Polygonatum

Morning mist drifted slowly through the forest like milky white gauze, winding around the verdant branches and leaves.

Ning Chuan stepped on dew-covered grass and followed a familiar yet unfamiliar mountain path toward the depths of the back mountain behind Holy Soul Village.

The air was fresh and damp, carrying the mingled scent of soil and rotting vegetation. Occasionally, early-rising birds chirped from the branches, making the forest seem even quieter.

As he walked, he repeatedly recalled the detailed illustrated records in Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal regarding the Three Main Herbs of the "Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Century-Old Polygonatum... upright stems, whorled leaves, axillary inflorescences, tubular perianths, black berries when ripe. Thick rhizomes, irregularly nodular in shape, yellowish-brown to grayish-yellow in color, with longitudinal wrinkles and fibrous-root scars. The cross-section is horn-like, sweet with a slight bitterness... those containing Earth-Origin Qi are preferred..."

"Century-Old Poria... usually parasitic on pine roots. Its sclerotium is spherical or irregularly lumped, pale brown or dark brown on the surface, white or pale red and powdery inside, with a hard texture... those that are heavy, solid, fine in cross-section, and strongly sticky to the teeth are preferred..."

"Century-Old Polygonum Multiflorum... a twining vine with thick tuberous roots, elongated oval in shape, reddish-brown to dark brown on the surface, with cloud-brocade patterns across the cut surface... solid in texture, slightly bitter yet sweet and astringent..."

These characteristics were generally similar to the Polygonatum, Poria, and Fo-Ti medicinal herbs he knew from his previous life, yet there were subtle differences in the details.

Descriptions such as "containing Earth-Origin Qi," "horn-like cross-section," and "cloud-brocade patterns" clearly leaned more toward the medicinal understanding of that cultivation plane, demanding a certain degree of "spirituality" from the herbs.

"The laws of Douluo Continent are different. Even if these herbs exist here, their forms and medicinal properties may differ." Ning Chuan pondered inwardly. "And the people of this world..."

He recalled certain details from the original work.

Because of the Soul Master system in Douluo Continent, especially the existence of healing-type Soul Masters, ordinary people's medical system seemed relatively underdeveloped.

When injured or ill, their first thought was to seek out a healing-type Soul Master rather than medicinal herbs.

The use of herbs might still be at a very rudimentary and primitive stage. People paid more attention to "immortal herbs" that could directly benefit Soul Master cultivation, rather than "ordinary medicines" that strengthened a common person's foundation.

Take Tang San, for instance. Though he had been a Tang Sect disciple in his previous life and was proficient in poisons and hidden weapons, he had never seemed to use herbs to improve his own physique during the early stages.

Perhaps the world's laws were different, making the prescriptions from his past life ineffective? Or perhaps Tang San had simply never considered it?

"This may be a good thing for me." Ning Chuan's eyes brightened slightly. "It means that these seemingly ordinary herbs in the back mountain may very well have gone unrecognized, still growing silently in the deep mountains, with enough age!"

With that thought, he unconsciously quickened his pace. His gaze sharpened as he carefully scanned the grass, cracks in the rocks, and roots of trees along both sides of the path...

However, reality soon dealt him a considerable blow.

After venturing deep into the forest for more than half an hour and crossing two small hills, he found quite a few ordinary medicinal herbs: Panax Notoginseng for stopping bleeding, Honeysuckle for clearing heat, Plantain Herb for dispelling dampness...

Most were only a few or a dozen years old. Not a single one met the requirements of Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal: "a hundred years of age" and "containing Earth-Origin Qi."

"Looks like even if no one picks them, finding century-old herbs that meet the requirements won't be so easy." Ning Chuan wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, but he was not discouraged.

For plants, a hundred years was also a long stretch of time. They had to avoid countless calamities such as forest fires, animal damage, and lightning strikes before they could mature.

After adjusting his mindset, he stopped searching aimlessly. Instead, he followed the herb habits recorded in Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal, specifically seeking places where century-old spiritual herbs might grow.

Polygonatum favored shade and moisture, and was commonly found beneath forests, in shrubs, or on damp, shaded slopes.

Poria grew parasitically on pine roots, so he needed to look for an old pine forest.

Fo-Ti, meanwhile, was often found in cracks along mountain slopes, at forest edges, or among shrubs.

After determining the direction, Ning Chuan headed toward a shaded valley he remembered.

The trees there were dense, the fallen-leaf layer was thick, and the humidity was high.

Sure enough, not long after entering the valley, he found several plants with whorled leaves beneath a forest patch rich in humus.

"Polygonatum!" Ning Chuan rejoiced inwardly and quickly crouched down, carefully using the small medicinal hoe he had brought to dig through the soil.

Before long, he unearthed a yellowish-brown rhizome as thick as a thumb.

Upon close inspection, the rhizome was slender, with numerous fibrous roots and only faint wrinkles on its surface.

"Too young, at most ten years old." Slightly disappointed, he buried it again. "I hope I can find an old plant."

Ning Chuan continued searching nearby, his eyes keen as flames, not overlooking any suspicious trace.

Heaven did not disappoint the diligent.

At the base of a steep, shaded slope, several enormous boulders overlapped, forming a natural crevice. Thick layers of decaying leaves had accumulated within it, and the humidity was extremely high.

He brushed aside the leaves on the surface, and his eyes suddenly lit up!

A distinctly unusual Polygonatum plant was growing there!

Its stem was visibly much thicker, and its leaves were fuller and glossier.

Suppressing his excitement, Ning Chuan carefully cleared away the surrounding soil and stones, afraid of damaging its roots.

As he dug deeper, an enormous rhizome as thick as a child's arm gradually emerged. It was twisted in shape, its surface covered in dense rings and protrusions! Its color was deep yellow, and its texture looked exceptionally solid.

"This is it!" he shouted wildly in his heart.

Judging by its shape and size, it was definitely not young!

Even if it was not yet a hundred years old, it could not be far off!

He became even more careful, spending nearly half an hour before finally digging out the entire Polygonatum plant intact.

It felt heavy in his hands, likely weighing three or four jin! Its cut surface was deep yellow, with an obvious horn-like sheen.

Even more wondrously, as he held it, he could faintly sense an extremely weak yet dense, heavy aura.

Earth-Origin Qi!

Though faint, it truly existed!

"Wonderful!" Ning Chuan carefully wrapped this precious Polygonatum in the cloth he had prepared and placed it at the bottom of his basket.

His first battle had ended in victory, greatly boosting his confidence.