49: Chapter 49 Herb Garden

He recalled an entry he had seen in "An Introduction to Minerals": Black Iron Rock is formed when ordinary rock is subjected to long-term high pressure from earth veins and saturation by metal ore veins; its texture is harder than iron, and it often occurs on the periphery of metal ore veins, serving as a natural barrier.

The book stated that the hardness of Black Iron Rock is difficult for any Cultivator below the Foundation Establishment Stage to breach.

Lin Xuan did not believe it, so he stepped back a few paces and made a phantom grip with his right hand.

"Palm Thunder!"

A deep purple ball of lightning slammed into the rock wall, exploding into a blinding flash of electricity.

As the lightning dissipated, only a fist-sized, shallow pit less than an inch deep remained on the rock wall. The edges of the pit were charred black, but the rock itself was almost unscathed.

Lin Xuan fell silent.

He had used seventy percent of his power for that strike, enough to kill a Peak Low Grade Tier 1 Yao Beast, yet it had only left such a small mark on the Black Iron Rock.

The Pangolin scurried up to the shallow pit and sniffed it, suddenly becoming even more excited. It clawed desperately at the edge of the pit with its two front paws, and the emotion it transmitted was overflowing with longing.

"Is there something you want behind this rock layer?" Lin Xuan asked.

The Pangolin nodded vigorously and bumped its head against the rock wall, producing a dull "thud-thud" sound.

Lin Xuan placed his hand against the wall and closed his eyes to sense it.

Sure enough, from behind the rock wall, a faint, extremely weak fluctuation came through, one that was of the same origin as the thunder patterns on the Pangolin's scales.

It was very faint; if he did not have a contract connection with the Pangolin, he would not have been able to detect it at all.

"What about the thickness?"

He had the Pangolin push its Earth Perception to the limit. Dark golden thunder patterns lit up on the Pangolin's body, and invisible fluctuations seeped into the rock layer.

A moment later, the Pangolin transmitted a vague message: at least three zhang.

A three-zhang-thick layer of Black Iron Rock...

Lin Xuan smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Never mind that he was currently only at Qi Refining Level 2; even if he broke through to the Late Stage of Qi Refining, without a special armor-piercing Magical Artifact or secret technique, he could forget about drilling through this natural barrier.

"We cannot open it now." He patted the Pangolin's head, his tone firm. "But since we know the location, the item won't run away. When you are stronger and my cultivation is higher, we will come back."

The Pangolin understood what he meant. Although it still stared longingly at the rock wall, it was no longer restless. It rubbed its head against Lin Xuan's hand, transmitting the intention of "waiting."

"Good." Lin Xuan took out a small piece of lightning-struck stone powder and fed it to the creature. "Let's go back first. No one can know about this."

The man and the beast returned the way they came.

It was already afternoon when they emerged from underground. The sunlight was a bit dazzling, so Lin Xuan squinted to adjust for a while before carefully cleaning up the traces at the tunnel entrance and scattering withered leaves to conceal it.

Upon returning to the small courtyard, he had just used a Cleaning Technique to wash the mud off his body when the identity Jade Slip at his waist suddenly grew slightly warm and emitted a pale green halo.

Lin Xuan took off the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense—it was a message from Deacon Wu, concise and to the point: "Come to the herb garden immediately."

His heart stirred, and he changed into clean robes before heading straight to Qinglin Valley.

In the Qinglin Valley herb garden, the bleakness of autumn had been largely dispelled by the Formation. The spiritual plants in Zone C were still lush and green, though their growth rate was noticeably slower than in spring and summer.

Inside the bamboo house, Deacon Wu was brewing tea.

Seeing Lin Xuan enter, he pointed to the bamboo chair opposite him: "Sit."

Lin Xuan bowed and sat down. Deacon Wu pushed a cup of hot tea toward him. The tea soup was emerald green and possessed an elegant fragrance; it was the rare "Green Mist Tea," which had the effect of calming the mind and spirit.

"You have been practicing Body Refining?" Deacon Wu suddenly spoke up.

Lin Xuan was slightly startled internally, but his expression remained calm: "Deacon has a Wisdom Eye. This Disciple has indeed been attempting Body Refining recently to compensate for my shortcomings."

Deacon Wu looked him over a few times and nodded: "Your aura has become more settled, and the definition of your muscles has changed. Body Refining is a bitter path; that you can persist shows good Heart-Nature."

He paused before getting to the main point: "I called you here today because there has been a change in the herb garden. The Sect's higher-ups have issued an order that every Peak must expand the cultivation scale of spiritual plants corresponding to their attributes to prepare for unexpected needs."

Lin Xuan immediately thought of the border conflict. Spiritual plants were the foundation of Alchemy, and expanding cultivation was preparation for a long-term war.

"Emerald Bamboo Peak specializes in the Wood attribute, but there are also many Disciples with mutated Spiritual Roots. The Peak Master has decided to designate thirty mu of land in Qinglin Valley specifically for trial planting of thunder-attribute spiritual plants." Deacon Wu looked at Lin Xuan. "I want to assign you to assist with this matter."

Lin Xuan was stunned: "Me? This Disciple's cultivation is still shallow, and I only have a slight understanding of the way of spiritual plants..."

"Slight understanding?" Deacon Wu snorted. "Being able to recognize an Yin-Eating Bug at a glance, proposing the sunlight exposure method, and being able to recite the 'introduction to hundreds of herbs' backward—you call this a slight understanding?"

He picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Thunder-attribute spiritual plants are delicate and difficult to cultivate. There are few Disciples in the herb garden who understand thunder techniques, and even fewer who understand both spiritual plants and thunder techniques. You happen to touch upon both."

Lin Xuan understood. This was an opportunity—an opportunity to openly come into contact with, research, and even obtain thunder-attribute spiritual plant resources.

"This Disciple is willing to do my best." He replied solemnly.

"Very good." Deacon Wu took a Jade Slip from a drawer. "This is the list for the first batch of trial planting, totaling twelve types, ranging from Tier 1 Low Grade to Tier 1 High Grade. Take it back and look it over, then give me a planting proposal in three days. Contribution points will be calculated at double the rate of a Grade C task."

Lin Xuan received the Jade Slip with both hands and scanned it with his Divine Sense, secretly pleased.

The list included "thunder-pattern grass," "electric vine," and "shocking thunder flower," which were all important Materials for refining thunder-attribute Medicinal Pills and Talismans.

There were even two types among them that were companion spiritual plants to the thunder-attracting vine, which might be beneficial to the spatial ecology.

"Additionally," Deacon Wu's tone softened, "since you are practicing Body Refining, do you need to adjust your medicinal bath formula? I also practiced Body Refining for a few years when I was young and have some insights."

Lin Xuan said sincerely: "I am in need of Deacon's guidance. This Disciple has been using the basic 'Bone Forging Powder,' but recently, I feel the medicinal potency is no longer sufficient."

Deacon Wu picked up a brush and wrote a formula on paper: "Prepare it according to this. Change the main ingredient to 'lightning-struck jujube wood core,' supplemented with 'earth-shocking root' and 'iron bone grass'."

"The medicinal potency is thirty percent stronger and is more suitable for a Thunder Cultivator. The Materials are in the herb garden's warehouse; you can collect one portion every month, which will be deducted from your task contribution points."

Lin Xuan took the prescription and saw that the combination of herbs was exquisite, with the roles of monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy clearly defined—this was definitely not something an ordinary Deacon could prescribe. He stood up and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Deacon, for your cultivation."

"Just do your work well." Deacon Wu waved his hand. "Go. In three days, I want to see your planting proposal."

When he left the herb garden, the setting sun was already slanting westward.

Lin Xuan walked along the mountain path, the Jade Slip in his hand slightly warm. He looked back toward the direction of the back mountain—the secret beneath the Black Iron Rock layer, the thirty mu of thunder-attribute spiritual fields newly designated in the herb garden, and that improved medicinal formula in his Storage Pouch...

Amidst the changing situation, crisis and opportunity indeed coexisted.

Returning to the small courtyard, he first entered the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

The thunder-attracting vine sensed his return, its leaves swaying gently.

The Thunder-Light Bug flew down onto his shoulder, its wings brushing against his cheek, feeling cool.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse crawled out from the roots of the vine, holding a small tuft of newly sprouted, shimmering grass leaves as if presenting a treasure—it was the electric grass planted some days ago, which had actually survived.

The Pangolin lay to the side; seeing him appear, it raised its head and let out a "gurgle," its gaze still carrying a lingering attachment to the underground of the back mountain.

Lin Xuan squatted down and patted each of the three little guys.

"No rush." He said softly, "What belongs to us will be ours sooner or later."

"For now, let's finish the work at hand."

He exited the space, lit an oil lamp, and pressed the Jade Slip to his forehead.

Information about the twelve types of thunder-attribute spiritual plants flooded into his mind, verifying itself against the records in "introduction to hundreds of herbs" and Deacon Wu's notes.

The night deepened, and the figure of the youth hunched over his desk studying was reflected on the paper window.

Outside the courtyard, the mountain wind blew through the bamboo forest, carrying the chill of early winter.

Ninety zhang deep underground, the Black Iron Rock layer remained silent as if from time immemorial.

Behind the rock layer, the aura that the Pangolin longed for pulsed weakly and rhythmically, like a heartbeat.

Waiting for the day it would break through the soil.