116: Chapter 116 Desire

Sunday morning at five o'clock, Chen Zhen opened his eyes on time.

Seventeen points of light slowly rotated within his Dantian; after a night of Cultivation, his Cultivation had increased by another notch.

He stood up, but instead of checking the spiritual plants as usual, he walked over to the mutated new seedling.

The new seedling had doubled in height overnight, and the golden patterns on its leaves had become more distinct, increasing from one line to three.

In [Internal Vision], the flow of Spiritual Qi within its body was at least three times faster than other seedlings, and those tiny "plant meridians" had already begun to branch and extend, forming a more complex network.

He squatted down and reached out to gently touch the leaves.

The leaves trembled slightly, and a faint thought was transmitted—not language, but a vague emotion: pleasure, and a little... craving.

Craving what?

He thought for a moment, then took a small amount of anshen flower powder from his Storage Space and sprinkled it on the roots.

The moment the powder fell, the seedling's leaves jerked, and then it began to absorb it frantically.

Those golden patterns brightened and dimmed, dimmed and brightened, as if it were digesting.

Three minutes later, the seedling grew another finger-width taller.

[Mutated An Shen Grass (Unknown Variety)]

[Status: Seedling stage, growth rate +500%, Spiritual Qi affinity +300%]

[Potential: Extremely high]

[Suggestion: Cultivate separately, record growth data]

Chen Zhen stared at this prompt for a few seconds.

Five hundred percent growth rate, triple Spiritual Qi affinity.

This seedling was far more valuable than he had imagined.

He stood up, walked to the workbench, took the largest flowerpot, filled it with the best nutrient soil, and then carefully transplanted the Mutant Seedling into it.

He placed it alone in the sunniest spot.

He watered it with a little spiritual spring water—the mountain spring water that Shen Nian had brought back from the mountains last week, which he had treated with a Purification Talisman, so it already carried a faint trace of Spiritual Qi.

The seedling's leaves shook, as if saying thank you.

Chen Zhen nodded and turned to walk back to the center of the array.

At six o'clock in the morning, Zhou Rui pushed the door open and came in.

He was holding a stack of talismans in his hand, with a smile on his face.

"Master, I drew these last night."

Chen Zhen took them and looked at them one by one.

Thirty Teaching Talismans, each reaching the mortal-grade, upper tier. The last five were already approaching the supreme grade.

He nodded.

"You can learn new talismans today."

Zhou Rui's eyes lit up.

"What talisman?"

"An advanced version of the Spirit Gathering Talisman." Chen Zhen walked to the blackboard. "Watch closely."

He began to draw.

It wasn't an ordinary Spirit Gathering Talisman, but one he had realized from the runes on the Heavenly Pillar—it could gather Spiritual Qi from a much further range, and the effect was three times that of a normal Spirit Gathering Talisman.

Zhou Rui stared at the blackboard without blinking.

After finishing, Chen Zhen turned to look at him.

"How much did you understand?"

Zhou Rui was silent for three seconds.

"Thirty percent."

Chen Zhen nodded.

"Normal. I had to draw this talisman thirty times before I succeeded."

Zhou Rui took a deep breath and picked up the pen.

The first time, he failed.

The second time, he failed.

The third time, he still failed.

By the fifteenth time, a faint white light finally shone on the talisman paper.

[Spirit Gathering Talisman · Advanced Version (Practice Version)]

[Effect: Spiritual Qi +30%, Range +50%]

[Quality: Defective]

Zhou Rui stared at the talisman and was silent for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

"Master, I understand now."

Chen Zhen nodded.

"Continue."

At eight o'clock in the morning, Shen Nian arrived.

He held the notebook, walked to the row of seedlings, and began to check them one by one.

When he checked the Mutant Seedling, he paused for a moment.

"Chen Zhen, this one..."

Chen Zhen walked over.

"What's wrong?"

Shen Nian pointed at the seedling, his expression a bit complicated.

"It grew this much last night?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Shen Nian was silent for a few seconds, then took out a pen and recorded it in the notebook.

"Growth rate abnormal, suspected mutation. Suggest separate observation."

He finished writing and looked up at Chen Zhen.

"Can you let me study this seedling?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"What do you want to study?"

Shen Nian thought for a moment.

"I want to know why it mutated. Is it a genetic mutation, or is it influenced by the fragments? If it's influenced by the fragments, can it be induced artificially?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

"You can. But don't kill it."

Shen Nian smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm more reliable than my dad."

At nine o'clock in the morning, Yun Xi pushed the door open and entered.

She was wearing sportswear, her hair tied in a high ponytail, looking energetic.

"Chen Zhen, those two people have arrived."

Chen Zhen looked at her.

"Which two?"

Yun Xi paused for a moment.

"Did you forget? The two from Changbai Mountain and Wuyi Mountain. You said you would meet them today."

Chen Zhen thought about it.

That was indeed the case.

"Where?"

"The usual place, the teahouse."

Chen Zhen stood up.

"Let's go."

At ten o'clock in the morning, at the teahouse in the suburbs.

It was the same seat by the window, and the same two cups of tea.

Two people sat opposite him.

A middle-aged man, in his forties, with a square face and sharp eyes. Qi Refining Level 5.

An old man, in his early seventies, with gray hair, but in high spirits. Qi Refining Level 4.

Those two from Changbai Mountain and Wuyi Mountain.

The middle-aged man spoke first.

"You are Chen Zhen?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

The middle-aged man stared at him for three seconds.

"My name is Han Lie, the one from Changbai Mountain." He paused. "Yun Xi said you have collected seventeen fragments."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

Han Lie waited for two seconds, and seeing that he didn't speak, he wasn't in a hurry.

"I already gave my piece to Yun Xi a long time ago. I didn't come here today to ask for things."

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Then why did you come?"

Han Lie was silent for two seconds.

"To remind you of something."

"What is it?"

Han Lie looked at him, his eyes very serious.

"The last fragment is at the Heavenly Road. But at the Heavenly Road, there isn't just that fragment."

He paused.

"There is also a person."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

Han Lie continued: "That person is exactly the same as you. You should know."

Chen Zhen nodded.

Han Lie took a deep breath.

"That person has been waiting for you for ten thousand years. Do you know what he is waiting for?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"You tell me."

Han Lie shook his head.

"I don't know. But he has waited for ten thousand years, it must be something very important."

He stood up.

"I have delivered the message. You decide for yourself."

He turned and left.

The old man also stood up and glanced at Chen Zhen.

"Young man, take care."

He also left.

Yun Xi sat on the side, watching their backs.

"That's it?"

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

At twelve o'clock at noon, Chen Zhen returned to the Secret Base.

Zhou Rui was still drawing talismans, and Shen Nian was still studying the Mutant Seedling.

Everything was as usual.

He walked to the center of the array and sat down, taking out the four fragments.

Seventeen points of light slowly rotated within his Dantian.

Han Lie's words were still spinning in his mind.

"That person has been waiting for you for ten thousand years."

Ten thousand years.

What was he waiting for?

He activated the [Eye of the Heavenly Road].

His consciousness pierced through the barrier and reached the other side.

The Original Body stood in the mist, with his back to him.

Hearing the movement, he turned around.

"You're here again?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"What are you waiting for?"

The Original Body paused for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"You finally asked."

He walked over and stood in front of Chen Zhen—although there was a barrier, the feeling was just like facing each other.

"I was waiting for you to come and ask this question."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

The Original Body looked at him, his eyes gentle.

"When you are ready, come over. I will tell you the answer."

Chen Zhen was silent for a few seconds.

"I am ready now."

The Original Body shook his head.

"No, you are not."

He turned and walked back into the mist.

"When you are truly ready, you will know."

The mist swallowed his figure.

Chen Zhen withdrew his consciousness and opened his eyes.

Seventeen points of light slowly rotated.

He looked at the four fragments for a long time.

Then he put them away.

No rush.

At seven o'clock in the evening, Zhou Rui and Shen Nian left.

Yun Xi left as well.

Chen Zhen sat alone in the center of the array.

He stood up and walked to the Mutant Seedling.

The seedling had grown taller, and the golden patterns on the leaves had changed from three to five.

He squatted down and reached out to touch it gently.

That thought came again.

Craving.

But it wasn't craving Spiritual Qi.

It was craving... what?

He didn't know.

But he knew, it was soon.

He stood up and walked back to the center of the array.

Seventeen points of light slowly rotated.

Tomorrow, Monday.

A new week.