Back then, when Zhang Xuan's Soul Depth was only 12.1, he had been able to win her trust easily. Now that his Soul Depth had risen to 14.1 and he had undergone the second acknowledgement of a Celestial Master Teacher, it wasn't too surprising for him to have such an effect.
However, when he thought about it carefully, he didn't lose out.
A grade-7 Metal Coffin was forged by a 4-star blacksmith specifically for the Soulless Metal Humanoid. Even if Mo Hunsheng were to purchase it back then, he probably wouldn't have been able to afford this price.
With a stifled look on his face, Song Chao was just about to look for Zhang Shi to exchange the spirit stones back when a calm voice echoed in the hall.
"Garden Owner Xue has arrived!"
Along with the voice, an old woman who looked to be in her fifties walked over with large strides. Although her skin now looked loose and old, one could still vaguely tell that she was definitely a beauty when she was young.
Even though Zhang Xuan didn't reveal his cultivation, the aura he was emanating was as vast as the ocean. It didn't seem to be any weaker than the Demon Cinque Beast.
No wonder Alliance Head Zhao said that she was extremely powerful and that his words were filled with fear. Now, it seemed that this was indeed the case.
"Thank you all for attending today's banquet!"
Walking into the hall, Garden Owner Xue said with a bright smile.
"Garden Owner Xue is being too polite!"
"How would we dare to miss the banquet organized by the yard master?"
"It's been so long since we've seen each other. It's a good time to catch up …"
…
Everyone laughed.
Although this herb garden was not open to the public, everyone knew that there were a lot of medicinal herbs in it. It was definitely ranked first among the Eight Great Herb Gardens.
On top of that, Garden Owner Xue was a notch above the rest. Even though everyone spoke politely, they were speaking from the bottom of their hearts.
"Thank you all for coming here. I am truly ashamed. Although this is a banquet, I'm sure many of you have already guessed the true purpose of this banquet. The Earth Vein Spirit Vine is extremely important to our herb garden. Needless to say, everyone should understand."
"Such an unforeseen event has occurred in the medicine garden. My abilities are limited, and I have no way to deal with it for the time being. I've specially invited everyone here to gather your wisdom and strength to help me overcome this crisis! As long as anyone can come up with the most suitable suggestion, I promise that they will become my most sincere friend. In the future, if you need any medicine, my herb garden will provide it all for free! "
"All the required medicine … will be provided for free?"
"Isn't this gift a little too big?"
"Garden Owner Xue's medicinal herbs have never been sold before, and there are plenty of herbs that are several hundred years old among them..."
"That's not important. What's more important is that... I have to become Garden Owner Xue's friend. Given her strength and identity, who would dare to cause trouble for me after becoming her friend?"
"That's true …"
…
An uproar immediately broke out below.
Everyone's eyes reddened.
Even Lu Zhan was breathing heavily, and his eyes were red with excitement.
Even though the Lu Clan was one of the Four Great Clans of the Myriad Kingdom City, it was only at the bottom.
If he could befriend Garden Owner Xue, it was only a matter of time before he ascended to first place!
Suppressing his excitement, he turned to look at the young man whom he had just met, and with a single glance, he couldn't help but feel impressed.
His face was flushed with excitement, and many of the old men present were so excited that veins were popping out on their foreheads. However, this old man remained indifferent, as if he didn't care at all.
"Brother Zhang, aren't you excited?"
Unable to hold himself back any longer, Zhang Xuan asked.
"What's there to be excited about?" Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.
"Garden Owner Xue's friend..." Halfway through his words, Lu Zhan smiled bitterly.
The person before him was a master teacher who even a 4-star master teacher had to treat with respect. Even though Xue Yiyao was formidable and famous in the Myriad Kingdom City, it was hard for her to catch his eye.
"I've told you the conditions. If you're interested, please move to the herb farm. We'll discuss the treatment after we've seen the situation!"
Interrupting the excited crowd, Garden Owner Xue spoke loudly.
"Alright, I'll have to trouble Garden Owner Xue to lead the way!"
"We'll have to take a look before we can come up with a solution!"
...
Everyone nodded in agreement and followed Garden Owner Xue out.
The herb farm was a fertile field nourished by the Earth Vein Spirit Vine. All of the medicinal herbs grown here grew much better and stronger than those grown elsewhere.
Following behind the crowd, Zhang Xuan slowly walked forward.
Even before he arrived, he could already feel the spiritual energy growing denser and denser, and vitality flowing through the surroundings.
Here, not just medicinal herbs, even cultivators would be able to maintain the warmth of their vitality.
Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan scanned the surroundings, and a moment later, his eyebrows couldn't help but frown.
Even though the herb farm was filled with vitality, there was an aura of death in it.
This aura was cold and eerie. If one didn't look carefully, it would be hard to notice.
"Seems like there's a huge problem with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine!"
Seeing this, Zhang Xuan immediately understood why Garden Owner Xue would go to such lengths to invite so many apothecaries over.
It seemed like the problem with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine was far greater than he had imagined.
Even before reaching the herb farm, he could already sense the aura of death. Wouldn't it be even more obvious if he were to walk up to it?
Based on the density of the aura of death, if it wasn't treated in time, it probably wouldn't even live for a year.
"There are so many medicinal herbs here. Compared to them, our herb farm is nothing at all..."
"It's no wonder why Garden Owner Xue's medicinal herbs are so valuable. I didn't believe it previously, but it seems like it's true!"
"It has been at least fifty years since Garden Owner Xue's medicinal herbs have been on sale. Given the vast variety and age, it goes without saying that there are many good things here."
Amidst the astonished voices of the crowd, they arrived at the herb farm.
The herb farm before them was several hundred mu large, and it was impossible to see the end of it. All kinds of medicinal herbs were planted here, and every single one of them exuded dense spiritual energy, leaving one with a comfortable feeling.
"This is the Earth Spirit Grass? Silencing Flower? Wild Goldsilver Grass... These things are extremely expensive outside, and there's no market for them. To think that there would be so many of them here... "
Lu Zhan was so shocked that his mouth was agape.
Not only were there many different kinds of medicinal herbs here, there were also many rare ones. Every single one of them had a unique aesthetic to it.
"Everyone, the one in front is the foundation of our herb farm, the Earth Vein Spirit Vine!"
After walking along the path in the field for a moment, Garden Owner Xue pointed forward.
Following the direction of her finger, they saw a massive vine standing at the very center of the herb farm. Its leaves were lush, and it had a diameter of seven to eight meters.
This was the first time most of them had seen such a huge vine, and they couldn't help but be astonished.
However, they soon realized that something was amiss. At this moment, the leaves of the thick vine were slightly yellowed, and it seemed as though it would wither at any moment.
"This vine seems to be on the verge of collapsing..."
"How could this be? How could such a huge vine wither? "
"Weird..."
...
Everyone here was either a garden owner or a member of herbologist clans, so they knew a lot about medicinal herbs. Upon seeing the massive vine on the verge of death, they couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"Everyone, you're right. This Earth Vein Spirit Vine is indeed on the verge of death. I've tried many ways to save it, but there was nothing I could do. Thus, I invited everyone here to see if you can think of a better solution!"
Garden Owner Xue's eyes dimmed.
The Earth Vein Spirit Vine was the foundation of a herb farm. If it were to die, it wouldn't take long for the medicinal herbs to wither.
"Given that even Garden Owner Xue is helpless against the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, I'm afraid that none of us will be able to do anything either!"
An elder remarked after observing for a moment.
The others agreed with what he said.
The fact that Garden Owner Xue was able to cultivate so many medicinal herbs meant that she had a deep understanding of herbology. If even she was helpless against it, how could the rest of them possibly hope to solve it?
Seeing that everyone's morale was low, an elder spoke up. "Don't be discouraged. There is strength in numbers. Perhaps, someone will be able to think of a solution soon. This is also the reason why Garden Owner Xue invited us here!"
"Elder Lu is right!"
"There's a limit to a single person's solution. If we work together, we might be able to come up with a solution!"
"Even though we don't know the method to cultivate an Earth Vein Spirit Vine, we have been dealing with medicinal herbs for our entire lives. It's only natural that we have our own experiences and means. If it comes down to it, we might just be able to save it!"
"As long as it's a medicinal herb, there's bound to be a solution!"
...
Hearing the elder's words, everyone recovered from their daze.
Garden Owner Xue's reward was simply too generous. No one was willing to give up on such a good opportunity.
Even though they didn't know whether their solution would work or not... what if it did?
"This is my grandfather, the current clan head of the Lu Clan!"
Seeing that everyone's morale was reignited by Elder Lu's words, Lu Zhan turned to Zhang Xuan and introduced him.
"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded his head. Instead, he began to examine the vine before him.
The vine was massive, and just the exposed portion already spanned several hundred meters. Beneath the ground, it was impossible to tell how vast the roots were.
He had never seen such a bizarre plant before. It must be said that there was nothing too bizarre in the world.
Through the Eye of Insight, the leaves and meridians of the vine appeared in his vision.
"Something isn't right..."
A moment later, Zhang Xuan frowned.
The Eye of Insight allowed him to observe the growth process of this huge fellow and analyze it. Even though it wasn't as effective as the Library of Heaven's Path, he was still able to discern some of the crux of the problem.
Logically speaking, given the withered leaves of the massive tree, it should be sick or infested with worms. Yet... he didn't notice any of this.
In other words... this Earth Vein Spirit Vine was clearly healthy, and there wasn't the slightest hint of illness... but it was emanating an aura of death. From the looks of it, it wouldn't be able to live for more than a few days!
This was just like how a healthy and robust man who didn't seem to be sick would suddenly become so weak that he couldn't even stand up.
It was no wonder why Garden Owner Xue had locked her garden, not allowing anyone to enter, and even the Alliance Head Residence was unable to purchase medicinal herbs... Yet, at this moment, she had gathered so many herbologists for a banquet.
"Garden Owner Xue, you have studied this Earth Vein Spirit Vine far more than us. When did it start acting up, what are its symptoms, and what treatment method did you use? Can you tell us about it so that we can use it as a reference?"
While Zhang Xuan was observing the situation, Elder Lu asked.
With a single look, it was clear that the massive Earth Vein Spirit Vine was sick. Treating plants and medicinal herbs was the same as treating humans. One had to look, smell, and ask questions. Since everyone had seen the condition of the vine, they had to ask about the cause and illness of the vine before combining their knowledge together to provide the best treatment.
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