After spending the entire day at Wenni's place, Xilutaiya and Taliel returned in the evening, thoroughly satisfied.
Not only had they delivered their thanks to Sister Wenni, but they had also gathered a great deal of news regarding the preliminary screening trials for the Hidden Woodland.
It seemed the trials were held once every two years. Four years had already passed since Wenni's batch, as Scholar Haide's retirement prior to the last round had prevented him from presiding over it. The candidate who had secured the spot that time was a commoner from Burnt Stone City. His father was a clerk in a merchant association, and the family was well-off enough to fund his studies. The young man himself was quite gifted, having demonstrated a rare talent for the Dead Cinder attribute.
At just seventeen years of age, he had mastered two abilities of the Dead Cinder attribute and relied on a self-brewed Carrion Poison to successfully kill the target in the trial's second phase, earning his qualification.
As for Wenni's year, two people had made the final kill against the target. One was a master hunter who relied on specialized traps to drastically drain the target's stamina before finishing it off. The other was a warrior wielding a great battleaxe who had fought the target head-on to claim victory.
Although that young warrior had been grievously injured after slaying the target, his valor had caught the attention of both Viscount Xuefeng and Scholar Haide, earning him a spot.
Over the past few days, Xilutaiya had finally merged the Dew Prayer Method and Branch Trimming Method she had learned previously, completing her advancement to the Gardening Apprentice class.
Following that, her Destiny Card shifted from [Maiden in the Sea] to [Gardening Apprentice Maiden]. Building upon [Discerning Eye] and [Natural Perception], it gained another skill: [Dew Prayer · Branch Trimming Lv. 2]. Its effect was the synthesis of the former Dew Prayer and Branch Trimming methods, freeing up two slots in her ability bar once more.
This process of advancing a Destiny Card toward a specific class allowed multiple abilities to be absorbed and merged, creating empty slots for an individual to continue learning and growing. It was a crucial hallmark for measuring the strength of a transcendent.
Organizations with profound heritage often possessed numerous secret condensing arts for higher-tier classes, which was precisely why their members surpassed ordinary transcendents.
With open slots in her ability bar, Xilutaiya could finally begin learning a new ability.
Returning to Madame Falan's residence, Xilutaiya took out the copied transcription of "Bloom Art" and reviewed it once more. The difficulty of learning this ability was on an entirely different level; even after spending a full week on it, she had not yet mastered it completely.
*I still need more practice,* the girl grumbled inwardly. She walked over to the potted Swan Orchid, gently placed her hand upon it, and closed her eyes to sense the plant. She synchronized her own Emerald Honey attribute with the orchid, drawing forth the power of Emerald Honey nestled within it.
This subtle sensation felt like searching for a delicate thread in pitch darkness. Capturing it required immense patience, and there was no trace to follow, nor any other method to assist her.
*Sometimes it really feels like pure luck,* Xilutaiya mused.
This time, after painstaking effort, she finally located that gossamer thread. Gradually bringing her own rhythm into harmony with the plant's, she followed that faint perception until it aligned perfectly with the Swan Orchid beneath her hand. A wondrous sensory synchronization unfolded—it was as though she had become the Swan Orchid itself, perceiving an entirely different world through the senses of a plant.
Immersed in this marvelous experience, Xilutaiya lost all track of time.
By the time she returned to her senses, complete darkness had settled outside.
*How long has it been? It's already eight in the evening!* Xilutaiya was stunned by how swiftly time had flown. Then she realized that moments ago, she seemed to have executed Bloom Art in its entirety, without the premature disconnects or loss of perception she had suffered in the past.
[Bloom Art Lv. 1] (Emerald Honey): Magic that induces blooming. It can stimulate the faint innate efficacy of a blossom, diffusing it into the surrounding environment. (Proficiency: 4/300)
*Phew, I finally learned it. An entire week has gone by... I wonder if I'm getting dull, or if my study method had a problem,* the girl thought to herself.
Having grasped the basics of the technique, Xilutaiya felt a swell of joy. She stood up, eager to tell Madame Falan, but Madame Falan had gone out again yesterday, and there was no telling when she would return.
*Never mind, I'll keep studying. Besides, I should check on how the Fire Cloud Orchids are coming along.*
She walked to the quaint garden reserved exclusively for her. Clear glass panes had already been installed here, transforming the entire space into an exquisite glass greenhouse where Xilutaiya kept some of her flowers and herbs.
In the night, holding a candle aloft, Xilutaiya stepped inside. She placed the candle onto a tray shelf at the side, then walked toward the row of Fire Cloud Orchids with eager anticipation.
Unlike the native Swan Orchids, the Fire Cloud Orchid was a new variety artificially bred by gardeners. It demanded far more from its environment; without proper care, it withered easily, and it could scarcely survive in the wild.
[Fire Cloud Orchid] (Superior - 63): A variant of the Laelia orchid. Its flowers are as vividly gorgeous as red sunset clouds and fire. Requires good lighting and ventilation. Dislikes dampness and cold, and cannot tolerate direct blazing sunlight or arid dryness.
Disliking dampness and cold while also dreading direct sunlight and arid dryness, caring for these finicky plants was more than a step up in difficulty compared to the Swan Orchids.
Their potting medium required a blend of specialized red-sheen ironstone and fir bark. They could not be given too much water, yet they could not be left dry either.
Holding a small watering can, Xilutaiya pressed the nozzle to mist a fine spray of moisture over the Fire Cloud Orchids. She then held her hand near their stems, sensing their current growth state.
*It'll probably take a while longer before their quality can rise from Superior (60+) to Outstanding (70+).*
The White Camellia beside them, on the other hand, was much less trouble. The dainty sapling grew slowly, currently in the stage of unfurling luxuriant foliage. Its cultivation took longer than the Fire Cloud Orchid's, but the advantage was that it required little fuss and was far less demanding.
Having tended to them, Xilutaiya shifted her gaze to the nearby Bubble Grass. The grass was growing well enough, but according to Madame Falan, Xilutaiya's current strength was likely insufficient to coax them into bloom. The young girl would have to reach second-order Emerald Honey before she was truly qualified to raise them to maturity.
Bubble Grass was an essential raw ingredient for Floating Potions. Such potions commanded high prices, useful not only for breaking long falls, but also for practicing certain abilities of the Firmament attribute.
Picking up a notebook kept inside the greenhouse, Xilutaiya recorded the day's watering volume and conditions, then closed the door behind her as she left.
That night, she glanced at the Swan Orchid resting beneath the glass cloche on her bedside table, murmured "Good night," and slipped off to sleep.
In the depths of the night, the rhythm of her breathing in her dreams gradually synchronized with the Swan Orchid beside her bed, as if she were continuing to practice Bloom Art even in slumber, drawing her rhythm ever closer to the plant.
***
The following morning, Xilutaiya went about her usual routine, watering the flowers, patrolling the flowerbeds, and handling a few minor chores.
Today, however, differed from the norm. Someone rang the bell at the front gate.
Without waiting for Lining to call her, she adeptly returned to her bedroom, changed into a bright yellow dress, groomed herself before the mirror, and walked unhurriedly down the stairs.
Today's guest was a middle-aged man in his thirties. Dressed in a black formal suit, he carried an air of crisp efficiency, with a handsome handlebar mustache resting beneath his nose.
Guided by Lining, he had been waiting patiently in the front parlor. Hearing Xilutaiya's footsteps descending the stairs, the man rose at once and bowed deeply to the graceful, lovely maiden from across the room.
"It is a great pleasure to meet you, Miss Anluo'er." It seemed he had done his homework beforehand, well aware of the name Xilutaiya went by in Burnt Stone City.
"Greetings." The girl entered the parlor, lifted her skirt in a polite curtsy, and took a seat.
Lining wordlessly served tea to both of them, then took up a silent post behind Xilutaiya.
"I have traveled all the way from distant Windcliff City, in the northern reaches of the Raygas Principality," he began by introducing himself. "Due to its proximity to the border battlefield, Windcliff City is in dire need of large quantities of medicinal potions. As a representative of our local merchant association, I have come specifically to request your aid."
"Medicinal potions..." Xilutaiya mused thoughtfully.
Among the many transcendent attributes in this world, those with healing properties were few. They were primarily dominated by four: Blazing Sun, Radiant Moon, Emerald Honey, and Blood Law, complemented secondarily by Dragon Eye, Conch Fish, and Sleeping Winter.
Each attribute had its own distinct scope of effectiveness. Blazing Sun and Blood Law were suited for severe external trauma; Radiant Moon and Emerald Honey excelled at treating illnesses and internal injuries. As for Conch Fish and Sleeping Winter, their methods of treatment took a rather roundabout approach—such as sealing a severed wound in ice or petrifying it, questioning whether stopping the bleeding counted as healing.
Since it was a battlefield, physical trauma would naturally make up the vast majority, meaning raw materials of the Blazing Sun and Blood Law attributes were desperately needed. Although sunflowers did not possess direct curative powers on their own, their Blazing Sun attribute was exceptionally effective at invigorating the potency of certain medicines and restoring the vitality of the wounded.
Chapter 65