Chapter 83: Spirit Herbs
"Ahh…"
After the strain of using Aunt Ling's power, Lin Langtian felt a wave of exhaustion, like the backlash from taking a powerful energy pill. He quickly pulled a few premium recovery pills from his storage bag, swallowing them in large gulps. Only after half an hour did his breathing gradually return to normal.
"Clearly, Aunt Ling's power is not something I can freely borrow," he muttered with a weak smile. The short period of channeling her energy had left him completely drained. If he had held on any longer, he would have been left in a miserable state.
"I should first check on the seal in the Golden Spirit Wheel Mirror. After all this effort, I wonder what I've gained…"
Lin Langtian opened his mouth, allowing the Golden Spirit Wheel Mirror to return to his dantian. He then sent a sliver of his mind into the mirror's space to inspect it.
Inside the mirror's internal world, Lin Langtian hovered in midair. Before him floated a massive golden bubble surrounded by intricate, glowing symbols that formed a powerful barrier. Within the bubble, the Spirit Puppet thrashed about, but it was effectively caged. Though Lin Langtian currently couldn't wield the mirror's full power, anything captured within it was under his control.
"You don't need to worry about the seal within the Golden Spirit Wheel Mirror," Aunt Ling advised, appearing at his side with an assessing gaze. "Now, extend a strand of your spirit power and weave it into the bubble."
Following her instruction, Lin Langtian concentrated a thread of his spirit and allowed it to flow into the golden bubble. The bubble rippled, and his spirit energy began to spread, attaching to each symbol and gradually infusing into the puppet.
"As your spirit energy merges with the symbols and gradually sinks into the puppet," Aunt Ling continued, "a spirit mark will form within it over time. Once this is complete, you'll have full control over the puppet. However, since it's been sealed for so long, it will need a bit of enhancing to regain its full strength."
Lin Langtian frowned slightly. Enhancing a puppet of such power, comparable to a Nirvana-level expert, would be an expensive task. Still, even in its current state, the puppet's strength was roughly at a half-step Nirvana level. Once he fully integrated his spirit mark, he'd have a powerful new asset on his side.
Satisfied, he nodded to Aunt Ling in thanks. He then took the assortment of spirit essences he'd collected earlier and passed them to her.
"These spirit essences might be of low rank, but there are enough to be somewhat useful," she noted with a slight smile, looking over the gathered essences of about a hundred creatures from the three Foundational Realms.
Lin Langtian smiled as well. "Aunt Ling, it's my pleasure to assist you," he said. He then turned and exited the cave, continuing down the passageway.
After a while, he reached a wide training ground filled with row after row of neatly aligned puppet soldiers. There were well over a hundred in total, all lined up in silence. However, they were all low-grade puppets, made from ordinary materials and possessing only a basic level of functionality.
"Quantity over quality," he mused, glancing over them. Unimpressed, he continued deeper into the passage, passing through the training grounds unimpeded as the lifeless puppets remained still.
At the far end of the training ground, a potent medicinal scent filled the air. His gaze fell upon a crystal-clear lake, and in the lake's center stood a small pool made of jade. Nestled within this pool grew numerous spirit herbs, all of high quality.
He was immediately delighted by the sight. Approaching the pool, his eyes locked onto a peculiar black herb that seemed to resemble a coiled snake. A powerful, cold energy emanated from it, frosting the surface of the pool nearby.
"Extreme Serpent's Yin Essence!"
Recognizing the herb, Lin Langtian smiled in satisfaction. This was precisely the rare Yin-based herb he'd promised to use in refining the Yin Pellet for Qing Tan. Extending a thread of spirit energy, he carefully severed the herb and sealed it in a jade container.
Pleased with his find, Lin Langtian then inspected the other herbs in the pool. His head start had evidently paid off; this herb garden, untouched by others, was his for the taking. Unlike Lin Dong's experience in the original timeline, he had arrived early enough to gather the herbs freely, without having to scavenge for remnants left by others.
Beyond the Yin Essence herb, he counted at least a dozen Grade Six herbs, and even some rarer Grade Seven and Eight herbs. He wasted no time in harvesting everything.
While collecting the herbs, he noticed one particularly eye-catching herb in the corner of the pool. Shaped like a lotus flower and radiating an icy blue light, this herb emitted an immensely powerful energy.
"The Sacred Frost Lotus!"
Stunned, Lin Langtian felt his excitement grow. This Grade Nine herb contained enough power to help a practitioner in the Creation Realm break through to the next level. Since he was already at the half-step Creation level, this was precisely what he needed.
"Oh, the Sacred Frost Lotus… Lin Langtian, it looks like you've made quite the haul."
Just as he was about to pluck the herb, a soft, feminine voice sounded nearby. He turned to see a graceful young woman standing there, her figure elegant and poised as the delicate scent of her presence mingled with the aroma of the spirit herbs around them.
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