For the longest time, Nie Kong had assumed the Nie family’s finest herbs were housed in either the Spirit Medicine Hall or the Alchemy Hall. Only when he followed Nie Xingyun into the secret chamber behind the Alchemy Hall did he realize how profoundly mistaken he had been.

The moment they stepped inside, a rush of medicinal fragrance washed over him. After just a few breaths, Nie Kong felt utterly refreshed, as if all thirty-six thousand pores of his body had expanded. Within his Yaochi Acupoint, the little fellow within let out an excited "Ah-ya-ya!" Judging purely by the scent, Nie Kong knew that some of the substances stored in this hidden room were undoubtedly as precious as the serpentine herb he had seized in the second layer of the Illusory Realm.

The chamber was vast, partitioned into several distinct spaces by thick slabs of dragon stone. Besides several herb cultivation zones, there were two areas designated for alchemy.

Nie Xingyun turned his head toward Nie Kong, a faint smile playing on his lips. "In the past, only this old man and that Red-Hair were allowed entry here. Now, you make three."

Whenever the Fifth Elder mentioned Lian Tianxin, he substituted the name with "Red-Hair." He still held a grudge over the events of the day before yesterday. How could he not? Nie Kong was supposed to be his sole apprentice, and now he had to share him with Lian Tianxin—it was unnatural for him to be pleased about that!

"The Tianling Continent is immensely vast; the herbs available for refining spiritual medicine number in the tens of millions, and what we have discovered so far is only a fraction. Come, Master will introduce you around first. This will be your primary domain from now on. Feel free to visit the Alchemy Hall outside and exchange experiences with the others when you have time."

Nie Kong followed Nie Xingyun, his horizons dramatically expanded.

Most of the medicinal substances here were kept in custom-made Spirit Pattern Jade Boxes. These boxes were almost perfectly transparent, allowing one to see the vibrant, lifelike herbs within without opening the lids. Each box bore a label detailing the herb's name, and Nie Kong recognized perhaps one in a hundred; only a meager few corresponded to the names of herbs from the "Demon and Fiend" game, and even then, their shapes were only roughly similar.

The medicines found on the first and second floors of the Spirit Medicine Hall were rarely seen here; the sheer quantity of low-grade herbs made preserving them in precious Spirit Pattern Jade Boxes unnecessary.

"Ah-ya-ya!"

Suddenly, the little fellow cried out with extreme agitation. The inflection and tone were strikingly similar to when he had located the source of the medicinal fragrance in the Illusory Realm.

Nie Kong halted, his gaze instinctively drawn to a purple box beside him. The purple hue wasn't the color of the box itself but rather emanated from the herb contained within. The plant's structure was quite peculiar; its roots, stems, and leaves bore a strong resemblance to the symbol of lightning from his previous life, though all the angles were smoothly rounded.

This herb must be exceedingly precious. If used for cultivation, its efficacy would likely surpass that of the Ice Flame Cave. After subtly probing yesterday, Nie Kong had vaguely grasped that many herbs capable of refining sixth-grade spiritual medicine, regardless of their inherent properties, contained an incredibly abundant supply of Wood Spirit elemental energy.

"This is 'Lightning Vine.' It is the primary ingredient for refining the sixth-grade spiritual medicine, the 'Thunder Dragon Pill.' It has been stored here for a full fifteen years precisely because neither I nor Red-Hair has managed to advance to the rank of sixth-grade Spirit Alchemist," Nie Xingyun explained with a smile upon seeing the herb Nie Kong was focusing on.

"Capable of refining sixth-grade spiritual medicine..."

Nie Kong thought of the herbs in his pet inventory and felt a stir in his heart. He asked, "Master, a few days ago in the second layer of the Illusory Realm, I encountered an herb with a rather strange shape. I intended to dig it up for a closer look, but a giant snake lunged out, forcing me to self-destruct and flee."

Nie Xingyun instantly discerned Nie Kong's subtle maneuvering. He stroked his sparse beard beneath his chin and squinted with a smile. "Oh? Tell me about that herb."

Nie Kong chuckled sheepishly and quickly described the shape of the blood-red herb. Of course, to support the little white lie he’d spun earlier, Nie Kong only described the parts above the root structure in detail.

"A single leaf like a basin, the surface resembling blood..."

Nie Xingyun frowned in concentration for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up, and his breathing hitched slightly, becoming rapid. "Nie Kong, what did that giant snake look like?"

Seeing his expression, Nie Kong knew he had struck a chord. He quickly recalled the appearance of the massive serpent and then added, "Oh, yes, Master, the whole body of that great snake was crimson, but there seemed to be a small patch of black on the top of its head. When it moved, it looked like a floating cloud."

Nie Xingyun clapped his hands together. "Black Cloud Crimson Serpent! It is indeed the Black Cloud Crimson Serpent... If Master is not mistaken, the herb you saw must be the 'Serpent Coil Blood Lotus'!"

Nie Kong looked at Nie Xingyun and saw his face flushed with a faint red glow from excitement. "I never expected the second layer of the Illusory Realm to harbor a 'Serpent Coil Blood Lotus.' What a pity, what a pity! Nothing inside that Illusory Realm can be brought out; otherwise, this old man would have obtained it by any means necessary!"

By the end of his statement, Nie Xingyun was stamping his foot and sighing in regret.

"Master, is the Serpent Coil Blood Lotus very precious?" Nie Kong asked, feigning ignorance.

"Precious? It's far more than just precious—it is an exceedingly rare wonder medicine. If I could enlist the aid of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion to refine a 'Blood Coagulating Divine Fire Pill' using it, your Master could advance from the Eighth Grade of Virtual Spirit to the Ninth Grade of Virtual Spirit, and within ten years, perhaps reach Pill Spirit!" Nie Xingyun sighed with profound heartache.

"So it can also be used to refine a sixth-grade spiritual medicine." Nie Kong nodded in realization, but he couldn't help but wonder: since both he and Xiangxiang had absorbed a large amount of its medicinal power, could the Serpent Coil Blood Lotus still be used to refine the 'Blood Coagulating Divine Fire Pill'? After a pause, Nie Kong inquired, "Master, is the Serpent Coil Blood Lotus poisonous?"

"Naturally, it is."

Nie Xingyun elaborated, "Every single 'Serpent Coil Blood Lotus' is cultivated over many years using the vital essence blood of a Black Cloud Crimson Serpent. The blood of that serpent is lethally poisonous. A 'Serpent Coil Blood Lotus' like the one you described has likely absorbed five hundred years of the Black Cloud Crimson Serpent's life essence..."

Nie Kong inwardly gasped. Cultivated with vital essence blood for five centuries—no wonder the giant snake became so frenzied after discovering the herb was missing!

"A five-hundred-year-old Serpent Coil Blood Lotus possesses extreme toxicity. If consumed directly, an ordinary Spirit Tamer would instantly dissolve into a pool of bloody water; even a Virtual Spirit Master wouldn't last long. However, when used to refine the 'Blood Coagulating Divine Fire Pill,' it has miraculous effects. What a shame, what a profound shame!" Nie Xingyun lamented endlessly.

The fact that even a Virtual Spirit Master could be killed quickly by its poison demonstrated the terrifying potency of the Serpent Coil Blood Lotus! Nie Kong felt a wave of profound relief. It was fortunate that after the medicinal fragrance was completely absorbed, he had resisted the urge to eat it, otherwise, he and the little fellow Xiangxiang would now be utterly annihilated without even a speck of residue remaining.

"Enough, enough. If I speak of it more, my heart will break," Nie Xingyun mumbled, walking ahead with a dejected expression.

"..."

Watching Nie Xingyun's crestfallen demeanor, Nie Kong felt a touch of helplessness. The highly toxic Serpent Coil Blood Lotus was now useless to him. He wouldn't mind giving it away to find someone to attempt refining the 'Blood Coagulating Divine Fire Pill.' However, doing so would inevitably require him to explain exactly how he managed to bring the herb out of the Illusory Realm. Nie Kong had no desire to face rigorous family scrutiny over that 'Serpent Coil Blood Lotus.'

After the tour of the secret chamber concluded, Nie Xingyun began instructing Nie Kong, starting with the most common herbs, explaining them one by one.

It was then that Nie Kong truly understood the immensity of knowledge Nie Xingyun possessed. Regarding the pharmacology and properties of medicinal herbs, their environments and locations of growth, and their proper combinations, Nie Xingyun recounted everything as if reading from his palm, captivating Nie Kong so thoroughly that he failed to notice the passage of time.

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