The journey across the South Sea became incredibly swift with the addition of the Xuan Ming Flood Dragon Beast.
This behemoth of the ocean, a Foundation Establishment-stage creature, could churn up massive waves with every breath. It sliced through the water at a speed equivalent to an inner-land flying sword, its majesty far surpassing any mortal aircraft. As it passed, schools of fish fled in terror, and even some low-grade sea beasts, sensing the pressure of Xuan Ming's faint true dragon bloodline, lay trembling on the seabed.
Shan Hu sat cross-legged atop Xuan Ming's head, shielded from the sea breeze by a thin spiritual energy barrier. He was meticulously examining the fruits of his South Sea trip: the Wood-element vitality contained within the Thousand-Year Spirit Turtle Herb and the pure Water and Fire energies in the Deep Sea Dark Crystal.
"Three core ingredients, two acquired."
Primordial Geng Metal (Metal), Thousand-Year Spirit Turtle Herb (Wood), and Deep Sea Dark Crystal (Water and Fire). Of the Five Elements, Shan Hu now only lacked the Earth-element core ingredient to complete the set of nine principal herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Under the full speed of the Xuan Ming Flood Dragon Beast, they traversed the vast ocean and reached the Longcheng coastline in mere hours.
It was midnight. The night sky was low, and the moonlight shone like silver.
Xuan Ming's colossal body paused near an uninhabited cluster of reefs off the Longcheng coast. Its immense size was sufficient to cause panic in the secular world, so Shan Hu naturally wouldn't let it fly directly into the inner-land city.
"Xuan Ming, dive into the deep sea, rest and cultivate here. Do not reveal yourself unless I summon you." Shan Hu raised his hand, removing the bloodline suppression from the Divine Sense imprint on Xuan Ming's forehead and, instead, infused a thread of pure Qi Condensation spiritual energy as a reward.
Xuan Ming's scarlet eyes showed a hint of human-like attachment and obedience. It let out a low growl, and its massive body slowly sank into the deep sea, leaving only faint ripples on the surface. It understood that the spiritual energy gifted by its Master was extremely beneficial for its cultivation, far superior to the mundane spiritual energy found on the Spirit Haven Island it had guarded for generations.
Shan Hu stepped onto his flying sword, transforming into a streak of golden light, and instantly returned to Dragon's Hidden Mountain.
The main hall of Dragon's Hidden Mountain was brightly lit.
Su Qingxue had not rested. Dressed in a simple, professional suit, she was diligently organizing two piles of documents. One pile contained lists of rare secular materials from the Capital's Ye family, and the other held spiritual material intelligence reported by the Nine Tripods Custodians (formerly the Nine Tripods Sword Pavilion).
Hearing the movement, Su Qingxue quickly stood up and bowed respectfully upon seeing Shan Hu return: "Welcome back, Master! A triumphant return!"
Shan Hu glanced at the documents on the table, a look of approval in his eyes: "You have done well."
"Master, I have not failed your trust. The Nine Tripods Custodians reported all spiritual material records within a day and immediately dispatched personnel to urgently search for the Nine-Leaf Purple Ganoderma. We have confirmed three potential locations in the Southern China region." Su Qingxue reported, pointing to the ancient parchment document with a hint of professional excitement.
"As for the Ye family, driven by your ten billion funds, they have begun aggressively acquiring century-old jade, Tianshan ink jade, and natural crystals with weak spiritual energy. The list is here, please examine it, Master."
Shan Hu took the list, gave it a cursory scan, and set it down. He was satisfied with the Ye family's execution. Although these materials were not high-grade, they were excellent auxiliary components for setting up his Spirit Gathering and defensive arrays.
"Qingxue, you have worked hard. Now, prepare for alchemy."
Shan Hu waved his right hand, and the two major trophies—the Primordial Geng Metal (fist-sized, with contained golden Qi) and the Thousand-Year Spirit Turtle Herb (vibrant green, overflowing with vitality)—were presented before Su Qingxue.
"This is!" Su Qingxue looked at the treasures in awe, especially the Primordial Geng Metal, which emitted an indescribable sharp aura that made her skin tingle. She knew these were the core ingredients her Master had acquired on this journey.
"Five of the nine principal ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill are now accounted for. We only lack the Earth-element core ingredient, the Five-Colored Earth Heart, and the auxiliary herb, the Nine-Leaf Purple Ganoderma, before we can start the refining process."
Shan Hu's tone was calm, as if discussing mundane purchases.
"These three core ingredients—the Primordial Geng Metal, the Thousand-Year Spirit Turtle Herb, and the Deep Sea Dark Crystal—all contain extreme purity of spiritual energy. You must first purify the impurities within them and then use the Five-Element Method to completely lock their energy. I will set up the Immaculate Spirit Refining Array for you; you must complete the purification within three days."
Su Qingxue took a deep breath, recognizing this as the highest test of trust from her Master. Purifying spiritual materials required extreme focus and control over spiritual energy; even a small mistake could destroy priceless herbs.
"Please rest assured, Master! Qingxue will not fail your trust!"
Shan Hu entrusted the heavy responsibility of purifying the spiritual herbs to Su Qingxue and returned to his private chamber on the rear mountain. He needed to use this final period to recover his True Essence and push his Divine Sense to the absolute peak of the Qi Condensation stage, preparing for the upcoming Foundation Establishment and pill refinement.
Simultaneously, he focused on the last missing core ingredient: the Five-Colored Earth Heart.
In the Immortal Realm, the Five-Colored Earth Heart was a top-grade spiritual item, containing the pure essence of the Earth element origin. However, on an Earth with depleted spiritual energy, finding material of this caliber was far more difficult than the Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire elements.
Shan Hu sat in meditation, his Divine Sense instantly enveloping the entirety of Longcheng. He not only pinpointed the spiritual vein beneath Dragon's Hidden Mountain but also sensed the faint Earth energy tens of kilometers away beneath the Capital.
"The Five-Colored Earth Heart must be hidden in the deepest part of the Chinese earth veins, connected to the Dragon Vein."
He recalled a vague memory from his past life on Earth: in the Southwestern border regions of China, there was an ancient mountain range known as the "Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains," where an ancient Daoist lineage had left behind legends of "Gathering Earth to Become Immortal."
The memory slowly sharpened: within that mountain range was a mine sealed by an ancient array, which concealed a wondrous stone containing the Five Elements of Earth energy.
"Excellent. The Five-Colored Earth Heart is in the Southwest."
Shan Hu had made up his mind. He decided that once Su Qingxue completed the spiritual material purification, he would immediately set off for the Southwestern border region to acquire the final core ingredient.
Once the Five-Colored Earth Heart was in hand, the Foundation Establishment Pill would be just around the corner.