Mysterious Fruit

Just as Xiao Ming had expected, the fighting here drew many people over.

Not long after he left, more and more people arrived at the pavilion.

However, while standing on the white Jade Stone Plaza, some people chose to join the battle after seeing the intense Energy Fluctuation coming from the pavilion.

Others Hesitated For A Moment and, like Xiao Ming, chose to reenter the dense forest.

Clearly, they had the same plan as Xiao Ming: to search for other pavilions.

Quite a few people chose to leave. Unfortunately, many of them chose the same direction as Xiao Ming.

After who knew how long he had been leaping through the tree branches in the dense forest, Xiao Ming finally found another special location that contained treasures.

It was a small farmhouse-style courtyard. Its walls were made of Wooden Fence, seemingly without the slightest defensive capability. Standing beside the fence, Xiao Ming could clearly see the courtyard's interior.

The courtyard was not large. Its former owner seemed to have been nothing more than an ordinary farmer, with several hoes, shovels, and common Farming Tools placed inside.

There seemed to be nothing special about it.

However, Xiao Ming would not truly believe that the former owner was a farmer just because those things were there.

What farmer could live in a secret realm?

Moreover, aside from those farming tools, he saw other things that proved the courtyard's former owner was far from ordinary.

In one corner of the courtyard was a small Flowerbed piled up with earth. All kinds of Flowers And Grass grew within it, surrounded by a lingering Exotic Fragrance.

Those seemingly ordinary flowers and grass were the proof.

As Xiao Ming looked at them, his breathing quickened. Others might not recognize those things, but he knew perfectly well that these seemingly ordinary Flowers And Grass were far more valuable and substantial than the Profound Tier Cultivation Technique he had obtained before.

They were all Precious Medicinal Herbs that were Hard to Find in the Outside World.

For an alchemist, obtaining a rare medicinal herb was far more exciting and thrilling than acquiring several hundred thousand in wealth.

Thus, after discovering the Flowerbed, Xiao Ming impatiently leaped over the fence, which stood more than a person's height. He suffered no attacks during the process.

After landing, Xiao Ming kept part of his attention on his surroundings in case the courtyard's former owner had left behind any traps, then quickly walked to the Flowerbed.

"Ice Spirit Leaf, Black Lotus Flower, Nine-Leaf Flower Ginseng, Snake Spirit Sacred Fruit, Purple Cloud Cattail, Fire Dragon Fruit..."

As he gazed delightedly at the modest Flowerbed, names representing rare and precious high-grade Medicinal Herbs spilled from Xiao Ming's lips one after another.

"And... Ice Spirit Flame Grass!"

His gaze swept across the other Medicinal Herbs in the small Flowerbed. Xiao Ming's pupils suddenly contracted, and he fixed his eyes on a stalk of grass with alternating white and red leaves on the left side of the Flowerbed.

The grass was divided into white and red. Its white Branches were covered in tiny ice-crystal-like specks, while atop its fiery red crown, flames seemed to burn fiercely. Two utterly opposing colors and properties had somehow grown together on a single plant. It was truly astonishing.

A faint mist lingered around the plant, giving it quite a bit of the feeling of being suspended among clouds.

This strange grass was called Ice Spirit Flame Grass. It was generally extremely Hard to Find in the Outside World, and it was also one of the essential ingredients for refining the Blood Lotus Pill, the required Pill for swallowing the lower-ranked Heavenly Flames on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

Besides refining the Blood Lotus Pill, this Medicinal Herb was also a Main Medicinal Herb for several other Grade Five or Six Medicinal Pills.

Its value went without saying. It was even more precious than the Medicinal Herbs Xiao Ming had just named.

However, Xiao Ming already had a Blood Lotus Pill in his Na Ring.

So although he was very happy to see this Medicinal Herb, it was merely the normal reaction of an ordinary alchemist upon seeing Precious Medicinal Herbs.

After savoring his delight for a moment, Xiao Ming turned his gaze toward the center of the Medicine Altar.

Even Ice Spirit Flame Grass could not occupy the very center. He wanted to see just how precious the Medicinal Herb at the center was.

The center of the Flowerbed was separated from the other Medicinal Herbs by about a meter of empty space.

It seemed that the owner of the small courtyard valued this Medicinal Herb greatly.

He had even refused to let other Medicinal Herbs come within a meter of it.

To Xiao Ming's surprise, when he looked over, he found that the Medicinal Herb in the center did not possess any unusual appearance like the Ice Spirit Flame Grass.

At the center of the Flowerbed stood only an unremarkable Green Plant, with a Green Fruit hanging from its Branches.

"Huh? I actually can't recognize this plant?"

Xiao Ming stared at the plant with a puzzled expression and said in surprise.

He was no longer some Alchemy Novice. He was a Grade Three Alchemist.

Although his rank was not particularly high, he considered himself qualified in the basic alchemy coursework of recognizing Medicinal Herbs, something even a Grade One Alchemist should be able to do.

Other than Precious Medicinal Herbs, he could name Common Medicinal Herbs without even thinking. He knew them like the back of his hand.

Moreover, Jia Nan Academy had an abundant collection of books. Having read a great many of them, he could recognize many rare and obscure Medicinal Herbs as well.

For example, the Snake Soul Sacred Fruit he had just named was an extremely rare Medicinal Herb that allowed Snake Magical Beasts to break through their own Racial Barrier after consuming it. He had recognized it at a glance.

Not only that, he also knew how to use it.

Yet this Medicinal Herb bearing a Green Fruit—forget its effects, he could not even name it.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

After staring at it for a while, Xiao Ming's constantly extended Soul Power seemed to detect an extremely faint Soul Fluctuation. This fluctuation was incredibly strange in its appearance and vanished with astonishing speed.

Before Xiao Ming even had time to Investigate it, it had already Disappeared.

This aroused Xiao Ming's vigilance.

This place was in the middle of nowhere. Where had a Soul Fluctuation come from? Could it be some Thousand-Year Undying Old Monster?

Unable to spare any thought for the name of the Green Medicinal Herb, Xiao Ming closed his eyes. The Soul Power within the Mud Palace at his Brow Center Poured Out without reservation, spreading in every direction.

After searching the entire small courtyard, even the corners outside the fence, he found nothing.

Xiao Ming furrowed his brows tightly. Rather than giving up, he searched several more times.

Finally, during the last search, that Soul Fluctuation appeared again.

"Again? Let's see where you're hiding." Prepared this time, Xiao Ming curled his lips into a smile and sent his Soul Power toward the center of the Soul Fluctuation.

At last, having been prepared, Xiao Ming easily Investigated the source of that fluctuation. He opened his half-closed eyes and Looked Towards it.

"That Soul Fluctuation came from this Medicinal Herb?" Xiao Ming looked at the Medicinal Herb in the center of the Flowerbed, utterly shocked.

"Couldn't Be a Medicinal Herb related to Soul Power, could it?!" Xiao Ming guessed inwardly.

This guess was not without basis. Aside from Medicinal Herbs associated with Soul Power, no other type of Medicinal Herb could possibly emit fluctuations similar to Soul Power.

Such Medicinal Herbs were extremely rare, even more precious than Ice Spirit Flame Grass. Even Jia Nan Academy had Very Few records of them.

If this was a Medicinal Herb related to the soul, it could also explain why he could not recognize it.

Having reached this conclusion, Xiao Ming was overjoyed.

No matter what this Medicinal Herb was used for, it was definitely something good. And good things like this should be put away immediately.

After thinking it over, the Simulator's settings should be changed. The Simulator could simulate ten years at a time; otherwise, it would not be good for the protagonist to keep dying. Since none of the previous simulations had exceeded this limit, it would not affect the reading experience.