Chapter 188: 188. Chapter 187: Kongming Eye

188. Chapter 187: Kongming Eye

Li Xuan planted all the herbs needed for the Second-grade Pill on a vacant plot, then evenly sprayed the diluted Green Spirit Liquid onto the soil.

As the diluted Green Spirit Liquid was sprayed onto the ground, a layer of emerald‑green sprouts slowly unfurled from the soil.

The Green Spirit Liquid Li Xuan prepared can only make them take root and sprout, not instantly mature the herbs.

Because the longer these herbs grow in the Palm Sky Bottle's space, the more Spiritual Energy they absorb, making the resulting pills more potent.

However, letting the herbs grow too long in the Palm Sky Bottle hinders Li Xuan's pill refinement, so he decided to harvest a batch every three days, ensuring the herbs absorb enough Spiritual Energy while providing sufficient alchemy material.

After planting the herbs, Li Xuan suddenly sensed a nauseating stench in front of him, mixed with the odor of herbs that turn to ash when refined into pills, a combination truly unbearable.

He had been busy without rest, and now that he was idle, Li Xuan could barely tolerate the smell.

"Goodness, thirteen days without a bath and it's this foul…," Li Xuan muttered helplessly, then stripped his clothes and jumped straight into the Hot Spring.

To advance to Second-level Alchemist, Li Xuan had hardly left his spot except for bathroom breaks, so he was already reeking terribly.

The Hot Spring in the Palm Sky Bottle has self‑cleaning properties, so even if Li Xuan bathes daily, the water remains crystal clear.

While washing his body, Spiritual Energy eased Li Xuan's fatigue.

Half an hour later, Li Xuan climbed out of the Hot Spring, his body clean, then changed into fresh clothes before exiting the Palm Sky Bottle's space.

Having been in seclusion for nearly half a month, Li Xuan imagined that Ladi Canyon had undergone earth‑shaking changes.

Li Xuan pushed open the room's door, and a dazzling glare poured in, making him unable to open his eyes.

"Immortal Master, you've emerged from seclusion?" the Yellow Turban Warrior's voice reached Li Xuan's ears.

"The seclusion is over, Warrior, how's the canyon construction going?" Li Xuan rubbed his eyes and asked the Yellow Turban Warrior.

"We've only excavated half the foundation; the rest hasn't started. Official construction will need at least another month. Building the foundation, secret passages, and hidden chambers takes a long time; more slaves would help," the Yellow Turban Warrior shrugged, speaking helplessly to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan nodded in agreement, but it was unavoidable; each time he can purchase at most three thousand slaves, and buying more would easily draw attention.

After a brief chat, Li Xuan's eyes adjusted to the sunlight, and he saw a tent not far from his room where a dozen Yellow Turban Warriors were feverishly writing, apparently drafting building blueprints.

A few other Yellow Turban Warriors stood before the Ladi Canyon map, discussing the arrangement and distribution of the structures.

"By the way, Warrior, how's the Heavy Water Mysterious Pool construction? Is it fully contained? That's a critical point; if any leaks out, Ladi Canyon could revert to its pre‑renovation state," Li Xuan suddenly recalled the prized resource of his domain—Heavy Water from the Mysterious Pool, valuable for both alchemy and forging—so he asked the Yellow Turban Warrior.

"The Heavy Water Mysterious Pool has been rebuilt; we applied triple reinforcement, guaranteeing zero leakage. Moreover, we constructed a massive reservoir to collect all the pool's heavy water for the Immortal Master's use," the Yellow Turban Warrior nodded.

Hearing the Warrior's words, Li Xuan nodded satisfactorily.

"By the way, Immortal Master, there's another matter to discuss; we may need to procure a batch of supplies, and we'll need you to make a trip," the Yellow Turban Warrior took a Blueprint from the nearby table and handed it to Li Xuan.

"All the previous building materials are used up?" Li Xuan was stunned; he had bought a huge amount of material, yet it still wasn't enough?

"Only one‑third remains unfinished; to ensure efficiency we need to stockpile some supplies in advance," the Yellow Turban Warrior said, nodding at Li Xuan.

Li Xuan, after hearing the Warrior, also nodded.

Opening the Blueprint before him, Li Xuan was surprised to find that this time the required supplies exceeded those of the previous order.

His storage space seemed insufficient; it looked like he'd have to cultivate more Kongming Crystals.

"No problem, I'll rest a bit and then set out," Li Xuan said, nodding to the Yellow Turban Warrior.

"Very well, Immortal Master, you rest. I'll take my leave," the Yellow Turban Warrior said, nodding to Li Xuan before turning to resume work.

Li Xuan nodded and walked off toward the interior of Ladi Canyon on his own.

But as soon as he entered the canyon, Li Xuan found a massive sinkhole ahead, and looking into the distance, there were countless huge pits.

Seeing the slaves still laboriously excavating the foundation, Li Xuan didn't go down to inspect and turned away.

Li Xuan didn't immediately set out for Star Luo City to purchase slaves; instead, he returned to his room to plan the supplies needed for this trip.

First were the building materials the Yellow Turban Warrior required, the core issue of this expedition.

Next were the herbs; having advanced to Second-level Alchemist, Li Xuan needed more, and although the Palm Sky Bottle can accelerate their maturation, the quantity remains insufficient, so procuring herbs for Second-grade Pill refinement is necessary.

Lastly the slaves; this time Li Xuan didn't plan to buy them in Star Luo City but in nearby small towns, buying fewer at each place, yet visiting several towns would net a few thousand slaves.

The plan was set, but a more pressing issue emerged before Li Xuan.

The volume of supplies this time was enormous; the space in his belt couldn't hold them, and the Palm Sky Bottle's space, already filled with herbs, had nowhere to store the goods.

As for the quantity of Kongming Crystals and Void Pearls, Li Xuan was not worried.

Near the Hot Spring in the Palm Sky Bottle, Li Xuan cleared a one‑square‑meter plot, planting Kongming Grass; if urgent, using Green Spirit Liquid can quickly cultivate a supply of Kongming Crystals and Void Pearls.

Since a single Void Pearl or Kongming Crystal doesn't occupy much space, scattered storage makes them hard to locate, so an apparatus is needed to secure them for easy storage and retrieval.

Li Xuan envisioned a safe‑like box with panels inlaid with Kongming Crystals; whatever is needed can be pulled out directly.

In this way, such a box would have a huge storage capacity, enough for Li Xuan to purchase even larger quantities of supplies.

Li Xuan originally considered asking the Yellow Turban Warrior to make a wooden box, but realizing wood was unsafe, he decided on an iron box!

Thus, safety would be greatly improved.

The best place for blacksmithing is Gengxin City, and Li Xuan has many acquaintances there, so he decided to visit Gengxin City before procuring supplies. With that decision, he hesitated not a moment—he sprang from his bed, entered Ladi Canyon, hitched a carriage, and drove straight out of the canyon.

Ladi Canyon's construction doesn't require Li Xuan's involvement, so his presence or absence has no impact, which is why he could leave so freely.

After leaving Ladi Canyon, Li Xuan headed straight for Gengxin City.

……

Three days later, Li Xuan finally arrived in Gengxin City.

Li Xuan didn't beat around the bush; he went straight to the Blacksmith Guild, reached its fourth floor, and found Si Long.

"Xuan Ge'er, why are you here?" Si Long was drafting a Blueprint, and upon seeing Li Xuan brightened, set aside his work and approached him.

At this moment Si Long was studying the golden armor on a warhorse; about two‑thirds of the pattern had been traced, and it should be fully copied soon.

If this could be made into a regular saddle and fitted to his carriage, the carriage's speed would increase considerably.

"I have something I'd like Brother Si Long to forge for me," Li Xuan scratched his head, saying shyly to Si Long.

Li Xuan and Si Long, along with a few others, had become well acquainted, and both were straightforward, so Li Xuan directly told Si Long what he wanted.

"What is it, Xuan Ge'er? Speak up, what do you want me to craft for you?" Si Long laughed brightly at Li Xuan's hesitant expression.

"I want to craft a box; here's the Blueprint," Li Xuan took a warped, twisted Blueprint from a Void Pearl and handed it to Si Long.

As for drawing blueprints, Li Xuan truly lacks talent; after all, Li Xuan is only an Alchemist.

Pfft!

After seeing Li Xuan's Blueprint, Si Long burst into laughter; Li Xuan's drawing was truly a sketch—the Blueprint depicted a simple rectangular prism, and the lines were warped and crooked, not straight at all; the only useful part was the dimensions Li Xuan annotated.

"Xuan Ge'er, are you sure it's that size?" Si Long measured the box on the Blueprint with his hand, then asked Li Xuan.

"Yes, yes, that's the size." Li Xuan nodded.

"Alright, Xuan Ge'er, there's a rest room over there; in a bit I'll personally design a Blueprint for you, then you can take another look." Si Long shook his head helplessly, then went to another workbench and began drawing a new Blueprint.

Li Xuan found a corner and sat down to rest.

Li Xuan knew his Blueprint was a bit sloppy, but there was nothing he could do; that's just his ability.

Sitting on a stool in the corner, Li Xuan took a small cloth bag from the space of the Palm Sky Bottle; the bag contained three Kongming Crystals and thirty Void Pearls.

During the three days of traveling, Li Xuan used all the Green Spirit Liquid to cultivate Kongming Crystals.

Li Xuan had already arranged the Kongming Crystals and Void Pearls.

The Kongming Crystals were placed in the box, while the Void Pearls were stored in the cabinet.

In the cabinet where Li Xuan stored herbs, each drawer held a Void Pearl; a three-cubic-meter space is sufficient to store seeds and herbs, since their volumes are small.

This type of cabinet holds only relatively unimportant items.

But the Kongming Crystals in the box are different; they store essentially the most valuable things Li Xuan possesses.

Such as soul bone, Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Snake's Snakeskin, Alchemy Pill, Heaven-Shaking Cannon Blueprint… and the like.

"Brother Si Long, each layer of the box must be inlaid with these crystals, drilling holes according to the crystal sizes," Li Xuan handed a Kongming Crystal to Si Long.

Si Long said nothing, merely nodded, took the Kongming Crystal from Li Xuan's hand, and continued designing the Blueprint.

With nothing to do, Li Xuan closed his eyes, and his spirit entered the space of the Palm Sky Bottle, viewing every herb inside from a godlike perspective.

But when he saw the Kongming Grass patch, Li Xuan suddenly noticed a Kongming Grass sprouting a palm-sized flower bud.

"Can Kongming Grass even bloom?" Li Xuan opened his eyes, furrowed his brows, and muttered hesitantly.

Glancing at Si Long, who was still busy drawing the Blueprint, Li Xuan went straight to the restroom and entered the Palm Sky Bottle space there.

Li Xuan arrived at the Kongming Grass patch and carefully examined the soon-to-bloom Kongming Grass; it stood a full meter tall, its leaves thick and jet‑black as ink, seeming not to be the same variety as the surrounding grass.

At its tip, the Kongming Grass grew a fist‑sized black, cabbage‑like structure, but Li Xuan could sense it was not a leaf but a petal.

He just didn't know what a black flower from a high‑ranking Kongming Grass would look like.

If Li Xuan remembered correctly, this Kongming Grass was the first one he had cultivated himself.

But he didn't know that Kongming Grass could even flower.

Li Xuan thought for a moment and cast a Medicine Appraisal Technique.

【Plant: Kongming Grass (Special)】

【Quality: Heavenly Material Earth Treasure】

【Cultivation: 99,711 years】

【Description: Ordinary Heavenly Material Earth Treasure, a rare material with spatial properties; every hundred years it yields a Void Pearl, each Void Pearl containing three cubic meters of space; every thousand years it yields a Kongming Crystal, each Kongming Crystal containing one hundred cubic meters of space; after absorbing large amounts of Spiritual Energy it evolves, and when it blooms it can produce a Kongming Eye, whose properties are unknown, not usable in medicine, not edible.】

"Without realizing it, this Kongming Grass has already reached a cultivation of ninety thousand years, and it even has a Kongming Eye? It even possesses something with unknown system properties—how curious," Li Xuan stroked his chin and muttered. (End of chapter)