Chapter 26 (continued)

At that thought, he could no longer spare a moment to linger in bed. He threw back the covers, climbed out, and headed outside with a coat thrown over his shoulders.

Winter gave way to spring, and night to day.

At this hour yesterday, the sky had still been pitch-black. Today, a fish-belly white was already visible.

Dawn was coming earlier and earlier.

Shan Heyuan went to wash up on quiet feet. Once he felt refreshed, he walked into the courtyard and began breathing and circulating Qi among the Spirit Plants.

He had just settled down when Shen Duheng also got up and sat cross-legged in a corner of the courtyard to cultivate.

Their courtyard did not sit atop a Spirit Vein, but the Spirit Plants filling half of it provided ample Spiritual Power.

With every breath, Shan Heyuan drew in a large amount of Spiritual Power.

It entered through the hundred apertures all over his body, passed through flesh and bone, and reached his meridians. He guided it through a Greater Celestial Circuit before it returned to his Dantian.

Inside his Dantian, which had originally contained Spiritual Power, a solid black "platform" had now formed.

That platform was the foundation he had built during Foundation Establishment.

The entire foundation was made of Spiritual Power. As it absorbed Spiritual Power, it also continuously gave it off.

He swept his Divine Sense over the foundation and discovered that, as it took in and released Spiritual Power, it was slowly growing at an almost imperceptible rate.

Shan Heyuan knew that when the foundation grew large enough to fill his entire Dantian, he could compress it again and form his golden core.

But that would have to wait a long time. At his current cultivation speed, Core Formation could truly be said to lie in the distant, uncertain future.

The two cultivated separately until the morning mist dispersed, the sun rose, and sunlight filled the courtyard.

Shen Duheng finished cultivating first. After washing up again, he lay in a reclining chair and read a classic he had borrowed from the Supreme Harmony Sect.

Before long, the cultivator delivering the news brought today's news bulletin, and Shen Duheng switched from the classic to the bulletin.

With someone taking care of things at home, Shan Heyuan remained focused the entire time.

He could now circulate Spiritual Power through thirty Greater Celestial Circuits in one sitting, and every morning he finished his practice before doing anything else.

When he finished cultivating, Shan Heyuan stood up and hopped twice on the spot. "Brother Shen, is there any big news today?"

Shen Duheng tossed him the news talisman. "Nothing worth paying attention to. See for yourself."

Shan Heyuan reached out and caught it, then tucked it into his storage ring. "I'll read it later, then."

Shan Heyuan pattered over to check on the Illusionless Tree branch and the broken sword.

The broken sword was the same as ever. The tiny bud had neither grown nor shown signs of falling off, but fine white fuzz had appeared at the end of the Illusionless Tree branch.

He immediately recognized it as new rootlets growing from the Illusionless Tree branch.

Under his meticulous care, the Illusionless Tree branch really had taken root!

This was an Illusionless Tree of Core Formation grade!

Shan Heyuan squatted before the jade vat and held his breath, not daring to make a sound for fear that a breath might damage the newborn rootlets.

He looked them over three times, making sure that the tender new white fuzz really was rootlets—and very vigorous ones at that.

Given a little more time to grow, perhaps it could be transplanted into soil.

Seeing him squatting before the jade vat without so much as blinking, Shen Duheng asked, "What are you looking at?"

Shan Heyuan took two steps back before breaking into a radiant smile. "It's grown roots."

Shen Duheng leaned over for a look. "I noticed signs of roots when I looked yesterday. They've fully grown out today?"

Shan Heyuan moved back a little farther, his eyes fixed on the Illusionless Tree branch. "Yes! The roots are quite thick, too."

Shen Duheng said, "Shouldn't the spirit liquid in there be changed?"

Shan Heyuan said, "There's no need to change it yet. I'll top it up in a bit."

Despite saying that, Shan Heyuan remained squatting before the jade vat, unwilling to leave.

He had only just entered Foundation Establishment, and growing a spirit tree of Core Formation grade was far too difficult.

During this time, he had searched for information day and night and poured countless spirit pearls into the effort. He had mixed an advanced version of rooting solution and soaked the Illusionless Tree branch in it, finally coaxing out the tiny rootlets.

Shan Heyuan turned to glance to the side.

Unfortunately, the broken sword soaking in rooting solution of the same grade showed no movement. Otherwise, today could truly have been a double blessing at his door.

To a planter, an Illusionless Tree branch of Core Formation grade was a heavenly treasure. Shan Heyuan squatted beside it, smiling, and refused to budge even when his legs and feet went numb.

In the meantime, Shen Duheng called him twice, telling him to eat breakfast first. Unable to get him to move, he could only leave him be.

Before leaving, Shen Duheng asked, "Are you going to squat here and watch it all day?"

Shan Heyuan said, "Sure. I can watch how it takes root."

Then Shan Heyuan muttered, "The time and effort I've spent on it would have been enough to take a skills exam."

Shen Duheng asked casually, "Then why don't you?"

Shan Heyuan stared. "Oh, right. I have enough cultivation and experience to take the fourth-rank planter exam."

Seeing him looking foolish, Shen Duheng shook his head and flew out on his sword.

The more Shan Heyuan thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. After watching the Illusionless Tree branch a little longer, he reluctantly stood up, placed restrictions on the Spirit Plants throughout the courtyard, then flew to town on his sword and went straight to a bookstore to scoop up a pile of study materials for the fourth-rank planter exam.

Before the exam, Shan Heyuan sent a communication talisman to ask Wen Chengyi for his opinion.

Wen Chengyi said, "With your abilities, even the third-rank planter exam shouldn't be too difficult. Go ahead and take it without worrying."

Shan Heyuan said, "With those words from you, Senior, I can rest easy."

Wen Chengyi laughed. "As it happens, this month's exam hasn't passed yet. I'd say you might as well sign up for it. Just do a couple more sets of Sword Reverence Academy questions beforehand."

With a senior to point him through the maze, Shan Heyuan signed up right away.

After working through the questions, he found that the fourth-rank planter exam really was not difficult. The theoretical knowledge was all stuff he used in his everyday work; at most, he needed to make his wording more formal.

As for the practical portion, all he had to do was grow a Qi Refining-grade Spirit Plant within the allotted time. For him, who grew Spirit Plants every day, that was an even smaller piece of cake.

And so, on the sixteenth of January, Shan Heyuan appeared at the planter examination venue once again.

The fourth-rank planter exam was like the previous one: a written test came first, followed by a practical test. This time, however, the practical test involved actually growing a Spirit Plant.

For the practical test, lots were drawn to determine the proctoring instructors.

Shan Heyuan drew three planters who looked somewhat familiar but whom he had never dealt with before. They were all from the Cultivation Association.

After they entered the examination room, the instructors first activated a recording stone to begin recording, then indicated that Shan Heyuan could take a seed from the workbench and begin.

Shan Heyuan pulled open the small drawer and looked inside. Indeterminate Grass, Ketu Grass, Moist Fleabane Grass... They were all spirit herb seeds he had worked with countless times. They posed no technical challenge to him at all; he could hold one in his palm and grow it with his eyes closed.

It was as though all the days and nights he had spent striving had been preparation for this very moment.

Shan Heyuan smiled and picked out a Moist Fleabane Grass seed with the most Spiritual Power. He first dipped it in the spirit liquid provided by the examiners, then placed it in his palm to grow it.

He sent a Gentle Breeze into the seed. The Spiritual Power awakened the embryo within, and it immediately broke through the seed coat and put forth tender yellow leaves. Then, drawing on Shan Heyuan's Spiritual Power, it rapidly sent up a shoot and grew into a tiny plant.

In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, the Moist Fleabane Grass had grown over three inches tall, and its unfurled leaves gave off a faint trace of Spiritual Power.

Shan Heyuan needed only a glance to know that it had grown into a Moist Fleabane Grass at Qi Refining Fifth Stage, far exceeding the exam's requirements.

Shan Heyuan gently placed the Moist Fleabane Grass from his palm onto the workbench and stepped back. "I have finished growing it. Instructors, please inspect it."

The instructor in the lead stepped forward, moved the Moist Fleabane Grass with his fingers, and passed it to his colleagues for a look.

Once the three instructors confirmed that there was no problem, they used the recording stone to record the Moist Fleabane Grass Shan Heyuan had grown, then sealed it up.

As examination material, the Moist Fleabane Grass had to be submitted together with the recording stone.

The lead instructor said approvingly, "You've finished the exam. You may go."