Xiangxiang’s stems, leaves, and roots writhed intensely, but the medicinal potency of the coiled spiritual herbs was not absorbed. Instead, as the little creature twisted and swayed, the potency gradually separated, finally forming five small clusters of medicinal power, each gathering on one of the tender sprout's five roots.

Though Nie Kong did not examine them closely, he already sensed that while all five clusters originated from that single crimson spiritual herb, the nature of each small cluster was entirely different. It was as if they were no longer the power of that one herb, but had transformed into the power of five distinct medicines.

This discovery greatly surprised Nie Kong.

At that moment, the little creature’s roots trembled, and a small cluster of medicinal power was transmitted into Nie Kong's “Spiritual Essence Three Apertures,” bringing a familiar sensation flooding back to his mind.

“Dianying Flower!”

Nie Kong's heart stirred.

He actually sensed the medicinal properties of the Dianying Flower within that small cluster of power. This Dianying Flower was available on the first floor of the Nie Family’s Apothecary Hall; Nie Kong had personally tasted it when learning about pharmacognosy and properties with Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin. It was an extremely bitter herb, the taste of which Nie Kong still remembered vividly.

Could Xiangxiang have completely broken down the power of that spiritual herb and then reconstituted it? A flash of realization sparked across Nie Kong’s mind.

Another cluster of medicinal power entered the “Spiritual Essence Three Apertures”!

“Luosi Sword Cloak Grass!” An herb matching the nature of its power immediately surfaced in Nie Kong’s mind.

“Indeed.”

Nie Kong harbored no further doubts; the spiritual herb had indeed been decomposed and restored by the little creature. It turned out that “Aromal Recognition of Medicine”—the scent it smelled was not just of herbs, but of these spiritual herbs too!

He hadn't expected “Aromal Recognition of Medicine” to possess such a new function here.

Nie Kong was immensely delighted. With this capability, he could discern the formula for any spiritual herb on the Tianling Continent. As long as he obtained and consumed a single spiritual herb, the secret formulas cherished by the Spirit Master noble clans and sects would hold virtually no mystery for him.

It was just a pity that his current strength was too low to consume high-grade spiritual herbs.

The grade of spiritual herbs a Spirit Master could consume was closely linked to their own cultivation base. A Spirit Channeler like Nie Kong could only consume Grade Two spiritual herbs. If he wanted to consume a Grade Three herb, the outcome wouldn't be pleasant: at worst, death; at best, damage to his “Spiritual Essence Three Apertures,” rendering him crippled—especially for those spiritual herbs that forcibly raised cultivation levels.

The higher the grade of the spiritual herb, the more potent the medicinal force unleashed after ingestion. If one’s cultivation was insufficient, they might not withstand the surge of power, let alone convert it into spiritual energy. On the Tianling Continent, history held bloody and painful lessons about this.

By now, almost every Spirit Master adhered to strict regulations. Even those possessing high-grade spiritual herbs would never consume them before attaining the requisite cultivation.

The sort of scenario described in the Wuxia novels of Nie Kong’s past life—where some lowlife consumes a thousand-year Ginseng or ten-thousand-year Lingzhi and instantly skyrockets to become a supreme master—was utterly impossible on the Tianling Continent. Harboring such thoughts when consuming herbs would only lead one to the underworld to become a master there.

Nie Kong’s thoughts raced, and the third cluster of medicinal power entered an aperture.

“Luosu Grass!”

The fourth cluster of power...

“Liegè Purple Down!”

The fifth cluster of power...

“?”

Nie Kong paused. This cluster felt somewhat unfamiliar, preventing him from identifying it immediately. After careful observation, Nie Kong rapidly searched his mind…

No known medicinal substance perfectly matched the nature of that potency. Nie Kong realized that he must have never tasted this final herb. This situation was normal, after all, the Tianling Continent held an enormous variety of medicines, and he had likely sampled less than one-tenth of them.

Furthermore, the continent was vast and boundless, and the number of Spirit Pharmacists was huge. It was possible that someone might discover a new medicine and use it to refine a spiritual herb.

It seemed that for the little creature's “Aromal Recognition of Medicine” to truly treat all spiritual herb formulas as insignificant, there was still a long road ahead—at the very least, he would need to personally sample every known herb on the Tianling Continent. This was a massive undertaking that could not be completed in just a year or two.

Nie Kong pondered for a moment, then shifted his focus back to the Yaochi Acupoint.

After sending out the five clusters of power, the little creature was quite fatigued. Nie Kong quickly sent the medicinal power back to the Yaochi Acupoint for it to absorb, though the potency of this prepared spiritual herb was clearly ineffective for it, especially since it was a Grade One, useless spiritual herb not meant for raising cultivation levels.

Recalling the situation just now, Nie Kong felt a touch of shame. He had initially thought the little creature was trying to greedily devour the power, but it had acted only after sensing his thoughts, with the sole purpose of helping him identify the herb’s components faster and more accurately.

“Little fellow, wait a few more seconds, I’ll get you more food immediately.”

Comforting it, Nie Kong opened his eyes, picked up his brush, and began writing on the paper: Dianying Flower, Luosi Sword Cloak Grass, Luosu Grass, Liegè Purple Down… After a moment’s thought, Nie Kong used ink to black out the Liegè Purple Down. Since writing down even one medicine would suffice, having identified three was over-fulfilling the requirement. This could save face for the two old men while simultaneously reducing suspicion from others.

After all, for a Grade Two Spirit Pharmacist to accurately identify four out of five components in an unknown spiritual herb was rather terrifying—even more shocking than his performance during the second stage of potion compounding. Causing suspicion because of this would be a loss that outweighed any gain.

Setting down the brush, Nie Kong stood up straight.

At that instant, nearly all eyes on the high platform turned towards him. After all, the third stage was different from the first two. Most of the remaining Spirit Pharmacists held some expectation for themselves; even those who hadn't identified anything were racking their brains in contemplation. Spirit Pharmacists like Mu Xiaoling, who had already written down one medicine, were trying to identify a second. Thus, while some had given up early, none had submitted their papers ahead of time.

“Why is this guy in such a hurry to hand in his paper? The hourglass still has time left before it runs out.”

Mu Xiaoling muttered in confusion before continuing to ponder.

At this moment, instead of pondering why others submitted early, it was better to spend more time carefully savoring the sensation after consuming that spiritual herb, perhaps allowing for further progress. If she could correctly write down a second medicine, her performance in the second stage would definitely rank among the top.

Nie Kong ignored the curious glances around him and rushed toward the high platform on the right. As he passed the seat of the First Prince, Nie Kong vaguely heard a sneer but paid it no mind. In a few strides, he reached Cheng Feiliu, Mu Zisi, and the other judges, and handed over his paper.

Then, without waiting for the five-grade Spirit Pharmacists to make their judgment, Nie Kong plopped down onto the steps, pulled a large handful of herbs from his robes, and started shoving them vigorously into his mouth…