The Oriole Behind

While everyone else was scrambling to get into the Pill Realm first, Lin Ming stood quietly at the edge of the open space, not rushing to join the queue.

He naturally disliked crowds and waiting. Besides, the quest item and map weren't in limited supply; getting them early or late made no difference, and arriving late wouldn't mean missing out or making the quest more difficult. Furthermore, even if he got them, he'd still have to wait for the final opening to exit. The slight difference in time wouldn't give him any advantage.

Therefore, he was happy to be idle, arms crossed, calmly observing the crowds continuously entering the passage.

He saw Cao Ying and her team approach the old man shortly afterward, efficiently collect the supplies, exchange a few words in hushed tones, and then disappear into the Space Passage without hesitation.

Then, Xiao Yan, who had been sitting alone, stood up, dusted off his robes, walked expressionlessly to the old man, received his share, quickly scanned the prescription, and then stepped forward, his figure swallowed by the light of the Space Passage.

The number of people queuing in the open space gradually decreased, and the originally slightly crowded open space became spacious.

Seeing this, Lin Ming put on a faint, calm smile and slowly walked towards the old man who was still sitting cross-legged on the tortoise's back.

It's time to enter this legendary Pill Realm. It's also my treasure trove! Hehe.

The Spatial Fluctuations gradually subsided, revealing a desolate landscape stretching as far as the eye could see.

Earthy yellow is the dominant color here. The earth is cracked and the vegetation is sparse. Only a few clumps of drought-resistant shrubs or low grasses stubbornly stick out from the cracks in the rocks, adding a touch of green and releasing a negligible vitality. An ancient and desolate atmosphere permeates the air.

Occasionally, one or two small, gerbil- or lizard-like Magical Beasts would burst out of their earthen burrows as if startled, raising a wisp of yellow dust before disappearing even faster behind the jagged rocks in the distance, leaving behind an ever-deepening silence in this world.

The silence of this desolate plain did not last long. Suddenly, a certain Void Space began to ripple irregularly, like a stone being thrown into a calm lake. Immediately, a tall figure dressed in a purple Alchemist's robe flashed out from the distorted space and stood steadily in mid-air.

The one who emerged from the Space Passage was naturally Lin Ming.

When the vast and barren plain before him came into full view, a slight look of surprise flashed in his eyes. But Lin Ming reacted quickly; with a thought, he circulated his internal Dou Qi, and his body hovered several feet above the ground, without rashly falling. In such an unfamiliar and strange environment, caution was the primary principle.

"Is this the legendary Pill Realm...?"

Lin Ming looked around, and all he could see was earthy yellow and desolate. Only at the far end of the plain could he vaguely see the outlines of some undulating mountain ranges, like the spines of giant beasts crawling on the edge of the earth. He frowned slightly and murmured to himself. This seemed to be quite different from the blessed land full of rare and precious materials that he had imagined.

He stretched out his palm and gently grasped at the air in front of him, as if trying to hold the air in his hand. Then, Lin Ming seemed to be deep in thought.

"The Heaven and Earth Energy here is exceptionally abundant, even more concentrated than outside... However, this energy seems to contain some extremely violent and chaotic factors. If inhaled, it must be carefully refined, otherwise it can easily cause agitation in Dou Qi. Could this be the reason why this space, created by Dou Sheng, is gradually decaying and no longer suitable for long-term habitation?"

Lin Ming understood immediately.

Creating an independent space is a supreme power possessed only by Dou Sheng Expert. However, even if successfully created, it requires continuous energy input and rule maintenance; otherwise, even the most stable space will gradually decay under the erosion of time and internal energy imbalance. This Pill Realm is clearly in such a slow process of decay.

"But..."

At this moment, Lin Ming looked inward at himself, feeling the stable and vibrant Internal Space deep within his dantian, which had expanded to a radius of eighty-nine zhang, and made a silent comparison.

"My Internal Space, though far less vast than this Pill Realm, is more stable and pure in structure. Its rules, though nascent, form a self-contained cycle, as if... more like a 'World Prototype' with limitless potential?"

The thought warmed his heart, but now was not the time to delve into it.

Shaking his head, Lin Ming suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind for the time being. The most urgent task was to complete the second test.

With a flick of his wrist, the parchment he had received from the old man riding the tortoise upon entering the passage appeared in his hand. The paper was ancient, and the morphological characteristics and brief descriptions of three medicinal herbs were outlined on it with special soul ink. It was accompanied by a simple map that marked the exit location and several main areas.

"Dragon Beard Ice Fire Fruit, Ascension Grass, Crimson Flame Spirit Marrow..." Lin Ming's gaze swept over the names of the three rare and precious herbs on the prescription, and a helpless smile appeared on his lips. "The Pill Tower's move is indeed time-saving and labor-saving... It's basically using these top Alchemist from all over the continent as free laborers to search for these rare medicinal materials for them."

That being said, those are the rules, and he has no choice but to abide by them.

His gaze fell once more on the names of the three medicinal herbs, and his brows furrowed slightly. These three herbs were all rare treasures, especially the "Dragon Beard Ice Fire Fruit," which had extremely demanding growing conditions, requiring a unique place where extreme cold and extreme heat converged to flourish. Moreover, it had been used back at the Jia Nan Academy.

"However..." A knowing glint flashed in Lin Ming's eyes. Thanks to the "Original Work Memory," he knew clearly that most of the rare medicinal herbs in this Pill Realm were actually concentrated in one place— the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range in the central region of the Pill Realm! And there, a powerful being with strength reaching the Eighth Order, the Ancient Dragon Bear, resided!

This Dragon Bear possesses extremely high intelligence. It has transplanted almost all the spiritual herbs that are worthy of attention in the entire Pill Realm to the vicinity of its lair, treating this Pill Realm as its own backyard herb garden.

"In that case, it saves me the trouble of searching aimlessly." Lin Ming made a decision in an instant. Rather than wandering around this vast and dangerous Pill Realm like a headless fly, Lin Ming's goal from the beginning was to strike straight at the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range!

After identifying the locations marked on the map and memorizing the location of the exit from the Pill Realm, he turned his gaze towards the faint outline of the mountains at the end of the plain.

"Whoosh!"

Without further hesitation, Lin Ming moved, transforming into a blurry purple shadow and increasing his speed to an astonishing level. He flew low through the air, speeding towards the central area of the Pill Realm!

They flew along, the desolate landscape receding beneath their feet. Occasionally, they could sense the presence of creatures hidden in the shadows; some were native Magical Beasts of the Pill Realm, while others were fellow contestants traveling or searching for medicinal herbs. Everyone was wary of each other, mostly keeping their distance, and all was well.

However, while passing through a canyon area filled with strange Shi Lin and complex terrain, a violent collision of energy and a roar broke the surrounding silence and attracted Lin Ming's attention.

Lin Ming paused slightly, then silently landed atop a towering stone pillar, his gaze piercing through the sparse Shi Lin and looking into the depths of the canyon.

There, two groups were locked in fierce combat. One group consisted of three middle-aged men dressed in matching blue robes, their movements perfectly coordinated and their attacks fierce. The other group consisted of two rogue alchemists dressed differently, who appeared to have formed a temporary alliance. Although they fought individually, their strength was not to be underestimated. In particular, one of them, a red-haired giant wielding a flaming longsword, possessed surging battle aura and clearly had the strength of a peak Dou Zong.

The focus of their struggle was a strange plant growing in a crevice in the middle of the canyon. The plant was entirely green, with narrow, sword-like leaves, and at its tip grew a strange fruit the size of a pigeon's egg, half crimson and half ice blue. The surface of the fruit was faintly covered with dragon-shaped patterns and emitted strange energy fluctuations of intertwined ice and fire!

"Dragon Beard Ice Fire Fruit?!"

A glint flashed in Lin Ming's eyes. He hadn't expected to find one of the three medicinal herbs on his prescription here! It was truly... a case of "searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly!"

However, this medicinal herb clearly already had an owner and was being fiercely contested by two opposing forces.

Lin Ming did not reveal himself immediately. He crossed his arms and leisurely hid in the shadow of the stone pillar, like the most patient hunter, coldly observing the struggle below.

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. Since you're fighting so hard, I'll wait and then wrap things up." Lin Ming smiled calmly to himself. He wasn't a pedantic person; in this brutally competitive Pill Realm, talking about first come, first served was undoubtedly foolish. Strength was the only passport.

The battle below was extremely fierce, with constant explosions of energy and flying debris. The three men in blue seemed to be skilled in a combined attack formation, forcing the two Rogue Cultivator into a rather sorry state. But the red-haired Big Man was indeed ferocious; with each swing of his flaming longsword, the scorching blade light tore a gap in the opponent's formation.

The battle lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Both sides were exhausted and had injuries. In the end, the three men in blue robes took advantage of the formation and seized an opportunity when the opponent made a mistake in their coordination. They joined forces and severely injured the weaker Rogue Cultivator, knocking him to the ground and rendering him unable to fight.

The red-haired Big Man, unable to withstand the onslaught alone, spat out a mouthful of blood after enduring several attacks. He was sent flying, his breath fading, and crashed into a boulder, unable to get up.

Although the three men in blue robes had won, they were panting heavily, injured, and their Dou Qi spirit severely depleted. The leader's face lit up with joy, and he couldn't wait to step forward and pick the Dragon Beard Ice Fire Fruit.

However, just as his fingers were about to touch the fruit, a mixture of ice and fire—

"Hehe, you've all worked hard."

A soft, even laugh suddenly rang out in the canyon.

The three men in blue robes froze abruptly, turning around to see a purple figure who had appeared silently beside the Dragon Beard Ice Fire Fruit, looking at them with a smile.

It was Lin Ming!

"Who... who are you? What do you want?" The leader of the men in blue robes was both shocked and furious, shouting sharply. They had fought tooth and nail to defeat their opponents, and the treasure was almost within their grasp, but then this unexpected obstacle appeared out of nowhere.

"Nothing."

Lin Ming's smile remained unchanged as he glanced at the Dragon Beard Ice Fire Fruit that was so close at hand, and said casually.

"I just feel that this medicinal herb is destined for me. You all must be exhausted from fighting so fiercely just now, so why don't you leave now?"

"You bastard! Trying to steal our spoils? You're asking for it!"

The other man in blue, with a fiery temper, flew into a rage upon hearing this. Ignoring his injuries, he channeled his remaining Dou Qi and struck Lin Ming with a palm strike. The wind from his palm was howling, clearly indicating his intent to kill.

However, facing a palm strike that was enough to severely injure an ordinary Dou Zong, Lin Ming did not even move his feet.

He simply raised his right hand casually, his fingers slightly clenched, without using any Dou Qi, and threw a punch at the opponent with effortless ease.

"Bang!"

Their fists clashed, producing a low, muffled thud.

Immediately afterward, under the incredulous gazes of the other two men in blue and the red-haired Big Man who had fallen to the ground, the man in blue who had made the move instantly changed his expression from anger to horror, and then from horror to deathly pale!

He felt an indescribable, terrifying force, like a tidal wave, coming from the opponent's fist!

"Snap!"

A clear cracking sound rang out.

"Pfft!"

The man in blue coughed up blood, his arm twisted at a bizarre angle, and his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the stone wall in the distance before sliding down, his fate unknown.