Standing inside the Spiritual Plant Cabin, Ning Zhuo first activated the Array within the cabin.
This Array, inherently part of the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, was quite basic, primarily providing Mana with accompanying Universe Path powers, capable of folding vast amounts of space.
On this Array's foundation, Ning Zhuo began setting up a new Array.
He arranged many Eight Diagrams Stones as the base of the array, then with a hard pen inscribed numerous Array Patterns, and finally used a Heavenly Dipper Stone as the heart of the array and several Spirit Jades to form the Array Eye.
This was the Eight Diagrams Wind Returning Array.
The Spirit Jades were arranged according to the positions of the Eight Diagrams, and upon activation of the Array, a whirlwind of Spiritual Energy immediately formed.
From that moment on, Ning Zhuo could adjust the flow of Spiritual Energy within the cabin.
He manipulated the Array, adjusting for a long time until he was satisfied. Strands of Spiritual Energy continuously circulated within the cabin, their positions quite fixed and not shifting randomly.
"This is essentially the prototype of an artificial spirit vein, haha," uttered Ning Zhuo with a sense of accomplishment.
He continued constructing.
He took out a large amount of Xuanhuang Soil, filling it into the Spiritual Plant Cabin.
The height of the soil quickly reached his waist, and Ning Zhuo activated the basic Array inside the cabin to fold and compress the space within the soil.
The height of the soil quickly dropped to the level of Ning Zhuo's ankles.
Ning Zhuo paused the folding of the basic Array and continued pouring soil, cycling back and forth three times, until the soil was filled to standard.
He took out the Three Treasures Spirit Soil.
This Spirit Soil was quite particular, involving a combination from Heavenly Treasure, Earth Treasure, and Human Treasure, which when matched together, complemented and enhanced each other.
For instance, the Three Treasures Spirit Soil he held contained Heavenly Treasure Purple Mist Wind, Earth Treasure Magma Blood, and Human Treasure Hero Ash, which were carefully blended and refined to form this product.
Such Spirit Soil was extremely precious within the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect. Only some top-tier herbs required this kind of soil.
Thanks to Lin Shanshan, otherwise Ning Zhuo, being an outsider, would definitely not have been able to acquire such fine materials.
This would be hard to find even in the regular Immortal City Market.
Ning Zhuo first dug a pit and arranged all the Three Treasures Spirit Soil in it, then took out Five-Colored Divine Sand and evenly sprinkled it on top of the Spirit Soil.
Ning Zhuo pulled out a Magic Artifact Bottle from his chest and slowly poured out Star River Spirit Liquid.
The Star River Spirit Liquid flowed, twinkling with specks of starlight, very eye-catching.
The Spiritual Liquid moistened the soil.
Ning Zhuo quietly waited.
After a moment, he crouched down, used his Divine Sense to permeate, and closely observed the soil in the pit.
Seeing it was quite dry, he poured in some more Star River Spirit Liquid.
He only poured a little each time, being very cautious, until it finally met standards.
Ning Zhuo also had Sun Lingtong come over to check, to prevent any oversight or errors at first attempt.
Sun Lingtong, not deeply knowledgeable about these matters, could only refer to his past experiences of stealing Spirit Plants, carefully inspected the pit, and felt it was quite similar to the pits left behind after he uprooted entire Spirit Plants.
"I think this feels right!" he said to Ning Zhuo upon returning.
Ning Zhuo also knew that Sun Lingtong's confirmation was fundamentally more about reassurance.
He checked once more, ensuring that every point met the standards, before finally planting the Spirit Hidden Willow in the pit.
Subsequently, Ning Zhuo leveled and compacted the soil in the pit.
He then activated the Eight Diagrams Wind Returning Array, carefully adjusting the previously calibrated bundles of Spiritual Energy around the Spirit Hidden Willow.
Three bundles of Spiritual Energy, buried within the soil, intertwined with the roots of the Spirit Hidden Willow. Two more bundles, one passing through the canopy and the other at the midpoint of the trunk.
With this step completed, the Spiritual Energy that the Spirit Hidden Willow could absorb was much denser than before.
But it still wasn't as natural.
A major point in cultivating Spirit Plants was to emulate nature. The initial stage was to mimic the natural growing environment.
Because the bundles of Spiritual Energy were too concentrated, the Spiritual Energy couldn't disperse naturally.
This necessitated Ning Zhuo to set up a second Array.
Soon, the second and third Arrays were properly arranged and activated, with spring breezes circulating and accelerating the dispersion of Spiritual Energy bundles. The pleasant sounds were like birds chirping, crisp and melodious.
The two Arrays employed were specifically Three Li Spring Breeze and Pleasant Wonderful Sound.
The willow branches of Spirit Hidden Willow gently swayed in the wind, as if enjoying this rare tranquility and comfort.
Under the nourishment of abundant Spiritual Energy, the leaves of the Spirit Hidden Willow also appeared more lustrously radiant than before.
Sun Lingtong exclaimed, "This environment is really nice, I kind of want to move here to sleep."
Ning Zhuo shook his head, "Let's leave this place for the Spirit Hidden Willow."
"In the time we've been here, the two of us have used up a lot. Let it quietly recover and strive to regain its full vitality soon."
After Ning Zhuo finished all this, he was quite exhausted.
He slept deeply until the following day, then went to Yuanlai Mountain to find Lin Shanshan.
However, at the foot of the mountain, he was stopped.
"Ning Zhuo, is it?" The Foundation Establishment Cultivator who stopped him was a short individual named Lao De.
"It's Senior Brother Lao. Indeed, I am Ning Zhuo!" Ning Zhuo smiled warmly, proactively offering a courteous bow.
Lao De crossed his arms and looked down at Ning Zhuo, his eyes scanning him from head to toe with a hostile demeanor, "You dare to call Senior Brother Lao? You're not from our Ten Thousand Medicine Sect."
"Daoist Fellow Lao," Ning Zhuo replied with an undiminished smile, quickly correcting himself, his tone gentle.
Lao De snorted coldly, "I am Shanshan's third senior brother. Do you know that lately, Shanshan has been running around for you, neglecting her daily cultivation exercises?"
Ning Zhuo immediately responded earnestly, "Miss Lin has been busying herself for my sake, and I am deeply grateful, keeping it firmly in my heart! I will definitely repay her in the future."
Lao De waved his hand dismissively, "Don't talk about future repayment now. Shanshan has already been discovered by Lord Sect Leader for slacking off on her cultivation, and has been punished with confinement."
"You don't need to see her anymore today."
"How could this be! Miss Lin has sacrificed too much for me," Ning Zhuo changed color.
It was clear that Lao De was there specifically to intercept Ning Zhuo.
"There's nothing else, you can leave now," Lao De dismissed Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo bowed respectfully, inquiring about Lin Shanshan's recent situation, only to be ridiculed harshly by Lao De.
Helplessly, he had no choice but to return home.
Many eyes watched Ning Zhuo until his figure had completely disappeared from Yuanlai Mountain, after which the cultivators slowly withdrew their gazes.
"This kid is nothing special; why is our little junior sister so infatuated? I don't get it."
"Hmph, I detest this kind of pretty boy the most. He doesn't have much skill, but his eloquence truly is strong."
"Alright, now that the little junior sister has been locked up, let's figure out how much debt she has incurred to gather treasures for this stinking kid, Ning Zhuo. We as senior brothers should pool together and first settle the external debts she owes to several elders."
"It just doesn't feel right doing this."
"Yes, isn't this like us brothers bearing the burden for Ning Zhuo?"
"Call him over, make him pay!"
"Forget it, he's not just any common village man; he has a cultivator family behind him and is favored by the Golden Core Ancestor of his family. If we really do this, what will we do regarding cooperation between the Ning Family and our Ten Thousand Medicine Sect in the future?"
"But swallowing this loss makes me feel terrible."
"Who doesn't feel the same? But she's our little junior sister."
"Sigh, little junior sister really lost her head this time."
"In my view, she's completely enchained by that Ning Zhuo. I really feel for our eldest senior brother."
"If it weren't for the eldest senior brother being punished to guard the Myriad Demons Cave, would Ning Zhuo have had the chance to take advantage?"
The more the senior brothers discussed, the more indignation they felt.
"It won't do, we must teach Ning Zhuo a lesson, or else I won't be able to sleep well."
"Yes, even though he has the Ning Family behind him, they are far away at Fire Persimmon Mountain."
"We can't act directly, but we can certainly exert some influence by inciting those external stationed cultivators."
"A good idea, a good idea!"
After Ning Zhuo returned to his Cave Mansion, he soon received a report from Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong relayed to Ning Zhuo verbatim the discussions of Lin Shanshan's senior brothers.
It turned out that when Ning Zhuo had pretended to leave, he secretly threw the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon that was coiled around his waist into the woods.
Sun Lingtong then took control of the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon and followed Lao De, eventually overhearing all their conversations.
Ning Zhuo sighed, "Miss Lin has indeed sacrificed a lot for me. When the time comes, I must repay her."
Sun Lingtong rested his head on his hands, pondering the current situation, "Those cultivators want to deal with us, how should we handle this?"
Ning Zhuo slightly smiled, "They want to use external stationed cultivators to suppress me, it's indeed a good idea."
"Especially since my previous quick victory over Chang Yan did not convince everyone."
"So, it's very likely that a large number of external stationed cultivators, or even some strong ones among them, will challenge me."
"That's actually a good thing."
"I can just use this opportunity to hone my combat skills."
"Only, it's quite frustrating not having someone to practice martial arts with."
Saying this, Ning Zhuo looked at Sun Lingtong, "Boss Sun, what do you think of the people from Hanzhou?"
Sun Lingtong remarked, "His martial skills are quite fierce, and they complement his cultivation technique."
"Let's go talk to him," Ning Zhuo smiled, standing up.
Moments later, he met Hanzhou.
Hanzhou was puzzled by his arrival.
"Brother Hanzhou, shall we go inside to talk?" Ning Zhuo suggested proactively.
Hanzhou had no objections, welcoming Ning Zhuo into his cave mansion.
Ning Zhuo conversed with him, sharing his insights into the Bitter Cold Scripture.
Hanzhou's eyes widened, his heart filled with joy, "Ning Zhuo's understanding is impressive; he has actually grasped much of the Bitter Cold Scripture."
"This is great."
"If I can truly convert him, my contract will be much closer to completion."
Seeing the right moment, Ning Zhuo proposed a sparring match at the Martial Arts Arena with Hanzhou.
Hanzhou readily agreed!