In the dim secret chamber, flickering candlelight cast Jing Wen's shadow onto the stone wall, making it seem exceptionally tall.
He sat cross-legged on a blue jade meditation cushion, with an enormous, pitch-black planter before him.
The planter measured over ten feet in both length and width and was forged entirely from black iron. It was filled with carefully blended spiritual soil-the "five-colored spiritual soil" he had purchased at great expense from the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, said to be ideal for cultivating rare spiritual plants.
Jing Wen slowly opened his eyes, a glimmer of anticipation flashing through them.
His slender fingers brushed lightly across his Storage Ring, and a luminous white Cold Jade Box appeared in his palm.
Intricate restriction runes were carved into the box, making it clear that its contents were extremely precious.
"I hope this works..."
With a soft click, the jade box opened.
Thirteen deep-blue ghost mortar grass seedlings lay neatly arranged inside, each leaf glowing faintly.
Jing Wen carefully took out a seedling.
First, he dug a shallow hole in the center of the spiritual soil. Then he carefully spread out the seedling's roots before finally covering them with soil.
"Now comes the crucial part."
Jing Wen took an emerald-green Jade Bucket from his Storage Bag. It measured only a foot across.
He took out an exquisite jade bottle containing the mysterious Green Liquid he had obtained from Han Li through a trade.
As a drop of Green Liquid fell into the bucket, the previously clear spiritual water immediately began to glow a faint emerald green.
Focusing his mind and gathering his qi, Jing Wen made a slight grasping motion toward the bucket. A palm-sized ball of water slowly rose into the air and hovered precisely above the ghost mortar grass seedling.
His hands trembled