Trying not to appear suspicious and unreasonably nervous, I quietly headed towards the Old Man’s chamber, keeping my Qi subdued. Even with the increased activity in the sect due to the tournament coming up, or perhaps due to it, no one seemed to notice anything as I walked through.

The path to Old Man’s chambers had become rote to me by now, and even as idle thoughts distracted my mind, my feet took me to my destination almost on their own.

“What brings my wayward disciple to this humble Old Man? Has the Earth Pill proven to be a challenge?” the old man asked, as his hand moved around his cauldron, guiding the flames and refining the herbs within.

“Greetings, Master,” I said with a light bow. “I haven’t really made much progress on the Earth Pill yet, as some other thing has grabbed my attention so far.”

Flames shot up and moved around Old Man’s cauldron for a moment before dimmer down as he turned to look at me.

“What would that be?” he asked.

“You’re aware of the spirit herb hunt I assume?”

“I am old my dear apprentice, not blind. This old man is aware of the spirit hunt. They like to do some sort of tournament for the entertainment of the lords before the more serious sparring begins, this year, it seems to be a spirit hunt. More than a few youthful cultivators have expressed concerns on how watching cultivators gather herbs might be interesting.”

I nodded, not surprised to hear that.

“I’ve been thinking about participating and I've begun to work on something to help me during the hunt. They are allowing wards and formations as long as they have been made by the cultivator in question, last I checked and so I’d been thinking of making a pill. But I’d gotten stuck with a problem…”

The old man’s wrinkled face furrowed further as his permanently squinted eyes turned towards me. “What’s troubling you disciple?”

I took a breath walking up ahead as I dug out the box and presented it in front of the old man. Taking a moment, I hatched open the lid to reveal the contents within.

“This old man can see you’ve put dirt in what looks to be a very well crafted box.”

“What? Oh-” I muttered, realizing the seed was covered completely in dirt.

The old man cracked a smile. “This old man jests. I can sense the bloodroot present within. I must admit, I hadn’t expected you’d be dealing with quite dangerous and forbidden herbs.”

“I haven't either, but it seems to be the only way. I’ve checked for safety and have made sure to take precautions. I’ve also been feeding it my blood for almost a week now, but so far nothing has happened.”

The old man nodded. “Bloodroot, much like Pureroot, takes a long time to mature. Any and all plants capable of taking the form of a spirit take years to grow under human nurture and careful care. It is a delicate process that is not so easily rushed,” the old man spoke and I groaned. I should’ve expected that.

“Is there no way to get the plan to grow faster? I kinda need this before the tournament begins.”

The old man turned around, walking over to his drawers as he picked out a herb from within. Cutting a single stalk off the old man walked closer. “Hold it out,” he said.

I followed holding the box out.

The old man squeezed the stalk of the spirit herb as I saw shining green water dripping down and onto the dirt.

“Normally you can’t do such a thing, but your Qi is of wood and you do have some unique benefits other disciples don’t. Now here’s a little puzzle for you dear apprentice. Why must the bloodroot be given your blood?”

“Because… It can absorb my Qi that way, and understand the human form which will allow it to become a spirit?”

“Not Qi, but essence, your life force. It feasts on your life, and in doing so, you share a part of your essence with root. Your essence permeates all portions of your body, with your blood containing most of it that can be easily provided. Now think, what would be a faster way to provide the root with your essence? Take some time to consider the question,” the Old Man said, as he turned away and continued to work on refining his pill.

I sat down on the floor nearby, setting the box in front of me as I questioned. Essence… what would be a faster way to provide my essence.

The first thought that came to me was using a spirit anchor, it was tied to my soul and dantian, directly connecting it to me. When I cultivated with the spirits it was their essence that I received, and it was the essence that healed my body when the flow of Qi and Gu broke it apart.

But using the spirit anchor did not work… because the essence was hostile to it? No, not just that, but also because it was not my essence. The seed has solely been fed on my own essence, and needed to continue to do so.

I frowned, thinking over the topic silently as time continued to pass by. I glanced at the Old Man once in a while, but after a while it became obvious that he did not intend to tell me any more than he already had.

I turned back towards the box of soil in front of me, wracking my mind for an answer.

Essence, essence. Life force. Qi? No, not Qi. Qi promoted life, similar to how Gu promoted death, it wasn’t life itself. How could I share my essence then?

I stared at the box, frustration building up and I went to close the box when my finger brushed against the dirt and I felt a strange, almost familiar sensation.

I brought my hand closer to where the seed was, and the sensation of pulling in, of hunger, intensified. Was that the plant?

I stared at the plant as the memories of me absorbing the miasma in Zhang’s core, of taking the essence from the Lunar blossom, and of the seed I’d gained when I’d freed Sheldon came to me.

I closed my eyes, touching the soil near the seed as I focused on my dantian.

My dantian was odd, it had not one but two spinning cores that moved around in a fixed orbit of sorts. At the center of these two was a little sapling, the sapling tied the Qi with the Gu, with a thin strand that wrapped around the plant. The roots of the plant were tied to the Gu, and the trunk and stem and leaves with the Qi.

I reached out at the plant, at the center of my dantian and I drew on what was present inside it. Something flowed through my body, a strange energy. This wasn’t Qi, or Gu, but instead, my very own essence. The essence of the root that was in my spirit.

I let the essence flow, as it slowly but surely began to collect on my finger. I opened my eyes, the world spinning for a brief moment as I felt dizzy. I gathered myself in a moment and looked at my finger.

A single golden drop sat on it, shining dimly in the sunlight as the scent of the sweetest of nectar reached my nose, making me drool.

“Now hurry, disciple. The essence fades into the air soon,” Old Man spoke and I nodded, dropping the single drop of essence into the box.

The droplet mingled with the soil and I stared, as nothing seemed to happen for a moment. Turning around I looked at Old Man with a confused look, wondering if I’d done something wrong.

“Look again,” the old man said with a smile and I turned back.

Tiny green leaves slowly began to poke from the ground. A plant began to rise as the seed germinated and I felt a bond form between me and the bloodroot. A myriad of odd sensations reached me from the plant, of hunger, comfort, pleasure and most of all, thirst. Whatever I had given it, it desperately wanted more.

I stared at the little greedy plant, almost feeling as if I were watching an newborn child grow and I smiled. A single remark rose to my mouth at finally having sprouted the little vampire spirit herb.

“Nice!”