Chapter 874: Zhang Xuan Burns the Tree (Part 2)

"Burn it?"

"We asked you to save the tree, not kill it!"

"Absurd, utterly preposterous! Anyone can kill a tree—why would we need your instruction?"

...

Hearing his words, everyone was first stunned, then erupted in fury.

This guy must be crazy!

He had dismissed everyone as worthless, and when asked to treat the tree, he wanted to burn it...

This Bodhi tree was the lifeblood of the royal Yu family. Several people had pleaded desperately, fearing they would offend His Majesty and lose their heads. This fellow had boasted grandly, leading them to expect some brilliant trick, but instead he said burn it... he was truly mad!

Yu Shenqing also swayed, nearly fainting.

Originally, when Master Zhang spoke with such conviction, silencing the elders, he thought the man might have real skill. Hearing this, he finally understood... were you joking?

The Bodhi tree was already on the verge of death. If they burned it, how could it survive?

"What's wrong? If you want to save the Bodhi tree, hurry up!" Seeing Yu Shenqing motionless, Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Save?" Yu Shenqing's mouth twitched.

Are you sure this is saving? Not that you see it still has some sprouts and want to finish it off?

"Exactly!" Zhang Xuan nodded, hands clasped behind his back, offering no explanation.

"This..."

Seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, Yu Shenqing hesitated, then turned to order the old eunuch named Luo Fu: "Do as Master Zhang says!"

Although he found the act of burning the tree absurd, as the dean of the Master Teacher Academy, and given Zhang Xuan's many legendary feats, he felt it necessary to trust him despite his doubts.

Most importantly, these elders had been here for nearly two years, and the Bodhi tree had shown no improvement. In fact, its death was already counting down. Since Master Zhang was so confident, it was better to try a desperate remedy. Even if the tree died, it could be attributed to fate, with no other option.

"Your Majesty, think twice!"

"Don't listen to this man's wild talk. The Bodhi tree is already on its last legs; it can't withstand any more torment..."

Seeing that he had actually heeded the man's words and ordered oil and fire to be brought, Elder Zhao and the others were frantic and rushed forward.

The Bodhi tree was like an elderly person at death's door, about to give out at any moment. And they wanted to burn it—wasn't that just hastening its death?

"Everyone, don't be anxious. Master Zhang is a... distinguished master teacher from the Master Teacher Academy. Since he's doing this, there must be a reason..."

He almost revealed Zhang Xuan's identity, but remembering it was to be kept secret for now, Yu Shenqing quickly changed his words.

"A renowned master is indeed knowledgeable and broad-minded, but... in terms of nurturing medicines, we are absolutely the top in the Hongyuan Empire, and we have never heard of burning a tree to save a medicine!"

Seeing that the emperor was being swayed by this person, Old Zhao could no longer hold back, his white beard trembling with anger.

They were the pinnacle of medicine-nurturing families in the Hongyuan Empire, each tied to a legacy. Over the years, they had seen countless cases of treating medicines, yet they had never heard that burning a tree could save a medicine.

Like drinking poison to quench thirst, it was completely contrary to medical principles and absolutely impossible.

"Yes, each has his own specialty. Even a renowned master cannot be proficient in all professions. After all, no one can possess the abilities of Master Kong!" another elder added.

Legend had it that Master Kong was not only the founder of renowned masters but also proficient in many professions. In fact, many of the professions circulating today were compiled and organized by him.

This person before them might be a very accomplished renowned master, but... even a renowned master couldn't know everything; there were times when they made mistakes!

"This..."

Hearing the words of the elders, Yu Shenqing's resolve wavered. However, recalling the other's identity, he still gritted his teeth: "Say no more,诸位. My mind is made up. I will follow Master Zhang's arrangements!"

As he spoke, the old eunuch had already brought the oil and tinder.

Seeing that the emperor could still firmly trust him at this critical moment, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. He had people douse the tree with oil, and once everything was ready, he lit the tinder.

"There are at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, medicine-nurturing families in the world, and the methods for treating medicines are countless and endless. You few may be considered strong in the Hongyuan Empire, but does that mean you already know all the methods for treating medicines?"

Without rushing to light the oil, Zhang Xuan turned to look at the crowd.

Old Zhao and the others fell silent.

The world's knowledge and various legacies number in the tens of thousands—who could claim to have seen them all?

Even Master Kong in his time would not dare say that!

Otherwise, he would not have passed through a remote kingdom and been left speechless by two children.

"The Bodhi tree's spirituality is not dead but dormant. Without understanding this, you rashly administered medicine, nearly killing it and making the entire tree somewhat grotesque..."

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan said no more and flicked his finger.

Whoosh!

The tinder fell onto the oil, and a blazing fire immediately erupted.

"It's really burning..."

Old Zhao and the others twitched their mouths wildly.

Having been in contact with this Bodhi tree for so long, they had grown attached to it. Seeing it burned, they still felt reluctant.

Yu Shenqing's brows twitched wildly.

Once the flames rose, there was no turning back. He wondered whether trusting this person was right or not.

Ignoring the expressions of the crowd, Zhang Xuan gazed at the flames before him with a calm demeanor. After a moment of burning, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Extinguish the fire!"

"Yes!"

Several guards hurried forward, each releasing their true energy to envelop the bodhi tree.

These individuals were at least at the Void Step realm, and with their true energy combined, they easily extinguished the flames.

With the flames gone, everyone could now see that the bodhi tree had turned pitch black, devoid of any life force.

Without explaining, Zhang Xuan strode over to the tree and slapped his palm against the trunk.

He struck thirty-six times in succession, circling the thick trunk before stopping.

He stepped back a few paces to stand before Yu Shenqing and the others, raised his hand, and gently squeezed.

Crack! Crack!

The previously blackened, somewhat charred bark let out a creaking sound and suddenly burst open.

"This..."

Not knowing what this fellow was up to, Elder Zhao and the others were about to ask when they suddenly froze, standing rigidly in place.

"This... how is this possible?"

Yu Shenqing hurriedly looked over and saw that within the burst bark, a trunk as thick as an arm was lush and verdant, like a withered tree sprouting new shoots, only it had been wrapped in decay and unable to emerge.

Clearly the outer trunk had withered and died, so how could the heartwood be so green?

Everyone was stunned, as if they had seen a ghost, utterly bewildered.

They had seen many ailments in medicinal plants, but such a strange occurrence was unprecedented.

They had never even heard of it.

"This bodhi tree is not dead but has fallen into a deep sleep. To protect itself, its spirit has hidden in the heartwood to safeguard its foundation... Without the spirit's support, the outside naturally withered and yellowed, resembling death!"

Seeing their confusion, Zhang Xuan explained calmly, "You failed to notice this and instead thought it was dead, forcibly infusing it with spirit energy, nearly destroying its only foundation! Had you succeeded, the bodhi tree would have truly died..."

"This..."

Everyone shuddered.

He was right.

If the spirit was not dead, forcibly infusing spirit energy could easily cause a backlash, leading to mutual destruction.

In other words, it was fortunate they had not succeeded—if they had, the bodhi tree would have been killed by their treatment!

"Master Zhang, if the bodhi tree was alive and well, why did it fall into a deep sleep?"

Yu Shenqing couldn't help but ask, and the others were equally puzzled.

"I don't know either... Normally, it would be due to severe damage, as a form of self-protection! Since this happened two years ago, did something unusual occur back then?"

Zhang Xuan said.

The library only described the defect, not the cause, so even he was unclear.

"This... no!"

Yu Shenqing frowned and shook his head. "Two years ago... the old dean of the Master Teacher Academy went missing. Vice Dean You Xu of the Alchemy Academy came once and took a 'sprout' away, saying he wanted to try cultivating it to see if he could sense the old dean's soul... Other than that, no one else has touched it!"

"You Xu?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

That fellow had once caused Wei Changfeng's death, and to let Wei Ruyan take revenge, he was still imprisoned in Zhang Xuan's residence.

How was he connected to this bodhi tree?

"Yes! Dean You Xu is also a master of medicinal cultivation. I invited him to take a look, but he couldn't identify the problem..." Yu Shenqing continued.

You Xu was the best master teacher in the academy for medicinal cultivation, and he had been invited, but he couldn't diagnose the specific ailment, so naturally no cure was achieved.

"As for the exact cause, it's pointless to dwell on it now. Let's first find a way to wake it from its slumber!"

Knowing that delving too much into the events of two years ago would lead nowhere, and since it wasn't closely related to him, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and dropped the matter.

Understanding this reasoning, Yu Shenqing said no more.

Zhang Xuan leaped again to the bodhi tree, touched the trunk once more, and then lowered his head in thought.

After a moment, he flipped his wrist and produced a huge gourd of wine. Pulling out the stopper, a dense surge of spiritual energy rose straight up, intoxicating those nearby.

"Earth Vein Spiritual Liquid?"

The elders and Yu Shenqing's eyes lit up.

With their discernment, they could naturally recognize the liquid in the gourd as Earth Vein Spiritual Liquid.

This liquid contained the power of the earth and had a great effect on medicinal plants, making it a rare treasure for cultivation.

Pouring the spiritual liquid onto the green trunk, the previously bare tree began to visibly sprout shoots, with tender green leaves growing freely.

"This... the spirit has awakened?"

Seeing this, Yu Shenqing and the elders clenched their fists in excitement.

New leaves growing freely—even a fool would know that the sleeping spirit of this bodhi tree had fully awakened!

Earth Vein Spiritual Liquid could at most help a sacred medicine replenish spiritual energy more quickly, but it could not awaken a spirit.

What miraculous method had this Master Zhang used?