"Since when do humans need precious soil for cultivation?" the Ginseng Baby asked in surprise. As far as it could remember, even among cultivators who specialized in earth-attribute techniques, none had ever come asking them for dirt.
The Herb Garden lacked many things, but soil was definitely not one of them. In particular, the soil used by the Little Medicine Kings was extraordinary earth that could not be bought for a thousand pieces of gold.
"Wait here for a moment," the Ginseng Baby said. It jogged into the wooden cabin, and after a clattering bout of rummaging, it emerged carrying four spades.
"Let's the four of us go dig up some rare soil and see which one Lu Yang can use." It kept one spade for itself and handed the remaining three to the other three Little Medicine Kings.
The four Little Medicine Kings split up and set to work, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye. Only the Enlightenment Tree, Lu Yang, and the Immortal Fairy were left where they stood.
The Ginseng Baby was the first to return, its root whiskers cradling a pile of dark, pitch-black dirt. "Here, this is black soil. Do you want it?"
Lu Yang had often heard of this kind of earth. It was soil that could make any spiritual plant flourish and thrive; the land cultivated by the azure-eyed water buffalo clan was this very black soil.
"This isn't the ordinary black soil you see out in the world, though. This is the Source of Black Soil. Not only can it be used for farming, but it can also improve the quality of surrounding earth, transforming it into black soil as well.
"The black soil you see out there is merely earth that has been assimilated by the Source of Black Soil—in other words, black soil derivatives. Those derivatives have limits on their lifespan and the number of times they can be used. After a few harvests, they degrade back into regular dirt. But what I'm holding is genuine black soil, and it will never change." The Ginseng Baby looked rather smug; this was the Little Medicine Kings' absolute favorite type of soil.
"It's that magical?" Lu Yang grabbed a handful, closed his eyes, shoved it straight into his mouth, and swallowed it down.
The Ginseng Baby and the Enlightenment Tree were dumbfounded. They had still been wondering how on earth Lu Yang planned to cultivate using soil, only to watch him eat it right then and there!
"How is it? How is it? What does it feel like?" the Immortal Fairy asked impatiently.
Lu Yang smacked his lips, savoring the sensation. "Nothing's changed. My cultivation realm hasn't advanced, the circulation of spiritual energy in my body hasn't sped up, my strength hasn't increased, my agility hasn't improved, and my divine sense is completely unchanged."
"Maybe the amount was too small? Eat a bit more?" the Immortal Fairy suggested.
Lu Yang thought that made sense, so in one go, he finished off every last bit of black soil the Ginseng Baby had brought. He even circulated his cultivation technique through an entire great heavenly circuit. "Still no change."
The Immortal Fairy pondered seriously, then analyzed, "It's possible the black soil's purpose is to improve your innate talent. For instance, turning a triple spiritual root into a dual spiritual root, or a dual spiritual root into a single spiritual root. But you already possess a single spiritual root, which is already the peak of natural talent, so there's simply no room left for improvement."
Lu Yang looked at her skeptically. "Fairy, have you never eaten it yourself?"
"What nonsense is that? As the foremost of the Ten Ancient Beauties, how would it look if this immortal went around eating dirt?
"Besides, by the time this immortal learned this divine ability, I was already an immortal with my cultivation at its absolute peak. Why would I need to eat dirt?"
Lu Yang interrupted her boasting. "Wait a second. Where did this 'Ten Ancient Beauties' come from? How come I've never heard of such a ranking?"
"This immortal is the number one beauty of ancient times, isn't that right?"
Lu Yang looked at the Immortal Fairy's exquisite face, upon which not a single flaw could be found, and nodded.
"If there's a first place, there has to be a tenth place, right?"
Lu Yang nodded again.
"Although this immortal doesn't know who the Ten Ancient Beauties are, since a tenth place must exist, then naturally the Ten Ancient Beauties exist."
"So you just made it up?"
"How can you call it making it up? I'm merely stating the existence of something that is undeniably real! Furthermore, three of the Ten Ancient Beauties definitely exist: Immortal Kirin's two wives, and this immortal's most devout follower, Qing He."
"Immortal Kirin?" Just then, the Kirin Immortal Herb came over clutching another clump of soil, catching the tail end of the Immortal Fairy's mention of Immortal Kirin.
"Lady Fairy, the Immortal Kirin you spoke of... does He have any connection to me?"
Seeing how anxious the Kirin Immortal Herb looked, Lu Yang remembered a rumor the Ginseng Baby had once told him: that true kirins did not exist in the world, and every kirin mortals claimed to have seen was actually the Kirin Immortal Herb.
Even the Little Medicine Kings did not know whether real kirins had ever walked the world.
Lu Yang had once thought the same, until he learned of Immortal Kirin's existence from the Immortal Fairy and debunked the misconception.
Only now did Lu Yang realize that knowledge he took for granted—such as the titles of the Four Ancient Celestials—was something that hardly anyone even at the Body Integration stage knew, and not even long-lived beings like the Little Medicine Kings were aware of.
*Could it be that the Immortal Fairy really is my golden finger?*
"Immortal Kirin was the only kirin in the world, as well as the only immortal of the demon race. As for you Kirin Immortal Herbs..."
The Kirin Immortal Herb asked eagerly, "How did we come to be?"
"Immortal Kirin's blood dripped onto a spiritual plant, and influenced by the immortal blood, that plant took on the form of a kirin."
The Kirin Immortal Herb immediately felt its status rise several notches, its stem straightening proudly.
Lu Yang was startled. "Immortal Kirin was injured even after achieving immortality? Who was the enemy?"
Could there have been terrifying entities in the ancient era capable of threatening the ancient immortals? Had the Immortal Fairy refrained from mentioning them out of concern that his cultivation was too low, intending to tell him only after he grew stronger?
The Fairy had truly acted with painstaking consideration! Yet somehow, he had still picked up on the clues!
Should he pretend not to know, or press on with his questions?
The Immortal Fairy seemed equally baffled. "I wasn't there at the time, so I'm not clear on the specifics. When Immortal Kirin got married, Immortal Ying Tian and the other two stepped in, gave Immortal Kirin a sound beating, and made him bleed quite a lot.
"Why they had to throw hands on such a joyous occasion, I'll never understand. Could that be the legendary bridal chamber hazing?"
Lu Yang: "..."
*Wasn't it because you stirred up trouble at the wedding with your immortal fruit, having two Dragon and Phoenix prodigies who studied cooking under you compete in culinary skills, and making Immortal Ying Tian and the other two serve as judges to taste it—after which the three of them assumed the root of the disaster was Immortal Kirin, and gave him a thrashing?!*
*So that was when the Kirin Immortal Herb came into existence.*
The Kirin Immortal Herb in this garden had to be a descendant of that very first one.
"A battle between immortals?!" The Enlightenment Tree and the Ginseng Baby sucked in a breath of cold air. They had never imagined that in the ancient era, even after attaining immortality, one could still suffer such calamity.
Based on the Immortal Fairy's words, their imaginations ran wild:
*In the ancient era, when Immortal Kirin wed, myriad demons came to pay homage. Yet the three immortals hostile to Immortal Kirin deliberately chose his joyous day to provoke him! For his beloved and his dignity, Immortal Kirin's fury flared, facing the three immortals without a shred of fear. Boldly striking out, he unleashed colossal waves of supreme immortal power, shaking countless ages!*
*That battle defended his supreme status as the sole immortal of the demon race!*
*To draw the blood of an immortal, that battle must have been unimaginably tragic and brutal!*
*A true clash of immortals!*
This Immortal Fairy truly didn't treat them like outsiders; with a casual sentence, she had unveiled a corner of ancient secrets.
They turned their gaze toward Lu Yang.
Staying by the Fairy's side, just how many ancient secrets must Lu Yang know? How many tales of brutal ancient struggles had he heard?!
Chapter 322