"Didn't expect someone would walk right into my trap so soon…"
After sending off the man in the bamboo hat, a glint flashed across Li Ye's eyes, followed by a faint smile of delight.
Whoever that person was didn't matter he was like a walking treasure chest delivered right to Li Ye's doorstep!
Activating all the protective formations and barriers around his residence, Li Ye patted his storage pouch and retrieved several spiritual herbs and ores. He carefully processed and blended them, then fired up his alchemy furnace. Once refined and infused into spiritual water, he finally produced a specialized cultivation solution.
With everything ready, Li Ye brought out the Earth Dragon Ginseng once more.
Opening the jade box and inhaling the rich medicinal fragrance, his expression turned solemn. He sized it up carefully, then suddenly moved with lightning speed cutting off a small root segment with a bit of root hair attached.
He quickly followed up with a series of incantations to stabilize the life force within the root segment, then gently planted it into a cultivation basin he had prepared earlier. Carefully, he dripped the specially made spiritual solution onto the soil, drop by drop, until the surface was thoroughly soaked and evenly moistened.
"This Earth Dragon Ginseng is large enough, and it was excavated with great care its root system is intact and brimming with vitality… This gives me a real chance!"
Staring intently at the basin, his gaze burned with anticipation. "Even after slicing off this small piece, the remaining ginseng is still more than enough for alchemy. And if this sliver can survive and take root, I might just be able to cultivate it myself…"
"The pure essence of spiritual plants is in no way inferior to the medicinal power of high-aged herbs. As long as I can accumulate enough, I could attempt to refine Foundation Establishment Pills using these core essences as the main ingredients…"
As long as the Earth Dragon Ginseng, the most precious and critical herb, could be preserved, Li Ye had already gathered most of the other ingredients. The remaining few wouldn't pose much of a problem.
"With this approach, even if it takes more time, I won't have to rely on anyone or be restricted by others!"
Though joining a sect might eventually give him the chance to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, especially after proving enough loyalty this recent invasion by Flying Feather Sect and the way the Purple Profound Sect handled it revealed something important: someone from a family background like his would likely have to pay a heavy price to earn the sect's trust.
Making his preparations on the side was a wise move!
Activating the Spirit Gathering Formation he had just mastered over the past two days, he carefully placed the cultivation basin at its center.
Li Ye held his breath, focusing all his senses.
Once he confirmed that the Earth Dragon Ginseng had absorbed a bit of the spiritual liquid and stabilized its life force without further loss, he finally relaxed a little.
"Let's hope the attributes 'Vitality' and 'Absorption' on this item take effect…"
Having handled everything with care, and despite no system panel appearing just yet, Li Ye forced himself to remain patient.
Without lingering, he picked up the jade box containing the damaged Earth Dragon Ginseng and strode directly into the alchemy room.
The ginseng had already been harmed if he didn't refine it immediately, its innate vitality would start to drain away in a desperate attempt to preserve itself. That was a risk he couldn't afford, so acting quickly was the safest option.
.....
The furnace fire finally died down, and with it, the sweltering heat in the room gradually subsided.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Li Ye showed a rare expression of both exhaustion and relief.
"Refining the Longevity Pill is truly difficult. Even after acquiring the recipe and simulating the process using herbs with similar properties, the actual attempt still nearly ended in disaster…"
Or rather, if he hadn't recently achieved initial mastery of the Thousand Thoughts Divine Refinement Technique, this whole ordeal might've ended up as free labor!
Despite his thoughts, as his gaze fell onto the jade plate and the two remaining light-golden pills resting within, a faint smile curled on his lips.
"Both the Longevity Pill and the Earth Dragon Ginseng are now in hand… This pill recipe was worth every spirit stone!"
He carefully sealed one of the pills inside the finest jade bottle he had, affixing a talisman to secure its potency, and stored it safely.
After restoring his condition with a quick meditation, Li Ye didn't hesitate to toss the remaining Longevity Pill into his mouth.
"Mm... huh?"
The pill melted almost instantly upon touching his tongue, bypassing the need for refining altogether. A warm current flowed straight into his abdomen, spreading swiftly through his limbs and bones.
Li Ye's eyes widened slightly as he felt something deep within him something long overlooked being restored. A sense of completeness washed over him, unlike anything he'd felt before.
His blood and energy surged with newfound vitality, and there were even faint signs of improvement!
Without hesitation, he opened his status panel.
[Name: Li Ye]
[Spirit Root: Low-grade Earth-Wood Root]
[Remaining Lifespan: 82 years]
[Skills:]
Planting: Tier 2 – Low (57/7000)
Alchemy: Tier 1 – High (587/8000)
Artifact Crafting: Not Yet Initiated (12/2000)
Talismans: Tier 2 – Low (81/8000)
Gu Techniques: Tier 1 – Mid (76/4000)
Formations: Tier 1 – Mid (23/8000)
[Herbal Essences:]
Emerald Bud Essence ×88
Blood Grain Rice Essence ×1400
Sunfire Essence ×5
[Essence Traits:]
Vitality (Level 1)
Absorption (Level 1)
[Experience: 168]
The constant warning about deteriorating lifespan had completely vanished. His remaining years had risen to 82 restoring him to his prime!
"Hah… does this count as going back to being eighteen?" Li Ye joked with a smile, standing up and stretching his limbs.
"This buys me more time before hitting the Foundation Establishment bottleneck and much more flexibility to prepare!"
"All I need now… is a piece of high-quality spiritual farmland."
[You skillfully tend to Tier 2 Spirit Plant: Spirit Mulberry Tree, helping it grow vigorously. Experience +0.5…]
[…]
[Spirit Mulberry Tree's vitality has strengthened. You've gained: Spirit Mulberry Essence (1%)…]
[…]
"So the feedback finally begins…"
Tending to the Spirit Mulberry Tree as usual, Li Ye couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion upon seeing the message panel appear before him.
As he cared for more and more plants, he'd started to sense a subtle bond forming between him and the spiritual herbs sometimes even sensing when they were ready to give something back.
These passive insights from the system might not seem powerful at first glance, but they offered him a unique understanding and growing confidence that he could indeed nurture that severed piece of Earth Dragon Ginseng back to life.
Three days had passed, and though the ginseng remained dormant, Li Ye could feel the restrained life force within it beginning to stir on the verge of breaking free and growing into an independent plant once again.
With the Spirit Mulberry Tree now showing results, the rest would follow soon enough. Li Ye remained steady and unhurried, tending to every plant in the garden before finally making his way back to his residence.
"The man from yesterday already took the pills. Though he was slightly dissatisfied that only two pills were produced in the end, with the Heart Demon Oath in place, my conscience is clear. He had no choice but to accept it…"
"And now that my lifespan has been replenished, and the life force I once overdrawn using secret medicine has fully recovered, it seems my physique for body refinement has even improved. During cultivation these past few days, I could feel my blood energy becoming far more vigorous…"
"If I can ride this momentum, I might just break through to the next level!"
Lost in thought, reflecting on his recent gains, Li Ye walked the path home until he noticed a transmission talisman hovering at his doorway, its aura unusual, tightly held in place by a restriction spell.
Approaching, he plucked it from the air and activated it with a surge of mana. As the voice inside rang out, his expression shifted subtly, then again, and again.
After a moment's hesitation, he turned on his heel and made his way directly toward the tavern.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 110+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader