Chapter 3761 — The Troublemaker

To ensure the Heart-Devouring Exquisite Grass could grow as well as possible, beyond the all-important supply of spirit qi and true qi, choosing a dry soil suited to its growth was equally crucial. Wei Zhao, naturally, did not dare be careless in this regard.

After preparing several batches of different soils within the jade-pendant space, Wei Zhao promptly returned to his cave dwelling and transplanted all eighty-five spirit-herb seeds into it. Then, following what he had learned at the Pill Hall, he began channeling true qi into the seeds.

Any other newcomer, with their Heaven-Tier Great Perfection strength, could at best channel true qi into three or four spirit-herb seeds at once if they wished to maintain the stimulating effect of the true qi, even going all out.

But Wei Zhao was now a peak expert of the early Foundation Establishment stage. Channeling only this fixed amount of true qi into each seed, whether three or four or even dozens at once, was more than he could handle with ease. Moreover, with the spirit qi of the jade-pendant space replenishing him, the true qi within his body flowed without end, so he had none of the worries others had about exhausting his true qi.

The eighty-five spirit-herb seeds merely needed to be divided into two batches, each receiving the prescribed amount of true qi for half an hour, and Wei Zhao's task for the day was done.

And if he kept this up for twenty days, he would see results.

How many of these spirit-herb seeds would survive, and above all what the two Heart-Devouring Exquisite Grass seeds that Wei Zhao cared most about would ultimately become—whether the jade-pendant space could truly serve as a divine tool for cultivation as anticipated—all of that remained to be seen.

By Wei Zhao's estimation, even if the jade-pendant space's cultivation effect was not the best, it would certainly not be poor; at the very least, it would never be worse than the results of the other newcomers.

Over the next three days, Wei Zhao went to the Spirit Jade Hall to mine as usual each day, returned at night to channel true qi into the spirit-herb seeds for a full hour, and then cultivated as he always did.

In fact, the process of channeling true qi was itself a kind of alternate cultivation, so for Wei Zhao it was no different from his usual rhythm—quite leisurely and relaxed.

By contrast, the other newcomers had it far from easy. Though they did not have to tend eighty-five spirit-herb seeds all at once like Wei Zhao, merely handling three or four seeds a day was already quite a struggle.

Not only did they have to exhaust themselves channeling true qi into the seeds each day, but afterward they had to hurry to find ways to recover their true qi. This process, for ordinary newcomers without a heaven-defying cheat like the jade-pendant space, was exceedingly tedious and taxing.

Beyond that, they had to fret over these seeds. The newcomers of the Soaring Heaven Pavilion and the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion might have it slightly better, since the spirit qi density within their cave dwellings was at least passable, but the newcomers of the Azure Cloud Pavilion had it rough: besides ensuring a daily supply of true qi, they also had to devise ways to increase the spirit qi supply, which was no small difficulty.

After all, they did not possess a jade-pendant space like Wei Zhao, nor could they, like the Pill Hall's spirit-herb garden, simply scatter spirit jade everywhere to raise the spirit qi density. They had only so much spirit jade on hand, and they grudged even using it for their own cultivation!

Fortunately, the points of the Three-Tiered Pavilion's newcomers were calculated separately; they did not need to compete with the Soaring Heaven Pavilion and the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, only to surpass the newcomers of their own Azure Cloud Pavilion.

Insufficient spirit qi was a problem shared by all. If all the Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers' spirit-herb seeds failed together, then it hardly mattered—at worst, everyone would score nothing, so long as no one fell behind the others.

Do what is within one's power and leave the rest to fate—such was the thinking of the vast majority of Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers. Every day they scraped together every desperate measure to supply spirit qi to their seeds; if they succeeded, so much the better, and if not, there was nothing to be done—everyone would score nothing together.

Compared with the bustle of the other newcomers, Wei Zhao and Xiao Che and Qiao Hongcai seemed quite the odd ones out, utterly at ease. Wei Zhao had the divine tool of the jade-pendant space to rely on, while Xiao Che and Qiao Hongcai had simply given their spirit-herb seeds to Wei Zhao and need not worry about the matter at all, only quietly preparing for the fourth stage of the assessment soon to begin.

What Wei Zhao did not know was that during these three days, a minor stir had arisen in the inner streets of the market district—and its root cause was him.

That day, near noon, a cultivator who looked like a young man but was in truth well over a hundred years old came to the Hong Family Merchant Guild. He bought nothing, and upon entering demanded outright that the manager, Hong Zhong, come out to see him.

Though Hong Zhong was a manager of the Hong Family Merchant Guild and his status was by no means low, he was, at bottom, a man of business who prized harmony and the making of money. Hearing the other's imperious tone of public summons, he was somewhat displeased, but still politely invited the man into a private room.

"May I ask the honored sir's esteemed name?" Hong Zhong asked, seeing that the other's attire was fine and his bearing distinguished.

Unexpectedly, the man raised an eyebrow at the question and said with a sneer, "What? You're a guild manager and you don't even recognize me, yet you have the nerve to make a living in this North Island market? Has your master never taught you that to do business out here, one must first learn to pay one's respects?"

Hong Zhong's heart tightened. He looked the man up and down again, and could not help but wonder inwardly: could this fellow be some newly risen big shot of the Three-Tiered Pavilion?

It was true enough that doing business out here required paying one's respects, but given the power and influence of the Hong Family Merchant Guild as one of the five great Heaven-Tier island merchant guilds, it was more often the local strongmen who came to pay their respects to them. Across the whole of Cloud-Tier Island's North Island, those to whom the Hong Family Merchant Guild must take the initiative to pay respects numbered only a scant handful.

But Hong Zhong had been at this North Island branch for decades and had long since met those few North Island magnates more than once or twice. The respects owed had long been paid; he enjoyed excellent relations with the bigwigs of the Council of Elders, and even such a newly risen man of power as Gongsun Jie, Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, had taken the initiative to show him goodwill. There was no reason he could have overlooked some great deity.

This fellow before him, though his strength was passable, was far from the level of those magnates and bigwigs—at best he could throw his weight around before ordinary cultivators. To come knocking at the Hong Family Merchant Guild's door and pick a fight—where did he get the confidence, where the boldness? Could he be some clan's second-generation cultivator?

Doubtful as he was, Hong Zhong kept his face courteous. He ordered tea prepared and once more lowered himself, saying, "Pray, honored sir, favor me with your name."