They were far from the crowd of mortals waiting before the archway, and William was glad for it.
That brought up a feeling of guilt, which was quickly stamped down. This wasn’t the first time his plan to help mortals fell through, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last. So be it.
Mei Lingxi was right. It would soothe his feelings to help out personally, but it didn't change much in the grand scheme of things. He needed to focus on becoming strong enough, or influential enough, to make the changes he desired.
Sophia had laid the foundations, and he would need to build on it.
“Amazing,” William broke the prolonged silence, mainly as a peace offering, “I completely understand why you said there are people in need here.”
Zheng Tao’s face lit up, even though his words were entirely sarcastic. There were no people in sight, as it should be, since it was forbidden for anyone but sect members to enter. “I’m glad you understand, Junior Brother.”
They ignored Mei Lingxi’s amused scoff as they entered the dense forest.
William always knew they existed on the edges of the Jade Healing Sect’s territory, but he had never visited. Mostly because he didn’t see a point. As interesting as it was to see the trees where the sect sourced the building materials for almost every structure, it was not a priority. After all, it wasn’t like the Jade Tree forest would suddenly uproot itself and run away.
That raised a question that came to his mind when he saw the gem-like trees decorating the surroundings.
“What stops others from taking some of the trees, Brother Zheng?” William asked curiously, “They must fetch a high price in the market.”
Zheng Tao looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “This should be something you already know if you paid attention.”
“As if that would stop somebody that was determined,” William rolled his eyes, “It isn’t enough for it to be difficult to cut and transport. If there is profit to be had, somebody will find a way to make it.”
“That is wise, Young Master,” Mei Lingxi praised, standing far enough to give them a semblance of privacy. Also, it was far enough that Zheng Tao seemed to have forgotten that she was there.
A hard thing to do. William wouldn’t be capable of himself. However, he had seen Zheng Tao do something similar when focused on his task. He truly deserved the title William had given him in his mind.
The most responsible disciple in the Outer Court.
“You’re not wrong,” Zheng Tao said between glances at Mei Lingxi, “There are some that try to steal the Jade Trees, but most are easily caught. The only source in the Tianxia Empire is this forest, and most won’t dare to buy them from elsewhere. To have a chance to profit, they will need to sell in the surrounding kingdoms.”
“I see,” William commented as he looked around, “Brother Zheng? What did you want me to identify exactly? All I see are Jade Trees.”
That wasn’t an over-exaggeration. It really was all that was present, though they came in different shades of green and white.
“Look closer at the ground, Junior Brother.”
William did so and saw nothing that stood out. The soil was uniform. But he didn’t give up so easily, not when Zheng Tao practically told him something was there.
“Is there something underground?”
“Guessing won’t help you,” Zheng Tao lightly scolded, “What if you were alone? There will be nobody to hold your hand.”
William quickly reviewed if any symbiotic plants grew around the Jade Trees, but he didn’t think so. The trees were well known for killing other plant species that dared to enter their territory. It was the reason why all that could be seen in the forest were Jade Trees.
“You see these roots sticking out of the ground?” Zheng Tao lightly kicked one of them.
“Oh,” William covered his face with his palm. A Jade Tree’s roots were never visible above the ground. The moment he was surrounded by trees, his mind automatically ignored the roots that occasionally protruded from the soil, mainly because of his experience in the secret realm.
After seeing the many, many roots that covered the underground tunnels, it completely passed his mind that some tree species weren’t the same. Still, that didn’t mean the Jade Trees would suddenly allow other plant species to live near them.
“So thing sect placed something under here?” William crouched to see if he could sense anything. He couldn’t.
“This is where the Soul Lotus is prepared.”
He snapped his head up to stare at Zheng Tao in shock. “And they just leave it out in the open? This is more valuable than the trees themselves.”
The Soul Lotus was the closest thing to a miracle drug that the cultivation world had while also being fairly common. Of course, common was relative since it was in comparison to the other miracle spirit plants, which could only be found by luck.
They could be farmed in specific scenarios, which was not to say that it was easy. The miracle plant could only be used in a near-dead state. It also needed tremendous resources for upkeep, and only two entities in the Tianxia Empire could afford to grow it. The Empire itself, and the Jade Healing Sect.
Due to its cost, the Soul Lotus was almost entirely monopolized by the imperial family to uplift their subpar members to the Nascent Soul Realm so they could rule over regions of the Empire, freeing up the talented members to focus on cultivating.
It also came with drawbacks, as was expected with such a benefit. There was a fine line between using the Soul Lotus and the Soul Lotus using you.
Eating one of the near-dead Soul Lotus's dried petals had two outcomes. It would either increase an average cultivator’s potential and allow easy advancement into the higher realm, or the Soul Lotus would consume the cultivator.
A common and expected outcome was to find a dried corpse with a Soul Lotus growing on top of it. It was how there was a constant supply of them, with the lives of desperate cultivators enabling it.
A single dried petal would create a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator or provide an entire Soul Lotus. Something that was widely considered a win by both the supplier and the consumer.
“Some thieves may try to cut down the Jade Trees, but they are not bold enough to steal a Soul Lotus.”
That was hubris of the highest order. William didn’t comment on it, but he was visibly skeptical. A quick glance at Mei Lingxi showed that she felt the same.
“How do you know all this, Brother Zheng? This is not meant as an insult, but this seems to be something you shouldn’t be aware of.”
“It’s not hidden knowledge,” Zheng Tao said with a shrug, “And I applied to be one of the caretakers once I reach the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm. Come, let’s head to the other side of the forest. There will be more to discover since the Jade Trees aren’t as tightly packed together.”
William followed behind silently, figuring there was more to it than simply being a potential caretaker, but it wasn't his business. He decided to end the little trip after this. As interesting as it was to learn about the Soul Lotus and its laughably poor security, there wasn’t much point in wasting more time.
He wanted to get back to studying the formation manuals. One of the many things that he needed to become competent in. He had gotten trapped in an array in the secret realm, and if it happened again in the future, he didn't want to rely on luck to escape.
However, William had done his best to ensure that would be an option if necessary.
The Luck attribute had been the only thing he had increased in the past two weeks. The other attributes might have varying levels of importance depending on his needs, but Luck was something he always intended to have at its maximum.
It is an easy decision compared to the others. There was no longer an enforced maximum on any attribute except for Luck, so he could now specialize instead of being an all-rounder like he had been in the Qi Gathering Realm.
Name: Wei Liang (William Davis)
Age: 13
Level: 113
Experience: 8757/14125
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment (Early Stage)
Health: 2100/2100
Spiritual Energy: 550/550 (20% per Hour)
Spirit: 110
Strength: 110
Stamina: 110
Agility: 110
Luck: 150
Points: 293
William was glad for it but sometimes missed the easy choice of maxing out every single attribute.
“Why did you slow down? Follow, Junior Brother!”
He sighed and picked up the pace.