Just then, the old man said calmly, "That won't harm you. It only prevents you from using storage spaces inside the herb garden. Once you've gathered the herbs, come straight back out and register them with me."
So that was what it was for.
Only then did Lu Li release his grip. He let out a breath and walked toward the small gate behind the thatched cottage. According to Xiao Jue, restrictions covered the surrounding wall. Without Xiao Jue's token, a single touch would mean death.
Even with the token in hand, Lu Li cautiously tested the gate several times. Only after confirming that the restrictions would not attack him did he push open the small wooden door.
Once inside the herb garden, he hurried off to one side and tried to send his Divine Sense into his Storage Bag.
Buzz!
The jade token around his neck immediately released a faint ripple.
"I really can't use the Storage Bag."
Lu Li's expression darkened slightly. Even if the garden contained a Lightning Fire Orchid, he would have no way to take it with him.
Unwilling to give up, he tried activating the Three Treasures Glazed Pagoda instead.
The pagoda's storage space instantly appeared before his mind.
"It works!"
Delight flashed across Lu Li's face. The jade token could block his Divine Sense, but it could not stop him from using the pagoda. Did that not mean he could do as he pleased inside the garden?
His excitement soon faded. The old man had known both the exact location and number of Mystic Pearl Grass plants in the garden. Clearly, he knew every spirit herb here like the back of his hand.
Even if Lu Li secretly took something, the old man would likely trace it back to him with ease.
"Forget it. I'll gather what I came for first."
Shaking his head, Lu Li headed east through the herb garden. The garden looked vast, but it did not contain many spirit herbs. They grew here and there, with wide gaps between each plant and furrow.
Most had not even reached Tier One, and some were little more than seedlings. Lu Li saw only a handful of mature spirit herbs along the way.
It made sense when he thought about it. A Tier One spirit herb had to be at least a hundred years old. How could there be so many century-old herbs? The Sect had likely planted this garden with its long-term future in mind.
Before long, he reached the plot of Mystic Pearl Grass. A quick count revealed exactly fifteen Tier One plants, neither more nor less.
The old man truly did know this garden inside out.
As Lu Li pulled up the eighth plant, he noticed that one nearby had forked at the base. At first glance, it looked like two plants growing side by side.
Looking closer, he saw only thirty spirit rings on the smaller offshoot. It was merely thirty years old.
An idea came to him. He pulled up both the large plant and the small offshoot, glanced behind him, then quietly tossed the smaller one into the Spirit Item Hall.
He sent his consciousness into the hall, dug a shallow hole, and planted the Mystic Pearl Grass.
The instant it took root, the plant grew noticeably greener and brimmed with vitality. Its condition was worlds apart from the herbs outside.
"What a treasure this place is!"
Joy spread across Lu Li's face. He withdrew from the Spirit Item Hall and finished gathering ten Mystic Pearl Grass plants, but he did not leave the garden right away. Instead, he wandered among the plots in search of another forked spirit herb.
To his disappointment, he found none.
There was no Lightning Fire Orchid in the garden either.
When Lu Li emerged, the old caretaker counted the Mystic Pearl Grass in his hands. He then searched Lu Li from head to toe, making him thoroughly uncomfortable, before finally removing the jade token and allowing him to leave.
As soon as Lu Li returned to the square, he spotted Xiao Jue waiting for him. He hurried over and bowed.
"Senior, were you waiting for me?"
"You don't have a jade container to preserve spirit herbs. I was concerned their medicinal efficacy would dissipate, so I waited here. Hand them over," Xiao Jue said, extending a hand.
So jade containers could preserve spirit herbs.
Lu Li committed that detail to memory and handed over the Mystic Pearl Grass.
Xiao Jue counted the plants and nodded. "I don't have many herbs left. After refining one more batch of True Essence Pills, I'll suspend my alchemy for the time being. You've performed well. Help me finish tomorrow's refinement, then remain here and cultivate until the month is up."
"Thank you, Senior."
The Spiritual Qi on Tianjue Peak was exceptionally dense. Cultivating here would yield twice the results with half the effort. However, Xiao Jue clearly had no intention of letting him stay for long, and Lu Li was not shameless enough to beg for shelter.
He was only a miscellaneous disciple. It was perfectly normal for someone like Xiao Jue to think little of him.
The next day, Lu Li waited outside the alchemy room as agreed. Xiao Jue arrived a while later.
Without wasting any words, the two entered the alchemy room and began their final refinement session. Xiao Jue had developed a favorable impression of Lu Li and occasionally offered guidance as he worked. Lu Li engraved every word into his memory.
Xiao Jue refined faster than before. By the afternoon, he had completed all ten cauldrons of True Essence Pills.
Once he finished, he took a yellowed booklet from his robes and handed it to Lu Li.
"Brat, you're sharp, but unfortunately, you possess Five Spirit Roots and are destined not to go far. Alchemy places exceptionally high demands on Divine Sense. Even if I wished to accept you as a disciple, there is nothing I could do."
He tapped the booklet.
"These Alchemy Notes are something I compiled in my spare time. They mainly cover the fundamentals of alchemy. For a Novice like you, they should still prove quite useful. Take them."
"Th-thank you, Senior!"
Lu Li's eyes lit up as he eagerly accepted the booklet.
"All right, you may go. There are still ten days left before your month here ends. The Spiritual Qi on Tianjue Peak is dense. Don't waste the opportunity."
"Yes."
Lu Li bowed once more and turned to leave.
After stepping out of the room, he sighed and shook his head. "Twenty days passed just like that. It's a pity I only learned the theory. I'm still far from being able to refine pills myself."
Looking back on those twenty days, his knowledge of medicinal herbs and basic alchemy had improved enormously. As for practical experience, Xiao Jue had not let him control the flame again after he burned the herbs the first time.
That was only reasonable. Spirit herbs were far too precious to let him waste them.
After returning to his room, Lu Li entered the Time Hall at once. Time was precious, and he refused to waste even a moment.
He took out the Alchemy Notes and read through them several times. Most of the contents matched what Xiao Jue had explained during the refinement sessions. After committing the essentials to memory, Lu Li put the booklet away.
Then he threw himself into cultivation.
The Spiritual Qi here was so dense that he could not refine it as quickly as he absorbed it.
Lu Li could not help sighing. "If only I had True Essence Pills to help me."
True Essence Pills could double a cultivator's refinement speed, making them immensely valuable to those in the Qi Refinement Realm. In the Qingyang Sect, even a single Low Grade True Essence Pill cost a full hundred contribution points.
At noon the following day, an intense hunger suddenly surged from Lu Li's physical body, forcing him to stop cultivating.
When he reached the kitchen, he discovered that Min He had vanished without a trace.
Fortunately, plenty of steamed buns remained in the steamer. Lu Li lit the stove, reheated them, and made do with a simple meal. He also found a pile of dry, shriveled flatbreads in a large basin. Planning to cultivate without interruption until the end of the month, he stored all of them away.
The kitchen was now completely bare.
Just as he was about to leave, he remembered the jade bottle Min He had given him, along with the mysterious warning that he could only open it after a day had passed.
Curiosity stirred. Lu Li took out the jade bottle.