Chapter 143: A New Conceptual Material

What’s a numerical monster?

This is a numerical monster!

The most terrifying part was that as both systems’ cultivation advanced, Jie Ming’s multiplicative effect could grow exponentially!

“What a pity… at this stage, there’s only this one perfect synergy.” Jie Ming sighed after indulging in the possibilities.

Since cultivators primarily harnessed spiritual qi, perfectly blending both systems was no small feat. Even the runic artifact’s creation was a fortunate accident.

But this research illuminated the future potential of his runic artifacts.

Fueled by inspiration, Jie Ming dove deeper into his studies, practically living in the laboratory.

While he was engrossed in exploring the divine faith network, mortal emotions, and the new discoveries of his runic artifacts, the “Golden Garden,” transformed from Golden Harbor, took shape under the tireless labor of tens of thousands of modified Elosia residents.

It wasn’t until he received the first completion report from his craftsmen that he snapped out of his focus.

Almost instantly, he teleported above the garden, gazing down at the sight below.

The scene took his breath away. In just one or two months, a vast area once filled with ruins had been transformed into the foundation of a garden.

Though his provided equipment played a role, the speed spoke to the workers’ diligence.

Mere preliminary modifications couldn’t yield such commanding results.

David had clearly chosen well—these workers were pragmatic, aware that the Elosia plane’s ruling authority had changed.

Before him stretched a truly boundless garden.

From above, it resembled a colossal, colorful tapestry.

Flowers of every kind, meticulously arranged, flowed like rivers, converging into vibrant seas of color.

With generous point-based incentives, nearly every flower species from Elosia’s main plane had been planted.

The flower sea seemed endless.

Early in construction, Jie Ming had used wizard technologies to ensure the flowers could thrive in dense planting.

Special environmental zones even allowed rare transcendent flowers to adapt.

Unlike most wizard-built transcendent herb gardens, this garden primarily grew ordinary mortal flowers.

With Jie Ming’s advanced equipment, they flourished at an unbelievable density, vibrant and healthy, without any signs of crowding or blight.

Only a few areas near the mansion’s core were dotted with transcendent floral plants, their faint elemental glows invigorating nearby mortal flowers and adding a mystical hue to the garden.

Custom arrays ensured flowers of different blooming seasons could flourish year-round.

The garden was perpetually in full bloom, a dazzling display of myriad colors.

The air brimmed with rich floral fragrances—sweet, fresh, and mingled with the moist scent of soil and dew, uplifting the spirit.

Though devoid of transcendent power, the sheer spectacle of the flower sea far exceeded Jie Ming’s expectations.

Descending into the garden, he strolled along a cobblestone path.

Satisfied, he gathered the workers and issued new orders.

“From today, you’ll collect the dew condensed on these flowers at dawn, which I call ‘Hundred Flower Dew.’ You’ll also maintain the garden’s daily operations—pruning, watering, fertilizing—to keep it in peak condition.” His voice, amplified by sorcery, rang clearly in the ears of tens of thousands.

“Whether collecting Hundred Flower Dew or maintaining the garden, you’ll earn coins. With these, you can buy necessities—food, clothing, tools, even rare magical items.”

Jie Ming’s goals were simple and clear.

The first was to collect pure Hundred Flower Dew.

The second, more critical goal was to rebuild a functioning society among the garden’s tens of thousands of inhabitants.

A society with production, trade, labor, and needs.

Only then could they generate diverse, complex emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, greed, obsession, and desires for wealth and work.

These would continuously supply him with the invaluable mortal qi!

Of course, the garden’s primary purpose wasn’t just for Hundred Flower Dew or mortal qi.

Watching the workers, organized by overseers, begin their tasks efficiently, Jie Ming nodded in approval and silently returned to his mansion’s underground chamber.

He needed… to prepare.

At dawn, the first rays of sunlight pierced the mist, scattering across the garden’s petals.

Dewdrops sparkled like crystals.

Jie Ming finished his daily cultivation, absorbing a wisp of eastern purple qi as the sun rose, then stood slowly instead of diving into research.

After a rare breakfast, he strolled from the mansion, along the path, into the vast flower sea.

Many were already busy collecting Hundred Flower Dew, but even with nearly ten thousand workers, gathering dew from the colossal garden before the sun fully rose was daunting.

As the sun climbed, residual dew on the flowers evaporated.

Some collectors, seeing this, showed visible disappointment.

With ample resources, Jie Ming paid well for the dew.

For these former commoners, such a low-effort, high-paying task was rare.

To them, evaporating dew was like watching coins vanish.

Jie Ming didn’t mind the loss.

Gazing at the flowers unfurling under the sunlight, he circulated his true essence, focusing his eyes.

A faint golden sheen gleamed in his dark pupils, piercing mortal veils to behold the vibrant flower sea.

His vision revealed what mortal eyes couldn’t—wisps of varied, ethereal energies, like gentle breezes, rising from the tips of flowers and leaves, only to dissipate like bubbles in the wind, a fleeting dream.

These were the astral and baleful qi of the flora!

Varying in hue with the flowers’ attributes, some carried their unique fragrances.

In the cultivation world, floral astral and baleful qi was a specialized concept.

Born from the vibrant vitality of plants interacting with heaven and earth’s energies, it carried their primal essence and tenacity.

Per the Great Dao Book Pavilion, this was a minor path in the cultivation world.

For instance, an ancient method among Qi Refiners, the “Twelve Floral Baleful Astral Arts,” required collecting the astral and baleful qi of twelve distinct spiritual flowers, nurtured within the twelve meridians, to master the technique.

If successful, it granted twelve potent spells, combinable into an indestructible protective treasure in critical moments.

Its flaw was clear: as a minor path, it focused on destructive power and was perilous to cultivate, risking backlash and annihilation.

For someone as extravagant as Jie Ming, such a minor path held little appeal.

He didn’t aim to refine this qi into his body but to collect it as a premium conceptual material for crafting.

Few would bother, as it was a minor path.

Orthodox cultivators dismissed it, unwilling to expend effort on such a vast garden, while rogue cultivators, though interested, often lacked the methods to harvest or refine it.

Only someone like Jie Ming, with his unique circumstances, would seek to create every possible conceptual material.

With a thought, he drew a palm-sized gourd from his spatial pouch.

Made of jade-like material, it was smooth and radiant with a faint glow.

Its surface bore intricate golden patterns—not wizard runes, but array inscriptions unique to the cultivation world’s crafting methods.

This was a specialized tool Jie Ming had crafted to collect astral and baleful qi—the Qi Harvesting Gourd.

He activated a recently learned qi harvesting technique, channeling true essence into the gourd.

The golden patterns lit up, and an invisible suction emanated from the gourd’s mouth. Jie Ming raised it, aiming at the rising floral qi.

Fine, invisible strands of astral and baleful qi, like iron filings to a magnet, were drawn from the flower sea, swiftly sucked into the gourd.

A faint halo shimmered on the gourd’s surface, as if devouring these unique energies.

Soon, the qi from the nearby flower patch was fully absorbed.

Retrieving the gourd, Jie Ming sensed its contents and smiled with satisfaction.

“Not bad! Not bad!”