Chapter 4

The Pill Fragrance Herb and Pill Fragrance King Grass differed by only one character, yet their values were worlds apart.

Originally, the Pill Fragrance Herb wasn’t known by this name; it earned its title due to its aroma closely resembling the initial scent of freshly crafted medicinal pills. Despite sounding impressive, the herb’s medicinal properties were average at best. Moreover, it was remarkably undemanding when it came to growing conditions—able to thrive in virtually any soil—and thus could be found everywhere in the cultivation world, barely fetching even firewood prices.

However, the Pill Fragrance King Grass was a different story altogether. Any spirit plant with “king” in its name invariably held extraordinary significance. Bian Chunzhou distinctly remembered that as the Pill Fragrance King Grass matured, it emitted an intensely potent herbal fragrance, becoming stronger as it neared full growth. Similar to a ripe durian, the scent eventually took on a pungent, almost rotten quality, which in reality stemmed from its overwhelmingly strong aroma.

Apart from the distinctive scent, the appearance of Pill Fragrance King Grass did not differ from that of regular Pill Fragrance Herbs. In other words, the king grass likely grew amidst a dense cluster of ordinary herbs, drawing sustenance from all the surrounding Pill Fragrance Herbs for its development.

Bian Chunzhou thought to himself, I should’ve realized this earlier. With so much Pill Fragrance Herb growing throughout the Broken Clouds Secret Realm, Yonglu Mountain couldn’t possibly have been unaware of it. By allowing these herbs to flourish unchecked, they were likely creating conditions for the Pill Fragrance King Grass to mature.

Notably, the Pill Fragrance King Grass had one incredibly infuriating characteristic!

“Is the scent still there? Hurry up—faster! If it’s lost its fragrance, that means it’s ripe!”

Wen Xu knew nothing about spirit plants and curiously asked, “Isn’t ripening a good thing?”

“It is, but once it stops smelling, it looks just like any other Pill Fragrance Herb. How would you tell them apart? Would we have to gather all the Pill Fragrance Herbs from that area and hope for the best?” It’d take unimaginable luck to find the right one amidst such abundance.

“Sounds intriguing.”

Bian Chunzhou stared incredulously. What kind of devil are you?!

Rushing with all their might, the pair finally arrived at the scene, only to be greeted by—

“Holy cow, how many are there?!” Bian Chunzhou was well aware that cultivating king grass required immense effort, needing vast quantities of Pill Fragrance Herb as sustenance. Still, he found himself utterly astounded by the sight before him—a sea of Pill Fragrance Herb stretching endlessly across the mountainside.

The mountains stretched endlessly as far as the eye could see; no wonder Yonglu Mountain allowed even unregistered Qi Refinement cultivators to harvest here.

Without exaggeration, if all the candidates combined their efforts for a whole year, they still might not find enough.

Playing along with his blind persona, Wen Xu tilted his head quizzically. “Is it really that many?”

“It’s unbelievably, incredibly abundant! And so many people are already searching. I thought I’d at least stumble upon some leftovers.” However, one shouldn’t be too greedy; with those red pearl fruits, he should have little trouble passing the initial test. “But since we’re here, it doesn’t hurt to look around.”

Wen Xu nodded and closely followed Bian Chunzhou’s lead. Soon, though, he noticed something peculiar about his benefactor’s path. Not only did the terrain become increasingly rugged, but the fragrance also grew fainter.

“Bian-xiong, would you consider changing direction?”

Baffled, Bian Chunzhou replied, “I’ve meticulously chosen this route. The books say Pill Fragrance King Grass is quite delicate, favoring rainwater and sunlight. Therefore, it must grow on sunlit slopes. Given its esteemed status, it surely thrives where ordinary Pill Fragrance Herbs cannot, don’t you think?”

Wen Xu nodded. “What you say makes sense, but…”

“But what?”

“The scent is fading.”

”…Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” Bian Chunzhou exclaimed.

He promptly switched to Route B, only for his newly acquired naïve companion to gently correct him again moments later. After veering off course six times in quick succession, Bian Chunzhou had an epiphany.

“Forget it; I’m not destined for this herb. A melon forced from its vine won’t be sweet.” Besides, time was almost up for the initial test, and most importantly, no one else seemed to have found it either.

“You’re giving up just like that?”

Bian Chunzhou nodded, then remembered Wen Xu couldn’t see and added, “Mm-hmm, there’s no need to push oneself too hard when we’re still alive. Pill Fragrance King Grass may be valuable, but even without it, everything will be fine.”

Hearing this, Wen Xu smiled. “That’s good. Actually, I thought I might’ve caught a whiff of its location earlier, though I could’ve been mistaken.”

Instantly, Bian Chunzhou sprang into action with great enthusiasm. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?! Quickly, quickly—just imagine how much more cheerful I’d become if we really find it!”

Wen Xu fell silent, struck by the unique choice of words from this benefactor of his.

The entire mountainside was covered with Pill Fragrance Herbs, devoid of any other spirit plants. Most candidates were diligently searching, so their movements went largely unnoticed. Moreover, as the examination neared its end, many had lost hope of finding the King Grass.

“It seems we won’t locate it this year either. I’ve heard that Broken Clouds Secret Realm’s Pill Fragrance King Grass matures only once every six years. Unfortunately, since Daoist Sui Yuan harvested one over fifty years ago, no one else has managed to find another.”

“How can we compare to alchemy geniuses? Just passing the preliminary test would be sheer luck for us.”

Voices from nearby candidates drifted towards them. Bian Chunzhou cautiously parted the foliage, unable to resist taking a sniff. Well, the scent of King Grass permeated the entire area; he couldn’t discern any variation in intensity at all. Compared to Wen Xu’s nose, he began suspecting his own might as well have been decorative.

Fearing others might overhear, he discreetly leaned down and wrote on Wen Xu’s hand, noticing Wen Xu nod earnestly despite being blindfolded. A delighted smile spread across Bian Chunzhou’s face, but then worry crept back in. Oh no, this King Grass hasn’t fully matured yet—picking it now would be pointless. With the exam nearing its conclusion, could reporting the exact location to the examiners count towards their score?

Wen Xu smoothly withdrew his hand, devoid of any cuts or calluses typically found on blind individuals’ hands from their heightened tactile exploration of the world. At that moment, Bian Chunzhou’s focus was entirely on the Pill Fragrance King Grass and he didn’t suspect anything amiss. However, there was always the risk that he might become more suspicious later. Since Wen Xu had assumed the role of a “blind” participant, he didn’t want to be exposed too quickly. After all, he still needed others’ help to leave this Broken Clouds Secret Realm.

Wen Xu could undoubtedly grasp the preciousness of this Pill Fragrance King Grass, but if it meant gaining a genuine friend, then the trade-off seemed worthwhile. Moreover, as per Bian Chunzhou’s explanation, even if they harvested the grass now, it would belong to Yonglu Mountain, the owner of the Broken Clouds Secret Realm.

Given this, and since Wen Xu wasn’t a candidate himself, there was no need for him to outwit others.

“Is the exam time almost up?”

Bian Chunzhou gestured with a shushing motion, realizing soon after that he might have appeared overly anxious. Forcing himself to relax, he finally spoke, “Nearly. Forget it, let’s stop searching. My luck really isn’t great.”

“Same here. Why don’t we sit down, rest, and wait for the exam to end?” suggested Wen Xu.

Bian Chunzhou nodded, and the two engaged in casual conversation. Several other pairs were similarly seated together, so no one suspected them. As the minutes ticked by, however, Bian Chunzhou’s anxiety grew steadily.

Initially, not finding it might have eased his worries, but now that he had located the King Grass only to miss its ripening time was truly frustrating—this felt even more unfair than the final twist in PXX’s plot.

Just as his anxiety threatened to make him pull out his hair, someone swiftly tapped twice on the back of his hand—the prearranged signal with Wen Xu indicating the Pill Fragrance King Grass was ripe!

The King Grass had matured!

Bian Chunzhou’s heart raced, yet his hands steadied like never before. He barely registered his own movements; by the time he realized what happened, the King Grass already lay within his jade box.

In the next instant, all the Pill Fragrance Herbs across the mountains withered simultaneously, alerting everyone—someone had harvested the Pill Fragrance King Grass!

At that moment, the secret realm’s power began transporting candidates outward. Bian Chunzhou felt a sudden dizziness, and in the following second, he found himself directly back at the center of the array formation.

“Time’s up for the initial trial. Please submit your jade boxes one by one for scoring registration. The list of successful candidates will be announced after enough time for an incense stick to burn. Kindly remain patient.”

How could anyone stay calm—this was Pill Fragrance King Grass we’re talking about!

“Who was it?! Did you guys see anything?”

“No, but they’ve already exited, so it must be one of us!”

“What if it’s the Li family’s young master from Huiyuan City? I heard the Li family is renowned for their expertise with spirit plants; maybe…”

“Don’t speculate anymore—the Yonglu Mountain senior is glaring at you!”

Silence fell.

From then on, everyone dared only to whisper privately, wary of challenging Yonglu Mountain’s authority.

Meanwhile, Bian Chunzhou, harboring the king grass, was quietly raking in unimaginable wealth—but… His heart skipped a beat as he instinctively searched for his naive and gullible companion. Then…oh no, had Wen Xu truly not been a candidate after all, just an ordinary person who accidentally stumbled into the secret realm?

An indescribable anxiety gripped him, making even the king grass in the jade box feel scalding to touch. Unable to resist, Bian Chunzhou stepped out of line and scanned the crowd from start to finish, yet…Wen Xu wasn’t there!

This couldn’t be happening. If Wen Xu wasn’t a registered candidate, without a jade box issued by Yonglu Mountain, would he be stranded inside the Broken Clouds Secret Realm?! As a blind individual, how helpless must he feel right now?

He truly felt damned.

Bian Chunzhou’s anxiety intensified, and those around him assumed his despair stemmed from losing hope of passing the initial test, leading him to intentionally position himself at the end of the line. By the time everyone ahead had submitted their jade boxes, Bian Chunzhou had made up his mind.

While Pill Fragrance King Grass was highly prized, he refused to betray his conscience. Even if this could secure his admission to Yonglu Mountain, it wouldn’t bring him genuine happiness.

“You’re saying you found Pill Fragrance King Grass?” The Inner Disciple collecting the jade boxes trembled, nearly dropping them. “Just…wait here, I’ll fetch an elder.”

The elder overseeing the preliminary recruitment phase was named Elder Zhan. Though his face showed neither youth nor cheerfulness, he possessed an exceptionally good temperament, which is why he took on the task of admissions. “Hand over your jade box; let me take a look.”

Elder Zhan happened to hail from Pill Peak. While Pill Fragrance King Grass looked identical to ordinary Pill Fragrance Herb, their medicinal properties were entirely different. A mere scrape would suffice to determine its authenticity.

“It truly is Pill Fragrance King Grass! Who harvested this? This individual must join our Pill Peak!”

Elder Zhan soon met candidate Bian Chunzhou and strained to maintain a slightly stiff expression of warmth on his face. However, before he could speak, Bian Chunzhou blurted out, “Greetings, Elder. To be honest, I did not find this Pill Fragrance King Grass myself.”

“What? Did you steal it? As long as you didn’t kill for it, managing to snatch something like that still shows some skill.” The elder’s enthusiasm visibly cooled.

Bian Chunzhou felt unnerved by the elder’s expression—could he possibly have come from the Hall of Discipline? Nonetheless, for the sake of his new friend, he continued, “Not exactly, but here’s what happened…”

Bian Chunzhou expected his story would be hard to believe, yet unexpectedly, Elder Zhan accepted it immediately, even remarking, “So someone inadvertently entered the Broken Clouds Secret Realm again this year.”

Is my experience truly so limited? thought Bian Chunzhou, taken aback.

“All right, go wait outside for the results. If there’s anyone else inside the secret realm, I’ll arrange for their retrieval.”

With those words, after reluctantly seeing off candidate Bian, Elder Zhan swiftly rushed into the Broken Clouds Secret Realm. Charge forth! Whether any new geniuses join Pill Peak this year depends on him!