Apart from the seeds, Zhang Wan also purchased a fifty-kilogram sack of spirit fertilizer.
This bit of spirit fertilizer definitely wouldn't be enough, but if he used it sparingly, it would suffice for the early stages.
If he needed more later, he could spend some effort preparing spirit fertilizer himself.
The inheritance of an Extreme Spirit Planter contained several common spirit fertilizer recipes.
Of course, with spirit stones in short supply, the spirit fertilizer he prepared himself would certainly be less effective than what he bought from the sect.
Moreover, the spirit fertilizer recipes in the inheritance were all commonplace goods. The fertilizer produced from them could not be considered excellent; at best, it was usable.
But when spirit stones were limited, being able to get more spirit fertilizer was already a good thing.
These seeds and the spirit fertilizer cost Zhang Wan six low-grade spirit stones in total. His wealth plummeted, leaving him with only one final low-grade spirit stone.
There were still quite a few things in the jade slip that Zhang Wan wanted to buy, but no matter what, he had to keep one low-grade spirit stone. Otherwise, he could forget about participating in the academy's arena betting over the next six months.
He would be reduced to a mere spectator.
Thus, he had no choice but to stop and abandon his plans to keep shopping.
After paying the spirit stones and receiving the seeds and spirit fertilizer, Zhang Wan stored them in his Storage Talisman before asking about the requirements for entering the Spirit Planter Hall.
The people at the Dust Bone Branch were not surprised.
Seeing Zhang Wan purchase spirit seeds and spirit fertilizer, they knew that he wanted to become a Spirit Planter.
They told Zhang Wan that as long as he was a Jade Bone Sect disciple and passed the Spirit Planter Hall's assessment, he could join the Spirit Planter Hall.
The Spirit Planter Hall's assessment was simple as well.
The Spirit Planter Hall would select several of the spirit plants most widely cultivated within the sect and hand them to the disciples participating in the assessment. Each of these spirit plants had its own problems. Anyone who could discover and solve those problems could join the Spirit Planter Hall and become one of its members.
This assessment was not difficult. In fact, even without purchasing the Spirit Planter inheritance, one could simply find a plot of spirit farmland and tend it for a few years. After becoming familiar with the habits of the spirit plants grown there, one could pass the assessment.
Of course, an easy assessment also meant that one's status would not be high after passing it.
To raise his status in the Spirit Planter Hall later, he would still have to find another way.
But this already satisfied Zhang Wan.
He would first enter the Spirit Planter Hall and secure a logistics position. He could consider the rest slowly afterward.
Having accomplished both his goals for coming to the branch, Zhang Wan did not continue occupying the Dust Bone Branch's people and turned to leave.
It was still early, with quite some time remaining before noon.
Zhang Wan thought for a moment and remembered the arena betting.
Arena betting was not only flourishing in academies throughout the various regions; it was also extremely popular within the Jade Bone Sect.
During his short time at the Dust Bone Branch, he had already heard several fellow disciples arrange to go to the martial arena that afternoon for arena betting.
Zhang Wan planned to go over and take a look.
The fights in the academy were already intense and brilliant. The fights here at the mountain gate could only be even more intense and brilliant! He wanted to see what methods and strength those people with profound cultivation, who had reached the sixth or seventh layer of the Houtian Realm, possessed.
In the afternoon, Zhang Wan arrived at the martial arena after spending most of the morning on the first floor of the Inheritance Hall, flipping through biographies and travelogues.
His cultivation was low, and he had no ability to squeeze close to the arena, but that was not a problem.
The arena betting here at the mountain gate differed from that in the academy.
At the academy, it was tacitly accepted but never acknowledged. Here at the mountain gate, the existence of arena betting was openly acknowledged, and sect disciples were permitted—even encouraged—to participate.
Furthermore, apart from the cultivation resources distributed by the sect, the disciples here at the mountain gate could also acquire cultivation resources by completing sect missions. Their wealth far exceeded that of Houtian cultivators in the academies.
Therefore, in an arena bet, aside from the two participants each placing their own stakes, the disciples outside the arena could also place bets. Some disciples with profound cultivation would act as bookmakers, accepting the wagers of the surrounding spectators.
Not every disciple who placed a bet had weak cultivation, nor could all of them squeeze close to the arena.
But after placing their bets, they could not possibly be left unable to see anything.
Simply hearing the result was not enough to make these Houtian martial artists, all of whom possessed mana and formidable physical strength, accept their losses willingly.
They had to watch with their own eyes and personally confirm that no one had watered down the fight or thrown a staged punch. Only then would these Houtian martial artists be convinced!
They all practiced martial arts, and quite a few of them were highly capable. Whether someone had held back or thrown a staged punch, they could tell at a glance.
Thus, the bookmaker disciples would find fellow disciples capable of using the Image Projection Technique and project the fight in real time in all directions, ensuring that every disciple who had placed a bet could see.
Some wealthy ones would even specially set up an Image Projection Jade Wall, directly projecting the fight on the arena for the disciples who had placed bets to watch.
Zhang Wan took advantage of this and could see the fight clearly through the Image Projection Technique and Image Projection Jade Walls, despite being far away from the arena.
By freeloading, Zhang Wan saw the power of Houtian sixth- and seventh-layer martial artists.
Their mana was profound, their martial skills polished, their battle experience seasoned, and their magical artifacts formidable.
Their strength was astonishing!
Against a newbie like him, a mid-stage Houtian first-layer cultivator, one of them could easily take on a hundred!
Zhang Wan even felt that if they fought a guerrilla war, they could probably eliminate a thousand mid-stage Houtian first-layer newbies like him!
This was not an exaggeration.
Every punch and palm strike from those Houtian sixth- and seventh-layer martial artists carried tremendous might. Any casual move could kill several Houtian first-layer martial artists.
At the same time, their physiques were generally stronger than those of Houtian first-layer martial artists. Combined with their abundant mana, before their mana was exhausted, even an Houtian first-layer martial artist fighting with all their strength would have no chance of breaking through their defenses.
Taking into account the more formidable martial skills mastered by Houtian sixth- and seventh-layer martial artists, as well as their movement techniques and speed, an Houtian first-layer martial artist's attacks probably could not even touch the edges of their bodies.
Once a fight began, a single Houtian sixth- or seventh-layer martial artist really could wipe out a thousand Houtian first-layer newbies.
Of course, this was purely a comparison of strength.
A martial artist's duel involved more than that.
If a low-level martial artist mastered powerful methods, it was not impossible for them to kill a stronger opponent by turning the tables.
While gaining a certain understanding of the strength of Houtian sixth- and seventh-layer martial artists, Zhang Wan discovered that these fellow senior brothers, besides using martial skills and magical artifacts in the arena, had even pulled out talismans and formations.
This surprised Zhang Wan somewhat.
Formations were not easy to set up and required time.
If one brought them out and set them up on the arena, would it not be heartbreaking if the timing was mishandled and the opponent destroyed the formation?
Talismans were consumables, too.
They were not cheap either.
Such good things—rather than using them against mortal enemies or to save their lives outside—were they really using them in arena betting?
Only after asking around afterward did he learn the reason.
Those senior brothers who brought out formations and talismans were all famous formation masters and Talisman Masters among the outer sect disciples.
Their powerful methods were precisely their formations and talismans.
Moreover, the formations and talismans they brought out were not the true trump cards they kept hidden. They could afford the losses.
Zhang Wan suddenly understood, but could not help clicking his tongue.
Although he understood what they were doing,
those talismans, those formations they brought out—they were all spirit stones!
"What enviably filthy-rich dogs!" Zhang Wan sighed as he thought of his own empty Storage Talisman.
The difference between one martial artist's wealth and another's was simply too enormous!
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