Chapter 262: Harvest

Shan Hongyi's discovery of the Void Stone lode was a significant achievement.

Ancestor Zhou, hearing that Shan Hongyi had lost a defensive magic artifact in Gu Hun Ridge, compensated him with two Tier 3 Spirit Leaf Talismans that he had personally refined. Each talisman could be used three times and was capable of withstanding attacks from any cultivator below the Golden Core stage. In terms of value, they were even more precious than some magic treasures. If auctioned in the open market, each talisman would be worth at least three to four thousand spirit stones. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, these were crucial life-saving assets.

When Shan Hongyi accepted the two talismans, Chen Mobai noticed his hands trembling slightly. Although Chen Mobai felt a pang of envy, he quickly found a sense of balance, knowing that the raw spirit stone he had acquired was of even greater value.

"You two have also made contributions," Ancestor Zhou Shengqing said, pointing at Chen Mobai and Yan Jinye before departing, "You will be rewarded with spirit stones and sect contribution points."

"Yes, Ancestor," Sect Leader Meng Hong responded respectfully, bowing towards the spot where Ancestor Zhou Shengqing had vanished.

"Junior Martial Brother Chu," Meng Hong asked after rising, turning to Chu Zuoshu, the head of the Hall of Merits, who paused for a moment. If it were under normal circumstances, he would have been more cautious with the allocation, but since it was the Ancestor's direct instruction, it was appropriate to be more generous.

"Junior Sister Yan should receive six hundred. As for Junior Brother Chen, killing the two Silver-Armored Corpses is a major contribution; how about three thousand?"

"Agreed." Meng Hong did not comment further after hearing the proposed numbers.

Chen Mobai and Yan Jinye followed Chu Zuoshu to the Hall of Merits and received their rewards after swiping their sect tokens. Seeing Chen Mobai claim three thousand spirit stones and three thousand sect contribution points, Yan Jinye was filled with envy. Nevertheless, she was extremely fortunate to have returned alive this time.

Shan Hongyi accompanied them to the Hall of Merits, and afterward, the three proceeded to the Alchemy Division. The payment from Zeng Woyou had not yet been claimed.

"Thank you, Master," Yan Jinye profoundly thanked Zeng Woyou. If he hadn't issued the mission and arranged for Chen Mobai and the others to rescue her this time, she would undoubtedly be a corpse now.

"Think nothing of it," Zeng Woyou replied. "The spirit stones and expenses for the mission will be debited from your account. I'm merely fronting the cost for you for now." After speaking, he took a bottle of pills and a jade box from his storage pouch. The pills were the "Rejuvenation Jade Pills" he had helped Shan Hongyi refine. These were highly beneficial for mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators seeking to advance their cultivation, and only Zeng Woyou had an 80-90% success rate in refining them across the entire Divine Wood Sect. Of course, since Zeng Woyou was the one who commissioned the task, he had personally supplied the medicinal herbs for this batch of pills. Shan Hongyi's trip this time had truly reaped immense rewards. After getting the pills, he did not linger and promptly took his leave, eager to return and assess his losses and gains.

"Junior Martial Brother Chen, this is for you," Zeng Woyou offered the other jade box. Chen Mobai accepted it and opened it. Inside were indeed three Bamboo Fruits, still glistening with dew, clearly recently picked.

"Thank you." Although his main objective this time had been the Longevity Tree Fruit, given the circumstances, it was not appropriate to discuss it further with Yan Jinye. Chen Mobai was quite satisfied with the three Bamboo Fruits he had received. After all, he would only consume the Longevity Tree Fruit when he had assembled a complete set, and as long as Yan Jinye possessed one, there would be future opportunities to acquire it.

"Senior Brother Chen," Yan Jinye said, specially escorting him out as he left, her words expressing profound gratitude. "For this life-saving kindness, please allow me to visit and personally express my gratitude after my injuries have healed." After all, while Shan Hongyi's discovery of the Void Stone vein was a great achievement for the sect, their ability to return alive from Gu Hun Ridge still relied on Chen Mobai's supreme swordsmanship.

"By the way, Junior Sister, I have a young apprentice..." As he left, Chen Mobai felt it would be too abrupt to mention the Longevity Tree Fruit directly, so he used Zhuo Ming as a pretext and invited Yan Jinye to offer some guidance at Mount Xiaonan when she had time.

"Certainly," Yan Jinye eagerly agreed. She usually had no chance to forge a connection with Senior Brother Chen, a cultivator with such a promising future. Now that a rare bond forged through life and death had formed, and he had actively invited her, she promised to visit within a few days.

Back at Mount Xiaonan, Chen Mobai began to assess his new acquisitions. He had learned something from registering for the Artifact Appraisal course this year, and he quickly figured out most of the activation methods for the Golden Jade Axe. Although the control method was simple, the power of this magic artifact was considerable. Chen Mobai tried it: without the empowerment of the Azure Sun Fire Seed, his Flying Sparrow Hairpin would even be slightly inferior in pure offensive power. This Golden Jade Axe could indeed be called a peak Tier 2 magic artifact. In the market, such an artifact could sell for sixteen or seventeen hundred spirit stones. At an auction, if there were competitive bidders, it might even exceed two thousand spirit stones.

After testing its power, Chen Mobai felt that it was less suitable for him than the Flying Sparrow Hairpin. The magic artifact Meng Hong had given him was chosen with remarkable foresight, as it could perfectly maximize the power of his Azure Sun Fire Seed and Purple Fire Sword Light. The synergy of these three far surpassed the Golden Jade Axe.

After putting down the axe, he took out the Five-Colored Lotus Lantern. After analyzing it for a while using his appraisal knowledge, he only managed to figure out that by injecting spiritual energy, it could emit a defensive fiery glow. However, Chen Mobai felt that he could use this mysterious magic artifact to sharpen his artifact appraisal skills. Once he could fully understand its functions and control methods, his appraisal level would be considered to have reached a master level. The main reason was that he would be staying in the Heavenly River Realm for a long time, and after Ming Yihua successfully cultivated the Boundary Law, he had devoted himself to secluded cultivation and Foundation Establishment since this year, so he probably wouldn't have much spare time to help him with appraisals.

After storing the two appraised magic artifacts in his storage pouch, Chen Mobai took out all his spirit stones. In the Divine Wood Sect, Foundation Establishment cultivators received eight hundred spirit stones annually for cultivation. Chen Mobai was also registered with the Spirit Plant Division, but since the three primary positions were already occupied, he could only receive six hundred spirit stones annually as an elder's departmental stipend. In total, he had received one thousand four hundred spirit stones last year. Plus what Meng Hong had given him, and after deducting what was used for cultivation and the Formless Humanoid, Chen Mobai still had 93 mid-grade spirit stones. And today, he received another 30 mid-grade spirit stones from the Hall of Merits, which was equivalent to over two years' worth of sect benefits.

But all these combined were not as valuable as the raw spirit stone from the White Jade Altar. This was roughly equivalent to three to four hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and in terms of pure value, it was enough to buy ten Tier 3 Spirit Leaf Talismans.

However, what excited Chen Mobai the most was the silver-gray formation plate in his hand. The books he had recovered from that cave dwelling actually recorded all the techniques of the Netherworld Grand Formation. A full twelve volumes, from selecting suitable terrain, refining formation flags and formation plates, to laying out the formation, activating it, maintaining it, initiating it, and ultimately utilizing it—all had detailed textual descriptions.

But these were not what truly astonished Chen Mobai. The content recorded in the last three volumes made even him, a person from the Immortal Gate, find unbelievable. This Netherworld Grand Formation could even integrate with one's physical body; if the formation was integrated into the body, one could teleport or flash instantaneously within a certain range. The distance of this teleportation depended on the cultivator's cultivation stage after integrating the formation and the amount of Void Stone absorbed by the formation plate.

Chen Mobai felt that this formation was perfectly suited for him. After all, he constantly traversed between two realms, so he naturally had an affinity for spatial magic. Unfortunately, to integrate the formation into the body, one first needed to nurture the formation. The formation plate, at the very least, needed to be complete. Looking at the silver-gray formation plate, of which Daoist Fei Ming had assembled three-quarters, Chen Mobai nodded. Only the final corner was missing, and perhaps he would find it at a stall in the Heavenly River Realm markets someday.

Once the formation plate was complete, the cultivator's body needed to be strong, because only those with powerful physical bodies could traverse the void with ease. This was a bit problematic. After all, Chen Mobai was just a sword cultivator, famously known for high attack power and low defense. Another technique, the Longevity Immortality Scripture, was also known for its versatility and broad range of spells.

There were many body cultivation techniques in the Divine Wood Sect; the most famous of which was naturally the "Everlasting Dao Body." But thinking that this technique required Longevity Tree sap to achieve full mastery, Chen Mobai felt that he probably couldn't cultivate it. Bi Yiyuan's "Blended Gold-Copper Body" was also good, but this technique was most suitable for cultivators with Metal spiritual roots. As for other techniques like "Wood Spirit Physique" and "Water Origin Physique," their most powerful effects were to aid in the refinement and enhancement of corresponding elemental spiritual energy, and it was unknown if their physical strength could meet the requirements of the Netherworld Grand Formation. His cultivated Pure Yang Dharma Body only improved spiritual roots and that innate Pure Yang Qi.

However, for body cultivation methods, he could check at the Immortal Gate. After all, in terms of cultivation methods, Chen Mobai still felt that the Immortal Gate had a more comprehensive and mature system. Although body cultivation techniques demanded significant resources and were rarely practiced in the Immortal Gate, at least the Immortal Gate's cultivation system was far more complete than that of the Heavenly River Realm.

After finishing his thoughts, Chen Mobai solemnly stored the formation plate. This trip to Gu Hun Ridge, obtaining this formation plate and the knowledge of the Netherworld Grand Formation, even surpassed the value of the Longevity Tree Fruit. Indeed, there was a reason why cultivators in the Heavenly River Realm were eager to explore ancient cave dwellings. If he stayed in his sect every day, it would be safe, but he definitely wouldn't have such immense gains. Overwhelmed with excitement, Chen Mobai's usually cautious demeanor was somewhat swayed. He had to drop two drops of Clarity Bamboo Spirit Dew to calm his mind.

At Mount Xiaonan, Chen Mobai and Yan Jinye conversed amiably, with Zhuo Ming attending to them. Two male and female Qi Cultivation realm disciples, dressed in Alchemy Division uniforms, respectfully stood by.

"That's roughly the idea," Yan Jinye said, having listened to Zhuo Ming's concept. Relying on her skill as a Tier 2 alchemist, she swiftly offered a solution. "But turning the Hundred Herbs Pill and Spirit Nourishing Soup formulas into medicated wine will require continuous experimentation." However, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she couldn't spend too much time on such minor affairs. "These two are my disciples from the Alchemy Division; they are also considered my students. In the future, you three can interact and learn from each other more." The two disciples Yan Jinye brought immediately stepped forward to salute. They were also very enthusiastic about this, as they could gain two Tier 1 pill recipes for free. In the Heavenly River Realm, pill recipes were the most precious inheritance among the hundred cultivation arts. Zhuo Ming, at Chen Mobai's signal, took the two Alchemy Division disciples to the wine cellar to begin experimenting.

Once only the two of them remained, Chen Mobai thought for a moment and decided it best to ask directly. "I heard, Junior Sister, that you obtained a Longevity Tree Fruit in the Divine Tree Secret Realm?"

"This... did Senior Martial Brother Zhou tell you?" Yan Jinye's gains from the Divine Tree Secret Realm were only known to her master Zeng Woyou and Zhou Wangshen. Compared to the two, the latter was more likely to have divulged the information.

"In a way. Junior Sister Yan, please don't misunderstand, I'm just curious."

"You jest, Senior Brother. Indeed, I obtained a Longevity Tree Fruit that I dared not consume because of its numerous side effects. Since Senior Brother mentioned it, are you perhaps interested in this Longevity Tree Fruit?" As one of the few Foundation Establishment geniuses of this generation, Yan Jinye was also a perceptive individual. Chen Mobai had only uttered a sentence, and she understood its meaning.

"To be honest, Junior Sister," Chen Mobai began, "before I joined the sect, I received an inheritance of alchemy. Aside from practicing swordsmanship, I also try to refine some pills. The Longevity Tree Fruit is undoubtedly an extremely precious spiritual fruit, and I was wondering if I could use alchemy to remove its side effects, so when I heard you had one, I presumed to ask."

"Oh, Senior Brother Chen's alchemy inheritance, does it contain pill recipes?" Yan Jinye's eyes brightened. It was well-known that for an alchemist to grow, the most crucial factor was the number of pill recipes they possessed. Zeng Woyou's standing as the Divine Wood Sect's foremost alchemy master stemmed from his status as Ancestor Zhou's disciple, having inherited twenty-four of the Divine Wood Sect's pill recipes. Although Yan Jinye was his disciple, before her master passed on, she could only assist him and help prepare medicinal ingredients. If she wanted the sect's pill recipes, she could only rely on accumulating contribution points to redeem them individually. Currently, she had only redeemed four pill recipes from the sect because all her previous contribution points were used to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills. In addition to these, she possessed three other pill recipes acquired through purchase or trade in the external markets. Admittedly, as a Tier 2 alchemist, she only knew how to refine five types of Tier 1 pills and one type of Tier 2 pill. Today, being able to acquire the Hundred Herbs Pill and Spirit Nourishing Soup recipes for free, not to mention the two Qi Cultivation disciples, even she, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, felt greatly pleased.

"There are indeed a few pill recipes," Chen Mobai said, pretending to be hesitant and giving a slight hint.

"If Senior Brother's pill recipes are sufficiently valuable, I am willing to exchange it for the Longevity Tree Fruit in my hand," Yan Jinye said, a generous woman. The conversation having reached this point, she directly took out the jade box containing the Longevity Tree Fruit from her storage pouch.

"What specific types of pill recipes are you looking for, Junior Sister?"

"Oh, could it be that Senior Brother's alchemy inheritance has numerous pill recipes?" Hearing Chen Mobai's words, Yan Jinye's eyes brightened, and an excited expression crossed her face.

"Not an exorbitant number, but certainly not few." When Chen Mobai said this, he was thinking about the pill recipes that could be downloaded anywhere on the Immortal Gate's online platform. All knowledge in the Immortal Gate was shared, but compared to Daoist texts and cultivation techniques that required points to read, pill recipes were largely free. Besides the Immortal Gate's regulation that every spiritual liquid product packaging must include the pill recipe, it was also because even if one had the pill recipe, ordinary cultivators would find it very difficult to refine pills that met the Immortal Gate's standards for quality and lacked medicinal toxicity.

"Junior Sister, you know the value of pill recipes. Even the most basic Tier 2 low-grade pill recipe sells for two to three thousand spirit stones on the market. Although we have a bond of shared life and death, this Longevity Tree Fruit of yours has too many adverse effects; it can, at most, be traded for two or three pill recipes." Chen Mobai looked at the Longevity Tree Fruit with a hesitant expression, as if somewhat unwilling to proceed with the trade.

His apparent reluctance, however, made Yan Jinye anxious. "Senior Brother, I still have three thousand two hundred spirit stones saved up, plus this Longevity Tree Fruit. Please do me this favor and give me three pill recipes. If you ever need pills refined in the future, as long as I'm available, I will certainly assist without delay."

Though Chen Mobai thought to himself, *'Who would come to you to refine pills? I'll have Qing Nü trained by then!'* he let out a helpless sigh, his face still showing a hint of reluctance.