God Realm, Gloomy Tang San

Gathering the flowers one by one, finally, all the pollen from the Green Wood Vines was scraped away without a trace, filling half of a small wooden box.

Lu Ran held the small wooden box and walked to the edge of the vast sea of Blue Silver Grass, like a diligent little honeybee, carefully pollinating the pale blue flowers, advancing bit by bit through the sea of grass.

The pollen from just a few Green Wood Vines was enough for three-quarters of the Blue Silver Grass.

It was a massive amount.

After completing the pollination work, Lu Ran straightened his back and walked back to the Green Wood Vines, taking out a small, exquisite silver dagger to select a semi-lignified section, cutting out a half-finger-long scion, tiny, with a clean and smooth cut.

Returning to the remaining quarter of the Blue Silver Grass, he bent down, choosing a sturdy, creeping Blue Silver Grass that looked pleasing to the eye, and made a matching diagonal cut on its stem, grafting the Green Wood Vine scion onto it.

The Green Wood Vine possessed vigorous vitality, while the Blue Silver Grass had immense tolerance, and since their attributes were both very gentle, the two would not reject each other.

Finally, he carefully secured and wrapped the wound.

Done!

And this, was the very plan Lu Ran was preparing; he had named it—the Hybridization Project!

The Blue Silver Grass Hybridization Project!

It aimed to cultivate plants of higher value, such as medicinal herbs and crops.

This was also the important reason he had been studying Blue Silver Grass for this period of time;

Blue Silver Grass might appear ordinary and inconspicuous, but it was the most adaptable plant on the continent, from the outskirts of the frozen plains in the Far North to the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, its presence could be found almost everywhere.

With its adaptability and tolerance maxed out, it was perfectly suited as a cultivation base.

As for choosing the Green Wood Vine, it was because the Green Wood Vine was a plant-type Soul Beast containing rich vitality. If its weakness of slow growth could be overcome, and its naturally lignifying stems could be turned into tender shoots, what would happen?

Delicious, juicy, and rich in vitality—

a superior food source would be born!

One must know, when Soul Beasts eat food containing vitality, they can accumulate it in their bodies and slowly grow stronger, while ordinary animals that consume it will see their growth rate accelerate.

There was no shortage of places on the continent that raised animals, or even Soul Beasts, whether for food or for combat training.

Take the Beast Fighting Zone at Shrek Academy, for example, which keeps a group of Soul Beasts that feed primarily on plants, such as Mount Goats and Giant Horned Deers.

This new plant, which fused the growth rate and adaptability of Blue Silver Grass with the vitality of the Green Wood Vine, would be, as fodder, unquestionably the most cost-effective option, greatly reducing expenses.

As for why he chose to use two different methods, it was naturally because both had their own advantages and disadvantages.

The characteristic of pollination was large-batch cultivation, allowing for mass production, but it was unstable and slow; from pollination to seed maturation, germination, and growth, it would take at least a year or more.

While grafting was inefficient, it had the advantage of stability.

It would only take a few months to take shape, and it would perfectly inherit the characteristics of both Blue Silver Grass and Green Wood Vine, making it even more suitable for replicating "high-quality parent combinations."

This was just the first step.

Blue Silver Grass had an incredibly strong capacity for tolerance; beyond just Green Wood Vine, it could be combined with almost any plant.

Although it was impossible to fully inherit the traits of both sides—

For instance, this Blue Silver Green Wood Vine, while possessing the life-force-containing traits of the Green Wood Vine, might only contain one-tenth, or perhaps even one-hundredth, of that life force.

But conversely, the yield would increase tenfold, or even a hundredfold.

The profits would be astronomical.

Furthermore, one percent might seem small.

But if one were to combine Blue Silver Grass with ginseng to create a Blue Silver Ginseng possessing medicinal properties, even if its effects were less than one percent of the original, The price and yield would be a different story entirely.

If one were to take it a step further, What if they were combined with an Immortal Herb?

A Blue Silver Immortal Herb possessing one percent of an Immortal Herb's medicinal power, Mass-produced and harvested rapidly—

Top-tier powerhouses might not need it, but what about ordinary Spirit Masters... or even ordinary people?

Would their original bottlenecks still be considered bottlenecks?

The effects would be incredibly powerful!

The applications would be vast!

This was the plan of Lu Ran!

In the time that followed, Lu Ran repeated the process, taking multiple scions of Green Wood Vine and grafting them onto the stems of the Blue Silver Grass, Almost stripping the few Green Wood Vines bare.

Outside the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, On a desolate hillside, Before a grave.

The midsummer sun scorched the earth cruelly, and the cicadas chirped in an annoying frenzy, Yet the young boy kneeling before the grave could not feel a shred of warmth; his ears were filled with silence.

The boy was thin and frail, wearing coarse, wash-worn cloth clothes.

His deep blue, bloodshot eyes revealed a dense, thick hatred.

Looking at the tombstone before him, which he had carved with his own hands—"Grave of Mother, Huo Yun'er"—

He clenched his fists tightly.

"Mother..."

A low voice squeezed out from his throat.

He recalled every little detail of his mother while she was alive: her thin back, how she always worked before dawn, how she always scrimped and saved for him...

"Mother... I will definitely avenge you!"

His bloodshot, deep blue eyes

Looked toward that palace-like mansion, its golden glazed tiles shining with a dazzling light in the sun.

All the suffering he and his mother endured was brought about by this White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

His mother was merely a concubine of the Duke, without family background, without a powerful Martial Soul, and could only swallow her grievances.

And the Duchess was even more deliberate in her harassment, knowing full well his mother's body was weak, yet intentionally forcing her to do the work of a servant.

And that Dai Huabin, who bullied him time and time again...

It's all because of you... all because of you...

The boy's fingernails sank deep into his palms, his forehead slowly pressed against the ground, and the scalding tears could no longer be held back, bursting from his eyes.

They fell onto the earth with a patter, "Mother... I will definitely avenge you... I definitely will!"

Summer passed and winter came, Another year had gone by.

Lu Ran had cultivated to level thirty-six, And the continent's number one academy, Shrek Academy, had begun its new year of admissions.

Lu Ran was also about to enroll.