Tear Crystal Obtained and Attention Drawn by "Illegal Construction"

In five days, under Xuanwei's near-sleepless "grinding," time flew by.

When the tenth Clear Heart Bamboo's age marker finally trembled past the 300-year mark in Xuanwei's spiritual perception, his entire "being" felt drained. His Immortal Qi本体 had dimmed to near transparency, and his energy level had plummeted to a pathetic less than 3%. He couldn't even maintain his chubby, earthy form, reverting back to a wisp of primordial Immortal Qi, flickering and liable to be scattered by the slightest breeze.

"I can't anymore... not a drop left..." he collapsed (mentally collapsed) onto the spiritual soil of the Medicine Garden, feeling utterly hollowed out. "This high-intensity 'agricultural research' is more tiring than fighting people..."

But looking at the ten tall, verdant Clear Heart Bamboos, their leaves rustling and exuding a rich, calming Daoist charm, he felt the joy of an old farmer at harvest.

"50 contribution points! My little fortune! Here I come!"

Mustering his last bit of strength, he carefully sealed the ten Clear Heart Bamboos (wrapped in Immortal Qi) and then, swaying like a drunkard, drifted towards the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

The task submission went smoothly. The attendant sent by Fire Spirit Mother inspected the goods, was very satisfied with the quality of the Clear Heart Bamboos, and promptly paid him 50 contribution points, which were recorded on Xuanwei's identity jade token (a brand bestowed by Sect Master Tongtian).

Clutching the seemingly heavy 50 contribution points, Xuanwei felt his back straighten considerably!

He immediately rushed to the official counter and, with a (weakened) burst of heroic spirit, declared to the rabbit-eared female immortal, "Senior Sister! Kui Niu Tear Crystals! Three pieces! I'll take them all!"

The rabbit-eared female immortal gave him a surprised look, seemingly unable to comprehend why this junior brother, who looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind, was so fixated on these three "pieces of junk." Nevertheless, she efficiently processed the exchange.

Swish! His contribution points were wiped clean.

In his hands were three dull, pitted crystals, within which faint streams of chaotic light flickered – the Kui Niu Tear Crystals!

Xuanwei clutched them tightly (wrapped in Immortal Qi) as if they were priceless treasures, afraid they might be snatched away. He then charged back to his Medicine Garden like a bolt of lightning (a weakened version), immediately activating all the defensive restrictions he could.

"Hahaha! My treasures! Let's see just how 'useless' you really are!"

He eagerly took out a Kui Niu Tear Crystal and attempted to probe it with his Immortal Qi.

As recorded, the energy within was extremely chaotic and violent, filled with the Kui Niu's resentment and unwillingness at the moment of its death, along with various chaotic spatial currents. Forget refining it, even prolonged contact could erode the mind and damage the origin for an ordinary Earth Immortal.

"Tsk tsk, this thing is practically a 'cancerous tumor' in the energy world!" Xuanwei clicked his tongue. "But... it's ineffective on me!"

With a thought, he communicated with the Chaos Bead deep within his sea of consciousness.

An invisible suction force emanated from his Immortal Qi core, acting upon the Kui Niu Tear Crystal.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

Like cold water hitting boiling oil, the violent and chaotic energies within the Kui Niu Tear Crystal, upon contact with the Chaos Bead's all-encompassing, all-assimilating chaotic power, instantly disintegrated and dissolved like an avalanche! The resentment was erased, the chaotic spatial forces were sorted, purified, and finally transformed into an incredibly pure, gentle, and obedient... Origin Power of Space, which merged into the gray space within the Chaos Bead!

The entire process took only a few breaths!

The originally dull and pitted Kui Niu Tear Crystal now became a flawless, transparent crystal, with what looked like a flowing silver galaxy within, emitting stable and soft spatial fluctuations!

[Successfully purified and absorbed "Inferior Kui Niu Tear Crystal" x1. Obtained: Origin Particle of Space x1. Spatial stability of Chaos Bead slightly increased.]

[Notification: This Origin Particle of Space can serve as the core for the "Void Spirit Drawing Array" eye, expected to operate stably for three months.]

"Awesome! (Voice cracking)" Xuanwei was so excited he almost spiraled into the sky! The Chaos Bead is the GOAT! This purification efficiency, this refinement effect! It was practically a custom-made "garbage disposal and resource recycling center" for him!

He followed the same procedure, purifying the other two Kui Niu Tear Crystals, obtaining two more Origin Particles of Space.

"Three pieces will last nine months! That's enough!" His confidence soared, and he immediately began setting up the "Void Spirit Drawing Array."

Following the basic principles taught by Yang Mei and the supplementary knowledge from the Scripture Pavilion, he carefully etched complex array runes with his Immortal Qi at the very center of the Medicine Garden, directly above an Earth Vein node. This process was incredibly mentally taxing, adding insult to injury for him in his recently depleted state.

But he gritted his teeth and persisted, carefully placing the Origin Particle of Space, emitting a silver halo, at the array's core.

"Array complete! Activate!"

As he drew the final rune and channeled a faint wisp of Immortal Qi to activate the array—

Hum!

A low hum sounded! Centered on the Origin Particle of Space, a transparent vortex about ten feet in diameter, imperceptible to the naked eye, quietly formed! Instantly, the spiritual energy around the Medicine Garden, and even from further distances, seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, slowly but steadily converging towards this vortex!

It succeeded! The Void Spirit Drawing Array was complete!

Xuanwei could clearly feel a spiritual energy several times denser than usual being drawn into the array. Then, through the conversion of the Origin Particle of Space, and via his connection with the Chaos Bead, it was channeled, wisp by wisp, into the barren space within the Chaos Bead!

Although the amount of Chaotic Qi that could be formed after all these transformations was pitifully small, it was continuous and steady! It was like equipping a stable, albeit low-flow, "milk bottle" for the "crying-out-for-food" infant that was the Chaos Bead!

"Wonderful! Patriarch Yang Mei's 'retirement fund' is secured!" Xuanwei sighed in relief, feeling that all his hard work was worth it.

He blissfully savored the pleasure of spiritual energy being continuously drawn in, as if he could hear the clinking sound of contribution points (future version) entering his coffers.

However, he was unaware that this "treasure basin" he placed so much hope in was as conspicuous as a lighthouse in the dark night to certain beings...

Deep within Biyou Palace, in a simple palace.

Daoist Duobao was meditating, sorting through the affairs of the Intercepting Sect and beyond. Suddenly, his brow twitched, and he opened his eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of space, landing on the Medicine Garden in the back mountain.

"Hmm? Such an ingenious method of spatial spirit gathering?" For the first time, a clear look of surprise appeared on his usually placid face. "Drawing spiritual energy from a hundred-mile radius, yet it condenses without dispersing, converging in a small area, with an underlying spatial transformation... This is by no means something an ordinary Earth Immortal could set up!"

He had already noticed Xuanwei's extraordinary methods for nurturing spiritual plants. Now, seeing this exquisite spatial array, his assessment of this junior brother could only rise further.

"This child... indeed carries a great secret and great fortune," Daoist Duobao murmured to himself. "Blessing? Or curse?"

He pondered for a moment, not taking immediate action, but quietly attaching a wisp of his divine sense around the Medicine Garden, observing it more closely.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Kunlun Mountain, within Yuxu Palace.

Primordial Lord of Heaven, who was quietly reciting the Yellow Court Scripture, frowned almost imperceptibly on his eternally cold face.

He sensed a trace of spatial fluctuation originating from the direction of Golden Ao Island. It was extremely faint, yet its essence was exceptionally lofty. This fluctuation carried an aura that he found deeply detestable, like an "anomaly" that transcended the rules of the Heavenly Dao.

"That wisp of turbid energy again?" Primordial Lord of Heaven's eyes flashed with cold light. "It seems Tongtian is quite lenient with it, allowing it to act recklessly within a Saint's Dojo and set up this formation to disrupt the order of spiritual energy..."

He let out a cold snort, not intervening personally, as it was Tongtian's territory after all. However, he made a mental note of this transgression.

Xuanwei was completely unaware of the "attention" from the two Saints. He was immersed in the joy of successful "infrastructure construction" and began planning his next steps:

"The spirit-drawing array is set up, but the efficiency is still too low. I need to find some higher-grade 'building materials' to upgrade the formation. Also, I need to hurry and heal my own injuries..."

He cast his gaze towards the remaining two Origin Particles of Space, as well as the truly valuable healing elixirs and advanced formation materials in the Scripture Pavilion that required a large number of contribution points to redeem.

"It seems I need to quickly make a name for myself as the 'Intercepting Sect's Number One Spiritual Plant Cultivator'!"

He could almost see countless contribution points lining up, flying towards him from the hands of his senior brothers and sisters who were in desperate need of spiritual medicine...

However, just as he was dreaming of "contribution point freedom," within the Chaos Bead, the lingering wisp of Yang Mei's remnant soul, which had been dormant, seemed to regain a tiny bit of vitality after absorbing a trace of chaotic energy converted by the spirit-drawing array. It transmitted a clearer, yet more heart-pounding message:

"...Little friend... the formation... is acceptable... however... the fragments of this bead... are too severely damaged... it is necessary... to quickly... retrieve... the remaining parts... otherwise... there is a risk... of disintegration..."

Xuanwei: "!!!"

What?! The fragments of the Chaos Bead were in danger of disintegrating?! Was this "luxury car" he had just acquired and hadn't even warmed up yet a piece of junk that could fall apart at any moment?!