’t allow a person who sullied the name of master teachers to get away scot-free!”

Even though he knew that the other party was just making use of him for vengeance, he didn’t feel put off by it. In the first place, it was his duty to safeguard the honor and prestige of the Master Teacher Pavilion, not to mention, such a beautiful lady was asking for his help.

Following behind that curvaceous figure, they soon arrived before Zhang Xuan and group.

“We meet once again!”

Knowing that the 4-star Song shi would get back at Zhang Xuan for her, Luo Qingyan was fearless. Stepping forward, she sneered coldly.

Zhang Xuan turned around and froze for a moment. Blinking his eyes, he asked doubtfully, “I thought you don’t have an invitation letter? How did you enter the venue?”

“You…”

Hearing those words, Luo Qingyan nearly spurted a mouthful of blood.

You still have the cheek to ask if I have an invitation letter or not…

You’re the one who snatch it away from me, okay?!

“I’ve entered by tagging along with Song shi!”

Suppressing her rage, Luo Qingyan turned to Song shi and said, “It’s this Zhang shi who abandoned his honor as a master teacher and ordered his tamed beast to attack me. I beseech Song shi to redress my grievance!”

However, Song shi remained completely motionless. Luo Qingyan frowned. Just as she was about to further provoke him into action, Zhang shi’s voice sounded, “Song shi? Oh! It’s Little Song!”

“Little Song?”

Luo Qingyan was stunned for a moment before frenzied joy gushed through her heart.

This was a genius 4-star master teacher, an expert that came from a neighboring sect!

Even the elders of Myriad Kingdom Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion would have to regard him as their peer, and yet, a young brat like you dares to address him as Little Song…

Luo Qingyan had been thinking of how she should further fan the flames between the two young men but from the looks of it now, there was no need for it. The other party had simply courted his own death!

Not only her, even Lu Zhan who had been trying to fathom Zhang Xuan’s identity nearly keeled over.

There were four stars on the emblem pinned on the chest of this Song shi—4-star master teacher. To address the other party as Little Song as though he was a junior…

Lu Zhan hurriedly turned over to Song shi in hopes of mediating the situation when the face of the genius suddenly distorted, and he looked as though he was going to cry at any moment now.

“Rookie Song Chao pays respect to Zhang shi!”

At this moment, he could feel his heart crumbling.

Even if the other party was a 4-star master teacher, he would have challenged the other party on his actions. But before this fellow… How could he dare to do so?

Having been beguiled by the other party’s Impartation of Heaven’s Will twice consecutively, his fortune had already run dry… Having experienced the other party’s astonishing means personally in the past, if not in consideration for his pride and honor, he would have already run away straight upon seeing Zhang Xuan’s face.

Teach him a lesson… Even if someone were to give him ten guts, he wouldn’t dare to do it!

“Song shi, he’s being disrespectful to you! Why are… Huh?”

Luo Qingyan was still immersed in the vision of Zhang Xuan being pummeled violently by Song shi, and she was just about to introduce some punishment methods to the latter when she suddenly realized what Song shi said and froze.

What did ‘rookie’ mean?

It reflected one’s ineptitude!

Usually, only when juniors met with someone superior to them would they use such an address. This genius, a 4-star master teacher, was actually using this address with Zhang shi?

Could it be that… this Zhang shi, despite his young age, was even more incredible than Song shi?

Are you for real?

Luo Qingyan was about to burst into tears.

She thought that a huge figure like Song shi would surely be able to teach that arrogant fellow a lesson so that she could get back at him. Who knew that… the other party’s backing was even bigger!

Despite coming here to return the humiliation, she found herself being humiliated instead…

What in the world was this!

Lu Zhan’s mouth also widened in shock. His eyes grew even bigger than that of a goldfish.

He had been trying to guess this person’s identity all along, and he had even thought of the Alliance Head Residence. But one thing he never imagined was that the other party would be a master teacher… Not to mention, a master teacher who could make a 4-star master teacher address himself as a ‘rookie’ willingly!

This was too fearsome!

It was no wonder why a maid escorted him personally. He did possess the qualification for such treatment!

Ignoring the shocked duo, Zhang Xuan turned to Song Chao and asked, “Little Song, you wish to redress her grievance?”

Initially, when he saw this fellow, he was a little surprised. However, he soon realized why the other party was here as well.

In the treatment formula that he gave the other party. there were some medicinal herbs that needed to be fresh, and the only place to procure them was at the herb gardens. Most probably, he was here for that purpose.

“N-no… I just happened to meet with her. I don’t know her at all…”

Song Chao smiled awkwardly.

Having fallen under the other party’s Impartation of Heaven’s Will twice, he knew that the other party was a master teacher who was far superior to him. Before such a figure, how could he possibly dare pull his weight?

“You don’t know her?” Zhang Xuan lifted his finger and pointed.

Only then did Song Chao realize that Luo Qingyan’s voluptuous chest was still pressing against his arm.

“I really don’t know her at all…”

Shocked, Song Chao hurriedly jerked his arm and pushed the latter away.

The comfortable buoyant sensation from before felt like needle pricks at this instant, pricking him to the point that tears were threatening to spill from his eyes.

“Song shi…”

Being pushed away, Luo Qingyan finally realized that the formidable Song shi wasn’t just respectful toward Zhang shi. Rather, he was fearful of the other party!

A person capable of inducing fear in a 4-star master teacher?

What exactly was the other party’s identity?

Terrified, Luo Qingyan slowly backed away. At this instant, vengeance was the last thing in her mind. All that she could think of was how she could get away.

She really felt like slapping the previous her at this moment. Why in the world was the latter so blind as to provoke a person of such standing? It was already huge blessing that she was still breathing at the moment!

“Alright, I get it. There’s no need for you to act like that!”

Ignoring Luo Qingyan, who was preparing to escape, Zhang Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly. Then, something suddenly struck him and his eyes lit up. Turning to Song Chao, he said, “Right, do you need more Soulless Metal Humanoids?”

Previously, at the soul oracle tomb, Sun Qiang had taken four grade-7 Metal Coffins, and of which, one of them was empty and the remaining three were filled with Soulless Metal Humanoids. In any case, since those things were meaningless to him and a wealthy potential buyer was before him, he decided to try his luck.

“Soulless Metal Humanoid… Zhang shi still has more of them?” Song Chao asked.

“I still have three more. On top of that, I have the coffins which they are stored in as well. If you’re interested, I can sell the coffin together with it and give you a discount. Five middle-tier spirit stones for one set!” Zhang Xuan said.

Previously, he’d sold the Soulless Metal Humanoid to the other party for forty-thousand low-tier spirit stones. This time, the coffin was thrown into the mix as well but the price was only 5 middle-tier spirit stones. There was indeed a significant discount in the price.

“Five middle-tier spirit stones?” Song Chao’s lips twitched. “I don’t have that many middle-tier spirit stones…”

His entire fortune had run dry from purchasing the Soulless Metal Humanoid from before. Even though he had recouped his losses by reporting the expense to the elders of his sect after returning to the Myriad Kingdom City, that was all in terms of low-tier spirit stones… Even if he were to strip himself bare, he could only produce one middle-tier spirit stone!

Furthermore, that was a reward for obtaining the Soulless Metal Humanoid.

“Then, how much do you have?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“One…” Song Chao replied honestly.

“That works as well. I’ll sell you one grade-7 Metal Coffin then. This is a work from a 4-star blacksmith. It can serve as a comfortable bed which will cool you down in summer and warm you up in winter! More importantly, it’s a set with the Soulless Metal Humanoid you bought previously. If you were to return with it and study it thoroughly, you might be able to make a breakthrough in your soul cultivation!”

Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and passed a storage ring over.

Storage rings were already worthless to him now, and he had several of them on him. In this storage ring was the coffin storing the Soulless Metal Humanoid which Luo Zhu stole previously.

Zhang Xuan had already gained a deep understanding of soul oracles via Mo Hunsheng and so, these coffins and Soulless Metal Humanoids served little purpose to him. It would be best if he could trade them for something more practical.

“Grade-7 Metal Coffin?” Grabbing the ring, Song Chao immediately dripped a droplet of blood on it before sending his consciousness into it. After taking a look, his eyes immediately lit up.

There were indeed many symbols commonly used by soul oracles carved on it. If one were to study the Soulless Metal Humanoid alongside the coffin, it could indeed help to augment one’s understanding toward souls.

“Alright, I’ll take it. Here’s your middle-tier spirit stone!”

As he said so, he flicked his wrist and passed a jade box over.

“Un!” Opening a crack in the jade box, Zhang Xuan immediately felt concentrated spiritual energy gushing straight toward him. Knowing that there was a middle-tier spirit stone inside, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction and put it in his ring.

“I have another three Soulless Metal Humanoid and the higher grade Crimson Metal Coffin. If you’re interested in them, bring more middle-tier spirit stones along with you to look for me! I’ll welcome you anytime!”

After receiving the middle-tier spirit stone, the satisfied Zhang Xuan looked at Song Chao as though he was a mobile sack of money.

This fellow was indeed wealthy. Zhang Xuan had profited significantly from the other party.

As expected of a sect member.

“Yes! I’ll definitely report the matter to my sect. If there’s anything we need, we’ll definitely look for you!”

Nodding his head, Song Chao turned around and left. However, right after taking a few steps, he suddenly froze and his complexion darkened. Tears began streaming down his face.

“Shit… I got beguiled again…”

Despite being on his guard, he still fell for the other party’s tricks.

He was truly a foe that was impossible to guard against!

Chapter 521: Herb Field

Back then, with a Soul Depth of 12.1, Zhang Xuan was able to ‘persuade’ the other party easily. Now that his Soul Depth had reached 14.1 and he had undergone a second Celestial Master Teacher acknowledgement, it was no longer an issue for him to do so much.

Even so, Song Chao actually didn’t make a loss.

A grade-7 Metal Coffin was an artifact that a 4-star blacksmith specially crafted for housing a Soulless Metal Humanoid. It probably was even more expensive than this when Mo Hunsheng bought it back then.

Depressed, Song Chao was just about to look for Zhang shi to take back his spirit stone when the room suddenly hushed. A slight air of vitality wafted in the hall.

“Garden Owner Xue arrives!”

Along with the declaration, an elder who looked like she was in her fifties walked into the room. Even though her skin was a little loose and there were signs of age all around her, one could still see hints of a previous beauty in her.

She didn’t reveal her cultivation but vaguely, one could feel a powerful aura from her that seemed to nearly match up to the Demon Cinque Beast.

It was no wonder why Alliance Head Zhao was slightly apprehensive of the other party’s strength. From the looks of it, his worry was not unfounded.

“I thank everyone here for attending today’s banquet!”

Walking into the hall, Garden Owner Xue addressed with a smile.

“Garden Owner Xue, you’re being much too polite!”

“How could I dare miss out on a banquet hosted by Garden Owner Xue!”

“We haven’t met one another for such a long time anyway. This banquet serves as a platform for us to catch up…”

…

The crowd smiled.

Even though this herb garden wasn’t open to the public, everyone knew about the formidable variety and quality of herbs within this garden. Without a doubt, among the eight great herb gardens, this one ranked at the very top.

The same went for Garden Owner Xue’s cultivation as well. Even though those were just pleasantries, it also reflected their true thoughts.

“I apologize for calling all of you over so abruptly. Even though I’ve used the front of a banquet to gather all of you here today, I believe most of you have already guessed my true intentions.

“Even if I don’t say anything, everyone here should know the importance of an Earth Vein Spirit Vein to a herb garden. The abrupt changes of the herb garden have caught me off guard, and due to my limited ability, I am unable to find a solution to the problem for the time being. Thus, I gathered everyone here together in hope of borrowing everyone’s knowledge to tide me through this crisis. As long as anyone can come up with a solution to the problem, I, Xue Yiyao, hereby swear that they shall be an eternal friend of mine. No matter what medicinal herbs they require in the future, my herb garden shall supply it to them for free!”

“Supply medicinal herbs… for free?”

“Isn’t this gift a little, no, way too generous?”

“Garden Owner Xue’s medicinal herbs have never been put up for sale before, and as such, there are quite a lot of herbs with the maturity of a century or higher…”

“That’s not important. More importantly… If you were to become Garden Owner Xue’s friend, given her strength and identity, who would dare trifle with you?”

“That’s true…”

…

A huge commotion immediately broke out below.

Everyone’s eyes went red in agitation.

Even Lu Zhan’s breathing hastened, and his eyes went red in agitation.

Even though the Lu Clan was noted as one of the Four Great Clans of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, it ranked at the very bottom of the four. It was at risk of being pulled down by the competitors below them.

If they could pull Garden Owner Xue to their side, it would just be a matter of time before they climbed to the very top.

Suppressing his excitement, he glanced at the young man he had just met and his admiration for the latter immediately deepened.

Everyone’s faces were reddened in excitement and many elders in the room even had veins popping at their temples. Yet, this young man was able to retain his composure despite the massive benefits involved.

Perplexed, Lu Zhan asked, “Brother Zhang, aren’t you excited?”

“What is there to be excited about?” Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.

“Being Garden Owner Xue’s friend…” Halfway through his words, Lu Zhan suddenly smiled bitterly.

The person before him was a figure who could even command respect from a 4-star master teacher and have the latter identify himself as a ‘rookie’. Xue Yiyao might be a formidable figure in the Myriad Kingdom City, but she might still be insufficient to catch the eye of the latter.

Interrupting everyone’s excitement, Garden Owner Xue said, “I’ve already said all that should be said. Those who are interested should follow me to the herb field. We can discuss the solution to the matter after you all see the condition of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine for yourself!”

“Alright, we’ll be troubling Garden Owner Xue to lead the way then!”

“Let’s see who can solve the problem!”

…

Everyone replied as they followed Garden Owner Xue out.

The herb field in the herb garden was a top-notch field nourished by the Earth Vein Spirit Vine. All medicinal herbs that grew here were much more potent and larger than those growing anywhere else.

Zhang Xuan followed behind the crowd.

Even before seeing the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, Zhang Xuan could already feel the spiritual energy in the air growing more and more concentrated. Vitality seemed to flow in the air itself.

Here, not only were medicinal herbs nourished, even cultivators would feel revitalized.

Activating the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan scanned the surroundings and he couldn’t help but frown.

Even though the herb field seemed to be filled with vitality, vaguely, a heavy aura of death seemed to linger in the area.

It was a cold and sinister sensation. If one didn’t pay careful attention, it would be easy to overlook it.

“It seems like something has indeed gone wrong with this Earth Vein Spirit Vine!”

Upon seeing this, Zhang Xuan suddenly understood why Garden Owner Xue would gather so many herbologists here and offer such a huge reward.

From the looks of it, the problem surrounding the Earth Vein Spirit Vine was much greater than expected.

Before even reaching the herb field, Zhang Xuan could already sense an aura of death. Wouldn’t it be even more apparent when he stands before it?

Judging from the concentration of the aura of death, if the Earth Vein Spirit Vine wasn’t treated, it probably wouldn’t last past a year.

“So many medicinal herbs… Incredible! Our clan seems nothing in comparison to this…”

“It is no wonder why everyone says that Garden Owner Xue’s herb garden is the best across the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance. I was harboring some doubts beforehand but after seeing this, I have no choice but to admit it!”

“Garden Owner Xue hasn’t sold any medicinal herbs for more than fifty years now. The herbs she has in her storage must be incredible!”

Amidst shocked exclaims, the crowd arrived at the herb field.

The herb field was several hundred mu large, and it was impossible to see the end with a single glance. All kinds of medicinal herbs were planted in the area, and every single one of them was exuding concentrated spiritual energy. Walking through this area, everyone felt an indescribable feeling of comfort.

(One mu = 666.6 meters square)

“This is the Spiritearth Grass… Reticent Flower… Wild Goldsilver Grass… These are all extremely expensive herbs, and on top of that, there is an extremely limited supply of them outside. For there to be so many of them in here…”

Lu Zhan was so shocked that his mouth could hardly close properly.

The variety of medicinal herbs here was incredible. Many rare herbs that could rarely be seen outside filled the fields, and they came in different shapes and sizes, creating a very unique aesthetics to the area.

“Everyone, this is the centerpiece to my herb garden, the Earth Vein Spirit Vine!”

Walking along a narrow pathway in between the herb field, Garden Owner Xue pointed forward.

Following her finger, everyone saw a massive vine rising up in the center of the herb field. Its trunk was seven to eight meters thick, and branches filled with lush leaves extended from it.

It was the first time that most of the people here were seeing such a massive vine, and they couldn’t help but be astounded by its hulking size.

Even so, they swiftly noticed that something was amiss. The leaves on the thick vine were slightly yellowish, and they looked as though they were about to wither to death at any moment.

“This vine seems to be on the verge of death…”

“How did this happen? How could such a huge vine wither?”

“That’s weird…”

…

Everyone here was a herbologist who had a deep understanding of medicinal herbs. They couldn’t help but be astounded upon seeing such a massive vein being on the verge of death.

“You aren’t mistaken. This Earth Vein Spirit Vine is indeed on the verge of death. I’ve tried many ways to save it but my efforts were futile. Left with no choice, I could only invite everyone else here to brainstorm for a better idea!”

Garden Owner Xue’s eyes darkened.

Earth Vein Spirit Vines were the foundation to a herb garden, and if it dies, it won’t be long before all of the medicinal herbs wither. By then, the entire herb field would be ruined!”

An elder took a look and remarked, “Since even Garden Owner Xue is helpless before the issue surrounding the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, we probably won’t be able to come up with anything good either.

His words received the approval of others as well.

Judging by how Garden Owner Xue was able to cultivate so many superior medicinal herbs, her proficiency in the occupation was definitely extremely high. If even she was helpless before this issue, how could the rest of them possibly solve the problem?

Seeing that the morale was low, an elder spoke up, “You all shouldn’t feel discouraged by it. If we put our heads together, we just might be able to find a solution to the problem. After all, this is the main reason why Garden Owner Xue invited us here today!”

“Elder Lu is right!”

“In the end, the strength of an individual is limited. If we work together, we just might be able to solve the problem!”

“We have all dealt with medicinal herbs our entire life, so surely, we would have some secret techniques or nifty tricks of our own. Maybe if we try them all, we just might be able to save the Earth Vein Spirit Vine!”

“As long as it’s concerning medicinal herbs, we’ll surely be able to find a way out!”

…

Hearing the words of the elder, everyone recovered from their low morale.

The reward that Garden Owner Xue offered this time was too great. No one wanted to give up on such a good opportunity.

They had no idea whether their solution would work or not, but… what if it worked?

“That’s my grandfather, the current head of the Lu Clan!”

Seeing how everyone’s morale lit up once more just because of a single word from Elder Lu, Lu Zhan immediately turned to Zhang Xuan and explained it to him.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded silently. His eyes were fixated on the vine before him.

The vine was massive, and the length exposed outside already stretched for a height of several hundred meters high. It was unimaginable how deep the vine underground extended.

For such a bizarre plant to exist as well, nature was truly filled with wonders.

Zhang Xuan examined the leaves of the vine carefully with the Eye of Insight.

“That’s not right…”

After taking a look, Zhang Xuan frowned.

The Eye of Insight should be capable of determining the current growth stage of the huge fellow and analyze it based on that. Even though it was inferior to the Library of Heaven’s Path, it was more than sufficient to solve most problems.

Logically speaking, given how the leaves of the tree were yellow and it was on the verge of death, the tree must either be ill, infested with worms, or coming to the end of its lifespan… But the Eye of Insight showed that wasn’t the case!

In other words… This Earth Vein Spirit Vine was perfectly healthy… but yet, it was plagued with an aura of death. From the looks of it, it wouldn’t live past a few more days.

It was as if a fit and healthy man was suddenly too weak to stand up. The situation was truly baffling.

It was no wonder why Garden Owner Xue, despite banning entry to visitors and rejecting sales of medicinal herbs to even the Alliance Head Residence, suddenly gathered all of them here today and made such a generous offer. She must truly have been forced into a corner.

While Zhang Xuan was assessing the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, the others weren’t lazing around either.

After assessing the vine, Elder Lu suddenly spoke up.

“Hall Master Xue, you should have a deeper knowledge regarding the details of this Earth Vein Spirit Vine. May I know when the illness struck, what kind of symptoms there are, and what methods you’ve used to treat it so that we can all analyze the information?”

With just a single look, it was clear that the massive Earth Vein Spirit Vine was ill, and treating a medicinal herb, just like treating a human, required one to understand more about its condition. Only by learning about the cause and symptoms of the illness could one make deductions and decide on the most feasible treatment method.

Chapter 522: Completely Helpless

“Indeed, Garden Owner Xue, you should tell us about it. Otherwise, we’ll just be grasping at straws!”

“If we don’t know about the situation, we won’t be able to do anything about the Earth Vein Spirit Vine’s condition. Why don’t you tell us about it in greater detail so that we can find a better solution together?”

…

Elder Lu’s words immediately had everyone nodding their heads.

For Garden Owner Xue’s reward, they decided to give it their best shot.

“Alright then, I’ll talk about the condition of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine!”

Knowing that only after she revealed everything would everyone be able to come up with better solutions, Garden Owner Xue didn’t reject the request, “The Earth Vein Spirit Vine has always been healthy. Back when it wasn’t ill, the vine was completely green, and its leaves were exceptionally lush. It exuded a deep aura of vitality that revitalizes all that approaches it… It was around half a year ago that everything changed!

“Half a year ago, a maid whom I tasked with looking after the herb field reported to me that a slight yellowish shade appeared on the spirit vein. Back then, I didn’t believe her words, so I immediately rushed over to take a look. To my astonishment, that was indeed the case! Even so, as most herbologists should know, the color of the leaves changes with the seasons, and thus I didn’t pay much heed to it!

“But ten days later, the yellowish shade began to spread. From just a few leaves, it expanded to over half of the tree. By then, I finally realized that something was amiss and immediately tried to treat it!

“Since the leaves had turned yellow, I immediately turned my suspicions to the water source. After all, the cause of such conditions is frequently due to the water!

“So, I specially fetched the ice water from Tianhan Mountain and watered the vein with it. I thought that the issue with the yellow leaves would alleviate as time passed. But who could’ve know that a month later, the leaves of the entire spirit vein turned yellow instead, and even the veins within even had started to wither!

“Thus, I panicked. I immediately turned my attention to the soil and after paying a heavy price, I changed the entire field of soil which the vine is absorbing nutrients from. However, there still wasn’t any effect whatsoever. Thus, I found myself completely stumped. That’s why I invited everyone over to help me on this matter!”

As she spoke, Garden Owner Xue shook her head in despair.

“Yellow leaves and withering veins… Under normal circumstances, it should be a matter of malnourishment or over-nutrition. Has Garden Owner Xue tried tackling these issues yet?” Elder Lu asked.

“I’ve given it a try already but it’s futile!”

Garden Owner Xue shook her head.

“Let me give it a try!”

After hearing the explanation, an elder stepped forward from the crowd.

“It’s Elder Liu!”

“Which Elder Liu?”

“Who else in the Myriad Kingdom City dares to call himself Elder Liu? Of course it’s Garden Owner Liu of the herb garden in the north of the city!”

“He’s here too? The Northern Herb Garden is the second largest herb garden in Myriad Kingdom City!”

“If even he fails, I doubt that there is anything else we can do…”

…

A commotion immediately broke out when everyone saw the elder who volunteered to give it a try.

“This fellow is very famous?”

Zhang Xuan glanced at Lu Zhan doubtfully.

“Cough cough…” Lu Zhan choked on his own saliva. “Brother Zhang, this Elder Liu was already a famous figure in Myriad Kingdom City a hundred years ago. He once served as the Alliance Head Residence’s imperial herbologist! In the past, my grandfather often consulted him on many affairs. In terms of qualifications, he is definitely the most senior herbologist in the entire Myriad Kingdom City! It can’t be that… you’ve never ever heard of his name?”

Lu Zhan felt as though he was going mad.

Regardless of whether Zhang Xuan was from the Myriad Kingdom City or not, how could he not know Elder Liu?

One must know that Elder Liu’s fame transcended beyond just herbology. Even when just considering his strength, he was still one of the top figures in Myriad Kingdom City.

“Oh!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

“Only an ‘oh’?” Lu Zhan nearly spurted blood.

That is Elder Liu! Even Pavilion Master Kang of the Master Teacher Pavilion would speak of him with utmost respect. And yet, you simply reacted nonchalantly with an ‘oh’? What the heck do you mean by that? It is as if you had just heard of someone insignificant

Noticing the other party’s intent gaze, Zhang Xuan asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!”

Seeing the other party’s innocent look, Lu Zhan felt the world spinning around him.

Only then did he realize that the young man wasn’t feigning it. He was truly unaware of Elder Liu’s standing and identity.

Suppressing his helplessness, he internally decided that he would hold a remedial lesson for Brother Zhang to brush up his knowledge of herbs. However, at that moment, the other party said a few words which left him frenzied once more.

“That old fellow’s skill is lacking, he won’t be able to cure the Earth Vein Spirit Vine!”

Turning his head, he saw the young man shaking his head in disappointment as he looked at Elder Liu.

Shaking your head? Disappointed?

Lu Zhan felt as though all of his blood was gushing into his chest, and the final thread of sanity that had been keeping him grounded snapped.

What the heck are you disappointed about?! You might be a master teacher, but you clearly know nothing about herbology at all. Elder Liu is a great herbologist well respected by those in the field, and even if he is unable to cure the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, do you have any rights to be disappointed in him?

Not to mention… that tone!

To be speaking of him as though he is your junior… Big brother, where did you come from? Can you not be so arrogant and haughty?

While Lu Zhan was about to faint from insanity, Elder Liu had finally finished circling around the thick vine.

“The soil, water, air, and nutrition are all alright… What is going on?”

Elder Liu frowned in confusion.

Given his deep understanding of medicinal herbs, he was able to gauge whether the quality of soil, water, and such were fine just by looking at them. Those factors that could affect the healthy growth of the vine were all impeccable, and there was nothing to complain about them. Even so, the giant Earth Vein Spirit Vine was still dying. This bizarre situation had left him truly stumped.

After contemplating for a moment, Elder Liu asked, “Garden Owner Xue, could it be that this Earth Vein Spirit Vine has come to the end of its lifespan?”

Garden Owner Xue shook her head.

“End of its lifespan? That’s impossible! Earth Vein Spirit Vine can live more than a thousand years, and this spirit vine has only lived for slightly more than a hundred years. How could it have reached the end of its lifespan already?”

She had considered this possibility as well and analyzed the possibility. However, the vine was clearly pulsating with vitality, and the factors indicating that one had reached the end of its lifespan were all missing from the vine.

“Besides, even if its lifespan has reached its limit, it should slowly wither away from its stem. However, the leaves are turning yellow first instead of its veins. Clearly, its lifespan isn’t up yet!”

“You’re right!”

Hearing the other party’s analysis, Elder Liu couldn’t help but shake his head, “Pardon my lack of wisdom but I am really unable to find the root of the problem.”

“Thank you for your effort, Elder Liu!”

Seeing that Elder Liu was helpless before this matter, Garden Owner Xue’s eyes darkened. Even so, she still replied politely.

“I apologize for being of no help!”

Elder Liu backed down and fell into deep thought.

It seemed like this problem had truly left him stumped.

“Even Elder Liu is unable to solve the problem?”

Seeing Elder Liu admit that he was helpless before the matter, Lu Zhan suddenly recalled the young man’s words and he widened his eyes in shock.

Did Brother Zhang happen to be right or did he really possess the eye of discernment to gauge that Elder Liu was unable to treat the Earth Vein Spirit Vine?

Wasn’t he completely unknowledgeable about herbology?

“Since Elder Liu is unable to do it, I doubt that I can be of help as well. Still, I wish to give it a try!”

Elder Lu stepped forward.

Walking up to the vine, he knocked on several places carefully and tore off a part of the skin to analyze. After pondering for a long moment, he eventually shook his head and backed down, just like Elder Liu.

Having come into contact with medicinal herbs for so many years, they were well-versed with the common illnesses of the herbs. However, they had never seen an illness like that with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine before, and naturally, they were unable to find a solution for it.

After the two most qualified elders failed, a few others stepped forward to give a look and offered some advice, but all of this advice was turned down by Garden Owner Xue.

The ideas they proposed were normal and she had already tried them already, but to no avail.

Two hours later, all of the herbologists and garden owners had already given it a try but were helpless before the situation. There were some of the younger generation who hadn’t given it a try yet but most of them were only accompanying their elders to or to expand their horizon. As their level of skill paled to the others, they weren’t able to come up with a feasible solution either.

“Does anyone else have any ideas?”

Seeing that no one could solve the problem despite inviting so many herbologists here, Garden Owner Xue’s disappointment deepened.

“I can’t think of anything else already!”

“Garden Owner Xue has already tested all of the ideas I can think of. This really seems hopeless!”

“Since even Elder Liu, Elder Lu, and Garden Owner Xue are helpless before this matter, how can we come up with a better solution…”

“It’s no wonder why Garden Owner Xue is offering such a generous compensation. Indeed, it won’t be easy to win her compensation!”

…

Hearing Garden Owner Xue’s words, everyone shook their heads.

Most people had given the Earth Vein Spirit Vine a look but its affliction had surpassed their level of understanding. Even herbologists who had immersed themselves in the art for many years were unable to understand the situation at all, and they were stumped.

“Alright, I’ve troubled everyone. A banquet is prepared at the hall so do have some food before you leave…”

Seeing that no one else had any idea, Garden Owner Xue shook her head.

Since she’d invited everyone here in the name of a banquet, naturally, she had prepared some delicious food and fine wine.

“I wasn’t able to be of help and I feel embarrassed by my powerlessness. I think I shall pass on the banquet…”

“I still have matter at home to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first…”

Even though Garden Owner Xue was being hospitable, everyone’s complexion didn’t seem too well.

But that was to be expected, everyone here was a celebrity among herbologists, and yet, despite putting their heads together, they were unable to even find the cause of the illness. It was no wonder why they felt embarrassed.

“The illness of this Earth Vein Spirit Vine is indeed a little bizarre. It’s not a big deal that you aren’t able to find its affliction. After all, I’m the same as well. I hope that you all can remain and have your meal before leaving. Also, I happen to have something to ask of you all…”

Seeing the embarrassed expression on everyone’s faces, Garden Owner Xue immediately understood what they were thinking and consoled them. Just as she was about to continue speaking, she suddenly froze. “That gongzi over there, what are you doing?”

Hearing her words, everyone immediately turned their gaze over and saw a young man standing before the thick vines. He stretched out his hand and touched it lightly.

After which, he walked around the vine once and went on to touch a few more valuable medicinal herbs before coming to a stop.

“What is he doing?”

Everyone was dumbstruck.

Medicinal herbs needed a unique environment to grow. In fact, there were some medicinal herbs that were exceptionally sensitive and abhor a human’s touch. As such, none of the crowd approached the Earth Vein Spirit Vine to touch it.

Even if they did, they were all wearing gloves.

After all, depending on the cultivation technique that the person cultivated, there was a possibility that one’s touch might cause some unintended reaction with the medicinal herb, resulting in an unimaginable situation.

There was once a yang attribute expert who touched a yin attribute medicinal herb, and the medicinal herb withered on the spot.

That was also the reason why herbologists cultivated neutral cultivation techniques.

Even all of the herbologists were keeping their distance from the Earth Vein Spirit Vine for fear to exacerbating the situation and yet, this fellow actually dared to sneak forward to touch it without any fear…

What the hell?

Don’t you know the basic rules?

Chapter 523: Are You a Pig?

While everyone was dumbstruck, Lu Zhan leaped in shock and nearly fainted on the spot.

Others might not know that young man, but he had been talking to him just a moment ago. Why… in a moment when his attention was elsewhere, the other party began walking casually around the herb garden, touching things randomly?

Even though you know nothing about herbology, you could ask me about it! Even if you don’t have any questions to ask, surely you should have noticed that no one is wandering about and deduced something from it.

It’s one thing for you to touch the Earth Vein Spirit Vine-that thing is humongous, and it probably won’t die even if you slash it with all of your might. However… those spirit medicinal herbs are a huge taboo!

Anxious, Lu Zhan racked his brain to find an excuse for the other party when the latter turned around, clapped his hands, and looked at the crowd nonchalantly.

“Oh, I’m just trying to see if I can find a way to treat this Earth Vein Spirit Vine!”

“Treat?” Lu Zhan spurted blood.

Alright, I know that even a 4-star master teacher is fearful of you. However… after our previous conversation, it couldn’t be more clear that you don’t know a single thing about herbology. If one can find a solution just by touching a few things here and there, we, herbologists, would have lost our job long ago!

If you’re curious, just say it! Why must you spout such an obvious lie?

Can’t you see that so many people here are stumped by the issue already?

“What arrogant words!”

“Who do you think you are to be spouting such haughty words here? If it’s that easy to treat the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, Elder Liu, Elder Lu, and the others would have long given suggestions. Do you think that a small brat like you has the right to butt in?”

“Where did this fellow come from? Garden Owner Chen, is he one of your men?”

“I don’t know him…”

As expected, upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, a huge uproar was immediately generated.

So many master herbologists were unable to determine the illness at all, what can a fellow like you who hasn’t even reached twenty yet possibly notice?

Braggart!

Garden Owner Xue was also taken aback. A frown appeared on her forehead and she looked at Zhang Xuan doubtfully, “Did you uncover anything?”

“I did find something, but… I might require Garden Owner Xue’s assistance on this matter,” the young man said.

“Assistance? Feel free to speak. As long as it’s within my means, I’ll do it!” Garden Owner Xue nodded her head.

Even though she shared the same sentiments as the crowd-she didn’t think that this young man would be able to accomplish anything-she still wanted to give it a try.

“Good…”

The young man chuckled sheepishly and said, “Can you… execute a punching routine for me?”

“Punching routine?”

Garden Owner Xue was taken aback.

The others in the area were also flabbergasted.

Of all requests, they never thought that he would get Garden Owner Xue to execute a punching routine!

Aren’t we here to look at the Earth Vein Spirit Vine? What are you asking the owner to execute a punching routine for?

Why does it sound like you are fooling with a monkey instead… If you execute a punching routine, I’ll give you a peach…

“Audacious! How dare you tease the garden owner?”

“You’re courting death!”

Hualala!

Some of the younger herbologists immediately rushed up.

Garden Owner Xue was a famous figure even within the entire Myriad Kingdom City, not to mention, she was the owner of the number one herb garden. To ask her to execute a punching routine all of a sudden… Are you trying to make fun of her?

“Everyone, calm down. There must be some kind of misunderstanding here…”

Lu Zhan hurriedly stepped forward and intervened.

Brother Zhang was a person who was likely to be a 4-star master teacher. Putting everyone else aside, even his grandfather couldn’t afford to offend the other party.

A young man harrumphed furiously. “Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding can there be? What does treating the Earth Vein Spirit Vine have to do with getting Garden Owner Xue to execute a punching routine?”

“This…” Lu Zhan was also baffled by that as well. Thus, he turned his sight to Zhang Xuan and asked, “Zhang shi, what is going on…”

“Oh, I have a rough idea of the symptom of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine and I would like to double confirm my conjecture. It’ll do as long as Garden Owner Xue executes a punching routine for me,” Zhang Xuan said.

After assessing the Earth Vein Spirit Vine with the Eye of Insight for so long, he came to the same conclusion as the crowd-the spirit vein wasn’t ill.

Helpless, he chose to step forward and touch it. Through the Library of Heaven’s Path, he finally found out what was wrong with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine.

Thus, he continued to touch a few more medicinal herbs and he realized that they were suffering from the same affliction as well.

It was after deducing something from all of this evidence that he decided to make such a request.

“Zhang shi?”

Hearing the address, everyone frowned.

“Yes, Brother Zhang is a master teacher. He must have his own reasons for doing all of this…” Lu Zhan hurriedly said.

“Master teacher?”

Taken aback, all eyes swiftly shot to Zhang Xuan.

Since the other party was a master teacher, in consideration of his identity, he shouldn’t spout any nonsense!

Also, it was perfectly normal for a master teacher to ask others to display their cultivation technique to him. Just that… they still couldn’t understand what did this have to do with the illness of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine.

“Alright!” Knowing the other party was a master teacher, even though Garden Owner Xue was slightly skeptical at the other party’s purpose, she still chose to nod her head.

Driving her zhenqi, her fist lashed out.

Pi pa!

A deafening sonic boom sounded as the air which was compressed by the immense might of her fist exploded. A huge gust of wind blew at the crowd, nearly sending them tumbling into the distance.

Even though it was a punch infused with energy from the environment, it was no simple feat to compress air to the point of forming a sonic boom with just an ordinary punch. At the very least, most Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle experts were incapable of such.

It was no wonder why the other party was so feared by Alliance Head Zhao. The strength of this Garden Owner Xue was indeed formidable!

“Is this alright?”

After executing her fist, Garden Owner Xue retracted her fist and looked at Zhang Xuan quietly.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan replied, seemingly confirmed something. Then, shaking his head, he looked at Garden Owner Xue with a sympathetic gaze, “I know the problem your Earth Vein Spirit Vine is suffering from! But before that, I would like to ask you…”

Garden Owner Xue and everyone immediately turned their gazes over.

They had examined the Earth Vein Spirit Vine for so long, but they were still unable to tell what was wrong with it. On the other hand, the master teacher before them came to a conclusion just by viewing the garden owner’s punching routine…

Are you for real?

Everyone pricked their ears in fear that they would miss out a single word that the young man would say. Following which, they heard a slightly lamenting voice sounded, “Are you… a pig?”

Pu!

Garden Owner Xue’s body swayed and she nearly exploded.

“What did you say?”

Hong long!

Her aura suddenly surged as if a spark of flame had ignited a pot of hot oil.

She was a renowned expert of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, the garden owner of the Western Herb Garden. Even a master teacher wasn’t permitted to humiliate her like that!

“He said that Garden Owner Xue is a pig?”

“Aren’t master teachers known for being reliable and courteous?”

“I’ve no idea either…”

…

The crowd widened their eyes in shock, and they nearly turned mad.

To insult Garden Owner Xue by calling her a pig, this fellow’s guts sure wasn’t just extraordinarily big, it was about to break through the heavens!

Lu Zhan also nearly bit his own tongue.

I could mediate the matter regarding you touching the medicinal herbs by explaining that you’re a master teacher. But now that you’ve insulted the garden owner publicly, how do you expect me to clean up your mess?

If only I knew you were such a fiery figure, I would have never approached you…

Now, all he could hope was for Garden Owner Xue not to blame the matter on the Lu Clan as well…

Song Chao, who had followed behind the crowd in hopes of exchanging the coffin back for his middle-tier spirit stone, also froze.

As a 4-star master teacher, his eye of discernment was extraordinary. Even though Garden Owner Xue had only displayed a single move, he could tell that the latter’s fighting prowess was impressive. Even the elders of his sect would find it hard to triumph over her!

To say that such an expert was a pig…

Zhang shi sure dared to shoot his mouth.

There were many different reactions from the crowd, but one thought they shared in common was that the young man before them was a lunatic.

“Allow me to finish my words first!”

Even though Garden Owner Xue was already on the verge of snapping, Zhang Xuan didn’t seem worried in the least. Instead, he nonchalantly waved his hands and pointed at the Earth Vein Spirit Vine. “If I’m not mistaken, you often cultivate here, right?”

“That’s right!” Garden Owner Xue replied.

However, her rage wasn’t placated yet. If it wasn’t in consideration of the other party’s identity as a master teacher, she would have charged forward and killed the other party with a slap long ago.

Due to the innumerable spirit herbs in the herb field, cultivating here could calm one’s mind and make it easier for one to achieve a breakthrough.

“You mean that the issue with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine is related with my cultivation?”

Frowning, Garden Owner Xue harrumphed.

“Not only is it related, it is the root of the problem!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Let me tell you the true problem with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine. It is not it is ill, neither is it manifested with bugs, and it definitely isn’t at the end of its lifespan… What it is suffering from was loss of spirit and soul!”

“Loss of spirit and soul?”

Everyone was taken aback.

Zhang Xuan explained, “All sentient beings in the world possess spirit, and a spirit herb, just like Spirit-tier weapons, possesses spirit. As the centerpiece of the herb garden, if the Earth Vein Spirit Vine doesn’t possess a spirit, how do you think it’s able to allocate the required nutrients to each individual medicinal herb accurately?”

Everyone nodded their heads.

Upon reaching Spirit-tier, weapons, tools, and even medicinal herb would gain spirit.

This was how the term ‘spirit herb’ came about.

It was precisely due to the possession of spirit that they would reject cultivators whose zhenqi didn’t align with them, grow faster upon hearing and seeing melodies and dances that delighted them, and discern whether one was a maiden…

“Without spirit, the Earth Vein Spirit Vine would have lost an important part of itself. Under such circumstances, it is inevitable that it would carry an aura of death.”

“A spirit herb losing its spirit is equivalent to a human losing its soul, so I can understand why the Earth Vein Spirit Vine is on the verge of death… But what does it have to do with Garden Owner Xue’s cultivation?”

Everyone was perplexed.

Instead of answering the question, Zhang Xuan turned to Garden Owner Xue and said, “If I’m not mistaken, Garden Owner Xue has been stuck in Transcendent Mortal 4-dan Clarifying Turbidity realm for at least seven to eight decades already!”

“Eighty-seven years!” Garden Owner Xue nodded her head.

“Having been stuck in the same realm for eighty-seven years, it would be a lie if one were to say that one is not interested in making a breakthrough! However, Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm is the first difficult hurdle of the 9 dans of the Transcendent Mortal stage. It requires one’s soul to be completely harmonized with the surroundings and achieving consonance to accomplish a breakthrough! The reason why Garden Owner Xue has been stuck in the same realm is not due to her lack of talent but that her soul… is damaged!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Y-you… how did you know?” Garden Owner Xue’s body abruptly stiffened upon hearing those words.

She was still extremely furious a moment ago, ready to slaughter the fellow before her at any moment. However, upon hearing those words, the zhenqi that she had gathered abruptly dissipated out of shock.

Her soul was indeed damaged. Otherwise, given her talent, she would have long achieved a breakthrough. She wouldn’t have been stuck in the same realm for eighty-seven years!

But… this matter was a secret which she had never told anyone about. How in the world did the young man before her learn of it?

“It doesn’t matter how I know of that matter! Even though your soul is damaged, you didn’t give up like everyone else. Rather, you sought to repair the damage through different means!

“It seemed like you heard rumors that the spirit contained within spirit herbs could heal the damage and so, you created this herb garden and cultivated medicinal herbs. The reason why you refused to sell them is so that you can absorb the spirit contained within them to mend the tear in your soul!

“Your persistence is admirable, but you went down the wrong path right from the start! If the spirit of a medicinal herb could make up for the deficiencies in a human… Wouldn’t that mean that anyone and everyone could reach Consonant Spirit realm?”

Zhang Xuan looked at Garden Owner Xue with a look of disappointment. “Despite being a master herbologist; despite living beside spirit herbs for so long, you were unable to see through this fact…

“What else can you be… if not a pig?”

Chapter 524: Treating the Spirit Vine

“I…”

Garden Owner Xue’s face flushed red. She wanted to lash out, but she couldn’t find a word to say.

As the number one garden owner of Myriad Kingdom City, her level of comprehension toward medicinal herbs was in no way inferior to Elder Liu and Elder Lu, or perhaps, she might even be above them.

This was precisely the reason why no one thought well of the situation after learning that even she was helpless before the problem of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine.

Spirit herb and Spirit tools; even though there was a ‘spirit’ in their names, they were different from the souls of humans. Even though unique spirit herbs could nourish one’s soul, there had never been a case where one could heal one’s soul through absorbing the spirit contained within a spirit herb.

The nature of the two were completely different from the start. It was just like how one couldn’t expect a tiger to feast on grass like a goat when it’s hungry!

“This…”

The crowd was astonished.

Garden Owner Xue was the most knowledgeable herbologist of their group, how could she possibly make such a fundamental error?

It was no wonder why she refused to sell the medicinal herbs which she had nurtured. So, this was the reason!

Since she hoped to heal her wounded soul through the spirit of the medicinal herbs, naturally, the more spirit herbs there were, the more effective the treatment should be.

To a cultivator, there was no price too great to reach the Consonant Spirit realm!

Just that, these were all her deepest secrets… How did this fellow learn of it?

Everyone had examined the situation for so long but they were unable to uncover the problem with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine. It was also completely out of their imagination that Garden Owner Xue would act like this… Just by touching the vine and watching a punching routine from Garden Owner Xue, that young man was actually able to deduce so much…

Could things get any more exaggerated!

Lu Zhan and Song Chao’s eyes were also completely widened.

They both knew that Zhang Xuan was a capable master teacher, but they never thought that he would be that formidable.

“When Garden Owner Xue first entered the banquet hall, I had already noticed that something was amiss. Judging from her zhenqi and vitality, she should only be in her early hundreds. It’s normal for a woman to value her appearance, and under normal circumstances, she should have never looked that old… Unless there was something causing it!”

Zhang Xuan continued, “Thus, I paid close attention to the punching routine she executed just now. If I’m not mistaken, the fist art used was ‘Great Heliacal Punch’. Going by the conventional zhenqi pathway for the technique, one’s zhenqi should gush out from the Baixin acupoint. Yet, she deviated slightly such that the zhenqi came out from her Zhangxin acupoint instead.

“As a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert, her grasp of cultivation should have already reached an incredible level. As such, there is only one explanation behind this peculiarity… Her Huiming acupoint is damaged, causing her to be unable to discern between the minute differences in her acupoints. Huiming is an acupoint governing one’s perception, and it is one of the most important acupoints that determining the wholeness of one’s soul. Since it’s damaged, naturally, her soul must be damaged as well!

“I believe everyone should have seen the Earth Vein Spirit Vine for themselves. It isn’t ill, and it isn’t infested with bugs either. Yet, it’s withering, and nothing seemed to work on it. At the very start, I also didn’t think that it might be due to its spirit being absorbed until I saw the area where I deduced to be where Garden Owner Xue often cultivates.”

At which, Zhang Xuan pointed toward the area where he touched the medicinal herbs previously.

Everyone turned their gazes over. The grass growing in that area was both lush and green, seemingly faring much better than anywhere else in the herb field.

“I believe everyone can see that the grass in that area is growing much better than anywhere else in the herb field. When cultivating, spiritual energy would be drawn into one’s surroundings, which would in turn nourish the plants in the area and allow them to grow better. However… take a look at this!”

Stepping forward, Zhang Xuan stretched out his hand toward the grass.

Hu!

The grass seemed to have seen something fearsome and despite the lack of wind, they hurriedly avoided his hand.

“This is just ordinary grass that can be found everywhere. It shouldn’t possess any spirit and yet, it is now avoiding my hand on its own accord… From this, it can be deduced that someone has been absorbing spirit from the medicinal herbs, thus granting even ordinary plants like this to possess the ability to avoid harm!”

Chuckling lightly, “With this, it isn’t too difficult to deduce the rest!”

“This…”

“As expected of a master teacher, what frightening eye of discernment…”

Hearing the other party’s explanation, everyone couldn’t help but feel awed.

They had long heard of a master teacher’s fearsome discernment ability, and from the looks of it now, they indeed lived up to their name.

With just a punching routine and a field of grass, the other party was able to deduce the entire story… If not for the fact that they were witnessing this situation for themselves, they would have never dared believe this to be possible.

“This…” Song Chao swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and his face turned pale.

The other party’s deduction was completely rational, and he couldn’t find any problem with it.

While the other party had spoken of it easily, he knew that it was no easy feat to do so. Even a 4-star master teacher like him was incapable of doing the same!

In fact, even his teacher and the elders of his sect couldn’t possibly tell so much with just a glance.

To uncover the root of the problem through examining insignificant details like this… Linking up all of the evidences to put together a whole picture… Not to mention, they had to fit together perfectly… Was this fellow actually a seer?

Even a 5-star master teacher should be incapable of doing so!

Or… could the fellow before him actually be a 5-star master teacher?

That would explain why he fell for the other party’s Impartation of Heaven’s Will easily! Only now did he realize that there was a huge gap between him and this Zhang Xuan!

Song Chao was depressed.

“It seems like it’ll be impossible for me to take back my middle-tier spirit stone. If I were really to ask him for it, I might even lose those low-tier spirit stones of mine…”

He was beguiled every single time he tried to approach the other party. He was afraid that not only would he fail to get back his middle-tier spirit stone, all of the fortune that he had raked up with great difficulty might even be swiped clean.

“Forget it, I should just bring this coffin back. Perhaps, if the elder is happy with this, I might be able to recoup my losses…”

Zhang Xuan’s means had truly left Song Chao terrified.

But at the same time, he was also earnestly impressed by the other party as well.

To be able to deduce the entire situation with just a few minor clues, as expected of a master teacher who could beguile him.

…

While everyone was overwhelmed by shock, Garden Owner Xue’s body was trembling violently in disbelief, “I found that method in an ancient book, and throughout the years, the damage on my soul has indeed alleviated a bit…”

Back then, when her soul was injured, she was doomed to be unable to reach Consonant Spirit realm in her entire life.

However, she didn’t believe it, and after flipping through innumerable ancient texts, she finally found the method of absorbing spirit from medicinal herbs to nourish her own soul…

Even though she carried her doubts to the feasibility of the solution, she had no other better alternatives.

Besides, after years of hard work, her damaged soul had indeed recovered to a small extent.

“Alleviated a bit?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Aren’t you still very far from making a full recovery? Do you think that you can live for another eighty years?”

Garden Owner Xue’s body trembled.

There was a limit to the lifespan of a Transcendent Mortal expert. Being beyond hundred, she had already lived half of her lifespan. At the rate which she was recovering at, could her soul possibly make a full recovery before she comes to an end of her lifespan?

Even if it did, what use would it be when she was already knocking on death’s door?

Then… what was the use of it in the first place?

“I was wrong…”

All along, Garden Owner Xue had been thinking of how she could heal her own soul and attempt to break into the Consonant Spirit realm. However, at this moment, she finally realized that it was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Consonant Spirit realm was destined to be beyond her reach.

Shaking her head, she seemed to have suddenly aged decade in an instant.

Seeing her state, even though everyone felt sympathy, they couldn’t find any suitable words to console her.

She had driven herself with this faith for eighty years, and yet, her bubble was burst in an instant. No one could take such a blow lightly.

After a long period of time, Garden Owner Xue finally pulled herself together and asked the young man before her, “Zhang shi, is there any way to save this Earth Vein Spirit Vine?”

Since the other party was able to determine the problem with a glance, perhaps he might have a solution for the problem.

Since her fate was sealed, she decided not to struggle any longer. However, this herb garden had accompanied her for more than half of her life. She didn’t want to see it destroyed just like that.

“As you have cultivated here frequently over many years, this vine is nothing more than an empty shell now. It’ll be difficult to revert it back to its original state! However, I do have a solution in mind, but it will be expensive!” Zhang Xuan said.

If it was before the trip to the soul oracle tomb, given his limited understanding of souls then, it would indeed be difficult for him to deal with such a problem.

However, after attaining Mo Hunsheng’s lifetime worth of knowledge and comprehension, his understanding toward souls had reached an extremely profound level. Even though the Earth Vein Spirit Vine was on the verge of dying, he was still able to treat it. Just that, it might take a little more effort.

Upon hearing that there was hope, Garden Owner Xue hurriedly said in agitation, “As long as you can save it, I’m willing to pay any price!”

Everyone else also turned their gazes over.

Even expert herbologists like them had never heard that a spirit herb losing its spirit could be treated. Thus, they were intent to learn a thing or two from this.

“The solution is actually quite simple… grafting!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Grafting?”

Everyone was perplexed.

As herbologists, the term ‘grafting’ wasn’t foreign to them. It consisted of implanting a bud onto the stem of another plant to form a whole plant.

Many new spirit herbs were created through this mean.

“That’s right. Plants can be grafted, spirits are the same as well!”

Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly, “As long as you can find another Earth Vein Spirit Vine bud with intact spirit and graft it to this spirit vein, over time, the spirit of the bud will fuse together with the original Earth Vein Spirit Vine, thus forming one entity.

If the grafting succeeded, the two plants would become one, and the spirit of the original Earth Vein Spirit Vine would be replenished.

“However… Given the normal rate of growth of Earth Vein Spirit Vines, it’ll be hard to succeed without decades passing. By then, all of the medicinal herbs in your herb garden would have long died… Thus, the growth of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine must be hastened, and the price of doing so will be extremely heavy!”

The concept of grafting was simple in theory, but it was terribly difficult in practice.

Firstly, the implantation of the spirit from the bud onto the Earth Vein Spirit Vine would already require the ability of a soul oracle, thus making it out of question for almost all herbologists.

Also, during the fusing process, one had to ensure that the original Earth Vein Spirit Vine would not reject the bud.

In truth, this grafting was no different from possession. Even though the original Earth Vein Spirit Vine was empty at the moment, it would still be difficult for the immature spirit of a bud to possess the body of such a huge vein.

It was just like an ant trying to pull a carriage.

And the price for hastening the growth of the spirit would be extremely hefty.

“What do you need? I’ll prepare it all now!” Garden Owner Xue gritted her teeth.

If the Earth Vein Spirit Vine were to die, all of the medicinal herbs in the herb garden would die. Her loss would only be greater then.

“An Earth Vein Spirit Vine bud, fifty medicinal herbs with at least a hundred years of maturity, ten buckets of Stemless Water…” Zhang Xuan began reciting the things he required for the operation.

Hearing those words, the crowd stared at one another with an awful complexion. The price was indeed a heavy one to pay.

Ordinary herbologist clans would surely be unable to take out all of these things, let alone, use them to save a single plant.

“Alright, I’ll prepare them now!” Hearing the items that were required, Garden Owner Xue’s eyebrows twitched as well. Even so, it was still within an acceptable range for her.

“Wait a moment…”

Just as she was about to prepare the goods, the young man’s voice sounded once more.

“Prepare a Sentiment Drowning Flower as well. It’ll be best if it has a maturity of five hundred years and above. Also, bring as many middle-tier spirit stones as you can!”