Ten flowerpots and ten types of seeds were delivered quickly. Zhu Yanyi said to Dansheng, "The academy is very thoughtful. Let’s pick the seeds randomly. We each get five pots. Do you have any objections, Senior Brother Dansheng?"
Since the school prepared them, it was naturally fair. Dansheng had no objections. He shook his head. "No objections."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "Then Senior Brother Dansheng can choose first. Which five packs of seeds do you want?"
Dansheng didn’t bother being polite. She casually grabbed five packs. The rest belonged to Zhu Yanyi.
Zhu Yanyi explained, "Here is the plan. You use your demon arts, and I use my magic. We will accelerate the growth of these seeds. We must bring them to their best state. For flowers, it is when they bloom most beautifully. For herbs, it is when their medicinal power is at its peak. Whoever does it better and faster wins. What do you think?"
Demon arts and magic were often vague concepts. However, Zhu Yanyi’s wood ability was real. The hardest part was that to create plants through illusion, one needed to know exactly what the seeds were. Zhu Yanyi could essentially cheat because her wood ability allowed her to simply catalyze growth.
Dansheng looked at Zhu Yanyi. "Junior Sister Yanyi, I must tell you. I have a wood constitution. Using demon arts to create plants is actually cultivating them. The plants are real. It is cultivation, not illusion."
Zhu Yanyi smiled brightly. "I know. I also have a wood constitution. That is why this fair competition is interesting."
Dansheng was slightly surprised, then nodded. "Since Junior Sister Yanyi thinks this is fair and interesting, let us compete. Referee, please announce the start."
Dansheng’s thoughts were simple. He just wanted to win. He did not need to overthink it.
A normal person would have many doubts. If someone knew they had a wood constitution and still chose to compete, they could not be ordinary. Generally, demon cultivators with the same attribute were stronger than humans. Normally, Dansheng’s cultivated plants should be superior to Zhu Yanyi’s.
Unfortunately, no one knew about the anomaly that was Zhu Yanyi. She was human, but she had a natural wood constitution. Not only that, she possessed wood ability. Combined with her Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart, defeating Dansheng was easy for her.
Zhu Yanyi looked at the five flowerpots in front of her. She took out the five packs of seeds and placed them in the pots according to proportion. She smiled slightly and began forming hand seals. As the seals formed, a faint wood aura emerged. The aura entered the pots. With visible speed, everyone saw the seeds sprouting. First, tiny buds appeared. Then two tender leaves emerged, followed by four. They grew slowly. The tender leaves were replaced by mature ones. Gradually, everyone could see clearly what the seeds had become.
All ten types were medicinal herbs. Although five looked like flowers, they only bloomed as part of the process.
Among Zhu Yanyi’s five, two used flowers for medicine. Two used roots and stems. One used fruit.
Regardless of the type, blooming was a necessary stage. Dansheng’s side had three flower-based herbs and two root-based herbs.
Dansheng was also using her wood ability to cultivate. She had her own demon arts, so she could make plants grow quickly. However, seeing Zhu Yanyi’s ability shocked her. She even doubted her life. Did humans have their own demon arts now? If not demon arts, when could human magic cultivate plants?
Dansheng shook his head. "Forget it for now. I must focus on cultivating my plants carefully."
Cultivating plants usually required patience. No one knew exactly how long each seed would take to sprout. However, there was an indescribable joy when a seed sprouted. This joy belonged to the planter.
Even Zhu Yanyi felt this joy. She had not planted anything personally for a long time and had almost forgotten this feeling. Watching the medicinal seeds break through the soil and grow slowly, then form flower buds, Zhu Yanyi felt as if she were caring for her own children.
She paused slightly. Yes, caring for her children. The herbs were her children. She planted them with her own hands. Was she not treating them as children?
Everyone had a soft side. Zhu Yanyi had this soft side too. This tenderness was given to these herb-children.
Herbs were children, representing life. That was why herbs could save human lives.
Life was the same, but duties differed. Zhu Yanyi might feel reluctant at times, but herbs were herbs. Even if they were her children, their fate was different from hers. Human fate was about persisting in complex environments, turning poverty and misfortune into a warm, happy life. The mission of herbs was simple. They existed to save other lives in need. These lives could be humans, demons, ghosts, or gods.
Different lives had different duties and experiences. Sometimes, the fragility of life reminded all beings to cherish the present. Do not wait until it is lost to feel sad.
Zhu Yanyi had an epiphany. She understood the true meaning of life. Her state of mind broke through.
She was a healer. Although no one’s medical skills surpassed hers now, her skills were still small compared to the Medical God of thousands of years ago or the Azure Sovereign Qingdi. Even though everyone present was inferior to her, she was still not strong. She was at most a seed of a Medical God. As a seed, if not cultivated well, it would be destroyed. She was both the seed and the planter. Her fate depended on herself.
She had a realization. It was not a breakthrough in cultivation, but in state of mind. She had originally planned to find opponents in the medical realm later. Now, it was unnecessary. Her opponent was never anyone else, but herself. Only by defeating herself could she truly stand out.
At this moment, she had not completely defeated herself, but her state of mind was different. Defeating herself was only a matter of time.