It has been around 3 days since Lady Hua took the lead. During that time, Yasenia and the others encountered a few 100,000-year-old plants and harvested them. To divide the spoils, Yasenia was at a disadvantage.
Firstly, everyone in her current group followed Feng Shaotian, and they were all part of the same sect. Secondly, Yasenia's previous rudeness was not something the majority of them appreciated, so when discussing options, they actively antagonized Yasenia. Naturally, they wouldn't do so openly, but it was clear that they had ulterior motives.
Yasenia saw what they were doing with indifference. Her initial goodwill towards them was because she didn't want to explore the garden alone and encounter trouble. In a way, she was leeching off of Feng Shaotian's influence, not to be thrown around by other powers. 'To be honest, I don't even know if being bothered by others is better than this.'
Yasenia approached a plant she had spotted, intending to harvest it, but someone from the group called out to her from the side. "Hey! Lady Katherine, please don't try to sneakily harvest plants. As we've already discussed, you will get fifteen percent of the spoils while we take the rest."
The voice made her heart squeeze with annoyance, but Yasenia knew better than to act irrationally. She looked back at Lady Hua, the woman who raised her voice to stop her. "You've already picked eight plants, so this one should be for me."
Lady Hua shook her head. "Clearly, that plant is more valuable than the others. Therefore, that far surpasses your share. Instead, you should choose one from the eight I've harvested."
Her body, hidden under the mantle, gave off a cold feeling. The previously smiling lips were now flattened to a line. Even when they couldn't see her eyes, the intensity of her gaze was something that prickled their skin like small needles. Yasenia turned her head and looked at Feng Shaotian.
"Are you really not going to say anything? If you want to separate from me, you can just throw me or tell me to go."
Feng Shaotian was hesitant for two reasons. The first one is that she genuinely wanted to become acquainted with the woman under the mantle. Not only was she clearly someone beautiful, but her beast features were very much to her liking. The second reason was that, clearly, the woman named Katherine had sharp senses for treasures.
While the woman under the mantle had tried to hide it, Feng Shaotian had noticed her nose twitching from time to time before she found incredible treasures. 'I have to decide whether it is worth making my followers antagonistic just to earn Lady Katherine's friendship.'
Clearly, this woman, named Katherine, was someone whom she would meet just in passing unless they became close. Even if they became close, Katherine could remain reluctant and leave without revealing her identity. At that point, she would've become friends with someone whom she wouldn't see and offended her underlings for no reason.
So, thinking rationally, Feng Shaotian knew what to do. Looking at her subordinates with frustration, Feng Shaotian tried to smile and mediate between them. "That… Lady Katherine, how about giving this one up? We can find another with similar effects later if you want…"
Lady Hua's lips arched mockingly as she looked at Yasenia. She was clearly gloating that Feng Shaotian took her side.
Seeing their intentions, Yasenia sighed to herself. 'I gave them a bit of leadership, and they immediately decided to cast me out. It's really not worth staying with them. If I stay longer, it would be no different than participating in a self-humiliation ritual.'
With that in mind, she turned around without looking back, intending to leave. Feng Shaotian, not expecting such a decisive move, opened her eyes. "W-Wait! Lady Katherine!"
However, Yasenia ignored her calls and stepped forward, activating her movement technique and disappearing into the thick forest in front of them.
Lady Hua snorted. "Finally, the parasite is gone. Truly an annoying woman."
Feng Shaotian's face darkened, and she glared at her. "You useless woman! Has your brain been damaged after living in secluded cultivation for the last millennium?!"
Lady Hua was startled, staring at Feng Shaotian with wide eyes.
"That woman was the one who opened the formation in the first place! Isn't it normal for her to know some secrets of this place!? Yet, to protect your useless pride, we've ended up losing our connection!"
Unconvinced, Lady Hua spoke tightly. "She just used brute strength. Someone like that wouldn't be able to show any extra proficiency besides beating up monsters."
Feng Shaotian looked at Lady Hua as if she were stupid and then turned around. "... Did your arrogance blind you to this point? How could a single punch crack a formation of that level!? Clearly, she was being performative! Whatever method she used, it wasn't brute strength. Otherwise, wouldn't Uncle Feng dismiss her!? Instead, Uncle Feng clearly showed embarrassment! You… UGH! If you weren't my allies, I would've sliced your heads off, because clearly, you don't need them!"
With a huff, Feng Shaotian turned around and began walking toward the center of the garden. The rest followed silently, recalling their previous actions.
Meanwhile, Yasenia traversed a few hundred kilometers in a few seconds and stopped. "Hm… The surrounding ambient here is so thick that the Spiritual Sense gets stuck. I can barely look beyond my eyesight with my Spiritual Sense…"
Sui Xing commented. "That's normal. Remember that the herbs were all spread with thick energy. For someone to pierce through them, they would need a relatively high cultivation level or to become the owner of this place."
Soluna asked, curious. "Brother Xing, do you think Yasenia's garden in her spatial ring is lacking with this one?"
Sui Xing chuckled. "There is no comparison. While I do admire that a single cultivator, especially one as young as Yasenia, managed to create a garden of that quality, this one is part of an inheritance. For a spiritual garden to become an inheritance, it means that it can support a relatively high-level sect by itself. Can Yasenia do something like that? I don't think she could supply a single high-level alchemist for longer than fifty years with her current reserves."
Yasenia agreed with him. "Sui Xing is right. That's why I am quite eager to get this. If I get this, I can forget about spiritual herbs for a very long time. Honestly, if I wanted to create some of the more advanced pills, my herb garden would struggle a bit. Not because of quality, but because I lack plenty of herbs."
Soluna hummed. "I see. Then, how do we get this garden, Brother Xing?"
The man hesitated for a second. While he was knowledgeable about many things, he didn't really know the methods of acquiring the treasures. Still, taking into account the personality of his previous master, he had an idea. "If that person wanted to choose who gets this garden, he would probably create a test as well. Still, this test wouldn't be a fighting one. So, Yasenia will struggle."
Yasenia commented. "I do have some alchemy knowledge, though. Creating low and mid-level Transcendence Realm pills is not that big of a problem. Anything above that, I would struggle quite a lot, but it's not impossible."
"Oh?" Sui Xing asked Soluna, confused. "Didn't you say that Yasenia was not that talented with Spiritual Professions?"
Soluna answered innocently. "Compared with her fighting talent, she is really not that talented."
"..." Sui Xing sighed once and then asked Yasenia. "What paths have you practiced and to what level?"
The dragoness pondered and answered confidently. "As Soluna said, I am quite untalented in that regard. Still, I have reached the Peak Transcendence Rank in Spiritual Cooking, and I am low to mid-ranked in Alchemy, Blacksmithing, and Formations. Tailoring… I do dabble in it, but I doubt I can make Transcendence Realm clothes. I am even worse with talismans."
Sui Xing became silent, while inside, he was feeling defeated. 'That kind of talent is genius-level for average cultivators. Of course, she is not monstrous, but she is only over a century old and with that proficiency.'
Yasnia blinked and exclaimed, "Ah! I almost forgot. I also dabbed a bit on Transmutation arts. Never too deeply, though."
Sui Xing exclaimed. "Transmutation?"
Yasenia nodded and waved her hand, summoning a cauldron that had been collecting dust inside her spatial ring. "Yeah, I got this [Earth Refining Cauldron] a while ago, but I never really used it beyond experimenting with Heaven-ranked items."
Sui Xing looked at the cauldron with a baffled expression. "This… You have quite a few treasures with you, don't you?"
Yasenia puffed her abundant chest proudly. "I am a dragon, after all. I like collecting things!"
Sui Xing laughed faintly. "I guess you are right. Still, if you have this cauldron, you might be able to overcome the alchemy trials."
"Ho?" Yasenia looked at the beautiful red and yellow cauldron with interest. "How?"
Sui Xing answered. "First, let's find the trials. They are not time-limited, so we can talk after we encounter them. The problem is… Those are probably at the center of this place. So, you will have to tread the place with the one-million-year-old plants. Are you willing to take that risk?"
Honestly, Yasenia was not that willing. This garden was incredibly precious. And Yasenia was sure that she would be able to find herbs like the Star River Rose inside, which would greatly enhance her cultivation speed. Yet, the chances of encountering near-fatal risks were just as high.
Hesitating for a moment, Yasenia decided to rely on her recently gained senior. "What do you think, Sui Xing? I am hesitant, so I would rather you tell me if it is worth it. I have many life-saving treasures, so I am confident in my ability to escape in the worst-case scenario. Only, is it worth it to use those treasures here?"
Sui Xing smiled faintly. "Are you sure about trusting me in this?"
The dragoness tilted her head and answered honestly. "You are now part of my family. Of course, I will trust you."
Hearing those words, Sui Xing smiled to himself and chuckled. "Then, let's go. I also want you to get this garden so that you get stronger quickly. Moreover, there won't be anyone who will know it is you who got the garden since you've been hiding your identity."
Yasenia nodded and stepped towards the center without hesitation.
While Yasenia soared towards the middle, many other groups were also approaching.