About an hour later, Shayen, who had been sitting in silent meditation on the fourth floor of the attic, suddenly opened his eyes, a look of surprise flashing in their depths. His ten fingers danced before him like butterflies weaving through flowers, sketching out rapid patterns, and threads of fire-red spiritual energy snaked out from his fingertips, intertwining.

In an instant, the void on the fourth floor began to writhe violently, and Nie Kong’s figure appeared out of thin air once more, directly in front of Shayen.

Glancing at the jade bottle and the sheet of paper in Nie Kong's hand, Shayen couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Nie Kong, you’ve returned quite quickly. Is this the new medicine and formula you mentioned just now?”

Nie Kong chuckled, “Indeed, please inspect them, sir.” As he spoke, Nie Kong had already placed the sheet of paper and the jade bottle on the low table before Shayen.

“Good, this old man was just wanting to take a look.”

Seeing Nie Kong’s air of complete self-assurance, Shayen was greatly intrigued. In the Medicine Heart Hall, among hundreds of disciples, several, or even a dozen, new medicine formulas might surface every single month, but when actually refined according to the instructions, only about half of them would result in a viable medicine. And among that half, almost all were dross; finding one that could actually benefit a Spirit Master was a rarity that might take half a year, or even a full year.

“Three qian of Gold-Scale Fine-Layer Grass... hmm? ‘Gold-Scale Fine-Nose Grass’? Nie Kong, what medicine is this? I’ve never heard you mention it before.”

Shayen picked up the paper and casually read the contents aloud. But as soon as he uttered the name of the very first ingredient listed in Nie Kong’s formula, a stunned expression dawned on his face. He had served as the Vice Hall Master of the Medicine Heart Hall for many years, yet he had never heard of such a medicinal herb existing on the Heaven Spirit Continent.

“Sir, I once spent a day and a half testing herbs at the Alchemist Guild, trying two hundred different mixtures. This ‘Gold-Scale Fine-Nose Grass’ was one I experimented with then, and the name was given by this disciple,” Nie Kong smiled and continued his explanation. “It’s not just the ‘Gold-Scale Fine-Nose Grass’; three of the nine herbs in this formula were discovered during those trials. Another one was a reward obtained after a successful test. I named them all.”

“I see.”

Shayen finally understood, quickly scanning the formula. Indeed, as Nie Kong had said, the names of four of the herbs were completely new to him; they must be the names Nie Kong had assigned to the new medicinal components. The other five were familiar, using the most common herbs imaginable. However, upon seeing that the formula even included Tianxinzi and Xuhudiezacao—herbs typically only used in refining First-Grade Spirit Medicines—Shayen’s expression turned to outright astonishment.

On the Heaven Spirit Continent, Spirit Medicines were categorized by grade, but medicinal herbs themselves had no explicit grade. Some common herbs could serve as the main ingredient for a First-Grade Spirit Medicine or as an auxiliary ingredient for a Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine. Conversely, some precious herbs, while serving as the main ingredient for a high-grade Spirit Medicine, could also be a subordinate ingredient for a lower-grade one. Just like the “Eight-Star Conch” Nie Kong had discovered during his earlier trials—an absolutely precious herb, yet small amounts of it were indispensable to the “Jade Leaf Glazed Pill.”

Of course, many medicines could only be refined into one specific grade of Spirit Medicine.

Take Tianxinzi and Xuhudiezacao, for instance. In Shayen’s memory, Tianxinzi could be used to refine the First-Grade Spirit Medicine “Spring Return Dew,” and Xuhudiezacao could refine the First-Grade Spirit Medicine “Purple Gold Pill.” Beyond these, Shayen had never seen their names in any other Spirit Medicine formula.

Then he looked at Nie Kong’s notation following the Spirit Medicine formula: Third-Grade Spirit Medicine, “Jade Fragrance Pill”! The “Jade Fragrance Pill” was also a medicine Shayen was hearing of for the first time, but...

“A Third-Grade Spirit Medicine?”

Shayen’s lips twitched slightly. He suspected the little fellow might have accidentally added two extra strokes to the character for ‘Three’? To create a Third-Grade Spirit Medicine like the “Jade Fragrance Pill” using such ordinary herbs was simply too unbelievable.

The sheer novelty of this formula, penned by Nie Kong, gave even Shayen a feeling of profound ignorance. Fortunately, Nie Kong seemed to have anticipated this, as he had described the pharmacological properties and effects of the four unfamiliar ingredients, including the “Gold-Scale Fine-Layer Grass,” on the back of the sheet.

As the Vice Hall Master of the Medicine Heart Hall in Spirit Imperial City, Shayen possessed incredibly sharp insight. After grasping the properties of these new herbs, and carefully deducing their interaction with the five known components like Tianxinzi and Xuhudiezacao in his mind, the confusion that had filled his thoughts gradually cleared into understanding.

After a long moment, Shayen’s gaze settled back onto the calm-faced Nie Kong, his look of admiration mingled with a shade of disbelief. He sighed, “Nie Kong, this formula of yours truly deserves to be called ‘turning rot into magic.’ Using common herbs like Tianxinzi and Xuhudiezacao in combination with herbs such as ‘Gold-Scale Fine-Layer Grass’ achieves such a marvelous effect, capable of refining a Third-Grade Spirit Medicine! If a Spirit Fusion Master consumes it, their depleted spiritual power might instantly be restored to fullness. Your ‘Jade Fragrance Pill’ is indeed an excellent creation. Today, this old man has truly broadened his horizons.”

With Shayen’s ability, even without consuming the pill Nie Kong had prepared, he could roughly deduce the efficacy of the “Jade Fragrance Pill” after contemplating the formula.

Among all Spirit Medicines, the best were naturally those that could elevate one’s cultivation grade. However, medicines like the “Jade Fragrance Pill,” which could rapidly restore spiritual power, were also highly sought after by Spirit Masters. After all, Spirit Masters faced constant battles, whether against people or spirit beasts. Having a medicine on hand that could instantly replenish spiritual power was akin to carrying a divine talisman for protection!

“You flatter me, sir.”

Nie Kong chuckled, then inquired, “Sir, what contribution value do you think this ‘Jade Fragrance Pill’ I’ve provided deserves?”

This formula for the “Jade Fragrance Pill” wasn’t actually Nie Kong’s invention; it was a masterpiece from the ‘Demon and Devil’ game. In the game, the “Jade Fragrance Pill” was a Tier 3 potion capable of instantly restoring a player's MP.

An hour ago, knowing that submitting a formula could quickly accumulate a hundred contribution points, Nie Kong had immediately targeted this one. The main reason was that he recognized all nine herbs required for its refinement and could gather them all incredibly quickly. Especially the three herbs he had identified during his previous testing, like the “Gold-Scale Fine-Layer Grass,” still had some remnants left over, which, along with the rewards, had been delivered to his residence.

Otherwise, even if Nie Kong had known the formula for the “Jade Fragrance Pill,” it would have been impossible to refine it in such a short time.

Shayen set down the paper and smiled, holding up two fingers: “Two hundred!”

“So many?”

Nie Kong was startled. He recalled that the rare herb, the “Eight-Star Conch,” was only worth thirty contribution points. He had initially thought this “Jade Fragrance Pill” formula would fetch at most a hundred contribution points, which he would have considered quite good.

After all, the “Jade Fragrance Pill” was only a Third-Grade Spirit Medicine. Among Third-Grade Spirit Medicines that restored spiritual power, there were several varieties, so the contribution for the “Jade Fragrance Pill” shouldn’t rank too high. He hadn’t expected to receive two hundred, far exceeding the minimum requirement for borrowing a Low-Grade Spiritual Art.

“Many?”

Shayen couldn't help but laugh. “If you knew how much contribution is required to borrow a Mid-Grade Spiritual Art, you would find these two hundred points pitifully small. In Spirit Imperial City, the secrecy surrounding Low-Grade Spiritual Arts isn't very strict; they only require a symbolic hundred contribution points. Almost every Spirit Imperial City disciple can cross this threshold with some effort and find a suitable Low-Grade Spiritual Art in the ‘Spirit Hidden Hall.’

As for the Mid-Grade Spiritual Arts that follow, they are not accessible to everyone. Firstly, the fifty thousand contribution requirement deters the majority of people. Secondly, the cultivation restriction of Fusion Spirit Sixth Grade and above filters out another large group of disciples. Therefore, those who can obtain Mid-Grade Spiritual Arts are almost exclusively inner city disciples.”

Fifty thousand contribution points!

Nie Kong sucked in a sharp breath inwardly. That number was indeed unattainable for the average Spirit Imperial City disciple. Fortunately, the “Spring and Autumn Vitality Art” should be the only Wood Spirit Art he could acquire within the city. Even if he entered the inner city later, he wouldn't need to save up contribution points for that purpose.

Thinking further, Nie Kong suddenly grew curious. “If a Mid-Grade Spiritual Art requires fifty thousand contribution, what about a High-Grade Spiritual Art? One hundred thousand? Or two hundred thousand?”

“Neither. It’s five hundred thousand!”

Shayen laughed heartily. “And that’s just the basic requirement; on top of the five hundred thousand contribution, there are even stricter prerequisites. Alright, no need to dwell on such distant matters for now. Nie Kong, come with me; I shall take you to the ‘Spirit Hidden Hall’ now.”

Saying this, Shayen stood up tall, reached out, and grasped Nie Kong’s shoulder. Their figures rippled like waves, and then they vanished from the attic...

The Spirit Hidden Hall was situated in the far northwest corner of Spirit Imperial City. It was a separately constructed edifice. Its footprint wasn't vast, but it was incredibly imposing, solemn, and overwhelmingly grand. Based purely on its external shape, the Spirit Hidden Hall looked less like a hall and more like a pagoda.

“Buzz!”

The void fluctuated, and Shayen brought Nie Kong stepping out.

This location was quite far from the Medicine Heart Hall. Even with Shayen using the technique of melding his body into the void, the journey still took some time. Up to this point, Nie Kong had only been brought through spatial travel like this twice. The other time was with Long Xuechan, and the distance traversed was extremely short, confined to moving around within the medicine labs. At that time, Nie Kong barely had time for a reaction before he arrived at his destination.

This time, however, Nie Kong carefully sensed the journey. Shayen would materialize roughly every hundred meters, then quickly merge them back into the void. This repeated process dozens of times gave Nie Kong sufficient time to adjust his state repeatedly, adapting to the brief moments of extreme velocity.

In the instant he was immersed in nothingness, Nie Kong vaguely felt as if the space before his eyes was rapidly shrinking. Then, Shayen took a stride, stepping out of the small space that had condensed to barely a meter in length right before him. Immediately after, Nie Kong broke free from his dazed state, and he found himself already brought outside by Shayen.

This process was profoundly bizarre, yet Nie Kong felt as if he had glimpsed an entirely new realm...