After escaping from Liu Yueru, Li Taihang teleported to a distant mountain, still deep within the forest of fierce beasts but now dozens of kilometers away from his original location. Looking around, he planned to hunt fierce beasts for inner pills or even catch a king-level beast to tame.
However, what caught his attention was not any beast but a breathtaking sea of flowers before him.
"Oh my god, what is this place?"
Li Taihang was certain he had passed through this area before when hunting beasts with his pets, but the sea of flowers was entirely new to him. It was as if this place had materialized out of nowhere.
"Damn, there are so many high-level spiritual herbs here... and some of them are incredibly rare and precious!"
In the past, Li Taihang would not have known the value of such herbs, but now, as the strongest alchemist, his eyes sparkled as if they were treasures.
'These herbs will be perfect for refining pills later. I've hit the jackpot!'
Li Taihang wasted no time and ventured into the sea of flowers, carefully picking the most valuable herbs. His experience as an alchemist was clear, as he didn't just pluck herbs haphazardly but evaluated each one.
"This one has been damaged by insects, useless."
"This one's medicinal power is too weak; it's aged."
"Ah, this one is perfect. Just at the peak of its potency!"
With great care, he selected only the best herbs and placed them into his dimensional space bag. As he picked, his system chimed in:
[Ding! Blood Spirit Flower*1 obtained, 10 billion times amplification triggered, receiving Blood Spirit Flower*10 billion.]
[Ding! Hundred Leaf Grass*1 obtained, 10 billion times amplification triggered, receiving Hundred Leaf Grass 10 billion.]
[Ding! Ningling Grass*1 obtained, 10 billion times amplification triggered, receiving Ningling Grass*10 billion.]
Li Taihang continued harvesting, collecting only one of each herb. Even with his knowledge, he was stunned by the sheer quantity and quality of the spiritual herbs.
"The variety and abundance here are greater than what the Seventh Elder has on Wanhua Mountain. It's like someone's been cultivating these on purpose."
As he pondered this, he continued his task. Suddenly, he became aware of an old man observing him from a distance. The man, who had been sitting and drinking, seemed to be watching Li Taihang's every move with great interest.
At first, the old man was confused. 'How did this boy get into my garden?' He had set up a powerful barrier, rendering the place invisible to anyone outside. Yet, somehow, Li Taihang had bypassed it and begun picking herbs as if he owned the place.
Unbeknownst to the old man, Li Taihang's teleportation ability allowed him to ignore spatial restrictions, making even the most hidden places accessible.
However, what caught the old man's attention was Li Taihang's methodical approach to harvesting. The young man's careful selection, only taking one of each herb, piqued his interest. Initially, the old man was quite angry, but as he observed, his curiosity grew.
'This kid knows what he's doing... a very professional eye. Could he be an alchemist?'
The old man, himself a master of alchemy, recognized talent when he saw it. Though his instincts told him to intervene, he decided to wait, wanting to see how this played out.
Finally, when Li Taihang had finished picking, the old man descended from his vantage point and appeared before him.
Startled, Li Taihang sensed the man's presence and immediately went on guard. 'Damn, another powerful guy! Why do I keep running into these people?' he thought, frustrated.
The old man, bald with white eyebrows and a stout, round body, stood before him, holding a jar of wine and smiling warmly.
"Boy, you've picked quite a few of my herbs. And now, you want to fight me with that sword of yours?" the old man chuckled.
"Uh… are these yours?" Li Taihang stammered, trying to gauge the man's intentions.
"Of course! I've counted. You picked 354 high-grade herbs, 68 rare herbs, and 23 precious herbs. All the best ones, I might add. Do you know how much that's worth? About five billion spirit stones."
Li Taihang's eyes twitched. He hadn't bothered keeping count, but he knew he had grabbed some of the finest herbs. Still, the price the old man mentioned was absurd.
'Five billion spirit stones?! Is this guy trying to rob me?'
Not wanting to reveal his wealth or the system's amplifying ability, Li Taihang put on a downcast expression. "Five billion? That's insane. Are you robbing me?"
The old man laughed heartily. "Well, they're valuable for a reason! But I'll tell you what, if you don't have the money, let's settle this with a competition."
"A competition? What kind?"
"Alchemy, of course. If you win, you can keep everything you picked. If you lose, you'll stay here as my medicine boy for the next ten years."
"Fine," Li Taihang agreed, knowing he could back his skills. "But I'm still young. You can't expect me to compete with someone as experienced as you in anything I don't know. It has to be something I'm familiar with."
The old man raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Hah, you've got guts, kid. Do you even know who I am?"
"No idea," Li Taihang replied, his face blank.
The old man puffed up proudly. "Everyone calls me Yao Lao. You've never heard of me?"
Li Taihang remained unimpressed. "Nope."
"Pfft!" The old man spat out his wine in surprise.