Wei Yuan stopped disturbing Xu Wenwu’s artistic pursuits after that, simply reminding him not to forget to take the horse for a walk and tend to the herbs. Then, he left the stone house.

Since the blood-red demon horse died, Wei Yuan had no immediate plans to acquire a new mount, though the blue steed was growing day by day.

When Wei Yuan arrived at the herb garden, he saw that the area where the two Star Dragon Trees were planted had undergone a complete transformation.

The Star Dragon Tree with white-gold patterns had grown to the height of a human palm and sprouted another two leaves. The concentration of vitality in the herb garden was also the highest in the entire realm of Qingming. Enhanced by Jia Wood Nurtures Life, the plant was growing twenty times faster than it would in a natural environment, making its progress particularly encouraging.

However, the plot where the other Star Dragon Tree had yet to sprout was now shrouded in black mist; merely approaching it was enough to evoke a faint sense of unease. This plant was growing extremely slowly and had still not sprouted.

Wei Yuan had long sensed that this Star Dragon Tree contained the power of oblivion. Inspired by Sun Yu, he decided to try sprinkling some nether soil on it. He summoned a small handful of nether soil—just a tael or so in weight—and scattered it on the ground. As soon as the soil materialized, the surrounding temperature plummeted instantly, like they were in late autumn.

However, Wei Yuan could sense that the Star Dragon Tree beneath the ground, which had yet to fully take root, was beginning to absorb the quietude energy. Slowly but surely, its growth rate was increasing.

Now, it was...