Changes in Seeds

Seated beside the Kunlong Gorge, Yang Kai was preparing to begin his cultivation when he suddenly remembered something.

Reaching into his chest pocket and groping for a moment, he finally retrieved a seed. This seed was the one given as a complimentary gift by the vendor when he purchased the Sunflare Stone at the Blood War Gang's stall earlier that day.

The vendor had claimed it was a seed of the Earth-grade inferior spiritual fruit, the Sunflower Fruit.

Yang Kai intended to plant it. Though he was unsure how many years it would take to mature, it was no trouble at all. Moreover, the abundant sunlight in this location made it an ideal spot for cultivating such a fruit tree.

However, as soon as he took out the seed, Yang Kai noticed something unusual.

When he first saw the seed during the day, it appeared ordinary with only a faint trace of yang energy, almost negligible.

But now, the seed had turned a brilliant red, translucent and gem-like, akin to a ruby. Holding it in his hand, Yang Kai could even feel rhythmic pulses of energy emanating from within the seed, reminiscent of a heartbeat brimming with vitality.

Furthermore, the yang energy contained within the seed was vastly more intense than it had been during the day.

Staring in astonishment, Yang Kai suddenly realized where the drop of yang liquid that had disappeared from his dantian had gone.

It had been absorbed by the seed! Otherwise, how could such a seemingly ordinary seed undergo such a dramatic transformation? Without external aid, refining a drop of yang liquid would take him several days.

Yang Kai almost couldn't resist the urge to reabsorb the yang liquid from the seed!

But after a moment's consideration, he decided against it. This seed had evidently undergone a significant change. What might happen if it were planted and eventually bore fruit?

The youthful curiosity and desire for knowledge within him were far greater than his interest in the precious drop of yang liquid. He was more eager to see the changes that would occur after planting the seed.

After deliberating for a moment, Yang Kai proceeded to find a patch of soft soil nearby. He carefully cleared the earth, planted the seed, and then fetched some water to nourish it.

Once these tasks were completed, Yang Kai sat down to cultivate using the True Yang Technique.

The investment of a drop of yang liquid was uncertain in terms of its returns.

The night passed without incident. After many days of rigorous cultivation, the rate of absorbing yang energy had noticeably increased. After a night of practice, the yang energy in his meridians was once again abundant.

He estimated that in another two or three days, he would be able to condense another drop of yang liquid, and the efficiency was significantly higher than the first time.

The next morning, Yang Kai practiced the Tempering Body Technique for half an hour.

He had never missed a day of practicing the Tempering Body Technique. His daily routine included sweeping the floor, practicing the Tempering Body Technique, occasionally bullying a junior disciple to earn some contribution points, and spending the rest of the time continuously cultivating.

After half an hour, Yang Kai finished his practice and, with a casual glance at the spot where he had planted the Sunflower Fruit seed the previous night, was stunned.

In that patch of soft soil, a sapling approximately one foot tall had sprouted! The sapling was slender with several fresh, dewy leaves. The small trunk had faint reddish veins crisscrossing it. Despite its small size, it exuded an undeniable vitality, striving to break free from the constraints of its surroundings and grow robustly.

Is this a joke? Yang Kai felt his mind was struggling to grasp the situation. How could the Sunflower Fruit tree have grown so much overnight? For a moment, he even wondered if he had lost track of time during his cultivation and days had passed unnoticed.

But upon closer inspection, that didn't seem to be the case. The true yang energy within him had not increased significantly; it was clearly the result of just one night. Could this all be attributed to the drop of yang liquid that had permeated the seed?

It wasn't impossible. The knowledge Yang Kai had acquired mentioned the boundless uses of yang liquid but did not specify that it could only be used in combat.

If the yang liquid had indeed caused some transformation in the seed, it would explain the current phenomenon.

A foot of growth in one night—perhaps it would bear fruit in a few days? With this thought, Yang Kai's spirits were lifted. The Sunflower Fruit was an Earth-grade inferior spiritual fruit, and its yang attribute energy would be a tremendous supplement for his True Yang Technique. One fruit could easily equate to many days of cultivation.

With this realization, Yang Kai felt his investment had been incredibly wise. Now he only needed to wait and see how many days it would take for the fruit tree to bear fruit.

Situated beside the Kunlong Gorge, where few people came, Yang Kai had been cultivating here for days. Apart from encountering Elder Eleven, he hadn't seen anyone else, so he wasn't too worried about someone discovering the fruit tree.

Returning to his cabin, Yang Kai intended to complete his tasks for the day. However, after searching for a while, he could not find his broom, which puzzled him.

After a moment, a disciple from the Lingxiao Pavilion, looking somewhat disheveled, approached, carrying Yang Kai's broom.

Yang Kai recognized him as one of Su Mu's followers, whose cultivation level was only at the fifth stage of the Tempering Body realm, named Zheng.

Seeing Yang Kai standing there, Zheng quickly approached, "Senior Yang, you're back?"

"Yes. Zheng Junior, where did you go? Why did you take my broom?"

Zheng smiled, "I went to help you sweep. Senior, you needn't worry about these trivial matters in the future. We junior disciples will take turns coming every day to help you with the chores. You should focus solely on your cultivation."

"That's not necessary." Yang Kai said quickly. Although sweeping was not a heavy task, it was somewhat bothersome. If it weren't for his desire to remain in the Lingxiao Pavilion, he would have quit the job long ago. As a trial disciple, without taking on some tasks, it was impossible to stay in the Lingxiao Pavilion.

Zheng replied, "Senior is too modest. We should support each other as fellow disciples. If it weren't for you teaching Cheng Shaofeng and his gang a lesson last time, we junior disciples would have been unable to vent our frustration. Besides, with so many of us, if we take turns coming, each of us will only need to sweep two or three times a month. There's no need for you to wake up early and tire yourself out. Please don't refuse. If you accept our help, we'll be grateful. If not, we understand."

With Zheng saying so, Yang Kai had no choice but to agree, "Thank you for your help, Junior Zheng. Please come in and have a drink of water."

"No need. Su Shao has given a strict order. We all need to focus on intense cultivation now. Anyone caught slacking off will no longer be considered a brother. I'll leave now. Senior, keep up the hard work." Zheng said, placing down the broom and leaving in a hurry.

Watching him depart, Yang Kai felt a warm glow in his heart. Helping Su Mu that day had been the right decision. Zheng was a genuinely decent person—show him a little respect, and he returns it tenfold.

It seemed that from now on, he needn't worry about wasting time on sweeping. Pleased, Yang Kai stepped outside and casually grabbed a disciple from the Lingxiao Pavilion who appeared to be at the seventh or eighth stage of the Tempering Body realm. With clasped hands, he said, "Junior, let's spar!"

The disciple's face immediately fell. "Senior Yang… of all the people, why did you have to pick me?"

In recent times, Yang Kai had built quite a reputation by challenging a disciple every day. Any disciple at the Tempering Body realm now felt a bit uneasy upon seeing Yang Kai. He was no longer the pushover he used to be; instead, he had achieved a string of consecutive victories, each one remarkably decisive.