In fact, just a minute ago, Li Ban thought his experiment was a complete failure.
But as the sky grew dark, the red fruit tree in his Cubic Space—which hadn't shown the slightest change—suddenly experienced a burst of life. A tender new sprig sprouted from its withered branches.
The sprig rapidly lengthened and thickened. Without growing a single green leaf, it directly bore three fruits.
The fruits expanded quickly, their color shifting from black to red.
Because the three fruits had not formed at the exact same time, one seemed to be under a time-acceleration effect. It ripened to its absolute peak and suddenly dropped to the ground.
Soon after, the other two fell as well.
Li Ban took two of them out. He and Zhu Yao examined the red fruits in astonishment, comparing them to the ones from before. They found the new ones were fresher and plumper, their red color much richer and more vibrant.
Zhu Yao hadn't expected Li Ban to succeed on his very first try.
"What materials did you use?"
"They'll probably say they should have found you the largest red fruit tree," Zhu Yao said. "Who knows, it might have produced four, five, or even more red fruits."
"No," Li Ban replied. "Sacrificing an entire red fruit tree to yield just two or three fruits doesn't hold much research value for them. If anything, they might feel I wasted the few red fruit trees that still had some vitality."
"No, it's not a waste." Zhu Yao carefully inspected the fruit in her hand. "I've seen red fruits freshly picked from the tree. They weren't as large as this, nor were they as red. I suspect the red fruits you got... can be used as seeds!"
"I wouldn't know about that." Li Ban used his Spirit Vision technique to check the fruit in his hand. He indeed felt a unique vitality within it, a life force that completely contrasted with the lifeless, desolate atmosphere of this world.
'Could it be that my Cubic Space infused some of the Star River's power while nurturing it?'
When Li Ban checked the remaining fruit inside his Cubic Space, he was stunned to find it missing. In the exact spot where the fruit had fallen, a tiny, tender green sprout had already poked through the soil.
'Isn't this way too fast?'
Li Ban knew his Cubic Space could accelerate plant growth, but no matter how fast a seed grew, it was impossible for it to sprout in mere seconds.
'It shouldn't just be a result of my Cubic Space. This red fruit is inherently special.'
At that moment, a figure suddenly rushed up to Li Ban and Zhu Yao.
"How... how did you get these two seed fruits?" Dr. Wang Min, the man with the most extensive crop cultivation experience, recognized the distinct nature of the red fruits in their hands without even needing a closer look.
After using his Spirit Vision technique for a brief, close-up observation, he immediately concluded that there was a high probability these two red fruits could be used as seeds.
Li Ban didn't hide anything. He told Wang Min about his experiment, only concealing the fact that his Cubic Space might be different from those of other people.
"Do—do you have any more of these cultivation materials?" Wang Min asked urgently, unable to maintain his usual calm demeanor.
"No more. Before falling into the Recycling Station, I only kept a tiny bit on me. I never expected it would actually come in handy one day."
"Sigh! Sigh! Sigh!" Dr. Wang Min let out three consecutive sighs of profound regret. However, he quickly rallied his spirits. "It's fine, it's fine. Priest Li Ban, please tell me all the materials you used. I'll see if I can find substitutes for them within the Recycling Station."
Li Ban recounted everything contained in the cultivation blood. Dr. Wang Min turned to leave, but halfway there, he spun back around and looked at Li Ban with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Could you give me one of the seed fruits? I want to study it and then try planting it."
Li Ban handed both fruits to Dr. Wang Min.
"Of course. I came here to help you all in the first place."
Inside Li Ban's Cubic Space, a red fruit tree was already growing at a breakneck pace. In just this short time, it had sprouted small brown branches. Naturally, he didn't need to hold onto these two red seed fruits.
This time, Dr. Wang Min was genuinely moved with gratitude.
But time was of the essence. Terrified of any accidents befalling the two fruits, he could only leave behind a hasty promise. "No matter what, I will remember your kindness! Regardless of what the Black Beast Camp promised you, our Bell Tower Camp will absolutely offer you an additional reward!"
With that, he turned and sprinted off, not looking like a Priest in the slightest.
When Priest Wang Min announced Li Ban's results to the other researching Priests, the crowd erupted into an uproar.
They all wanted to run over and see how Li Ban had done it, but Dr. Wang Min caught them and assigned tasks to each one. Forced to suppress their curiosity, they could only focus on cultivating the red seed fruits.
Priestess Huinv, who had always seemed somewhat detached from everything, floated over gracefully. "I didn't expect you to actually succeed."
She hadn't thought it possible, and this sudden surprise made Priestess Huinv narrow her eyes in a smile, deepening the wrinkles at their corners. "As expected, even in the Recycling Station, the world belongs to the youth."
Beside her, Zhu Yao said softly, "Priestess Hui, you aren't old either."
"Heh. Priestess Yao, I am a full thirty years older than you."
"To a Priest, thirty years is nothing."
"Is that so? Heh, then fifty years shouldn't be much either, right?"
Zhu Yao didn't quite understand why Priestess Huinv brought up a fifty-year timeframe, but she nodded anyway. "Yes. For a Priest, a gap of fifty or even a hundred years isn't much. The true difference lies in cultivation and state of mind."
"If only others could think like you." Priestess Huinv put her hands behind her back and drifted away quietly, as if she had come over merely to offer Li Ban a single word of praise.
"Zhu Yao, do you know Priestess Huinv?" Li Ban asked only after the others had walked far away.
Earlier, Zhu Yao and Priestess Huinv hadn't explicitly greeted each other; they had seemed like complete strangers.
Zhu Yao nodded, her expression somewhat emotional. "Actually, I know many of the Priests in the Recycling Station. After all, the total number of Priests in the Wizard World isn't particularly large. Priestess Huinv is a Dark Moon Priest of the Imperial Dynasty faction. She is Priest Chu Zhan's disciple. I'm not sure if you know Priest Chu Zhan."
"It's a small world. I'm very familiar with Priest Chu Zhan."
They were, in name, an Emperor and a Prince.
Zhu Yao thought it over. She was also quite familiar with Priest Chu Zhan. If her counterpart on the outside was Li Ban's guide, then it was perfectly normal for Li Ban to know Priest Chu Zhan.
But to say he was "very familiar"... well, perhaps they shared some other encounters.
As the two conversed, Priest Lu Yi brought over another red fruit tree that had just been dug out of the soil.
"Priest Li Ban, could I trouble you to try planting this tree in your Cubic Space? We figure there might still be some residual cultivation materials inside, and you might just produce a few more seed fruits."
"I can, but this red fruit tree is too large. It won't fit in my Cubic Space. Please prune it a bit."
Without a word of protest, Priest Lu Yi pulled out a large pair of shears and began pruning it like a gardener.
A guard from the Bell Tower Camp, seeing Lu Yi personally busying himself, hurried over. "Priest Lu Yi, let me prune it."
Only then did Lu Yi remember that he could order others to do the work. However, after a moment of thought, he refused. "No. You're too clumsy. What if you damage the red fruit tree's vitality?"
In the end, Priest Lu Yi finished pruning the entire red fruit tree by himself, stopping only when Li Ban said the size was right.
Li Ban planted the second red fruit tree into his Cubic Space. "I've got it planted on my end, but going by my previous experience, it might take a few hours."
"That's fine. Just let me know whenever it's ready."
Having obtained the seed fruits, even Lu Yi, who usually had a poor complexion, seemed much more energetic.
Watching a sweating Priest Lu Yi walk away happily, Zhu Yao sighed. "As expected, where there are seeds, there is hope."
After a moment of thought, Zhu Yao added, "I just hope they don't ruin those two seeds."
"If they really get ruined, they'll call you a jinx. Still, it shouldn't come to that. The vitality of those two red fruits is extremely tenacious."
Li Ban took another look at the red fruit tree inside his Cubic Space and found that the sapling was already half a meter tall.
He suddenly felt a bit troubled. If it kept growing like this, combined with the dead red fruit tree next to it, his Cubic Space wouldn't be able to hold them!
Li Ban had no intention of taking out this rapidly growing red fruit tree for the time being.
The birth of the two seed fruits could still be attributed to the secret cultivation formula provided by Lady Kui. But for a red fruit tree to grow from seed to full tree in just a few hours—he truly had no other way to explain that.
Especially in a place like the Recycling Station, where even Priests could be turned into cultivation vessels for White Seeds. Li Ban didn't want to end up as a captive plantation for other Priests.
As for the second red fruit tree placed into his Cubic Space, Li Ban didn't really care about it.
After all, the other Priests had already tried using their own Cubic Spaces. They would instinctively believe that the true reason the red fruit tree produced seed fruits was the materials in the cultivation blood.
Therefore, regardless of whether Li Ban's second red fruit tree bore fruit, they wouldn't overly anticipate a third or a fourth tree, and thus wouldn't cause any trouble for him.
The night passed just like that. While the busy ones ran themselves ragged, Li Ban continued studying spells with Zhu Yao.
Zhu Yao took out her Self-Seeking Mirror. "The Self-Seeking Mirror doesn't react in the Recycling Station. Li Ban, once you leave here, you really must begin your daily heart cultivation. In life, experiencing massive ups and downs is heart cultivation, and living a plain and ordinary life is also heart cultivation."
Li Ban also brought out a Self-Seeking Mirror, though his was the mirror belonging to the Faceless One, Shaman Ming.
He tapped his knuckles against the glass, but he still couldn't see Shaman Ming or his stone throne appear within it.
Shaking his head, Li Ban put the mirror away again. "But my experience entering the Recycling Station could be considered a milestone in my journey of heart cultivation. To think I encountered such a massive event before I've even properly started... sigh."
The corners of Zhu Yao's lips curled up. "This way, you can live a plain, leisurely life in the future and experience the true essence of living."
"I hope so." Li Ban didn't hold out much hope.
He wondered if Du An would be caught by the time he returned to the Wizard World, and whether the issue with the Black Robe Xiao Suo would be resolved.
If neither had been dealt with, his days in the Wizard World would likely still be fraught with considerable danger.
'Sigh, I wonder how Priest Qian Que and the others are doing,' Li Ban lamented in his heart.
The incident back then had happened too suddenly. Aside from knowing that Priest Jun was likely beyond saving, Li Ban had no idea what had become of everyone else.
Moreover, according to Shaman Ming, he had only taken Li Ban's soul away. That meant Li Ban's body should still be in the Myriad Ancient Pagoda.
Li Ban wasn't actually worried about his own body, but he was curious. If he returned to the Wizard World with Gu Yi's body, how was he supposed to use both bodies in the future?
The night passed. The second red fruit tree Li Ban had planted in his Cubic Space hadn't produced any new red fruits.
Meanwhile, Dr. Wang Min and the others had made some progress in their research on the seed fruits.
Thus, Li Ban only needed to continue waiting for the red fruit tree in his Cubic Space to undergo a change.
He waited until the third day—which was also the final day of his agreement with the Black Beast Camp—yet the withered red fruit tree in his Cubic Space still showed not the slightest change.
This confirmed to Li Ban that the red fruit tree bearing seed fruits was the result of a joint effort between the cultivation vessel and his Cubic Space. Relying solely on one party's involvement wouldn't necessarily yield any results.
On the evening of the third day, per their agreement, it was time for Li Ban and Zhu Yao to return to the Black Beast Camp.
But at this moment, Dr. Wang Min suddenly spoke up, hoping Li Ban and Zhu Yao would stay for another ten days.
"After all, there isn't much nutrient solution left. The red fruit tree in the space might need more time before it can produce seed fruits."
Zhu Yao frowned slightly, her guard already raised.
Li Ban spoke slowly. "But over these past two days, it hasn't changed at all. I can take the red fruit tree out for you to see. If there really is any valuable change, then staying for another ten days or a half month isn't out of the question. But I don't want to meaninglessly waste my time."
Priest Lu Yi hastily pulled Dr. Wang Min back. "If you take it out, it might cause secondary damage to the red fruit tree, and its vitality will drop again."
His implication was that it was best not to take the withered red fruit tree out, and instead directly extend the cultivation time.
It could be said that his attitude was entirely tied to the red fruit tree, completely unconcerned with any other people or matters.
Zhu Yao was not someone who liked to show her emotions, but at this moment, she took the initiative to step in front of Li Ban. "What, are you treating us as your prisoners?"
Dr. Wang Min remained silent, seemingly genuinely considering whether he should forcefully detain Zhu Yao and Li Ban.
Li Ban didn't speak immediately. He just tilted his head and looked at the Priests opposite him, an ambiguous smile hanging on his face.
Just then, Priestess Huinv walked over expressionlessly to stand beside Li Ban and Zhu Yao, facing the other Priests together with them.
Another Priest from the Black Beast Camp stared at Priestess Huinv in sheer astonishment. "You?"
Priestess Huinv spoke indifferently. "The Black Beast Camp invited Li Ban. They are our guests, and we cannot stand idly by and watch our guests be threatened by others."
Priestess Huinv's frank attitude in defending them left the others momentarily speechless.
Dr. Wang Min said sternly, "Huinv, this isn't a matter of just one camp—"
Priestess Huinv, however, didn't let him finish.
She chuckled softly. "Don't try to guilt-trip me with the greater good. It's useless."
Li Ban hadn't expected Priestess Huinv, who always seemed indifferent to everything, to step up and firmly support him.
He naturally couldn't let her stand at the very forefront of the confrontation.
"Dr. Wang Min, quit while you're ahead. This red fruit forest isn't exactly large, but it isn't small either. If the Priests start fighting, there might be nothing left of it at all."