Chapter 27

Shan Heyuan bowed slightly, gathered his things, and left the examination room.

As he went out, he saw several candidates who had just finished the written exam coming out, ready to enter the practical examination room.

When they came face to face, the candidates stared at Shan Heyuan in shock.

Shan Heyuan nodded slightly to them and walked gracefully out of the examination hall.

"Young Friend Shan." A familiar voice called out behind him. "Wait a moment."

Shan Heyuan turned and saw Wen Chengyi. "Senior Wen, are you at the examination hall today too?"

Wen Chengyi explained, "It's my turn to supervise the exams this month. Fortunately, I only had to supervise the written exam, so I managed to catch up with you."

Shan Heyuan said, "If you need me for something, Senior, you can just send me a communication talisman."

Wen Chengyi smiled. "We happened to meet, so there's no need to arrange another meeting."

Shan Heyuan guessed that Wen Chengyi had something to discuss and asked him a couple of questions. Wen Chengyi did not say what it was, instead inviting Shan Heyuan to a teahouse.

Clearly, he had something to discuss in detail.

Shan Heyuan had read quite a few texts recently and had also started growing a number of Spirit Plants. He had a bellyful of questions and wanted to find someone who could clear them up.

Wen Chengyi had spent many years immersed in the art of cultivation, so consulting him would surely yield plenty of answers.

With that in mind, Shan Heyuan turned the tables on his host and insisted on treating him.

They went to the teahouse, and after three rounds of tea, Shan Heyuan had cleared up most of what he wanted to ask. Only one question remained. "Senior Wen, I recently obtained a fine Spirit Plant, but it's only a bud on a piece of dead wood. I've tried many methods, but none have made it take root or put out leaves. Is there any way to spur it along? Or how should this kind of Spirit Plant be grown? Is there a special method for planting it?"

Wen Chengyi looked surprised. "You have a Spirit Plant that's difficult to root too, Young Friend Shan?"

Too? Shan Heyuan asked, "Senior Wen, are you troubled by the same problem?"

Wen Chengyi nodded. "That's right. I have an aging Spirit Plant. I've tried all sorts of spirit pills and methods, but nothing has worked..."

Shan Heyuan's heart gave a jolt. Aging—he had never considered that it might be a problem of aging.

Plants had lifespans too; they naturally died when they grew old, and aging was one of the hardest problems to solve.

If the Broken Sword was aging too, it was no wonder all his previous efforts had come to nothing.

Wen Chengyi noticed Shan Heyuan's distraction. "Young Friend Shan?"

Shan Heyuan looked up. "Sorry, I was thinking about my plant."

Wen Chengyi nodded in understanding. "From what you've said, your Spirit Plant could indeed be aging too."

Shan Heyuan searched his mind for what he knew about the subject. "How can an aging Spirit Plant be saved?"

Cuttings certainly would not work; a cutting would still be part of the same plant, and ordinary spirit pills and spirit liquids could not reverse a plant's aging.

Wen Chengyi said, "The only way is to find a way to make it break through its original grade. I came to you this time precisely because I wanted to ask a favor."

Shan Heyuan poured Wen Chengyi some tea. "Please tell me, Senior. If it's within my ability, I won't refuse."

Seeing how readily he agreed, Wen Chengyi looked a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry to trouble your sword cultivator friend this time. I remember he's a Core Formation Stage sword cultivator? I'd like to ask that sword cultivator senior to go to Dinggao Mountain and fetch a bag of Core Formation-grade spirit spring water. If he succeeds, he can keep whatever is left over. Besides that, I'm willing to pay three hundred thousand spirit pearls. Even if he fails, I'm willing to pay one hundred thousand spirit pearls for his trouble. Please pass the request on for me, Young Friend Shan."

Shan Heyuan had not expected him to be looking for Shen Duheng. He hesitated. "As for my friend, I'll have to ask him what he thinks before I can give you an answer."

"Of course," Wen Chengyi said hastily.

Shan Heyuan said, "No problem. I can't make any guarantees about whether he's worried, though."

Wen Chengyi said, "Passing it on would already be a great help to me."

After Shan Heyuan agreed to do so, Wen Chengyi seemed delighted and repeatedly urged him to drink tea.

Shan Heyuan, however, was somewhat distracted. "Can spirit spring water reverse a plant's aging?"

Wen Chengyi said, "Spirit spring water alone doesn't have much effect. But the higher its grade, the more Spiritual Power it can hold. I want the spring water to prepare a higher-grade spirit liquid. As long as the plant can break through its original grade, its lifespan can be extended somewhat, which counts as reversing its aging to a certain degree."

Shan Heyuan nodded, understanding Wen Chengyi's thinking. It was indeed a good approach.

Perhaps he could find some spirit spring water to try on the Broken Sword too—no, on the lightning-struck wood bud. It might have a remarkable effect.

Even if it did not work, it would not matter. Spirit liquid prepared with spirit spring water surely would not be harmful.

While Shan Heyuan was lost in thought, Wen Chengyi took a waterskin from his storage artifact and gave it to him. "This is Foundation Establishment-grade spirit spring water I collected. Take it home and try it, Young Friend Shan, and you'll see what effect it has."

Shan Heyuan had not expected Wen Chengyi to be so generous. He stared for a moment before accepting it with both hands. "Thank you, Senior Wen."

Wen Chengyi smiled. "It's only a bag of spirit spring water. You're too polite, Young Friend Shan."

Chapter 27

In the small courtyard of Shan Heyuan's home.

All sorts of materials were neatly arranged on a workbench that had been brought out temporarily. There were thirty-seven kinds in all, from Spirit Plants and minerals to Demon Beast parts.

Shan Heyuan finished arranging the materials, then raised a Jade Slip and scanned its contents with his Divine Sense, checking them against the materials on the workbench.

He was going to use the spirit spring water to prepare a new spirit liquid that promoted Spirit Plant growth.

The recipe came from Spirit Plant Secrets. It had requirements for the cultivation level of the person preparing it, so he had never acted on it after obtaining the secret recipe. Only now, having successfully reached Foundation Establishment, acquired sufficient Spiritual Power in his body, and gathered all the materials, was he ready to try.

Shan Heyuan took out a small jade cauldron, filled it halfway with spirit spring water, then performed the hand seals and added the various materials one by one.

Once in the water, the materials quickly released the substances he wanted, coloring the spirit spring water and giving off a smell.

The spirit spring water in the jade cauldron soon went from cloudy to clear, finally becoming a translucent blue-green solution.

The solution was slightly viscous and contained an astonishing amount of Spiritual Power and medicinal potency.

Even though Shan Heyuan knew it was meant for Spirit Plants, the smell still gave him the urge to drink the spirit liquid in one gulp.

What an extraordinary recipe.

Shan Heyuan ran his fingers over the bottle. This was the spirit liquid with the richest Spiritual Power and the greatest medicinal potency he had ever seen.

Carrying the spirit liquid, Shan Heyuan walked to the center of the restriction and stood before the jade vat in which the Illusionless Tree was planted. He gently tilted the bottle, letting the spirit liquid drip out.

At the same time, he circulated his cultivation art and used Spring Breeze Turns to Rain, turning the falling spirit liquid into mist.

Dense mist enveloped the Illusionless Tree.

The next instant, the Illusionless Tree began to absorb the mist at a furious pace.

Through Shan Heyuan's Divine Sense, the mist rapidly thinned, then began to dissipate.

In no time, the mist formed from two drops of spirit liquid had been completely used up. The Illusionless Tree's roots had turned from white to pale yellow and grown two millimeters.

The Illusionless Tree was a Core Formation-grade Spirit Plant. He had not expected the spirit liquid's effect to be so pronounced!

Surprise showed in Shan Heyuan's eyes.

Clearly, two drops of spirit liquid were not the limit of what the Illusionless Tree could absorb.

Shan Heyuan had never been stingy with his Spirit Plants. Seeing this, he tilted the bottle again and poured out ten drops in one go, once more using Spring Breeze Turns to Rain to turn them into a fine, dense mist of Spiritual Power.

The Illusionless Tree absorbed it all just as easily.

That was still far from the Illusionless Tree's limit.

Shan Heyuan watched as he continued pouring spirit liquid into the jade vat.

Only after more than half the spirit liquid had been used did the Illusionless Tree grow its first tender, heart-shaped leaf, which fluttered in the spring breeze.

Shan Heyuan reached out and gently touched the Illusionless Tree's leaf.

The leaf was tender and thick, a lovely fresh green completely unlike the dark green of the Illusionless Tree on Xinglan Mountain.

If Shan Heyuan had not known that the Illusionless Tree's branch had come from that tree, he might have thought they were two different species.

Once he had confirmed that the spirit liquid worked on the Illusionless Tree, Shan Heyuan gently poured a drop into the lightning-struck wood bud's jade vat as well, again turning it into a fine, dense mist.