"Acquired Spirit Treasures are ranked the same way as Innate Spiritual Treasures: by the number of innate spiritual restrictions they contain!"
"It's just that an Innate Spiritual Treasure also has a strand of innate Indestructible Spiritual Light."
By the time Yellow Dragon emerged from that vast flood of information, several months had passed. He rubbed his aching head and smiled wryly. "As expected of a Sage's inheritance. If I hadn't reached the Golden Immortal realm and gained an immortal Primordial Spirit, I wouldn't even have been qualified to receive it."
Yellow Dragon stood quietly for a moment, then looked at the tightly shut doors of the Jade Pure Palace and bowed solemnly toward them.
"This disciple will diligently cultivate the Great Dao and not fail to repay Master's kindness in teaching me."
With that, he became a streak of light that pierced the clouds and sped toward his home, the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven.
Before long, the familiar presence of the land entered his Primordial Spirit.
Beneath the clouds, a Five Elements formation appeared before Yellow Dragon. Five-colored light flowed through it without cease, slowly revolving like a vast canopy as it harmonized the five elements.
At a thought from Yellow Dragon, a passageway tall enough for one person opened in the formation covering the land. His streak of light slipped through, and the passageway closed behind him.
As soon as he entered the Grotto-Heaven, mist formed from Innate Spiritual Energy washed over him, carrying the faint fragrance of plants. His spirits lifted, and even the ache in his head eased a little.
For now, he had no heart to admire the Grotto-Heaven's scenery.
Yellow Dragon swiftly descended into the courtyard halfway up Enlightenment Peak. He took out a reclining chair, set it beneath the Enlightenment Tea Tree, and fell fast asleep.
Ziling, who had just sensed her master's return, shot over from Spirit Herb Peak like a streak of purple light and landed beside the Enlightenment Tea Tree. After looking at the sleeping Yellow Dragon, she turned and left. From then on, the sound of bees' wings throughout the Grotto-Heaven grew so faint it could barely be heard.
The sun rose and the moon set. Three years passed while Yellow Dragon slept.
Ziling often came to check whether Yellow Dragon had awakened. One day, as she approached Enlightenment Peak, she saw that the courtyard gate stood open. A figure in yellow robes was gazing into the distance from its entrance.
Yellow Dragon spotted Ziling and beckoned to her. She fluttered down beside him, her radiance fading as she took the form of a young woman in a long purple gauze dress.
She was small and delicate, with lovely features. A pair of nearly transparent wings still swayed behind her in the breeze, scattering sparkling flecks of purple light.
"Master, you're finally awake!" Ziling bowed gracefully. Her clear voice rang with delight she could not hide.
"When I sensed the Grotto-Heaven's formation stir, I knew you'd returned. But you fell asleep as soon as you got back."
Yellow Dragon nodded and made a gesture for her to rise. "No need for ceremony. Ziling, you and your kin have worked hard all these years. Thank you."
"It wasn't hard at all. Life here is so much better than outside."
"Where else would the swarm find so many Immortal Herbs and Medicines to gather nectar from?"
"Look, Master! My swarm has grown so much, and I've reached the late Heavenly Immortal realm too." Ziling rose with a beaming smile, pointing first at the purple specks flitting among the mountain flowers, then at herself.
"Everything in the Grotto-Heaven has been well while you were away, Master. With our swarm tending them, the flowers of the spiritual plants have grown more fragrant, and the honey we make from their pollen keeps getting better."
As she spoke, a carved jade bottle appeared in Ziling's hands. She held it out to Yellow Dragon with both hands.
Yellow Dragon took the bottle and gently removed its stopper. A rich honeyed fragrance drifted out. The honey inside was white as jade. He took a piece and put it in his mouth, where the lush fragrance of a hundred flowers bloomed at once. A gentle energy nourished his body.
Not bad. If this honey could nourish even my Golden Immortal body a little, it was clearly extraordinary.
If Ziling's cultivation rose further, the honey she brewed would be even more effective.
"Mm, not bad. Very good!" Yellow Dragon praised her.
At his praise, Ziling's smile widened, and her eyes curved into two clear crescents.
"It's a pity the medicinal potency is still a little low. You'll have to cultivate diligently to brew even better spirit honey."
Ziling raised both fists, her expression earnest. "I'll work hard at my cultivation and brew spirit honey that will help you as soon as I can, Master!"
Yellow Dragon looked over the well-tended Immortal Herbs and Medicines. They had clearly aged considerably, and their spiritual potency was far greater than before. "Come, show me around."
"Yes, Master. This way, please."
Ziling led him down Enlightenment Peak. Their first stop was the Blood Jujube Orchard to the south.
Blood-red jujube trees stood tall, their branches thick with spirit fruit as crimson as blood. Each was plump and round, as large as a fist, with a translucent skin through which blood seemed to flow. They gave off a sweet, mellow fragrance that made the mouth water.
"Master, these Blood Jujubes ripen only once every ten years. They happen to be ripe this year, and the trees have borne far more fruit than usual. The vital energy in them is much richer too," Ziling explained.
Yellow Dragon nodded. His parent Spiritual Root produced a crop only once every three hundred years. These were merely second-generation trees and did not count as Spiritual Roots, but their fruit was still a top-grade spiritual medicine.
He plucked two ripe fruits, feeling a slight heat against his fingertips. He put one in his mouth and bit gently. Warmth spread through him at once, nourishing his entire body. "Excellent. The medicinal power is pure and substantial. You've taken good care of them."
He tossed the other Blood Jujube to Ziling. "Have one too."
Ziling put it in her mouth. As its medicinal power flowed through her body, her aura grew a little stronger.
The two then rode an Auspicious Cloud to Spirit Herb Peak, where spiritual medicines grew everywhere. Exotic flowers and grasses dotted the mountainside, releasing their fragrance. In the newly opened Spirit Fields, thousand-year-old ginseng and fleeceflower roots grew in clusters; only medicines ten thousand years old had plots to themselves.
After touring Spirit Herb Peak, they came to Lotus Peak in the north.
Halfway up the mountain lay a small Lotus Pond filled with clear water. A faint white glow hovered over its surface, carrying a sacred, pure aura. A white lotus rose gracefully from the pond.
It was the young lotus Yellow Dragon had planted. Several emerald-green leaves, each as broad as a canopy, spread across the water. Pure Dao patterns seemed to flow through their veins.
A stem that looked carved from white jade rose from the water, bearing a white lotus bud on its tip. Its petals were tightly closed, yet wisps of Dao resonance seeped through them and drifted over the Lotus Pond.
Fine white Dao patterns also spread from the bud into the void, resonating with the world around it.
"That white lotus has grown so much!"
Surprise flashed in Yellow Dragon's eyes. He crouched and scooped up a handful of water. It was remarkably clear and cool to the touch. A pure energy seeped faintly through his skin, leaving even his Golden Immortal-level Primordial Spirit feeling a little clearer.
"The white lotus has nurtured this pond until its water holds a trace of pure cleansing power. It can wash away impurities, purify Magic Power, and dispel inner demons!"
"Exactly!" Ziling said. "The white lotus grows slowly, but its aura keeps getting stronger. Before I knew it, it had changed the entire pond. I drink this water often, and it clears my Spirit Light. My cultivation has become much faster too!"
Yellow Dragon thought for a moment. "Mm. Then let's call it Pure Lotus Spirit Liquid."
Before you continue