Chen Jinshu rode the Xiao Yin and quickly returned to the Ink Plum Courtyard. She had initially planned to use her Rainbow Steps to return, but her body was too weak for it.
The burning sensation of the Moon Cleansing Pool was truly unpleasant—not enough to cause blisters or rot a cultivator's skin, but the memory of it lingered, enough to make one shudder upon recall.
Among the female cultivators who had accompanied her there, only two or three had managed to endure the full hour. The others had long since left, unable to bear it.
After all, aside from the Moon Cleansing Pool's power to purify spiritual roots using moonlight energy, there wasn't much else special about it. Once she arrived at the courtyard, Chen Jinshu took a water-storing pill bottle from her storage bag.
"Just collecting a little moonlight pool water shouldn't count as breaking the rules, right?"
Before she left, she had discreetly filled the hidden bottle in her sleeve with a bit of the water. Neither the Sect Master nor her master had forbidden collecting it.
She figured—after all the effort to get there, it would be a waste to return empty-handed. So, she entertained the idea. Master Yuexia must have known. In the end, she had even casually mentioned her by name—though it was in reference to the commotion, Jinshu caught the unspoken message.
"Keep silent about the water from the Moon Cleansing Pool."
The moment she opened the pill bottle, a rich, clean fragrance wafted out—an indescribable and unique scent. It wasn't floral, more like the aroma of white plum blossoms soaked in water for several days. Of course, this white liquid also contained a tremendous amount of spiritual energy.
"As expected of a pool refined by Moon Pearl—just the liquid alone holds such dense energy."
She thought the Moon Cleansing Pool's water might even be suitable for cultivation—at least it wouldn't leave behind toxic pill residue like some medicinal pills. Not that she feared pill toxins—her lotus petal birthmark helped purify them.
"I wonder what would happen if I used this to water spirit plants?"
The thought came unbidden.
This pool water wasn't just rich in spiritual energy—it also carried a trace of the world's natural essence. Using it on spirit plants might yield strange effects. Though admittedly, that would be quite extravagant.
"Still, I should first check on what changes occurred in the treasure furnace after it absorbed so much moonlight energy."
However, when she attempted to communicate with the treasure furnace, she received no response.
"Seems it hasn't finished absorbing everything yet."
With a faint sigh, she brought out her Lüqi Zither, intending to play a tune to test the feel. The moment her hands touched the strings, a chill surged into her fingertips.
"These cold silkworm strings are even colder than expected."
Ding…
She gently plucked a string, and the crisp tone rang clearly in her ears.
"No wonder it's a thousand-year string—it sounds so much better than the old ones."
The zither's voice felt reborn. The slight dullness from before was gone—its sound now clean and crystalline, almost ethereal. She immediately began to play Hymn of the Earth Vein's Rebirth.
As the melody drifted through the air, it carried a faint chill. Frost quickly formed on the black plum trees and nearby buildings. Even so, the song's imagery remained one of blooming life—lush plants sprouting from the earth, ultimately dispelling the frost.
Two months passed in a flash.
Chen Jinshu followed her master's instruction, staying in the courtyard to cultivate and enhance her power. Occasionally, she would visit her senior brother at the Green Pine Herb Garden to discuss spirit plant techniques.
What intrigued her most was that the white rice grains she had given her brother last time were being cultivated separately in a small spiritual field.
She had no idea what methods he had used, but the white grains grew identically to the ones in her own spatial field. And in a shorter amount of time, too—making her briefly doubt whether the time flow in her planting space was really that effective.
But the vigorous growth of her other plants quickly dismissed that thought.
When she later asked him, she learned he possessed an ancestral technique to accelerate spirit plant growth—its effects varied depending on the user. Combined with his daily application of spirit-growth elixirs, the results were comparable to her spatial field.
Currently, her field's time flow remained unchanged—just slightly faster than the outside world—so with his ancestral method, it made sense he could grow a spirit rice plant just as quickly.
After absorbing a vast amount of moonlight energy, her planting space had, as she'd predicted, formed a new acre of white spirit soil. The soil gleamed like moonlight, forming a sharp contrast against the original black soil.
As for what effects the white field would have, Chen Jinshu hadn't figured it out yet—she only managed to communicate with the treasure furnace and re-enter the space half a month ago.
She had only planted the spiritual seeds then, so the budding herbs hadn't yet shown any obvious differences.
"The stalks do look sturdier than those in the normal fields, though. As for anything else… no major changes yet."
Comparing the two batches of Ziyu Grass before her, she silently calculated in her mind. But she was sure of one thing—this white spirit field was certainly unique. It couldn't be worse than the black field, not after absorbing such precious moonlight energy.
She still hadn't used the bottle of pool water. Mostly because she hadn't yet encountered a spirit plant worthy of such a lavish investment. Just after she exited the spirit planting space, she received a transmission from her sixth senior brother.
"What? The white spirit rice has already started heading?"
She had only visited his field five or six days ago.
The speed was astonishing.
She immediately raced toward the Green Pine Herb Garden, moving as fast as she could. When she arrived, she saw her senior brother Wen Yushu beaming, face practically glowing with excitement. When he saw her, he lit up even more.
"Junior Sister, you're finally here! Do you have any idea how rare the spirit rice you found truly is?" Wen Yushu's cheeks flushed with emotion.
"What do you mean?" Chen Jinshu asked, puzzled. She had suspected the mutated rice was unusual, but she hadn't been able to determine what exactly made it special.
"Come and see for yourself!" Wen Yushu motioned for her to take a closer look.
Chen Jinshu walked slowly toward the spirit rice and saw about twenty stalks drooping under the weight of crystal-clear grains.
"These… are the same white rice grains I gave you? How did they end up like this?"
Her eyes shimmered with amazement. After heading, the spirit rice had transformed into clusters of crystal-like grains, gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight. They even sparkled with faint multicolored hues.
"This spirit rice was discovered by you—why not name it?" Wen Yushu suggested. "It's extremely rare to see spirit rice like this."
"How about Crystal Rice? The grains look just like crystals."
Chen Jinshu's gaze remained fixed on the rice. If you peeled off that thin outer layer, it would look even more beautiful.
"Crystal Rice… yes, it suits them perfectly," Wen Yushu nodded slightly.
It was his first time encountering such a strange variety of spirit rice—he couldn't help being a little overwhelmed.
"Do you know how this Crystal Rice differs from regular spirit rice?" Chen Jinshu asked after a moment's thought.