The demon rabbit, squatting on the table gnawing on a spirit pill, suddenly noticed that Ning Yuzhou and the little seedling were gone. Instantly, the entire rabbit bristled, dropping the spirit pill from its claws, which rolled far away with a clatter.
It hurriedly leapt forward to grab the spirit pill and then scurried around the room, searching for its little seedling.
But after searching for a long time, not only was the little seedling nowhere to be found, even the human who offered it spirit pills had disappeared!
The demon rabbit fluffed up further, letting out threatening noises from its throat.
—
Wen Qiao felt a sudden blur before her eyes, and the surrounding environment changed completely, shifting from indoors to an unfamiliar space.
It was a space about half an acre in size, surrounded by a hazy, grayish chaotic mist that isolated it from the outside world. At its center was a field of spirit herbs, while the rest of the area lay barren.
She stared blankly at the lush and vibrant spirit herbs in front of her, as stunned as the plants themselves.
Carrying the jade spirit basin, Ning Yuzhou approached the field of spirit herbs. He gently said, “Ah Chuo, what do you think of these spirit herbs?”
The little seedling remained motionless, completely unresponsive, not even twitching its leaves.
Ning Yuzhou looked a little worried. Could it have been frightened?
He reached out and gently pinched one of its tiny leaves, explaining, “This is my mustard seed space, which appeared when my bloodline awakened. These spirit herbs are ones I’ve collected and planted over the years. Although the quantity isn’t large, we can gather more as we leave Dongling and travel elsewhere.”
Knowing that Wen Qiao’s cultivation required absorbing the essence of wood and plants, Ning Yuzhou had already planned their future path.
Dongling was too remote and lacking in resources. One day, they would have to leave and venture into the broader, more exciting world that all cultivators yearned for.
Wen Qiao finally snapped out of her daze and, hearing his words, was momentarily at a loss for words.
In her perception, these spirit herbs included countless fifth, sixth, and seventh-grade varieties, and there was even an eighth-grade Earth Dragon Silk Orchid exuding pure and delightful wood essence.
It was likely that even the combined spirit herb gardens of all the families in Dongling could not rival the variety here.
Yet he actually thought the quantity was insufficient.
Wen Qiao suddenly understood Emperor Chenghao’s perspective. Ning Yuzhou truly was someone with incredibly high standards.
Not only were his standards high, but even the divine bloodline he inherited was extraordinary. It came with a complete legacy and even a mustard seed space. Then she looked at herself, with her fragmented and incomplete inheritance—a complete loser by comparison.
In truth, the term “loser” was most fitting for her alone.
Wen Qiao felt a bit dejected.
Noticing the little seedling’s sudden downturn, Ning Yuzhou softly said, “Stay here to cultivate for now. Don’t worry about anything. Try to see if you can transform.”
Wen Qiao quickly pulled herself together.
Her husband had even revealed such a secret, a mustard seed space capable of holding living things, proving his absolute sincerity toward her. She had to work hard on her cultivation, so no matter what challenges they faced in the future, she could confront them head-on and protect him, with all his hidden secrets.
She used her leaf to nudge his hand, signaling him to set her down.
Ning Yuzhou placed the jade spirit basin beside the eighth-grade Earth Dragon Silk Orchid—the highest-grade spirit herb in the space. Then, stepping back, he gazed at the little seedling in the spirit basin. Compared to the other spirit herbs in the field, she looked utterly unremarkable, so inconspicuous that she might easily be mistaken for a weed. There wasn’t the slightest hint of anything extraordinary about her.
Ning Yuzhou appeared lost in thought.
Perhaps this was a form of camouflage for Ah Chuo’s Yao body. When not yet strong enough to face all threats, many spiritually endowed natural treasures would choose to conceal themselves, giving themselves room to grow.
Ning Yuzhou stayed in the space for half a day, observing the spirit herbs in the field growing at a rate visible to the naked eye. Although their speed couldn’t compare to ordinary plants, it was already quite impressive. If other cultivators were to see this, they would likely go mad with envy.
A being capable of accelerating the growth of spirit herbs, without needing to wait hundreds or thousands of years to harvest the required maturity, was a concept no one could remain indifferent to. It would undoubtedly incite greed in anyone.
He sighed softly in his heart.
This silly girl truly was foolish. If he harbored even a shred of malice, he could trap her in this space to endlessly cultivate spirit herbs for him. What could she possibly do about it?
Such a naive girl—he’d better keep a closer eye on her. He couldn’t let her be taken advantage of.
Seeing that Wen Qiao was fully immersed in her cultivation, Ning Yuzhou didn’t linger further and left the space.
The moment he returned to the room, a strong gust of wind slammed into him, knocking him onto the couch. His chest felt slightly tight from the impact.
“Coo, coo!”
Looking down, Ning Yuzhou saw the demon rabbit that had crashed into his arms. It was furiously stomping its feet and waving its claws at him in a threatening manner, anxiously demanding to know where the little seedling had gone.
Currently, Ning Yuzhou was only a low-level cultivator who had just embarked on the path of cultivation, with only Entry Yuan Stage cultivation. In front of a sixth-grade mutated demon rabbit, he was entirely insignificant. If not for his frequent offerings of spirit pills to the demon rabbit recently, it likely wouldn’t have just rammed into him but directly attacked instead.
Though calm and composed, with an unshaken demeanor even in the face of a collapsing mountain, Ning Yuzhou couldn’t deny that he was currently weak and fragile.
The weak and fragile Ning Yuzhou curved his lips into an eerily gentle smile. Grabbing the demon rabbit by the scruff, he said warmly, “Are you looking for Ah Chuo?”
The demon rabbit instinctively sensed danger. It hung limply from his hand, letting out a few pitiful whimpers, resembling a helpless, weak, and pitiable little bunny.
“She’s in a place cultivating, so you won’t find her for now,” Ning Yuzhou said, casually feeding it a spirit pill. “I hope you’ll be more careful next time. Otherwise, I’ll confiscate all your spirit pills.”
The demon rabbit looked at him innocently, pretending not to understand.
Ning Yuzhou chuckled, his fingers pinching its cheek pouches where it hid spirit pills. “You’ve been storing them here, haven’t you? Eat them all, and they’re gone, right?”
The demon rabbit, under his threat, rubbed its head ingratiatingly against his hand.
The little seedling was important, but so was pleasing the alchemist who supplied the spirit pills.
After lecturing the demon rabbit, Ning Yuzhou tossed it aside and handed it a bottle of pills. Then, he called someone to summon Qian Shou.
When Qian Shou arrived, he saw Ning Yuzhou sitting on the couch by the window, examining a jade slip. The demon rabbit, brought back from the Lintai Hunting Valley, was extravagantly hugging a pill bottle, happily munching on spirit pills.
A mutated demonic beast with such an appetite for spirit pills—only Ning Yuzhou could afford to raise it. No wonder the rabbit refused to leave no matter what.
“Your Highness,” Qian Shou greeted him with a bow, his tone concerned. “Are you planning to enter seclusion for cultivation?”
Ning Yuzhou replied, “Not yet. I have some tasks for you.”
Qian Shou respectfully acknowledged the order and listened carefully. After hearing the instructions, he asked in surprise, “Your Highness, are you planning to…”
“Yes,” Ning Yuzhou confirmed. “Since we’ll leave eventually, we might as well make arrangements in advance.”
When exactly would they leave?
Although Qian Shou had his doubts, he knew Ning Yuzhou’s decisions were final and didn’t question further, promptly leaving to carry out the orders.
Afterward, Ning Yuzhou entered the space again to plant the spirit herbs he had brought back from the Lintai Hunting Valley.
The spirit herbs in the space were lush and vibrant, appearing even more vigorous than before, each having grown significantly. They seemed to have gained ten to twenty years of maturity, almost completely obscuring the white jade pot in the spirit field.
Compared to these spirit herbs nurtured by Wen Qiao’s catalyzing energy, the little seedling in the white jade pot remained short and weak, showing no noticeable improvement.
After planting all the spirit herbs, Ning Yuzhou observed for a while before leaving the space.
Subsequently, Ning Yuzhou handled other miscellaneous matters and began his seclusion for cultivation.
—
A month later, Emperor Chenghao visited the Seventh Prince’s residence.
“Xiao Qi has been in seclusion this whole time?” Emperor Chenghao asked in surprise.
The steward attending him replied, “Yes. At first, His Highness had meals sent to him three times a day, but later, he stopped requesting them.”
Hearing this, Emperor Chenghao was astonished but also greatly pleased. It seemed that once his son started cultivating, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to it. With such determination, he would surely make up for the nineteen years of lost cultivation time and eventually surpass others.
Learning that Ning Yuzhou was in seclusion, Emperor Chenghao refrained from disturbing him and instructed the steward to inform him as soon as Ning Yuzhou emerged.
The steward acknowledged the order.
Another half month passed, and Emperor Chenghao received the news that Ning Yuzhou had come out of seclusion.
Emperor Chenghao hurried from the palace to the Seventh Prince’s residence.
The moment he saw Ning Yuzhou, Emperor Chenghao immediately checked his cultivation. To his dismay, after a month and a half in seclusion, Ning Yuzhou had only progressed to the later stage of the Entry Yuan Stage. The emperor was visibly distressed.
“Xiao Qi, how come…”
Ning Yuzhou had been born with an awakened divine bloodline. Due to the overwhelming power of this bloodline, it had to be sealed to allow him to grow safely. This alone demonstrated Ning Yuzhou’s extraordinary aptitude, rare in the world.
Yet, after a month and a half of cultivation, he had merely advanced from the early to the late Entry Yuan Stage. This was far too slow.
For an ordinary cultivator, such speed might be acceptable, even considered fast. However, the Entry Yuan Stage was only the starting point of cultivation, hardly worth mentioning. Given Ning Yuzhou’s exceptional talent, he should have easily advanced further, perhaps even reaching the Yuan Feather Stage by now.
Seeming to understand what was on his father’s mind, Ning Yuzhou said, “Father, have you forgotten the nature of my awakened divine bloodline?”
Emperor Chenghao hesitated. “You mentioned before that it is the Emperor Xi Bloodline, characterized by innate knowledge, possession of the mustard seed space, mastery over myriad artifacts, and spreading blessings across the land…”
Ning Yuzhou smiled faintly. “Precisely. The Emperor Xi Bloodline is known for spreading blessings and possessing the mustard seed space, but its cultivation speed is relatively slow.”
The mustard seed space was an extension of his bloodline’s power. Currently, his mustard seed space was only half an acre in size, its most rudimentary form. During his cultivation, he had to periodically channel part of his cultivation energy into nurturing the mustard seed space to enable its growth.
In essence, his space was a growing entity, and the resource it required for its growth was his cultivation base.
Because of this, his cultivation progressed slowly and was exceptionally arduous.
Upon hearing this explanation, Emperor Chenghao sighed softly but soon came to terms with it. The Emperor Xi Bloodline was one of the legendary Five Emperor Bloodlines. Across countless worlds, the awakening of even a single individual with this bloodline was an extraordinary blessing. Compared to other cultivators, his son was already uniquely gifted. If his cultivation speed was slower, so be it. At worst, he could assign more people to protect him.
Quickly letting go of his concern, Emperor Chenghao began inquiring about Ning Yuzhou’s cultivation progress, ready to assist him with any challenges or questions and to offer guidance.
However, Ning Yuzhou responded, “There’s no need. I already understand everything.”
Emperor Chenghao felt a pang of disappointment.
His son had finally begun cultivating, and as a father, he had hoped to experience the joy of guiding him. Yet, his son was too intelligent, with a comprehension ability so high that he required no guidance at all.
Emperor Chenghao, feeling disappointed, shifted the topic and said, “Now that you are able to cultivate, should we make this public so the outside world knows?”
Emperor Chenghao had his own small schemes. Over the years, his son had often been labeled as a waste, with people saying that if it weren’t for the emperor’s favor, his son wouldn’t be able to strut around arrogantly in the cultivation world. Whenever Emperor Chenghao heard these rumors, he showed no reaction on the surface, but in private, he would get angry enough to curse.
“No need,” Ning Yuzhou replied, having his own considerations. “Let’s keep it under wraps for now. We can reveal it once my cultivation has advanced further.”
Emperor Chenghao thought about it and agreed. Though Dongling was remote, who knew if those who had orchestrated the harm to Wen Boqing and his wife all those years ago were still paying attention to Dongling? If they caught wind of Ning Yuzhou’s divine bloodline, it could bring deadly trouble.
Better to remain low-key.
Just as Emperor Chenghao was about to say more, Ning Yuzhou’s expression shifted slightly, and he interrupted, “Father, I have some matters to attend to. You should go handle your own affairs.”
Emperor Chenghao: “…”
But I’m not busy. I wanted to discuss sending people to search for my missing daughter-in-law!
In the end, Emperor Chenghao left in sadness. His son was too capable, leaving him as a father feeling a lack of purpose.
After Emperor Chenghao departed, Ning Yuzhou entered his mustard seed space.
As soon as he stepped in, a gust of air swept past, almost knocking the still-weak Ning Yuzhou off his feet. He stumbled backward, colliding with a cluster of stone-gold-colored, hard vines behind him.
At some point, the spirit herbs in his space had grown excessively lush. The higher-grade ones were fine, but the lower-grade herbs had gone through multiple growth cycles, with seeds scattered everywhere, and new growth continued to crowd the limited space, leaving no room to stand.
Ning Yuzhou tugged at the vines behind him and realized they were fifth-grade Stone-Gold Python Vine. He had found the seeds of this plant in the underground space of Lintai Hunting Valley. Since Wen Qiao liked them, he had casually planted them at the edge of his space. Who would have thought that after more than a month of absence, the Stone-Gold Python Vine had grown into a vast patch? The thick, snake-like vines, coiled and golden like stone, were incredibly hard and could serve as excellent materials for crafting.
After a brief glance, Ning Yuzhou turned his attention to the spirit herb field.
The spirit herbs had grown so densely that Ning Yuzhou had to spend considerable effort to locate the jade basin. However, when he found it, it was already shattered.
Startled, Ning Yuzhou hurriedly searched for the little seedling.
The chaotic airflow in the space continued to swirl violently, moving in a rhythmic pattern toward the spirit herb field, concentrating in one direction.
Before Ning Yuzhou could get a closer look, the sound of rustling filled the air as the myriad spirit herbs in the space swayed in unison, producing a joyous, whispering symphony, as if celebrating something.
In the center of the spirit herb field appeared a young girl with features as delicate as a painting, her black hair cascading to the ground.