The Invincible Supreme Medical God-Chapter 996 - 540: A Living Nightmare (Part 2)
After they left, Big Fatty Zhang and the others gathered around Yan Xiaobao, full of smiles. After all, the people from the Monitoring Department were outsiders, and they knew Yan Xiaobao had been working hard for the past months. Therefore, they were satisfied with the overall results.
"Well done, kid. You didn't commit suicide within half a year!" Big Fatty Zhang patted Yan Xiaobao's shoulder.
"That's right. I've worked so hard, I even scared myself!" Yan Xiaobao proudly lifted his chin like a conceited rooster, as if Big Fatty Zhang and the others were teasing him again. According to an ancient saying, time flies like a white pony flashing through a crack in the wall. That's exactly what happened to Yan Xiaobao. A month later, cold winds blew across Heavenspan River, through Spirit Stream Sect. Suddenly, Yan Xiaobao realized he had been in this sect for a year.
Over the past year, one event followed another. He left the Mortal World to become a cultivator, raised his cultivation level to the third level of Qi Condensation, and resolved all the conflicts that arose after he joined the Roasting Oven.
Xu Baocai never appeared in the Oven again, and when Yan Xiaobao left the supply station and saw him from afar, he would hurry away, obviously frightened.
Nevertheless, after a month had passed, Yan Xiaobao remained anxious as usual, constantly sighing. He didn't talk to Big Fatty Zhang and the others about his concerns; he simply immersed himself in his helplessness.
"One year of longevity..." he thought, looking at a tree in the distance, its leaves starting to turn yellow and fall to the ground.
"I'm like that tree, those falling leaves are like the year of longevity I've lost..." At this realization, Yan Xiaobao suddenly felt very sentimental.
In the past month, he came up with numerous ideas on how to regain the lost longevity, yet the white hair on his head remained as white as before. He asked Big Fatty Zhang some indirect questions and learned that methods to restore longevity indeed exist in the cultivation world. However, these methods are either tightly kept secrets or difficult to pursue, like a Phoenix feather or a Qilin Horn.
Soon, he even lost interest in eating, his face becoming pale and wan. Eventually, he decided he had no choice but to accept that he had lost that year of longevity. However, the next day, when he went out for supplies from the Oven, he happened to see a giant stone stele below the third peak, and suddenly, he started gasping.
On the South Shore of Spirit Stream Sect, all the peaks have steles like this one. It's covered with dense scripts, lines, and writings that flash with bright lights. Occasionally, the scripts flow like water as old characters are replaced by new ones.
This stele holds the tasks from the Soul Stream Sect. Anyone in the sect wishing to complete a task can earn Spirit Stones required for cultivation, as well as merits.
Merits can be used to pay entrance fees to the Bible sermon or the Magic Hall. They can also be used to enter various special areas in the sect reserved for certain aspects of cultivation. Indeed, everything in the sect can be obtained through merits, and they're actually considered more valuable than Spirit Stones.
At the moment, quite a few Outer Sect Disciples were gathered around the Mission Stele of the third peak, staring at the tasks. When one of them decided to undertake a task, they would respectfully inform the middle-aged cultivator sitting cross-legged there.
There were even some servants mixed in with the Outer Sect disciples. The servants wore uniforms, while the Outer Sect disciples wore green robes embroidered with cloud and river designs, making it easy to distinguish who was who.
Some missions are only for inner disciples to undertake, but such tasks won't appear on this particular stele. The missions here can be taken by Outer Sect disciples and servants.
Many ambitious servants see this place as their first step towards leaping through the Dragon's Gate, achieving a rapid rise.
Yan Xiaobao stood there, staring at a special script in the middle of the stele that required an incense stick to burn, facing the severity. Eventually, a trace of hesitation appeared in his eyes.
"Extend Aging—Enhancement Pill...." he murmured, "I never expected this stele would offer a pill as a reward like this. Just from the name, you can say the pill likely extends longevity." After some thought, he approached the middle-aged cultivator.
When the Outer Sect disciples realized Yan Xiaobao was nearby, they completely ignored him. Considering their status, they didn't care about the servants, whom they considered beneath them.
Yan Xiaobao waited until the crowd around the middle-aged cultivator thinned a bit, then, trying his best to seem charmingly innocent, he clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully.
"Hey there, brother," he said.
The middle-aged cultivator looked Yan Xiaobao up and down, then slightly nodded.
He asked, "Brother, one of the tasks involves seeking some herbal plants." His concerns about longevity swirled in Yan Xiaobao's mind. "The reward is an age-extending enhancement pill. I might ask if this pill helps in extending lifespan?"
"Extend Aging—Enhancement Pill... yes, that's the task. This pill can indeed extend your age, extend your lifespan. In fact, it increases it by one whole year. But, it has many limitations. It's only useful if you're at the fifth level of Qi Condensation or below, and can only be consumed once. If you take the pill more than once, it does nothing at all. You could say it's valuable, but unfortunately, a year of longevity isn't really that important." The middle-aged cultivator seeing how charmingly innocent Yan Xiaobao looked, decided to provide some additional information.
"Generally, it's a pill that disciples would give to their mortal world family members. But, it remains very expensive. Do you wish to undertake the task?"
Yan Xiaobao looked back at the stele, did some calculations, then nodded.
The middle-aged cultivator gestured at the stele, and the task turned gray. At the same time, he made a jade plate and handed it to Yan Xiaobao.
"Greenspirit Leaf, Groundhog Fruit, and Stone Shell," the man calmly said. "Collect appropriate quantities of these three medicinal ingredients, and you can exchange them for the age-extending longevity pill." After that, he paid no more attention to Yan Xiaobao, instead starting to explain other tasks to the nearby Outer Sect disciples.
Yan Xiaobao left, the jade sliding plate in his hand, the word "extend longevity" echoing in his mind, his gaze started to glow with determination.
"I will definitely get this pill to make up for the year of longevity I lost."
Resolutely, he hurried towards the Four Seas Hall, where he gathered information that servants could obtain. Soon he found an introduction to Greenspirit Leaf, a medicinal plant that only grew in habitats where the Hope Spirit Birds dwelled. Hopespirit birds lived in large colonies, usually growing to the second level of Qi Condensation, making Greenspirit Leaves difficult to harvest. As a result, they tend to be expensive.
Unfortunately, there was no record of Earth Dragon Fruit or Stone Shell in the Four Seas Chamber. Yan Xiaobao patted his package, smiled wryly, and then left. Back at the Oven, he asked Big Fatty Zhang and the others about them. No one had heard of Earth Dragon Fruit, but Third Fatty Black knew about Stone Shell. Apparently, it was nothing more than the molted exoskeleton of a spiritual worm called Stone Beetle.
It's said those exoskeletons are very hard and heavy but are not commonly found on the South Shore. However, they're common on the North Shore, that's because most of the techniques cultivated there involve Shaman Magic. Unfortunately, although both the north and south shores are part of Spirit Stream Sect, they're separated by the Main Mountain Bridge. Besides, only inner disciples are eligible to cross that mountain bridge from one shore to the other.
"Why are you interested in these medicinal ingredients?" Big Fatty Zhang asked, patting his belly. "You know, you can't eat them. Also, if you try buying them in the South Shore Market, the prices will be sky-high."
When Yan Xiaobao heard the mention of the "market," his eyes suddenly lit up. After providing a quick explanation, he hurried down the mountain. In the year he'd been part of the Oven, he had left the sect a few times, but he was quite familiar with the market outside the sect.
Most of the stalls are operated by various cultivation families related to the sect disciples. There are even places owned by disciples themselves, specifically to serve other disciples. Gradually, an unwritten set of rules that everyone adhered to has been established.
Generally, the Oven supplies required can be found here.
...
