'A Low-Level Restriction? This Medicine King Valley... it seems there's more to it than meets the eye.'
As he stepped into the Earth Flame Cave, a searing wave of heat rushed to greet him.
Yang Xiao, however, looked back.
With his Spiritual Power, he could see a transparent screen of light in which a few crimson, tadpole-like runes flickered and pulsed.
The way these runes pulsed seemed to follow no pattern.
But to Yang Xiao's eyes, it was riddled with flaws.
With his knowledge and ability, he could easily break through it.
In other words...
'Next time I want to come in, it'll be much easier. It's just a Low-Level Restriction. I can get through even without a Token.'
Yang Xiao smiled.
He headed deeper into the cave.
He hadn't taken more than a few steps when he sensed an area where the Fire Elemental Power was relatively dense.
Lifting his gaze, he saw a fiery red, three-leafed plant.
'To find a Second-level Spirit Medicine right after coming in... the environment here really is excellent.'
Yang Xiao smiled faintly, stepped forward, and picked the three-leafed plant.
A Second-level Spirit Medicine was nothing special to him.
But with his Medicine Condensation Skill, even a Second-level Spirit Medicine was useful, so Yang Xiao plucked it without hesitation.
Besides, Medicine King Valley wasn't his Sect.
'It's a rare opportunity to be here. I have to get the most out of it.'
Of course, Yang Xiao didn't just pick every Spirit Medicine he saw.
He wouldn't pick those that hadn't matured, even if they were of a higher grade.
The medicinal properties of such a Spirit Medicine wouldn't have fully developed.
Picking it would be a reckless waste of a precious resource; plus, it would be of no use to him.
No matter how much Yang Xiao liked and needed Spirit Medicines, he would, at most, do things that benefited himself at others' expense.
He would never do something that harmed others while bringing him no benefit.
Moreover, who knew how long it had been since anyone entered the Earth Flame Cave. Some Spirit Medicines grew in hidden locations, and Yang Xiao's Spiritual Power was formidable.
It was nearly impossible for any Spirit Medicine to escape the scan of his Spiritual Power.
Thus, in just a short while, he had reaped a great harvest.
'Huh? A Fifth-level Spirit Medicine up ahead? How long has it been? I've only walked a few miles, haven't I?'
Yang Xiao froze for a moment.
His gaze fell upon a cluster of black rocks. Peeking out from behind them was a strange, purplish-red Spirit Medicine.
The Spirit Medicine's stem wasn't straight; instead, it was twisted together, resembling a coiling dragon.
And in the "mouth" of this coiling dragon rested a fruit, crimson and so tantalizingly beautiful it seemed ready to drip with juice.
It made one want to pluck it on sight.
It was none other than the Red Flame Dragon Fruit, which Yang Xiao had encountered before.
Moreover, whether due to its extreme age or the sheer intensity of the Fire Elemental Power here, this particular Red Flame Dragon Fruit had actually broken through its original grade limitation.
It had advanced from Level 4 to Level 5.
Truly extraordinary.
Naturally, Yang Xiao pocketed it.
'A Fifth-level Spirit Medicine after just a few miles... There must be dozens more miles to go, otherwise I'd never reach the earth's coreānot even the outer edges. What will I find next? Could there be a Medicine King?'
Yang Xiao's eyes instantly lit up.
Although his Spiritual Power had already reached the Observing Micro High Level, allowing him to refine a King-level Fire Essence Pill and break through to the Yellow Flame Realm...
...if he could easily obtain a Medicine King, why would he go to the trouble of refining a pill himself?
Moreover, Yang Xiao suspected that this Medicine King might be a spirit medicine from his past life. 'If that's true,' he thought, 'then I have to obtain one, no matter the cost.'
A Spirit Medicine from the Ancient Era.
It was nothing like those of the present day.
It possessed true spirituality.
If Yang Xiao absorbed its spiritual and medicinal properties, he could not only break through to the Yellow Flame Realm, but it would also be of immense benefit to his Spiritual Power.
Even if he didn't absorb it, he could still use it to refine a Magical Artifact.
The benefits were numerous.
It was beyond what a mere refined King-level Fire Essence Pill could ever compare to.
Of course, he knew it was uncertain whether there was even a Medicine King in this cave. And if there was, it would be in the absolute depths.
Although Yang Xiao wasn't afraid of the heat in the Earth Flame Cave,
there was no telling if some Exotic Beast might be guarding the Medicine King.
Just like in the Celestial Cloud Mountain Range.
For the time being, Yang Xiao didn't plan to head straight for the very bottom.
In fact, his primary goal wasn't even to harvest the Spirit Medicines here.
It was to use this environment to cultivate the Nine Yang Celestial Skill.
As the foundational Cultivation Technique for his cultivation in this new life, Yang Xiao naturally wanted to begin practicing it the moment he met the requirements.
'The first part of the Nine Yang Celestial Skill, the first chapter of the Basic Chapter, is about condensing a True Flame. The highest grade of flame is the True Greater Yang Fire, followed by the Nine Yang True Flame, the Pure Yang True Flame, and so on. Before, I might have needed to borrow some external power to cultivate the True Greater Yang Fire, but now...'
Yang Xiao grinned mischievously.
He had observed Lu Fangliang's Greater Yang Treasure Body, and after several hours of careful observation today in particular, he had gained a deep understanding of the Greater Yang Body.
This gave him much greater confidence in his ability to condense the True Greater Yang Fire.
'Those with a Greater Yang Treasure Body can naturally condense True Greater Yang Fire just by cultivatingāand an Eighth Grade one or higher, at that. I, on the other hand, probably won't be able to condense a True Greater Yang Fire of the Eighth Grade or higher before I finish the Basic Chapter. However, I have high hopes for a Ninth Grade True Greater Yang Fire.'
The True Greater Yang Fire itself has grades.
First Grade is the highest, and Ninth Grade is the lowest.
Don't be mistaken just because Yang Xiao could currently only condense a Ninth Grade True Greater Yang Fire.
Even a Ninth Grade True Greater Yang Fire was much more powerful than an Eighth Grade Nine Yang True Flame or a Seventh Grade Pure Yang True Flame.
This was especially true in terms of quality.
In the future, when Yang Xiao wanted to form the Greater Yang Treasure Body, he would likely have to rely on this very True Greater Yang Fire.
If he couldn't produce it, he might never be able to form the Treasure Body, no matter how many other tricks he had up his sleeve or how deeply he understood the Greater Yang Body.
Therefore, at this current stage, for Yang Xiao,
condensing the True Greater Yang Fire was the absolute highest priority.
It was the foundation of his foundation in this new life.
Yang Xiao naturally wouldn't treat this lightly.
Soon, he had ventured another dozen miles deeper.
He had already picked over a hundred stalks of Spirit Medicine.
The deeper he went, the number of Spirit Medicines dwindled, but their grade increased significantly.
Among the Spirit Medicines he had just obtained, one was already an Eighth-Level Upper Grade.
An Eighth-Level Upper Grade Fire Attribute Spirit Medicine!
He hadn't managed to find a single one of these even in the Celestial Cloud Mountain Range.
Not to mention, the Fire Elemental Power was getting denser and denser.
And he was still far from the bottom.
He would likely encounter even better Spirit Medicines ahead.
Sure enough, after another three miles,
Yang Xiao's eyes lit up.
He looked toward a gloomy corner.
'Level 9! Haha, it's a Ninth-Grade Spirit Medicine! This Medicine King Valley's foundation is truly profound. If I'd been born in Medicine King Valley, why would I have had to fight so hard in the Celestial Cloud Mountain Range just for a single Seventh-Grade Spirit Medicine?'
Yang Xiao sighed softly.
He walked up to the Ninth-Grade Spirit Medicine.
The Spirit Medicine was bizarre, and Yang Xiao couldn't identify it by name.
He could, however, determine its grade and medicinal properties.
But he didn't pick it immediately. Instead, he scanned his surroundings.
'The Fire Elemental Power here is just barely enough, and this spot is relatively hidden. I'll cultivate here. The Nine Yang Celestial Skill... After waiting a million years, I finally have the chance to cultivate this Supreme Yang Technique and master the two Saint Emperor Level Great Divine Techniques that made my Master famous.'
(Author's Note: Third update of the day is here. I'm still about forty-odd subscriptions away from releasing a fourth. The collection adds are so slow today.)