"A single day in the cave, a thousand years in the mortal realm."
At merely the Foundation Establishment stage, Qin Sang was still far from such an immortal realm.
However, for a cultivator, time truly passed swiftly while in meditative seclusion.
Before he knew it, another month had slipped by in the flick of a finger.
The final traces left behind from his failed attempt with the Kanli Golden Pill had long been wiped clean from his heart. With his Dao heart serene, Qin Sang once again brought his condition to its peak.
Snow spirit lotus.
Iris flower.
One white and one red, one yin and one yang, the two spirit herbs lay side by side before Qin Sang.
The two spirit herbs radiated a gentle aura. Even as their scents mingled in the air, they did not clash violently like the volatile medicinal forces of the Kanli Golden Pill.
Right now, the other Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Lesser Cold Domain were surely envying Qin Sang's luck.
Unlike the Kanli Golden Pill, whose primary ingredients could be cultivated artificially and then concocted into a pill, these two spirit herbs were interdependent and incapable of surviving alone. The snow spirit lotus favored freezing terrain, while the iris flower required scorching warmth. Thus, they had to grow where extreme cold and heat converged—and the balance between cold and heat had to be exact, an extraordinarily harsh condition.
Such spirit herbs could only be found by chance, never sought at will.
Yet supplementary aids were ultimately nothing more than aids.
Recalling the ingestion method Snake Granny had instructed when he selected the spirit herbs, Qin Sang took out several recovery and healing pills and held them in his mouth. Then, resting a spirit herb in each palm, he raised both hands before him.
Spiritual power surged toward his palms. Turning his hands into a crucible, he refined the spirit herbs.
Beginning from the roots, the two spirit herbs were refined almost simultaneously.
One turned into an ice-crystal-like spirit liquid, translucent and pure.
The other was refined into a red spirit liquid, appearing as though a layer of flame burned across its surface.
Qin Sang proceeded with great caution, taking a long time to slowly burn away the impurities from both spirit herbs, leaving behind only the purest parts of their medicinal power.
The two globes of spirit liquid were exactly the same size, neither more nor less.
Then, he swallowed the recovery pills in his mouth.
A moment later, his depleted spiritual power was restored to its peak. Qin Sang's gaze focused. Exhaling softly, he swallowed both globes of spirit liquid at once.
Wonderfully, upon entering Qin Sang's meridians, the two globes of spirit liquid intertwined into a single stream and surged together into his sea of qi.
Boom!
The familiar tempest struck once more, only far less violent than before.
Furthermore, the medicinal energy of these two spirit herbs was not only gentle, but also much longer-lasting than that of the Kanli Golden Pill.
Confirming his sea of qi was stable, Qin Sang immersed his mind into meditative trance to comprehend the Dao and cultivate.
The spirit eye constantly gushed rich spiritual qi.
In the jade pool, the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid rested as quiet as a maiden.
A solitary immortal cultivator sat in tranquil meditation.
It was a scene of serene harmony.
Regrettably, this harmony persisted for over ten days, and it looked as though it would continue indefinitely.
From beginning to end, the legendary phenomena of converging clouds and winds, or the celestial and terrestrial convergence, never materialized.
Twenty days was enough.
Qin Sang opened his eyes, boundless disappointment deep within them.
He gave up, for there was no longer any point in persisting.
The efficacy of the snow spirit lotus and iris flower was immense, far superior to that of the Kanli Golden Pill, truly living up to their reputation as top-tier spirit herbs that offered the greatest assistance to Core Formation.
Yet they had brought Qin Sang no luck.
Qin Sang had indeed gained some insights and attained many rewards, but the all-important condensation of spiritual power had only shown the faintest of signs before the medicinal energy was completely exhausted.
Twenty days, like a fleeting dream.
With both the snow spirit lotus and iris flower failing, Qin Sang did not know what other spirit herbs could possibly help him.
Piling up spirit herbs to force a breakthrough was virtually impossible. Aside from the snow spirit lotus and iris flower, lower-grade spirit herbs would have even worse effects; for instance, pills a tier below the Kanli Golden Pill would be completely useless to him.
Even if he bankrupted himself, how many could he exchange for?
Moreover, for pills that aided Core Formation, their efficacy degraded drastically on a second ingestion.
"Alas..."
A soft sigh echoed through the dim cave abode.
Qin Sang sat by the edge of the pool, staring motionless at the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, his thoughts unknowable. He sat there in dry contemplation for an entire day.
The next day.
Qin Sang looked as calm as usual, seemingly having forgotten yesterday's sorrow. Leaving his magic treasures, iron ring, and other items from his mustard seed bag inside the cave abode, he rode a cloud and flew toward Shaohua Mountain.
...
It seemed Snake Granny's words were true: the tensions between the Lesser Cold Domain and the Heaven-Traversing Alliance had eased. Shaohua Mountain's mountain-protecting grand array was already deactivated, and the disciples patrolling on alert had been withdrawn.
Meeting no hindrance, Qin Sang flew into the mountain gate and headed straight for Qi Yuanshou's cave abode.
Qi Yuanshou had returned Sect Master Peak to the current sect master and occupied a solitary peak of Shaohua Mountain for himself. His disciple, Gao Yang, was also on the mountain, cultivating by his side.
The mountain peak was not tall, yet it was remarkably scenic and ethereal.
The mountain was situated right over a main artery of the sect's spirit vein; the spiritual qi within was in no way inferior to Qin Sang's spirit spring cave abode, if not even richer.
Before long, the green peak came into view, veiled in a light mist.
Qin Sang slowed his evasion technique and lightly touched down at the foot of the mountain. Dispersing the clouds beneath his feet, he straightened his robes, bowed respectfully toward the summit, and called out clearly:
"Disciple Qin Sang pays respects to Martial Uncle Qi."
Whoosh!
As soon as Qin Sang's voice fell, the mist above roiled and parted to both sides, revealing a path through the fog. Then, a figure sped down atop a flying sword, lightly landing before Qin Sang.
Sword light flashed around his body before instantly disappearing.
"Junior Brother Gao's swordsmanship has grown increasingly exquisite," Qin Sang complimented.
"It's all thanks to the fine sword Senior Brother gifted me!"
Having cultivated constantly by Qi Yuanshou's side, Gao Yang had changed little in appearance or temperament. Greeting Qin Sang warmly upon seeing him, he said frankly, "Senior Brother Qin, Master is currently in seclusion, and before entering, he explicitly forbade any casual disturbances. If Senior Brother has no pressing matter, why not wait a short while? As soon as Master emerges, I will inform him right away..."
Qin Sang parted his lips, just about to speak.
Just then, a strange expression suddenly appeared on Gao Yang's face. His expression turned solemn as he tilted his ear to listen. A moment later, he bowed toward the mountaintop and said, "Disciple obeys."
Then he turned around and urged Qin Sang with delight, "Senior Brother, go quickly! Master wants to see you. He just sent a voice transmission telling you to head over on your own!"
Qin Sang cupped his hands to Gao Yang, propelled his movement technique, and sped off alone toward Qi Yuanshou's cave abode.
Racing along, Qin Sang soon arrived outside the cave abode, only to find its doors tightly shut with no sign of Qi Yuanshou.
Just as Qin Sang was wondering, Qi Yuanshou's voice drifted out from inside.
"Have you already consumed the snow spirit lotus and iris flower?"
Stabilizing his footing before the cave abode, Qin Sang quickly bowed and answered, "Disciple greets Martial Uncle Qi. To report to Martial Uncle, this disciple has already refined both spirit herbs."
Inside the cave abode, Qi Yuanshou gave an "Mhm," mused for a moment, and said indifferently, "That is well. It serves as an explanation to my senior brothers..."
Qin Sang felt a chill in his heart.
Sure enough, even the Golden Core Masters in the sect had their eyes on the snow spirit lotus and iris flower in his possession.
Such spirit herbs could only be found by chance, never sought at will; even for those as powerful as Golden Core cultivators, getting hold of them was no easy feat.
They did not need them themselves, but they could give them to their legacy disciples or relatives.
Chapter 499