When Jiang Hao returned to White Moon Lake, Senior Sister Zhou was once again his guide.
For half the day, Jiang Hao watered the flowers with lava at the scheduled times.
He had expected something to happen when he poured it on, but it sank into the soil just like water, easing the frost.
It seemed the soil here was no ordinary soil either.
Over the next few days, Jiang Hao repeated the same routine.
He made talismans at night, helped out at the Spirit Medicine Garden in the morning, stopped by the market to sell talismans, and began tending the Pure Yang Flowers at noon.
The cycle continued.
Notably, after he began tending the Pure Yang Flowers, he received blue bubbles every day.
[Cultivation +1] [Vitality +1]
At the Spirit Medicine Garden, most of the bubbles were white or green.
[Strength +1] [Spirit +1] [Qi-Stabilizing Pill +1]
His gains were much greater than before, especially his cultivation and vitality, which increased every day.
If he kept tending the Pure Yang Flowers, he could begin advancing to the foundation establishment middle stage in less than three months. He just needed to find a way to conceal his cultivation.
During this time, he appraised the Pure Yang Flowers regularly to make sure nothing went wrong.
Usually, the result was the same.
[Pure Yang Flower: A supreme healing herb and the primary ingredient of the Bright Sun Pill. Nearly mature. In good condition.]
Occasionally, the result differed.
[Pure Yang Flower: A supreme healing herb and the primary ingredient of the Bright Sun Pill. Nearly mature. In poor condition. Too cold. Requires more lava.]
Naturally, Jiang Hao had no idea how much more it needed, so whenever this happened, he could only add a tiny bit extra.
He hoped it would help.
Afterward, he regretted it, because if anything went wrong, it would be his fault.
Fortunately, no problems had arisen.
His talisman-making, however, was not going smoothly.
Since basic talismans were no use, he began making better ones, such as the Focus Talisman, which helped foundation establishment cultivators maintain a better state while cultivating.
Its effects were modest, so it was worth five spirit stones.
Unfortunately, he only managed to make one successfully every two days, which did not even cover his costs.
Besides the Focus Talisman, there was also the Blazing Fire Talisman. Its power fell short of foundation establishment, but it was still decent, and each one sold for three spirit stones.
Unfortunately, although it was cheaper, it was just as difficult to make as the Focus Talisman.
The third kind was the Divine Sword Talisman. Its name sounded impressive, but all it did was increase the speed of sword flight.
It also sold for five spirit stones each.
It was slightly more difficult to make.
After six days, his talisman-making had only broken even. Fortunately, he still had plenty of time.
As long as he could improve his success rate, he would be guaranteed a profit. He simply had no time left to cultivate.
But since he could collect cultivation every day, spending less time cultivating for a while would not affect him much.
For others, the impact would be considerable.
That was why only those with decent talent practiced alchemy or talisman-making.
Without enough talent, it was essentially a waste of cultivation time.
Within the Demonic Sect, even knowing alchemy would not keep someone safe without sufficient cultivation.
"Junior Brother Jiang, you come at the same time every day," Zhou Chan said with a smile.
"Yes. I wouldn't dare neglect my duties." Jiang Hao gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Over his several visits, this Senior Sister Zhou had proved fairly friendly, and she treated him with easy familiarity.
"Elder Qian Xu is in a bad mood today, so you'd better be careful. Tomorrow is the last day. Don't let anything go wrong," Zhou Chan kindly warned him along the way.
Jiang Hao nodded at once. "Thank you for the warning, Senior Sister."
To Senior Sister Zhou, this warning might have been inconsequential, but to him, it mattered a great deal.
Knowing the elder's mood would help him handle things a little better.
After announcing his arrival outside the courtyard, Jiang Hao went to the Pure Yang Flowers alone.
But when he arrived, he was taken aback.
He had thought he was merely coming to collect blue bubbles, yet there were none today.
Instead, a purple bubble floated quietly beside the Pure Yang Flowers.
It's actually purple. This seems a little strange.
Jiang Hao had helped out at the Spirit Medicine Garden for a long time, but he had never seen a purple bubble appear midway through tending a plant.
Better bubbles only appeared at the very beginning or the end.
The end?
At that thought, Jiang Hao activated his divine ability and performed an appraisal.
Just as I thought.
[Pure Yang Flower: A supreme healing herb and the primary ingredient of the Bright Sun Pill. Mature.]
Pure Yang Flowers differed from other spirit herbs. Their age did not matter. Once mature, they had to be picked, or they would wither and grow anew, awaiting their next maturation.
That supposedly took quite a long time.
Although he did not understand why they had matured early, Jiang Hao dared not delay.
After collecting the purple bubble, he hurried off to request an audience with Elder Qian Xu.
The bubble merged into his body.
[Divine Ability Fragment +1]
Seeing this, Jiang Hao quickly checked his panel.
[Divine Ability: 3/3 (Available)]
Finally, I'm about to gain another divine ability.
Suppressing the urge to acquire it on the spot, he reached the courtyard entrance and spoke softly.
"This junior, Jiang Hao, has an important matter to report."
Creak!
The gate opened, revealing a somewhat displeased Elder Qian Xu.
"What is it?"
She was indeed in a bad mood. Jiang Hao sighed inwardly. If this were not so important, he would not have come to court misfortune either. He composed his words, then lowered his head and said,
"When I came to tend the Pure Yang Flowers today, I noticed something unusual. They seem to be showing signs of maturity, so..."
Before he could finish, Elder Qian Xu vanished from where she stood.
Seeing this, Jiang Hao realized that Elder Qian Xu dared not neglect the matter either. He immediately headed toward the Pure Yang Flowers.
A short while later.
Jiang Hao saw Elder Qian Xu picking the Pure Yang Flowers.
He breathed a sigh of relief. This task was finally over, with a scare but no harm done.
His gains were naturally far greater than he had expected. The twenty spirit stones were nothing; the true reward was the divine ability fragment.
"You do have some ability." Elder Qian Xu put away the Pure Yang Flowers and looked at Jiang Hao with praise.
"It was only a guess. I still had to rely on you, Elder Qian Xu," Jiang Hao said flatteringly.
"Your ability is beyond question. Come, I'll take you to meet the owner of these flowers.
"Remember to keep your wits about you. You might gain something," Elder Qian Xu said solemnly.
Am I going to meet the Guardian Elder? Jiang Hao felt somewhat uneasy at meeting such an important figure for the first time.
Before you continue