Chapter 538: Medicine Field

Even Zhang Xuan's initial 12.1 level of emotional composure was enough to easily convince people. Now that it has reached 14.1, and he has undergone the Second Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher recognition, such an effect is not surprising.

However, upon closer inspection, he hadn't suffered any loss.

A Grade-7 refined gold coffin, specially forged by a 4-star artifact forger for a soulless golden figure, would likely have cost more than this price even if Mo Hunsheng had purchased it back then.

His face filled with gloom, Song Chao was just about to find Master Zhang to get his spirit stones back when he heard a faint announcement echo through the hall.

"Garden Master Xue has arrived!"

Following the announcement, an old woman, appearing to be around fifty years old, strode forward. Although her skin was now sagging and she showed signs of aging, one could still faintly discern from her features that she must have been a beauty in her youth.

She didn't display her cultivation, but her aura was subtly present, surging like the sea. It seemed no weaker than that of the Demonic Star Beast.

No wonder Alliance Leader Zhao said she was extremely powerful, speaking of her with considerable apprehension. Now, it certainly seemed to be the case.

"Thank you all for attending today's banquet!"

Entering the hall, Garden Master Xue smiled gracefully and spoke loudly.

"Garden Master Xue, you're too kind!"

"With the Garden Master hosting a banquet, how could we not come!"

"It's been a long time since we all met; it's a good chance to gather..."

Everyone chuckled.

Although this medicine garden was not open to the public, everyone knew that the sheer quantity and richness of its medicinal herbs absolutely ranked it first among the Eight Great Medicine Gardens.

Garden Master Xue's strength was even superior. While everyone spoke politely, their words were also sincere.

"It's a bother for you all to come; I, Xue, am truly ashamed," Garden Master Xue said. "Although this is called a banquet, many of you have probably guessed its true purpose. The importance of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine to our medicine garden is self-evident, and I believe you all understand."

"Given the changes in the medicine garden, I, Xue, have limited abilities and no current solution. I have specifically invited all of you to come and pool our wisdom to help me overcome this difficulty! I promise here that whoever can propose the most suitable solution will become my, Xue Yi Yao's, most sincere friend, and from now on, any medicine needed will be provided by my garden completely free of charge!"

"All needed medicine... provided completely free of charge?"

"Isn't this gift too generous?"

"Garden Master Xue's medicinal herbs have never been sold, and many of them are hundreds of years old..."

"That's not even the most important thing. The most important thing is... becoming a friend of Garden Master Xue. With her strength and status, if you become her friend, who would dare cause trouble?"

"That's true..."

The hall immediately erupted in chatter.

Everyone's eyes were red with excitement.

Even Lu Zhan, standing to one side, gasped for breath, his entire face flushed with excitement.

Although the Lu family was one of the four great families in Myriad Kingdoms City, they were at the very bottom, and could be supplanted by other families at any time.

If they could win Garden Master Xue's friendship, rising to the top would just be a matter of time!

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

His own cheeks were flushed with excitement, and even many of the elders present had veins bulging on their foreheads from excitement. Yet, this person remained calm, completely unfazed.

"Brother Zhang, aren't you excited?" he asked, unable to hold back.

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

"A friend of Garden Master Xue..." Lu Zhan's words trailed off, and he gave a wry smile.

The person before him was a Master Teacher whom even 4-star Master Teachers treated with extreme respect, humbly referring to themselves as his juniors. Although Xue Yi Yao was powerful and well-known in Myriad Kingdoms City, she could hardly impress him.

"I've stated the conditions. If any of you are interested," Garden Master Xue interrupted the excited crowd, "please come to the medicine field. Once we clearly see the situation, we can discuss the diagnosis and treatment!"

"Alright, please lead the way, Garden Master Xue!"

"We need to see it before we can offer solutions!"

Everyone echoed in agreement, closely following Garden Master Xue as she walked out.

The medicine field of the garden was indeed a superb field nourished by the Earth Vein Spirit Vine. All medicinal herbs planted here grew better and more potent than those cultivated elsewhere.

Zhang Xuan followed behind the crowd, walking slowly forward.

Even before arriving, he could feel the spiritual energy growing denser, and a rich vitality flowing everywhere.

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

Opening his Eye of Discernment, he looked around. After observing for a while, his eyebrows couldn't help but furrow.

Although the medicine field was rich with vitality, subtly, it gave off a sense of lifelessness.

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

"It seems the Earth Vein Spirit Vine really has a major problem!"

Realizing this, Zhang Xuan immediately understood why Garden Master Xue had offered such generous conditions and was willing to go to such lengths to invite so many apothecaries.

It seemed the problem with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine was even greater than he had imagined.

Even before fully reaching the medicine field, he could perceive this lifeless aura. If he were to approach it directly, wouldn't it be even more obvious?

Estimating based on the density of the lifeless aura, if it wasn't treated promptly, it probably wouldn't survive for even a year.

"So many medicinal herbs, it's incredible!" someone exclaimed. "Our family's collection pales in comparison..."

"No wonder people always said Garden Master Xue had so many valuable herbs here," another added. "I didn't believe it before, but now I see it's true!"

"The medicinal herbs in Garden Master Xue's garden haven't been sold for at least fifty years. With a wide variety and ancient origins, there are naturally many good items."

Amidst the astonished voices of the crowd, they had already arrived at the medicine field.

The medicine field before them stretched for hundreds of acres, seemingly endless. Various medicinal herbs were planted there, each emitting a dense spiritual energy, giving a refreshing sensation.

"Is this Earth Spirit Grass? Silent Flower? Wild River Honeysuckle..." Lu Zhan's jaw dropped in shock. "These items are extremely expensive outside, and even then, hard to come by. How can there be so many here?"

The medicinal herbs here were not only numerous in variety but also abundant in rare types. The myriad herbs, strange and wonderful, vied for splendor, presenting a unique beauty.

"Everyone, ahead is the foundation of our medicine garden, the Earth Vein Spirit Vine!"

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

Looking in the direction of her finger, they indeed saw a giant vine standing in the very center of the medicine field. Its branches and leaves were lush, and its trunk was seven to eight meters in diameter.

Many people had never seen such a large vine before, and couldn't help but be filled with shock.

However, they soon noticed something was wrong. All the leaves of this thick vine were somewhat yellowing, appearing as if they could wither and die at any moment.

"This vine seems to be failing..."

"How could this be? How could such a large vine wither and die?"

"Strange..."

Everyone present was either a garden master or from a family that cultivated medicinal herbs, and knew a great deal about herbs. Seeing such a massive vine on the verge of death, they all couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"You've observed correctly," Garden Master Xue said, her eyes dimming. "This Earth Vein Spirit Vine is indeed close to dying. I've considered many methods and truly have no solution. That's why I invited all of you here, to see if we can find a good method!"

The Earth Vein Spirit Vine was the foundation of a medicine garden. Once it died, all the medicinal herbs would soon wither, and the present splendor would be lost forever!

"If even Garden Master Xue has no solution for the Earth Vein Spirit Vine's condition," an elder said after observing for a while, "then we probably won't have any good methods either!"

His words found some agreement among the others.

The fact that Garden Master Xue could cultivate so many medicinal herbs indicated her profound expertise in the art of cultivating herbs. If she had no solution, and the others were less skilled than her, how could they possibly solve it?

"Don't be disheartened," an elder said, seeing that everyone's morale was somewhat low. "There's strength in numbers, and perhaps someone will come up with a good solution. This is also why Garden Master Xue called us here!"

"Elder Lu is right!"

"One person's methods are always limited. If we all think together, perhaps we can find a solution!"

"Although we don't know the cultivation methods for the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, we've all dealt with medicinal herbs our entire lives. We each have some unknown experiences and techniques. If nothing else works, we can try them all; perhaps it will be cured!"

"As long as it's a medicinal plant, there's always a solution!"

Hearing the elder's words, everyone regained their composure.

The reward offered by Garden Master Xue was simply too great. No one wanted to give up such a good opportunity.

Although they didn't know if their own methods would be useful, what if... what if it succeeded?

"This is my grandfather, the current head of the Lu family!" Lu Zhan introduced him to Zhang Xuan, seeing that Elder Lu's words had reignited the fighting spirit of the disheartened crowd.

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

The vine was enormous. The visible part alone covered hundreds of meters, and its underground root system extended to an unknown vastness.

He had never seen such a strange plant before. It had to be said that the world was full of wonders.

Under the illumination of his Eye of Discernment, the vine's branches, leaves, and meridians all appeared within his sight.

"This isn't right..."

After observing for a while, his brows furrowed.

The Eye of Discernment could meticulously observe the growth process of this massive plant and analyze it; although it wasn't perfect, it could still identify some problems and crucial points.

Logically, if this large plant's branches and leaves were yellowing and it was on the verge of death, it should be diseased or infested with insects. Yet... not the slightest sign of such a condition was found.

This meant that the Earth Vein Spirit Vine was perfectly healthy, without any signs of illness... yet it emanated a lifeless aura throughout, appearing as if it wouldn't survive for more than a few days!

It was like a physically healthy strong man who, despite all checks showing no illness, was so weak he couldn't stand, leaving everyone baffled.

No wonder Garden Master Xue had previously kept her garden closed, not allowing anyone in, and even the Alliance Leader's mansion couldn't acquire herbs from her... The fact that she was now hosting a grand banquet and summoning so many master apothecaries likely meant she was truly out of options.

"Garden Master Xue," Elder Lu asked, "you've studied this Earth Vein Spirit Vine more than we have. When did it fall ill? What were the symptoms after it fell ill? What methods did you use to treat it? Could you explain them to us in detail so we can have a reference?"

The enormous Earth Vein Spirit Vine before them clearly looked ill. Treating plants and medicinal herbs, just like treating people, required observation, listening, and questioning. Now that everyone had seen the vine's condition, they still needed to inquire about the detailed causes and symptoms before combining their knowledge to provide the best treatment method.