However, this was not yet the greatest change within the Small World.
The greatest change within the Small World was that a "Mountain Village" had appeared halfway up the only mountain range in the Small World.
That Mountain Village had given rise to the second exceptionally talented individual in the Small World after Fang Yun.
This person was named Fang Long, and he was one of the members of that Dark Green Human Card that had absorbed a large amount of Zhang Zhi's Mental Power.
That Dark Green Card now had two humans with exceptional talent in certain areas: Fang Long and Nian Xinyu.
Nian Xinyu's talent lay in leading troops.
Fang Long's main talent, at least as far as he had shown so far, lay in medicinal herbs.
During the Heaven and Earth Trial, a white Record of Hundred Herbs had appeared. Zhang Zhi had read its contents, and many of the medicines recorded in it did not exist in his Small World.
But Fang Long was truly impressive. He had actually tasted every plant in the Small World. That alone was nothing special; what was impressive was that, using the plants already present in the Small World, he had cultivated quite a few plants with medicinal effects similar to those recorded in the Record of Hundred Herbs!
When Zhang Zhi first learned of this, he was so shocked that he was left gaping.
Fang Long's ability was no longer as simple as merely cultivating and crossbreeding medicinal herbs. Zhang Zhi speculated that Fang Long might possess the ability to selectively cultivate the effects of the plants he had mastered.
Simply put, if he needed a certain medicinal herb and knew roughly what effect it should have, he could plant several spirit herbs whose effects he already understood and combine those medicinal effects into the plant he needed.
As far as Zhang Zhi knew, this was almost a rule-type ability. It was simply too heaven-defying.
Of course, Fang Long's current ability could only be used on White Rank medicinal herbs.
Zhang Zhi speculated that the reason that Card had become Dark Green might well have been because Fang Long was present.
It was precisely because Fang Long existed that, after using Mental Power to enhance the "Basic Alchemy" technique, Zhang Zhi integrated it into the Small World.
Although the "Basic Alchemy" technique had absorbed a considerable amount of Mental Power, its rank had not increased. It was still White Rank. Moreover, without any alchemical formulas, Zhang Zhi had not thought highly of it at first.
What he had not expected was that, even so, Fang Long had used his own ability to research an alchemical formula that could help someone break through to the Elite Realm.
For this reason, Zhang Zhi had followed Fang Long's wishes and placed everyone below the Mortal Transformation Realm who had comprehended alchemy under his command.
Fang Long then built a village halfway up the mountain and began frantically planting all kinds of medicinal plants in the mountain forests around it.
Of course, the most important reason Fang Long had built the village there was that the Flat Peach Forest was located in that area of the Small World.
After learning from Zhang Zhi about the heaven-defying effects of the Flat Peaches from the Mortal Transformation and Elite Realms, Fang Long ran to the Flat Peach Forest every day.
Fang Yun had always worried that he would dig up those few Flat Peach Trees to study them thoroughly. Judging from Fang Long's actions, he indeed had such plans.
Fortunately, the Elite Realm Flat Peaches did not take long to mature each time. The first batch of fruit from the Elite Realm Flat Peach Trees would mature in just over ten months.
After Zhang Zhi promised to give him several Elite Realm Flat Peaches in the future, Fang Long showed no further signs of wanting to lay hands on the Flat Peach Trees.
Because of Fang Long, Zhang Zhi planned to go to the Student Activity Center to exchange for some alchemical formula cards or medicinal herb cards. Ideally, he would obtain a book like the "Record of Hundred Herbs," which recorded detailed information about medicinal herbs.
As long as he had suitable alchemical formulas and enough medicinal herbs, Fang Long would surely be able to research pills that could raise someone to the Elite Realm. As for medicines that could help one break through realms?
Of course, Zhang Zhi also understood that this was merely his own wishful thinking. After all, if an alchemical formula like the Foundation Establishment Pill, which allowed someone to break through to the Mortal Transformation Realm, were so easy to research, there would not be so few people in the Mortal Transformation Realm.
Alchemical formulas and medicinal herbs were the first areas in the Small World that needed improvement.
The second was definitely military strategy.
Ever since the previous Heaven and Earth Trial, Fang Yun had also realized that he was not suited to leading troops. At the same time, he understood that the Small World would surely face many wars in the future. Thus, throughout these nearly two years, he had been doing everything he could to cultivate outstanding generals.
Judging from the results Zhang Zhi could see now, there had been some effect, but not much. Nian Xinyu could only be said to have just begun to show his potential. As for the rest, there was only a batch of barely usable junior soldiers in the Small World.
Therefore, military strategy cards were something Zhang Zhi urgently needed at the moment.
He had not discovered any cards related to military strategy in the Trial Tower, which made him realize that cards of that kind must be extremely precious.
That was why the academy had exchanged away all its cards related to military strategy and formations.
After finding Fang Yun and discussing things with him for a while, Zhang Zhi decided that over the next few days, he would continue integrating large numbers of Land Cards, Water Resource Cards, various Ore Vein Cards, Livestock Cards, and Rice and Wheat Cards.
The Blood Refining cultivators in the Small World needed far too much food. The more high-level cultivators there were, the more food they consumed. In just over a year, the Small World's food supply had already become insufficient, forcing him to abandon his original plan of integrating more humans.
Fortunately, resource cards were currently the only cards that could be enhanced with Mental Power without restriction. After waiting ten days or half a month and integrating a large number of cards to improve the Small World's ecology, he should once again be able to integrate more Human Cards.
For a Small World following the Human Path, the number of humans determined its strength.
After his consciousness left the Small World, the image of the World Seed still flickered in his mind.
After a long while, he sighed and said softly, "If we're fated, then we're fated. Tomorrow, I'll buy that World Seed and see whether it's truly fated to be with me!"
The next day, Zhang Zhi rose early. When he arrived at the stall, he did not waste words and got straight to the point. "Forty White Beastman Path Cards for the World Seed. If you're willing, we'll trade now. If not, I'll turn around and leave."
The stall owner sized up Zhang Zhi, frowned, and considered it for a while before agreeing to his proposal.
To the stall owner, the World Seed was neither particularly rare nor entirely unwanted. As long as he could make a little profit, that was enough.
The World Seed had already been in his hands for quite some time. If he did not sell it soon, it might end up stuck with him.
Zhang Zhi counted out forty White Cards from his Card Pack and handed them to the stall owner. After confirming that the number was correct, he took the World Seed from him.
After browsing the nearby stalls for a while and buying several Gray resource cards, he turned around and headed toward the subway.
By the time he returned to his residence, his face had suddenly flushed crimson.
That World Seed was now inside his sea of consciousness.
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