Chapter 209: The Happy Troubles of Seven Fourth Stage Spirit Herbs

Chapter 209: The Happy Troubles of Seven Fourth Stage Spirit Herbs

Processing a single Bodhi Fruit took about a quarter of an hour.

When dealing with large quantities, it became almost a physical labor.

But Xiao Chen didn’t mind the hassle at all. He even took multiple breaks to replenish his energy, ensuring he wouldn’t make any mistakes.

After three consecutive days of careful harvesting, all the Purple-Gold Bodhi Fruits were properly sealed within twelve Jade Caskets.

“Hmph, done at last!”

As he stored the final fruit, he finally exhaled in relief: “Now I won’t have to worry about refining the Dao Crystal anymore.”

“In the future, mastering the Five Elements Transformation will also become twice as efficient.”

As his cultivation realm improved, many cultivation manuals and spells imposed stricter requirements—not just on innate talent, but also on elemental affinity.

Especially for the future Nascent Soul Formation, one needed to grasp the principles of Five Elements generation and have a certain level of insight into the Five Elements Dao.

Originally, neither of these were Xiao Chen’s strengths.

Though his talent issues could temporarily be resolved through the hundredfold enhancement, comprehending the Five Elements remained a major obstacle.

Now that he had so many Purple-Gold Bodhi Fruits as a foundation, this hurdle had become much easier.

Theoretically, there would still be leftovers to aid his spell cultivation.

The only downside was that these treasures might attract envy, making them difficult to liquidate.

Of course, Xiao Chen had no intention of selling them anyway. Such rare treasures with unmatched value were never too many to hoard.

“Too bad so many medicinal herbs were destroyed just to plant the trees.”

Looking around, faint grooves marked the ground—remnants of the Yellow Spring Path from years ago.

To plant the Purple-Gold Bodhi, nearly all the other herbs had been eradicated.

But demonic cultivators always focused on immediate gains, disregarding sustainability.

Preserving the Bodhi Trees was already an unexpected blessing. Xiao Chen couldn’t afford to ask for more.

He walked along the edge of the spirit field, searching for surviving Fourth Stage Spirit Herbs.

The most noticeable one was in the lower-left corner—a small tree about 1.5 meters tall, half a person’s height.

It barely bore a single milky-white fruit the size of a fist.

Nearly all its roots were exposed, charred remnants from the spirit flames of the past.

Only a root as thick as a little finger had narrowly survived, still anchored into the spirit field.

“Wow, it’s still alive. What tenacious vitality!”

Xiao Chen couldn’t help but marvel: “It even produced a new Righteous Spirit Fruit. Truly a miracle.”

He retrieved a fresh Jade Casket for preserving herbs, carefully plucking and storing the Righteous Spirit Fruit.

Then, he drew his Flying Sword, meticulously cutting away the roots reduced to charcoal.

“I can only help this much. I hope your roots can regrow.”

Xiao Chen had initially planned to dig into the spirit field but hesitated, fearing he might worsen things.

After all, he wasn’t an expert in herbal cultivation and lacked knowledge in planting techniques.

Above the Righteous Spirit Fruit, several spirit herbs had perished, reduced to charred husks that crumbled to ash with a touch.

Near the upper edge of the spirit field, a cluster of surviving spirit flowers emerged.

Three Crying Spirit Flowers bloomed along the stem in varying sizes, with a new bud sprouting at the tip.

“Ah, so many tears!”

Xiao Chen immediately noticed the teardrop-shaped patterns adorning the petals of the lower two Crying Spirit Flowers.

The highest one had fewer markings but still bore seven tear-shaped patterns.

Crying Spirit Flowers could be aged by their tear patterns—one marking represented a century.

Judging by this, the lower two had surpassed a millennium.

Overall, this cluster had survived nearly two thousand years, nearing its bloom’s end.

Most spirit herbs couldn’t match spirit trees in longevity. Without interference, trees might thrive for ten or even a hundred thousand years.

But most herbs had natural lifespans.

Except for rare celestial treasures, most herbs withered when their time came.

Immortality was difficult—both for humans and spirit herbs.

Even Fourth Stage spirit flowers planted in top-tier spirit fields could only extend their lifespans so much.

One key indicator of decline was whether new sprouts emerged nearby.

“Luckily I arrived in time. If I’d come later, I might have missed it entirely.”

Xiao Chen glanced aside and indeed saw new sprouts emerging.

This meant if he returned in fifty years, this cluster might already be gone.

He quickly retrieved another Jade Casket, harvesting all three spirit flowers.

“This shouldn’t attract too much attention. I can trade it for spirit stones.”

Earlier, he’d overheard Elder Qian offering a bounty for millennium Crying Spirit Flowers at the plaza.

The elder had offered a staggering 300,000 spirit stones—a tempting sum.

Such a high price likely meant he urgently needed a specific pill.

Next, Xiao Chen scoured his entire Spirit Medicine Garden.

Unfortunately, most herbs along the edges had been reduced to ash, crumbling at a touch.

Among the seven surviving Fourth Stage herbs, two had regressed to sprouts or immature forms.

Only three remained at peak maturity.

The first was the Scattered-Leaf Golden Light Grass in the upper-right corner.

Famous as the primary ingredient for refining the Golden Transformation Elixir, it also served as a versatile auxiliary herb in many Fourth Stage formulas.

Among Fourth Stage herbs, it ranked among the most prized.

Even luckier, six plants remained, three of which were fully mature.

This meant Xiao Chen had two chances to experiment—whether refining the Golden Transformation Elixir himself or entrusting a Pill Forging Master.

For such a specialized pill, even with a formula, the initial attempt carried immense risk.

An extra trial could mean the difference between success and failure.

The second Fourth Stage herb was the Purple Jade Auspicious Cloud Fungus in the lower-right corner.

A rare Fourth Stage herb nearly extinct in the outside world.

Coincidentally, Xiao Chen had seen a bounty notice for it at the plaza.

It was issued by a small sect east of the Nanlao Sea—the Three Immortals Sect.

They offered a vial of heartblood from a Fourth Stage spirit beast, the Elusive Sika Deer, in exchange.

Both items were of comparable value—a mutually beneficial trade.

In the Eastern Territory, countless small sects and clans existed, many subordinate to larger sects.

For instance, the Jingkong Sea nominally hosted a dozen minor clans, but all were effectively vassals of the Three Great Clans.

The Three Immortals Sect, located in the Nanlao Sea, enjoyed better independence.

Though obscure and nominally under the Hundred Grasses City, they functioned as a distinct sect.

Other factions like the Zhang Family of Heiyan Sea, the Jin Family of Wanxian Island, and the Lotus-Picking Sect of Yunchi Sea also had bounties.

But their requests were equally obscure, so Xiao Chen hadn’t encountered them.

The final Fourth Stage herb he found was the Shadowfixing Treasure Leaf.

Its appearance resembled common weeds.

Thankfully, this was a Spirit Medicine Garden—only extraordinary herbs could be planted here.

Moreover, the author of the Compendium of High-Rank Spirit Herbs had included vivid illustrations, making identification possible.

Otherwise, even encountering it in the wild, Xiao Chen doubted he’d recognize it.

Strictly speaking, Shadowfixing Treasure Leaf wasn’t a spirit herb but a raw material.

In records of the Baicao Forbidden Realm, it had appeared only twice—a rarity among rarities.

Legend claimed it could be crafted into shadow-fixing paper via secret techniques, used to draw Visualization Charts.

Only a few left-path cultivators specializing in contemplation techniques required such materials.

Contemplation techniques were ancient cultivation methods where cultivators drew power by visualizing divine lords or mythical beasts within their spirit seas using Visualization Charts.

Nowadays, these were considered esoteric paths—generally dismissed but dangerous to provoke, as their practitioners excelled at unconventional tactics.

Another note: due to the vastness of the Eastern Territory and its countless islands, many esoteric sects survived, especially in remote, isolated regions.

Most left-path cultivators lived within their sects, avoiding outsiders.

Only a few accomplished cultivators earned the right to travel as their sect’s representatives.

This led to outsiders occasionally encountering left-path cultivators with golden core realms or higher, creating the false impression that all were golden core experts.

“This seems useless to me…”

Xiao Chen pondered, then decided to harvest the Shadowfixing Treasure Leaves from the vine, following his “preparedness” principle: “Ah well, I’ll take it. Might come in handy someday.”

Even if he didn’t use it, the vine would eventually wither, wasting its potential.

With the Han Hai Ring’s ample space, a Jade Casket took little room.

“This ring was such a bargain.”

Xiao Chen once again felt his decision to buy a Storage Ring upon arriving in the Eastern Territory was perfect.

Harvesting these five Fourth Stage spirit herbs and thoroughly checking the Spirit Medicine Garden for any missed treasures took another half-day.

“Too bad I didn’t find the Ginseng Spirit Flower or the Thousand Flowers and Myriad Leaves Vine.”

Xiao Chen felt slight regret: “But with the Righteous Spirit Fruit and the extra millennium Crying Spirit Flower, at least acquiring the Nine Luminaries Dark Elixir won’t be a problem.”

Then, he could enhance the quality of his true mana.

After all, this affected not just spell potency but also his chances of breaking through future cultivation bottlenecks.

Improving the quality of true mana was practically a two birds with one stone situation.

Having secured the most valuable Fourth Stage spirit herb, Xiao Chen turned his attention to the Third Stage spirit herbs in the first two rows. The first two rows remained relatively intact, so the number of surviving spirit herbs was also enormous. Especially in the area planted with various rare woods, all the spirit trees had grown extremely well. However, due to the lack of harvesting for so long, they had crowded together, forming an airtight wooden wall.

"Well look at this—Spirit-Repelling Golden Wood!" Xiao Chen recalled from his records, identifying the special hardwood used for crafting defense spiritual artifacts. Legend claimed it was as indestructible as gold and surpassed iron in durability. He tapped it lightly, immediately hearing a "thud-thud" sound, as if striking steel. Even his Flying Sword left no mark until he infused it with true mana, creating only a faint scratch.

"Tsk, this might be a real workout." The Spirit-Repelling Golden Wood had grown too thick—each tree was nearly two feet in diameter, requiring both arms to encircle. Worse, he only had a Flying Sword, not an axe. Cutting through these towering trees was no simple task. He tried felling one tree and spent half a day doing so. With at least ninety to a hundred trees in this grove, he sighed, "No way—I’ll leave this for later and handle other tasks first."

For instance, over ten feet of spirit herbs had encroached from the fruit tree zone into the herb zone. In the ginseng area, the ground was nearly overtaken by vines, despite the lush growth above.

After clearing the garden and excluding immature herbs, he counted 226 Third Stage spirit herbs and flowers across 22 species, plus 133 spirit fruits of three types. There were also 100 White Jade Xiangyun Zhi, 100 Accumulated Emerald Ancient Ginsengs, 160 Azure Sea Vines, and 103 Lapis Lazuli Velvet Blooms. Since different herbs couldn’t be mixed, he needed 78 Jade Caskets in total. With only 13 remaining, he faced a shortage of 65.

"Wow, I thought I was bold, but I was still too conservative!" He calculated mentally, sighing, "Buying this many Jade Caskets now might draw unwanted attention." Most cultivators carried only two Jade Caskets, as even Third Stage herbs were rare in the Baicao Forbidden Realm. Yet he’d prepared thirty—and still came up short!

Still, he couldn’t let this bottleneck stop him. Xiao Chen quickly left the garden, heading east to purchase more Jade Caskets.

At this point, the forbidden realm had only been open for a few days. Most cultivators were still inside searching, with few outside. Fortunately, over a hundred thousand cultivators had entered this year, so daily rotations were common—some resting, others resupplying. His early exit wasn’t suspicious. To avoid attention, he even avoided flying on his sword, pretending to be an ordinary Foundation Building cultivator.

He bought only two Jade Caskets per shop, circling the city between purchases to avoid suspicion. This should’ve been enough to deter thieves. If not, he’d simply test the Eastern Territory cultivators’ duel skills.

Thankfully, by day’s end, no one seemed to tail him—likely due to his low cultivation level and modest purchases. Xiao Chen relaxed slightly, thinking, "Stay away, and I’ll stay away. Let’s all live peacefully." He disliked fights, except against bandit or demonic cultivators.

Yet on his return, passing the Five Peach Plains, he noticed bloodstains and lingering spell marks. A fierce battle had erupted here recently—one cultivator died, while others fled south. "Sigh, sometimes fate drags you into things." He hurried back without lingering.

Time flew—twenty days passed in a flash.

Boom! A ten-meter-long Spirit-Repelling Golden Wood finally crashed down.

"Phew! Good thing I had time. Two more days and I’d have failed." He stretched his arms, finally storing all 100 spirit trees into his storage bag. Halfway through, he’d understood the wood’s name—its innate resistance to true mana slowed his progress, forcing him to pause and recover mana repeatedly. The task took twice as long as planned. Fortunately, the Baicao Forbidden Realm’s duration allowed him to complete it.

After a final check of the garden, he left with his token, flying toward the Forbidden Realm Exit.

Unlike twenty days prior, the exit now teemed with people. Cultivators crowded the area, buzzing with excitement. For most, finding even a Second Stage spirit herb was a lucky gain. Many Foundation Building cultivators were content with First Stage herbs—after all, they were free!

Only a few wealthy gamblers spent fortunes on gear hoping for luck. Most cultivators envied the lucky few but comforted themselves by comparing with equally unlucky peers. Among 100,000 entrants, perhaps a thousand harvested Third Stage herbs—barely one in a hundred, rivaling the number of Golden Core cultivators inside.

The hot topic? The eighteen cultivators who found Fourth Stage Spirit Herbs—shattering the realm’s previous records. Rumors claimed even more trades happened secretly.

"Did you hear? Fellow Cultivator Han declined rewards to join the Hundred Grasses City as a direct disciple of Elder Liu!"

"Smart move! As a solitary cultivator from Wanxian Archipelago, he’d never survive Nanlao Sea with mere spirit stones. Now with a Golden Core master, his future’s bright!"

"They say Elder Liu oversees the Pill Forging Bureau. I bet he’ll breakthrough to Golden Core Formation soon!"

Others marveled at a Golden Core cultivator’s fortune:

"Who’d believe Fengyu Workshop’s owner paid 290,000 spirit stones for the Thousand Flowers and Myriad Leaves Vine?"

"Unbelievable! That’s the highest price this year!"

"I heard Elder Qian from Hundred Grasses City raised his bounty to 350,000 spirit stones!"

"Wow! That’s nearly double! But what’s the point if he can’t claim it?"

"Elusive Sika Deer" was a Fourth Stage spirit beast—its heartblood served as the core ingredient for Body Tempering Holy Pills, indispensable for all Third Stage body cultivators.

"Hmm, better contact the Three Immortals Sect first." The Elusive Sika Deer was a Fourth Stage spirit beast—its heartblood was the core ingredient for Body Tempering Holy Pills, essential for all Third Stage body cultivators.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end