Before his eyes was a lush green valley, incredibly wide and suffused with Spiritual Qi.
As one of the core important areas of Wulong Valley, it naturally couldn't be without a massive Formation and Restriction.
Yang Che stood at the valley entrance, blocked by a light barrier resembling white mist.
He took out his Disciple token, threw it onto the barrier, and then waited quietly.
A short while later.
"Yang Che, your Sect contribution points are sufficient; you may enter the Spirit Medicine Garden."
As an aged voice emerged from within, the white mist before Yang Che suddenly parted on its own, revealing a muddy yellow path.
This small path was only wide enough for him to pass through alone.
Yang Che walked in without hesitation and immediately saw nearly a hundred acres of lush medicine fields on both sides of the path.
The fragrance of various herbs wafted directly into his nostrils, refreshing and invigorating him.
In the medicine fields, many Disciples, both male and female, were cultivating herbs, moving through the fields, each busy with their own tasks.
At the end of the path stood a delicate wooden building several stories high.
Yang Che walked to the front of the wooden building and, after his Disciple token was verified again, was finally allowed inside.
An elder with a long beard and a green robe, exuding an immortal Daoist aura, sat behind an antique wooden table, holding a scroll, his brows furrowed as if perplexed by something.
Behind the green-robed elder, leaning against the wooden building's wall, were long rows of wooden shelves displaying countless scrolls, along with some green and white Jade Slips of various colors.
However, there were few Disciples within the entire wooden building.
Only in one corner of the wooden building were a few scattered Disciples quickly perusing something on the wooden shelves.
Seeing that the elder seemed not to have noticed anyone entering for a long time, Yang Che had no choice but to brace himself and step forward to bow, saying, "Disciple Yang Che greets Senior Martial Uncle Sun."
The elder surnamed Sun then looked up at Yang Che and said indifferently, "First time here, aren't you? One Spirit Stone per hour. You can browse and search freely. If you need anything, just exchange it for Sect contribution points or Spirit Stones to copy it."
After speaking, he lowered his head and continued to study the scroll in his hand.
After paying one Spirit Stone, Yang Che quickly began to browse through the wooden shelves.
Unfortunately, the more he searched, the more disappointed he became.
They were all ordinary Pill Formulas and poison formulas, so common that even medical books from the mortal world were displayed here.
Yang Che's original intention was to see if he could find a Medicinal Pill Pill Formula that could be taken after Qi Refining Layer Nine to advance his cultivation, but after a full hour, he was disappointed to find that there was not a single Pill Formula for Medicinal Pills after Qi Refining Layer Nine, let alone one comparable to the Eight Treasures Pill.
Having wasted a Spirit Stone for nothing, Yang Che felt incredibly frustrated.
Just then, he saw the few scattered Disciples also preparing to leave, and one of them whispered, "There's really nothing left here. It seems we'll have to apply to the Sect; it's time to go check out the 'Hanging Waterfall Medicine Garden'."
"Hanging Waterfall Medicine Garden?"
Yang Che's heart stirred.
At this moment, the green-robed elder suddenly cursed angrily, "Scram, scram, hurry up and scram! What Hanging Waterfall Medicine Garden? It's just a wild medicine garden, that's all. And you all flock to it like ducks."
The few Disciples were scared and fled in a panic.
Yang Che, however, walked directly to the elder and cupped his hands, saying, "Senior Martial Uncle Sun, may I ask if there are any Medicinal Pill Pill Formulas here that can be taken after Qi Refining Layer Nine to advance cultivation?"
The elder surnamed Sun was about to get angry again, but seeing that only Yang Che hadn't left, his expression softened a bit, and he said, "Of course there are."
"But Disciple hasn't found any..."
"Of course you haven't found any. How could such a Pill Formula be placed on the first floor? Go to the second and third floors and search carefully. But I'll tell you upfront, no matter what you ultimately find, whether it's usable or not, you can't pay a single Spirit Stone less for the fee."
"Understood, Senior Martial Uncle Sun. Is the fee for the second and third floors also one Spirit Stone per hour?"
"No, no, no. The second floor is two Spirit Stones per hour, and the third floor is three Spirit Stones per hour."
"What?"
Yang Che was stunned. Isn't this clearly robbing him?
After thinking for a moment, he was about to give up, when the green-robed elder suddenly said mysteriously, "Young man, why not go directly to the top floor, the fourth floor? Although it's four Spirit Stones per hour, I can guarantee that if your luck isn't bad, you are very likely to find a valuable ancient Pill Formula."
"Ancient Pill Formula?"
Yang Che had indeed seen an introduction to them in the Alchemy Notes.
Ancient Pill Formulas are Pill Formulas passed down from the ancient cultivation era.
Some ancient Pill Formulas are priceless and immeasurable in value. Others, however, are completely worthless.
Let him gamble on his luck?
He wouldn't do it.
For no other reason than that this Senior Martial Uncle Sun, who managed the Spirit Medicine Garden, appeared to be an immortal Daoist on the surface but was actually a money-grubber, making him seem completely unreliable.
"Senior Martial Uncle Sun, Disciple is short on funds, so I'll just forget about it." After saying that, he cupped his hands in salute, preparing to take his leave.
"Wait a moment."
The elder surnamed Sun gritted his teeth, looking extremely reluctant.
A moment later, seeing Yang Che about to move again, he quickly continued, "The viewing fee is halved, and no matter what Pill Formula you find and want to copy, the contribution points or Spirit Stones will be reduced by thirty percent... No, also by half."
This condition was undoubtedly generous.
Yang Che was somewhat moved and, after thinking it over, decided to take a gamble.
If he lost the gamble, it would only be another two Spirit Stones wasted.
"Alright, then many thanks, Senior Martial Uncle."
Yang Che handed over two Spirit Stones, fearing that the Senior Martial Uncle would go back on his word, and quickly ascended to the fourth floor, which was the top floor of the wooden building.
Upon reaching it, when Yang Che clearly saw the scene on the fourth floor, his first reaction was, had he really been tricked?
If it weren't for Senior Martial Uncle Sun being a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he would have already cursed aloud.
The fourth floor was merely an attic, pitifully small.
Only a single yellowing wooden shelf stood alone in the center.
There were both scrolls and Jade Slips, but only a dozen or so sets of scrolls and fewer than ten Jade Slips.
Even if he read all of these things, it wouldn't take half an hour.
"What a profiteer," Yang Che couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
However, since the Spirit Stones had already been paid, Yang Che naturally still had to examine each item carefully.
Walking to the wooden shelf, Yang Che blew off the dust on it, finding that the shelf itself was shaking.
He casually picked up a set of scrolls, opened them, and his heart sank even further.
When he turned to the fourth set of scrolls, Yang Che indeed found an ancient Pill Formula.
However, almost all the medicinal ingredients on this ancient Pill Formula were varieties that could no longer be found, making it a Waste .
He continued to browse.
"Hmm? Foundation Establishment Pill Pill Formula?" Yang Che's heart suddenly filled with joy.
This was actually a complete Foundation Establishment Pill Pill Formula.
Yang Che confirmed it several times, finding that it was indeed a complete Foundation Establishment Pill Pill Formula, and only then did he slightly relax.
At least the Spirit Stones weren't wasted.
Yang Che set this Pill Formula aside and continued browsing.
Next, he indeed found two more ancient Pill Formulas.
According to the Alchemy Notes, although the medicinal ingredients on these two ancient Pill Formulas were also basically extinct, substitutes could be found.
Although the Medicinal Pills ultimately refined would certainly not be as potent as the original, they would still be extremely rare Medicinal Pills.
More importantly, one of these ancient Pill Formulas produced a Medicinal Pill called the 'Overlord Pill,' which could not only greatly increase cultivation but was also lightning-attributed.
This made Yang Che suddenly feel like he had made a huge profit.
It seems that one should indeed not easily make conclusions until the very end.
It wasn't until he had no more gains that Yang Che went to the first floor and placed the three ancient Pill Formulas and the Foundation Establishment Pill Pill Formula before Senior Martial Uncle Sun for him to copy.
"Foundation Establishment Pill?"
The elder surnamed Sun was somewhat surprised.
Some of the medicinal ingredients mentioned in this Foundation Establishment Pill Pill Formula were truly difficult to find.
However, upon seeing the medicinal ingredients required for the other three ancient Pill Formulas Yang Che found, he suddenly realized that the medicinal ingredients needed for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill were not so difficult after all.
Since he had already agreed earlier, the elder surnamed Sun did not say anything more, directly copied them, and collected forty Spirit Stones from Yang Che.
After Yang Che bought a few more medicinal ingredients for making soaking medicinal liquids at the Spirit Medicine Garden, he immediately ran out of Spirit Stones again.
"This money is completely not enough!"
On his way back to Sunset Gorge, Yang Che racked his brains, thinking about 'ways to make money.'
Upon returning to Wangxi Residence, Yang Che immediately took out the 'Overlord Pill' ancient Pill Formula and concentrated on studying it.