"Elder Zhao, this is Zhang Shi. I specially invited him over to treat the Bodhi Saint Tree. He has a deep understanding of herbology as well!"
Seeing that the elder had stopped him, Yu Shenqing hurriedly explained.
These were all professional herbalists that had been specially hired. If not for them, the Bodhi Saint Tree would have died a long time ago.
"Healing Bodhi Tree? Him? A child whose hair hasn't even grown out yet? Don't tell me it's another swindler who caused us to lose our lives! "
Elder Zhao shot a displeased glance at Zhang Xuan.
"Elder Zhao, there's no need to say that. Zhang Shi is a man of great capability, unlike the others he met in the past …" Yu Shenqing said awkwardly.
"Different? Hehe, don't you say that every time? And the result? "
Elder Zhao flicked his sleeves, "If you don't believe us brothers, we can just leave. There's no need to invite one after another, causing our previous efforts to go to waste!"
"That's right. If Your Majesty doesn't trust us, we can just leave!"
The other elders also came forward, none of them very happy.
"What are you saying? If I didn't believe you, why would I hand over the Bodhi Saint Tree to you?" Yu Shenqing hurriedly explained.
"I believe there's no need to invite these riffraff anymore. We'll do our best. As for whether or not he can be saved, it's all up to fate. I really don't want to save him again!" Elder Zhao snorted.
Over the years, Yu Shenqing had invited many herbologists, but not only were they unable to cure the Bodhi Saint Tree, they even put the Bodhi Saint Tree on the brink of death. It was only through the efforts of these herbologists that the Bodhi Saint Tree was able to survive.
Because of this, every time he brought someone over, they would have a headache.
On top of that, Zhang Xuan was only in his early twenties, and yet, he was already claiming to be a herbologist. Not to mention, he seemed to have a deep understanding of herbology as well.
Although herbology wasn't officially recognized as a special occupation, it had its own unique heritage. Just like medicine, it wasn't something that could be done just by learning some theories. More importantly, it required practice.
Even if he started learning at birth, how much could he learn in his twenties?
"This …" Yu Shenqing was conflicted.
He did not doubt Zhang Shi's abilities in pill forging and smithing forging, but in terms of herbology... he really could not be certain.
Just as Zhang Xuan was at a loss as to how he should respond, the young man beside him suddenly ignored the crowd and walked straight toward the Bodhi Saint Tree. The formation set up in front of the Bodhi Saint Tree was like child's play, unable to stop him at all. In the blink of an eye, he was already right before the Bodhi Saint Tree, and he placed his hand on the thick trunk.
"What are you doing?"
Elder Zhao and the others were infuriated. Their hair stood on end as they felt that their authority had been challenged. Even after saying so much, the brat still dared to approach and touch the tree.
"Nothing much …"
After touching the tree, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Turning to Yu Shenqing, he said, "If those fellows wish to leave, we can just chase them away. There's no point in doing so anyway …"
"What did you say?"
"Kid, where did you come from? There are only so many herbalists in the Hongyuan Empire. Whose descendant are you? "
"Despite his young age, he sure is arrogant …"
Many old men exploded at the same time.
Previously, Yu Shenqing had invited quite a few herbalists over. Even though most of them were reputable herbalists, Yu Shenqing still treated them with respect.
After all, they could be considered as the pinnacle existences of the Hongyuan Empire … It was one thing for this fellow to not greet an elder, but to actually ask them to leave!
And he even said that there was no point in doing so …
How dare he!
"I am speaking the truth. It is such a simple illness, but you can't even diagnose it. Whether the Bodhi Saint Tree can be saved or not depends on fate … Are you here to treat it, or do you want the Bodhi Saint Tree to die a premature death?"
Zhang Xuan glanced at the Bodhi Saint Tree.
He had noticed some problems with it through his Eye of Insight, but he wasn't too sure about it. Thus, he decided to use the Library of Heaven's Path to take a look.
It was more or less the same as what he saw.
The illness wasn't complicated, but it was extremely difficult to diagnose it based on its appearance.
"You …" Elder Zhao's eyebrows shot up, and he harrumphed coldly, "Simple? Do you know what illness the Bodhi Saint Tree is suffering from? "
"Even if I were to explain it to you, would you be able to understand it?" Zhang Xuan replied impassively.
These fellows had been here for a very long time, but they didn't even know what illness the Bodhi Saint Tree was suffering from. Since they couldn't even diagnose the illness, it was unlikely that they would be able to explain it clearly. Rather than wasting their breath on it, they might as well not speak at all.
"You …"
Elder Zhao and the others were so furious that they were on the verge of exploding.
They were the strongest herbalists in the Hongyuan Empire, and they had always looked down on others. This was the first time that they had been looked down on in such a manner.
Would they be able to understand it even if I told them?
Brat, where in the world did you come from? Do your family know about your arrogance?
"Alright, Your Majesty, let's not waste any more time. Otherwise, it will only be a matter of time before the Bodhi Saint Tree is destroyed by them …"
After walking around the courtyard, Zhang Xuan waved his hand.
"Destroyed by us? Very well, why don't you tell us how we will destroy it? "
Seeing that the brat was getting more and more overboard with his words, Elder Zhao couldn't hold himself back anymore.
It was as if he would pummel the other party to death on the spot if he said anything wrong.
It was no wonder. As a Saint realm expert and a member of a herbologist clan, he was already used to being respected by others. Even Emperor Yu Shenqing treated him with great respect, not daring to speak ill of him. Yet, this fellow actually dared to act so brazenly despite his young age …
He didn't think much of him at all!
With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan asked impassively, "If I'm not mistaken, you set up the Nine-Nine Spirit Consonance Formation in the surroundings to forcefully infuse spiritual energy into the Bodhi Saint Tree to awaken its spirit, right?"
"You know about the Nine-Nine Spirit Consonance Formation?"
Elder Zhao was taken aback.
Previously, when he heard the other party's words, he thought that he was just a fame-seeking fellow. Who could have thought that the other party would see through their intentions with a single glance?
The Nine-Nine Spirit Consonance Formation was a secret art of herbologist clans. It could rejuvenate spirit herbs and even saint herbs that had lost their spirit, allowing them to regain their youth.
There were many herbologists who didn't know about it.
The Bodhi Saint Tree before them was already on the verge of death. Through their investigations, they concluded that it was likely that its spirit had already dissipated. That was why they paid such a heavy price to set up the Nine-Nine Spirit Consonance Formation.
Could there be a problem with it?
"Not only do you know about it, if I'm not mistaken, you have also gathered the spirit of eighteen different saint herbs in an attempt to forcefully infuse it into the Bodhi Saint Tree, but in the end … you failed, right?"
Zhang Xuan said impassively.
"This …"
Elder Zhao and the other herbologists glanced at one another, and they fell silent.
The other party was right. They had indeed gathered the spirit of eighteen different saint herbs in an attempt to infuse it into the Bodhi Saint Tree, but in the end … they failed.
Only the few of them knew about this matter. Not even His Majesty the emperor had said anything about it, so how did this fellow know about it?
Did he just take a look at it?
But that was impossible!
Infusing spirit into the Bodhi Saint Tree was extremely troublesome, and if it failed, there would be no way to tell. Even they were unable to tell, so how could the fellow before them possibly see through it?
"This Bodhi Saint Tree isn't dead, and its spirit is still intact. Yet, you forcefully infused another spirit into it in an attempt to possess it … The fact that it's still alive and not dead is already a testament to its luck. To think that you would dare to act so arrogantly here, thinking that you would be able to save it … Do you really think that you have the confidence and guts to do such a thing? "
Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up as he flung his sleeves.
"You … Nonsense! We have used all kinds of unique methods to check on the Bodhi Saint Tree, and we have found that its spirit has already disappeared. How could it possibly still be alive? "
Elder Zhao's face reddened.
They had tested the Bodhi Saint Tree multiple times, so if the spirit was still alive, how could they possibly be unaware of it?
"Indeed. I have tested it thrice with the Golden Needle Spirit Detection Art, and there is no spirit at all! Besides, if the Bodhi Saint Tree is still alive, why would it wither and die so quickly? "
An elder stepped forward.
"I have also tested it with my unique Green Smoke Spirit Detection Art, and there is no spirit at all. That much is certain!"
Another elder nodded.
Everyone knew that saintly medicines had spirituality. Once the spirituality was not confirmed to be dead or disappearing, instilling spirituality into the saintly medicine was indeed the same as what he said. It was equivalent to forcefully taking over the saintly medicine. This wasn't a medicine that could be saved, but a medicine that could kill!
They were all renowned herbologists, and if the Bodhi Saint Tree were to turn into a killing herb instead, how could they continue living on in the future?
It would be so embarrassing!
"Even though we failed to infuse spirit into the Bodhi Saint Tree, it has allowed the withered tree to sprout once more, and the yellowing of the leaves has also been alleviated. Clearly, the Bodhi Saint Tree is on the right path. As long as we persevere on, we should be able to save it. There's no need for us to listen to the lies of a young lad!"
Another elder waved his hands.
Hearing his words, the crowd nodded.
Even though the infusion of spirit into the Bodhi Saint Tree had failed, it had allowed the Bodhi Saint Tree to turn green once more, as though it had regained its youth once more.
Since that was the case, it should mean that the direction was right.
"Correct? The leaves have turned green, but have you checked the roots? Are there any signs of recovery? Have you checked the trunk? Has it become moist or shriveled? "
Zhang Xuan.
"This …"
The crowd hesitated.
After the infusion of spirit into the Bodhi Saint Tree, they had checked the roots, and it was indeed not doing too well. The trunk had also become shriveled, but … this was also a process of adapting to the assimilation of a new spirit. Could it be that something was wrong?
"The Golden Needle Spirit Detection Art can test the spirit of a herb, but how long is the golden needle? Can it pierce into the trunk? If the spirit is hidden within, is it possible to detect it? "
Ignoring the hesitation of the crowd, Zhang Xuan continued asking.
"This …"
The elder who had spoken earlier was speechless.
The Golden Needle Spirit Detection Art used the golden needle to induce a reaction from the spirit to test whether it was present or not.
If it was just a stalk of medicinal herb, it would be fine. After all, it was impossible to pierce through such a huge tree.
"The Green Smoke Spirit Detection Art works in the same way as the awakened spirit. But what if the spirit of the Bodhi Saint Tree is in hibernation? If we use this method, wouldn't it be no different from dying? "
Zhang Xuan turned to the other elder.
"Ah …"
The old man was speechless.
If a spirit was in hibernation, it would be no different from death under the Green Smoke Spirit Detection Art.
"It's useless to say so much. Why don't you tell me if there's any way to save this Bodhi Saint Tree? If you can't say anything, it'll be futile no matter what you say! "an elder interrupted Zhang Xuan's words.
The others nodded in agreement.
Saving the Bodhi Saint Tree was of utmost importance. Otherwise, it would be useless no matter what they said.
"Method?" Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. Turning around, he said, "Your Majesty, I'll have to trouble you to find a few barrels of oil and some matches …"
"I want to burn this tree down!"
"It's still the third hour today! It's the first hour! Sirs, give me some face and give me some monthly tickets. Wuwu, I'm already kneeling down … "
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