An hour later, Chen Jinshu woke from her cultivation and immediately noticed that the spiritual field ahead had widened significantly. Perhaps after her advancement, the number of spiritual fields in her spiritual plant space had increased again.
She quickly got up to inspect it. She discovered two new acres of spiritual land had appeared.
"I only gained one acre when I broke through to the fourth level. Now after reaching the late stage, I got two acres? At this rate, wouldn't I have three or four acres when I reach Foundation Establishment?"
As cultivation increases, the grade of spiritual pills needed also rises. Thus, the demand for spiritual herbs grows. Even with these few acres, it still wouldn't be enough. She walked briskly through the two newly added acres and soon noticed that one of them looked different.
"Why is the soil in this field so black? It's as if it's been tainted by demonic qi."
Of course, the spiritual field couldn't truly be corrupted by demonic qi. Rather, it seemed to have undergone a mutation after absorbing such energy. But what kind of mutation, she didn't know. She attempted to communicate with the treasure cauldron in her sea of consciousness, which eventually offered her just two words: "mutation occurred."
"Mutation? What kind of mutation? Could it mean the spiritual plants will mutate too?"
According to legend, when demonic qi infects spiritual plants, it causes strange mutations—though usually in a negative direction. The cauldron, having absorbed demonic qi, might have inherited this mutation-inducing trait, thus giving rise to this unusual field.
With that thought, Chen Jinshu's curiosity was piqued. Though the Medicine King Peak was rich in spiritual plants, mutated ones were rare. Yet mutated herbs always held a mysterious allure for cultivators.
"Let's hope the mutation is in a good direction."
Chen Jinshu carefully checked the nutrient content of the blackened spiritual field. Compared to the other fields, it didn't differ much—only the soil was unnaturally black.
"Let's plant something and test it."
She casually retrieved a good number of Ebony Ginsengs from her spirit beast bag—these had already developed sentience, though they were not yet mature and were somewhat malnourished. They still needed a long time before they could be used medicinally.
Sentient herbs usually had several times the potency of ordinary ones. Pills made from them were extremely spiritually potent and helped cultivators elevate their divine sense.
She planted one Ebony Ginseng and cast a binding technique to anchor it in place. One by one, a row of purple root-like creatures—each squirming slightly—lined up neatly.
"In the cultivation world, the strong eat the weak. Blame yourselves for wandering from the mountains into my fields."
The ginsengs seemed to sense Chen Jinshu's malicious intent and drooped in dejection. She then divided half an acre to plant a newly acquired spiritual fruit—Fire Crystal Fruit, a top-tier grade-one fruit.
Fire Crystal Fruit resembled cactus fruit on the outside. It had a mild, pleasant flavor and was rich in spiritual energy, making it extremely popular in the markets.
Chen Jinshu often saw cultivators selling it at stalls, and though she'd wanted to buy some, the price was steep—ten spirit stones each.
Upon further inquiry, she learned the fruit was difficult to cultivate and required an abundance of fertilizer. And recently, due to issues with Xuanming Sect's spiritual fertilizer, prices had soared to fifteen spirit stones apiece.
"That's even more than I earn from selling a bottle of pills!"
So she had the idea to try cultivating them herself. On a whim, she'd bought some seeds while passing by the Affairs Hall.
The seeds weren't expensive—five spirit stones could buy a whole bunch.
She used a quarter of the field for these. As for the remaining part, she sowed some mutated white rice grains. Thanks to stimulation techniques and the fast time flow in her spiritual plant space, they had already sprouted.
Five days passed in a flash.
During the period without her Lüqi Zither, Chen Jinshu occasionally practiced basic sword techniques in her courtyard. But most of her time was spent scouring Medicine King Peak for rare spiritual seeds.
In her spare time, she discussed herb cultivation techniques with her Sixth Senior Brother. After many conversations, she realized how profound his knowledge truly was—he mentioned techniques and insights she had never encountered before.
Gradually, her Spiritual Herbist's Handbook thickened by another inch.
Green Pine Herb Garden.
"Junior Sister! You've been so focused on spiritual plant cultivation—did you forget that the secret realm is about to open?" Wen Yushu called out to Chen Jinshu while still busy with his tasks.
"If you hadn't reminded me, I really would've forgotten. Is there news about it already?" she feigned ignorance.
She hadn't truly forgotten about the Xuanming Secret Realm—she'd worked hard to secure a top-20 spot on Medicine King Peak just for this.
But their master had said it would open in about six months. There were still five to six months left. Secret realms don't open on a fixed schedule, so no amount of anxiety would help.
"There's a rumor that it might open early. The Sect Master has already started planning a prelude event," Wen Yushu added with a sigh, looking at his clueless junior. "It's basically a briefing to inform disciples about potential dangers and opportunities…"
Chen Jinshu gradually understood—this was how the sect tried to prevent accidents. Before each opening, disciples were gathered for a so-called "prelude lecture."
"Do you know when it starts?"
"Sometime next month. You don't have to prepare anything—just go listen. The Sect Master won't personally summon anyone; it's standard practice. Just head to the Tianyue Hall on Tianyue Peak when the time comes."
"If the sect issues any official notice, I hope Senior Brother will inform me. I'd be very grateful."
"Of course. But for now, focus on what's in front of you. Look, this Iron Bell Fruit of yours doesn't need so much water," he said with a chuckle.
Before them, a spiritual fruit that shimmered with a metallic sheen had been overwatered.
"Oops, I was too focused on our conversation," she said sheepishly.
"No worries. Just add some extra spiritual soil to fix it."
Half an hour later, Chen Jinshu returned from picking her senior brother's brain. It was now evening. The sky was unusually clear—no clouds, no moon. Just a soft, pale blue expanse.
After bathing, she entered her spiritual plant space again.
There, she saw that the black spiritual field had yielded lush growth. The spiritual rice was especially vigorous. The rice leaves were a mix of pale and white tones, making them stand out among the other crops.
"The rice grains must have mutated."
When they had just sprouted, the rice shoots were bright green. But since she hadn't checked in a few days, they had now turned white. In the cultivation world, spiritual plants with white leaves were rare—and all of them were known for extraordinary effects.
"I wonder what kind of medicinal properties this mutated spiritual rice will have."
The Fire Crystal Fruit seedlings had also grown to five inches tall, with long green stems lined with red thorns.
"So the Fire Crystal Fruit plants mutated too."
Under normal circumstances, their thorns were white.