Spirit Fertilizer, Arena Wagered Battles at the Mountain Gate

Besides the seeds, Zhang Wan also bought a 50-kilogram bag of spirit fertilizer.

This amount of spirit fertilizer would definitely not be enough, but if he used it sparingly, it would suffice for his early stages.

If he needed more later, he could put in some effort to concoct spirit fertilizer himself.

The Extreme Spirit Planter inheritance included several common spirit fertilizer recipes.

Of course, with limited spirit stones, the spirit fertilizer he concocted himself wouldn't be as effective as what he bought from the sect.

Moreover, the spirit fertilizer recipes in the inheritance were all common-grade. The spirit fertilizer made from them wasn't considered excellent, just usable.

But with limited spirit stones, being able to get more spirit fertilizer was already good.

These seeds and spirit fertilizer cost Zhang Wan a total of six low-grade spirit stones, drastically reducing his net worth to just one last low-grade spirit stone.

There were still many things Zhang Wan wanted to buy from the jade slip, but he had to keep at least one low-grade spirit stone. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to participate in the arena wagered battles at the academy for the next six months.

He would be reduced to a mere spectator.

He had to stop, giving up the idea of further impulsive purchases.

After paying the spirit stones and receiving the seeds and spirit fertilizer, Zhang Wan stored them in his storage talisman. He then inquired about the conditions for entering the Spirit Planter Hall.

The people at the Dust Bone Branch were not surprised.

Seeing Zhang Wan buy spirit seeds and spirit fertilizer, they knew he intended to become a Spirit Planter.

They told Zhang Wan that any disciple of the Jade Bone Sect who passed the Spirit Planter Hall's assessment could join.

The assessment for the Spirit Planter Hall was also simple.

The Spirit Planter Hall would select a few spirit plants that the sect cultivated the most and give them to the disciples undergoing assessment. Each of these spirit plants would have a problem, and those who could identify and solve the problems would be able to join the Spirit Planter Hall and become a member.

This assessment was not difficult. In fact, even without purchasing the Spirit Planter inheritance, one could simply find a spirit field, tend to it for a few years, and become familiar with the habits of the spirit plants grown there, and then pass the assessment.

Of course, a not-difficult assessment also meant that the status gained after passing would not be high.

To improve one's standing within the Spirit Planter Hall later, one would need to find other ways.

But this was already satisfactory for Zhang Wan.

He would first get a logistical position in the Spirit Planter Hall and then consider other things slowly.

With both objectives for visiting the branch accomplished, Zhang Wan did not keep the Dust Bone Branch personnel any longer and turned to leave.

It was still early, and there was still some time before noon.

Zhang Wan thought for a moment and remembered the matter of arena wagered battles.

These arena wagered battles were not only popular in the various academies but also prevalent within the Jade Bone Sect.

In the short time he had been at the Dust Bone Branch, he had already heard several fellow disciples arranging to go to the martial arts arena in the afternoon to participate in arena wagered battles.

Zhang Wan decided to go and watch.

The battles in the academies were already quite exciting and intense. The battles at the sect's main mountain would only be even more so! He wanted to see what kind of skills and strength those with profound cultivation, who had reached the Postnatal sixth or seventh level, possessed.

In the afternoon, after spending most of the morning flipping through biographies and travelogues on the first floor of the Inheritance Hall, Zhang Wan arrived at the martial arts arena.

His cultivation was low, and he couldn't squeeze his way to the front of the arena, but it wasn't a big problem.

The arena wagered battles at the sect's main mountain were different from those in the academies.

The academies had tacitly acknowledged them but not officially, while the sect's main mountain had directly acknowledged the existence of arena wagered battles, allowing and even encouraging sect disciples to participate.

Furthermore, in addition to the cultivation resources provided by the sect, disciples at the sect's main mountain could also obtain cultivation resources by completing sect missions, making their wealth far exceed that of Postnatal disciples in the academies.

Therefore, in an arena wagered battle, besides the two participating parties placing their own bets, disciples outside the arena could also place bets. There would be disciples with high cultivation acting as bookies, collecting bets from the surrounding disciples.

Not every disciple placing bets had strong cultivation and could squeeze to the front of the arena.

But since they had placed their bets, they couldn't be prevented from watching.

Just hearing the results wouldn't make a crowd of Postnatal martial artists, who possessed mana and formidable combat power, accept defeat willingly.

They had to see it with their own eyes, to personally confirm that there was no foul play or fixed matches. Only then would these Postnatal martial artists be convinced!

They were all martial artists, and many of them had considerable strength. They could tell at a glance whether there was any holding back or fixed matches.

Because of this, the disciples acting as bookies would find fellow disciples skilled in the shadow projection technique to broadcast the battle process in real-time in all directions, ensuring that all disciples who had placed bets could watch.

Some of the wealthy ones even set up dedicated shadow projection jade walls, directly projecting the battles on the arena for the betting disciples to watch.

Zhang Wan got lucky. Even from far away from the arena, he could clearly see the duels through the shadow projection technique and the shadow projection jade wall.

By "freeloading," Zhang Wan witnessed the power of Postnatal sixth and seventh-level martial artists.

They possessed abundant mana, proficient martial skills, seasoned combat experience, and formidable magic tools.

Their strength was astonishing!

Against a beginner like him, who was at the mid-Postnatal first level, one of them could easily take on a hundred.

Zhang Wan even felt that if they fought a guerrilla war, they could probably deal with over a thousand mid-Postnatal first-level beginners like him!

This was not an exaggeration.

Those Postnatal sixth and seventh-level martial artists struck with immense power in every punch and palm. Any single move could kill several Postnatal first-level martial artists.

At the same time, their physiques were generally stronger than Postnatal First Layer martial artists. Combined with their potent mana, a Postnatal First Layer martial artist wouldn't be able to break through their defenses even with their full strength before their mana was depleted.

Considering the more powerful martial skills mastered by Postnatal Sixth and Seventh Layer martial artists, coupled with their movement techniques and speed, the attacks of a Postnatal First Layer martial artist likely wouldn't even be able to touch them.

Once a fight broke out, a single Postnatal Sixth or Seventh Layer martial artist could potentially wipe out thousands of Postnatal First Layer rookies.

Of course, this was a purely power-based comparison.

Martial artist duels involved more than just these factors.

If one mastered formidable techniques, it wasn't impossible for a lower-tier martial artist to achieve a comeback kill.

While gaining some understanding of the strength of Postnatal Sixth and Seventh Layer martial artists, Zhang Wan noticed that his fellow disciples on the arena, in addition to using martial skills and magic tools, were even pulling out talismans and formations.

This surprised Zhang Wan.

Formations were not easy to set up and required time.

To deploy them on the spot in the arena, if the timing wasn't right and the opponent managed to disrupt it, wouldn't that be heartbreaking?

Talismans were consumables.

They weren't cheap either.

Such valuable items, not used against mortal enemies or for survival outside, were being used in arena wagered battles?

He later found out.

The senior disciples who brought out formations and talismans were renowned formation masters and talisman masters among the outer disciples.

Their formidable techniques were precisely their formations and talismans.

Furthermore, the formations and talismans they deployed weren't their truly prized possessions; they could afford to lose them.

Zhang Wan suddenly understood and couldn't help but click his tongue.

Although he understood their actions.

Still, those talismans, those deployed formations, they all represented spirit stones!

"Truly enviable rich dogs!" Zhang Wan thought, looking at his own empty storage talisman, and couldn't help but sigh.

The difference in wealth between martial artists was simply too vast!