Chapter 299: Chapter 292: A Sapling of Jianmu?
"What is this?"
Shi Ming’s mind raced.
He instantly recalled the knowledge he’d gained from the Divine Revelation Stele of the Twelve Stars:
The fruit of the Jianmu possessed the ability to traverse space.
’The Creation Celestial Pillar was an evolution of the Jianmu that had fused with the "Life Holy Hall Origin." Could this strange seedling, bearing a sharp-edged fruit, be a Jianmu Seedling? And could that hexagonal fruit on it be the "Jianmu Fruit" mentioned on the Divine Revelation Stele?’
His thoughts ran wild as he pieced together a dramatic scenario:
’Due to some accident, the Creation Celestial Pillar was invaded by a terrifying power. It died from the internal corrosion, its body becoming a breeding ground for enemies. But just before its fall, it cast its seed out, returning to its most primitive state on the Top of Mount Everest and growing anew into a primordial Jianmu Seedling?’
If that was truly the case, and if he could dig it up completely...
Wouldn’t that mean he’d obtained the seedling of one of the five wondrous trees?
What a massive opportunity!
Shi Ming’s eyes lit up.
In his inventory, he still had a Full Moon Treasure Pearl he’d found in the Scorpion King’s Pyramid. Its effect was perfect for promoting the growth of plant life. The only thing to consider was where to plant this seedling, but that wasn’t an unsolvable problem.
After all, while it was much taller than the Snow-Capped Jade, it was still only half a meter high.
The seedling was buried several meters deep by the blizzard, growing on the frozen earth beneath the snow. Though the plant was still small, it was quite robust. It also contained the same kind of life force as the Snow-Capped Jade, its verdant leaves so rich beneath the ice they looked like they could drip with water.
Before digging, to prevent damaging the seedling through improper handling, Shi Ming specifically asked Ah Jian a question:
"Ah Jian, have you ever seen a similar plant seedling? Do you know what kind of creature it is? If I want to dig it up and transplant it, what should I be careful about?"
Ah Jian’s eyes swiveled around, its wings trembling.
It was indexing its past memories.
「A few minutes later.」
"No, Master. But my Spiritual Power can sense that its plant instincts reject and fear this environment. However, limited by its plant body, it’s unable to move. It can only shallowly set its roots here, at the largest leakage point, and rely on the energy fluctuations caused by the Sub-Blade Storm at the peak, as well as the snow cover, to hide itself."
"It is very resilient. It can be transplanted."
’That’s good.’
For the time that followed, the division of labor was clear.
Just like last time, Ah Jian’s Spiritual Power once again traveled down the root system of the mysterious seedling, exploring downwards to seek the remains of the Creation Celestial Pillar deep within Mount Everest. Meanwhile, Shi Ming carefully excavated the site. The seedling, buried several meters beneath the surface, wouldn’t take too much effort to retrieve whole.
He had to collect enough Holy Hall Remains and retrieve this seedling before the designated meeting time, then leave Mount Everest.
Once he returned to Da Yu, he could use the Eye of the World to get all the information on it. If it truly was a Jianmu Seedling, and if it was cultivated properly, its value might be comparable to the Bodhi Tree of Suffering, which could endlessly produce Purifying Marrow.
WHOOSH—
The blizzard had turned Shi Ming into a snowman, but he paid no attention to such details. His King Slayer carefully probed beneath the ice. A snow pit several meters deep was an insignificant mark on this colossal mountain.
A single heavy snowstorm could erase all traces.
At the same time, he kept half of his Spiritual Power on guard, wary of a potential attack from a sub-blade.
Finally, the vibrant green plant appeared before his eyes in its entirety. He continued to dig with the King Slayer, carving out the root system along with several cubic feet of the frozen earth beneath it. He then placed the entire plant seedling, along with the fruit on it, into his inventory.
A rich aura of life washed over him.
The permafrost beneath the seedling was brimming with Life Power. According to Ah Jian, this was the location of the Creation Celestial Pillar Tree Crown, and also the largest leakage point after the collapsed pillar had died within the mountain.
After stowing the seedling, Ah Jian’s "Spiritual Reorganization" yielded its first harvest.
A section of plant stubble, withered on the outside but still green within, was extracted. Wrapped in Spiritual Power, it floated in the air. This piece was about ten inches long and weighed seven to eight hundred grams. The Right Arm Red Pattern on Shi Ming’s arm grew even more excited. He estimated that if he could get another piece of similar size, he could let the Right Arm Red Pattern absorb the Holy Hall Power within it and evolve a body skill. At the same time, the blood, after absorbing the power, could be used a second time as one of the materials for the Map of the Endless Sea’s Breaking the Boundary.
’I wonder what effects the Arm of Power will have once it evolves to its second stage?’
...
...
...
The King-level Wandering Ship, Da Yu.
Jiuzhou Platform.
Dressed in a Tang suit, Elder Zhou—Zhou Jinhuai—the Sailor of the Da Yu and Chairman of the Jiuzhou Platform, sat quietly in his chair, stroking a golden toad in his hand.
This golden toad was the Destiny Golden Toad, which could only be used in the Sea of Soaring Dragons.
The Destiny Golden Toad did not appear in the middle or final volumes of the *Overview of Wondrous Items of the Endless Ocean* translated by Xirang. Elder Zhou had no idea what its specific ranking was; he had even come up with the name himself. Still, he figured its rank must be very high.
Destiny.
What destiny did it determine?
The grand destiny that could influence the times, the fate of a nation.
"Destiny" was just a name.
Elder Zhou understood clearly that there was no such thing as mystical fate in the world, only fleeting opportunities that depended on human effort. Success was one part heaven and nine parts human. If one was not strong enough to plan and strive for it, then even the greatest gifts from nature would become a calamity.
Just like the purple-grade fortune, the "Moonlight Ripple Beast," which was also very close to General Jin’s "Morning Sun."
But did they dare to make a move on it?
They didn’t.
Without enough strength, to go was to court death.
Elder Zhou activated his Awakening Power. The power of Dust-Blending Light seeped into the Destiny Golden Toad, causing the four purple star-points and two golden star-points inside it to sparkle.
Then, to his surprise, he discovered that the tides of fortune had shifted.
A new change had finally occurred:
The golden star-point symbolizing the blurry human figure had become much clearer, but the face was still unrecognizable! Meanwhile, the golden star-point symbolizing the collapsing pillar showed an even more severe state of collapse; flecks of shattered gold, like stardust, drifted slowly downward.
"Fortune is shifting?"
"A golden fortune has encountered another golden fortune. Is an opportunity about to arise?"
He wasn’t afraid of ripples appearing.
What he feared was a pool of stagnant water.
Stagnant water might represent temporary stability, but the current state of affairs didn’t allow them to cling to the past and hole up in a corner. This was the consensus of the six great Sailors!
His consciousness withdrew from the Destiny Golden Toad.
If Elder Zhou possessed Spiritual Power on par with Shi Ming’s, he would have also discovered that the gold of the blurry figure had grown more brilliant and prominent, like a true morning star. Meanwhile, the gold of the collapsing pillar had begun to show signs of a strange transformation, as red specks slowly materialized within it.
