Chapter 225: Snow Soul Tea and Void Bamboo

Several days later, inside the cave dwelling.

Qin Ming held the Soul-Returning Pill formula given to him by Wei Wuyang, frowning as he studied it repeatedly.

He had mostly mastered the majority of the refining process, yet several steps still left him uncertain.

"If I can't figure out these key points, no matter how hard I refine, I'll only fail."

"No wonder Yan Laozhu of Lei Yuanzong wasted over a dozen batches of materials and gained nothing."

Thinking of this, Qin Ming retrieved a blank jade slip, wrote the Soul-Returning Pill formula into it, then gradually added several questions. He sealed the jade slip with a special spiritual restriction—only a specific person could open it; others could not view its contents.

After finishing this, Qin Ming stepped out of the cave dwelling and sent a message to Wu Jiang.

Half a cup of tea later.

Wu Jiang, seemingly just finished tending his fields, ran up drenched in sweat, and grinned as he reached Qin Ming: "Brother Qin, what do you need?"

"I need you to deliver something to Gu Qing in Canghai Xiancheng."

"Huh? This—" Wu Jiang's cheerful expression instantly twisted into a grimace.

"What? A problem?" Qin Ming said, deliberately stiffening his expression.

"Hehe! N-no, Brother Qin's orders—I, Old Wu, would climb mountains of blades and walk through fires without hesitation!" Wu Jiang replied with a martyr's resolve.

Normally, running errands didn't matter—but now, with wild beasts rampaging outside, this Qi Refining cultivator stepping out would barely feed the beasts. Sigh. "Don't worry, since I'm sending you, I won't let you die for nothing."

Qin Ming found his expression amusing and continued: "The Alliance's magic vessel departs for Canghai Xiancheng this afternoon. I've already arranged it—you'll just ride along with them. Safety shouldn't be an issue."

Wu Jiang finally nodded in understanding. He hadn't left the island in a long time and had been cooped up too long—he wanted to see what was happening outside.

His face instantly brightened.

"Alright, Brother Qin, leave it to me!"

"Besides delivering the letter, do you need me to buy any other spirit materials? I'll bring them back too."

"Not for now."

Qin Ming then handed him a letter and a jade slip.

Wu Jiang took the items and, when the Alliance's magic vessel arrived that afternoon, left with them to carry out his task.

Qin Ming returned to his cave dwelling and resumed his cultivation with renewed urgency.

The cultivation world's situation had grown complex once more—even the three Golden Core elders were now forced to fight for their lives.

Even this Foundation Establishment cultivator must strive harder.

Another great battle was brewing.

This time, the Wei Kingdom's Demon Extermination War would likely be unprecedented in scale.

Major cities must constantly guard against beast surges from the Beast Roar Mountains, leaving them caught between two enemies.

Once war breaks out against the demonic vines entrenched on Qianye Island, the absence of Golden Core elders will directly determine the survival of countless other cultivators.

Thus, even the three True Persons must strike swiftly, like thunder before the ear, cutting through chaos with a swift blade.

Otherwise, the rear will still face the threat of beast surges.

…

Qin Ming silently channeled the Ancient Tree Longevity Art. Within him, the green liquid longevity magic power flowed like a gentle stream, endlessly pouring into the magic power lake within his dantian.

A faint emerald aura of plant essence clung to his body, making him resemble an ancient, weathered tree—towering, verdant, emitting a subtle fragrance of wood and foliage.

Several hours passed.

Qin Ming opened his eyes and internally surveyed his dantian with his spiritual sense.

"My cultivation base has advanced further."

"The Ancient Tree Evergreen Body is just one step away from completion."

"Once fully perfected, my spiritual root quality will rival that of a Heaven-grade spiritual root prodigy."

"At this pace, I should be able to—"

"According to the cultivation world's standards, reaching Foundation Establishment late stage before sixty is already considered top-tier in both talent and fortune."

"Even in major sects, one would qualify as a Golden Core seed."

"The Jade Phoenix Wine's potency has weakened, but it still has some effect—enough to carry me to Foundation Establishment late stage."

After completing his cultivation, Qin Ming stepped out of his cave, cast the Great Five Elements Spell over his spirit fields to irrigate the spirit plants, then checked the remaining entries in his spiritual sea:

【Bloodline Reversion】×2 【Spirit Plant Infusion】×1 【Quality Enhancement】×5 【Regenerate Spirit Seed】×3. All other entries had been consumed during his daily cultivation.

He stroked his chin, gazed at these entries, then walked toward the Shen Shen Tea Trees and the Purple Gold Bamboo Grove.

These two spirit plants were among the first second-rank inferior spirit plants Qin Ming planted upon arriving at Wangyue Island.

They were among the oldest on the island.

Now, nourished by the third-rank spiritual vein, their growth was even more vigorous.

The yield of spirit tea leaves increased year after year.

"The Shen Shen Tea's effect on my spiritual sense has nearly reached its second-rank limit."

"Cutting down all the Purple Gold Bamboo as second-rank refining material would be a waste."

"A bamboo grove on the island still adds a certain charm."

"Perhaps… there might be unexpected gains?"

"It's time to upgrade the quality of these two spirit plants."

Qin Ming immediately activated his mind. Two 【Bloodline Reversion】 entries vanished from his mind and settled onto the Shen Shen Tea Trees and the Purple Gold Bamboo, respectively.

Instantly,

A mysterious force from heaven and earth descended upon the two spirit plants.

Their forms and appearances began to change dramatically.

New leaves, white as snow and thin as cicada wings, sprouted along the branches of the Shen Shen Tea Tree.

The entire tea garden now displayed a strange interplay of green and white!

Immediately, three golden entries appeared in Qin Ming's vision:

【Name】: Snow Soul Tea 【Entry】: Soul Force Crystals ×5 (Maturity 1%)

【Name】: Snow Soul Tea 【Entry】: Space-Time Leaves ×5 (Maturity 1%)

【Name】: Snow Soul Tea 【Entry】: Faint Lifespan ×5 (Maturity 1%)

Qin Ming gazed at the transformed tea grove, his eyes suddenly brightening. A passage from a spirit plant book he once read flashed in his mind: Snow Soul Tea, a second-rank supreme spirit plant, thrives in shade, aids cultivation, but its greatest power lies in stabilizing the soul and anchoring the spirit, reducing demonic intrusion.

It is exceptionally effective for breaking through bottlenecks and even aids high-rank cultivators in transcending major realms.

Legend says Snow Soul Tea grows only in the frigid northern lands, extremely rare—even the four nations of the Southern Wastes rarely see it.

"If this is indeed such a supreme spirit tea!" Qin Ming's face lit up with joy.

His gaze then turned to the Purple Gold Bamboo Grove.

The grove had undergone a dramatic transformation: the once emerald bamboo surfaces now bore strange spiritual runes, and the entire grove emitted a purple mist.

Qin Ming's vision refreshed with two more golden entries: 【Name】: Void Bamboo 【Entry】: Bloodline Crystals ×5 (Maturity 1%)

【Name】: Void Bamboo 【Entry】: Space-Time Leaves ×5 (Maturity 1%)

At the same time, the words "Void Bamboo" flashed briefly in Qin Ming's mind.

Yet after straining to recall, he remembered nothing about this spirit bamboo.

So Qin Ming retrieved his collection of spirit plant jade slips and began flipping through them one by one.

After half a day,

He finally found a record on Void Bamboo in an obscure book.

The book was a miscellany—a travelogue by a Golden Core elder who loved spirit plants, documenting strange and unusual ones.

This cultivator had once encountered this spirit plant during an expedition and recorded that Void Bamboo grew only in an extremely dangerous secret realm, along the edges of spatial rifts.

Its defining trait: it possesses no elemental affinity whatsoever and exhibits extreme malleability.

The bamboo itself can perfectly integrate into any other refining material, enhancing the quality of magic treasures.

Moreover, a small portion of the bamboo has a rare chance to break through the second-rank barrier and grow into a third-rank spirit plant.

"Then perhaps I can further enhance my Qing Luan Sword?"

(End of Chapter)