Chen Jinshu stepped up to the spirit herbs, swiftly harvesting them and placing them into a wooden box, preparing to begin refining the secret potion the next day.
The Rotroot Regeneration Elixir wasn't considered one of Medicine King's Peak's hidden formulas—it simply wasn't commonly used.
Very few spirit farmers were willing to spend the time crafting this kind of potion just to save a single spiritual plant. Most spirit farmers relied on growing fields of spiritual herbs. The death of a few didn't matter to them.
In fact, this particular elixir was so rare that it didn't appear in the Hall of Affairs or the markets. That's why she went through the effort of planting the necessary herbs and refining it herself.
She then arrived at the fire crystal fruit trees she'd cultivated from branches. These trees had grown a bit taller, though they hadn't mutated like the ones planted in the black soil fields.
"If the mutated fire crystal fruits turn out to be too potent, I'll just use them myself or refine them into pills to sell."
She had no desire to let the spirit farmers on Medicine King's Peak dig around into how she'd cultivated them.
"The snow lotuses finally bore seeds. In a few months, I should be able to grow them from spirit seeds."
As for the ebony ginseng, there wasn't much visible change, though the tuber under its leaves seemed to have grown. The nutrients had likely caught up, but full recovery would still take time. The Moon-Devouring Demon Lotus hadn't absorbed moonlight for a while, so its growth had slowed significantly.
"I don't need it just yet—I'll let it grow for now."
Even if it matured, she likely wouldn't be able to use it with her current cultivation. At the very least, she'd need to reach the mid-to-late Foundation Establishment stage—which was probably a decade away.
"The Xuanming Ice Lotus is ready to be harvested and exchanged for contribution points or spirit stones."
Looking at the field of lotus flowers before her, she rolled up her sleeves and stepped into the spirit field to begin harvesting. She hadn't taken on any pill refinement tasks in months, and her stockpile of spirit stones had been steadily shrinking. It was time to exchange herbs for stones.
Especially since Xiao Yin's bloodline had recently advanced—its future diet couldn't be neglected.
Five Days Later
Chen Jinshu sat in her alchemy room, frowning deeply at the cauldron of black liquid in front of her.
"So this is how it's supposed to be refined? Why does it keep failing?"
She was beginning to doubt her own skills.
She was trying to brew the Rotroot Regeneration Elixir, a concoction made from dozens of spiritual herbs—several of which she'd already successfully cultivated.
All that remained was refining the formula.
She had tried three batches. All failed.
"Senior Brother is quite knowledgeable in spiritual botany. Maybe he can give me some advice."
Staring at the dark liquid, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to consult Senior Brother Wen. She filled a small bottle with the failed concoction and left the alchemy room.
In the courtyard, she found Xiao Yin, who had just finished feeding, and brought it along.
"Where are we going, Master?" it chirped.
"To the Green Pine Herb Garden. Didn't you say it's been days since you've gone out?"
"Great!"
The bird was clearly pleased.
A few days ago, after informing Chen Jinshu, it had flown around Medicine King's Peak. Unexpectedly, its bloodline drew the attention of many spiritual birds, who flew around it relentlessly—startling it quite a bit.
This even surprised Chen Jinshu, who warned it not to fly around the sect too freely, lest it attract ill-intentioned people. Soon, she arrived at the spiritual field where her senior brother was working, with the little bird perched on her shoulder.
"You look a little anxious. Something wrong, Junior Sister?"
"I've been trying to refine a certain elixir lately, but I keep failing. I thought I might seek your advice. You're so experienced—you might spot the issue."
"Even you can't refine it?" Wen Shuyu chuckled teasingly.
Still, he took the bottle from her, uncorked it, and sniffed the contents. After a thoughtful moment, he said, "You're adding the herbs in the wrong order and mishandling the flame."
"How so?"
"This is the Rotroot Regeneration Elixir, isn't it? I struggled with it four years ago myself. Even our master hadn't encountered it before—we had to ask the Peak Lord for help."
"The problem was the same: flame control and herb placement."
"Although most elixirs follow the 'stew-it-all-together' method, this one is different. Its purpose is to regenerate decayed roots into new spiritual roots. You can imagine how potent that is."
"That's why you need to first add the herbs that promote regrowth, then the main ingredients. A longer simmer blends the medicinal effects better."
Chen Jinshu nodded thoughtfully, taking mental notes.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
She offered a light thank-you and departed with Xiao Yin.
Later, on the Way to the Hall of Affairs The bird on her shoulder suddenly spoke.
"Master! Your senior brother seems to have hit a bottleneck—his aura is unstable."
She frowned slightly. "How can you tell?"
"My Eye Art lets me see the condition of cultivators—their aura and such. I just glanced and noticed several issues."
"Do you know how to fix it?"
"His wood spiritual root is strong, but his earth spiritual root is weak—it's dragging him down. If he supplements earth-elemental qi, it might help."
"That's actually a solid suggestion."
She nodded inwardly. Her cultivation wasn't yet on par with her Seventh Senior Sister's—he might not believe her if she told him. Best to let nature take its course.
Still, the bird's ability impressed her. It could see through a cultivator's illusions… perhaps even their level?
"Could you tell what stage my senior brother's cultivation is at?"
"Foundation Establishment, third level," the bird chirped confidently.
"What's that skill of yours called? Let's test it later!"
"Golden Eyes of Truth!"
"Now that's a name. Seeing through illusions and lies—you might even break through illusions and mirages!"
"At my current cultivation, I can only see basic things about human cultivators. Nothing more… yet."
"You're already doing great!"
A short while later, the two arrived at the Hall of Affairs. Inside, the steward was reviewing a ledger.
Chen Jinshu gave Xiao Yin a nod.
Understanding her cue, the bird's eyes glowed faintly gold. Within moments, it reported its findings.
"Master! This man is at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment. His main root is water. His aura is strong—but his luck is weak."
"You can see someone's luck too?!" Chen Jinshu's eyes widened in surprise.
"There's a faint golden glow on the lucky ones. His is very thin—and there's some black mist too."
Chen Jinshu gave the bird an admiring glance, just as the steward looked up.
"What are you looking to purchase today, Junior Sister?"