Chapter 24: Spiritual Herbs

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Spiritual Herbs

The next few days passed just as Yizhou had said. He left the sect together with several of his fellow disciples under Sword Venerable Yuxin to carry out the mission in the Northern Region.

This time, Bai Suichen was not among them, as he had been assigned to a different mission by the Sword Venerable.

In the meantime, Sui Sui continued working in the Herb Garden every day. Besides organizing the herb records, Senior Brother Ji also began teaching him how to care for the spiritual herbs growing throughout the garden.

"Since this is your first time encountering these things, we won’t dive into anything too complicated and just focus on low level herbs" Ji Ling said with a smile. "Let’s start with the basics. These are spiritual herbs—the general term for enchanted medicinal plants used in alchemy. Take a good look."

As he spoke, Ji Ling brought several potted herbs from a nearby shelf and arranged them neatly on the table. Sui Sui leaned forward, curiously examining the plants one by one.

At first glance, they all appeared ordinary. However, the longer he looked, the more something felt off.

Two herbs of the same species sat side by side, yet they seemed strangely different. The one on the left looked healthy enough, but its leaves were slightly dull, as though it lacked vigor. In contrast, the herb on the right was flourishing. Its leaves were a vibrant emerald green, its flower fully bloomed, and the entire plant seemed to radiate life.

More strangely, Sui Sui could see a faint layer of green mist gently surrounding its stem and leaves.

He blinked.

What is that?

He glanced at the other potted herbs on the table. Although they all appeared healthy, none of them possessed that mysterious green mist. Even those that looked particularly well cared for lacked the vibrant aura surrounding the herb before him.

Sui Sui frowned slightly, his mind filling with questions.

Am I seeing things?

Unable to convince himself, he quietly shifted to the side and looked at the herbs from a different angle, wondering if it was merely a trick of the light. However, no matter where he stood, the green mist remained, gently drifting around the flourishing herb as though it had always been there.

Sui Sui frowned slightly but chose not to dwell on it for the time being. Thinking it might simply be something he didn’t yet understand, he turned his attention back to Ji Ling’s lesson.

Ji Ling picked up one of the flowerpots and held it before him. "Just like cultivators, spiritual herbs are also divided into levels, from Level One to Level Nine," he explained. "Generally speaking, the higher the grade of the herb, the more difficult it is to cultivate, and the higher the grade of the magic pill it can produce."

He paused before adding, "Of course, the quality of the herb alone doesn’t determine the outcome. It also depends on the skill of the alchemist refining it."

"Low-level alchemists, usually those between the Qi Refining and Core Formation realms, can generally refine Level One to Level Three magic herbs and pills. Intermediate alchemists, whose cultivation ranges from Nascent Soul to Void Refinement, are capable of refining up to Level Six."

"As for high-level alchemists..." Ji Ling chuckled softly. "They are among the most respected people in Tianqiong. Every major sect and powerful family tries to recruit them, and even those who choose to remain independent can earn unimaginable wealth."

"However, the higher the grade of a magic pill, the lower the chance of successfully refining it. Take Level Seven to Level Nine pills, for example. Even the most renowned alchemy masters cannot guarantee a success rate of more than thirty percent. On top of that, the spiritual herbs required for such pills are incredibly rare, making every attempt a costly gamble. Regardless, alchemists remain one of the most respected professions in Tianqiong."

Sui Sui nodded thoughtfully. After listening to Ji Ling’s explanation, he finally understood why alchemists held such a lofty status. Even so, another question soon surfaced in his mind.

"Senior Brother Ji," he asked curiously, "if low-level alchemists can only refine low-level pills, and many people can refine those same pills, how can they become successful? Wouldn’t everyone be competing for the same market?"

"Tending the herbs here is much harder than it looks," Senior Brother Ji said. "Every spiritual herb has its own growing conditions. Some need direct sunlight, others thrive in the shade. Some require damp soil, while others will wither if watered too often. If you fail to meet their needs, they won’t grow properly—or worse, they’ll die."

Sui Sui looked around at the countless herbs filling the garden. What had seemed like an ordinary field at first glance now felt far more complicated.

"It really is a lot more work than I imagined," he admitted.

Ji Ling smiled and picked up a small flowerpot.

"Take this one, for example." He pointed at the plant with four emerald-green leaves. "This is the Four-Leaf Herb. It’s a low-grade spiritual herb commonly used to refine low-grade Fasting Pills. It’s one of the easier herbs to cultivate. As long as it receives enough sunlight and the soil is kept moderately moist, it’ll grow without much trouble."

After that, Ji Ling patiently introduced one herb after another, explaining their characteristics, medicinal properties, and ideal growing conditions. Sui Sui listened attentively, occasionally jotting down notes whenever he learned something new.

"Even among things of the same kind, there are always differences in quality." Ji Ling explained, Sui Sui pondered those words for a moment before his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Don’t tell me... magic pills and herbs also have different qualities?"

Ji Ling nodded approvingly.

"That’s right. You caught on quickly. It seems you’re quite perceptive." He picked up one of the potted herbs and gently brushed a leaf between his fingers.

"The quality of a magic pill doesn’t depend solely on the alchemist’s skill. The spiritual herbs used as ingredients are just as important. Even if two herbs are of the same species and level, one may have been cultivated far better than the other. Naturally, the pills refined from them will also differ in quality."

He paused before continuing, "Because of this, magic pills are generally classified into three grades: Low Grade, Medium Grade, and Top Grade. As the name suggests, Top Grade pills are the finest. Not only do they contain fewer impurities, but their medicinal effects are also significantly stronger."

"So that’s how it is..."

Sui Sui lowered his gaze to the herbs on the table, recalling the flourishing plant he had noticed earlier. The faint green mist surrounding it resurfaced in his mind.

Could that strange green mist... have something to do with the quality of the herbs?

As Ji Ling continued explaining the herbs, Sui Sui became increasingly fascinated. It wasn’t just the spiritual herbs that captured his interest, but also Ji Ling’s experiences and stories as an alchemist.

Although his meridians remained blocked and he still couldn’t cultivate, he couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like if he one day awakened his own soul force. If that day ever came, he wanted to learn alchemy himself and see if he had any talent for it.

For now, however, those thoughts remained nothing more than a distant dream. Sui Sui returned to his daily routine in the Herb Garden, diligently carrying out the tasks entrusted to him.

As the one responsible for recording the allocation of herbs and pills, he gradually became a familiar face among many of the sect’s disciples. Although he wasn’t particularly close to anyone, he had at least exchanged greetings with quite a few people.

Fortunately, because he spent most of his time in the Herb Garden, Chu Ran and her group had no opportunity to trouble him again. The days passed by peacefully, and before Sui Sui realized it, nearly a week had already gone by.

Everything was going well...

Until one quiet night.

After returning to his room, Sui Sui began rummaging through his storage pouch, looking for a clean handkerchief. While searching through the pile of miscellaneous items, his fingers suddenly touched something cold and smooth.

"Hm?"

He pulled the object out and was momentarily stunned, It was the mirror he had bought from that strange mirror shop.

Only then did Sui Sui remember that, after everything that had happened with Yizhou that day, he had completely forgotten about this.

He picked up the mirror and examined it once more, his fingers lightly tracing the intricate carvings around its frame. It was exactly the same as the one from his previous life—not a single detail was different.

Sui Sui once again became lost in thought as he looked at himself in the mirror reflection.

If the mirror had appeared together with him the moment he transmigrated, perhaps he wouldn’t have thought too much about it.

But instead, it had mysteriously appeared inside a bizarre mirror shop run by an even stranger shopkeeper. To make matters worse, he had even promised that mysterious man a favor just to obtain it.

Thinking about it now, he had truly gotten the short end of the stick.

Still, Sui Sui couldn’t bring himself to regret it. The sentimental value of the mirror alone was enough for him to keep it.

"Ouch."

A sudden sting shot through his fingertip.

Sui Sui frowned and instinctively withdrew his hand. A tiny cut had been made by one of the sharp edges of the mirror, and a drop of blood slowly rolled down his finger before falling onto the mirror’s smooth surface.

He was just about to wipe it away when he suddenly froze.

The mirror... rippled.

The previously calm surface trembled like the surface of a still pond disturbed by a falling pebble. The drop of blood slowly sank into it, disappearing without leaving behind the slightest trace, as though it had been swallowed whole.

Sui Sui stared blankly at the mirror, not daring to blink.

However, after the strange ripple faded, everything became quiet once more.

The mirror looked exactly as it had before, as if nothing had happened.

"...Was I seeing things?"

After waiting for quite a while and finding no further changes, Sui Sui could only set the mirror beside his bed with a puzzled expression.

Perhaps he had simply imagined it.

With that thought, he extinguished the lamp, climbed onto the bed, and soon drifted off to sleep, completely unaware that the mirror beside him had begun emitting a faint silver glow under the moonlight filtering through the window.