At that very moment, Professor Sprout was feeling deeply uneasy.
She couldn't stop worrying about the Biting Cabbages she'd moved into the gauntlet.
"How could Dumbledore really be comfortable letting a student look after Biting Cabbages?"
Yes, Theodore Ashbourne had proved he could handle even Fiendfyre; dealing with a few plants shouldn't be a safety risk.
But raising them well had nothing to do with combat ability.
Those Cabbages were the result of a lot of effort on her part. She really couldn't relax.
So she headed to the door at the end of the fourth-floor corridor, deciding to wait for Theodore there.
Right on cue, Theodore came out, face bright with satisfaction.
He blinked when he saw her.
The system interface flickered to life in front of his eyes.
[ In the formation of the Southern Pole Immortal, you fought a bloody battle and slew several unruly demon-beasts, never realizing they were beasts painstakingly raised by Jade Tripod Daoist. ]
[ Now Jade Tripod Daoist's heart is faintly stirred. Reading Heaven's Will, he has come to demand an explanation. ]
[ Host is at risk of offending Jade Tripod Daoist. System recommends bowing your head and apologizing immediately! ]
Theodore's mouth twitched.
This useless system wanted him grovelling to everyone it recognized…
My Dao heart is invincible. Bow my head? To who, exactly?
Watch and learn.
Sprout hesitated, then asked:
"Theodore, is it true Dumbledore's asked you to help build the gauntlet?"
"I've heard he even gave you full authority over the layout. Um… about the Biting Cabbages I moved in—are you sure you can handle them?"
"What I mean is… Biting Cabbages are bad-tempered and dangerous, but they're still wonderful plants. If you raise them improperly, they'll lose their strength."
The Biting Cabbage in Theodore's arms nearly burst into tears—if it had eyes.
Professor Sprout, Mum!
You're the only one who loves us. Please take us away from this demon!
It stretched its head up out of the pot, desperately hoping to be rescued from Theodore's terrifying hands.
But Theodore just smiled and, under Sprout's startled gaze, reached down to pet the Cabbage like a cat or a puppy.
"Professor, I do understand how you feel about them. You grew them all yourself."
"But look—we get along great. It doesn't even bite me."
Sprout froze, staring at the obedient Biting Cabbage, and suddenly felt a little sour.
Why don't I get treated like this?
[ You are carrying a beast cub at your side, and the young thing clearly trusts you. Jade Tripod Daoist's aura softens considerably. ]
[ At the same time, he lets out a curious 'hmm', noticing that this young beast is somewhat unusual. ]
Sprout leaned in and studied the juvenile Cabbage.
She remembered very clearly: when she'd passed it to Dumbledore, it had definitely been smaller than this.
When did it get so big?
The roots, the stems, the leaves—everything looked healthier and sturdier than any Biting Cabbage she'd ever grown.
How was that even possible?
Sprout prided herself on her Herbology. Yet she simply couldn't reconcile the state of this plant with her understanding.
She couldn't help asking:
"Theodore, how are you raising this Biting Cabbage? Why is it growing so quickly?"
"It's in such good condition—I've never grown one this healthy. Are you giving it some special fertilizer?"
[ Jade Tripod Daoist is widely learned, and highly accomplished in raising spirit-beasts. At a glance he can see this young beast has gained some peculiar fortune under your care. ]
[ Jade Tripod Daoist now humbly asks your advice on raising spirit-beasts. ]
[ He is one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect. Building a relationship with him is boundless fortune. ]
[ Reaching "casual acquaintance" with Jade Tripod Daoist grants the talent——Profound Way of Medicine. Though he is no alchemist, his medical knowledge is foremost in the Jade Void Palace. In the Flooded Wilds there is no illness or affliction whose cause he cannot find, nor whose cure he cannot devise. With this talent you may become a divine healer, restoring life with a touch; even the myriad inner and outer evils that invade cultivators can be accurately diagnosed and treated. ]
[ Reaching "close friends" with Jade Tripod Daoist grants the talent——Mystic Arts Insight. Jade Tripod Daoist's studies are vast; though he has not mastered every mystic art, he has delved into many schools, and in Jade Void Palace his breadth of learning is unmatched. Thus he has unique insight into countless profound techniques. With this talent, the threshold for learning any new mystic art will be greatly reduced. ]
[ Reaching "life-and-death bond" with Jade Tripod Daoist grants the reward——Slaying-Immortal Sword Forging Method. Though he is not fond of slaughter, as one of the Twelve Golden Immortals he must possess fierce means. The Slaying-Immortal Flying Sword is his proudest treasure. Though it is not one of the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords of the Master of the Heavens, few swords in the Flooded Wilds can match this Slaying-Immortal Blade. ]
Seeing the rewards for bonding with Professor Sprout, Theodore lit up.
No wonder the system had tagged her as Jade Tripod Daoist, one of Yuanshi Tianzun's Twelve Golden Immortals—this absolutely tracked.
In legend, Jade Tripod had taught Yang Jian, a brilliant star of the Gods' War. Though Jade Tripod's own fame wasn't grandiose, his strength and cultivation had to be terrifying.
Just the casual-acquaintance talent, Profound Way of Medicine, was incredibly useful.
Medicine might not be as glamorous as alchemy, but a lot of tricky problems couldn't be solved with pills alone. If you didn't even know what was wrong, what pill were you going to refine?
For instance, the wounds left by Yu Hua's Blood-Melting Divine Blade could only be dealt with because Jade Tripod knew the exact treatment.
With this talent, Theodore's healing skill could surpass anything in the wizarding world.
That would make forging relationships much easier.
He might even be able to help Neville's parents someday.
And when it came to dealing with Godric Gryffindor's madness, having both Medicine and Alchemy in hand gave him a much better shot.
As for Mystic Arts Insight at the close-friends level—that was exactly what Theodore needed.
If he managed to obtain Eight-Nine Arcane Arts from Hagrid in the future, pairing Mystic Arts Insight with Piercing Subtlety Heavenly Eye would massively shorten his learning curve.
And the life-and-death reward, Slaying-Immortal Sword Forging Method, needed no explanation.
No Golden Immortal's trump-card weapon was ever simple.
Let alone a flying sword with "Slaying Immortal" in the name. If he could actually forge one, then combine it with Sword Mastery Reaching the Divine and Clear Sword-Heart, and later with sword divine abilities like Splitting Sword-Light…
Even gods and immortals would think twice before standing in front of him.
Just then, a fresh line appeared in the interface:
[ Some say Jade Tripod Daoist's Slaying-Immortal Sword is not yet fully complete. If ever perfected, then though Jade Tripod's own cultivation is far beneath the Master of the Heavens, this one Slaying-Immortal Sword would not necessarily be weaker than any of the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords! ]
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