Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Wood Essence Jade Marrow

The next task was to gather the Spirit Medicines. During his earlier search for Demon Spirits, Song Changsheng had already noted the locations of several rare Tier Two Spirit Medicines, each a treasure seldom seen on the market.

It was impossible to know how many years this Wood Spirit Vein had been gestating. Not only were the Spirit Medicines numerous, but they were also incredibly old, making their medicinal properties even more potent.

After harvesting the Spirit Medicines, they also sowed the seeds. In a few years, new plants would grow, creating a sustainable cycle. Once this was established, the Song Clan could prepare to break into the Spirit Medicine Market.

Song Changsheng had high standards, focusing only on Tier Two Spirit Medicines. Before long, a small fruit tree caught his attention. As he drew closer to inspect it, a look of frustration flashed in his eyes.

Before him was a rare Red Jade Vermilion Fruit tree, bearing three bright red fruits. A unique fragrance wafted from them, making them look incredibly alluring.

The source of his frustration was the number of fruits. A Red Jade Vermilion Fruit tree should bear nine fruits at once, but only three remained. This meant they had been ripe for a long time, and six had already fallen and been absorbed back into the earth.

This was an enormous loss. The Red Jade Vermilion Fruit was an extremely rare Spirit Plant, and its fruit could be used to refine the Dragon Ascending Pill. This pill helped Foundation Establishment Cultivators break through their cultivation bottlenecks, making it exceptionally precious.

Song Changsheng quickly took out three Purple Jade Boxes. He carefully picked the three Vermilion Fruits and stored them inside. If these fruits were used properly, the clan’s overall strength would see a significant boost.

He marked the spot, planning to take the fruit tree back to the clan when they left. Although the Wood Spirit Vein was a more suitable environment for its growth, this area was ultimately in a region where the clan’s control was weak. If anything unexpected happened, the regret would be immense.

After securing the fruits, Song Changsheng hadn’t gone far when good news arrived from his mother, Xia Yunxue. She had discovered a Foundation Establishment Fruit Tree!

Overjoyed, Song Changsheng rushed over. He found a small tree, about half a man’s height, that emitted a faint, hazy glow. Its leaves were shaped like human palms, each with a unique pattern of veins.

Hidden in its crown were two plump, yellow fruits. These were the very Foundation Establishment Fruits that drove countless Cultivators into a frenzy!

"The heavens have blessed the Song Clan! Our foundation has grown that much stronger!" said Song Luhuai, who had just arrived, his beard trembling with excitement.

Song Changsheng’s heart was also filled with joy. As its name suggested, the Foundation Establishment Fruit was one of the three primary ingredients for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.

All three of these primary ingredients were extremely rare, with long growth cycles. They were almost never seen on the market, as they were hoarded by those powerful enough to obtain them. The appearance of a single plant would be enough to cause a local upheaval.

After all, the temptation of the Foundation Establishment Pill was simply too great.

Even the Song Clan, despite being established for centuries, lacked the ability to be self-sufficient. They had to act at the beck and call of other powers, a truly frustrating existence.

For centuries, the Song Clan had never given up on collecting the Spirit Medicines needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill. They had already gathered and successfully cultivated the dozens of required supplementary ingredients, and they had even obtained the Pill Formula.

However, they were stuck on the three primary ingredients. The Song Clan currently possessed only one: the Star Tempering Flower. Now, they finally had the Foundation Establishment Fruit as well. They were only missing the last one—the Dragon Blood Ginseng—before the Song Clan would have the ability to refine its own Foundation Establishment Pills!

Once they achieved self-sufficiency, it would be a monumental leap forward for the Song Clan. After all, very few powers in the entire Daqi Cultivation World had reached this stage.

This wasn’t just about mass-producing Foundation Establishment Cultivators; it also represented immense profits!

Just think about it. A single batch of Alchemy Materials, given to a skilled Alchemist, would have a guaranteed yield of three pills. The market price for one Foundation Establishment Pill was around thirty thousand Spirit Stones, sometimes even close to forty thousand, like the one Song Changsheng currently possessed.

What was this? It was an absolute fortune!

By cultivating their own Spirit Medicines, the cost for a batch of Alchemy Materials wouldn’t exceed thirty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. In other words, selling a single Foundation Establishment Pill would be enough to break even. Everything after that was pure profit. A single refinement would net them a minimum of sixty thousand Spirit Stones.

This was pure net profit. The Song Clan’s total annual income, from top to bottom, didn’t even amount to this much. After deducting various expenses, what was left over was even less. This was a true windfall.

And that was just the baseline calculation. In reality, the profit could be double!

Even if they didn’t sell any and used them all for the clan, they would still save a fortune in Spirit Stones. If the Song Clan hadn’t needed to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills, its finances wouldn’t be so strained.

In short, no power that could independently refine Foundation Establishment Pills was ever poor, and certainly none were weak!

That was why they were so thrilled to see this Foundation Establishment Fruit Tree. It was the very foundation of a powerful clan, something that would benefit their descendants for generations to come.

"This alone is enough to satisfy me. Once we find the Dragon Blood Ginseng, we’ll no longer have to live at the mercy of others!" Song Luhuai felt an urge to roar at the sky to express his elation.

"We will. The clan is sure to grow stronger step by step and march toward glory. We will reclaim and even surpass our former peak!"

"That’s right, that day will surely come. However, it will all depend on your generation now," Song Luhuai said, looking at Song Changsheng with deep emotion.

"Alright, let’s get back to business before something goes wrong," Xia Yunxue said, chiding them gently.

"Absolutely! This Wood Spirit Vein has thousands of Spirit Medicines. Who knows, perhaps we’ll even find Dragon Blood Ginseng here!" Song Luhuai was filled with fighting spirit, the discovery of the Foundation Establishment Fruit Tree seemingly taking years off his age.

Song Changsheng couldn’t help but chuckle. ’He knew it was impossible for Dragon Blood Ginseng to grow here.’ The three primary ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill each had their own unique growth requirements.

The Star Tempering Flower required a place dense with starlight, the Foundation Establishment Fruit needed abundant Spiritual Qi, and the Dragon Blood Ginseng was the most unique, requiring irrigation by Dragon Blood to grow. Such conditions were impossible to find in this Wood Spirit Vein.

But he didn’t burst the elder’s bubble, not wanting to dampen his enthusiasm. The three of them split up again to gather Spirit Medicines. However, it seemed their luck had run out, as for a long time afterward, they found no other Spirit Medicines of particular value.

They did, however, have a bountiful harvest of Tier One Spirit Medicines. Things like Gathering Spirit Grass, Bone Marrow Cleansing Flower, and Yellow Bud Grass... all of them were exceptionally precious Tier One Spirit Medicines.

Just as their gathering was drawing to a close, Song Changsheng noticed something unusual in an inconspicuous hollow in the ground. It felt as if something there was drawing him closer.

Song Changsheng was puzzled. ’Could there be treasure buried here?’

He tried digging with his Long Spear and did indeed hit something hard. Easing up on the pressure, he continued to dig deeper and soon unearthed an oddly shaped stone, roughly as tall as a man.

The moment it was unearthed, Song Changsheng could clearly feel it devouring the surrounding Wood Spirit Qi.

’What is this? How can it possess such dense Vitality Power?’ Song Changsheng was astonished. He had actually discovered a vitality within a stone that was even richer than Wood Spirit Essence.

’The outer shell is just ordinary basalt. There must be something inside.’

Song Changsheng tried to strip away the outer layer of basalt. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a faintly glowing crystal appeared before him.

The crystal was jade-green throughout and only the size of an adult’s fist, but the sheer Vitality Power it radiated left Song Changsheng astounded.

"Twelfth Uncle, you are far more experienced than I. Have you ever heard of such a thing?" Song Changsheng asked, looking at Song Luhuai, who had already rushed over.

Song Luhuai stroked his chin, his brow furrowed in thought. After a long moment, he slowly shook his head. He had never heard of such an object.

Xia Yunxue, however, looked thoughtful. In an uncertain tone, she said, "Could this be the legendary Wood Essence Jade Marrow?"

"Wood Essence Jade Marrow?" Song Changsheng and Song Luhuai exchanged a surprised glance. Neither of them had ever heard of such a thing.

Xia Yunxue nodded. "Before I married into the clan, I heard your maternal grandfather mention it once. It’s a unique treasure found only in Wood Spirit Veins. For a Wood Attribute Cultivator, it can increase the chances of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment."

"It’s also a supreme treasure for healing. If this truly is Wood Essence Jade Marrow, then your grandfather’s injuries might finally have a chance to heal completely!"

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