Grafting Cultivation Method

Inside the magic plant cultivation room.

Locke and Sophia stood at the entrance to the cultivation room. Only then did Locke realize that it was far larger than he had imagined. Its interior was as vast as a small castle, with stretches of farmland spread throughout.

There were countless magic plants here, making it seem like a garden.

Standing at the entrance, Locke looked over the several plots of magic plants nearest to him. "Those are Chickenblood Vine, Soul-Perching Iris, Boiling Blood Berry... and even the extremely valuable Holy Blood Rose."

Looking at the acre of sacred roses before him—their petals pure gold, faint golden light flowing through their veins, their stamens like miniature holy grails—Locke let out a gasp of amazement.

Holy Blood Roses were incredibly valuable, and their materials could be used to make many precious potions. Sasari the Dark Elf had once mentioned in Universal Studies that any Wizard Apprentice who possessed half an acre of Holy Blood Roses would be rich.

Holy Blood Roses could even be used to make life-extending potions, making them highly sought after by many wizards, especially those nearing the end of their lifespans.

Sophia glanced at Locke. "How do you feel now?"

Locke froze for a moment, then sensed it. Ever since entering the cultivation room, his limbs had felt somewhat weak, and he was a little dizzy. But unless he paid close attention, these minor symptoms would not immediately draw his notice.

Locke truthfully described how he felt.

Sophia nodded. "Yes, that's normal."

"There are many First Ring magic plants here. The concentration of Magic Pressure is extremely high, far beyond what can naturally occur in the environment."

"If you weren't a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice, I wouldn't even have brought you here. Otherwise, you would die, Locke."

Locke's expression turned solemn, and he bowed to Sophia. "Thank you for the reminder, Teacher."

Sophia said, "Before becoming a First-Class Wizard Apprentice, try not to remain here for more than three hours at a time."

"After every three hours inside, you must leave and remain in an environment with normal Magic Pressure for at least an hour."

"Otherwise, your soul will still suffer some chronic damage."

Locke asked in confusion, "Teacher, can Magic Pressure harm a wizard's soul?"

"Of course." Sophia said, "But explaining that clearly would be too complicated, and it isn't our purpose today."

"Come with me."

Sophia led Locke to an acre of Magic Vine. Within the plant room, there were also tiny Elves with petal-like wings fluttering about.

These little Elves were tending to the magic plants throughout the plant room.

Perhaps because of their race, they were affected far less by Magic Pressure than Locke was.

Of course, Locke had another guess—that his teacher Sophia merely regarded these little Elves as expendable tools, so she did not need to care whether they suffered chronic soul damage.

As her first student, however, she naturally would not stand by and watch his soul sustain chronic damage that could affect his future.

Sophia pointed at the acre of Tifro Rootvine before them. "Locke, you're in luck. Since I only recently became a Formal Wizard, the plant room isn't that dangerous yet. Most of the magic plants here are First-Class Apprentice Level magic resources."

"That is also why I have an acre of Tifro Rootvine planted here."

"You can use this acre of Tifro Rootvine to practice. But you may only use them here and not for anything else."

Sophia said, "An Assistant Breeder must, at the very least, master one basic cultivation method—the Grafting Cultivation Method."

Sophia bent down and selected two Tifro Rootvines. One was relatively thick, while the other was a fresher green. She said, "The so-called grafting method is to graft the bud or branch of one magic plant onto another."

"It uses the plant's wound-healing mechanism to artificially cultivate the magic plants we desire."

Sophia brushed her palm over one Tifro Rootvine and broke its root, then brushed another and broke off its branch.

Then, using a bamboo skewer, she inserted it into the root of one Tifro Rootvine and the branch of the other, joining them together. She chanted a spell, and under its effect, the root and branch of the two Tifro Rootvines fused together.

After completing all this, Sophia buried the Tifro Rootvine she had modified through grafting in the soil, along with some Advanced Rapid-Growth Gel.

Under the effect of the Advanced Rapid-Growth Gel, the Tifro Rootvine grew at an astonishing speed. Before long, it had been completely renewed and regenerated.

Sophia pointed at the new Tifro Rootvine. "What did you notice?"

Locke thought for a moment. "This Tifro Rootvine modified through grafting possesses the traits of both original Tifro Rootvines."

"Teacher, the grafting method allows us to obtain the characteristics we want from magic plants and improve their performance."

Sophia said, "Very good. You noticed that."

"Locke, your observational skills are sharp."

Sophia said, "This is the most basic breeding method, but don't let how easily I did it fool you."

"If you were the one doing it, this grafted magic plant would certainly wither and die. There are three difficulties in the grafting method."

Locke focused himself. "Teacher, please explain."

Sophia said, "First, when grafting two plants, their cambium layers must be precisely aligned. Otherwise, the healing will fail."

"Second, it demands exceptionally high Mana stability. This is connected to the first point: for the two plants to heal successfully, your Mana must be accurate and precise."

"Third, you need to learn a basic cantrip before you can complete this Grafting Cultivation Method."

Sophia handed Locke a magic book. "As I said before, you only have the right to study it, so you cannot show it to anyone else."

Locke accepted the book and glanced at it. Its title was Cantrip: Lesser Grafting Healing.

This spell caused different plants to activate their healing mechanisms, forcibly making two plants heal together.

For example, if a peach tree branch were grafted onto a vine, this Cantrip Model could forcibly make the vine and peach branch heal together and become a single plant.

In other words, once one became proficient in the Grafting Cultivation Method, it could even be used to graft completely different kinds of plants.

Through this method, one could give their magic plants the traits they desired.

Sophia said to Locke, "Tifro Rootvine was created by an outstanding Breeder who grafted a Mandrake Vine onto the roots of a Tifro Cactus."

"Furthermore, even if the plants heal successfully, there is no guarantee that you will obtain the traits you want. There is also no guarantee they will survive."

"That is why we are accustomed to using Rapid-Growth Gel to accelerate plant growth. Rapid-Growth Gel can also increase the survival rate of modified magic plants."

"Locke, you still have much to learn."

"Until you obtain your Assistant Breeder Certificate, you can only remain in the Patrol Squad for now. Still, a little experience is not necessarily a bad thing for a young person."