As Elder Hong Tian led the disciples of the Nine Profound Sect in a high-altitude search for Ji Yuan's whereabouts, he had already brought Zhou Lianying to the mountainside. Along the way, aside from the large cauldron and three sticks of sandalwood he initially acquired, he had found five more excellent spiritual items. Three of these were Dharma artifacts, each possessing between three to five levels of innate restrictions, though only at the acquired stage.
The other two spiritual items, while not Dharma artifacts, were even more valuable. One was a Bagua bronze mirror, which could be hung on a doorway to ward off ghosts and malevolent spirits, safeguarding the peace of a residence. The other was a collection of about seven or eight pieces of mountain stone possessing the ability to gather spiritual energy. Individually, each stone contained only a slight amount of spiritual qi, but when piled together, they could continuously draw in spiritual qi from their surroundings. Cultivating within such an environment would undoubtedly provide a certain auxiliary effect, significantly accelerating the rate of spiritual qi absorption.
Ji Yuan estimated that with these stones, his cultivation speed could be boosted by at least ten percent. This seemingly small ten percent should not be underestimated; over time, it would accumulate into a substantial gain. For cultivators, every gain would become a solid cornerstone for reaching the apex of the Great Dao in the future.
"Finally!"
As Ji Yuan stepped onto the last stone stair, he let out a sigh of relief. However, upon witnessing the scene before him, he couldn't help but freeze, only slowly recovering his senses after a long while.
On the mountainside, a vast tract of spiritual fields had been cleared. On the fertile spiritual soil, countless herbs grew, bathed in dense spiritual energy. Each patch of medicinal field was enveloped by a formation, ensuring that the herbs within would not wither and die over the long passage of time. While this method ensured the preservation of the herbs, it posed a significant challenge for outsiders to obtain them.
It was easy to infer that such formations, besides preserving the herbs, also served to repel intruders, preventing anyone other than the owner of this place from taking them.
As expected, when Ji Yuan conjured a recently acquired Dharma artifact and slowly approached the formation enveloping the medicinal fields, he felt a resistance. He could even sense that if he increased his force, it would provoke a backlash from the formation. Regardless of the outcome of such a provocation, the herbs within might be damaged.
Gazing at the medicinal fields, where each plant was at least a hundred years old, and some were even "medicine kings" that had grown for hundreds of years, he silently withdrew the Dharma artifact and fell into deep thought. A single medicinal field contained over twenty hundred-year-old medicinal herbs and two or three medicine kings. This area, with similar medicinal fields numbering over thirty, represented an almost unimaginable fortune. Its value was in no way inferior to over ten Dharma artifacts of decent quality. Even if sold at a low price, it could fetch hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels of silver. For Ji Yuan, a Daoist alchemist, its value was amplified even further.
However, a problem now arose: how could he obtain the protected herbs without triggering the formation's backlash? He had tried activating his jade token, but it could not unlock the formation or allow him to enter.
"If only Song He were here," Ji Yuan couldn't help but lament. His own skill in formations was only sufficient for casting and collecting them; anything more would be too demanding. If Song He were by his side, as a formation cultivator, cracking the current formation would likely not be a difficult task.
"If it can't be solved, we'll just break through it forcefully. Even if we only get one or two plants, it's better than returning empty-handed," Zhou Lianying, seeing his deep contemplation, kindly offered.
However, her words earned her a roll of his eyes, leaving her unsure of what she had said wrong. While her suggestion wasn't entirely incorrect, Ji Yuan considered it a lesser option. Moreover, he found it inconvenient to employ certain methods with her present. This was what truly troubled Ji Yuan.
After a few glances at the rows of medicinal fields, he could only grit his teeth, disregarding whether his methods would be exposed. After a moment of deliberation, he formed a hand seal and then exhaled a stream of light. As the outer glow dissipated, a small, seven-story pagoda, only a few inches in size, appeared before the two of them.
Zhou Lianying naturally remembered this pagoda, recalling how its descending rays had protected them earlier, easily fending off the attacks of other cultivators. She wondered about its purpose now.
Under the girl's perplexed gaze, Ji Yuan lightly tapped the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda before him. It slowly floated above the formation of the medicinal fields and began to emit wisps of light. As soon as the numerous strands of light touched the surface of the formation, they exuded spirit-devouring energy, actively absorbing the power and spiritual qi contained within the formation.
After a brief observation and confirming the method was effective, Ji Yuan switched to forming hand seals with both hands, channeling his spiritual power into the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda. In just a few breaths, the light emanating from the pagoda multiplied several times, covering the entire formation enveloping the medicinal fields and rapidly absorbing the spiritual qi within.
As time passed, he keenly noticed that the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda was not only absorbing spiritual qi but also various materials used in the formation. Some of these were absorbed by the pagoda, integrating into its own material, while others were stored within its first level, ready to be retrieved at a thought. Ji Yuan himself was surprised that his Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda possessed the characteristic of refining materials, able to extract the most fundamental substances from them. This meant that in the future, if he came across fragments of Dharma artifacts or treasures, and if the price was right, he could acquire them and use this pagoda for recycling, refining the materials.
Generally, achieving such a feat would require the skill of a master artifact craftsman, and even then, success would be uncertain, often leading to financial loss. In contrast, the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda, while slower in its absorption of materials from the formation, was stable and had a high refining ratio, around twenty to thirty percent. This efficiency was comparable to that of a master artifact craftsman, with the added advantage of no risk of failure.
In about a quarter of an hour, the formation enveloping the medicinal fields collapsed. Even many of the materials used to set it up were refined and stored within the first level of the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda. As Ji Yuan began collecting the herbs from the spiritual fields, Zhou Lianying remained stunned, her inner turmoil slowly subsiding. She had not expected this young Daoist to possess a Dharma treasure that, in addition to its protective capabilities, also had the ability to absorb spiritual energy and neutralize techniques. With her limited experience, she knew that such a versatile Dharma treasure was of astonishing value, something ordinary cultivators could only dream of.
"What are you waiting for? Come help out! You'll get your share of the benefits later!" Ji Yuan called out impatiently, seeing her standing there in a daze.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Lianying quickly stepped forward to help harvest the herbs from the spiritual fields. Fortunately, although her cultivation was not high, she came from a reputable background and had some foundation in herbal medicine. Most of the herbs here were of common varieties, not anything particularly rare. Under Ji Yuan's instructions, Zhou Lianying worked swiftly, taking care not to damage the roots of the herbs as she placed them into the wooden boxes she carried.
As an alchemist, Ji Yuan always had a large supply of wooden boxes on hand. However, with such a vast number of herbs, his prepared boxes would not be enough if he were to pack them individually. After some thought, Ji Yuan decided that his wooden boxes would only be used for the "medicine kings" that were hundreds of years old. The remaining herbs would be casually stored in his Jade Ring. This type of storage artifact had a peculiar internal space, where even herbs stored directly would not lose their medicinal properties, negating the need for specially made wooden boxes.
It took them a full two hours to collect all the herbs from over thirty spiritual fields into their possession. It was fortunate that the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda's spirit-absorbing speed increased with time. What originally took less than fifteen minutes to break through one medicinal field's formation later only took a dozen breaths. Ji Yuan surmised that this was likely because the pagoda had broken through many formations of the same type and absorbed a significant amount of their materials, thus accelerating its speed. Regardless of the reason, the faster, the better.
Looking back at the now empty spiritual fields, Ji Yuan felt a sense of satisfaction and even a hint of accomplishment. Zhou Lianying, despite being covered in dirt and her fair face smudged with soil, could not hide her joy. After their arduous efforts, she had also received three medicine kings and seven or eight hundred-year-old medicinal herbs. It wasn't that Ji Yuan was unwilling to give her more; it was simply that she didn't possess a Qiankun Bag (Cosmic Bag) and could only carry this much. Even so, it was a considerable burden.
While the quantity was small, the value was considerable. If sold at a market or shop, it would fetch at least twenty to thirty thousand taels of silver.
"Let's go, we've already wasted quite a bit of time," Ji Yuan said, his gaze returning as he led Zhou Lianying further up the mountain path. This time, their target was clear: a waterfall near the mountain summit, one of the three locations with the strongest spiritual aura on the entire peak. Both of them also looked forward to any potential discoveries along the way, as the mountain had appeared to have several other spots radiating spiritual light from below.
However, as they traveled, even Ji Yuan felt a degree of disappointment. While several places had indeed contained valuable spiritual items, they were ones he could not acquire. For example, a house that could gather spiritual qi and runes inscribed on the mountainside that possessed the effect of calming the mind and concentrating the spirit.
"I hope what's in that waterfall isn't like these other things," Ji Yuan muttered to himself, his normally steady heart rippling with a trace of fluctuation.
As they neared their destination, even from a distance, they could hear the sound of rushing water, and the air around them grew cooler. They instinctively quickened their pace and soon arrived at an open area. About thirty feet away, a waterfall, ten to twenty feet wide, cascaded down from near the summit. Its immense momentum caused the splashing water mist to form a rainbow in the air. Before them, the water from the waterfall formed a pool, so clear that they could see over a dozen fish swimming within.
"These are... Spirit Fish!" Ji Yuan's brow furrowed, his voice tinged with pleasant surprise.
Spirit Fish, it was said, were fish that grew up in areas rich with spiritual qi, which could eventually develop a trace of sentience. From then on, they would shed their mortal nature and continuously absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. Due to the inherent sentience within them, the flesh of these Spirit Fish was extremely delicious and rich in pure spiritual qi. Different varieties possessed different unique effects. Some, when consumed, could increase physical strength and make one's qi and blood more robust. Others could improve one's physique or even enhance one's spiritual roots. Even the most common Spirit Fish, when eaten, could increase one's cultivation slightly and store a considerable amount of spiritual qi in the body. Ji Yuan had seen a common variety of Spirit Fish in the Ming Xin Pavilion valued at several thousand taels of silver, which, when converted to pure silver, amounted to over ten thousand taels. In the pool before them, a casual glance revealed more than ten Spirit Fish. He wondered if there were even more in the depths.