Chapter 134: Nine Illusion Sky Orchid and Du’e Pill

Qin Sang handed over Senior Brother Wen's waist token and offered a brief explanation. "I wish to consult the sect's cherished alchemy texts, or perhaps ancient books related to spirit herbs. I hope Senior Brother Zhang can grant me access."

"Certainly, certainly..." Senior Brother Zhang readily agreed and personally led Qin Sang towards the main hall at the back. The hall was divided into several side chambers, each secured by restrictions. The archways were labeled with characters such as 'Artifacts', 'Talismans', 'Formations', and 'Pills'. Inside each chamber were rows of wooden shelves, giving Qin Sang the feeling of entering a library in his previous life.

Upon reaching the innermost section, Senior Brother Zhang unlocked the restrictions of the pill chamber and pointed to several rows of wooden shelves within. "Junior Brother Qin," he said, "these ancient texts are mostly related to spirit herbs and alchemy, though many are mythological tales. You may browse them freely. Among the jade slips, some contain pill formulas, while others are alchemy insights collected by the sect. You can only view a portion of these; full access requires a payment of spirit stones..."

Qin Sang stepped forward, noticing that most of the ancient texts were dilapidated, preserved from the ravages of time only by a protective spiritual glow. There were few jade slips. In the current cultivation world, spirit herbs were scarce and alchemy was in decline. Apart from the Taiyi Pill Sect, which was founded on alchemy, other sects, even if they wished to prioritize alchemy, lacked the resources to do so.

After Qin Sang voluntarily paid the spirit stones, Senior Brother Zhang nodded with satisfaction. "Junior Brother Qin," he said, "feel free to examine them thoroughly. If you need anything, just call out to me. I won't disturb you further."

Once Senior Brother Zhang had left, Qin Sang walked over to where the jade slips were stored and began examining them one by one. The pill formulas in the jade slips only described the effects of the spiritual pills, the required spirit herbs, their characteristics, and medicinal properties. The detailed alchemy processes were sealed and required payment of spirit stones to view, but as he had no energy to devote to alchemy, he didn't need to see those parts.

He had two purposes for coming here. First, to find the origins of the mysterious orchid. Second, to see if there were any spiritual pills or herbs that could mend damaged foundations, lest he travel abroad in the future, enter a treasure mountain unknowingly, and miss out on opportunities.

It didn't take long for Qin Sang to go through all the jade slips. He then carefully picked up the ancient texts and began browsing them. Although these ancient books were full of absurd myths and legends, they also contained many strange tales that broadened Qin Sang's horizons. It took him a good half-day to finish reading all of them.

Placing the last ancient text back, Qin Sang furrowed his brow, a thoughtful expression on his face. From the numerous ancient books and jade slips, he had indeed learned of two spirit herbs capable of restoring damaged foundations: one called Daojing Grass and the other Jiangyun Purple Fruit. Both were mentioned only briefly in a particular mythological tale.

There was no description whatsoever of what these two spirit herbs looked like, their growing environments, or any taboos regarding their consumption. Qin Sang remained completely in the dark. Furthermore, none of the spirit herbs mentioned in these ancient texts matched the mysterious orchid.

Qin Sang stood up, committing the two spirit herbs and their associated tales to memory. He then exited the pill chamber and greeted Senior Brother Zhang. Just as he was about to leave Baota Peak, a thought suddenly struck Qin Sang. He paused, turned, and asked, "Senior Brother Zhang, are all the sect's alchemy texts kept within this pill chamber?"

Senior Brother Zhang replied, "Most of them are stored here. However, some rare pill formulas and important ancient texts are kept in the inner hall. Access to the inner hall is generally restricted for disciples due to the sensitive nature of its contents..."

Qin Sang mused that what he sought might be inside. The man's evasiveness and hesitation likely meant he was hinting at some benefit. However, Qin Sang was in no mood to play along. His expression slightly hardened, and he said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother Zhang, what are the requirements for entering the inner hall? Does one need a decree from a Golden Core cultivator to gain entry?"

Senior Brother Zhang's expression shifted. He let out a dry chuckle and hastily said, "Junior Brother Qin, you speak too gravely. How could we dare disturb Uncle-Master Mawu over such a minor matter? It merely requires a few more spirit stones than the outer hall. If Junior Brother Qin is interested, I'll go and open the inner hall for you now."

The jade slips and ancient texts in the inner hall were far fewer than those outside. Qin Sang finished reading them all in no time. As he left Baota Peak, his expression was somewhat complex. He had indeed found a record related to the mysterious orchid in one of the jade slips in the inner hall.

This particular jade slip was an heirloom of a grand alchemy master, containing his insights and observations from his lifetime, mostly related to alchemy. Among these records was a description of an orchid named the Nine-Phantasm Heavenly Orchid.

The Nine-Phantasm Heavenly Orchid, whose stamen had a wisp of smoke floating above it, manifested suns, moons, stars, mountains, rivers, exotic beasts, immortal herbs, carriages, and travelers, as if a small world existed within the flower. This description perfectly matched the characteristics of the orchid Qin Sang possessed.

Furthermore, what was even more astonishing was that before the spirit herb fully matured, the Nine-Phantasm Heavenly Orchid would transform into nine different orchid forms, a process the alchemy master referred to as "metamorphosis." Only after undergoing nine metamorphoses would the orchid become a true Nine-Phantasm Heavenly Orchid, with each transformation taking five hundred years.

Before its first metamorphosis, the Nine-Phantasm Heavenly Orchid appeared as a common spirit grass. After its first metamorphosis, it would bloom with a single flower, taking the form of the most ordinary gladiolus found in the mortal realm. Though seemingly lush with petals, all its petals were in fact a single entity.

Only after the second metamorphosis would a second petal emerge. By the ninth metamorphosis, the orchid would have nine petals, opening in a circular shape. Its form would appear extremely common, yet it was then known as a Heavenly Orchid.

The Nine-Phantasm Heavenly Orchid in Qin Sang's possession currently had only seven petals and resembled a snow-covered ink orchid. Even if it were about to begin its eighth metamorphosis, it would still take another five hundred years to fully mature.

Upon reading this, Qin Sang almost immediately felt the urge to sell the Nine-Phantasm Heavenly Orchid for something more immediately useful. He had just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage and had a little over two hundred years of lifespan remaining. Even if he were fortunate enough to form a Golden Core, he would at most live to five hundred years if he couldn't find elixirs to extend his life. This meant he might never live to see the day the Nine-Phantasm Heavenly Orchid matured, and it would only serve as a family heirloom.

However, a sentence written later by the alchemy master made Qin Sang's eyes widen abruptly. "This heaven-defying treasure is incredibly rare, a primary ingredient for the miraculous Do'e Pill. For someone about to form a Nascent Soul, consuming the Do'e Pill can increase the chances of Nascent Soul formation by two-tenths!"

Upon seeing this, Qin Sang was deeply shaken. Cultivators striving to break through bottlenecks were fighting for that sliver of opportunity. He had already experienced the difficulty of Foundation Establishment. As cultivation levels increased, the difficulty of breakthroughs became even greater. Even a prodigy like Fairy Chenyan, with a Heavenly Spirit Root, failed in her attempt to form a Nascent Soul and was forced to resort to cultivation through forbidden arts.

What did increasing the chance of Nascent Soul formation by two-tenths with the Do'e Pill signify? Golden Core cultivators, when attempting Nascent Soul formation, would already be ecstatic with merely a ten to twenty percent chance of success. Many Golden Core cultivators dared not contend for such a slim opportunity, instead traveling the world to collect spirit herbs, only to never find a suitable one before their demise.

In the vast Minor Cold Domain, cultivators were as numerous as migrating fish, yet only eight righteous sects had Nascent Soul Old Ancestors presiding over them. It was said that the Heavenly Demon Mound and the Demonic Sects had even fewer.