Yang Kai woke up
early
the next morning, his mind already set on today's goal.
Yesterday's
training session
had left a deep impact on his cultivation, proving once again that hard work paid off. Naturally, he wasn't about to waste any time—every second counted.
After finishing his daily
training routine
, he wasted no time
rushing to the Contribution Hall
.
Why?
Well, while he had
heard
of the
Three-Leaved Chaos Spirit Flower
and the
Dead Jedi Tree Grass
, he had absolutely
zero clue
what they actually
looked
like. If he just wandered into the Black Wind Mountains blindly, he'd probably mistake some poisonous weed for a legendary herb and die like an idiot.
"Not exactly the cool protagonist moment I was hoping for."
At first, he considered asking
Treasurer Meng
for help, expecting some wise old master lecture about herbs.
Instead, the old man casually tossed him a
book on herbology
.
Yang Kai blinked.
"Man didn't even bother explaining. Just threw the book at me like a teacher handing out homework."
Still, no complaints. Flipping through the book, he found detailed descriptions, medical properties, habitats, and even illustrations of various herbs.
A great resource… but kind of disappointing.
Why?
Just as practitioners were classified into different ranks, so to were herbs, weapons and medicinal pellets. They were divided into, Ordinary Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, Mystery Grade, Spirit Grade and Saint Grade. Each of the Grades were then divided into the lower, middle and peak level.
Book
only
covered
Ordinary Grade herbs
. Nothing high-level. No divine pills or mythical plants that could make him ascend to immortality overnight.
"Well, not like I need Saint Grade herbs right now. Gotta start somewhere."
After stuffing the book into his robes, Yang Kai made his way to the
General Affairs Office
.
Technically, he was still just a lowly
sweeper
at High Heaven, and this trip would take at least a few days. If he didn't report it, they might think he ran away or got eaten by a demonic beast.
Thankfully, the office workers didn't
make things difficult
for him and casually approved his
three-day leave
.
With all
obligations handled
, Yang Kai set off!
The
Black Wind Mountains
were only
twenty miles away
on foot—far, but not too far. He had already been there multiple times for
hunting
, so he was pretty
familiar
with the terrain.
"Hope I don't run into some random young master looking for a fight. That would be my luck."
Fully
prepared
for the journey, he carried his
water, food, a shovel, and a bag
—everything he needed to collect herbs.
As he approached the
mountain range
, Yang Kai took in the view.
The
Black Wind Mountains
loomed ahead like a
prehistoric beast
, its dense forests stretching endlessly, jagged cliffs towering into the sky. The wind carried the scent of damp earth and greenery, rustling through the leaves like a whisper of unseen creatures.
"Man, if this was a game, this would be the kind of place where elite monsters spawn."
The
mountain
was home to many
ferocious beasts
, some even strong enough to
make martial artists run for their lives
.
Because of this, the region was split into zones:
The
first thirty miles
were the
safe zone
—low-level beasts, nothing too deadly.
The
next ten miles
were the
danger zone
—stronger creatures, high risk.
Anything
beyond that
?
Life-threatening zone. Enter at your own risk.
"Yeah, no thanks. I like being alive."
Since he only needed
Ordinary Grade herbs
, he
didn't
need to go deep into dangerous territory. That meant no need to worry about
getting eaten
.
Still, even in the
safe zone
, finding
specific
herbs wouldn't be easy. Many
other herb collectors
came here frequently, making rare herbs
even harder to find
.
After
half an hour
of walking, Yang Kai spotted
his first find
—a
bunch of herbs
growing in a thicket.
He crouched down and carefully
harvested them
, placing them in his
bag
.
"Alright, not bad. Decent start."
As he continued deeper, he glanced at the
vegetation
, trying to recall places where he might Find the
Three-Leaved Chaos Spirit Flower
or
Dead Jedi Tree Grass
.
Regardless, he had
the herbology book
to guide him this time, his chances of success were much
higher
.
By
evening
, Yang Kai had collected
four different types of herbs
.
Unfortunately…
None of them were
the ones he actually needed.
"Of course. It's never that easy."
Still, he wasn't
too disappointed
—even
low-level herbs
had some
value
. He could exchange them for
contribution points
, so at least they weren't
completely useless
.
Just as the
sun began to set
, Yang Kai finally arrived at a
promising location
.
It was
strange
—a lush, vibrant area full of plants, yet… there were
no animals. No birds. No insects. Nothing.
And then, in the
center
of this eerie silence, he spotted it—
three small patches of grass swaying in the wind
.
They were
brown-colored
, at first glance looking like
dead plants
.
But Yang Kai wasn't fooled.
"That's not decay—that's just their natural color!"
Rushing over, he quickly
dug them up
with a triumphant grin.
After
checking the herbology book
, he confirmed it—
Dead Jedi Tree Grass!
"Hell yeah! One down, one to go!"
These herbs
only grew in dead land
, and finding them was
usually difficult
. But thanks to the
herbology book
, he had known exactly where to look.
Carefully, he placed them in his
bag
, then took out some
water and food
for a quick break.
With the
Dead Jedi Tree Grass
secured, his next focus was on the
Three-Leaved Chaos Spirit Flower
.
Not only did he need to
find it
, but he needed a
large amount
of it.
"Double the effort, double the rewards."
However…
The
sun had already set
. Searching for herbs at night?
Not a great idea.
Even though he had
never spent the night
in the mountains before, he knew the
dangers
of doing so.
"I may be the protagonist, but I'm not dumb enough to test my luck at night."
After
scouting the area
, Yang Kai found a
large tree
and quickly climbed up to secure a
resting spot
.
Once he settled in, he
pulled out the black book
and flipped to
page three
.
With a
thought
, the
incense burner floated out
.
"Yup. Still weird, but also kinda cool."
The
black book
was clearly a
storage artifact
, though oddly, it only let him store
this one item
. Everything else?
Nope.
"Seriously, why can't I just use this thing as a proper inventory bag? That would be so much more useful."
Toying with the
incense burner
for a while, Yang Kai eventually felt
sleep creeping in
.
After an entire day of
hiking
, he
finally dozed off
.
........................
The Next Morning
At
sunrise
, Yang Kai woke up
early
and immediately
trained
in the
Tempered Body Record
for
half an hour
.
Something
felt different
today.
His
atmospheric sense
was at its
limit
. His
body
felt like it was
on the edge of breaking through
.
"One final push. Just a little more."
Feeling a
surge of determination
, Yang Kai packed up his things.
Today's
mission
was clear:
Find the Three-Leaved Chaos Spirit Flower. Break through to the next stage.