Delivering Medicine

Long Xuan sighed helplessly. In the end, he could only decide to set the matter aside for now. Saving up so many Spirit Stones was not something that could be accomplished overnight; he would likely need to find another path.

Long Xuan put away the Divine Ice Flame Formula, then pushed open the door and walked out. Beyond the door lay a Medicine Garden overflowing with floral fragrance, though since it was planted entirely with all kinds of flowers, calling it a flower garden would have been more fitting.

Today was the day when part of the spirit herbs matured. Long Xuan needed to pick them and deliver them to Old Long's little thatched hut.

As long as he handed over the prescribed quantity of spirit herbs without fail, Old Long would hardly ever come here.

At this moment, the plump, oversized chicken in the garden was still scratching dirt everywhere in search of fat worms, clucking as it went.

Among the flowers, hundreds of Spirit Bees busied themselves, darting back and forth through the blossoms. Every so often, one would burrow into a flower bud, leaving most of its backside sticking out.

After so many years of development, the two Spirit Bees he had bought on a whim had now multiplied into a swarm of several hundred. Don't ask how they reproduced; he had not paid much attention either.

Originally, he had wanted to cultivate a queen bee. This world had many methods for evolving Spirit Bees into queen bees.

But now, he realized there was no need for him to do so. Apparently, not every bee species in this world could reproduce only through a queen bee.

Ever since he bought those two Spirit Bees, they had seen the abundant nectar source here, settled down, rebuilt their nest, and stubbornly refused to leave. With ample food, they began reproducing in great numbers.

With this family taking up residence, the Medicine Garden brimmed with vitality. Swarms of bees darted about in the sky while spirit chickens ran wild across the ground, creating a warm and lively scene. Long Xuan's life was not dull or monotonous.

However, although Long Xuan had always coveted Spirit Bee honey, he still feared the bees' aggressiveness and did not dare approach the hive lightly.

Getting pecked a couple of times while taking eggs was one thing. Being stung all over by these things would truly be miserable.

These were not ordinary bees from his previous life. Spirit Bees in this world could sting people to death. For now, both sides maintained a relationship of well water not offending river water—neighbors who got along reasonably well.

Long Xuan was responsible for growing herbs, while they took the opportunity to steal a little nectar from the spirit herbs. Neither side broke that balance.

Long Xuan feared that if he stole their honey, they would hold a grudge. Then it would become troublesome whenever he came to the Medicine Garden in the future.

After turning it over in his mind, he still felt that he had to cultivate a queen bee. Other than cultivating one, there was no good solution.

As long as he blood-contracted a queen bee, with the queen controlling the ordinary Spirit Bees, he could sleep soundly without a care in the world.

For now, though, forget it. There was a limit to how many Gu Insects a Gu cultivator could possess at once; he could not possibly blood-contract every ordinary Spirit Bee.

Just then, the growth progress of the patch of spirit herbs Long Xuan had been preparing to harvest all changed to 100%. Flowers bloomed in full, releasing an intoxicating fragrance.

Spirit Bees had keen noses. Catching the scent of the flowers, their eyes immediately lit up. They buzzed over at once, burrowing into the blossoms to gather nectar and pollen.

Once all the nectar and pollen inside had been gathered, their little legs became heavy again. Laden with the fruits of harvest, they flew back to the hive.

After they finished bustling about, Long Xuan harvested all the spirit herbs from that patch. After replanting the seeds, he took the freshly picked herbs to Old Long to report completion.

Old Long needed this batch of spirit herbs to study the Hundred Flower Pill Formula. That was right—another year had passed, yet he still had not developed the Hundred Flower Pill.

Even Long Xuan was anxious for him. He himself had succeeded in just two days.

First-grade spirit herbs had an extremely short maturation period. With the aid of Ripening Liquid, a batch could basically be harvested every half year. Long Xuan could also see Old Long once every six months when delivering spirit herbs.

This meeting came only half a year after the last.

Long Xuan entered the thatched house. Seeing that Old Long was not refining pills, he spoke up. "Old Long, a batch of spirit herbs has matured. I've already harvested them."

Long Xuan untied the storage pouch at his waist, which was filled with spirit herbs, then looked toward the burly old man reclining in a chair.

Old Long was sitting there reading a book on pill refinement. Upon hearing him, he turned his head toward the visitor and said, "Just put them on the table."

After speaking, he studied Long Xuan carefully once more, a trace of surprise appearing on his face.

"You broke through to the mid Spirit Gathering stage?" Old Long asked doubtfully.

"Old Long truly has sharp eyes. You saw at a glance that this junior had broken through. It took this junior over ten years of cultivation to reach the mid Spirit Gathering stage; please forgive my inadequacy."

Long Xuan was not surprised in the slightest that Old Long could see through his realm.

Alchemists were famed for their powerful soul strength and could sense many things. He had never intended to hide it from Old Long's eyes.

"No, no, no." Old Long shook his head. "I'm not laughing at you. By my original estimate, you should never have reached the mid Spirit Gathering stage in your entire life. Your breaking through so quickly is what surprises me."

"Uh? Is this junior's aptitude truly so poor?" Old Long's words stabbed Long Xuan straight through the heart.

"Not entirely."

Old Long sighed. "You possess the Ten Extremity Physique, a peerless physique seen only once in ten thousand years. During the Primordial Era, the Ten Extremity Physique was the number one extraordinary physique under heaven. Its Spirit Sea was vast, and its spiritual power reserves far surpassed those of cultivators at the same level. It excelled in prolonged battles and could unleash ultimate moves repeatedly without counting the cost."

"The meridians of the Ten Extremity Physique are likewise incomparably broad, far beyond those of ordinary people. Therefore, for the same spirit technique, the power wielded by someone with the Ten Extremity Physique far exceeds that of others at the same level."

"During the Primordial Era, those with the Ten Extremity Physique possessed astonishing combat strength. Among those of the same realm, they were basically invincible. So you could be called a peerless genius rarely seen beneath heaven."

"But by today, the cultivation methods for the Ten Extremity Physique have long been lost. Yet the Ten Extremity Physique cannot cultivate any other methods."

"Because the Spirit Sea of the Ten Extremity Physique is as solid as a boulder. Though its foundation is the strongest beneath heaven, this also makes breakthroughs more difficult. Its vast Spirit Sea gives it an enormous advantage in battles against those of the same realm, but it also requires more spiritual power to fill that broad Spirit Sea, slowing cultivation."

"Thus, the Ten Extremity Physique requires a specific cultivation method to resolve these problems. It cannot cultivate other methods, and it naturally rejects trash cultivation methods."

"And how fast can someone who cannot cultivate any method possibly cultivate?"

"I'm afraid you could only have reached the mid Spirit Gathering stage so quickly through dietary supplementation. You must have eaten too many spirit chicken eggs." Old Long stroked his beard and guessed.

Hearing this, Long Xuan suddenly understood. No wonder he could not cultivate any method other than health-preserving techniques—the reason lay here.

But he still did not understand, and could not help asking again, "Isn't it just that the cultivation method has been lost? Why not create a new one?"

Long Xuan was speaking while standing, so he did not know the ache of sitting. He had no understanding whatsoever of just how difficult it was for others to create cultivation methods.

Old Long blew his beard and glared. "You make it sound easy. What do you think top-tier cultivation methods are? Something you can create just because you say so? Even the strongest person in today's Gu World would not dare claim to possess the ability to create a top-tier cultivation method."

Long Xuan's expression turned strange. He did not know how difficult it was for others to create cultivation methods, but he truly did have the ability to create one. So he tested the waters and asked, "Suppose—I mean, suppose—suppose I really happened to create a cultivation method suitable for the Ten Extremity Physique. Would that mean I could become the number one genius beneath heaven?"

Old Long looked at him with a strange gaze, both amused and exasperated. "Truly young and ignorant. You really dare to dream. 'Happened to'? Happened to my ass."

"There are indeed capable people with the talent to create their own cultivation methods, but they are heaven-blessed geniuses seen only once in a hundred years. Meanwhile, those who possess the Ten Extremity Physique appear only once in ten thousand years. How likely is it for those two talents to come together? Could someone with both the Ten Extremity Physique and the ability to create cultivation methods even exist?"

"Even if such a coincidence truly appeared, someone with the Ten Extremity Physique would not have any chance to grow up. And without growing up, how could they speak of creating cultivation methods?"

"It's a dead cycle. Rest assured, someone capable of creating cultivation methods can never be you. Hurry up and give up!"