Chapter 431: 370 Zhangg Gourd! [Vote for monthly ticket!]
"I only thought about eliminating trouble, but I didn’t expect to gain an unexpected harvest!"
Chen Jichuan quietly hurried back, his eyes struggling to hide his delight.
Returning to the Cultivation Quiet Room.
He flipped his hand, and a miniature gourd immediately appeared in his palm.
"What a treasure!"
"Even I couldn’t see through it!"
Chen Jichuan’s eyes carefully examined the miniature gourd.
Just now, he had followed Zhang Yu, intending to attack him after leaving Leiyin Mountain and put an end to him.
However, before he could act, the unexpected happened.
First, Zhang Yu almost got killed by wild beasts in the forest.
Then, a flash of golden light occurred, and Zhang Yu vanished without a trace.
Chen Jichuan surveyed the scene thoroughly but couldn’t locate any sign of Zhang Yu, so he decided to wait there.
He waited a full two hours.
As soon as Zhang Yu reappeared, Chen Jichuan struck fiercely, killing him instantly and taking possession of the miniature gourd.
"I’ve spent the past three years on Leiyin Mountain, often using the ’Insight Skill’ to randomly observe and keep tabs on other disciples."
"Zhang Yu lived in the same room as me, so I observed him the most closely."
"But this gourd pendant—"
Chen Jichuan felt his heart surge with heat.
Once again, he activated the ’Insight Skill’ to carefully examine the gourd pendant, but the information he received remained that it was an ordinary object.
This was partly due to his cultivation still being low.
And partly because the gourd pendant’s level was far too high.
"At least Fourth-order."
"Possibly even higher."
Chen Jichuan couldn’t help but smile brightly.
Unable to discern its mystery, he decided not to overthink it.
Reflecting on the scene he had witnessed in the forest earlier, he exhaled a Sword Qi, slashing his palm open with several cuts. Blood began to ooze out, staining the gourd pendant.
And then he waited silently for a transformation.
After three breaths.
The world turned upside down, and Chen Jichuan disappeared entirely from the Quiet Room.
...
"This is—"
Chen Jichuan suddenly found himself in a murky gray space.
All around was enveloped in gray mist.
Only the ground beneath him consisted of a patch of land about two hundred zhang across, with a clear spring acting as the boundary, dividing it into two halves.
Gurgle gurgle!
Crisp spring water flowed out of the ground, the water crystal clear.
As soon as Chen Jichuan entered, the spring at its center caused the surrounding gray mist to churn and the land beneath him began expanding rapidly.
Two hundred zhang.
Four hundred zhang.
Eight hundred zhang.
It quickly expanded to ten li squared, becoming a fairly sizable space.
"Zhang Yu was merely Postnatal, still mundane, and when he got the treasure gourd to recognize him as its master, the land within the gourd space only spanned two hundred zhang."
"But I, as a Qi Refining cultivator—"
"Upon recognition, the gourd’s inner land rapidly expanded, reaching ten li squared."
"When I ascend to Second-order, Third-order, the land inside this space will continue to further expand."
Chen Jichuan formed a blood bond with the treasure gourd, and as the land expanded, a surge of information flowed into his mind.
It gave him an understanding of the basic rules of the gourd’s functions.
Standing next to the spring, he glanced around.
On either side of the spring stood boundary stones, one of which had the words ’Hundred Herbs Garden’ inscribed on it, and the other read ’Hundred Insect Garden.’
"Hundred Herbs Garden."
"Hundred Insect Garden."
Chen Jichuan stretched out his hand to touch the two boundary stones.
Soon.
The delight on his face grew even stronger.
By the time he withdrew his hand, his mind was already filled with numerous pieces of information and two cultivation techniques—
[Cultivation Technique: Hundred Herbs Scripture (Fragmented)]
[Level: Side Door Level]
[Description: Created by Mojia Venerable of the Chongming Realm. Enables the cultivation of countless herbs, absorbing their essence to cultivate oneself. Boasts robust vitality and exceptional recovery ability.]
...
[Cultivation Technique: Hundred Insects Scripture (Fragmented)]
[Level: Side Door Level]
[Description: Created by Mojia Venerable of the Chongming Realm. Allows the cultivation of countless insects and their enslavement, harnessing their power to enhance one’s own cultivation. Strengthens the physical body to withstand blades, fire, and water damage.]
...
"Hundred Herbs Scripture."
"Hundred Insects Scripture."
Chen Jichuan’s eyes glittered brightly.
Although both cultivation techniques were fragmented, providing only insights into their mundane and Qi Refining sections, the rest of their doctrines still resided within the boundary stones.
Nevertheless, even a mere glimpse revealed their extraordinary nature.
"The two techniques complement one another."
"The ’Hundred Herbs Scripture’ uses herbs to cultivate oneself, granting boundless vitality and formidable recovery ability."
"The ’Hundred Insects Scripture’ enslaves insects, allowing them to gnaw on the flesh, refining the body while using one’s vitality and Essence Qi to nurture them."
"Together, they form a complete symbiosis, indispensable to each other!"
Chen Jichuan quietly admired the remarkable ingenuity of ’Mojia Venerable.’"
To create such techniques must require incomparable talent.
Beyond talent, one must also possess an unyielding character, able to endure the boundless pain of insects gnawing on their own flesh.
"A true man of resolve!"
Chen Jichuan couldn’t help but praise inwardly.
But for him, these two techniques seemed somewhat lacking.
First, the grade was too low.
Side Door Level techniques might be exceptional for practitioners at Third-Order God Transformation or even Fourth-order Ascension, but Chen Jichuan possessed four True Sect Level Techniques. He hardly regarded them seriously.
"Secondly—"
"I already have the ’Azure Dragon Longevity Scripture,’ which similarly cultivates vitality."
"Additionally, I have the ’White Tiger Sword Prison Scripture,’ the ’Vermilion Bird Glaze Scripture,’ and the ’Xuanwu Black Water Scripture,’ all of which fortify the body, rendering insect aid unnecessary."
"Besides—"
"Ordinary insects wouldn’t even be able to harm me."
Chen Jichuan’s high-grade techniques and their comprehensive nature made him disinclined toward the Hundred Herbs and Hundred Insects Scriptures.
However, the extensive knowledge these techniques contained about various spirit medicines and insects was still of some use to him.
"How fitting."
"This gourd space—"
"The ’Hundred Herbs Garden’ can simulate various environments for growing spirit medicines, accelerate their growth cycles."
"The ’Hundred Insect Garden’ can simulate insect habitats to cultivate them, accelerating their growth cycles and drawing out their dormant potential."
Compared to the two cultivation techniques, the ’Hundred Herbs Garden’ and ’Hundred Insect Garden’ proved far more practical.
Chen Jichuan wandered every inch of the ten li area, experimenting with different environmental setups for the gardens. After half a day, he finally left the gourd space reluctantly.
...
The arrival of the Direct Pointing Department brought no trouble to Chen Jichuan.
He continued his cultivation undisturbed as before.
But ever since acquiring the treasure gourd, he had an additional task of nurturing spirit medicines and cultivating spirit insects.
"Hundred Herbs Garden."
"Hundred Insect Garden."
"Leaving these spaces empty seems like such a waste; I need to find some spirit medicine seeds and spirit insects."
A month and a half later.
Chen Jichuan finally gained a concrete understanding of the capabilities of the ’Hundred Herbs Garden’ and ’Hundred Insect Garden.’
"Spirit medicines cultivated in the ’Hundred Herbs Garden’ grow approximately ten times faster than outside."
"Spirit insects nurtured within the ’Hundred Insect Garden’ similarly mature at ten times their normal pace."
Tenfold growth.
Tenfold maturation.
Although it might seem unimpressive at first glance, the gardens’ true worth lies in cultivating higher-order spirit medicines, which generally require far longer growth cycles.
For example, the ’Heart Revitalizing Pill.’
As a top-grade Third-order Pill, it can restore a depleted Sixth Tribulation Independent Immortal or Sixth Transformation Great Power to full strength almost instantaneously.
And one of its main ingredients, ’Golden Sun Ganoderma,’ must be at least ten thousand years old.
Such ingredients are scarce across the galaxy.
However, in the ’Hundred Herbs Garden,’ it would only take one thousand years to grow, saving nine thousand years in the process.
"This is the dream treasure of every Alchemist, especially those pursuing mastery in alchemy within Immortal Sects."
Chen Jichuan also held the gourd in high regard.
If things go as planned, he might reach Fourth-order in this lifetime, gaining extended longevity and plenty of time.
By planting a variety of spirit medicines, particularly Third-order and Fourth-order ones, in the ’Hundred Herbs Garden,’ he could both enhance his cultivation and avoid reliance on external purchases, eliminating the hassle and expense of acquiring pills and spirit medicines.
...
"And then there’s the ’Hundred Insect Garden’!"
Chen Jichuan sought out a spirit insect known as the ’Musk Orchid Worm,’ an unranked insect, and placed it in the ’Hundred Insect Garden’ for nurturing. After a month of observation, he noticed its maturation speed exceeded tenfold.
The insect, which normally required ten years to mature—
Now needed only one year to reach adulthood at this pace.
[Spirit Insect: Musk Orchid Worm]
[Level: 0th-order]
[Description: A spirit insect with a small fire-red horn on its head. Produces a fragrance that calms Divine Souls; its excrement serves as fertilizer for common herbs like ginseng, lingzhi, and huangjing.]
...
"Musk Orchid Worm."
"Although it’s a lower-tier spirit insect, raising it to scale could still prove quite valuable."
"Cultivated within the ’Hundred Insect Garden,’ there’s also a chance for it to ascend in rank. If it grows into a First-order species, its worth will increase exponentially."
If this treasure gourd had remained in Zhang Yu’s possession, it would have been an unparalleled boon for a cultivator of his talent.
The capability to cultivate spirit medicines and spirit insects alike would have brought him wealth and power.
If nurtured effectively, the spirit insects could help him both in battles and survival.
Coupled with the ’Hundred Herbs Scripture’ and ’Hundred Insects Scripture,’ Zhang Yu could have achieved rapid advancement.
But now that the treasure gourd belonged to Chen Jichuan, it still held significant utility.
Yet from his current perspective—
"The two scriptures are of no interest to me."
"While ’Hundred Herbs Garden’ and ’Hundred Insect Garden’ are rare treasures, offering tenfold growth for spirit medicines and insects, respectively—"
"My progress rate is faster still."
"Before I ascend to Fourth-order, even with tenfold acceleration, the growth rates of spirit medicines and spirit insects will lag behind the pace of my own cultivation."
Chen Jichuan was keenly aware of the paradox he faced.
His cultivation advanced too swiftly, meaning that by the time any First-order, Second-order, or even Third-order spirit medicines and insects matured, he would likely have already surpassed those levels himself.
The exception would be directly cultivating Fourth-order spirit medicines and nurturing Fourth-order spirit insects.
However—
"My current cultivation is still too low. A month ago, I took a stroll through the Outer Area but couldn’t even find seeds for First-order spirit medicines or eggs of First-order spirit insects."
"Let alone Fourth-order ones."
Limited by his cultivation level and available channels, acquiring high-order spirit medicines and insects would be a challenge for now.
This could not be rushed.
He’d need to wait until his cultivation level increased, ideally reaching Third-order God Transformation, to pursue this systematically.
Meanwhile, he had a different plan in mind—
"The Direct Pointing Department won’t let things rest."
"Even if I remain on Leiyin Mountain, the Wuu Quan couple wouldn’t be able to guarantee my safety completely."
"In the end, I might end up dragging them down into danger."
Chen Jichuan, though unafraid of harm, refused to implicate others.
Originally, he had planned to stay at Leiyin Mountain, relying on the protection of Wuu Quan and his wife for a few more years. With his talent, a few years would be enough for him to rise to Second-order True Person, improving his ability to defend himself—capable of fighting, retreating, advancing, and strategizing.
But now that he had the treasure gourd, such delays were unnecessary.
"The gourd space not only allows for cultivating spirit medicines and insects but can also serve as a secluded place for cultivation."
"Earlier, Zhang Yu concealed himself inside the gourd space. My ’Insight Skill’ could neither detect him nor trace his presence."
"Even using the ’Dayan Divination Method,’ I couldn’t deduce his whereabouts."
"As long as I hide inside, the Direct Pointing Department won’t be able to track me."
Since discovering the gourd space, Chen Jichuan had already drafted a preliminary strategy.
Over the past month, he had fine-tuned his plans.
During this time, aside from cultivating, he spent time thoroughly scouting every corner of Leiyin Mountain, using the ’Insight Skill’ to meticulously inspect the grounds.
Regretfully—
He failed to find other treasures comparable to the gourd.
Slightly disappointed.
Nonetheless, this last lingering thought was now resolved.
"Time to leave!"
"No need to involve others!"
Chen Jichuan acted decisively, leaving behind a written letter before immediately employing the ’Guiyuan Hiding Method’ to conceal himself. Without leaving Leiyin Mountain, he headed to a secluded area near its base, activated his thoughts, and vanished into the gourd space, disappearing without a trace.
...