The Herb Hall was eerily quiet, perhaps because it had only just opened. The bald old man sitting in the shadow by the door was still there, but unlike yesterday, he was brimming with vigor today, scrutinizing Nie Kong from head to toe, his narrow, small eyes gleaming with an intense light, as if he had overdosed on **.

Nie Kong felt a chill creep up his spine under the old man's gaze. After registering his name, he slipped toward the rows of herb shelves, searching rapidly.

White Star Powder, Silken Glazed Root, Spirit Dream Grass, Dragon Bud Algae, Ice Disk Water... If Nie Kong’s memory served him correctly, these were the five herbs needed to refine the "Rejuvenation Dew."

Nie Kong’s figure flitted past shelf after shelf. As expected of a prominent family, the Nie family’s Herb Hall stocked an extensive inventory. He found the Silken Glazed Root, Dragon Bud Algae, Spirit Dream Grass, and White Star Powder in succession, but even after checking the final row of shelves, the Ice Disk Water was nowhere to be found.

How could it be missing?

Among the five ingredients for the Rejuvenation Dew, the Ice Disk Water was the one Nie Kong was most certain about. This was primarily because Jiyang City had a source for it: the "Ice Flame Cave" located in the Nie family's back mountain. For the Nie family’s Herb Hall, Ice Disk Water should have been readily available.

"Xiangxiang, how much time is left?"

"Oh dear, oh dear." Eleven minutes.

"..."

If he could just find it, there would still be time. Nie Kong refused to give up and began retracing his steps along the shelves. He returned to the first row, feeling a surge of bewilderment—still nothing.

"Little fellow, looking for Ice Disk Water?" A strange chuckle echoed, delivered by the bald old man, whose voice was no longer halting.

"How did you know?" Nie Kong blurted out.

"Come here."

The bald old man beckoned with a grin, feigning an air of benevolence. Nie Kong approached him cautiously, but the old man rolled his eyes: "Honestly, you’re dense. You already took the Silken Glazed Root, Dragon Bud Algae, Spirit Dream Grass, and White Star Powder. Even a fool could tell what you’re missing."

Nie Kong realized the truth in a flash. Yesterday, he had only needed to smell the herb packets to know their names and weights, indicating his profound familiarity with the medicinal ingredients; it wasn't surprising the old man had noticed his needs.

"What, trying to refine 'Rejuvenation Dew'?" the old man asked, showing keen interest.

"That's right."

Nie Kong nodded, knowing he couldn't hide anything from this elder.

The old man’s eyes were filled with sympathy. "My boy, the 'Ice Disk Water' is kept on the second floor. You wander around this ground floor until nightfall, and you still won't find it."

"Ah?"

Nie Kong’s mind went blank.

The second floor was accessible only to Spirit Masters at the Tongling stage or above. He had not a single friend in the Nie family; he couldn't even ask for help. Was it possible that unless he reached the first rank of the Tongling realm, he truly had no hope of refining the 'Rejuvenation Dew'?

Just as despair began to set in, the old man abruptly changed his tone and chuckled twice. "However, you’re in luck today, young man, and I’m in a good mood. Here, have half a gourd of 'Ice Disk Water.' It’s what I had left over last night. Take it home to play with. Catch!"

Saying that, the old man pulled a crimson gourd from beneath the table and tossed it into Nie Kong’s arms.

Nie Kong fumbled to cradle it. The base of the gourd was the size of a rice bowl, and it felt quite heavy in his hands, probably weighing over a pound. This was truly a gift from heaven, a rescue from the brink of disaster. Nie Kong found it hard to believe and tentatively asked, "Senior, why are you helping me?"

"I find you agreeable."

The old man stroked the sparse whiskers under his chin, grinning like a cunning old fox.

Such nonsense only works on children, Nie Kong grumbled inwardly, refusing to believe he’d stumble upon such an unexpected stroke of luck. His mind raced, and he suddenly understood. Yesterday, he had obtained the Tianxin Seed and Fluttering Butterfly Grass, among four other herbs, and today his cultivation had advanced by two ranks, his body significantly strengthened. The old man must have noticed this anomaly and was therefore generously gifting the Ice Disk Water, hoping to see if he could truly succeed in refining the 'Rejuvenation Dew.'

"Thank you, Senior," Nie Kong expressed his gratitude, clutching the herbs and his tally token as he bolted out of the Herb Hall. After stepping out, he only managed a hasty greeting to Nie Qingfeng before disappearing from sight.

Only six minutes remained. It was too late to go home, so Nie Kong charged toward the small grove not far from the Herb Hall. Through the gaps in the trees, he vaguely discerned several young men, some sitting quietly practicing spirit arts, others repeatedly drilling spirit techniques. Almost no one noticed Nie Kong’s sudden arrival.

This suited Nie Kong perfectly. He found a secluded spot at top speed and sat down cross-legged beneath a tree.

Silken Glazed Root, five qian; Dragon Bud Algae, five qian; Spirit Dream Grass, three qian; White Star Powder, two qian...

Nie Kong placed the four herbs into his mouth one after another, chewing vigorously for almost a full minute. Only then did he pull the small stopper from the gourd's mouth and tilt his head back, pouring in the Ice Disk Water.

Hiss!

Nie Kong shivered violently as an intense, bone-chilling cold erupted outward. Instantly, his body stiffened, and his mouth went numb, devoid of sensation.

Ice Disk Water—it was truly cold!

Nie Kong hastily circulated the "Five Stars Shifting Art." His three Spiritual Acupoints trembled. A portion of his spiritual energy dissipated to combat the body’s cold, while another portion tightly enveloped the herbs he had just swallowed, drawing out their medicinal power thread by thread, channeling it toward the three Spiritual Acupoints.

"Oh dear, oh dear."

The little fellow cried out in joy, and the exquisite lid of the small cauldron lifted, drawing the medicinal power inside.

Sensing Xiangxiang's unusual excitement, Nie Kong suddenly worried. Would this little creature try to steal the power for itself and consume it all?

Nearly three minutes passed before the medicinal powers of the Silken Glazed Root and the other four herbs were completely drawn out. For Nie Kong, this rate of extraction was agonizingly slow. If he had used the "Nine Revolutions Golden Needle," he could have gathered all the power in just a minute at most.

Only a little over a minute remained. Having lingered too long in the Herb Hall, time was too short. Nie Kong had a bad feeling that this attempt had a ninety percent chance of ending in failure.

"Clang!"

The cauldron lid finally sealed shut.

The three Spiritual Acupoints vibrated fiercely. Nie Kong mobilized all his spiritual power and injected it into the small medicinal cauldron. With a low hum, the quiescent cauldron suddenly began to spin. It rotated so fast that Nie Kong could only perceive a blurry green shadow; he couldn't even distinguish the body or the feet of the vessel.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" the little one shrieked.

Before Nie Kong could decipher the meaning behind Xiangxiang’s cry, then...

"Bang!"

An explosion sounded from within the medicinal cauldron.

Subsequently, the lid flew open, revealing only a pile of residue inside.

"Failed?" Nie Kong was stunned.

"Ah... ya ya..."

Like a small child whose precious toy had been broken, the little fellow cried out in anger. Nie Kong felt the tiny medicinal cauldron seemed slightly warped.

"Little Xiangxiang," Nie Kong placated, feeling a pang of guilt. This failure was entirely his fault.

He now realized that he had been too impatient. Although this method of refinement didn't require literal furnace flames—his spiritual power served as the fire—controlling the heat was crucial during decoction. Refining medicine with the Cauldron Avatar must have required the same discipline. Haste truly made waste!

"Oh dear, oh dear."

Thirty minutes passed. The Cauldron Avatar dissolved, and Xiangxiang reverted to a small, tender sprout, floating above the dark green blood in his Yaochi Acupoint, its roots brushing against the three Spiritual Acupoints.

At this moment, Nie Kong abruptly noticed that a trace of medicinal power still remained in the acupoint—it belonged to the Silken Glazed Root. It seemed that when refining the "Rejuvenation Dew," only four qian of Silken Glazed Root was actually necessary.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Nie Kong was instantly overjoyed. He hadn't expected the little creature to possess this capability, automatically adjusting the optimal ratio of ingredients. Nie Kong's dejection vanished completely. To gain this knowledge, failing once, or even twice, was utterly worth it.

Nie Kong watched the little fellow with a smile, observing as its roots trembled slightly, and it unceremoniously absorbed the remaining medicinal power...