"Once I'm back, I need to give Shadowpeak Finch a proper reward!" Chen Jinshu murmured to herself, quickly securing the water storage bottle before leaving the frigid pool's medicinal garden.
A short while later, she arrived at the Hall of Affairs, planning to buy some red spirit-berries—which Shadowpeak Finch adored—as well as several spirit herbs needed to concoct a ripening elixir.
"Elder, may I ask—what's the price for trading spirit pills here?" Chen Jinshu glanced at the handful of Lingyuan Pills still in her storage, her voice soft.
If she didn't sell some soon, she wouldn't have enough spirit stones left to buy anything.
"You'll need a certified alchemist license to trade pills. Pass the alchemist test first, then come back." The elder at the counter gave the new disciple a brief glance, his tone warm and instructive.
"I was fortunate enough to pass the alchemist test a few days ago. Please take a look, Elder."
"You got certified the moment you entered the sect? Not bad at all."
"Indeed—it is a valid alchemist's license. Show me the pills you want to trade." The elder raised an eyebrow in surprise. His expression softened as he looked at her again. Who wouldn't favor a talented disciple?
Chen Jinshu took out ten bottles of Lingyuan Pills, and five bottles each of Rejuvenation Pills and Bigu dan.
The elder uncorked one and swept his gaze over it, chuckling. "These were refined a while ago, weren't they? Still, the quality is decent. Since you have a license, we can't offer you a low rate."
"How about twenty-two spirit stones for each bottle of Lingyuan Pills?"
"Twenty-two?" The number hit her like a jolt. For a moment, Chen Jinshu just stood there, stunned.
Even the Chen family's own trade hall priced a single bottle at twenty spirit stones—never more. They'd never buy it for more than that.
In Vermilion Market, it was cheaper still—eighteen spirit stones a bottle, and the buyback price even lower. Now she understood why disciples fought tooth and nail to pass the alchemist certification, even though it was infamously difficult.
The perks were truly generous. With this, she could earn far more spirit stones.
"Thank you, Elder! I'm quite satisfied with that price."
"Haha! The sect has always treated its alchemists well—provided they show real talent."
Chen Jinshu didn't hesitate. She completed the trade immediately. Still, she didn't dare ask whether her first-rank, low-tier alchemist status qualified her to sell Qi Condensation Pills—that'd be no different from asking for death.
Once she'd purchased everything she needed, she hurried toward Ink Plum Courtyard. Before long, she was back beneath the ink plum tree, calling for the sparrow.
"Come down! I got red spirit-berries for you!"
At her call, Shadowpeak Finch swooped down, chirping excitedly.
"That aura... It's almost blinding."
Yesterday, the glow of fate around it had been faint—just a whisper of white light. But now, it radiated like a spotlight.
"Seems the Luck Fruit's effects take some time to manifest."
"For the next few days, stay in the courtyard. You're not allowed to wander."
She set the berries in the sparrow's custom food tray, issuing the warning again. Later research had told her the berries weren't just sweet and rich in spiritual energy—they were a genuine spirit medicine that could make a bird's feathers glossier and more vibrant.
Not just for dressing it up like a fire sparrow.
"Chirp chirp!" Shadowpeak Finch nodded, full of promise. Chen Jinshu chuckled softly and made her way back to her room.
A moment later, she entered the spirit planting space.
Beside her bamboo hut, she had fenced off a small patch of soil where the Xuanming Ice Lotus seed was buried. But it hadn't sprouted yet.
"It's been about seven days since I planted it... Still no sprout?"
She frowned and sent her spiritual sense into the soil. While seven days had passed outside, nearly ten had passed in the planting space. And still—no sprout. That was too slow.
Or maybe... something had gone wrong.
Through her spiritual sight, she saw that the seed's outer shell, once thick and opaque, had turned translucent. A tiny green sprout could now be seen inside.
But even though the sprout had turned green, it hadn't managed to pierce that fragile membrane. Chen Jinshu stared intently at the lotus seed. Soon, she noticed something off. At the root of the seed, a faint black dot had appeared.
"Don't tell me... the seed was damaged from the start?"
She had focused so much on accelerating the sprout's growth that she'd only performed a basic inspection—likely missing flaws beneath the hard black shell.
And that shell had been so tough, checking the interior had been nearly impossible. Carefully, she unearthed the seed and held it in her palm.
Sure enough, the black spot near the base was barely noticeable—well-hidden, but undeniably there. It wasn't lethal to the seed's survival, but it definitely affected its growth.
"Gu Zhēnrén never mentioned how to treat damaged spirit seeds during lectures!"
"Should I just wait for it to sprout...?"
That was the only path she could think of.
She still remembered most of what Gu Zhēnrén had taught during that lecture. He had covered many topics, but not how to repair inner damage in a spirit seed. Only how to mend damaged spiritual roots. Still, something told her there had to be a connection.
Gu Zhēnrén was a famously strict teacher at Medicine King Peak, known for his obsession with spirit plants. Every lecture came with a grueling challenge, which he called a "test."
These tests were scored and evaluated by the Zhēnrén himself, often influencing disciples' future alchemy certifications and rank advancements. That's why even latecomers were willing to wait outside for three hours just to apologize—they couldn't afford to miss a test.
Of course, Gu Zhēnrén was also generous. Any disciple who impressed him would often be rewarded: rare spirit seeds, pill formulas, even spiritual tools and treasures. Chen Jinshu didn't care much for the rewards. She just hoped she wouldn't fail the next test.
A failure would affect her certification and promotion path as an alchemist.
"Let's wait until the seed sprouts before moving to the next step. No hope of cultivating it to maturity in half a month."
Better not to obsess over this one seed. She might as well just buy more Xuanming Ice Lotus seeds. They weren't that expensive. Taking out a bottle of Sprouting Elixir, she poured it gently around the seed.
Five more days passed.
Finally, under Chen Jinshu's tireless care, the lotus seed pierced its membrane and broke through the soil.
"It sprouted—finally!"
These days, she had been refining stronger growth elixirs, and had learned a great deal. While the effect wasn't as good as a true top-tier elixir, her version had about thirty percent of the original's potency.
The sprout had two pointed, narrow leaves. Its stem was long and fine, but the black dot at its base had obstructed the flow of spirit energy and nutrients. That's why it had taken longer than expected to break through.
Chen Jinshu immediately retrieved the secret medicine for spiritual root repair she had prepared beforehand. To avoid damaging the fragile root, she had diluted the mixture carefully.
She took a small dab and gently applied it to the base of the sprout. The white stem was soon tinged with a trace of green liquid.
Within just ten breaths, the sprout's condition visibly improved.
"Gu Zhēnrén only said we had to get the seed to sprout. He never said how far we had to cultivate it. Does this count as passing the test?" She stared at the seedling, wondering.