"Zhou Daoyou, your Dao won't be allowed to end here. I will find someone worthy to carry it on."
Chen Jinshu let out a soft, long sigh, a faint shimmer of moisture clouding her dark eyes as she looked at the silent letter. She pressed down the sudden surge of bitterness in her chest and solemnly stored the wooden box deep within her storage ring, placing it securely beneath her other belongings.
Then she stepped into the quiet room. The surrounding spiritual energy stirred lightly in the air, and her figure vanished from where she stood as if she had never been there.
Inside the spiritual planting space, the atmosphere was calm and still.
Chen Jinshu cast a Rain Nurturing spell over the spirit fields for a long while, watching the fine mist settle on the leaves, then she sat cross-legged in front of the bamboo house and began circulating the Verdant Wood Rebirth Formula.
The dense grass and wood spiritual energy gathered from all around the pocket dimension, threading into her meridians in fine, glowing strands and nourishing her Golden Core with every breath she took.
…
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye within the quiet of the space.
Buzz—!
A clear, resonant sword hum suddenly rang out, vibrating through the still air.
Chen Jinshu, who had been deep in seclusion, snapped her eyes open at the sound.
Not far away, the ice-blue spirit sword was trembling violently against the ground. Blue light surged and receded across its length as if something powerful inside the metal was struggling desperately to break free from its confinement.
Clang—!
Xiao Yin shot into the air in alarm, its sharp eyes locked onto the ice-blue spirit sword that now radiated a formidable and chilling sword qi.
The next instant, with a soft, audible pop, a much more solid blue phantom burst free from the sword body and hovered in midair.
It was the sword spirit of the Azure Frost Sword.
Nourished by the many spirit items that Chen Jinshu had provided to replenish its origin, the spirit no longer looked like the frail, three-inch miniature blade it once was. Its spectral form was now nearly a foot long, with cold light like flowing water rippling along the edges of its blade. Its origin had clearly grown far stronger than before.
Only at the very tip of the phantom remained a small, jagged scar—a crack that had yet to fully heal despite the recovery.
"Hah… hah…"
The sword spirit made a rhythmic sound that resembled a person breathing.
The sword tip swayed left and right in a very human way, as if the spirit were adjusting to its much more solid body. Its voice still carried a distinct childlike tone, but it sounded energetic and strong as it spoke.
"So good. This spirit sword is truly amazing nourishment. And that spirit replenishing liquid—that stuff packs a punch."
It spun excitedly in the air, scattering shards of icy blue light into the grass, then pointed its tip precisely at Chen Jinshu and chirped with delight.
"Human. Do you have any more. Give me some more. I can feel it. With just a bit more, I will recover completely very soon."
The sword spirit froze mid-spin and hovered directly in front of her.
"…None left?"
Even the rhythm of its glowing light slowed down in disappointment.
"There is none left," she repeated, her gaze carefully observing the sword spirit that had clearly recovered quite a bit and now carried the faint, sharp aura of a true divine blade.
"Giving you a second-tier spirit sword was already an exception. Third-tier spirit replenishing liquid is even more precious than that. Do you think treasures that repair a sword spirit's body grow on trees."
The spectral sword body drooped slightly in the air, its blue glow dimming, and it looked almost aggrieved by her words.
"But… but I'm not fully healed yet. My origin is still flawed. How am I supposed to help you fight later. How am I supposed to unleash stronger sword arts. And that Breaking the Formation Melody—you haven't mastered it yet, right. I have got more. I have even better ones. Sword formations fused with musical rhythms. Don't you want those."
"You slept for such a long time and the first thing you do is ask for more resources. You think the world is that generous," Chen Jinshu said, shaking her head slightly as she cut it off.
"Greed won't get you far. One Breaking the Formation Melody is more than enough for me to study for now. As for helping you…"
The corner of her lips curved into a very faint smile as she spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Bring something in exchange. Valuable information. Sealed secret realms. Lost pill formulas."
The sword spirit hovered there in silence, its blue light drawing inward slightly as if it were deep in thought.
Chen Jinshu didn't urge it further, but only watched the phantom quietly.
Now that the sword spirit had recovered quite a bit of its origin, its memories must have recovered along with it. Whatever was hidden in those ancient memories could bring her benefits she couldn't even predict.
About half a cup of tea later, the silence was broken.
The blue light on the sword spirit suddenly flickered violently, accompanied by a low, meaningless hum.
"Ugh… my head hurts… so many… fragments…"
Large amounts of broken, disjointed thoughts began to awaken in its spectral mind.
Chen Jinshu noticed the unstable aura around it, her gaze sharpening at the fluctuation. In an instant, a freshly refined Soul Stabilizing Pill was already pinched between her fingers, ready for use just in case the sword spirit went berserk.
Memory recovery clearly came with a great deal of pain.
Suddenly, the sword spirit snapped perfectly still.
All the chaotic, flickering light contracted inward, condensing into a straight, razor-sharp beam of deep blue light.
"I remember now. Northwest of Medicine King Valley. Yes, northwest. It's not far from here."
"Medicine King Valley?" Chen Jinshu murmured, surprised that the sword spirit's memories contained fragments related to the history of Medicine King Valley.
She didn't know much about its ancient origins, only that it had existed for over three thousand years, growing from an obscure minor sect into a sacred land of spiritual plants whose quality surpassed all others across the five continents.
"Do you know how Medicine King Valley came to be?"
"Human, Medicine King Valley is older than me," the sword spirit said slowly. By now, it had fully stabilized from its earlier unrest and its light was steady.
From its words, Chen Jinshu learned the ancient origins of Medicine King Valley, and her longing for plant awakening techniques only grew stronger.
It was said that in ancient times, the Eastern Region once held a primordial spirit root called the Remnant Branch of Jianmu. When it fell to the earth, the vast Yi Wood essence it carried fused with the land's spiritual veins, giving birth to a boundless valley of life known as Myriad Spirit Valley.
The plants there were enlightened by Jianmu's lingering aura, gradually gaining a unique intelligence. Some could even transform into human form, walking among the fields to tend spirit crops and care for the medicinal herbs.
A loose cultivator powerhouse known as Bai Cao Zhēnrén, later revered as the Medicine Ancestor, discovered the valley by chance. Witnessing the miracle of plants gaining sentience, he achieved enlightenment and created the supreme secret art known as the Spirit Plant Enlightenment Scripture, founding Medicine King Valley on that very spot.
Relying on the innate advantages of Myriad Spirit Valley, the valley's spiritual plants became unrivaled across the five continents, and the sect became especially renowned for pills that enhanced divine sense and repaired damaged Dao foundations.
However, three thousand years ago, the Blood Moon Sect of the Central Region coveted the Spirit Plant Enlightenment Scripture and joined forces with multiple other powers to attack Medicine King Valley.
The nineteenth Medicine Ancestor activated the Remnant Branch of Jianmu and unleashed the Myriad Wood Grand Formation to repel them. But the cost to the origin of the branch was immense, forcing the valley to seal its gates and grow increasingly guarded over the centuries.
Eight hundred years ago, a plague known as the Withered Heart Blight that devoured plant vitality swept through the Eastern Region. The twenty-first valley master of Medicine King Valley used his own essence blood as a catalyst, fused it with Five Colored Earth, and refined the World Cleansing Sweet Rain, saving hundreds of millions of mu of spirit fields. He was honored as the Salvation Medicine Zūn.
Since then, Medicine King Valley had been deeply respected by all sects and gradually reopened itself to the world. Now, the current valley master's eight hundredth birthday was approaching.
When the time came, Medicine King Valley would host a grand event renowned across all five continents.
"There is a pitch black rift valley called Black Rift Valley. Back when I was still sleeping inside the sword case, I vaguely sensed the aura there."
"The death qi there is thick and never disperses. There is definitely good stuff hidden inside."
"It might be Yin Marrow Jade."
"Counting the years, it's at least a thousand years old."
"Yin Marrow Jade?" Chen Jinshu kept her expression neutral and her voice calm, though interest had already sparked in her heart.
"That thing is excellent for nurturing the Primordial Soul and stabilizing spirit bodies. It's especially suited for cold or damaged souls. For you, it really is a great tonic. You planned this well."
She let out a cold laugh, instantly seeing through the sword spirit's little scheme.
The sword spirit clearly wanted her to retrieve treasures specifically to repair its own sword spirit body. It really thought she was some clueless fool.
"Human, you figured it out. But that is really the closest resource spot I remember clearly. As for other places, I will tell you when you pass near them, alright."
Caught out in its plan, the sword spirit wasn't annoyed. Its tone turned even more flattering, clearly afraid she would stop giving it the resources it needed to recover.
"That works," she said.
"But how can you be sure it's still there. And how do we get it. That place doesn't sound peaceful."
Yin Marrow Jade was formed from the accumulation of subterranean yin fiend qi over tens of thousands of years. It was extremely pure yin, invaluable for nurturing the Primordial Soul and repairing yin attribute artifacts. It was also prime material for crafting high-tier puppet substitutes or cultivating yin attribute spirit fields.
She had obtained Yin Sinking Wood before, but that only solved the physical structure of a puppet. The core marrow jade had always been hard to come by.
Moreover, if her Genesis Alchemy Furnace absorbed this item, it might open an additional profound yin spirit field alongside the Purple Gold Thunder Field, allowing her to cultivate even more wondrous yin attribute plants that benefited divine sense.
As Chen Jinshu remained outwardly calm, the sword spirit bobbed anxiously up and down. Upon hearing her agree, its blue light flickered excitedly.
"It's definitely still there. Treasures formed from earth vein yin nodes don't just disappear unless someone digs them out or the veins collapse."
"As for how to take it…"
"Don't you have that powerful furnace. Its projection can stabilize space for a short time. While it's frozen, with your cultivation, breaking through the outer layer of filthy death qi and taking the core jade marrow won't be hard. You just have to be fast."
"And that place is soaked in death qi. Ordinary cultivators avoid it like the plague. No one is thinking about it."
"It's a perfect blind spot."
"The risk is way lower than stealing resources right under the noses of major sects, right."
"Engrave everything you remember. The location, terrain, and possible entrances to the yin node. Leave nothing out."
Her voice was calm but decisive. She raised her hand and tossed a massive stone slab in front of the sword spirit, the authority in her tone leaving no room for refusal.
The sword spirit, still mid explanation, was instantly cowed by her presence and began trembling in place.