It was taking all the credit, boasting that from now on, any formidable enemy they encountered would be its responsibility; the great Treasure-Seeking Rat, Wu Ying the Elder, would thoroughly teach those fellows a lesson.

Watching its overconfident display, Zhang Yang couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

Wu Ying, in this state, truly resembled a child.

Many children, when young, often fantasized that if they possessed a certain magnificent weapon, they could defeat adults, perhaps even handling several adults at once.

This weapon might be a legendary Golden Cudgel or perhaps just a sturdy wooden sword. In any case, as long as these items were in their grasp, they constantly imagined confronting villains and beating them until they soiled themselves in terror.

Little did they know, in a real confrontation, ten such children wouldn't stand a chance against a single adult, even if they were wielding a 'mighty Golden Cudgel.'

Wu Ying was exactly like this. Having just advanced to the Fourth Level, its confidence was currently at its absolute peak, dismissing even the Great Perfection expert Hu Yanfeng. If it truly faced a Fourth Level Great Perfection master, it would certainly be the one fleeing.

However, Zhang Yang was genuinely curious about Wu Ying’s new abilities. Unfortunately, no matter how he asked, the little fellow refused to say anything, repeatedly insisting on secrecy.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Wu Ying suddenly leaped into Zhang Yang's canvas bag. The old canvas bag had long been ruined; this current one was custom-made by Zhang Yang, with patterns he had painted himself, making it look utterly unremarkable on the outside.

The material for this bag was the hide of a Seven-Crowned Golden Python, exceptionally tough and resilient. If the skin of the White Jade Snake hadn't been too small, Zhang Yang would have preferred using that instead; the White Jade Snake was, after all, a Fourth Level spirit beast, possessing even tougher hide.

Chirping persistently, Wu Ying suddenly shook its head.

Its expression suggested it found the medicinal herbs Zhang Yang had collected utterly beneath its notice.

But from the discerning eyes of a Treasure-Seeking Rat, ordinary items truly couldn't catch their attention. Treasure-Seeking Rats had high standards; only genuine treasures could pique their interest.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Wu Ying chirped again, then hopped forward, running ahead. It was signaling to Zhang Yang: Follow it, let’s go find the real good stuff.

Zhang Yang paused slightly, then quickly shook his head with a smile, closely following behind Wu Ying.

Anything Wu Ying deemed a 'good thing' absolutely would not be subpar. A trace of anticipation now bloomed in Zhang Yang's heart.

After advancing, Wu Ying's innate talent had evolved considerably, extending the range at which it could detect treasures.

After running a short distance, Wu Ying suddenly cried out, quickening its pace even further.

Zhang Yang hurried after it. Amidst a small patch of wildflowers, a small flower, striped red and green, was strikingly conspicuous. Beneath the flower hung three small red-green pods.

"Blood Jade Pods?"

Zhang Yang paused, a hint of pleasant surprise crossing his face.

Blood Jade Pods—these were extremely high-grade medicinal herbs, requiring over a thousand years to mature. The ones before him already bore three pods; once the fourth developed, that would be their moment of full maturity.

Judging by the flower bud that hadn't yet formed into pods, it wasn't far from its true ripening period either.

Once fully mature, the Blood Jade Pods would be a heavenly treasure surpassing even the level of the Three-Color Fruit. All the ones he had previously picked combined couldn't compare to this.

"Pity, they aren't ripe yet!"

The initial surprise subsided, and Zhang Yang sighed regretfully. Picking the Blood Jade Pods now would still have significant use, but they couldn't be refined into potent spirit medicines.

They had to wait until they truly ripened. Harvesting them now would just be a waste.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Wu Ying chirped beside him again. Listening to its implication, a fresh wave of joy washed over Zhang Yang's face.

Wu Ying was indicating that these Blood Jade Pods would definitely mature within three to five years, allowing them to return and harvest them then. The Phantom Rat had permitted them to take anything here except the Dragon-Luring Grass—take freely, take whatever they wanted.

Waiting three to five years to reap spirit medicines wasn't the biggest draw for Zhang Yang; the last part was most significant.

Except for the Dragon-Luring Grass, everything else was fair game—this meant the Phantom Rat cared only for the Dragon-Luring Grass, effectively turning this entire mountain, teeming with precious herbs, into their private garden.

This was an entire mountain, one untouched and unharvested. At this moment, Zhang Yang felt stunned by the news; the blessing felt too sudden.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Wu Ying suddenly dashed forward again. This time, it hadn't discovered growing herbs, but rather two divine weapons and a clearly rotted bundle.

The bundle had decayed, but the jade vial within remained perfectly intact, resting quietly there.

There were no skeletons nearby. Zhang Yang surmised this was likely another foolhardy soul who had ventured up Yinlong Mountain, ultimately abandoning his possessions here, his life surely forfeit.

If he were alive, how could he leave behind his personal effects and weapons?

Both divine weapons were excellent. One was an offensive divine weapon, a rare claw-type weapon. Zhang Yang examined it; the craftsmanship was superb, and it even concealed hidden projectiles.

After studying the Tang Family Forging Method, Zhang Yang's eye for divine weapons had improved considerably.

The other was a defensive divine weapon. This wasn't a vest-style defense, but rather a set of kneepads, wrist guards, and other soft defensive gear. Unlike soft items, this set of defensive artifacts was incredibly rigid; it could not only deflect incoming attacks but also serve as weapons in a pinch.

Both divine weapons were superb, and Zhang Yang accepted them without hesitation.

The Phantom Rat stated it wanted nothing on the mountain except the Dragon-Luring Grass. As for the Dragon-Luring Grass, the primary ingredient for the Youth Restoration Pill, Zhang Yang still had some, so he felt no immediate worry.

Compared to other medicinal ingredients, the Youth Restoration Pill was secondary to him.

"Perilla Pill?"

After putting away the divine weapons, Zhang Yang opened the jade vials. As soon as he opened the first and took a sniff, he murmured softly.

The Perilla Pill—its main ingredient was Perilla, but not common Perilla; it required top-tier Perilla grown for over a thousand years. Perilla wasn't high-ranked among herbs, but cultivating it for a millennium made it exceptionally rare.

The primary function of the Perilla Pill wasn't to enhance internal energy, but to improve physique, similar in concept to the Fire Dragon Fruit previously encountered, although the Fire Dragon Fruit improved the meridians, while the Perilla Pill changed the flesh.

Consuming the Perilla Pill could strengthen the physical body. Internal energy cultivators primarily focused on Qi refinement; the higher the level of internal energy, the less capable the body structure became, often limiting the actual combat effectiveness upon reaching the Great Perfection stage.

With the Perilla Pill, things were different. It could alter one’s physique, ensuring that subsequent cultivation would be much smoother without worrying about physical resilience.

However, the Perilla Pill had a fatal flaw: it could only be consumed by individuals who had not yet cultivated internal energy. If an existing internal energy cultivator ingested such a spirit medicine, their body would only deteriorate, potentially leading to death in severe cases.

This fact frustrated many internal energy practitioners.

Though internal energy cultivators couldn't use it, it didn't mean the spirit medicine was useless; quite the opposite, its value was immense, surpassing items like the Immortal Fruit Pill and Thousand-Year Ginseng Pellets he possessed.

Major families and sects all had numerous direct lineage disciples.

These direct descendants were nurtured from childhood, and a single Perilla Pill could fundamentally alter them from the start of their cultivation journey, making their future progress far more efficient.

Who wouldn't cherish their own children? With such a treasure, it was naturally reserved for future generations.

There were two Perilla Pills in the vial. Zhang Yang immediately secured them, a slightly silly smile on his face.

He couldn't consume the Perilla Pills himself, but they were immensely useful to him. With the Fire Dragon Fruit, Mi Xue now had the potential to cultivate internal energy, and combined with these Perilla Pills, if Mi Xue worked hard, she was destined for great achievements in the future.

She might not reach the level of a Fourth Level master like Zhang Yang, but she certainly wouldn't struggle as much to advance to the Second Level as Long Cheng or Qu Meilan had.

Wu Ying squatted quietly nearby, making no sound this time, seemingly understanding that such a spirit medicine held no use for itself.

There were three such jade vials. Zhang Yang opened the second one.

This was made of top-grade jade material—only such material could preserve spirit medicine for such a long time without significant loss. In an ordinary box, even spirit medicine stored for so many years would have likely lost most of its efficacy.

Upon opening the box, only a single, crystalline pill lay inside.

This pill emitted a fragrance, strong and rich, as if all the essence it had held back for so long was finally being released.

Gazing at this spirit medicine, Zhang Yang was first slightly surprised, then a smile bloomed on his face.

This spirit medicine differed from the previous one; it radiated an alluring, faint glow. The small, round pill looked like a pearl, shimmering with flowing light across its surface.

"Pearl Pill!"

Zhang Yang whispered. The primary ingredient for this pearl-like spirit medicine was pearl—a pearl over a thousand years old.

Zhang Yang discerned from the scent that this Pearl Pill was no ordinary thousand-year pearl; it was an exquisite specimen that had matured for over three thousand years. Only such raw material could create a Pearl Pill so mesmerizing and potent.

The Pearl Pill, with pearl as its main ingredient, can nourish beauty and cure ailments.

For an internal energy cultivator, the greatest use of this Pearl Pill was for healing injuries. No matter how severe the internal damage, even that suffered by a Fourth Level master, the Pearl Pill could aid in recovery.

Zhang Yang’s current injuries would take several days to heal through self-nurturing, but consuming this Pearl Pill would restore him completely immediately—such was the effect of the Pearl Pill.

Imagine two evenly matched enemies, both gravely injured after a fierce battle; if one suddenly produced and swallowed a Pearl Pill, the subsequent outcome would be self-evident.

The Pearl Pill was definitely a valuable item, especially since it held great utility even for Fourth Level experts. It would be highly attractive to other Fourth Level masters.

As for Zhang Yang, possessing the heaven-defying Treasure-Seeking Rat Wu Ying, the direct benefit of the Pearl Pill was less critical. Still, more good things were always better. For other Fourth Level experts, this Pearl Pill was a rare commodity—something he could keep to perhaps trade later for items more useful to him.

Even if he didn't trade it, he could leave it for Zhang Daofeng or Zhang Yun'an; they were not accompanied by Wu Ying.

Taking a half-day leave today, resulting in only one update. I will compensate tomorrow. The New Year period is finally drawing to a close. Xiao Yu hasn't stopped updating, and a significant surge in output is coming soon. RS