Chapter 132: Purple Blood Celery

After the meal, Chu Tianfeng settled the siblings Long Fei and Long Yue, then ventured alone into the narrow valley.

This valley was rich in spirit herbs. Even after having been visited by Wang Lianyao and his group, Chu Tianfeng was fortunate enough to find quite a few. Surprisingly, one of them was an herb used in the refinement of Foundation Establishment Pills.

During his search, ants from a nearby cave emerged to harass him, infuriating Chu Tianfeng so much that he unleashed a burst of true fire, incinerating their nest. The queen ant, a late-stage tier-two creature, was caught off guard and reduced to ashes, leaving not even a demon core behind.

For the next two days, the three stayed in the valley. Chu Tianfeng spent his days gathering herbs and his nights practicing the Art of Invisibility.

On the morning of the fourth day, the injuries of Long Fei and Long Yue had largely healed. Long Fei, in particular, had been purged of all toxins and had essentially returned to his former state of health. The three of them tidied up and set out together from the valley.

It had to be said that the Valley of Medicine lived up to its reputation; spirit herbs were visible almost everywhere, sometimes even found growing by the roadside. Most of these were herbs required for Pei Yuan Pills, a few were for various healing concoctions, and only a very small number were for Foundation Establishment Pills.

After two consecutive days of foraging, Chu Tianfeng’s storage ring was filled with a massive quantity of herbs for Pei Yuan Pills. With no other choice, he dedicated half a day to refining the majority of them into pills.

Usually, his success rate for pill refinement was only about forty to fifty percent, and the quality was merely average. But that afternoon, it was as if he were using a cheat code; every batch yielded five pills, and by the end, he even produced six on a couple of occasions!

Chu Tianfeng was overjoyed. Producing six or more pills meant he had truly mastered the basics and was qualified to be called a low-grade spirit alchemist. He attributed his success to three factors: first, all the herbs were freshly picked and potent; second, he was now using a proper alchemical cauldron, which made the process much easier; and third, most importantly, he felt it had to do with his approach to the process.

In the past, he often struggled with the heat control during the fourth and fifth steps—refining and gathering the pills—which frequently resulted in wasted or ruined batches. Now, he felt as if he were one with the cauldron and the medicine; the refining process flowed like clouds and water, and the gathering of the pills occurred as naturally as a stream finding its channel. Perhaps this was the benefit of having his spirit roots purified—his capacity to comprehend everything had been subtly heightened.

In that half-day, he refined over a dozen batches of Pei Yuan Pills. That evening, to test their efficacy, he gave one to each of the siblings. Long Fei and Long Yue, who already held Chu Tianfeng in high esteem, swallowed the pills without a moment's hesitation. Chu Tianfeng then instructed Xiyazi to stand guard over them while he went off into the woods to practice his invisibility.

His invisibility technique had improved significantly; even in broad daylight, he left no trace, blending seamlessly into the environment, though he still could not fully mask his presence.

At dawn, when he returned to the camp, he discovered that Long Yue’s cultivation had broken through to the peak of the Hua Jin stage, while Long Fei’s had also advanced, reaching the late Hua Jin stage. The way they looked at Chu Tianfeng had changed—there was more admiration and worship in their eyes.

The next morning, the three continued on their journey, collecting herbs as they went. Long Yue’s mood had improved, and she occasionally joined in the conversation between Chu Tianfeng and her brother, handing over all the herbs she gathered to Chu.

At noon, they arrived before a small hillside.

"Miss Du is fighting with someone," Xiyazi’s voice suddenly echoed in his consciousness just as Chu Tianfeng was about to slip into the valley beside the slope.

Chu Tianfeng’s heart tightened. "Where?"

He knew Du Jingjing’s cultivation level all too well. He had essentially force-fed her Pei Yuan Pills to get her where she was; she could handle some small-time thugs, but against disciples from major sects, the outcome was predictable.

"Just ahead, over this small hill," Xiyazi replied calmly. "Don't worry, there are no masters among them."

"Oh." Chu Tianfeng felt slightly relieved and turned to the siblings. "I have a friend up ahead; I’ll go on ahead."

Without waiting for their response, he leaped forward, transforming into a wisp of smoke and dashing away. Long Fei and Long Yue were left stunned, their eyes filled with amazement.

A moment later, Chu Tianfeng cleared the hill and arrived at a small basin. There was an open space where ten people stood, divided into two opposing groups. Du Jingjing’s side had only four: herself, Du Xuan, Du Ming, and Bai Yucheng. The other group consisted of six people, led by Chu Tianfeng’s old acquaintance, Huang Zaihui. He also spotted Leng Jun standing among them, his face as cold and stoic as ever, as if coldness were his trademark.

The martial artist dueling with Du Jingjing was a late-stage Hua Jin practitioner. With steady footwork and ruthless strikes, he was gradually forcing Du Jingjing onto the defensive.

Chu Tianfeng watched patiently for a while, but when he saw Du Jingjing on the verge of defeat, he could no longer stand by. He drifted down from a tree branch, simultaneously unleashing two gentle waves of true energy.

*Whoosh!*

The two combatants were instantly swept aside, stumbling back several steps.

"You..." Seeing Chu Tianfeng, Du Jingjing was overwhelmed with emotion, her eyes moistening. Since entering the secret realm, she had worried about him constantly. It wasn't until the news of the incident with Wang Lianyao broke that she knew he was alive and well, allowing her to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"You—" The other martial artist wanted to curse, but upon seeing Chu Tianfeng’s face, he swallowed his words. "Senior... Senior Chu?"

Chu Tianfeng nodded slightly. "You may leave."

"You—" The martial artist glared at him, stomped his foot, and gritted out, "Fine, let’s go!" He didn't want to leave, but given Chu Tianfeng’s reputation and strength, he had no choice. His companions followed, casting resentful looks at Chu.

"Wait!" Du Jingjing wiped her eyes and turned to the group. "We agreed on a best-of-three. You won two rounds; the Golden Ganoderma is yours."

"Golden Ganoderma?" Chu Tianfeng looked at her, puzzled.

"There, under that tree," she said, pointing to a large tree nearby.

Chu Tianfeng followed her finger. Dozens of meters away stood a camphor tree so large it would take four or five people to encircle it. That wasn't the point—the point was the thumb-thick vine wrapped around its trunk, covered in blood-red, willow-shaped leaves that shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

Chu Tianfeng felt a surge of excitement. He knew that beneath that vine lay something he had been craving: Purple Blood Celery, the primary ingredient for Foundation Origin Pills! Foundation Origin Pills were used by cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage to breakthrough minor levels; there were many formulas, but Purple Blood Celery was the essential component.

And these stalks were at least a hundred years old!

*I must have it!* Chu Tianfeng resolved.

"What was your original agreement for splitting this?" he asked, looking around.

"I saw it first, but they were already right next to it. When we rushed over, they spotted it too," Bai Yucheng explained. "So both sides agreed to a best-of-three, and the winner takes all."

Chu Tianfeng observed the reluctant expressions around him and pondered for a moment. "I’d like to negotiate to buy the Golden Ganoderma. To everyone here—each and every one of you—I guarantee that I can help you improve by at least one minor stage. How about it?"

"What did you say?" the martial artist asked, incredulous. "Senior Chu, you aren't joking?"

The others behind him were equally suspicious, looking at Chu with disbelief. After all, with his strength, he could easily have just taken it by force. Moreover, rumors in the martial arts world claimed Chu Tianfeng was bold enough to steal from major sects like the Huangshan and Hengshan sects; why would he care about them, a bunch of unaffiliated wanderers?

Chu Tianfeng saw their skepticism but chose not to explain. He took a bottle of previously refined Pei Yuan Pills from his ring and shook it. "Two pills each. If you agree, we trade now."

The martial artists exchanged glances and then nodded eagerly.

"If it’s truly that miraculous, we would be getting the better end of the deal. How about this: if the breakthrough is successful, I will add ten Essence Stones as compensation," Huang Zaihui said, stepping forward and cupping his hands. They had all gathered quite a bit in the valley; ten spirit stones were a small price to pay for a breakthrough.

"Count me in," Leng Jun added, his expression still icy.

"Yes, include us too," the remaining martial artists chimed in.

"Very well." Chu Tianfeng flicked the pills to them one by one. "After taking the medicine, circulate your cultivation techniques immediately to refine the energy."

They took the pills and sat cross-legged on the spot. Chu Tianfeng turned to see the expectant looks of Bai Yucheng and his companions and sighed. "Fine, two for each of you as well."

Bai Yucheng and the others happily accepted the pills. Having witnessed Du Jingjing’s recent rapid progress, they knew it was the result of Chu Tianfeng’s medicine and swallowed them without delay.

"This is for you." Chu Tianfeng handed a few slices of lotus root to Du Jingjing.

"Is it edible?" she asked.

"Of course," he said with a mysterious smile. "You’ve been taking pills too frequently. This will help purify your constitution and solidify your foundation."

Du Jingjing’s rapid advancement had indeed left her foundation somewhat unstable, but with the Spirit-Purifying Lotus, that was no longer an issue. Though full of questions, she ate the lotus root.

Soon, Long Fei and Long Yue arrived. Seeing the group of martial artists sitting on the ground, they were both bewildered.

Chu Tianfeng smiled slightly and tossed a few pickaxes and shovels to Long Fei. "Brother Long, would you mind helping me dig up that Golden Ganoderma under the tree?"

"Gladly!" Long Fei took the tools and rushed toward the tree.

"And what about me?" Long Yue walked over gracefully and asked in a soft voice.