Chapter 1698: The Flower Girl's Gift

In the Flower Realm, Little Nine lay quietly to the side. Flower Maiden, just as Lu Ye had seen her, sat on Little Nine, her tiny hands clutching its rabbit ears, timidly surveying her surroundings. Lu Ye stood by, speaking in detail with Hua Qianying, while the towering Mu He and Hei San watched Little Nine and Flower Maiden with great interest.

“That’s the situation,” Lu Ye said with a helpless expression. “I only learned of this today, Fellow Daoist Hua. I apologize for causing you trouble.”

As Lu Ye spoke, Hua Qianying’s eyes, sparkling with light, never left the tiny Flower Maiden. Upon hearing this, she quickly said, “You exaggerate, Fellow Daoist. You were unaware of what happened before, and what’s more, Flower Maiden’s birth was greatly aided by the will of your realm. To be honest, this is Flower Maiden’s fortune, and also the fortune of our Flower Clan. We should be thanking you.”

A supreme realm will! Few such exist throughout the entire star-field. Yet now, two appeared before her, one of which belonged to the Flower Realm. Hua Qianying’s emotions surged, and she felt even more strongly that allowing the Realm King Flower to attach itself to the Nine Provinces was a wise decision.

She bent down, extending a hand to Flower Maiden, and gently called, “Flower Maiden…”

Flower Maiden remained timid, cautiously gazing at her. However, she showed no intention of responding, instead gripping the rabbit ears even tighter with her tiny hands.

Lu Ye clearly sensed Little Nine’s smugness and couldn't resist giving it a kick.

Only then did Little Nine shake itself and instruct, “Go on, it’s alright.”

Flower Maiden released the rabbit ears, held up her tiny skirt with both hands, and stepped onto Hua Qianying’s palm.

Hua Qianying, however, couldn’t feel happy; instead, a pang of sadness struck her.

Her own realm will wasn’t close to her, but was instead obedient to another’s realm will. It was simply unreasonable.

Nevertheless, the birth of a realm will like Flower Maiden in the Flower Realm was a tremendous blessing. Hua Qianying could already foresee a bright future for the Flower Realm.

“You two chat. I’ll take my leave,” Lu Ye said. He grabbed Little Nine and returned to the Nine Provinces through the portal.

In the bamboo building, Lu Ye looked at Little Nine and said, “I need to go to Jade Snail. Take good care of the Nine Provinces here, and don’t just focus on the little Flower Maiden!”

Little Nine drooped its rabbit ears, listlessly replying, “Got it.”

It looked just like a young person whose affections had been thwarted.

Lu Ye chuckled. “There’s plenty of time; why are you in such a hurry? Besides, Flower Maiden is so small, you need to let her grow up a bit. As long as Nine Provinces and the Flower Realm remain together, you two will never be separated.”

Its rabbit ears perked up again, and Little Nine’s spirits lifted. “You’re right!”

Lu Ye rubbed its head, falling into contemplation. Should he bring more people to the Myriad Manifestation Sea? With previous experience, this trip would certainly be simpler than before. Moreover, his cultivation had now reached the Moon Glimmer realm, making him more capable of handling dangers.

Among other things, the risk of passing through the Chaotic Blasting Zone would certainly be lower than last time.

However, a journey of several years would be a bit time-consuming.

After much thought, Lu Ye decided to bring people along!

After he took people to the Myriad Manifestation Sea last time, the remaining Constellations in Nine Provinces had been eagerly awaiting their turn. It would be unreasonable not to bring some along, especially after he had just returned.

It would only take a few years, and they could cultivate along the way, which was not a bad idea.

Having made up his mind, Lu Ye's divine sense spread out, sending a message to the Garrison Hall.

Soon, Garrison Envoy Zhang Yuan began to act, and messages were dispatched in all directions.

In just a few days, the three hundred Constellation cultivators were selected and gathered at the Garrison Hall, waiting eagerly.

Last time, three hundred people from Nine Provinces went, and Lu Ye decided to bring three hundred again this time.

As for how many people the Azure Li Dao Realm and Jade Snail would send, Lu Ye couldn't control that; it would depend on how Wu Zhuo and the Moon Glimmer cultivators from Jade Snail arranged it.

Of course, too many people wouldn't work. While Three Realms Island was large, it had its limits. Furthermore, Three Realms Island had only recently started up and had limited financial resources. If too many people went, their cultivation needs would also increase.

With everything prepared, just as Lu Ye was about to depart for the Garrison Hall, Little Nine suddenly appeared.

“Lu Ye, Lu Ye, are you leaving?” Little Nine was, of course, aware of the recent activities in Nine Provinces.

“Yes, I’m leaving. Make sure to take good care of Nine Provinces.” Lu Ye nodded.

He had been somewhat worried about Little Nine when he left last time, but there was no need to be this time; with Flower Maiden around, Little Nine would never be lonely.

Little Nine said, “Wait, come with me to the Flower Realm.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll know when we get there.” As Little Nine finished speaking, a portal appeared before them. It was clearly opened by Flower Maiden, and Little Nine immediately darted inside.

Lu Ye followed closely.

In the Flower Realm, Lu Ye appeared, and Hua Qianying immediately hurried over. The tiny Flower Maiden sat on her shoulder, her two small legs swinging, looking quite relaxed.

After several days of interaction, Flower Maiden and Hua Qianying had become somewhat familiar with each other. Moreover, Hua Qianying was the first living being birthed by this Flower Realm, so they shared a natural affinity.

After Lu Ye greeted Hua Qianying, she asked, “What are we doing here?”

Lu Ye shook his head. “Little Nine called me here.”

Hua Qianying said, “Flower Maiden called me here.”

They exchanged a look, both puzzled by what the two little ones were planning.

Little Nine leapt up, sitting on Lu Ye’s shoulder just like Flower Maiden, and announced, “Flower Maiden wants to give you a gift.”

Lu Ye was surprised. “Flower Maiden is giving me a gift?” That was certainly something to look forward to.

Little Nine looked at Flower Maiden. “Begin!”

Flower Maiden’s body floated lightly from Hua Qianying’s shoulder, then circled around Lu Ye, and settled beside his hanging arm, softly letting out a tiny sound.

“Roll up your sleeve,” Little Nine said, relaying Flower Maiden’s intention.

Lu Ye chuckled and rolled up his sleeve. He was curious to see what kind of gift the little Flower Maiden intended to give him.

As he watched, Flower Maiden raised her tiny hands and pressed them onto Lu Ye’s arm. The next instant, a brilliant green light erupted from Flower Maiden’s body, and the Flower Realm trembled!

Hua Qianying’s expression changed as she immediately sensed that the Flower Realm’s foundation was being rapidly depleted.

“Ah!” the little Flower Maiden cried out again, and the Flower Realm trembled even more violently.

Lu Ye’s expression also became solemn. Little Nine had said Flower Maiden wanted to give him a gift, but he hadn't taken it too seriously. Even though Flower Maiden was the embodiment of the Flower Realm’s will, the Flower Realm was, after all, only a large realm. Thus, Lu Ye had assumed that whatever Flower Maiden gave him wouldn’t be overly valuable.

However, the current display made him realize that this gift might be extraordinary.

As the Flower Realm trembled and its foundation was greatly consumed, Lu Ye distinctly felt something appear on his arm.

He carefully sensed it, and his expression brightened!

A moment later, Flower Maiden, panting, flew back to Hua Qianying. Hua Qianying cradled her in her palm; Flower Maiden’s tiny face was pale, looking utterly exhausted.

Although Hua Qianying knew this was due to the Flower Realm’s foundation being severely depleted and that Flower Maiden was actually fine, she couldn't help but worry.

However, the next instant, the Flower Realm trembled again. Hua Qianying was astonished to sense that the Flower Realm’s depleted foundation was rapidly replenishing.

She quickly looked towards Little Nine and saw it had closed its eyes, with a wondrous power surging around its body.

This was clearly Little Nine using the foundation of Nine Provinces to compensate for the Flower Realm’s losses.

While Nine Provinces’ foundation would be consumed this way, it would be much simpler for Nine Provinces to replenish its consumed foundation compared to the Flower Realm.

Lu Ye was currently looking down, examining his arm. A flower-shaped tattoo had appeared there, its form identical to that of the Realm King Flower.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that within this tattoo lay a space.

A minor world!

Lu Ye immediately understood the essence of the tattoo. It was actually a minor world.

When he had absorbed the Flower Realm before, with the Realm King Flower resting on the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus, the Flower Realm was indeed considered a minor world in that state. Even a late-stage Moon Glimmer cultivator like Ma Shangsi could be accommodated within it.

Of course, in comparison, what he possessed now could only be considered a miniature Flower Realm, and its size was utterly incomparable to the true Flower Realm.

Lu Ye soon realized that this miniature Flower Realm could accommodate many people. However, the number wasn’t fixed; it was related to cultivation. The higher the cultivation, the fewer people it could accommodate, and vice versa. The exact capacity remained to be tested.

Little Nine had just asked him if he was leaving Nine Provinces. Then, it turned around and, with Flower Maiden, gave him such a grand gift, clearly having planned this in advance.

Lu Ye truly hadn’t known Flower Maiden possessed such an ability. Judging by Hua Qianying’s expression, she clearly hadn’t known either.

But Little Nine had been with Flower Maiden for a while now, and its understanding of Flower Maiden was undoubtedly unparalleled by others.

Lu Ye understood that although the gift came from Flower Maiden, it was absolutely impossible without Little Nine’s secret instigation.

Such a grand gift had arrived at just the right time.

With such a minor world, he could entirely bring the Nine Provinces’ Constellations inside. He could then travel through the Soul Clan ancestral land to reach the Myriad Manifestation Sea, thereby saving a significant amount of time.

“Is Flower Maiden alright?” Lu Ye asked, looking up at Hua Qianying.

Hua Qianying shook her head. “Nothing serious. The Flower Realm’s lost foundation has also been replenished.”

“That’s good then.” Lu Ye nodded. If this gift had caused any harm to the Flower Realm, Lu Ye would truly feel bad. However, Little Nine was still very reliable in its actions.

“Fellow Daoist Hua,” Lu Ye asked, “I plan to return to the Myriad Manifestation Sea again. Would you like to accompany me?” If Hua Qianying could go with him to the Myriad Manifestation Sea, they would have more options regarding alchemy. Currently, the only spirit pills refined on Three Realms Island were Body-Tempering Pills and Spirit-Refining Pills, and they were produced with the help of the pill gourd. However, cultivators needed more than just these two types of spirit pills for their cultivation.

Moreover, the number of spirit pills produced by the pill gourd was ultimately limited. They had to be sold to the Merfolk while also supplying their own people for cultivation. Currently, this was manageable, but once he brought more people to Three Realms Island, it might no longer be sufficient.

If Hua Qianying could go, she would surely be able to cultivate a large number of excellent alchemists for Three Realms Island, which would be beneficial for the future.