Chapter 3825 — Seeds Sprout

That's right. They had awakened!

Although these spirit herb seeds had not yet truly developed into seedlings, and strictly speaking, their present state was not all that different from before, anyone with eyes could see that they were no longer as utterly motionless as they had been. They had awakened!

Their seed coats had begun to split, with shoots and roots bursting forth, presenting a flourishing spectacle brimming with vitality.

The heart Wei Zhao had been holding in suspense finally dropped back into place. All eighty-five spirit herb seeds, including the two Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass seeds, had survived. The jade pendant's space had indeed lived up to his expectations and given him a tremendous surprise!

Before today's challenge tournament, all eighty-five spirit herb seeds had still been lying in a deathly silence, neither alive nor dead. Yet after merely one afternoon, they had collectively awakened. Even Wei Zhao, who had seen all manner of strange and bizarre things, found it utterly unbelievable once the realization sank in.

They had been completely motionless, and then Kang Jingming came along to taunt him, only for all eighty-five spirit herb seeds to awaken together. This was a slap in the face in the most literal sense. If Kang Jingming found out, that fool would be so furious he might pass out on the spot.

For Wei Zhao, who had been worrying himself sick, Kang Jingming was nothing short of a lucky star. Otherwise, who knew how long he would have had to wait?

"All things possess a spirit. That saying certainly couldn't be more true." Wei Zhao could not help smiling as the corners of his lips lifted.

If nothing unexpected happened, then within the next few days, these eighty-five awakened spirit herb seeds would truly begin to take root and sprout. Nurtured by the pure spiritual energy within the jade pendant's space, their development into spirit herb seedlings was already just around the corner.

However, Wei Zhao suddenly realized that it might be time to make a trip to the marketplace.

Now that all eighty-five spirit herb seeds, including the two Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass seeds, had awakened, raising them successfully to maturity would be virtually effortless under the jade pendant's uniquely favorable conditions. Moreover, because the growth cycles of these spirit herb seeds had been accelerated countless times by artificial means, that day would not be far off.

If nothing went wrong, Wei Zhao would soon be able to harvest two stalks of Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass and begin preparing to refine the vital Foundation Establishment Golden Pill.

But two stalks of Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass alone were obviously not enough to refine a Foundation Establishment Golden Pill, and with his current reserves of spirit herbs, he could not gather the remaining materials. To avoid delaying the refinement, he would have to make a trip to the marketplace soon.

He knew perfectly well that if he appeared in the marketplace as Lin Er at this juncture, he might well run into his enemy Yu Jiang, and perhaps even Yu Jiang's master, Nan Tianyong. That threat was by no means insignificant.

But compared with the Foundation Establishment Golden Pill, this degree of risk meant little to Wei Zhao. He could not possibly abandon the materials needed to refine it simply to avoid danger. That was not Wei Zhao's way.

Once he had made up his mind, Wei Zhao put on the Thousand-Thread Mask the following morning and appeared in the marketplace in the identity of Lin Er.

The last time he had bought the materials for refining the Foundation Establishment Golden Pill on the outer street, he had paid a total of eight spirit jades, and in the end, he had successfully refined the pill. This time, however, Wei Zhao had no intention of repeating the process.

For one thing, the outer street was crowded and full of prying eyes, and it was difficult to find all the materials in a single shop. That meant spending considerable time searching for what he needed, making it easy for someone with ulterior motives to notice him and greatly increasing the chances of running into Yu Jiang.

For another, the medicinal materials available on the outer street were generally of poor quality. Last time, Wei Zhao had possessed only that handful of spirit jades and therefore had no choice but to make do. Fortunately, the single stalk of Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass he had obtained through great hardship in the rear mountains had been of exceptional quality, so the Foundation Establishment Golden Pill had not suffered as a result.

This time, however, even with the jade pendant's space replenishing their vital essence, the two stalks of Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass that grew from these innately deficient seeds would certainly not compare with the one he had obtained last time.

Thus, if Wei Zhao wanted to ensure a high success rate when refining the Foundation Establishment Golden Pill, he would have to put extra effort into the other spirit herb materials.

In view of these two considerations, the inner street of the marketplace was clearly better suited to Wei Zhao's needs than the noisy outer and middle streets. There was just one problem: not everyone could enter the inner street at will. Whether in terms of strength or status, Wei Zhao was still far from meeting its threshold, and today was not the one day each month when the inner street opened to the public.

Nevertheless, Wei Zhao ultimately managed to slip into the inner street as he had hoped, and he had Hong Zhong, the shopkeeper of the Hong Clan Merchant Association, to thank for it. The last time, Hong Zhong had given Wei Zhao a spirit jade card from the Cloudstep Island Merchant Alliance. With that card to clear the way, the inner-street guards merely gave Wei Zhao a slightly astonished look before letting him pass.

Just as Hong Zhong had said, a spirit jade card of this kind was not something just anyone could obtain. Across the whole of Cloudstep Island, only the tiny handful of people whose identities and standing had been recognized by the Merchant Alliance received such treatment. It was far more useful than identity badges such as those belonging to inner disciples of the Three-Storied Pavilion.

It was no exaggeration to say that in the inner street, a place where the vast majority of the Three-Storied Pavilion's inner disciples had no right to enter, merely displaying a spirit jade card would get even a dog admitted without hesitation. For even if it were a dog, it would still be a dog carrying a spirit jade card. No one had any reason to stop it, much less the standing to do so.

Since it was not the day the inner street opened to the public, the scene Wei Zhao encountered this time was far quieter than on his previous two visits. Calling it deserted would not have been an exaggeration.

Even so, the merchants there did not care in the least. To establish a presence in the inner street, even as the most inconspicuous of businesses, meant that a formidable power stood behind it. Their purpose in appearing there was not necessarily to compete with giants like the Hong Clan Merchant Association for profit. More importantly, they wanted to announce their existence. Even if they could not earn much in spirit jades, they still had to establish a name for themselves in this exclusive district of the upper echelons, lest they be overlooked entirely.

Once inside the inner street, Wei Zhao headed straight for the Hong Clan Merchant Association. Hong Zhong had left a favorable impression on him the last time. Although he had no intention of buying any precious treasures today, his instincts told him that maintaining occasional contact with a seasoned and astute merchant like Hong Zhong could do him no harm.