Harmonious Spirit Lotus, Spirit Water Phoenix-Eye Lotus

"Fellow Daoist Li, I reckon it won't be long before I'll have to call you Junior Brother Li."

A sincere smile appeared on Su Ya's face. "The Moon Nectar Pearls you gave me were truly exceptional in quality. After I submitted the pills I refined, I received praise from the sect elders."

Li Ye hurriedly rose to his feet and waved his hands. "That was Senior Su's skill in pill refinement..."

"Hm?" Su Ya shook his head. "Calling me Senior makes things rather dull. When I met you back then, I never said I was some Foundation Establishment Cultivator, yet now you keep calling me Senior this, Senior that."

"I was too caught up in appearances." Li Ye scratched his head, then readily changed the way he addressed him.

"Senior Brother Su, some time ago, I damaged my meridians from anxiety and agitation. They have improved considerably now, but they still ache faintly from time to time."

He described his current symptoms.

To be honest, he had been eating and resting well these past days, so he had not felt especially uncomfortable. He simply had never found the right way to treat it.

If it could be cured, that would naturally be a good thing.

"Is that so?"

Su Ya did not suggest taking his pulse or examining him.

Unless the situation was truly dire or they were extremely close, cultivators would not reveal their condition to outsiders. He only needed to know what exactly was wrong with Li Ye; that was enough.

"Damaged meridians are a fairly common ailment among cultivators, but completely curing them is quite difficult. Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Li's cultivation is still shallow..."

"I can give Fellow Daoist Li two prescriptions."

"The first is to purchase a Pulse-Restoring Pill from the Pill Chamber after you enter our Four Seasons Sect.

"That pill has an exceptional effect on meridian injuries. A single pill can restore you completely, without any impact whatsoever on your future cultivation."

"A Pulse-Restoring Pill costs roughly two thousand Spirit Stones within the sect, but if it makes its way outside, it would likely cost close to ten thousand Spirit Stones."

"The second is to cultivate some meridian-nourishing spells. Once you advance to Foundation Establishment, you may be able to use spiritual power to repair the injury directly, though there are some unknowns involved."

"..."

Though he called them two prescriptions, he was clearly recommending that Li Ye enter the Four Seasons Sect and buy that Pulse-Restoring Pill. Li Ye had already been mentally prepared for this.

Moreover, everything he had seen of the Four Seasons Sect so far had been quite good. Besides, they had even given him a recommendation token for entry.

Most importantly, he felt that if he continued nourishing himself with vitality, he should be able to recover slowly. So far, it had not affected his cultivation in any way.

If it truly did have an effect, then he would definitely have to hurry and earn enough Spirit Stones to buy the pill first.

He cupped his hands. "Then I shall cultivate diligently and strive to enter the Four Seasons Sect successfully by the autumn harvest."

Su Ya immediately beamed with joy. "I'll prescribe you some soothing pills first to ensure it does not worsen. Once you enter the sect, I'll take you to the Pill Chamber to buy the medicine!"

Those unbelievably high-quality Moon Nectar Pearls had long since made him unable to forget Li Ye. Luckily, he had not fought with his fellow disciples over him back then, or how would he have gotten this chance to leave the sect and befriend him?

Though he had spent two thousand Spirit Stones, the rare experience he gained while refining pills, along with the sect's reward, was far more important than Spirit Stones.

Once Li Ye entered the sect, he would be the first to benefit from proximity. His supply of Moon Nectar Pearls every year would be secured!

Seeing the unconcealable delight on Su Ya's face, Li Ye was somewhat curious. "Fellow Daoist Su, are there very few Spirit Herbalists in the sect?"

Such a vast sect could not possibly be so short on them that it had to rely on rogue cultivators outside to supply materials, could it? That would be far too strange.

"Not few, not few—but there are too many pill refiners!"

Mentioning this matter left Su Ya somewhat speechless. "As you know, our Four Seasons Sect is an overlord-level sect in the Eastern Domain. There are countless Spirit Herbalists and Beast Tamers within the sect, and the massive resources have also produced far too many pill refiners.

"Materials may be plentiful, but good materials are scarce.

"Furthermore, most Spirit Herbalists work with fixed pill refiners. As a result, pill refiners like us, who have only just entered the field, do not even have good materials to practice with!

"That is why the sect releases tasks in the various markets. First, to select talented people like Fellow Daoist Li; second, to provide us low-level pill refiners and artifact refiners with materials for practice."

He sounded rather indignant.

This answer truly was not something Li Ye had expected.

From what he had originally thought, pill refiners should have been among the most esteemed professions.

Yet in the Four Seasons Sect, it was the reverse—pill refiners had to go knocking on doors to beg for the raw materials for pill refinement.

"That is only because your pill-refining skills are not good enough." Spirit Vine said without the slightest courtesy. "If you had skills comparable to my master's, what Spirit Herbalist would refuse you when you came seeking Spiritual Materials?"

Su Ya immediately nodded meekly. "Martial Uncle's reprimand is correct!"

As he apologized, he also winked at Li Ye.

"..."

Li Ye blinked.

"Senior Spirit Vine, I also came this time to purchase a few things."

Spirit Vine could hardly fail to see through such a stiff attempt to change the subject.

But it had only been unable to resist taking a few jabs. Upon hearing Li Ye speak, it simply went along with the flow and had Su Ya prepare the pills.

Its attitude toward Li Ye became even more casual. "What do you want to buy?"

"Aquatic spirit plants."

"I just bought several Crimson-Gold Dragon Carp at the market, and some time ago I also bought a few Micro-Stream Beavers. I need to prepare food for them."

Spirit Vine was surprised. "Oh?"

"So you were lucky enough to buy some Micro-Stream Beavers. That litter was bred by my master's junior sister. If not for completing a sect mission, they never would have been put up for sale. Every one of them is exceptionally clever."

"A sect mission?" Li Ye asked curiously.

"Our Four Seasons Sect occasionally releases some high-quality, low-priced spirit plants or spirit beasts.

"This is a benefit found only in markets under the Four Seasons Sect. In any other place, who would sell such fine things to you so cheaply?"

Muttering as it spoke, it took out two spirit plants and set them on the counter. The first was a graceful lotus, while the second was a phoenix-eye lotus, commonly known as water hyacinth.

"You should know the benefits of lotus already. Whether its leaves, lotus roots, petals, or seeds, all are useful. This lotus was cultivated by a senior within the sect, and it is called the Harmonious Spirit Lotus."

"There is nothing especially extraordinary about it, but what makes it rare is that it is brimming with Spiritual Energy from flower to root. It would be good whether you use it to raise fish and beavers or eat it yourself."

After discussing the lotus, it pointed at the water hyacinth. "This thing is a little more interesting. Its shell grows extraordinarily tough, and after being picked, it will not rot for a hundred years. What is more, it gathers within itself a mouthful of Essence of Water Spirit."

"Water nurtures all things. The Essence of Water Spirit will naturally benefit you as well."

"The only slight issue is that this Spirit Water Phoenix-Eye Lotus will purify the Spiritual Energy in the water. If your spring water lacks Spiritual Energy in the future, come find me. Just upgrade it into a second-tier spirit spring."

It had clearly selected these with great care.

Naturally, Li Ye had no reason to refuse or question it.

Besides, he had seen clearly just now that this Spirit Water Phoenix-Eye Lotus could be bound. What it required was any spirit beast capable of continually striking the hyacinth.

Didn't that happen to be something his Crimson-Gold Dragon Carp could bind with?

But...

Since when had his luck become this good? He had obtained everything he needed in a single trip out, with unexpected gains on top of that. It really was strange.