The remnant leaf from the diseased Cold Star Grass had been planted in a corner at the edge of the Black Earth within the Jade Pendant space.

Chen Ping held no great expectations.

The leaf was weak in vitality, and being a delicate spiritual herb, it would be normal if even the miraculous Black Earth couldn’t revive it. He had simply left a spot for it out of habit.

Every day upon returning to his stone hut, aside from his unwavering practice of the Vitality Technique, he would check on the condition of these “treasures.”

The Dew Condensing Grass was growing the best. At the spot where he had plucked a leaf, a new sprout had already emerged, and the entire plant was brimming with vitality.

The sprout of the Blood Stanching Vine had grown a little taller—pale green and very slender.

The bud point of the Earth Root Tuber had transformed into two small, thick green leaves.

The root of the Red Sun Flower had also grown into a small seedling with two slightly reddish, tender leaves atop it.

Finally, he turned his gaze to the remnant leaf of the Cold Star Grass.

On the first day, the wilted leaf was stuck in the soil, its tip yellowed and withered, showing no change.

On the second day, it seemed… the leaf had straightened just a tiny bit? The yellowing hadn’t spread.

On the third day, the deep green part of the leaf seemed to have regained some of its luster.

On the fourth day, Chen Ping crouched down and looked closely. At the broken end of the petiole buried in the Black Earth, the soil surface seemed to have bulged ever so slightly.

Holding his breath, he gingerly brushed away a bit of loose soil with his fingertip.

Several rootlets, finer than hair and nearly transparent white, had tenaciously extended from the broken end of the petiole, lightly resting on the Black Earth.

It lived!

Chen Ping’s heart gave a sudden leap.

Despite being mentally prepared, witnessing this nearly dead remnant leaf revive with vitality and take root in the Black Earth still filled him with awe.

He didn’t make a sound and exited the space. Taking out the Compendium of Hundred Herbs, he flipped to the page on Cold Star Grass and studied it carefully once more.

[…Extremely cold and solitary in nature. Requires watering with Cold Pond Water and nourishment with specially made Cold Jade Powder… Grows slowly, maturing only after three years… Difficult to produce seeds; mostly propagated through Division Propagation… The older it gets, the purer its cold energy and the stronger its medicinal potency…]

Three years to mature.

Chen Ping noted this silently.

It meant he couldn’t rely on it to enhance his strength in the short term, but in the long run, its value was immense.

Propagation by division was a viable path.

His gaze fell on the line: “The older it gets, the purer its cold energy and the stronger its medicinal potency.”

It seemed that for these more valuable spiritual herbs, age was the core of their worth.

In the following days, everything continued as usual.

Chen Ping, dressed in his indigo-blue Manager’s uniform, patrolled the West Area of the Hundred Herb Garden.

He spoke little, mainly observing. He watched the regular servants water and fertilize, observing the growth of the spiritual herbs.

Wang Fa remained an important source of information. Chen Ping would ask about details regarding care, especially concerning the characteristics of the cold-natured spiritual herbs in the East Area—using the excuse of avoiding another incident like the Red Sun Flower interference.

In the West Area, the Cold Star Grass rescued by Bai Zhi had stabilized.

The wilted yellow at its leaf tip hadn’t completely disappeared, but the newly grown leaves were emerald green and healthy, with silver stars shining brightly. The crisis was considered resolved.

Occasionally encountering Bai Zhi on the garden paths, her cool gaze would linger on Chen Ping for an extra moment.

Chen Ping would always give a slight bow and call out “Manager Bai,” then continue with his own tasks, his eyes calm and unreadable.

Bai Zhi never engaged in conversation either; she would simply nod and pass by.

A week later, Chen Ping entered the Jade Pendant space again.

He immediately headed toward the remnant Cold Star Grass leaf.

The remnant leaf had completely transformed.

The originally limp leaf had become firm and upright, its deep green color more intense. The silver spots on its back were clearly visible, emitting a faint cold energy.

Most importantly, for its buried part: those white rootlets had grown thicker, firmly gripping onto the Black Earth. They branched out into even more fine root hairs deeply embedded into the soil. Although the entire plant consisted of only one lonely leaf, it exuded robust vitality.

Success!

A weight lifted off Chen Ping’s heart—this Cold Star Grass had firmly established itself upon the Black Earth.

The next morning, when the regular servants went to the Back Mountain to fetch water from the Cold Pond, Chen Ping found an excuse to follow them.

He personally watched them use specially made wooden buckets—their inner walls seemingly inscribed with simple characters—to draw water from deep within the icy crevice where the pond eye continuously emitted threads of cold air.

The water was crystal clear, the bottom visible. It was piercingly icy to the touch, and the surface even condensed a thin layer of white mist.

Seizing an opportunity unnoticed, he quickly scooped up some genuine Cold Pond Water into his own small bamboo tube and hid it inside his robe’s front pocket.

That night, entering the space again, he carefully poured a precious few drops of Cold Pond Water onto the roots of the newly born Cold Star Grass. Just a few drops, but it was enough. The leaf seemed to slightly unfurl a bit more, and the cold air lingering at the leaf tip appeared to solidify a fraction further.

As for the Purifying Grass inside the space—Chen Ping no longer consumed them.

After reaching fifty sets of exercises, regardless of how much Purifying Grass he ate, the strength increase was minimal—negligible, like a mud ox entering the sea.

He knew the Purifying Grass had lost its value to him now.

He harvested the Purifying Grass seeds but didn’t sow them again—that meager medicinal power was useless to him. As for selling them for money? Here at the Servant Peak, he couldn’t find a safe, reliable channel. Rather than take the risk, it was better to accumulate and wait for an opportunity. He collected the seeds and stored them away in a corner of the space instead.

Chen Ping’s attention was fully focused upon the true spiritual herbs inside the space now.

Besides the newly born Cold Star Grass, the best growth was seen in the Dew Condensing Grass plant. Where he had plucked a leaf before, it had long since grown new, even thicker leaves. The dew drops at its heart were about to drip, emitting a plant essence aura richer than those in the garden several times over.

Without hesitation, he plucked another mature Dew Condensing Grass leaf and placed it in his mouth again. The icy sweet flavor spread open once more—gentle, yet vast.

He immediately assumed his stance inside the space and began to practice.

Fifty-one sets… fifty-two sets… fifty-five sets!

His movements were still steady, but the cool energy flowing inside washed deeper obstructions within his body. After finishing the practice, his body felt even more clear and unobstructed.

Though the strength increase was still slow, he indeed felt that stagnant Bottleneck loosen just a bit.

Days passed uneventfully, One After Another.

Chen Ping’s time in the Hundred Herb Garden had already reached two months just like that.

The spiritual herbs in the Jade Pendant space were undergoing a silent, continuous transformation.

The Dew Condensing Grass had already grown close to the size described in the Compendium of Hundred Herbs. It was a division mother plant with lush branches and leaves. The thick leaves held dew drops at their heart like pearls.

That revived remnant leaf of the Cold Star Grass was even thicker and tougher, the silver stars on its back shining brightly. It emitted cold energy that lowered the temperature several degrees around it.

More importantly, near its root close to the main stem, several grain-sized, pale green tiny buds had actually sprouted!

The Blood Stanching Vine sprout had grown into a three-foot-long slender vine, with dark brown vine skin beginning to show. The Earth Root Tuber seedling had grown three thick green leaves. The Red Sun Flower seedling had also grown palm-high, its leaves edges tinged with a faint red hue.

Chen Ping’s gaze mainly fell upon the Dew Condensing Grass and Cold Star Grass plants now.

The Compendium of Hundred Herbs recorded: Dew Condensing Grass matures in one year and can propagate by cutting or root division after two years. Cold Star Grass matures in three years; it is difficult to produce seeds and is mainly propagated by Division Propagation (i.e., separating new buds sprouted from the root).

Now, the Dew Condensing Grass was already in a division state and possessed the ability for Division Propagation. The Cold Star Grass, though far from mature, had several buds sprouted from the root, meaning it also possessed the condition for Division Propagation.

The time had come.

Chen Ping decided to conduct his first large-scale transplanting operation.