Chapter 521: The Medicine Field

Zhang Xuan, whose mental state had been at 12.1 back then, could easily convince them. Now that it had reached 14.1, and he had undergone a second Heaven-acknowledged master recognition, such an effect was nothing surprising.

However, all things considered, he hadn't really suffered a loss.

The Seven-Grade Refined Gold Coffin, specially crafted by a Four-Star Artifact Refiner for the Soulless Gold Man, would have cost even more than this price when Mo Hun Sheng had purchased it.

Full of frustration, Song Chao was about to find Master Zhang and exchange the spirit stones back when a faint voice echoed through the hall.

Garden Master Xue has arrived!

With the announcement, an old woman who appeared to be around fifty years old strode in. Though her skin was now loose and she looked somewhat aged, one could still tell from her features that she must have been a beauty in her youth.

She did not reveal her cultivation, but the aura emanating from her was vast and surging like the sea, seemingly not much weaker than that of the Demon Beast Yao Chen.

No wonder Alliance Leader Zhao had said she was extremely powerful and spoke with considerable caution. Now it was clear that this was indeed the case.

Thank you all for coming to today's banquet!

Entering the hall, Garden Master Xue smiled gracefully and said in a clear voice.

You flatter us, Garden Master Xue!

Since you organized the banquet, how could we dare not come?

We haven't seen each other for so long, it's a good chance to gather...

...

Everyone laughed.

Although this medicine field was not open to the public, everyone knew that its collection of medicinal herbs was the richest among the eight major medicine fields.

Garden Master Xue's strength was also a cut above the rest. Though everyone spoke politely, they meant it sincerely.

I am truly grateful for your presence. I feel ashamed to call this a banquet, but many of you have probably guessed the real reason. The importance of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine to our medicine field goes without saying, and you all understand it well.

With this mishap in the medicine field, my abilities are limited and I have no solution for now. I have specially invited everyone here to pool our wisdom and help me through this difficulty! Whoever offers the most suitable suggestion, I promise here and now that they will be my most sincere friend, Xue Yi Yao. In the future, if they need any medicinal herbs, my medicine field will provide them all for free!

All medicinal herbs... provided for free?

Isn't that too generous a gift?

Garden Master Xue's herbs have never been sold, and many are several hundred years old...

That's not the most important part... Becoming Garden Master Xue's friend—with her strength and status, who would dare to cause trouble?

That's true...

...

The crowd below immediately erupted.

Everyone's eyes were bloodshot.

Even Lu Zhan, standing to one side, was breathing rapidly, his entire being trembling with excitement, his eyes flushed red.

Although the Lu family was honored as one of the four great clans of Wanguo City, they were at the bottom and could be pushed out by other families at any time.

If they could win over Garden Master Xue as a friend, rising to the top would only be a matter of time!

Suppressing his excitement, he turned to look at the young man he had just met, and upon seeing him, he was once again filled with admiration.

He himself was flushed with excitement, and even many of the elders present were so thrilled that veins bulged on their foreheads, yet this man remained completely indifferent, his expression calm.

"Brother Zhang, aren't you excited?"

Unable to contain himself, he asked.

"What's there to be excited about?" Zhang Xuan looked over in confusion.

"Garden Master Xue's friend..." He trailed off, and Lu Zhan gave a wry smile.

This man before him was a renowned master whom even a four-star master treated with respect, calling himself a novice. Although Xue Yiyao was formidable and well-known in Wanguo City, she could hardly catch his eye.

"I've stated the conditions. If you're interested, please move to the medicinal field. Let's see the situation before discussing treatment!"

Interrupting the excited crowd, Garden Master Xue said in a clear voice.

"Good, I'll trouble Garden Master Xue to lead the way!"

"We need to see it before we can offer a plan!"

…

The crowd echoed in agreement, following closely behind Garden Master Xue as he walked out.

The medicinal fields of the herb garden were precisely the extraordinary fields nurtured by the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, where every plant grown was better and more potent than elsewhere.

Zhang Xuan followed behind the crowd, walking slowly.

Before even arriving, he could feel the spiritual energy growing denser, a thick vitality flowing everywhere.

Here, not only medicinal herbs but even cultivators could maintain a warm, moist vitality.

Opening his Eye of Insight, he looked around. After a while, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Although the medicinal fields were rich in vitality, they gave a subtle impression of lifelessness.

This feeling was icy and cold, hard to detect without careful observation.

"It seems this Earth Vein Spirit Vine indeed has a major problem!"

Realizing this, Zhang Xuan immediately understood why Garden Master Xue had offered such generous terms and spared no expense to invite so many pharmacists.

It seemed the problem with this Earth Pulse Spirit Vine was even greater than imagined.

Before even reaching the herb field, one could see this deathly aura; if one got closer, wouldn't it be even more obvious?

Based on the density of the deathly aura, without timely treatment, it probably wouldn't survive even a year.

"So many herbs, incredible! Compared to ours, ours are nothing..."

"No wonder they always say Garden Master Xue's herbs are both plentiful and valuable. I didn't believe it before, but now I see it's true!"

"The herbs in Garden Master Xue's garden haven't been sold for at least fifty years. There are many varieties, all aged, so naturally there are many fine ones."

Amid the shocked voices of the crowd, they had already arrived at the herb field.

The herb field before them was several hundred acres in size, stretching beyond sight, planted with all kinds of herbs, each emitting thick spiritual energy, giving a refreshing feeling.

"Is this Earth Spirit Grass? Silent Flower? Wild River Gold-Silver Grass... These things are expensive outside and hard to find, yet there are so many here..."

Lu Zhan was also so shocked his mouth couldn't close.

The herbs here were not only diverse in variety but also rich in rare species. The myriad herbs, strange and wondrous, vied with each other in beauty, giving a unique aesthetic.

"Everyone, ahead is the foundation of our herb garden—the Earth Pulse Spirit Vine!"

Walking along the field path for a while, Garden Master Xue pointed forward.

Following the direction of her finger, they indeed saw a huge vine standing in the middle of the herb field, with lush branches and leaves, a diameter of seven or eight meters.

Such a large vine was a first for many, and they couldn't help but look shocked.

However, they soon noticed something wrong: all the leaves of this thick vine were somewhat yellow, as if it might wither at any moment.

"This vine can't hold on much longer..."

"How can this be? How could such a large vine wither?"

"Strange..."

...

Everyone present was either a garden master or from a herb-cultivating family, well-versed in herbs. Seeing such a huge vine on the verge of death, they all couldn't help exclaiming.

"You see correctly. This Earth Pulse Spirit Vine is indeed about to die. I've tried many methods but to no avail, so I had to invite you all to see if we can come up with a good solution!"

Garden Master Xue's eyes dimmed.

The Earth Pulse Spirit Vine is the foundation of a herb garden. Once it dies, all these herbs will wither in no time, and the current splendor will be gone!

"If even Garden Master Xue can't handle this situation with the Earth Pulse Spirit Vine, I'm afraid we won't have any good solutions either!"

An old man looked for a while and couldn't help saying.

His words met with some agreement from the others.

Garden Master Xue had cultivated so many herbs, showing she was deeply versed in the art of herb cultivation. If she couldn't solve it, the others were even less capable—how could they resolve it?

"Don't be discouraged. Many hands make light work. Maybe someone will think of a good idea—that's why Garden Master Xue called us here!" Seeing the low morale, another old man spoke up.

"Old Lu is right!"

"One person's ideas are limited. If we all think together, we might find a solution!"

"Although we don't know the cultivation method of the Earth Pulse Spirit Vine, we've dealt with herbs all our lives. We all have some unique experience and methods. If all else fails, we can try everything—maybe we can cure it!"

"For any herb, there is always a solution!"

...

Hearing the old man's words, everyone snapped back to reality.

The reward Garden Master Xue offered was too great; no one wanted to give up such a good opportunity.

Though they didn't know if their methods would work, what if... they succeeded?

"This is my grandfather, the current head of the Lu family!"

Seeing that because of Old Lu's words, the demoralized crowd had regained their fighting spirit, Lu Zhan introduced him to Zhang Xuan.

"Mm!" Zhang Xuan nodded without saying much, instead carefully observing the vine before him.

The vine was enormous; even the exposed part covered several hundred meters, and the underground roots spread even wider.

Such a strange plant, never seen before—truly, the world is full of wonders.

Under the illumination of the Eye of Insight, the vine's leaves, branches, and veins all appeared in his vision.

"That's not right..."

After a while, he frowned.

The Eye of Insight could observe the growth process of this giant in detail and analyze it. Though not as good as the Library of Heaven's Path, it could still identify some problems and cruxes.

Logically, this big tree with yellowing leaves and on the verge of death should be sick or infested with insects, but... he found no such signs at all.

That is... the Earth Pulse Spirit Vine was perfectly healthy, with no signs of illness... yet it exuded deathly aura all over, as if it had only a few days to live!

It was like a healthy strong man who, despite no illness found, was weak and couldn't even stand—utterly baffling.

No wonder Garden Master Xue had previously closed the garden, not allowing anyone in, and even the Alliance Lord's Mansion couldn't buy herbs... and now she was hosting a grand banquet and gathering so many herb experts—she was probably at her wit's end.

"Garden Master Xue, you've studied this Earth Pulse Spirit Vine more than we have. When did it fall ill, what were the symptoms, and what methods did you use to treat it? Could you tell us in detail so we can have a reference?"

While he was secretly observing, the others were not idle. Old Lu spoke up to ask.

This huge Earth Pulse Spirit Vine was clearly sick. Treating plants and herbs was like treating people—it required observation, listening, and questioning. Now that everyone had seen the vine's condition, they needed to inquire about the cause and symptoms in detail to combine knowledge and provide the best treatment.