Chương 2

The green orb dissolved into Elara, carrying the new Talent with it. A rush of clarity swept through her mind. Everything she had ever learned about her cultivation arts resurfaced at once—every hand sign, every failed attempt, every tiny adjustment she had struggled to understand. It was as if someone had stripped away the fog clouding her thoughts. [Raincall proficiency +20.] [Soften Earth proficiency +20.] [Pest Ward proficiency +30.] Elara stared at the notifications.

All the time she had spent practicing those basic gardening arts had suddenly paid off. More importantly, she had the distinct feeling that this was only the beginning. As long as she kept practicing, improving these basic arts no longer seemed anywhere near as difficult as before.

"So this is what a Talent can do?" Elara flexed her fingers. Maybe Pest Ward really wasn't that hard after all. Its proficiency had already climbed well past the halfway mark. [Pest Ward — Level 1: 70/100] By Seed of Ascension's mechanics, she could finally be considered genuinely proficient with the art. Its success rate should be far higher now.

"In that case, I can still save the rest." Elara turned toward the remaining Glowmist Grass. Her earlier failed Pest Ward had left them in terrible shape. Black veins had spread from the undersides of their leaves to the upper surfaces, and several stalks were already starting to droop. She formed the hand signs again. Qi flowed from her dantian. This time, the movements came almost instinctively. Two currents of qi took shape around the plants like invisible hands, sweeping gently across the infested leaves.

[Pest Ward successfully cast. Glowmist Grass maturity +20.] [85/100] [Pest Ward proficiency +5.] [75/100] The three affected plants visibly recovered. Their leaves straightened, the black traces faded, and their color returned. Elara grinned. Saving damaged plants didn't grant as much proficiency as treating them properly from the start, but the spell's improved effectiveness still earned her a few extra points. More importantly, the plants themselves had survived.

That meant the remaining nine stalks should all be ready to harvest by tomorrow at the latest. Nine more chances at reward drops. And nine more herbs she could sell for Spirit Coins. With plenty of qi still left in her dantian, Elara immediately cast Pest Ward twice more. By the time she finished, every remaining stalk had been pulled back to a healthy— [85/100] Elara finally relaxed.

"Three out of twelve are already mature. I should sell them now." Fresh Glowmist Grass didn't keep for long in an ordinary wooden herb box. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. If she waited too many hours, the quality would begin to decline. And once that happened, merchants would happily use it as an excuse to slash the price. Elara had learned quickly that the NPCs in this world were disturbingly realistic.

Some seed merchants would even mix dead seeds into a batch and sell them to inexperienced cultivators. The first time she bought these twelve seeds, she had nearly fallen for exactly that trick. Elara hurried back inside and retrieved a wooden herb box nearly two feet long. Soft padding lined the interior to protect freshly harvested plants. She carefully harvested the three mature stalks, placed them inside, then carried the box out of her courtyard. Her destination was Valehaven's cultivator market.

Valehaven stood among the Northern Hills under the authority of the Moonwatch Sect. It was a typical supply city, built around the needs of a major cultivation sect. Most of the cultivators living here made their living growing spirit plants, refining basic materials, or producing other goods to sell to the sect, merchant caravans, and local shops in exchange for Spirit Coins. Stone-paved streets ran between orderly rows of houses, but the city was surprisingly quiet. There were almost no ordinary mortals here.

Most residents were low-level cultivators, and at this hour they were either working in the market or cultivating at home. Elara hurried through the streets. Only when she reached Valehaven's market district did the city come alive. Cultivators sat behind makeshift stalls on either side of the road, displaying herbs, ore, talismans, beast parts, and all manner of cultivation materials. Their calls to passing customers made the place feel almost like an ordinary street market.

Elara headed deeper into the district until she reached a well-established storefront near its center. A polished wooden sign hung above the entrance. [Dawnmere Trading House] Unlike the roadside stalls, Dawnmere was directly managed by the Moonwatch Sect and had a reputation for fair dealing. Elara had barely stepped inside when she heard an argument at the counter.

"Master Cedric, take another look. These are fully mature Glowmist Grass. How can you offer only fifteen Spirit Coins each? At that price, we're barely making anything!" An elderly man with white hair and a neatly trimmed beard stood behind the counter. He wore an expensive embroidered robe and looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"Look at the backs of the leaves," he said.

"Those black veins are from a pest infestation. That drops the quality by two grades." One of the two Spirit Gardeners across from him forced a smile.

"Could you make it twenty?"

"Fifteen." Cedric pushed the wooden herb box back across the counter.

"There isn't enough margin for me to offer more. Infested Glowmist Grass is worth fifteen, mature or not." He gestured toward the door.

"If you don't trust my appraisal, you're welcome to try the open market." The two cultivators trudged out, looking sour. Cedric watched them go and shook his head.

"Young cultivators these days. Everyone wants to be a Spirit Gardener, but no one wants to learn the skills that actually matter." Spring was peak pest season. Deals like that happened every day. Yet surprisingly few Spirit Gardeners bothered to properly learn Pest Ward. Some found the art too difficult. Others simply convinced themselves that their own fields would be lucky enough to escape infestation.

They always seemed to forget that once pests appeared, they could sweep through an entire spirit field in no time.

"Master Cedric." Elara approached the counter.

"I've got some Glowmist Grass harvested less than an hour ago." Cedric gave a distracted nod. He opened the box with practiced ease and lifted one of the herbs.

"Let me warn you first, girl. If there's pest damage—" He stopped. Cedric turned the leaf over between his fingers. One eyebrow rose. Without another word, he examined the second stalk. Then the third. By the time he set it down, the boredom had left his face entirely.

"Not bad." He placed the herbs carefully back into the box.

"These are excellent for Rank One Glowmist Grass. Fully mature, healthy leaves, and the infestation was removed cleanly." Elara leaned forward slightly.

"How much can you offer?"

"Twenty-five Spirit Coins each." Cedric closed the box.

"That's near the top of the market, but quality this good is uncommon during spring pest season." Twenty-five? That was even better than Elara had expected. Apparently learning Pest Ward really did make a difference. She sold all three stalks for seventy-five Spirit Coins. After accepting the money, Elara weighed the pouch in her hand. Then she made a decision.

"Master Cedric, I'd like to buy a copy of the basic Grassweaving Art." Cedric paused. Elara quickly ran through her finances. With the seventy-five Spirit Coins she had just earned, she now had a little over one hundred in total. Most basic cultivation arts sold for around one Spirit Stone. Roughly one hundred Spirit Coins. Grassweaving Art was no exception. The spell allowed a Spirit Gardener to weave cut grass and plant fibers into simple animated scarecrows.

Once placed in a spirit field, they could frighten away birds and small beasts. If Elara learned it, she wouldn't need to spend nearly as much time standing guard over her garden herself. That meant more time for cultivation.

"Grassweaving Art?" Cedric gave her a doubtful look.

"You're sure?" He tapped one finger against the counter.

"That art is harder to learn than Raincall or Soften Earth. You could spend weeks studying it and end up setting back your cultivation."

"I've thought it through." Elara glanced at the manual behind the counter.

"I actually enjoy learning these kinds of arts." That part wasn't entirely a lie. More importantly, she now had Practice Makes Perfect. Basic cultivation arts were no longer nearly as intimidating. The sooner she learned the full set of skills a Spirit Gardener needed, the sooner she could cut down the time she wasted on routine fieldwork. And the sooner she could focus on advancing her own cultivation. Cedric studied her for a moment, then retrieved the manual.

Elara paid for it, tucked it away, and picked up her empty herb box. She still had a few Spirit Coins left. Enough to buy some cheap materials for practicing Grassweaving Art. As Elara left the shop, Cedric stroked his beard and watched her disappear into the market.

"Not many youngsters actually enjoy the work anymore." He gave a faint, approving smile.

"Shame she's still only at Qi Refining Tier 1. Her cultivation aptitude doesn't seem particularly impressive."