Chapter 208: Entering the Baicao Forbidden Realm · Obtaining a Fourth Stage Spirit Herb

Chapter 208: Entering the Baicao Forbidden Realm · Obtaining a Fourth Stage Spirit Herb

The True Yang Genesis Pill?

Isn’t that the legendary super-secret pill said to help cultivators forge a Law Body?

Xiao Chen had previously read about it in the book Treasures of the Eastern Territory. The description had left a deep impression, so he remembered it clearly.

The concept of a Law Body originated from ancient times, when cultivators first began studying Spirit Roots.

A Spirit Root was the foundation of every cultivator, and in most cases, determined their cultivation ceiling.

But this was something innate—some were born with Heavenly Spirit Roots, others possessed only low-grade ones, and some had no Spirit Root at all.

Thus, some cultivators began exploring: Was there a fixed pattern to Spirit Roots?

Could one enhance their Spirit Root through cultivation later in life?

Or perhaps, could someone transplant another’s Spirit Root into themselves?

The last method was said to be practiced by the Demonic Dao, and had led to the deaths of many cultivators.

Unfortunately, whether the Orthodox Dao or Demonic Dao, all such research ended in failure.

But in a way, this was also a blessing. At least it ensured that solitary cultivators without powerful backgrounds wouldn’t suddenly be captured by demonic cultivators to have their Spirit Roots extracted.

However, over countless years, research hadn’t been entirely fruitless.

The Law Body was precisely the result of such efforts.

During their studies, some cultivators discovered that refining Celestial Treasures to alter a cultivator’s physical structure could greatly enhance their compatibility with a specific type of Heavenly Qi.

This, in turn, produced effects similar to possessing a Heavenly Spirit Root during cultivation—multiplying cultivation efficiency and significantly boosting spell power.

After generations of refinement, the Law Body technique had become highly perfected.

Except when facing Cultivation Bottlenecks, which still depended on one’s innate Spirit Root, cultivators with Law Bodies were nearly indistinguishable from those with true Heavenly Spirit Roots.

The initial transformation process was extremely complex.

But now, it had been streamlined—simply consuming the corresponding ‘Genesis Pill’ and undergoing careful refinement offered a chance to cultivate a Law Body.

Most importantly, even if the transformation failed, the side effects were minimal, requiring only a few days of rest to recover.

The True Yang Genesis Pill corresponded to the Heavenly Fire Spirit Root, enabling the cultivation of the True Yang Law Body.

It was said that the Azure Lotus Transformation Pill was required for the Wood Spirit Root, allowing one to cultivate the Azure Lotus Law Body.

When Xiao Chen first read about this, he had daydreamed about buying a couple of Azure Lotus Transformation Pills to try someday.

Unfortunately, flipping to the next page revealed that the Azure Lotus Transformation Pill was a Fourth Stage Spirit Pill!

That was a bit too expensive.

He had quickly abandoned the idea, not dwelling on it further.

But now, hearing related intelligence reignited his interest.

"Shenhe Shou Shen Flower?"

The name was unfamiliar to Xiao Chen. "Looks like I’ll need to study the herb compendium thoroughly after returning."

Since Elder Qian could provide the True Yang Genesis Pill, he might also have access to the Azure Lotus Transformation Pill.

But all of this depended on Xiao Chen obtaining the spirit herb the other party desired.

September passed smoothly.

The only change was reducing the daily cultivation of the Nine Transformations Dragon Ascension Formula from three to two hours, using the extra time to study spirit herb compendiums.

Xiao Chen even took time to purchase several different compendiums.

Along the way, he heard more bounties.

Not just Fourth Stage spirit herbs—some rare Third Stage ones also carried hefty rewards.

These bounties came from multiple factions. Xiao Chen even heard that the Demon Subduing Sword Sect was collecting Jian Ming Cao.

As time passed, more and more cultivators arrived in Hundred Grasses City.

The streets visibly grew more crowded.

By mid-October, the city was packed—far more bustling than during the Sea Spirit Festival, with crowds multiplying several times over.

By late October, Xiao Chen deliberately paused cultivation to prepare thoroughly.

He habitually used his spiritual sense to observe his inner body—both Golden Cores gleamed brilliantly, a sight that brought satisfaction.

After months of arduous cultivation, the total True Mana in his Golden Cores had reached 148 strands, with 146 in his Life Elixir.

Combined, this totaled 294 strands, nearly reaching the 300 mark.

This should be sufficient for facing off against peers one-on-one, but handling multiple opponents would depend on the situation.

Primarily, he couldn’t yet gauge the actual strength levels in the Eastern Territory.

"I still need to go out and gather intelligence."

Xiao Chen rose, shutting down the Nine Aperture Linked Formation. Immediately, the sounds of the bustling city poured in.

Compared to before, the streets now teemed with cultivators wearing uniform dark green Magic Robes bearing the Hundred Grasses City emblem on their chests.

Their eyes were sharp, scanning the crowds to supervise order.

After walking a few steps, Xiao Chen overheard from passersby that this was due to multiple brawls recently breaking out in the city.

With so many people gathered, conflicts were inevitable.

Especially among cultivators from different factions, who were mostly strangers to each other. Except for a few renowned celestial geniuses, the crowd was a chaotic mix of unknowns.

Thus, disputes often escalated into sword fights.

This year, the number of cultivators coming for the forbidden realm was particularly high—over thirty percent more than previous years.

In recent days, nearly ten thousand cultivators arrived daily on Hundred Grasses Island. At this rate, the final count might exceed one hundred thousand.

Even if ninety percent were mere Foundation Building cultivators.

Of the remaining ten percent, ninety percent were Foundation Building cultivators.

Finally, after eliminating those stuck at Foundation Building Perfect Completion who couldn’t breakthrough to Golden Core, there would still be over a hundred Golden Core cultivators competing in the forbidden realm.

Considering the overall environment of the Eastern Territory, Xiao Chen felt the actual number would likely be even higher.

No wonder the legacy specifically warned not to come unless one had reached Golden Core.

A Foundation Building cultivator carrying a Fourth Stage Spirit Herb like the Purple-Gold Bodhi was like a child holding gold in a crowded market.

While there were cases of people passing through safely, it was better not to take unnecessary risks.

Walking toward the plaza, today’s demonstration by Pill Forging Masters was still ongoing. Thousands of solitary cultivators gathered, watching intently.

Xiao Chen noticed that due to insufficient pill furnaces on stage, some Masters had even brought their own, setting them up at the platform’s four corners.

They looked surprisingly young, but their pill forging skills were remarkably refined.

Their attire didn’t resemble Hundred Grasses City disciples.

Two of them wore Magic Robes with the words "Treasure Alchemy Hall" embroidered on both chest and back, seemingly using this event for promotion.

Opposite the platform, in front of those statues, a massive new signboard had been erected.

The notice board displayed various-sized announcements, all uniformly featuring red backgrounds with black characters, guarded by two disciples from Hundred Grasses City stationed on either sides.

Xiao Chen approached out of curiosity. As expected, these announcements all related to the upcoming opening of the Baicao Forbidden Realm.

The first section listed various bounties, some familiar and some unknown, forming a comprehensive compilation.

This included the Thousand Flowers and Myriad Leaves Vine that the Fengyu Workshop owner had previously desired. The bounty price marked on the order had even increased by ten thousand spirit stones.

Next were partial exchange lists published by different factions to attract solitary cultivators.

The Baicao Forbidden Realm would remain open for a full twenty-eight days after activation.

During this period, cultivators could freely enter and exit without restrictions.

Therefore, factions led by Hundred Grasses City would station themselves at the forbidden realm's exit, setting up temporary shops to trade for spirit herbs.

At these shops, cultivators could directly exchange spirit herbs for complete core pills, spiritual artifacts, cultivation manuals, and other resources.

However, the lists only briefly showcased some eye-catching Spirit Herbs. Detailed exchange methods required visiting the actual shops.

Since Fourth Stage spirit herbs were involved, the listed items were all extraordinary. Any cultivator seeing them would inevitably feel tempted.

For instance, Hundred Grasses City offered unlimited quantities of Jiuyao Xuan Dan and Bai Zhuan Xuan Dan.

To prevent solitary cultivators from misunderstanding these spirit pills, they even included two-hundred-character introductions in small print for each pill type.

After all, as the local host, they occupied the largest space on the notice board, so there was no worry about running out of space.

The Jiuyao Xuan Dan's effect was to help golden core cultivators refine true mana, thereby enhancing true mana quality.

"Ah, could this be why Eastern Territory cultivators have such powerful spells?" Xiao Chen's eyes lit up as he read this.

Stronger true mana naturally meant stronger spell power.

The Bai Zhuan Xuan Dan, on the other hand, could increase a cultivator's total true mana reserves.

Under normal circumstances, a Golden Core Initial Stage cultivator could possess up to 333 strands of true mana at most.

Beyond that, without a breakthrough, no more true mana could be obtained.

However, consuming Bai Zhuan Xuan Dan allowed one to gain additional true mana reserves without breaking through cultivation realms, indirectly enhancing strength.

Each pill could expand one strand of true mana reserves, with a maximum of one hundred pills consumed—hence the name Bai Zhuan Xuan Dan.

This also explained another of Xiao Chen's previous puzzles—why some custom-made spiritual artifacts in the Eastern Territory required massive amounts of true mana.

Take the Ghost-Faced Mystic Light Shield in his possession as an example.

According to recent tests, even after injecting all 290 strands of true mana, the Spirit Ascension Form still couldn't activate.

He estimated at least 300 strands would be required—an utterly ridiculous amount.

It even made Xiao Chen question whether this shield was truly suitable for Golden Core Initial Stage cultivators.

Now he understood—if combined with spirit pills like Bai Zhuan Xuan Dan, even Golden Core Initial Stage cultivators might possess sufficient true mana to wield such spiritual artifacts.

Additionally, Wu Lei Guan from Heiyan Sea had also sent disciples.

Their featured Spirit Herb was the Mountain-Shattering Thunder Pearl, along with recruitment for the Black Rock Thunder Pool Body Tempering process.

The Mountain-Shattering Thunder Pearl's power rivaled a Golden Core Perfect Completion cultivator's full-strength attack, making it a formidable protective weapon.

As for the Black Rock Thunder Pool, Xiao Chen hadn't heard of it before, but judging from the name, it likely related to body cultivation.

The Demon Subduing Sword Sect and Divine Soul Sword Pavilion hadn't posted any bounties, which was puzzling.

Only Star-Plucking Sword Pavilion had a small notice tucked in a corner.

It listed just one item—the Star-Plucking Sword Diagram.

At first glance, this name sounded like a cultivation manual, but a footnote clarified it was actually a stone tablet imbued with Sword Intent.

What's more, it specifically stated that only one Third Stage spirit herb was required to exchange for a Star-Plucking Sword Diagram.

"Why is it so cheap?" Xiao Chen felt puzzled. After all, many Third Stage spirit herbs circulated in the market.

Who said one must harvest spirit herbs inside the Baicao Forbidden Realm?

Buying one from outside, entering briefly, then exchanging it—could anyone really tell the difference?

In fact, it seemed unnecessary to go through such trouble. As long as the spirit herb was genuine, who would waste time investigating its origin?

"This Star-Plucking Sword Diagram is merely a mass-produced trinket", a clear, feminine voice suddenly spoke.

Xiao Chen turned to see a female cultivator dressed in a wide-sleeved flowing immortal dress, draped with lotus-white gauze.

She smiled apologetically. "Forgive my unsolicited advice, fellow cultivator."

"My senior sect brother once visited Dragon Subduing Sea and impulsively purchased a Star-Plucking Sword Diagram out of curiosity."

"Upon returning, he discovered that although the tablet contained Sword Intent, it was chaotic and disordered—clearly accumulated through spell practice rather than innate mastery."

"Later, he learned that Star-Plucking Sword Pavilion required all disciples to train sword techniques within the stone ravines."

"Over years, the ravine walls had become saturated with Sword Intent."

"If one merely glanced at the diagrams, it was fine. But attempting to absorb the Sword Intent revealed chaotic fragments left by various cultivators—utterly incompatible for refinement."

She had coincidentally overheard Xiao Chen's muttering about the diagram's low price and couldn't resist offering a warning.

First, to prevent others from being deceived.

Second, secretly hoping to sabotage Star-Plucking Sword Pavilion's business.

Her senior sect brother had been scammed out of spirit stones, but the sect's power made retaliation impossible, leaving her furious.

Since she'd encountered Xiao Chen by chance, she decided to offer a word of caution.

Even if he ignored her advice, there was still a chance it might help. Every prevented transaction counted.

"Such underhanded tactics?" Xiao Chen clasped his hands in gratitude. "Thank you, immortal lady, for the warning."

The female cultivator bowed in return. "No need for formalities, fellow cultivator."

With that, she turned and left.

Xiao Chen glanced back at the notice. He hadn't expected Star-Plucking Sword Pavilion, a renowned sword sect, to stoop so low.

While this was just the female cultivator's account, considering the previous behavior of their first-seat disciple Gao Chang Geng, her words were likely credible.

Ordinary disciples' conduct didn't reflect the sect's nature.

But a first-seat disciple's style inevitably bore the sect's influence—undoubtedly as domineering as their leader.

In the following days, nothing particularly noteworthy occurred.

Xiao Chen spent his time flipping through herbology manuals and strolling through markets until November arrived.

According to previous calculations based on the last forbidden realm's opening schedule, November should mark this realm's activation period.

However, even by mid-November, and past the fifteenth day, there was still no sign of the forbidden realm opening.

A massive crowd of cultivators grew confused—what was happening?

Hundred Grasses City grew restless too. They dismantled all the shops built near the entrance, then erected a large talisman formation to investigate the forbidden realm's status.

Currently, Xiao Chen had only studied the Introduction to Formation Dao and hadn't yet learned advanced formation techniques.

However, when he saw the talisman formation at the outer perimeter expand three times in succession, he estimated the situation was likely grim.

Fortunately, at this critical moment, Lord Huo personally intervened, traveling to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to summon Master Yenxing.

After a thorough inspection, they discovered the forbidden realm itself had no malfunctions—its spiritual energy was merely slightly insufficient, requiring additional time to accumulate.

The realm would officially open at the chen hour (7-9 AM) on the morning of November's final day.

"Better to arrive early and try to avoid the crowds."

On November 30th, Xiao Chen departed at the yin hour (3-5 AM), arriving at the forbidden realm's outskirts well ahead of schedule.

He had the advantage of speed and a rough map of the route.

By entering the forbidden realm first, he could reach the Spirit Medicine Garden ahead of others without being noticed.

Yet when he arrived, he found the area packed with people like an endless tide, with officials and nobles gathered in full force.

At least 60,000 to 70,000 people had come, staying up all night to queue here.

Over a thousand disciples from Hundred Grasses City were present, including early-stage cultivators summoned specifically to maintain order in uniform magic robes.

Even the rare sight of Foundation Building cultivators directing operations appeared.

Fortunately, no one dared provoke trouble based on cultivation realm—Foundation Building cultivators all kept their tempers in check, obediently dividing into three orderly lines.

This was because the forbidden realm's entrance wasn't wide, allowing only three people to enter abreast.

"When will this end?!" Xiao Chen stared at the line stretching over five kilometers, feeling numb.

Luckily, he soon noticed Golden Core Zhenren didn't need to queue with the rest—they could wait directly at the entrance.

Hundred Grasses City had prepared 260 sets of small tables and stools at the entrance, each with a cup of tea, a plate of seasonal fruits, a dish of mixed dried nuts, and a tray of Silver Frost preserved fruits.

Dozens of Golden Core Zhenren were already seated there.

After subtly revealing his Golden Core cultivation presence, Xiao Chen flew past the crowd to claim a seat—no disciples from Hundred Grasses City stopped him.

He casually tasted a piece of Silver Frost preserved fruit—crispy, sweetly refreshing with a hint of sourness. Not bad at all.

Two hours passed quickly, proving Hundred Grasses City had underestimated the turnout.

With thirty-plus Golden Core Zhenren each from Wanxian Alliance and Wu Lei Guan, the total had reached over three hundred.

Fortunately, no one quarreled over seats, politely waiting their turn.

"Report, elder! Entry and exit are secure!"

A Foundation Building disciple from Hundred Grasses City successfully completed a round trip, confirming the forbidden realm's entrance had stabilized.

"Esteemed fellow cultivators, please enter! May you all maintain harmony and avoid disputes!" An external affairs elder from Hundred Grasses City bowed respectfully, adding a special reminder.

With all present being Golden Core Zhenren, despite no formal instructions, everyone exercised restraint—entering in orderly batches.

Crossing the bright light curtain, Xiao Chen immediately sensed the extraordinary density of spiritual energy.

The Baicao Forbidden Realm's spiritual energy concentration was at least ten times that of the outside world!

No wonder so many low-level cultivators scrambled to come here—especially from nearby islands, where entire populations had gathered.

Even without obtaining spirit herbs, cultivating here for a month alone would yield tremendous benefits.

Before him stretched a vast plain, faint traces of field ridges visible beneath the rampant weeds that nearly obscured the spirit herbs.

A small river flowed through the area, with thousands of first-tier spirit herbs growing haphazardly along its banks.

But Xiao Chen ignored these, joining other Golden Core Zhenren in flying deeper by sword.

The entire Baicao Forbidden Realm's layout resembled a giant peach.

The entrance was the pointed tip—progressing inward became increasingly wide, with higher-grade spirit herbs encountered deeper inside.

Initially, Xiao Chen deliberately controlled his speed, staying slightly ahead of the others.

Since everyone chose different directions, he soon left the spiritual sense range of other Golden Core Zhenren.

Activating Chasing Stars and Racing the Moon, he reached the Five Peach Plains in no time.

Following legacy instructions, he turned east, continuing north after passing a grove of willow trees, crossing two mountains.

Finally, he arrived at a cave at the base of the third mountain.

"Is this the Spirit Medicine Garden?"

Walking into the cave, it seemed just an abandoned grotto—nothing visible but moss on the walls.

Scanning with spiritual sense revealed no anomalies.

After advancing about three kilometers, he encountered a wall—this was a dead end.

He reached out to touch it, feeling solid stone.

Curious, he drew his Flying Sword and slashed—the wall immediately cracked, with small stones falling away.

"This realistic?"

From his storage bag, he retrieved the token obtained from the Yellow Spring Palace's Secret Chamber.

As if sensing something, the originally pitch-black token suddenly emitted a bright silver glow.

With the glow, Xiao Chen felt the wall ahead become slightly illusory.

He reached out again—his hand passed through as if the wall were just an illusion.

Stepping forward, his entire body passed through the wall into the mountain's interior.

Walking dozens of steps further, the space opened into a new tunnel.

Pitch-black, with visibility reduced to nothing.

Looking up, an exit glowed faintly about three hundred meters ahead.

Emerging from the cave entrance, the scene suddenly expanded.

Several acres of fertile fields divided into three rows by irrigation canals, with spirit springs flowing through to nourish the land.

The first row, from east to west, grew a hundred flowers, a hundred grasses, fruit trees, and rare woods.

The second row, from west to east, cultivated lingzhi mushrooms, vines, ginseng, and velvetleaf.

Every plant was a Third Stage spirit herb.

The third row differed—its fields were chaotic, as if damaged.

At the edges remained a few surviving spirit herbs, while about eight bodhi trees grew unevenly in the center.

Each tree bore purple bodhi fruits—deep purple to light indigo, their surfaces subtly veined with golden light technique patterns.

Fourth Stage spirit fruits—Purple-Gold Bodhi.

"Wow! They actually planted bodhi trees! I've struck gold!"

Xiao Chen's spiritual sense swept outward, instantly counting—each tree bore at least twelve fruits, with the most productive having eighteen.

A total of exactly one hundred and twenty!

If taken outside, these could even provoke a Golden Core True Sovereign to fight for them.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen was the only one in the Spirit Medicine Garden. Had a group arrived together, swords would already be clashing.

For any Golden Core cultivator, this was a fortune beyond imagination.

"Luckily I prepared enough Jade Caskets—they should hold everything."

Xiao Chen muttered gratefully.

The bodhi fruits were walnut-sized—each Jade Casket could easily hold ten, or even twelve if squeezed. But he saw no need to risk damaging them.

Drawing his White Dew Willow Gloves from his storage ring, Xiao Chen took a deep breath, carefully plucking a Purple-Gold Bodhi fruit.

Immediately wrapping it in true mana, he poured a drop of Spirit Preservation Dew from his palm, carefully coating the fruit's surface.

Continuing to channel true mana, he patiently waited as the dew formed a thin protective membrane over the spirit fruit.

Only then did he retrieve a Sealing Medicine Jade Casket, gently placing the fruit inside.

This meticulous process was necessary—according to spirit herb records, these fruits were extremely delicate.

Any mistake would drastically reduce their medicinal potency.

For instance, an unskilled cultivator grabbing them barehanded would severely shorten their shelf life.

Without Spirit Preservation Dew, their potency would dissipate.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end