Blossoming Path

I ended up spending most of my night in my memory palace. It was somewhat a poor idea in retrospect, as I wasn't truly resting while in this state. Physically, I was fine, but I felt drained mentally. I created several trees relating to each major discipline in my life. The most recent of which was in regard to my cultivating journey.

It was small, but I knew with time they would grow to surpass even the World Tree in size!

My time experimenting with new potions and herbal combinations was well spent. By combining milk thistle and Cleansing Lotus, I made a concoction that could detoxify a person's body! Although it was weak, it would be a great hangover cure for the folk down in the village. This was just one of the four successful recipes I created, but they'd need some further testing and refining to get a working product. Perhaps Elder Ming would enjoy this energy-boosting tonic of mine? Those old bones weren't getting any younger!

And my little projects had been rewarded with a satisfying message from the Heavenly Interface.

Herbalism has reached level 10.

Your skill has reached the qualifications to evolve to the next stage, Spiritual Herbalism.

Spiritual Herbalism grants you two new abilities.

Essence Extraction - You can extract the spiritual essence of plants for the creation of pills and elixirs

Spiritual Plant Cultivation - You can infuse plants with your qi, increasing their potency or imbuing them with new properties.

The sun dawned on me, tired and victorious. The knowledge I currently had within me seemed to extend and lengthen into ways I didn't think of prior. It bridged the gap between my understanding of qi as well as herbalism, and I glanced over at my hands with a gut feeling about how to accomplish the extraction and infusion of plants. The Heavenly Interface was building upon the foundation of knowledge I already had. Whoever created this must've been omnipotent; if this was what it was like for other disciplines like blacksmithing, carpentry, or fishing, they would've had to condense the knowledge of entire civilizations into this little box.

It made me wonder who or what could've made the Heavenly Interface. Was it some sort of immortal at the Divine Pinnacle Stage? A god who descended from the heavens and shared this power to mortals? The interface was powerful beyond belief. It made me think back to the ruins that disappeared, and why it was left there untouched until I came along.

I shook my head at such thoughts. Those answers will come with time. For now, let me try these new skills out!

It was my day off, so the shop would be open for the whole day. I opened the door and inhaled the smell of earth and fresh herbs, shouting at the top of my lungs.

"Good morning!"

The first skill I was going to try out was Spiritual Plant Cultivation. It seemed to be an offshoot of my Qi Manipulation skill, or more specifically, the act of infusion, which I did with the Moonlit Grace Lily some time ago. I don't know what the difference will be, but I'm hoping for something good!

I knelt beside my ginseng. They were one of the slowest to grow amongst my crops, which was why I've dedicated an entire section of my garden to the ginseng. This particular batch was supposed to be fully matured by next year, but they've been growing a bit faster than I expected. Perhaps it was the effect of Tianyi's Qi Haven skill? There were very few places where ginseng could grow naturally while being saturated with qi. I placed my palm towards it and did the same thing I did with the Moonlit Grace Lily.

For some reason, my energy was far more responsive than I last remembered. The flow felt less forced as it transferred from my arm to the ginseng plant. I let it go for a few seconds before I paused and observed it again. The once-green leaves took on a brighter, almost luminescent shade, reflecting the energy that now coursed through every part of the plant. Although the real prize was the root itself, I couldn't take it out prematurely. It would take some time for the plant to be ready for harvesting. Maybe within a few months, if this accelerated growth kept up.

Monitoring my reserves, I could gauge it took about a tenth of my energy in those few seconds of infusion. I frowned and looked at my entire patch of ginseng plants, knowing I wouldn't have nearly enough to infuse them all today. I decided to start with the first row, recover, and assess which other plants I would try afterward.

The act of infusing the plants with my qi wasn't as draining as I thought. In fact, it felt invigorating. Like it was a natural motion. I ended up having some leftover energy and decided to save it, lest I pass out. I watered the rest of my flourishing garden before sitting down to rest and meditate. Early in the morning surrounded by a garden teeming with life, this was probably a better spot to cultivate than whatever those disciples had in other sects!

I could feel Tianyi's presence even without opening my eyes. Maybe it was due to my deep bond with her, but I could clearly visualize her fluttering around, taking note of the freshly-watered flowers, and absorbing some nectar. She continued to get closer until finally landing on my shoulder.

Her delicate touch was barely noticeable, but the moment she settled there, I felt a warm, tingling sensation begin to spread through my body.

From my shoulder, the warmth radiated outwards, filling my limbs and coursing through my veins. It was as if a gentle, soothing energy was washing over me, seeping into my very core. I closed my eyes, focusing on the sensation and allowing it to envelop me completely.

The process was subtle and almost imperceptible, but as Tianyi drew on the qi in our surroundings, she transferred some of that energy into me. It was a slow, gradual process, but I could feel my exhaustion lifting, replaced by a renewed sense of vitality and strength.

As the minutes passed, the warmth within me continued to grow, and I felt my qi reserves slowly recovering. It wasn't a complete restoration, but it was enough to give me a newfound sense of clarity and focus. My mind felt sharper, my body lighter, and my spirit rejuvenated.

I felt a profound connection to my surroundings as if I was one with the elements around me.

Tianyi fluttered off my shoulder, her work complete. I gave her a thumbs-up, knowing that her presence was the biggest boon to my cultivation journey. She seemed to understand my silent thanks, as she bobbed gently in the air before resuming her dance among the flowers.

"Well, it seems more of you will be getting this blessing of qi!" I declared to all my crops. The effect of qi on plants wasn't something I really knew, but from the looks of it, they'll be growing bigger, faster, and better than they would without.

I'll need to study more about the effects. My gardening skill won't rise up as much without further knowledge. How much of ithe effects contributed to being in an area with wood qi? Which of them is a result of my Spiritual Plant Cultivation?

Once I finished infusing my selected plants with qi, I'll go ahead and try the essence extraction skill. I have an inkling of what it does, but I need to see what it does for myself.

"Thank you, come again!" I waved farewell to my customer. They were the first to come around today, so I had the benefit of showing them some of the new concoctions I created. I sold the energy-boosting tonic and told them it was at a discount so long as they came back and told me of its effects. That's business, baby! If it were better than I thought, I could use it to sell some of my products to the merchants and make a profit by having them sold to other cities.

My dream of a greenhouse before winter may not be out of reach!

Returning back inside, I placed my freshly harvested mint plant on the table. Now was the time to test my extraction skill. I placed my hands towards the herb and tried to recall what knowledge the Heavenly Interface has given me. It was similar to qi infusion but in reverse. I just needed to find the point from which I could take the plant's essence...

There!

A dull, blue tendril of energy escaped the plant. It was far more corporeal than I thought it'd be. It coalesced into a small orb the size of a marble in my palm, and I quickly realized I had no place to store it. I wasn't keen on absorbing a mint plant's essence into my body. With my left hand preoccupied, I scrambled for a vial of some sort in my shop to contain it with.

Carefully, I let the blue essence of the mint plant flow into the vial. I sealed it and watched in awe as the essence swished around like a liquid. My eyes caught the herb which I extracted from; it seemed listless compared to before. Like as if it had gone stale. I held it to my nose and smelled it, still catching traces of that minty scent, but it was much fainter than before. They were still usable, but it wasn't of good quality anymore. I couldn't sell it to customers unless they were looking for plants to use in compost or mulch.

I took a plant's essence! This is so cool!

Contrary to infusion, this one used very little of my energy to accomplish. I went about and grabbed a handful of herbs throughout my shop and began extraction.

Chamomile for calming teas. The essence it made was a soft, white, and soothing liquid that seemed more potent than when it was in plant form. In all honesty, it seemed to rival the Moonlit Grace Lily in that aspect, although the healing properties were minimal in comparison.

Ginger, a staple ingredient for its invigorating and warming properties. When I extracted its essence, it was a light brown hue and had an intense fragrance.

Lavender, eucalyptus, and elderberry were just a few more of the plants I chose to extract from. I made sure to take the ones I had an excess of. Although I was highly tempted to try extracting the Moonlit Grace Lily, I needed to wait until it was mature enough for me to collect seeds, as well as stems for even more of the rare qi plant.

But that was one of the greatest skills gardening bestowed upon me; patience. Whether it took weeks, days, or months, with consistent effort these plants of mine would grow into what I envision them to be.

Perhaps I should take a page from my gardening and incorporate it into my path as a cultivator. Slow and steady wins the race, after all.

If I wanted to cultivate these thin qi circulatory systems of mine, I'd need to have a good foundation to start off with. No shortcuts! Strengthening my body, mind, and qi will require consistency. I'll learn how to make pills and elixirs and grow a beautiful garden. Kai's Garden Shop will become a Garden Emporium!

So what if it takes months or years? Cultivators have plenty of time to work with. I just need to stay the course and remain faithful to what I know. I don't have access to pills and mentors like those sects, but what I do have is freedom.

"Alright, Tianyi! We're going to save up and get a greenhouse! Let's make some more potions today!"

I spent about an hour fiddling with the essences, mixing some together along with a few ingredients. My entire shop was filled with intense fragrances as the extracted ingredients reacted with each other. I took a sip of the potion I was making and hummed with pleasure. The elderberry essence imparts a deep, fruity flavor with a hint of tartness, while the other ingredients add layers of sweetness, earthiness, and a subtle spiciness. The flavors meld together in a harmonious balance, leaving a pleasant, lingering aftertaste.

Even as a drink, it was delicious! But the effects of the purple concoction I made didn't end there. Elderberries were known for their immune-boosting properties, and the combination of willow bark and chamomile turned it into a pain-relief potion! Any aches and pains I had from the previous day, as minor as they were, disappeared like a bad dream.

I had to make more. I had to sell these!

While I wrote down the effects and ingredients I used in my own notebook, the familiar jingle of a customer entering my shop alerted me. I turned to see Lan-Yin with a smile on her face.

"How goes things, Dreaming Gardener?"

"Lan-Yin! Just the person I wanted to see!" I greeted her enthusiastically, unable to keep the grin off my face. "Anybody in the village feeling ill? Tired? Down with the flu?"

She seemed surprised by my exuberance, which was even higher than it usually was. But Lan-Yin couldn't know about everything I'd been doing the past few days. The brown-haired girl put a finger to her chin, trying to think of an answer.

"Well...Xiao Bao's been coughing an awful lot. Elder Wen's been complaining about his back, like always. But that's about it. Why?"

"Perfect...Let me write that down. What were you here for?"

"Not much, just wanted some ingredients for tonight's dinner. Could I have some chili and bamboo shoots?"

I acquiesced and handed her the ingredients she needed, and I put away the coins she gave me. Looking at my variety of new concoctions, I selected the ones I was most confident in, alongside the products that would help with little Xiao Bao and Elder Wen's problems. An idea was brewing in my head, and I wanted to go out there and test it as soon as possible.

Tianyi seemed content to stay home, so I bade her farewell and tagged along with Lan-Yin, carrying several of my new potions and the essences with me. I would give some to Xiao Bao and Elder Wen, but I'd be seeing if I can sell my products to the traveling merchant, Huan. To do that, I'd need proof that my concoctions work. And I was certain they were, but one could not convince a merchant just on their word alone.

It would have to be through action!

"You seem... enthusiastic. I suppose your cultivation journey's going well?" She teased, giving me a slight bump with her hip. But my core and lower body were immensely stable now in comparison to even a week before. The horse stance and squats I'd been doing were having an incredible effect. That small hit would've stumbled me before, but I barely even reacted, except for a small grin.

"Couldn't be better. Elder Ming's training is keeping me sharp. Soon I'll be the size of Wang Jun!" I declared.

Lan-Yin giggled and we delved into more pleasant topics. Although we were all teenagers, her and Wang Jun's betrothal still forced responsibilities upon them. They were good friends, but the prospect of being married was somewhat of a shock. Nevertheless, Lan-Yin seemed happy for the stability it would provide, and Wang Jun was growing into a fine man!

"So, do you think he's gonna take Master Qiang's title as village blacksmith anytime soon?" I asked, genuinely curious about how their relationship was progressing.

Lan-Yin shrugged, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. "I think so. He's been working really hard lately. Even with all the orders they've been receiving, he's still managed to be attentive to me. It's... nice, actually."

I smiled, happy for her. But the corners of my mouth turned upward into a cheeky grin. "That's good to hear. I will provide you both with energy-boosting tonics for the night your marriage is official."

She stuttered madly and blushed, slapping me on the shoulder several times and shouting out 'Stupid Kai!' and other rude monikers. I howled like a hyena, trying to fend her off while carrying my stash of potions and essences.

"Honestly, you're so perverted." She paused for a moment, her expression turning mischievous. "And what about you? Are you too busy being a cultivator to have a girl of your own? Or rather, you couldn't find one and gave up!"

Oof. That was a low blow.

I laughed, putting on a comically serious face. "Ah, the life of a young master is fraught with peril and responsibility! I must tend to my ever-growing garden, cultivate my inner self, and create wondrous elixirs and potions! How could I possibly find time for love in such a hectic life?"

Lan-Yin laughed, shaking her head. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"I do my best," I replied, grinning.

As our conversation carried on, I waved off any names she pointed out when thinking of girls compatible with me in the village. They were all perfectly good women, but I aspired for a jade beauty! A female cultivator who can match or surpass me in wit and strength! Lan-Yin rolled her eyes, seemingly giving up and shaking her head at my ridiculous desire. The pleasantries continued until we arrived at the village square.