Yang Kai woke up early the next morning, his mind already set on today's goal.
Yesterday's training session had left a deep impact on his cultivation, proving once again that hard work paid off. Naturally, he wasn't about to waste any time—every second counted.
After finishing his daily training routine, he wasted no time rushing to the Contribution Hall.
Why?
Well, while he had heard of the Three-Leaved Chaos Spirit Flower and the Dead Jedi Tree Grass, he had absolutely zero clue what they actually looked like. If he just wandered into the Black Wind Mountains blindly, he'd probably mistake some poisonous weed for a legendary herb and die like an idiot.
"Not exactly the cool protagonist moment I was hoping for."
At first, he considered asking Treasurer Meng for help, expecting some wise old master lecture about herbs.
Instead, the old man casually tossed him a book on herbology.
Yang Kai blinked.
"Man didn't even bother explaining. Just threw the book at me like a teacher handing out homework."
Still, no complaints. Flipping through the book, he found detailed descriptions, medical properties, habitats, and even illustrations of various herbs. A great resource… but kind of disappointing.
Why?
Just as practitioners were classified into different ranks, so to were herbs, weapons and medicinal pellets. They were divided into, Ordinary Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, Mystery Grade, Spirit Grade and Saint Grade. Each of the Grades were then divided into the lower, middle and peak level.
Book only covered Ordinary Grade herbs. Nothing high-level. No divine pills or mythical plants that could make him ascend to immortality overnight.
"Well, not like I need Saint Grade herbs right now. Gotta start somewhere."
After stuffing the book into his robes, Yang Kai made his way to the General Affairs Office.
Technically, he was still just a lowly sweeper at High Heaven, and this trip would take at least a few days. If he didn't report it, they might think he ran away or got eaten by a demonic beast.
Thankfully, the office workers didn't make things difficult for him and casually approved his three-day leave.
With all obligations handled, Yang Kai set off!
The Black Wind Mountains were only twenty miles away on foot—far, but not too far. He had already been there multiple times for hunting, so he was pretty familiar with the terrain.
"Hope I don't run into some random young master looking for a fight. That would be my luck."
Fully prepared for the journey, he carried his water, food, a shovel, and a bag—everything he needed to collect herbs.
As he approached the mountain range, Yang Kai took in the view.
The Black Wind Mountains loomed ahead like a prehistoric beast, its dense forests stretching endlessly, jagged cliffs towering into the sky. The wind carried the scent of damp earth and greenery, rustling through the leaves like a whisper of unseen creatures.
"Man, if this was a game, this would be the kind of place where elite monsters spawn."
The mountain was home to many ferocious beasts, some even strong enough to make martial artists run for their lives.
Because of this, the region was split into zones:
The first thirty miles were the safe zone—low-level beasts, nothing too deadly.
The next ten miles were the danger zone—stronger creatures, high risk.
Anything beyond that? Life-threatening zone. Enter at your own risk.
"Yeah, no thanks. I like being alive."
Since he only needed Ordinary Grade herbs, he didn't need to go deep into dangerous territory. That meant no need to worry about getting eaten.
Still, even in the safe zone, finding specific herbs wouldn't be easy. Many other herb collectors came here frequently, making rare herbs even harder to find.
After half an hour of walking, Yang Kai spotted his first find—a bunch of herbs growing in a thicket.
He crouched down and carefully harvested them, placing them in his bag.
"Alright, not bad. Decent start."
As he continued deeper, he glanced at the vegetation, trying to recall places where he might Find the Three-Leaved Chaos Spirit Flower or Dead Jedi Tree Grass.
Regardless, he had the herbology book to guide him this time, his chances of success were much higher.
By evening, Yang Kai had collected four different types of herbs.
Unfortunately…
None of them were the ones he actually needed.
"Of course. It's never that easy."
Still, he wasn't too disappointed—even low-level herbs had some value. He could exchange them for contribution points, so at least they weren't completely useless.
Just as the sun began to set, Yang Kai finally arrived at a promising location.
It was strange—a lush, vibrant area full of plants, yet… there were no animals. No birds. No insects. Nothing.
And then, in the center of this eerie silence, he spotted it—three small patches of grass swaying in the wind.
They were brown-colored, at first glance looking like dead plants.
But Yang Kai wasn't fooled.
"That's not decay—that's just their natural color!"
Rushing over, he quickly dug them up with a triumphant grin.
After checking the herbology book, he confirmed it—Dead Jedi Tree Grass!
"Hell yeah! One down, one to go!"
These herbs only grew in dead land, and finding them was usually difficult. But thanks to the herbology book, he had known exactly where to look.
Carefully, he placed them in his bag, then took out some water and food for a quick break.
With the Dead Jedi Tree Grass secured, his next focus was on the Three-Leaved Chaos Spirit Flower.
Not only did he need to find it, but he needed a large amount of it.
"Double the effort, double the rewards."
However…
The sun had already set. Searching for herbs at night? Not a great idea.
Even though he had never spent the night in the mountains before, he knew the dangers of doing so.
"I may be the protagonist, but I'm not dumb enough to test my luck at night."
After scouting the area, Yang Kai found a large tree and quickly climbed up to secure a resting spot.
Once he settled in, he pulled out the black book and flipped to page three.
With a thought, the incense burner floated out.
"Yup. Still weird, but also kinda cool."
The black book was clearly a storage artifact, though oddly, it only let him store this one item. Everything else? Nope.
"Seriously, why can't I just use this thing as a proper inventory bag? That would be so much more useful."
Toying with the incense burner for a while, Yang Kai eventually felt sleep creeping in.
After an entire day of hiking, he finally dozed off.
........................
The Next Morning
At sunrise, Yang Kai woke up early and immediately trained in the Tempered Body Record for half an hour.
Something felt different today.
His atmospheric sense was at its limit. His body felt like it was on the edge of breaking through.
"One final push. Just a little more."
Feeling a surge of determination, Yang Kai packed up his things.
Today's mission was clear:
Find the Three-Leaved Chaos Spirit Flower. Break through to the next stage.
And most importantly…
Don't die in the process.