Not long after Chen Jinshu planted the Clearwater White Lotus, the spiritual energy surrounding the spiritual field seemed to stir, converging toward the lotus.
Soon, a series of white halos formed around the lotus.
"This Clearwater White Lotus definitely does more than just dispel evil—it seems to have a mild spirit-gathering effect too."
She could sense that the spiritual energy in the air was denser than before. As the lotus continued to grow, it would likely continue to enrich the field. Raising her hand, she activated the water storage pot.
A torrent of cold spring water poured down, soaking the three acres of spiritual farmland. This water pot was quite convenient—it could irrigate all three acres at once and store large amounts of cold spring water, ready for use anytime.
"Time to check the other field. The herbs in the Frost Pool Medicine Garden should be ready for harvest."
This would be her first harvest since joining Medicine King Peak. Moments later, after watering the spiritual fields once more, she flew toward the Frost Pool Medicine Garden. She intended to continue tending these three acres until the spiritual vine was taken. Upon arriving at the garden, she spotted the three acres of herbs glowing faintly blue.
"These herbs are all quite useful. They should fetch a decent profit."
After finishing the watering of the vine, Chen Jinshu immediately began harvesting the herbs. Half an hour later, with the help of specialized tools, she finally completed the task. She harvested over 200 plants of each: Snowbud Flowers, Frostgrass, and Cold Moon Lotus—one acre of each. However, the soil had lost much of its fertility after the harvest.
"Submitting 50 of each as tax should suffice."
While the Peak Lord had announced that disciples of the Frost Pool Garden wouldn't need to pay taxes—due to the infestation of demonic energy in most fields—this also meant no contribution points were earned.
So, while it looked like a good deal, the disciples actually lost out. After investing so much time, they had to start over, and their effort wasn't rewarded. Half an hour later, Chen Jinshu finished replenishing the soil with spiritual fertilizer. After a few days, once the field regained its vitality, she would replant.
Just as she closed the formation, she saw Senior Brother Lin Yi returning with water. Technically, as a direct disciple of a Golden Core elder, she should be addressed as senior sister, but to stay safe, she stuck to the original title.
"Senior Brother Lin Yi, are you watering the fields?"
"I am!"
"Oh, you participated in the Alchemy Competition last time, didn't you? Did you hear there was a disciple with the same name as you?" Lin Yi asked with a smile.
When he first heard the name "Chen Jinshu," he was stunned. Could this girl farming next to him be some hidden master?
But no matter how he thought about it, it didn't make sense. Her cultivation was similar to his—around the fourth level of Qi Refinement. There was no way she could craft high-grade middle-tier pills. It had to be someone else with the same name.
"I never expected to share a name with a senior sister. What a coincidence!" Chen Jinshu replied with feigned surprise and a hidden smile.
"Too bad my own skills only earned me a consolation prize."
"Still, that prize wasn't bad. It made up for the loss when our fields were corrupted." Lin Yi nodded. Her reaction confirmed his belief: same name, different person.
"Were all the consolation prizes the same?"
"Of course not! It was a blind-box system. How many spirit stones you got depended on luck."
"How many did you get?"
"Only fifteen spirit stones."
"That's still decent. I heard many people only got ten." Lin Yi sighed sympathetically. Then, he leaned in slightly and lowered his voice.
"By the way, do you know what happened to that alchemy genius Peng Qi?"
"Didn't the Peak Lord expel him and send him to mine for ten years?"
"It wasn't that simple. You think the late-stage Qi Refining disciples he poisoned would let that slide? Especially those who could've made the top twenty?"
"Don't tell anyone I told you." Lin Yi glanced around before whispering.
"I won't. I'm not a gossip."
"I heard Peng Qi was ambushed on the way to the mines. His tendons were severed. His dantian was destroyed. When the escorting disciples returned, they said he was barely alive, and wild beasts were tearing his body apart…"
Lin Yi described it with a smirk, almost like he'd been part of the ambush.
Chen Jinshu only frowned slightly—not at all surprised. This was the first she'd heard about Peng Qi's fate in days. What happened to him was well deserved. She'd been so shaken by his actions that she'd rarely left her home during that time.
If everyone behaved like him, what would become of Medicine King Peak?
She suspected this tale was deliberately spread by the Peak Lord. The real fate of Peng Qi was probably just as grim—if not worse. Judging from the angry shouting she'd overheard at the Affairs Hall earlier today, Peng Qi's reputation among the disciples had utterly collapsed.
"Thank you for telling me, Senior Brother. He got what he deserved. I heard many alchemy failures were due to sabotaged furnaces."
"My own furnace malfunctioned too. I could never figure out why… Now it makes sense." Lin Yi sighed in relief.
"I'll let you get back to work, Senior Brother."
"Take care, Junior Sister."
Chen Jinshu hurried off, heading back to the Ink Plum Courtyard. Meanwhile, in the Spiritual Planting Space:
Chen Jinshu was examining a seed assigned for a spiritual cultivation task. She wanted to better understand how to nurture this unique species. But this seed puzzled her—it was unlike any spirit seed she had encountered. Especially its sprouting point, which was oddly sunken in the center.
She inspected it thoroughly, but found no damage. The life force inside was still strong, with no signs of decay or black spots like before.
"Perhaps it's just a trait of this particular species."
Unable to determine the reason, she sighed and placed the seed into a growth-accelerating solution, letting it soak for a day or two until it sprouted. The seed's shell was especially thin, so there was no need to soften it further.
Once that task was done, she turned to harvesting Golden Vine Flowers—one of the main ingredients for a high-grade Qi Condensation Pill.
"Since I can already refine middle-grade first-tier pills, I should try making top-grade ones next."
She planned to attempt her breakthrough to the sixth layer of Qi Refining soon, and with it, pass the test to become a certified top-grade first-tier alchemist.
That would unlock far greater opportunities.