Days blended into weeks, and Luo Yun's life settled into a quiet, disciplined rhythm.
At dawn he would wake, tend to his spirit field, then walk to Azure Edge Peak for sword training. After practicing Returning Wind Slash and receiving Elder Jian's corrections, he stayed a while to temper his spirit sense with faint strands of sword Qi. The pressure was harsh at first, but each day he endured a little longer.
In the afternoons he sometimes took Spirit Assignment Pavilion tasks and visited Greenmist Peak to tend herbs. These jobs were small—watering, clearing weeds, stabilizing soil—but they were steady work. Over the span of three months, he earned a little over one hundred contribution points.
It wasn't much, but it was something.
One day, after training ended, he made time to visit the Contribution Pavilion to see what items were within his reach. A steward disciple guided him through the available goods.
Talisman shelves held simple items:
Swift Step Talisman — 40 CP
Spirit Shield Talisman — 45 CP
Basic Spirit-Replenishing Talisman — 30 CP
Nearby were shelves for pills:
Qi Replenishing Pill (small bottle) — 30 CP
Basic Healing Pills (small bottle) — 50 CP
Clear Mind Pill — 60 CP
The last one caught his attention. Clear Mind Pills were known to sharpen one's mind and slightly support spiritual sense cultivation. Very useful—but only if necessary.
Further down were beast cores:
Rank 1 Low-Grade Demon Beast Cores — 40–50 CP, depending on quality and beast type.
At the far end was something he had long been waiting for:
Spirit Herb Seed Pack (Common) — 15 CPContained 3–5 low-year herbs suitable for beginner fields.
Spirit Herb Seed Pack (50-year Uncommon) — 80 CPRare seeds; much harder to cultivate properly.
Luo Yun considered everything carefully.
Clear Mind Pills were tempting, but with his spirit-gathering core and constant sword Qi tempering, he didn't urgently need them. Qi Replenishing Pills were useful but not essential. Beast cores were too pricey for now.
He decided to attend Body Strengthening Drill Sessions with these contribution points. Just wanting to try.
...
Body Strengthening Drill Sessions focused on physical strength. It involved grueling body straining and then using herbs or magical items to use that strain to reinforce meridians, and strengthen body.
After feeling agonizing pain - he decided to attend it time to time. Rest of time practice on his own- with a manual that he received.
...
He returned to his cave.
The months continued. His cultivation progressed steadily. By the end of the third month, he could feel his Qi circulating more smoothly, and his dantian had reached near the limit of the First Layer. Just a small push remained before reaching peak-stage.
It was also the exact timing he had been waiting for.
His system's sign-in cooldown was finally complete.
This time, he intended to be careful—he wanted the highest possible reward he could access at his current stage.
Greenmist Peak had many herb beds, but only a handful contained truly aged herbs, those that neared eighty years or more. Anything of a hundred years or above was restricted to the core fields, guarded by protective formations.
During one of his tending days, Luo Yun learned that a particular slope called Dew-veil Terrace housed the oldest herbs an outer helper could approach. The most precious among them was a water-attribute plant called Dewdrop Silk Orchid, a rare herb known for stabilizing meridians and nourishing water-based pills.
It shimmered with faint silver-blue light, its petals thin as silk threads. An entire terrace was dedicated to this field, and only caretakers were normally allowed near it.
But the girl who oversaw the fields—her usual cold demeanor long replaced by casual familiarity—had grown to trust him after weeks of steady work.
When he asked if he could observe that terrace for a moment, she hesitated.
"…Most people aren't allowed to get close. These are eighty-year Dewdrop Silk Orchids. Temperamental plants. If someone mishandles the soil, it affects the whole row."
Luo Yun waited quietly.
She exhaled. "You haven't caused trouble so far. Fine. Just look. Don't touch anything."
They walked up the stone path toward Dew-veil Terrace. The air here was thicker, almost humid with spiritual energy. Mist gathered naturally along the ground, making the terrace feel ethereal.
Dewdrop Silk Orchids swayed lightly in an unseen breeze, their silver-blue petals glowing softly.
This was the best location he could obtain with his limited access.
He slowed his steps and took a breath, triggering his system quietly.
────────────────────────
[Sign-In Successful.
Reward Obtained: Azure Dew Essence{Low Grade} (20 drops).]
────────────────────────
Luo Yun's heartbeat quickened. Azure Dew Essence?
He checked the jade bottle that appeared quietly in his sleeve. It was small—only the size of a thumb—filled with a faintly glowing azure liquid.
────────────────────────
[Item: Azure Dew Essence{Low Grade}
Usage: Single drop can accelerate growth any of spirit herb upto 80 times
duration: 1 year! ]
────────────────────────
A herb watered with one drop would grow as though it had absorbed an entire year's worth of spiritual nourishment in only a few days.
Or in clearer words:
One drop could grant the growth equivalent of roughly eighty years over the span of one natural year. Sustainable, stable, and without risking mutation.
Twenty drops…Twenty herbs nurtured into eighty-year treasures.
He closed his fingers around the bottle, suppressing any trace of excitement.
The girl beside him didn't notice anything unusual—she was focused on checking soil humidity.
"You done looking?" she asked without turning.
"Yes," Luo Yun said. "Thank you."
They returned to the lower terraces as the sun began its descent.
He finished the day's work quietly and left Greenmist Peak before dusk.
Azure Dew Essence…Twenty drops…
His herb field would soon transform entirely.
And he was only at the beginning of his cultivation path.
That night, Luo Yun reviewed what he had learned.
From his conversations with Lan Shuying over the past months, he knew the rough pricing of herbs within the sect:
A typical Qi Condensation herb, around 50 years old, cost 10–20 spirit stones.
In contribution points, this became roughly 100–200 CP since the sect's internal rate was:1 low-grade spirit stone = 10 CP.
He himself was not poor anymore.
His master had given him ten spirit stones when he first entered the sect, and ever since he became the Abyssal Mind Peak's sole disciple, he received three spirit stones every month—a treatment far above ordinary outer disciples.
After four months, he had accumulated around fifteen spirit stones, even after minor expenses.
Enough to make meaningful progress.
Using Azure Dew Essence on mature herbs would be wasteful. But using it on seedlings would be transformative.
He slept that night with quiet anticipation.
The next morning, after his usual routine—sword training, tempering under Azure Edge Peak's sword Qi, and cultivation—he made his way to Greenmist Peak again.
Lan Shuying was sorting dried stems under a shed when she noticed him.
"You again? Another task?" she asked with her usual direct tone.
"Not today," Luo Yun said. "I came to ask whether the peak sells peak grade 2 herbs seedlings—one-year old or seed packs."
{Note: grade 1: useful for qi condensation realm cultivators.
grade 2: useful for foundation establishment realm cultivators. }
Lan Shuying gave him a longer look this time.
"Foundation Establishment herbs?"
Luo Yun nodded.
She tapped her fingers against the counter. "We do. But they're not for beginners. They're harder to grow—most fail even under good conditions."
Again, Luo Yun waited silently.
She sighed. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."
She unlocked a different shelf, where each box carried a faint glow.
"These are around one hundred years old. Useful for Foundation Establishment pills."
He chose five herbs suited for early Foundation Establishment:
-Verdant Dragonleaf — used in Foundation Pill bases
-Silver Heart Lotus — stabilizes mind and spirit
-Molten Marrow Root — strengthens physique for foundation-building
-Quiet Spirit Reed — calms Qi turbulence during breakthroughs
-Blue Sun Orchid — enhances pill potency when used as an auxiliary herb
Lan Shuying handled them carefully.
"These five cost three spirit stones total. Consider yourself warned—if you plant them wrong, they'll die within a month."
"I understand."
He paid and left Greenmist Peak, carrying sets of herbs carefully back to Abyssal Mind Peak.
His spirit field awaited him.
The seedlings were planted with extreme precision. With the spirit-gathering core's aura saturating the field, and Azure Dew Essence as his trump card, they would grow faster and healthier than normal.
He knew nothing about pill refinement yet. He didn't need to.
For now, herbs were more useful as pure cultivation aids. A way to strengthen Qi, body, and spirit sense directly.
As he finished settling the last seedling into the soil, the cave felt like a budding paradise—quiet, stable, growing, and ready to flourish under his care.
After that he carefully selected the herbs he'll use Azure Dew Essence on.
He first used 5 drops on recently bought grade 2 herbs. Then he used one drop on the Spirit Bamboo Root- hoping it'd elevate this caves Qi density.
After that he selected two each of Moonlight Grass sprouts, Blood-dew and Jade-leaf seedlings. And remaining nine drops he used on 10 basic seeds that he got from system. He still didn't know what these were, but he decided to gamble.
The next stage of his cultivation would not be through battles or chance encounters. It would be through patience, time, and careful nurturing.
The path he walked was slow—but steady.