On the morning of the 21st, life elements condensed into crystalline specks of light and fell from the dome formed by the encircling trunk of the demigod tree Ferosan in the main hall of the Temple of the Mother Goddess of the Earth in Xianyuan, the City of Abundance.
At the center of the hall, dozens of high-rank priests, Life Mages, and Druids of different races sat on the floor. A dozen Great Fairies hovered in the air, all staring intently ahead.
At the focus of everyone's attention, on the lectern beneath three statues, the demigod Wood Elf Halcala Oak spoke at length about her understanding of Magic Plants.
"High-Ranks, priests, your theoretical knowledge of Magic Plants far surpasses mine. When I returned to the Elf Garden in Night-Kirin City last year, I even found that many young people understood Life Magic about as well as I did. In that sense, there isn't much I can teach you."
Before a gathering of high-rank Life School professionals, Halcala was neither modest nor boastful. She began by talking about the contributions Landen, Sophia, Firefly, and Kaiyi had made when they had just treated Ernst.
"Without them, Ernst and I might still be stuck in the past. Their magical approach, however, gave me a whole new perspective: every plant, every leaf and stem, every Magic Pattern is unique. Whether you're treating a plant or helping it grow, you have to take its actual condition into account. You can't blindly apply theory and experience."
The demigod's opening sounded like any ordinary lecture, but as she channeled magic into the staff in her hand, the wooden staff representing the Legendary Beech immediately changed.
"Wow..."
As the crowd murmured in surprise, a swollen root burl sprouted from the base of the staff, which had originally been