No matter how depressed he felt, the facts remained unchanged; there was simply no alternative but to accept the current reality.

After considerable effort, Zhong Shenxiu climbed out of the rubbish heap, only to be confronted by another troubling matter: he was currently naked. While no one would make a fuss about a little kid being unclothed, it was still indecent, especially for someone like Zhong Shenxiu, who possessed the knowledge of tens of thousands of years.

What was he to do?

Unsure of the solution, Zhong Shenxiu frantically scanned his surroundings! Suddenly, his eyes lit up!

Did he find clothes?

The answer was, of course, no. The blazing light emanating from his eyes only appeared when he discovered prey (Zhong Shenxiu’s prey consisted only of peculiar, odd things).

Following his gaze, he saw nothing more than a scattering of wild weeds. Could these wretched weeds possibly be some kind of treasure?

The people of this world were completely unfazed by these weeds; they called them "Junk Grass." The reason for this name was that the grass only grew in places where trash accumulated, and it emitted an indescribably foul odor. Most importantly, to the people of this world, Junk Grass was utterly useless, considered even more worthless than the garbage it grew near.

However, to Zhong Shenxiu, a man from another world, these weeds held an entirely different significance. Zhong Shenxiu had once named this weed "Ghost Stench Grass," and on Earth, it only grew in swamps frequently visited by demonic creatures. Furthermore, this plant was incredibly difficult to cultivate; it required miasma for nourishment and decades—perhaps eighty or a hundred years—to mature. For this very reason, "Ghost Stench Grass" was exceptionally rare in the cultivation world.

Yet, to find this critically scarce "Ghost Stench Grass" growing in such abundance here—what was going on?

In his excitement over finding the "Ghost Stench Grass," Zhong Shenxiu did not lose his composure. He couldn't understand the situation. Based on his years of research and observation, this "Ghost Stench Grass" should be completely incapable of growing in such an environment; without miasma to nourish it, it lacked the necessary sustenance for growth. But here it was, defying all logic, which naturally struck Zhong Shenxiu as bizarre!

Could there be a unique magnetic field causing a mutation in the species' growth genes? Zhong Shenxiu could only provisionally accept this theory for now, as the magnetic field here was indeed vastly different from Earth's—the mere position and color of the sun suggested as much. To truly uncover the reason, Zhong Shenxiu would need to recover his magical power first.

Since he couldn't determine the cause immediately, Zhong Shenxiu stopped dwelling on it and focused entirely on observing the "Ghost Stench Grass." This was one of his virtues: though his thirst for knowledge was intense, he never became stubbornly fixated on problems he couldn't solve right away.

Admittedly, while "Ghost Stench Grass" was exceedingly rare in the cultivation world, few people besides Zhong Shenxiu truly understood its value. This was not self-aggrandizement; he genuinely possessed that capability. In the cultivation world, his mastery of alchemy was considered the progenitor among all progenitors. His understanding of the medicinal properties of various plants was unparalleled.

Regarding the medicinal effects of "Ghost Stench Grass," Zhong Shenxiu had spent extensive research time and finally discovered that it was the supreme medicinal catalyst for brewing countless poisons. Moreover, through years of tireless effort, Zhong Shenxiu had used it to concoct peerless medicines such as "Stink Fart Powder," "Putrid Pill," and "Nausea Bomb"—all protected by his unique intellectual property (meaning: no one but Zhong Shenxiu could replicate them).

This "Ghost Stench Grass" was one of Zhong Shenxiu's favorite herbs to tinker with back in the day. Because it was so difficult to obtain and so scarce, he always used it sparingly, testing only tiny amounts.

In fact, the "Stink Fart Powder" and "Nausea Bomb," exclusively developed by Zhong Shenxiu using "Ghost Stench Grass," were notorious in the cultivation world; nearly every grandmaster would turn pale at the mention of them. Those who remained unfazed were either mentally defective, had been kicked in the head by a mule, or were ancient hermits isolated from the world who hadn't heard of their potency.

Why were "Stink Fart Powder" and "Nausea Bomb" so fearsome? Was their toxicity truly that devastating?

Not exactly. Many cultivators of high attainment in the cultivation world were often ascetic and detached from life and death; "death" simply held no terror for such individuals!

This made their fear even more puzzling. Why were they so terrified of "Stink Fart Powder" and "Nausea Bomb"?

Heh heh~~ The real reason was the utterly horrific shadow these two concoctions cast in their minds. In their own words, they had never seen anything so perverse, never seen poison used in such a manner. It was as if the goal was to drive a person completely insane!

Take the "Stink Fart Powder," for instance. Anyone afflicted by this medicine, regardless of their sect or profound cultivation level, was doomed to suffer relentless, non-stop flatulence. Furthermore, the intensity of the emissions would escalate as time passed—not only sounding piercingly loud but also being incomparably foul!

Tell me, which Grandmaster would willingly pass loud, stinking gas every day, and which one dared to test the poison on themselves?!

Then there was the "Nausea Bomb," which was even more perverse. Its most remarkable trait was its extreme stench. How extreme?

Let me put it this way: a slightly weaker cultivator would instantly fall unconscious upon inhaling a single whiff. Even a stronger cultivator couldn't escape the fate of swooning after inhaling five breaths. The most terrifying aspect was that if you were tainted by this stench bomb for three seconds, the odor would penetrate your cells through your sweat glands, causing you to reek for ten miles wherever you went, and the smell would be incredibly difficult to eliminate. Rumor had it that an afflicted person, without Zhong Shenxiu's unique antidote, would be haunted by the stench for life—and even after ascending to immortality, the odor would cling to them inseparable.

Consequently, on the ranking list of "Most Toxic Poisons" in the cultivation world, Zhong Shenxiu's two concoctions consistently held the top two spots. And on the ranking list of "Most Troublesome People," Zhong Shenxiu had occupied the top spot ever since his debut.

This was precisely why, even though many knew Zhong Shenxiu delved into various unorthodox and heretical studies, they universally turned a blind eye. Those cultivators with short tempers could only curse him behind his back: "That bastard is too perverse! Does he want us to live or not?"

However, it must be mentioned that despite the hatred and fear many felt towards Zhong Shenxiu, his moral character was unimpeachable. Although he enjoyed researching dark arts, he never genuinely harmed anyone; he only occasionally played pranks.

("Heavens! Earth! Which celestial fairy sister can relieve us of this suppressed anger? Better he kills us outright than lets him play jokes on us!"—The collective sentiment of countless cultivators.)

But enough preamble. At this moment, Zhong Shenxiu completely disregarded his appearance and dashed toward the "Ghost Stench Grass," carefully plucking a stalk and sniffing it repeatedly near his nose.

That unmistakable stench shot straight through his nasal cavity to his brain. Zhong Shenxiu could now state with certainty: this was "Ghost Stench Grass," and all of it was top-grade.

My heavens! What is this?

Amidst the vast field of "Ghost Stench Grass," Zhong Shenxiu spotted an inconspicuous tiny sprout. Could this be "Ghost Frightener"?

Regarding the "Ghost Frightener," Zhong Shenxiu had never actually seen one; he had only read its description in an ancient book. Reportedly, the "Ghost Frightener" was a mutation derived from "Ghost Stench Grass." It rarely formed unless hundreds of "Ghost Stench Grass" essences condensed together. Since "Ghost Stench Grass" was already rare in the cultivation world, how could a "Ghost Frightener" condense easily? Therefore, this was the very first time Zhong Shenxiu had truly encountered a "Ghost Frightener." Whether its specific medicinal properties were the same as "Ghost Stench Grass" remained unknown; further research was needed to understand it.

Good heavens! There is so much "Ghost Frightener" here!

Glancing around, he saw that for every several dozen stalks of "Ghost Stench Grass," there was one stalk of "Ghost Frightener."

This sudden joy completely washed away Zhong Shenxiu's previous gloom.

Zhong Shenxiu could be described as a research fanatic. With such an abundance of precious herbs available for his study, how could he not be ecstatic?

He couldn't waste all these good things. Zhong Shenxiu rummaged through the junk pile and dug out a few tattered bags. Although they were riddled with holes, they were better than nothing. And so, a little kid was seen with his rear end stuck up in the air, carelessly uprooting grass.

But the bounty of herbs covering the ground was not something Zhong Shenxiu could clear in an instant. In moments, the few ragged bags he found were stuffed full, and Zhong Shenxiu, drenched in sweat, sat aside panting heavily.

Zhong Shenxiu now deeply understood the agony of having no magical power. How bitter it was to possess so many treasures yet be unable to take them all! If this were his past self, a mere wave of his hand and a "Cosmic Domain" could transport everything away instantly, but...

The "Cosmic Domain" was a technique known to many in the cultivation world—creating a rift in the space before one's eyes to store items using magical power. Of course, without sufficient power, tearing open space was impossible. Thus, while many knew the technique, everyone who could use it was certainly a master-level figure. As for cultivators unable to tear open space, they had to resort to refining storage rings, bracelets, or medium pouches to hold their goods.

Thinking of the "Cosmic Domain," Zhong Shenxiu worried whether the treasures he had collected within it were still intact. That collection represented the spoils of his entire life! It would be too tragic if they were gone just like that!

But whether they remained or not, Zhong Shenxiu had no way to confirm it now, as he possessed absolutely no magical power. Unless he started cultivating anew and reached a level where he could tear space, he wouldn't know if the items inside were still safe.