Objects were prized for their quality, people for their virtue.
In Xuanming's eyes, these three treasures were of the finest quality, the best of this portion of the Flood Dragon's hoard:
The first was a small tree.
It was a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root. Sadly, it was too badly damaged to survive being planted. Xuanming planned to extract its essence and merge it into the old pine in his courtyard. Ever since he had entered the Dao, this century-old pine had often been nourished by the Spirit Mechanism of the sun and moon and by Dao qi. It was only one step away from transforming into a spiritual root.
If it could absorb the spiritual root's damaged essence, it might well break through its limits and rise from ordinary stock to a spiritual root.
The earth, with its profound virtue, bore all things.
Plants had their own Dao, constantly nourishing water and soil.
The water and soil of a place nurtured its plants, and those plants nourished them in return, restoring spring to the land, anchoring the soil, and cleansing the rivers. Spiritual roots were foremost among them.
If the Truth-Seeking Abbey could obtain a spiritual root, Floating Cloud Mountain's Spirit Mechanism would surely flourish, its earth qi surge, its Spirit Vein extend, and its fortune greatly increase.
The second was a hide.
He could not tell what material it was made from or fathom its properties, but Xuanming had once struck it with his sword without leaving the slightest mark.
With his current strength, a single sword strike could shatter a small mountain. That alone showed how precious this object was.
The third was a pair of jade slips.
One jade slip contained the Flood Dragon's cultivation insights. Though the Flood Dragon belonged to the Demon Race, humans