"Senior Brother, may I ask—how many slots are available for the Moon Cleansing Pool?"
"The Moon Cleansing Pool is open to disciples from all the mountain peaks. The slots are determined by the rankings from the Outer Sect Tournament of each peak—three disciples per peak. That's why I believe you have a good chance at securing one of those spots."
Wen Yushu explained softly.
Hearing this, Chen Jinshu let out a silent breath of relief. That meant she only needed to place in the top three of Medicine King Peak's Outer Sect Tournament to qualify—she wouldn't be competing with all disciples across every peak.
The sect must have taken into account the imbalance in combat strength between peaks. Medicine King Peak disciples were undoubtedly the weakest. If the slots were based on a full-out competition across all peaks, Medicine King Peak would stand no chance.
Such an arrangement would only cause Medicine King Peak—an essential supplier of medicinal pills to the sect—to decline further, which would be detrimental to the sect's overall development.
"Senior Brother, this information is incredibly helpful."
"Don't worry, Junior Sister. As the tournament approaches, Master will give you special training," Dai Yuzhu said with a light chuckle. Perhaps the medicinal meal was too nourishing—her face was flushed, as if overly ripened.
"Senior Sister, your face..." Chen Jinshu nodded, but then caught sight of her senior's rosy cheeks and looked on with mild surprise, a trace of concern crossing her own expression.
"Don't worry—it's just the medicinal effect at work."
"Looks like overly tonic meals really shouldn't be taken too often." Dai Yuzhu gave an awkward smile and took a few deep breaths, her flushed complexion slowly fading.
Chen Jinshu figured her own face must've looked similar, though most of the medicinal energy she absorbed had gone to her spiritual sea, so her reaction wasn't as extreme. After asking a few more questions about the Moon Cleansing Pool, she quickly finished her meal and took her leave.
Once news about the Moon Cleansing Pool spread, competition would become fierce—even within Medicine King Peak. This time, several Outer Sect disciples had already been accepted as personal disciples by elders—they were not weak. Chen Jinshu would need to give her all against them.
Back at Ink Plum Garden, she immediately returned to her room, lit incense, and began refining the abundant spiritual and medicinal energy stored in her sea of consciousness.
While the medicinal meal had already removed most of the pill toxins, it didn't mean there were no remaining impurities. Thanks to the absorption through her forehead's birthmark, toxins had been separated, making the spiritual and medicinal energy especially pure—saving her the refining effort.
An hour later—
Feeling the surge of energy swirling in her dantian, Chen Jinshu was quite satisfied.
"It really cut down my cultivation time by two to three months. Now I just need around one month to reach the sixth layer. My chances of earning a Moon Cleansing Pool slot have gone up."
Next, she began sorting through the notes she took while accompanying her master to treat spiritual plants that day.
Although most procedures were recorded in the Spiritual Plant Healer's Handbook, it was only through field experience that one realized how difficult the work truly was.
The Next Morning – At Chen Hour (around 7-9 a.m.)
Just as Chen Jinshu was preparing to head out and water her spiritual fields, six jade slips arrived outside her courtyard—requests for help from Outer Sect disciples to treat spiritual plants.
"I only accompanied Master on two trips yesterday, and word's already spread about my skills as a spiritual plant healer?"
She looked down at the six slips with a thoughtful expression, her heart fluttering with a mix of nervousness and excitement at embracing a new identity.
"Even though these are just Outer Sect disciples, enough small gains can accumulate into something significant."
Carefully storing the jade slips, she decided to contact the disciples after finishing her spiritual field tasks. Half an hour later, having completed her rounds, Chen Jinshu took out one jade slip and used the spiritual imprint to contact the disciple who sent it.
This particular disciple was quite well-known in the Outer Sect—a capable spiritual plant cultivator who took great interest in nurturing rare plants. Chen Jinshu was momentarily surprised to see their name. Judging from experience, this person was clearly more seasoned than her—especially in cultivation and planting.
The fact that even such an experienced cultivator was struggling meant the issue with the plant must be complicated. Aside from upholding her master's reputation, she also wanted to test whether her recent studies as a spiritual plant healer were truly paying off.
Soon, she arrived at a quaint courtyard.
The entrance was flanked by lush green bamboo swaying gently, casting soft shadows. She hadn't waited long before the door opened, revealing a courtyard blooming with a dazzling array of flowers. If she didn't have her own spiritual plant space, she might have decorated her home just as lushly.
"Junior Sister! I've heard great things about you," the disciple greeted with a polite cupped-fist salute.
"You're too kind, Senior Brother. Let's take a look at the plant first," Chen Jinshu replied with a small nod.
"This way, please."
She was led to a potted Lantern Grass, its fruits glowing with a faint bluish phosphorescence, tinged with an unusual gold.
"This is Ghost-Hued Lantern Grass, correct?" Chen Jinshu observed it for a few breaths before identifying the species.
"You have sharp eyes. A few days ago, the fruits still glowed a dark blue and were nearly ripe. But lately, they've started giving off a golden hue—something not typical of this plant," the disciple said with a worried frown.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. It seems this plant has absorbed something it shouldn't have."
Using a diagnostic spell, Chen Jinshu found that the lantern-shaped fruit contained spiritual energy different from the Ghost-Hued Lantern Grass's usual yin attribute.
"Please, Junior Sister, can you treat it? I can offer one lantern fruit as compensation."
"Of course," Chen Jinshu nodded.
Ghost-Hued Lantern Fruits were extremely valuable—they were commonly used to refine pills that suppressed inner demons and stabilized the mind. She examined the plant further and soon identified the issue. The soil used for cultivation contained Chiyang Soil—a material with a strong yang attribute. It was highly incompatible with yin-based plants.
Since there wasn't much of it, and it had been mixed into regular soil, most cultivators wouldn't notice the subtle change.
"Next time, make sure to test the properties of your soil before planting. This one contained Chiyang Soil, which suppresses Ghost-Hued Lantern Grass."
"I see. Is there a way to neutralize it?"
"Draw out the yang energy with your spiritual power, then water it with a yin-type potion. Nightshade Tears should help with recovery."
As she explained, Chen Jinshu carefully picked out the Chiyang Soil from the pot and extracted the yang spiritual energy from the fruit. Moments later, the previously golden-tinged fruit returned to normal, though the plant itself now seemed a bit weak—clearly, it had suffered under the yang influence for quite some time.
"Now you just need to water it with yin-based spirit liquid for recovery."
"Thank you, Junior Sister! Please, choose a fruit as your reward."
"Then I won't be shy." Chen Jinshu picked one of the less-affected fruits—the spiritual seed inside was already mature.
After that, she contacted the second disciple who had sent her a help request and prepared for her next visit.