After Gu Daoyong finished speaking, he immediately gestured for the nearest disciple to step forward and draw a spiritual seed.
Chen Jinshu tucked away her Spiritual Herbist's Handbook, her curiosity piqued by this unexpected test from the elder.
She hadn't thought that the Medicine King Peak elder would not only lecture but also assess how well his disciples absorbed the teachings.
The disciple named by Gu Zhēnrén obediently stepped forward, reached into the brownish cloth pouch, and fumbled around a bit before pulling out a shriveled brown seed.
All eyes turned to him. When they saw the seed in his hand, their expressions turned solemn.
The seed was withered and low in spiritual essence—exactly the kind Gu Zhēnrén had talked about during his lecture on plant cultivation.
A few disciples nervously swallowed. They had started the lecture with full attention… but after about an hour, most had begun nodding off. The shame was real.
"Next! Don't dawdle. I don't have time to waste. Anyone who doesn't pull a spiritual seed today—your assessment in half a month is automatically void!"
Seeing no one else stepping forward, Gu Zhēnrén snapped sharply. The disciples flinched.
But the scolding was effective. More students quickly stepped forward to draw their seeds. Chen Jinshu waited near the end of the line, her heart fluttering with anticipation. What kind of seed would she pull?
Soon, it was her turn.
She nervously slipped her hand into the cloth pouch, and after a brief search, grasped a round, slick seed. She lifted it up and examined it. The seed was pitch-black and gleamed faintly with white light.
Its life force was rich and full, though the shell was solid—definitely not easy to crack. She immediately recalled Gu Zhēnrén earlier mention of methods for softening seeds with hardened shells.
"If you've drawn your seed, go and start nurturing it!"
The elder's voice broke her thoughts. She instinctively gripped the seed tighter—she knew this was his not-so-subtle way of snapping her out of it. She gave an awkward smile, put the seed away, and quickly returned to her meditation cushion.
Moments later, every disciple present had drawn a spiritual seed.
Gu Zhēnrén waved them off.
Only then did the disciples respectfully exit the Medicine King Hall. Today's lecture had left Chen Jinshu feeling oddly nostalgic, as if she were back in her clan's family school. Shaking off the sentiment, she rose and headed toward the exit.
The large doors had barely opened when five or six disciples rushed into the hall, hurrying to Gu Zhēnrén and offering apologetic bows. To her surprise, the elder didn't scold them. He even let them draw seeds. But something told Chen Jinshu this elder wasn't the type to easily forgive tardiness.
Once outside, she activated Rainbow Step and shot off in the direction of Ink Plum Courtyard, vanishing in a flash of crimson light.
She didn't even hear the person calling her name behind her.
——
A few moments later, on the pathway to Ink Plum Courtyard halfway up the mountain—
"Senior sister, please wait!"
A streak of green light chased after her. The voice that followed was bright and feminine. Chen Jinshu turned to see a petite, sprightly-looking girl, barely up to her forehead in height.
"What is it, junior sister?" Chen Jinshu already had a hunch, but decided to ask anyway—easier to say no that way.
"During today's lecture, I got so sleepy halfway through and… dozed off. When I woke up, I saw how focused you were taking notes, and I was truly impressed. But I'm not very bright and missed most of the lesson… Could you let me borrow your notes for a bit?"
As she spoke, the younger disciple tugged slightly at her sleeve, her voice soft and shy.
"And you are…?" Chen Jinshu raised a brow.
"Gu Xinxin! But senior sister can just call me Xinxin." She giggled lightly, flashing a sweet smile as if quite pleased with her little speech.
"I meant… do we know each other?"
"Ah? Senior sister… are you reluctant?" Gu Xinxin blinked in confusion, then looked down with watery eyes. "I just want a quick look. Otherwise, there's no way I'll pass the assessment in half a month. Please help me!"
She bowed deeply, but before she could finish, Chen Jinshu stopped her with a wave of spiritual energy.
"I wasn't taking notes. I was sketching herbs."
Chen Jinshu's eyes were calm and unmoved. Of course she knew what this girl wanted—she fell asleep during the lecture and now wanted to leech off someone else's notes.
But those notes weren't ordinary. They contained years of her third uncle's cultivation wisdom on spiritual plants. Why should she just hand them over?
Besides, it was clear from one look that Gu Xinxin was someone who wanted things handed to her without working for them. If she had been sincere and polite, maybe—just maybe—Chen Jinshu would've hesitated. But this little act of helpless pity? Who was she trying to fool?
She preferred to keep her distance.
Gu Xinxin knew Chen Jinshu was lying.
Who dared sketch herbs in front of a Zhēnrén during a formal lecture?
"Senior sister, please…!" Gu Xinxin gritted her teeth and offered three spirit stones.
Chen Jinshu didn't even glance at them. "First, we don't know each other. Even if we're both from Medicine Peak, we've never spoken. I'm not helping a stranger.
Second, you have hands and feet—why not try using them to figure things out on your own? Why play the victim in front of me?"
"If someone saw us, they'd think I bullied you."
Without waiting for a response, Chen Jinshu turned and used Rainbow Step again, streaking off into the distance. She didn't return to Ink Plum Courtyard right away but took a few extra turns down different paths until she was sure she had shaken Gu Xinxin off.
Gu Xinxin, left behind once more, stamped her foot in frustration.
——
A while later, Chen Jinshu circled back and finally returned to Ink Plum Courtyard after confirming the coast was clear.
"Didn't expect to run into such a weirdo today," she muttered.
With a sigh, she pulled out the spiritual seed she'd drawn from Gu Zhēnrén bag.
"Pitch-black, hard shell, but still alive… What kind of herb does this belong to?"
She murmured to herself and began flipping through references, matching appearances to known species.
Before long, she found it in the Great Compendium of Spiritual Plants—Ice Lotus Seed, or more specifically, Xuanming Ice Lotus Seed.
It was a rare variant cultivated by the Xuanming Sect's spiritual plant masters. The ice lotus had a tranquilizing effect, and pills refined from it—Concentration Pills—could help enhance mental focus and spiritual awareness.
But Xuanming Ice Lotus Seeds were notoriously difficult to cultivate. The black, rock-hard shell was a protective layer grown by the lotus to shield the seed.
Breaking through it required specialized methods. And the black shell might also conceal a bad seed—rotted from poor storage. Which meant that within the sect, the seeds were expensive and could cost many spirit stones to trade for even one blooming ice lotus.
"I've got such good luck! I actually drew something this valuable."
Chen Jinshu's eyes lit up with joy as she learned more about the seed. It might be tough for others to cultivate—but not for her. What she needed now was to figure out how to crack the seed and get it to sprout, bloom, and produce new seeds within half a month. That way, she wouldn't have to spend a fortune sourcing seeds for herself.
The only problem was that the Xuanming Ice Lotus, being a cultivated hybrid, usually matured around April or May. Even with the time-accelerated flow of her spirit herb space, it would still take two to three months.
At best, she could get it to sprout.
And maybe grow a few shoots.