Return to Nuoding City!

"Grant? Has his brother recovered from his injuries?"

"He recovered ages ago. He can get out of bed and work now. He said he has to treat you to a drink once you're back."

Lan Tian smiled, waved at the sentries, and strode through the city gate.

Nuoding City was still the same as ever. The streets were clean and orderly, the shops were open as usual, and the people moved at an unhurried pace. It lacked the fast-paced pressure of Heaven Dou City.

He followed the familiar main street back to his clinic, took out the key to unlock the door, and pushed his way inside. The room looked exactly as it had when he left. A thin layer of dust covered the tabletop, while the jars and bottles on the medicine shelves remained neatly arranged.

He removed the door panels and rehung the sign that read, "As long as you're not dead, I can basically cure you." Then he fetched a basin of water and scrubbed the inside and outside of the place clean.

Once he was done, he stood in the courtyard and looked around. Winter sunlight filtered through the bare branches, casting speckled shadows across the withered stems of Blue Silver Grass.

He let out a long breath, and his whole body relaxed.

His days in Heaven Dou City had been brief, but they had left a deep impression on Lan Tian.

Only after going there did he truly realize how comfortable Nuoding City was.

It was small, but it was peaceful and free.

With the City Lord backing him, connections in the city guard, and a stable source of income, he could cultivate and grow stronger in peace, grow and gather herbs, and study his own path.

He returned inside, took the strange seed from his ring, and examined it in his palm for a while longer.

The seed's color and patterns were clearer in the sunlight. Beneath its dark brown shell, faint dark-red vein-like markings could be seen. Its life aura remained rich and stable, as though something within it lay dormant, still waiting to awaken.

"Once the weather warms up a little, I'll try planting you."

He wrapped the seed up and put it away again, then went to the backyard to inspect the withered Blue Silver Grass stems.

After enduring the entire frozen winter, their roots underground were still alive. Once spring arrived, they would naturally sprout again.

After finishing all that, he sat at the table and took out paper and pen, recording everything he had gained and seen during this trip to Heaven Dou City.

A nine-hundred-year second soul ring, Spring of Vegetation's new ability, a storage ring, Whale Rubber, a mysterious seed, the experience from three spirit battles, and the details of Heaven Dou City's internal conflict.

Putting all that information onto paper served both as a reminder and as a way to organize his thoughts.

After writing the final stroke, he placed the notes into his storage ring.

He stretched lazily. Outside the window, the sky had already begun to darken.

A few barks and the laughter of children chasing and playing drifted in from the street before gradually fading into silence.

For a long while to come, he probably would not leave Nuoding City again.

This was his home base. He needed to sink his roots deeper and build up more reserves before venturing out again once his strength was truly sufficient.

When night fell, Lan Tian soaked himself in the long-missed medicinal bath.

Warm medicinal liquid enveloped his entire body, and the familiar fragrance of herbs filled the air. He closed his eyes, feeling the medicine seep through his pores and into his meridians as Soul Power circulated steadily through his body.

The exhaustion accumulated over the long journey gradually melted away in the warm water, until even the gaps between his bones seemed filled with soothing warmth.

Nuoding City's nights were quiet and comforting.

By the time he finished the medicinal bath, it was already past midnight.

Nuoding City's winter night was unusually silent. An occasional bark drifted over from the distance, only to quickly sink back into stillness.

Lan Tian climbed out of the wooden tub, dried himself off, and draped an outer robe over his shoulders. Rather than going straight to bed, he headed into the kitchen and lit a fire.

He took out the four pieces of Whale Rubber from his storage ring, selecting the oldest one and studying it in his palm.

This piece of Whale Rubber was a deep amber throughout, hard and dense in texture. Two or three thousand years of accumulation had made its color several shades darker than the hundred-year variety, and fine crystalline patterns could even be seen across its surface.

He put the other three pieces away, leaving only this one in a bowl to heat over water on high heat.

It took far longer to melt than hundred-year Whale Rubber. The liquid in the bowl gave off an even stronger fishy odor, but Lan Tian was already used to the smell. Frowning, he tipped his head back and downed it in one gulp.

The instant the medicinal power entered his throat, he knew he had underestimated the ferocity of thousand-year Whale Rubber.

A scalding current exploded from his stomach, utterly unlike the gentle seepage of the hundred-year Whale Rubber from before.

This time, the impact felt like molten iron being poured into his meridians. Every part of him, from his internal organs to his limbs and bones, throbbed violently. His muscle fibers seemed to be stretched and tightened anew by an invisible force, while a sore, swollen tremor rose from deep within his bones.

He hurriedly sat cross-legged and activated his Soul Power to guide and disperse the medicinal force. Endless Life and Spring of Vegetation operated simultaneously, strengthening his meridians' capacity to endure it.

It took more than half a shichen before that violent medicinal power gradually subsided, transforming into gentle energy stored deep within his muscles and bones.

Lan Tian slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, lowered his head, and clenched his fists. He could clearly feel that his physical strength had taken a noticeable leap. The muscle lines beneath his skin had become tighter, and a heavy sense of power seemed to hang within his bones.

However, the medicinal power of the thousand-year Whale Rubber was still far from fully digested. Most of it remained deposited within his body. Over the next few days, continuing to guide and absorb it through meditation would be the proper course.

He stood and stretched his limbs, then walked over to the table and sat down, taking out the mysterious seed.

These past few days, he had used Spring of Vegetation's growth-accelerating ability every day to send a thread of life energy into it.

Today was no exception. He opened his palm, and Blue Silver Grass vines gently wound around the seed's shell. He activated his second soul skill, and pale green life energy flowed into the seed like a tiny stream.

The seed's shell glimmered faintly, its dark-red vein-like markings becoming clearer. He could sense that the dormant life aura inside pulsed more powerfully than before.

He picked up the seed and held it close beneath the lamp for a careful look. At the top of the shell was an incredibly fine crack—the sign of germination.

The continuous nurturing over this period had finally worked. Once that crack fully split open and a tender sprout emerged, he could plant it in the soil of the backyard.

"You're definitely no ordinary seed. I'm very curious what kind of plant you came from. With such a rich life essence, you're absolutely not simple."

"If I cultivate you well, maybe you'll give me a huge surprise in the future."

Lan Tian carefully placed the seed back into its oilcloth wrapping and stored it in his storage ring.

After finishing all that, he blew out the lamp, lay back down on the bed, and sank into a deep sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

The residual medicinal power of the thousand-year Whale Rubber within his body continued to seep in slowly, like a mass of warm water enveloping his bones and muscles, tempering his body even in his sleep.

He turned over, his breathing even and deep, the corner of his lips carrying a faint, barely noticeable curve.

Though this trip to Heaven Dou City had been brief, everything he had gained was paving the way for his future.

That mysterious seed, in particular, was what he looked forward to most.

Nuoding City's night remained quiet. Only the occasional wind sweeping past the window and the soft rustling of dried Blue Silver Grass stalks in the courtyard accompanied him as he slept until dawn.