Chapter 39

"Since we are about to start, we need to know how to begin."

Hao Qi invited Zhang Heng to a quiet room. This kind of service place, found everywhere in the world, was a tranquil courtyard with tea, chess, a zither, punching bags, and a venue, a place that martial artists loved to visit when they exchanged ideas.

Hao Qi casually found a quiet room in the capital, then took out a book and pointed to it, saying, "This is the explanation of the herb Blue Grass and its mutated red variant in the *Compendium of Materia Medica*. You know all this, right?"

Zhang Heng cautiously looked around the quiet room before turning his gaze to the *Compendium of Materia Medica* he was already very familiar with. He nodded, indicating his knowledge.

Hao Qi also nodded in agreement and continued, "In terms of biology, whether plants or animals, you definitely know more than I do. What I want to talk about is the characteristics of Blue Grass. According to this introduction, the mutation of Red Blue Grass is uncontrollable and extremely rare. Artificially cultivated Blue Grass will never mutate throughout its life. It can only be found in remote, uninhabited areas deep in the mountains. This book even suggests that Red Blue Grass might be a different plant, just very similar to ordinary Blue Grass."

"Then, regarding the cultivation of Red Blue Grass, the records mention that at least a hundred Blue Grass plants must be grown in one acre of land, gathering nutrients and medicinal properties, for a single Red Blue Grass to appear, right?" Hao Qi continued to ask.

Zhang Heng nodded again and said, "Yes, this is the research result of Scholar Sid. He proved that Blue Grass plants gather nutrients and medicinal properties among themselves. Theoretically, once the number of Blue Grass plants in one acre exceeds a hundred, there is a very low chance of a Red Blue Grass appearing. The more Blue Grass plants in one acre, the more Red Blue Grass will appear. However, this research is a paradox because once the number of Blue Grass plants in one acre exceeds twenty, all the Blue Grass plants will wither in a very short time, so this research is not successful."

"Scholar Sid? Haha." Hao Qi gave a mocking laugh but did not say anything else. He continued, "In other words, our goal has already appeared. We need to find a treasure land with a unique feature that allows a hundred Blue Grass plants to grow in one acre, right?"

Zhang Heng nodded again, then hesitated and said, "Theoretically, I have read about two types of terrain in books that might produce such an effect. One is the Ten Thousand Herb Pond, recorded in ancient books. About five hundred years ago, the great adventurer Tom, after traveling through the seven seas, discovered a mud pond at the center of the Green Sea's forest pulse. The mud pond covers only about ten acres of land, which is almost the convergence point of the entire forest pulse. Various plants, animals, herbs, fruits, and flowers decay and flow through various streams, tributaries, and terrains to converge there. After millions of years of accumulation, a unique swamp terrain is formed. The substances in this swamp contain unimaginable components. Plants often need only a tiny bit of the swamp's soil to grow abnormally. If in that swamp area, Blue Grass can grow a hundred or more plants in one acre. This is the first possibility."

"The second possibility is in the Azure Sea, the Sky Sea. There, there is suspended mud land. If one acre of land is suspended, or rather,立体化, with six surfaces—top, bottom, and four sides—each surface planted with twenty Blue Grass plants, and then twenty more planted in the middle, this three-dimensional land might also produce Red Blue Grass. This is the only other method I have found in the books for growing Red Blue Grass."

Zhang Heng spoke earnestly while looking at the *Compendium of Materia Medica*. When he looked up at Hao Qi, he was almost frightened out of his wits because Hao Qi's eyes were filled with intense longing, and he was drooling, looking at Zhang Heng like a pervert eyeing a beauty, which made Zhang Heng's skin crawl.

"Sorry, sorry." Hao Qi wiped his mouth and said excitedly, "I was born an orphan and was just a shut-in who only knew how to practice boxing before I developed inner strength. I hardly cared about the world and knew nothing about it. After becoming an inner strength practitioner, I traveled and ate greedily, though I did visit libraries in a few countries, but most of the books were about the Blue Sea's terrain, countries, history, and legends. I didn't know much about the other six seas... Zhang Heng, if you can, could you introduce the seven seas to me?"

Zhang Heng's heart stirred, but he still spoke cautiously, "Alright, I'll give a general introduction. I don't know much in detail because I've only read about it in books, and some books only mention bits and pieces... First is the Blue Sea, which I know the most about. The Blue Sea is divided into four regions: the east, south, west, and north. We are in the eastern Blue Sea, and you probably know the geographical situation: plains, plateaus, high mountains, swamps, and forests. The southern Blue Sea is mostly swamps and forests. It is said that if you start from there, cross the endless forest, and travel for many years, you can reach the Green Sea. The western Blue Sea is mostly desert. According to ancient books, the environment there used to be similar to the eastern Blue Sea, but due to natural disasters or environmental changes, it is now almost uninhabited desert, vast and endless. After leaving the coastal border, there are only scattered oases. If you venture deep into the desert, it is said that no one can come out."

"Then there is the northern Blue Sea, which is mostly mountainous with towering mountains. Many countries are built on the mountains, with few plains. The northern Blue Sea is also the largest mineral-producing region in the entire Blue Sea area. The countries there mostly rely on minerals to establish their nations."

"I know the Blue Sea in the most detail. The other six seas are the White Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Green Sea, Clear Sea, and Azure Sea, making a total of seven sea regions. The only sea we have any interaction with is the Red Sea, not through the western Blue Sea's Death Desert, but by traveling west for about three years from the mountainous areas in the northern Blue Sea. This is the only method I know to enter another sea. According to the books, the technology in the Red Sea seems to be much more advanced than ours. Some merchant groups from the Red Sea have contact with the extreme western and northern countries of the northern Blue Sea. It is said that when the Red Sea merchant groups trade with them, they use enormous flying constructs to fly directly to the northern Blue Sea countries, selling high-tech weapons and buying minerals from the northern Blue Sea countries."

"The books record that the Black Sea is said to have the world's highest mountain, ten thousand eight thousand meters high. The Green Sea has the forest pulse. The Clear Sea is described as a three-dimensional sea, with countries and cities both on the surface and underground. The Clear Sea flows through both the surface and underground, which I can't imagine. The Azure Sea is described as the Sky Sea, where countries and people live in the sky, and there are so-called three-dimensional farmlands, which I also can't imagine. As for the White Sea, it is said to be a sea of endless snow, which I don't quite understand."

After Zhang Heng finished speaking, he took a big sip of tea and continued, "The records in ancient books are very vague. This is what I generally know about the seven seas. It is said that besides the seven seas, there are also the four directions, but I don't know what they are. In short, this is everything I know."

Hao Qi wiped his mouth again and muttered, "So big, really so big... Hahaha, this world is really huge!"

Hao Qi stood up excitedly, walked around a bit, and then sat down excitedly, directly saying to Zhang Heng, "I must travel through all seven seas! No matter what difficulties, I must travel through them all! Hahaha, this world is really too interesting. I won't die until I see it all! Alright... come, let's solve the current problem, the cultivation of Red Blue Grass! You mentioned two possibilities. Which one do you think is more likely?"

Zhang Heng looked at the excited Hao Qi, his heart stirred again, but he still kept a calm face and said, "To be honest, I think the first possibility is more likely. I'm not very clear about the three-dimensional farmlands in the Azure Sea, but I imagine they are related to gravity. It's probably the change in gravity that causes some land to rise into the sky. So even if the soil or farmland from the Azure Sea falls into our Blue Sea, or even into our Hundred Herbs Kingdom, it would likely become ordinary land and lose its gravitational anomaly. Therefore, the second possibility is almost non-existent. If we are serious, the first possibility can be replicated. The Ten Thousand Herb Pond in the forest pulse, in essence, can be replicated anywhere with enough time and opportunity, just with different sizes. And as you know, our country is called the Hundred Herbs Kingdom, where wild herbs are very abundant, and the mountains and terrains are suitable for growing herbs. So it's very likely that a miniature version of the Ten Thousand Herb Pond has appeared somewhere. This is what I think is the greatest possibility!"

Hao Qi thought for a moment, nodded in agreement with Zhang Heng's words, and then stood up, directly saying to Zhang Heng, "What are we waiting for? Let's go! First stop, your hometown! Our search target will be a geographical environment similar to the Ten Thousand Herb Pond. We'll start from your hometown, where your father often stays!"

"Let's go!"