Spirit Stones and Ancient Scrolls

The night was as dark as ink, and all was silent.

After confirming that his family was sound asleep, Ning Chuan's consciousness sank into his mind once more, connecting to that vast and dangerous Junk Ocean.

"Enter Station. Spiritual Body Entry."

Light and shadows swirled, and the cold yet safe metal platform appeared before his "eyes" once again.

Ning Chuan first brought up his status panel and item list.

"Station Master: Ning Chuan"

"Soul Power Level: Level 25"

"Points: 131"

"Current Materials: Spirit-Conducting Metal Ingot x 2; High-Density Tungsten Steel Ingot x 2; Ancient Earth Dragon Lizard Vertebra Fossil x 1; Biomass Essence x 1; Zerg Chitin Powder x 1; Basic Psionic Fiber x 2;..."

Neither his points nor materials had changed.

Making the pendant for his sister had cost 25 points, and together with the 10 points spent previously to fuse the Earth Crystal, his total had fallen from 166 to 131.

"I'm still too poor." Ning Chuan sighed. These

points and materials were nowhere near enough for any large-scale exploration or enhancement.

His top priority was still to continue recycling and sorting, accumulating his initial capital.

He hoisted the enhanced Four-Meter Long Rake and walked toward the platform's edge again.

His gaze swept over the newly expanded ring-shaped area.

This area was relatively clean. Most of the valuable junk had already been cleared away.

Ning Chuan looked into the distance, toward the mountains of discarded debris that still lay beyond the safe zone.

Among it, a small pile of wreckage flickering with faint lights of various colors caught his attention.

That pile of wreckage seemed to have come from some cultivation or high-magic plane. It contained broken jade slips, charred talismans, fragments of damaged pill furnaces, and colorful mineral residue that had completely lost its spiritual energy.

"You'll do." Ning Chuan chose his target and swung the rake.

Crack! Clang!

The rake's teeth precisely hooked a larger pill furnace fragment half-buried beneath the pile and dragged it out.

Some blackened, long-solidified medicinal dregs still clung to the fragment.

Next came several broken metal components of indiscernible material.

The process was tedious, but safe.

Most of this wreckage had lost all spirituality. Other than their unusual materials, they posed no danger.

Soon, another small pile of new spoils had accumulated at the platform's edge.

Ning Chuan skillfully sent them into the Decomposition Beam in batches.

White light flashed.

"Obtained: Inferior Spirit Jade Fragments x 3"

"Obtained: Fireproof Clay x 2 (units)"

"Obtained: Unknown Alloy Fragment x 1"

"Reward Points: 8"

The gains were meager, and his points slowly rose to 139.

Ning Chuan was not discouraged. He continued swinging the rake like a patient fisherman.

This time, the rake's teeth hooked an object that was somewhat smaller, yet extraordinarily heavy.

The object was half-buried in a pile of talisman-paper ashes and shattered Spirit Stone fragments. It was a dull gray all over and utterly inconspicuous. It was shaped like a ring, though much thicker than an ordinary one. Its surface seemed coated in a thick layer of grime and oxidation, making it look more like a stubborn rock.

He tugged hard, pulling it from the garbage heap and sending it rolling to the platform's edge.

Ning Chuan nudged it before him with the rake tip and examined it carefully.

The ring was neither metal nor jade. It felt cold to the touch and was incredibly heavy.

Beneath the grime, faint, extraordinarily fine and nearly worn-flat strange patterns could be seen.

"Station, scan this ring."

"Scanning..."

"Target: Damaged Storage Ring (Spatial Equipment)"

"Origin: High-Level Cultivation Plane (suspected)"

"Status: External restrictions completely damaged. Internal spatial structure unstable. Space severely shrunk (approximately 1 cubic meter remaining). Weak spatial fluctuations attached. Material: Void Nether Stone (quality: extremely high), Star Gold, Mithril (trace amount)."

"Detected inside: High-Concentration Inert Energy Crystals x large quantity; Unknown Tome x 1."

"Value Assessment: The ring's material is of extremely high quality, but it is severely damaged. Repair difficulty is extremely high, reducing its value. Internal items require further appraisal."

"Risk: Low (space stable, no energy leakage)."

A Storage Ring?! And a large quantity of energy crystals and a tome?

Ning Chuan's heart jolted, and his breathing quickened slightly.

This was definitely a major discovery!

"Station, can this ring be safely opened and the items inside removed?"

"Executable. The ring's original restrictions have failed and can be forcibly opened. Points required: 5. Execute?"

"Execute!"

"Command confirmed. Consuming 5 points."

A thin silver beam shot from the platform, enveloping the inconspicuous ring.

The thick layer of grime on the ring's surface rapidly melted away and peeled off like snow and ice, revealing its true form.

It was an ancient-looking ring, its entire body a deep dark blue, as though it held a starry sky within. Its material was warm and smooth like jade, yet gleamed with the cold brilliance of metal.

The patterns concealed by the grime also became clear. They were extremely intricate and profound star-and-cloud motifs. Though some had been worn away, they still exuded a mysterious and boundless aura.

This was its true appearance!

Crack.

An incredibly soft brittle sound rang out, as if some final restraint had broken.

The starry glow contained within the ring flickered faintly, then faded away.

"Opening successful. Internal items have been transferred to the platform storage area."

Ning Chuan immediately looked toward the storage area at the center of the platform.

There were now two more items there.

The first thing that entered his sight was a small pile of... stones?

There were around twenty or thirty of them. Each was about the size of a pigeon egg, pure and flawless milky white. Their shapes were not entirely regular, yet they naturally possessed a smooth, rounded texture.

They lay quietly together, their surfaces completely lusterless. Not even the slightest trace of energy fluctuation radiated from them. They looked like nothing more than ordinary white pebbles picked up by a river.

Yet when Ning Chuan's gaze fell upon them, an inexplicable throbbing and... yearning rose from deep within his soul.

Like parched land longing for sweet rain, like a starving traveler longing for food, it was an attraction born from life's instinct!

"Station, analyze these stones!" Ning Chuan's voice carried a barely perceptible tremor.

"Analyzing...

"Target: Top-grade Spirit Stones (Energy Highly Restrained/Dormant State)"

"Quantity: 27 units."

"Energy Purity: 99.97%"

"Total Energy: Extremely high (the energy of a single standard unit is equivalent to more than 1,000 times the Station Master's current total Soul Power)."

"Status: Due to having remained in an absolutely sealed environment for an unknown period, the energy is extremely restrained. A special cultivation technique or an extremely powerful energy impact is required for activation and guidance."

"Value Assessment: Extremely high! Can be used as a high-level energy source, formation core, special cultivation aid, and more."

"Warning: The energy is too immense. The Station Master currently cannot absorb it directly. Forcing an attempt carries a risk of bodily explosion!"

Top-grade Spirit Stones! Twenty-seven of them! Each contained more than a thousand times his own Soul Power?!

Ning Chuan sucked in a sharp breath. His heart pounded wildly, almost bursting from his chest!

He was rich! This time, he had truly struck it unimaginably rich!

Though he could not directly absorb them for now, their value was beyond measure!

Whether he used them when breaking through in the future, as energy sources to power certain powerful devices, or even merely exchanged them... their significance was impossible to imagine!

Suppressing the ecstatic joy that nearly overwhelmed his mind, Ning Chuan turned his attention to the other item.

It was a... book?

More accurately, it was a scroll made of some unknown pale-yellow animal hide, tied with a dark golden cord.

The scroll looked ancient and worn, its edges somewhat frayed, yet it bore no signs of rot or insect damage. Instead, it emitted a faint herbal fragrance that calmed the mind.

Several large characters were written across the scroll's surface in an ancient script resembling seal script.

Ning Chuan did not recognize the writing at all, yet the strokes naturally conveyed a vigorous, boundless artistic conception that embraced all things.

"Station, appraise this tome and translate its contents."

"Appraising..."

"Target: Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal (Incomplete Scroll)"

"Material: Millennium Fragrant Otter Skin, Dragon Blood Ink."

"Contents: Detailed illustrations and descriptions of 13,700 rare medicinal herbs from multiple planes, including growth environments, medicinal properties and principles, harvesting and processing methods, as well as 900 ancient pill formulas. (The main ingredients required for some formulas are already extinct.)"

"Value Assessment: Extremely high! Contains exceptionally valuable alchemical knowledge and lost pill formulas."

"Translation and preliminary analysis require 50 points. Execute?"

Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal! Ten thousand herbs! Ancient pill formulas!

Ning Chuan felt a surge of hot blood rush straight to his head. He was so excited that he could barely breathe!

If the Top-grade Spirit Stones were a massive treasure trove of energy, then this Pharmacopoeia was an invaluable treasury of knowledge!

On the Douluo Continent, pills and potions were already exceedingly precious. High-grade pills could even directly increase Soul Power, improve one's constitution, and break through bottlenecks!

And this Pharmacopoeia from a higher plane had a value that was simply impossible to measure!

"Execute! Translate and analyze it immediately!" Ning Chuan did not hesitate. Though 50 points pained him, it was absolutely worth the cost!

"Command confirmed. Consuming 50 points."

A gentle white light enveloped the animal-hide scroll.

The ancient words on the scroll's surface seemed to come alive, flowing and turning into streams of information that poured into Ning Chuan's mind.

A moment later, the light faded.

Ning Chuan felt his memories fill with a vast amount of illustrated medicinal knowledge and profound pill formulas.

Though he had never even heard of most of the herbs, and knew nothing of the materials required for the formulas, the completeness and systematic nature of that knowledge had been deeply imprinted in his consciousness.

"Translation and analysis complete. The basic medicinal herb guide and pill formula catalog have been transmitted. Deep understanding and mastery require the Station Master's own study."

Ning Chuan slowly opened his eyes, filled with shock and wild joy.

Looking at the seemingly ordinary Spirit Stones and ancient animal-hide scroll on the platform, he felt like a beggar who had suddenly stumbled into the Dragon King's treasury!

One recycling trip, two earth-shaking treasures!

This Heavens Trash Station truly held surprises everywhere!

Although his points had shrunk again, leaving only 84, Ning Chuan felt that this was practically the best "deal" he had ever made!

Carefully storing the twenty-seven Top-grade Spirit Stones and the incomplete scroll of Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal back in the platform storage area, Ning Chuan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He had the treasures, but how to use them still required long-term planning.

His immediate priority was to continue increasing his strength and find a safe way to use these treasures.