Flower-Appreciation Gathering IV

As a major renowned sect in the world of cultivation, Profound Heaven Sect naturally lacked no shortage of various spiritual plants. Its vast territory and expansive lands provided ample space for spiritual plants to grow. The elders within the sect all possessed the mighty power to move mountains and reclaim seas, and they had always been exceptionally lavish when it came to cultivating spiritual plants.

If any spiritual plant required a specific growing environment, they simply designated a most suitable patch of forest for planting. In the proper environment, supplemented by the care of Medicine Spirit Peak disciples, the spiritual plants naturally thrived.

However, Medicine King Valley was entirely different. Although the land within this valley was small, it resembled an exquisitely carved and delicate world.

The people in the valley relied on their deep understanding of the habits of various herbs to rationally plan and cleverly layout the growth requirements of different herbs.

Every inch of land and every corner had been precisely calculated, resembling pieces of scenery intercepted from the original habitats of spiritual plants and preserved, then meticulously spliced together.

If people were to choose purely from the perspective of convenience and ease, everyone would undoubtedly favor the Profound Heaven Sect's financially robust approach, as it was simple, direct, and saved both worry and effort.

Yet in the world of cultivation, not everyone possessed the profound foundation and formidable strength of the Profound Heaven Sect. They could only rely on their own wisdom, much like the people of Medicine King Valley, to forge a unique living realm for spiritual plants under limited conditions using clever ideas and ingenuity.

Lin Mumu shuttled lightly back and forth among the colorful flower beds like a cheerful and agile butterfly.

Her crisp exclamation of amazement resounded in the air from time to time like bird songs in the forest: "Wa, come and look over here quickly, this flower is so pretty! And this grass, why does it emit such a marvelous luster? It is simply too incredible!"

Though she appeared careless and unconcerned with minor details, in truth, even her clothing fluttering in the wind never brushed against a single flower or leaf for even a moment, nor did she foolishly lean close to touch or sniff them.

Precious things were always troublesome when damaged; they were here as guests, not to cause trouble. Furthermore, the count of rare and unusual flora unseen in this world was countless, and if one accidentally touched or smelled some poisonous substance by mistake, it would truly be a regret too late for remedy. She was not stupid.

In comparison, Wen Jian appeared much bolder. From the moment he stepped into this area, his gaze was completely and deeply captivated by those rare herbs, as though pulled by an invisible force.

He walked and stopped, his footsteps moving entirely in accordance with the distribution of those herbs.

At times, he would slowly squat down, carefully parting the grass to meticulously identify the varieties of the herbs; at other times, he would lean forward slightly, gently sniffing the unique aura exuding from the herbs, attempting to accurately judge the quality and age of the herbs through their scent.

"No way, Ninth Junior Brother, we have plenty of spiritual plants at Beast Peak and Medicine Peak too, just look at your fanatical appearance, making it seem as if we've never seen the world before, how lacking in prestige that is—" Lin Huaixu walked leisurely while letting out a yawn, saying lazily.

He was not actually devoid of interest in these spiritual herbs; it was just that if he had accidentally discovered a missed knowledge point while reading a book previously, he would naturally be very glad to fill it in at the time. But if he discovered that almost the contents of an entire book had never been read, he would instead lose the inclination to study.

At this moment, facing the dazzling array of spiritual herbs in Medicine King Valley, he was in precisely this state.

"What do you know!" Wen Jian's eyes shone brightly as he retorted excitedly, "What do you know! Is climbing an entire mountain to see a rare spiritual herb the same as just taking a few casual steps to look at one?!"

"...I feel like the valley master probably won't be happy hearing you say that," Lin Huaixu said with a speechlessly blank expression.

"Indeed," Ye Jingxuan nodded from the side, agreeing profoundly.

Wen Jian's words were by no means an exaggeration, and the disciples present also felt deeply about what he said. Otherwise, they would not have been left gaping in amazement by such an exquisite layout of Medicine King Valley.

Even as disciples of the Profound Heaven Sect, it was their first time seeing so many distinctly different spiritual herbs all at once.

On ordinary days, whenever the Profound Heaven Sect was mentioned, the images that first surfaced in everyone's minds were either Misty Spirit Peak, where the sect master resided in quiet cultivation, or Spirit Sword Peak, which gathered the disciples.

However, what was lesser known was that within the vast territories of the Profound Heaven Sect, the most expansive areas belonged to either Medicine Spirit Peak or Beast Spirit Peak.

After all, the remaining peaks within the Profound Heaven Sect were truly merely isolated mountain peaks; peaks possessing twin parent-child summits like Spirit Sword Peak were already considered quite unique existences within the sect.

As for Medicine Spirit Peak and Beast Spirit Peak, they were an entire continuous expanse of vast mountain ranges.

To ensure a continuous and abundant supply for the sect's logistics regarding cultivation resources and various materials, countless small secret realms were concealed among these undulating mountain forests.

These small secret realms each contained unique uses. Some were specifically used to meticulously cultivate various rare spiritual plants, providing the sect with abundant medicinal material resources; others were used to raise spiritual plants or spiritual beasts whose special habits made free-roaming in the outside world inconvenient.

Tracing back to the beginning, Medicine Spirit Peak and Beast Spirit Peak were actually not separated, originally being a single entity.

Later, due to overly meticulous raising of the spiritual beasts, the spiritual beasts gradually grew in number and strength, causing many precious spiritual herbs to be ruthlessly destroyed, leaving the originally vibrant medicine fields in utter disarray.

Witnessing this scene, the elder responsible for managing this mountain range flew into a rage. In a fit of anger, this elder walked straight to a mountain peak in the middle of the range, swung the treasured sword in hand, and slashed down fiercely with a single stroke. Accompanied by a deafening roar, a deep sword scar abruptly appeared upon the earth.

Ever since then, using this startling sword scar as the boundary, the mountain range was split into two. South of the sword scar was officially designated as Medicine Spirit Peak; north of the sword scar became Beast Spirit Peak.

From that time onward, an unwritten rule was established: once powerful spiritual beasts appeared in the Medicine Spirit Peak region, disciples of Beast Spirit Peak had to follow along the entire way. Such a measure aimed to ensure that those precious spiritual herbs would not suffer unprovoked harm once again.

If spiritual herbs were damaged due to the behavior of spiritual beasts, and no Beast Spirit Peak disciples were present at the time of the incident, then Medicine Spirit Peak would inevitably demand an explanation from Beast Spirit Peak and would never let the matter rest easily.

Over the years, despite the persistence of this rule, due to various complex factors, disciples of the two peaks still frequently came into conflict over such matters, with friction arising constantly.

Now, once a territory became expansive, numerous tricky management problems followed one after another. Medicine Spirit Peak was simply too vast; aside from a few spiritual plants that could be called rare treasures and received meticulous care from Medicine Spirit Peak disciples, the overwhelming majority of spiritual plants could only fend for themselves and grow wildly.

The law of the jungle where the strong preyed upon the weak was an eternal constant in the natural world, and this rule applied equally to plants. Spiritual plants with compatible affinities could still coexist and depend on each other; but for those with poor affinities, there was absolutely no possibility of them gathering together to live in peace.

To reiterate, the more precious the spiritual plant, the harsher and stranger its requirements for the growing environment were. And these harsh requirements would unconsciously screen out a vast number of other spiritual plants, the domineering nature of which was evident enough.

Precisely because of this, it was utterly impossible for the wondrous scene found in Medicine King Valley to appear on the Profound Heaven Sect's Medicine Spirit Peak—the marvelous scene of a huge cluster of rare spiritual plants coexisting harmoniously within an extremely limited space.

Even as a disciple of Medicine Spirit Peak, wanting to see so many rare spiritual plants all at once required running one's legs off tirelessly and climbing across several mountains, to say nothing of disciples from other peaks.

"Sigh, being large has its bad points too," a group of people involuntarily harbored this punchable thought in their hearts, their facial expressions rather helpless.

As they walked, the sound of an argument suddenly drifted over from the other side of the covered walkway.

Following the sound, the group looked over and saw two Medicine King Valley disciples arguing until their faces were red. One of the disciples wore a face full of wrath, loudly reprimanding the other: "What on earth is wrong with you?! Being so clumsy and heavy-handed! This spiritual plant was painstakingly cultivated by the valley master through countless efforts, and now it has actually been ruined just like this by you!"

Meanwhile, the other disciple also wore a look of grievance, hurriedly arguing back: "I didn't mean to either; who knew Senior Brother had already channeled spirit into it?" The tone carried a few parts of helplessness and anxiety.

"Look at the leaf roots, look at the leaf roots! How many times have I emphasized that?! Can't you pay a little more attention!" The angry disciple remained unrelenting, raising the volume a notch higher.

Hearing this commotion, the group's curiosity was instantly piqued, and they all quickened their pace, walking toward the source of the sound to investigate.

Upon drawing near, they saw a single herb standing alone inside a barrier formation that had already been activated. It looked as though its vital spirit had been drained, drooping its head listlessly. Its leaves were no longer as vibrant as they used to be, having already lost their vitality and turned withered and dim.

The originally vibrant and dripping color had also completely vanished by now, leaving only a scene of decay behind. Signs of life were rapidly fading from its body, making it look sparse in vitality and capable of completely withering and dying at any moment.

Seeing this scene, Wen Jian felt his heart tighten, and he could not help but quickly step forward, squatting down to carefully and meticulously examine this herb. His gaze revealed deep concern and pity as he murmured to himself: "Sigh, such a pity."

Shen Yuxi also closely followed behind and walked forward, his gaze lingering on the herb for a moment as he pondered inwardly: Although this herb looks weak in vitality at the moment, it isn't completely dead. If proper methods can be applied, saving it shouldn't be a difficult task, right?

He seemed to harbor no understanding of the few people's panic and heartache, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. Only after a good while did he react, realizing he had misunderstood: Right, when it comes to spiritual plant cultivation, the most proficient are Cloudwave Spirit Domain and Secluded World Domain, and many unique and effective rescue methods are mostly passed down from these two domains.

As for our Lingshu Heaven Domain over here, unless it is a major sect with a long heritage and profound foundation, or one that has encountered special fortuitous encounters by coincidence, there is basically no opportunity to come into contact with these exquisite methods.

Shen Yuxi quickly and methodically sorted through the knowledge he knew in his heart, several rescue directions that might prove effective instantly flashing through his mind.

However, he was not a medical cultivator after all, and currently only remembered some vague steps. He himself knew truly very little about the crucial secrets; after all, while reading novels in his previous life, it was impossible to pay serious attention to such minute details. As for how to operate it specifically, he could no longer recall it no matter what.

Mm—can't remember! Who knows which three medicinal primers to use specifically? And what is the ratio?—Anyway, what decent person would write this kind of stuff down in detail?! Treating a novel like an academic thesis?!

He was not a medical cultivator, but Wen Jian was! Wen Jian merely heard Shen Yuxi outline a rough idea in his heart, and it was as though a bolt of lightning had flashed across his mind, instantly locating the crucial point and achieving a sudden burst of enlightenment, accurately finding the direction to save this herb.

"Two fellow Daoists," Wen Jian took half a step forward, his voice as clear and moist as a spring, taking the initiative to volunteer, "I am Wen Jian of the Profound Heaven Sect. Perhaps I can give it a try."

Hearing his words, the two disciples who had been arguing fiercely instantly stopped their quarreling. They looked Wen Jian up and down, seeing that his expression was resolute and he indeed seemed to harbor full confidence, while his Profound Heaven Sect attire did not look fake either.

The two pondered inwardly that since this herb was already near the brink of absolute peril anyway, it was better to treat a dead horse as a living horse doctor, and so they nodded to agree to let him try.

Having obtained the consent of the two, Wen Jian did not delay in the slightest, quickly squatting down to skillfully retrieve several herbs from the medicine chest he carried with him.

With practiced movements, he ground the herbs one by one. In an instant, the herbs transformed into fine powder, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance. Immediately afterward, he took out a small jade bottle and gently tilted it, causing some liquid emitting a soft, faint glow to slowly flow out, mixing perfectly with the powder.

Following that, he took out an extremely fine silver needle, lightly dipped it into the mixture of the two, and then approached the damaged herb, using exquisite techniques to draw runes on the roots, stems, and leaves of the herb respectively.

Once the rune-drawing was complete, he formed hand seals with both hands, and a gentle yet mellow spiritual energy flowed along his fingertips, slowly pouring into the herb.

Witnessing this series of operations, the two Medicine King Valley disciples wore faces full of astonishment, their eyes written all over with doubt.

However, as Wen Jian applied his techniques, that herb actually began to undergo changes. The originally withered and yellow leaves began to regain vitality, and the dim luster gradually grew vibrant again.

Before long, the herb had already recovered the greater part of its vitality, swaying gently in the breeze as if displaying its tenacious tenacity of life to everyone.

Seeing this, the two Medicine King Valley disciples widened their eyes in utter disbelief. The younger disciple could not help blurting out in praise: "It actually came back to life! This... this is simply too miraculous!"

"I have practiced the art of herbs wholeheartedly in the valley for over ten years, yet I have never heard of such miraculous occurrences existing in this world," the older disciple was similarly filled with wonder, looking at Wen Jian with a gaze brimming with curiosity and admiration. "Fellow Daoist, is this method of yours self-created?"

Wen Jian smiled faintly, speaking modestly: "To tell you the truth, I also happened to see this method by chance in the sect's ancient texts, and today I merely held the mindset of trying it out with a stroke of luck."

In order not to expose the fact that he could hear his Second Senior Brother's inner voice, he could only explain it this way.

Hearing this, the two Medicine King Valley disciples readily accepted the explanation. This explanation likewise persuaded Shen Yuxi.

Also, since the Profound Heaven Sect is after all the top-ranked major sect in Lingshu Heaven Domain with a profound foundation, it is hardly surprising that the Scripture Pavilion has records concerning the rescue methods for outer-domain spiritual plants.

As for the rest of the Profound Heaven Sect group, they did not care at all about the matter of Wen Jian "stealing" Shen Yuxi's credit. In their view, regardless of who stepped forward, what was owed was a favor to the Profound Heaven Sect.

Moreover, everyone could hear Shen Yuxi's inner voice, but only Wen Jian was able to swiftly pick out the correct rescue methods from that chaotic description and refine them—that in itself was a skill.

Just at this moment, a burst of footsteps sounded, and when everyone turned to look, they saw a woman dressed in purple robes walking over slowly.

Her appearance was extraordinarily exquisite, her brows and eyes exuding a spirited and gentle air, her long hair practically tied up and half-coiled into a bun at the side, swaying gently with her footsteps like an orchid blooming alone in a valley, elegant and charming while simultaneously radiating an indomitable character that naturally evoked favorable impressions.

She walked composedly up to the group, curtsying slightly with an elegant posture, and spoke softly: "Medicine King Valley, Gu Yueyao. Hearing the commotion over here just now, I came specifically to check. Thank you all for lending a helping hand to rescue this spiritual herb."

Once everyone's gazes shifted away from her, they noticed that she was also followed by a group of youths behind her. Judging from their attire, half of them wore the unique garments of Medicine King Valley, while the other half unexpectedly turned out to be the Azure Rock Sect people whom everyone recognized.

At the head of them was precisely that consistently arrogant-faced youth, who at this moment wore a seemingly-there smile upon his face, while his gaze swept back and forth over the group, revealing an indescribable... arrogance? Contempt? Hostility?

Shen Yuxi was startled inwardly: Wah, the female protagonist has arrived.

The martial brothers instantly perked up, the gazes they cast toward Gu Yueyao revealing a hint of curiosity.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○Medicine Spirit Peak

One of the two largest peaks of the Profound Heaven Sect.

Unlike other spiritual peaks, it was originally connected to Beast Spirit Peak, forming an entire continuous expanse of vast mountain ranges. Later, an elder split the mountain with a single sword stroke, using the sword scar as a boundary to divide the mountain range into two. South of the sword scar was officially designated as Medicine Spirit Peak.

A place of cultivation for medical, gu-poison, and poison cultivation disciples.

Used to meticulously cultivate various rare spiritual plants, providing the sect with abundant medicinal material resources. To ensure the supply of resources, not only were various formations set up within the mountain forests, but countless small secret realms were also concealed there.

The herbal grasses of Medicine Peak were mostly meticulously tended by disciples and must not be tampered with casually. Doing so invited desperate retaliation. Medicine Peak disciples were proficient in the three arts of weeping, making a fuss, and administering poison; for the sake of a smooth daily life, one should not easily offend them.

○Beast Spirit Peak

One of the two largest peaks of the Profound Heaven Sect.

Unlike other spiritual peaks, it was originally connected to Medicine Spirit Peak, forming an entire continuous expanse of vast mountain ranges. Later, an elder split the mountain with a single sword stroke, using the sword scar as a boundary to divide the mountain range into two. North of the sword scar was officially designated as Beast Spirit Peak.

A place of cultivation for beast tamers. Menial disciples also resided in this place.

Used to raise spiritual beasts. To ensure the supply of resources, not only were various formations set up within the mountain forests, but countless small secret realms were also concealed there.

It was best not to ascend the mountain without a Beast Peak disciple accompanying you. The spiritual beasts were raised better than one another, bursting with energy; the good-tempered ones loved to tease little children, while the bad-tempered ones loved acting as free punching bags that came right to your doorstep. Furthermore, they could report you to their elders.

The elders might not necessarily be able to beat you in a fight, but the elders had countless ways to torment you.

The outer periphery of Beast Peak was also the edge of the Profound Heaven Sect's sphere of influence, and defense duties were extremely heavy.

○Conflicts Between Medicine Peak and Beast Peak

The territories of Beast Peak and Medicine Peak were vast, yet the disciples were few, making it impossible to keep watch over everything. Spiritual beasts frequently broke into Medicine Peak to cause destruction, and with no effective method to curb this, both sides felt simultaneously aggrieved and helpless.