49: Chapter 49 Another Provocation

He closed his eyes, his hands hovering over the wooden box.

Pale cyan spiritual energy slowly spilled from his palms, seeping into the soil.

Following the "Sprouting Technique" from the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture, he used a trace amount of spiritual energy to continuously nourish the seeds, simulating the rhythmic vitality of all things recovering in spring.

This was a delicate task that consumed a great deal of mental focus.

The spiritual energy could not be too much, or it would damage the seed embryo; it could not be too little, or it would have no effect.

It required constant attention and adjustment at any moment.

Time ticked away second by second.

The third quarter of the Zi hour.

Li Changsheng ceased his Cultivation, beads of sweat already visible on his forehead.

He opened his eyes and looked at the unchanged soil, but felt no disappointment.

The Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture states: Those who plant must have patience.

Plants have their own time to grow; one cannot force it.

He carefully covered the wooden box and placed it in the most hidden corner of the warehouse.

Every night, he would nourish it like this for one hour.

The thirty-fifth day.

That night, after Li Changsheng had nourished it with spiritual energy as usual and was about to close the box, his gaze suddenly fixed.

On the surface of the soil, there appeared a faint, almost invisible touch of green.

He held his breath and leaned in to look closely.

It was true.

Of the three seeds, one had a thin crack in its grey-brown shell, from which a tender sprout, thinner than a hair and almost transparent, had emerged.

It had broken through the soil.

Li Changsheng looked at that insignificant speck of green and remained motionless for a long time.

He remembered the spiritual field behind the Lingtai Sect in the simulated world.

He remembered Uncle-Master Fang taking his younger self and crouching by the edge of the field.

Pointing at a spiritual tea seedling that had just broken through the soil, he said.

"All things have spirit. If you treat it with sincerity, it will repay you with vitality."

He could no longer return to that world.

But that state of mind, that reverence and patience for the growth of life, had remained in his heart.

He gently covered the wooden box and moved it to the only spot in the warehouse that could catch the faint moonlight.

From this day on, what it needed was no longer just spiritual energy nourishment, but also faint light, ventilation, humidity... a whole set of meticulous care.

He stood up, walked to the door of the warehouse, and looked out at the pitch-black night sky.

Cultivation requires resources, resources require Spirit Stones, and Spirit Stones require contribution.

And right now, as a Named Disciple of the General Affairs Hall, he did not even have the qualifications to accept Sect missions.

Those missions required at least the status of an Outer Sect Disciple.

But this path is one that must be forged.

A Spirit Nourishing Grass takes about three months to grow from sprouting to maturity.

Once mature, it can produce more seeds, or the leaves can be dried and ground into powder to be sold to Baicao Hall as fertilizer for low-grade spiritual fields in exchange for a small amount of Spirit Stones.

This is just the beginning.

When he Cultivates more and higher-grade Spiritual Plants, when he saves enough Spirit Stones to exchange for Medicinal Pills and achieve a Breakthrough in his Realm...

When he is no longer the "trash" that anyone can trample on...

He looked up towards the direction of Wanqi Peak.

It was brightly lit there, the glow of the earth fire illuminating half the night sky.

Zhao Yan's arrogant face appeared before his eyes once again.

He felt no anger, no resentment.

He simply made a silent note of it in his heart.

Some debts are not meant to be left unpaid.

It is just that the time has not yet come.

The seventy-third day.

The Spirit Nourishing Grass had grown to three inches tall, its leaves delicate and shimmering with a faint emerald color in the dim light.

The other two seeds had never sprouted.

But the growth of this one had already exceeded Li Changsheng's expectations.

Every night, he nourished the roots with spiritual energy and watered it every three days with fresh water taken from the mountain stream.

In the water, he mixed in a trace amount of "fire-gathering charcoal" powder.

It was a substitute he had discovered among the waste, which could fine-tune the soil's pH levels.

That evening, as he was tending to the Spirit Nourishing Grass in the warehouse, footsteps suddenly sounded outside.

With a wave of Li Changsheng's hand, the wooden box slid into a pile of miscellaneous items, covered by a few damaged Magical Artifacts.

He stood up nonchalantly, picked up the registry, and pretended to be taking inventory.

The door was pushed open.

It was not Ding San who entered, but two unfamiliar faces wearing the green robes of official Outer Sect Disciples.

One of them was at Qi Refining Level 6, and the other was at Qi Refining Level 5.

They swept a glance across the warehouse, their gazes landing on Li Changsheng.

"General Affairs Hall Disciple Li Changsheng?"

The one at Qi Refining Level 6 spoke, his tone indifferent.

"That is me."

Li Changsheng cupped his hands.

"What instructions do you two Senior Brothers have?"

The man took out a slip of paper and read aloud.

"Senior Brother Zhao Yan of Wanqi Peak needs to refine a Magical Artifact in three days. The list of required auxiliary Materials has been sent to the General Affairs Hall."

"Order: Disciple Li Changsheng of the West Courtyard warehouse is to prepare the following items within three days: ten catties of scrapped copper essence fragments, five pieces of damaged Fire Cloud Stone, and three catties of discarded fire-gathering charcoal."

"Failure to prepare them by the deadline will be treated as 'delaying the important business of a Sect Disciple'."

Li Changsheng took the slip of paper and scanned it quickly.

The items on the list were indeed all available in the warehouse.

Copper essence fragments, broken pieces of Fire Cloud Stone, fire-gathering charcoal.

They were all common Artifact Refining waste.

But this quantity...

Ten catties of copper essence fragments?

That would require rummaging through the entire West Courtyard waste pile to gather enough.

Five pieces of Fire Cloud Stone fragments?

This item is commonly used; the discarded ones have long been collected by the various peaks, and there are not many left.

Three catties of fire-gathering charcoal?

That is easy enough, but it needs to be sifted bit by bit from the residue of waste Pill Furnaces.

Prepared within three days.

This meant that for the next three days, all his spare time would have to be spent on this.

And that man surnamed Zhao obviously did not really need these things urgently.

He was just reminding Li Changsheng: don't forget who you are, and don't forget what you are supposed to do.

Li Changsheng put away the slip of paper, his expression calm.

"This Disciple understands."

"I will definitely have them prepared in three days."

The two Outer Sect Disciples looked at each other, seemingly surprised by his calmness.

The one at Qi Refining Level 6 sneered.

"You're quite composed. Fine, take your time preparing them."

The two turned and left, their laughter trailing along the way.

The warehouse returned to silence.

Li Changsheng stood where he was, looking at the slip of paper in his hand.

After a long while, he walked to the corner and took out the covered wooden box.

The Spirit Nourishing Grass was still verdant, shimmering with a faint glow in the dim light.

He looked at it and suddenly smiled, very faintly and very lightly.

"You grow your way."

He said.

"I will endure mine."

He placed the wooden box back, turned, and walked toward the waste pile.

The work for the next three days had to be done through the nights.

And that name, he had noted it down.

Zhao Yan.

Wanqi Peak.

No rush.

Everything is just beginning.

The three-day deadline, the final moment.

Li Changsheng placed the last piece of Fire Cloud Stone fragment next to the list, looked at the three piles of Materials neatly stacked in front of him, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Ten catties of copper essence fragments.

He had dug them out piece by piece from the piles of scrap iron in the deepest part of the warehouse that had been accumulating dust for years; some were heavily rusted, but they were indeed made of copper essence.

Five pieces of Fire Cloud Stone fragments.

He had searched every corner of the West Courtyard, and even risked going to the edge of the East Courtyard's waste area, just to barely gather enough.

Two of them were pitifully small, but they were indeed Fire Cloud Stone.

Three catties of fire-gathering charcoal.

This was actually the easiest, but he had spent two whole nights sifting it, scoop by scoop, from the residue of waste Pill Furnaces sent by Baicao Hall.

"It's complete."

He whispered to himself.

These three days, he had hardly closed his eyes.

During the day he had to handle the routine warehousing registrations, and only at night could he search, sift, and organize.

The nourishment of the Spirit Nourishing Grass had also been interrupted for two days. When he went to check this morning, the edges of the leaves were slightly yellowing, which pained him deeply.

But in the end, it was finished.

He packed the Materials into an old wooden chest, moved it to the door of the warehouse, and waited for the people from Wanqi Peak to come and collect them.