6: Chapter 6 Dew Grass

Inside the Quiet Room, Lin Xuan looked at the brown Medicinal Pill in his palm, which was the size of a soybean and emitted a bitter medicinal scent. He then looked at the grey-brown beast in his Spirit-Taming Tower Space, within his consciousness, which was still weak and curled up motionless. A trace of heartache flashed across his face.

This "Muscle-Regenerating Powder" was something he had exchanged for a whole Low-Grade Spirit Stone at a market stall outside the General Affairs Hall.

The stall owner was a shrewd-looking, veteran outer sect Disciple who swore that this Medicinal Pill had miraculous effects on flesh wounds, even for entry-level Qi Refining Yao Beast.

Lin Xuan knew the other party might have inflated the price, but he had no other choice.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse was too severely injured. Relying solely on the basic energy within the Spirit-Taming Tower Space to sustain its life, it would take forever to recover its ability to move, let alone utilize its "herb-seeking" talent.

One Spirit Stone was half of his current total net worth; the rest of his Spirit Stones had naturally been consumed for Cultivate.

Thinking about how he was always careful even when holding a Spirit Stone while Cultivate, yet now he had to spend one on a mouse… Lin Xuan gritted his teeth.

"If you don't risk the child, you won't catch the wolf! This is an investment, a price that must be paid to break the stalemate!" He whispered to encourage himself, no longer hesitating.

With a thought, he communicated with the spirit control tower. The Muscle-Regenerating Powder vanished from his hand and appeared, the next moment, beside the mouth of the Herb-Seeking Mouse inside the tower space.

The dazed beast seemed to smell the faint Spiritual Qi and medicinal power contained within the Medicinal Pill. It instinctively stuck out its tongue, laboriously rolled the pill into its mouth, and swallowed it.

As the medicinal power dissolved, faint Qi and blood circulation could be vaguely seen beneath the Herb-Seeking Mouse's grey-brown fur.

Although the terrifying crush injury on its hind limb did not heal instantly, the blood scabs solidified more firmly, some minor wounds began to close, and its originally weak and intermittent breathing gradually became steady and long.

Lin Xuan observed for a while, confirming that the Medicinal Pill had taken effect and the Herb-Seeking Mouse was out of danger and slowly recovering. Only then did he feel slightly relieved.

Next, it was just a matter of waiting.

During the wait, he did not remain idle.

His daily practice of the Qi Guiding Art was unwavering. Although the progress was agonizingly slow and the condensation of the second strand of Spiritual Qi in his Dantian remained a distant prospect, he knew this was his Foundation and he could not afford to slack off.

He also attended lectures at the sermon platform more diligently, especially absorbing sporadic knowledge about the nature of Spiritual Qi, basic Spiritual Plant identification, and even geography with insatiable hunger.

He also borrowed miscellaneous books like "Chronicles of the Yun Kingdom" and "Illustrated Guide to Basic Runes" from the small Library (more like a reading room) on Emerald Bamboo Peak to broaden his horizons.

In his spare time from Cultivate, he would immerse himself in them. Chen Hao, who lived in the same courtyard, saw this and scratched his head in confusion: "Lin Xuan, what's the use of reading these? Isn't the most important thing for us right now to accumulate enough Spiritual Qi and Breakthrough to Level 1 Qi Refining? I heard that guy Chen Yufei has already accumulated over a dozen strands of Spiritual Qi!"

Lin Xuan closed the book and smiled: "Cultivate is naturally important, but learning more things never hurts. The path of the Dao is long; who knows when it might come in handy."

His expression was calm, but deep in his eyes lay a trace of steadiness and certainty that Chen Hao could not comprehend.

Chen Hao clicked his tongue and stopped trying to persuade him, turning instead to excitedly talk about his own progress: "I feel like I've become much more solid today. I reckon in another ten days or half a month, I'll reach ten strands of Spiritual Qi! By then, I might be able to try learning the most basic Flame Technique!"

He gestured wildly, as if he could already see flames dancing at his fingertips.

"Congratulations." Lin Xuan was genuinely happy for him. Chen Hao had a pure mind, worked hard at Cultivate, and possessed the talent of a High Grade Spiritual Root, so it was only natural that his progress was fast.

"What about you? Is there any progress on your second strand of Spiritual Qi?" Chen Hao asked with concern.

"Still working on it, it's a little smoother than before." Lin Xuan gave an ambiguous answer. He could not tell Chen Hao that most of his attention was actually focused elsewhere.

About seven days later, the Herb-Seeking Mouse in the Spirit-Taming Tower Space could finally stand and walk tremblingly. Although its injured leg was still a bit lame, its black bean-like eyes had regained their liveliness, and it responded clearly to the simple commands Lin Xuan conveyed through the spirit control tower.

It was time.

Another morning, Lin Xuan was well-prepared and once again quietly snuck into the back mountain. This time, in the small cloth bag at his waist, he carried the Herb-Seeking Mouse, which had mostly recovered.

Arriving at a shaded slope deeper into the area from last time, where human tracks were almost impossible to find, Lin Xuan moved his mind. The Herb-Seeking Mouse was released from the spirit control tower and landed on the ground covered with withered bamboo leaves.

As soon as the small beast landed, it looked around in slight panic. But when it met Lin Xuan's gaze and felt the contract mark of the absolute Dominator deep within its Soul, it immediately quieted down, lowered its body, and appeared very obedient.

"Go, sense the Spiritual Qi, and find Spiritual Plants." Lin Xuan transmitted a clear thought through the contract.

Upon receiving the command, the Herb-Seeking Mouse immediately twitched its pink nose, its black bean eyes scanning the surrounding damp soil, mottled tree trunks, and thick layers of fallen leaves with focus.

It limped, but its movements remained agile. It began to search carefully within a radius of several feet, with Lin Xuan as the center.

Lin Xuan held his breath and focused, following behind it. His gaze scanned the surroundings sharply, feeling both expectant and vigilant.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Herb-Seeking Mouse stopped under a cluster of extremely lush Phoenix-tail ferns that looked no different from the surroundings. Its claws began to quickly scrape at the damp humus soil, and it emitted a faint "squeak" sound—the signal agreed upon by the contract to mean "I've found something."

Lin Xuan stepped forward quickly and carefully pushed aside the fern leaves.

There, at the intersection of damp soil and tree roots, three inconspicuous little grasses were growing close together.

The blades of grass were slender and light blue, with tiny silver-white fuzz on the edges. At the tip of each leaf, a drop of liquid, even more crystalline than dew and seemingly containing a faint glimmer, was condensed, flickering with a very faint light in the dim forest.

"dew-condensing grass!"

Lin Xuan felt a surge of joy and immediately recognized this Level 1 Low Grade Spiritual Plant that he had seen in the "Illustrated Guide to Basic Spiritual Plants."

This grass prefers shade and moisture and often grows in shaded areas where Spiritual Qi relatively converges. The dew at the leaf tips contains weak Water and Wood attribute Spiritual Qi, making it one of the auxiliary ingredients for refining the lowest-level "qi gathering pill" and "Rejuvenation Powder."

Consuming it directly can also slightly assist in Cultivate, especially for those with Water or Wood Spiritual Roots. For his Lightning Spiritual Root, it was better than nothing, but still better than nothing!

He observed carefully. Among the three dew-condensing grass plants, the "dew" on the leaves of two was plump and ready to drip, with clear silver edges, meaning they were basically mature. The other one was slightly smaller, with dew only the size of a grain of rice and blurry silver edges, clearly not yet fully grown.

Lin Xuan did not hesitate. He took out two broad, flexible bamboo leaves and a clean strip of cloth he had prepared in advance from his bosom.

He carefully used the bamboo leaves to cushion his hands, avoided the roots, and plucked only the pair of freshest leaves with the plumpest dew from the tops of the two mature dew-condensing grass plants. Then, he wrapped them gently with the cloth strip and hid them close to his body in his bosom.

As for the immature one, he did not touch it at all, and he even tried his best to keep the surrounding soil and vegetation as they were.

"Draining the pond to catch the fish is foolish. A long-lasting stream is the Righteous Path." Lin Xuan understood this principle deeply. There were likely few places in the outer perimeter of the back mountain that could produce Spiritual Plants. If he were greedy and picked them all at once, severing the roots, there would be no hope for the future. Keeping it hidden and obtaining them sustainably was the survival wisdom for his current situation.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse watched quietly from the side, and only after Lin Xuan signaled did it continue its search.