“Are we still heading to the fourth floor?”

“Of course we are. We can’t risk leaving anything behind,” Wang Hao said, pressing a jade slip against his forehead to scan its contents. “This slip records secret techniques for spirit mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing. It’s perfect for establishing a family industry. The fourth floor was likely restricted to Golden Core cultivators. Even if we only find a single jade slip up there, this entire trip will have been worth it.”

Hearing this, the group’s disappointment over the lower floors faded significantly.

The fourth floor was also protected by a formation. Although it still retained Tier 2 power, it was much weaker than the grand formation guarding the building’s exterior.

After a quarter of an hour of bombardment…

Bang!

The light barrier shattered into motes of energy. Everyone rushed inside.

The fourth floor was spartan, containing only a single room. Inside, two rows of jade platforms stood silent. On these platforms, only two shimmering light shields remained active.

“Heh, finally! Some real rewards!” someone cheered.

There were many empty pedestals; the other protective shields had clearly been broken and their contents looted long ago. These two likely survived only because the restrictions were too sturdy or the looters ran out of time.

The eight cultivators split into two groups and began attacking the remaining shields.

A moment later, Wang Hao broke through the first barrier. He snatched up the jade slip and hurriedly scanned it with his Divine Consciousness.

Almost immediately, a look of disappointment crossed his face.

“Fifth Brother, what’s wrong?” Wang Wenmei asked, noticing his expression.

The jade slip contained a cultivation method capable of reaching the Golden Core stage. For anyone else, this would be a supreme treasure. For Wang Hao, however, it was useless.

He waved his hand dismissively and smiled. “It’s nothing. This is a cultivation method called the Origin Returning Mantra. It is a fire-attribute technique that allows one to cultivate all the way to the late Golden Core stage.”

“A Golden Core cultivation method!” several people exclaimed in shock.

Both the Wang and Li families possessed only one legacy method each that could reach the early Golden Core stage. However, a cultivator needed a matching Spiritual Root to practice them. Finding a clansman with the specific aptitude for the Wang Family’s dual-attribute method was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Adding a new high-level method to the family archives was a massive boost to their potential.

Wang Wenmei and Li Dedao’s eyes practically glowed. Both possessed fire Spiritual Roots. previously, they had been limited by their low-rank cultivation methods, destined to stall at the Foundation Establishment stage. Now, the path to the Golden Core had opened for them.

Of course, forming a Golden Core was immensely difficult even with a method, but having a road to walk was infinitely better than facing a dead end.

“The Pill Cauldron Sect was an alchemy sect, so it’s not surprising their primary method is fire-attribute,” Wang Yanping remarked.

He didn’t have a fire root, so the manual was useless to him personally, but he was genuinely happy for the clan’s growing foundation.

At that moment, Li Derong breached the second shield and grabbed the jade slip. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she pressed it to her forehead.

A moment later, pure joy illuminated her face.

“Everyone, this jade slip is useful for all of us,” she said, looking meaningfully at the Wang Family members. “Though, strictly speaking, it might be even more valuable in the hands of your Wang Family.”

“Fairy Li, don’t keep us in suspense! What is it?” Wang Yanlang urged impatiently.

“See for yourselves!” She tossed the jade slip to him.

Wang Yanlang scanned it, and his hands began to tremble. “It’s an alchemy recipe! The Nine-Elixir Golden Liquid!”

“Nine-Elixir Golden Liquid? What’s that? I’ve never heard of it,” Wang Hao said, frowning in confusion.

As the group’s primary alchemist, if Wang Hao hadn’t heard of it, the others were certainly lost. They looked to Wang Yanlang for an explanation.

Li Derong interjected, “It should be an ancient name for the ‘Golden Core Jade Liquid.’ The main ingredient is the Golden Yuan Fruit. It assists cultivators in forming their Golden Cores!”

Silence descended upon the room.

Assisting in forming a Golden Core…

For minor family cultivators like them, who had never even seen a Golden Core spiritual object, possessing such a recipe was like holding a myth in their hands. Even the Old Ancestors of the Wang and Li families had likely never laid eyes on such a thing.

Wang Yanlang threw the jade slip to Wang Hao.

Wang Hao examined it carefully. It was indeed the Nine-Elixir Golden Liquid. However, since he didn’t know the modern recipe for Golden Core Jade Liquid, he couldn’t confirm if they were identical.

“Having the recipe without the ingredients means we still can’t refine it,” Wang Hao said, pouring a bucket of cold water on their excitement as he lowered the slip. “This recipe requires over twenty types of spiritual herbs. I only have a few in my inventory. Furthermore, there are several ancient names I’ve never even heard of. And most importantly… where are we supposed to find a Golden Yuan Fruit?”

“Since the Pill Cauldron Sect had this recipe, they must have cultivated the ingredients,” Wang Wenwu suggested eagerly. “Should we go look for their Spirit Medicine Garden?”

Everyone’s eyes lit up again.

Even if they couldn’t find the complete set, securing even a few rare herbs would be a massive harvest. The rest could be left to future luck and opportunity.

The eight cultivators quickly descended the stairs, leaving the Scripture Pavilion to search for the garden.

Unfortunately, Wang Hao’s map of the area was still blank; they had no way to pinpoint the location. However, based on their own families’ experience with agriculture, the Spirit Medicine Garden would likely be situated on flat, open terrain with rich spiritual energy—not on precipitous cliffs.

They stood at a high vantage point to survey the topography, identifying several likely locations.

“We stick together,” Wang Hao decided. “The Scripture Pavilion was safe, but spiritual herbs naturally attract demon beasts. We can’t risk splitting up.”

Not long after they departed, Qi Li and his group arrived at the Scripture Pavilion.

“According to our ancestors’ records, this is the place,” Qi Li said slowly. “Although it was said that the sect evacuated their core classics, leaving only the ‘unimportant’ items… for families like ours, even the trash of the Pill Cauldron Sect is treasure.”

They hadn’t prioritized the Scripture Pavilion precisely because they expected the pickings to be slim.

However, as soon as they stepped inside and saw the chaotic mess of looting, their expressions darkened.

Qin Hu slammed his fist against a wall. “Dammit! Those outsiders got here first! Hmph! If you had listened to me and attacked when we heard the noise, we might have caught them red-handed! Now look—the shelves are bare!”

Qi Li frowned, his mind racing. “It was definitely that group from the ship. But how did they find the Scripture Pavilion so quickly? Could they be remnants of the Huang Family?”

“Impossible!” Ji Xiaotang cut in firmly. “Even if there were survivors from the Huang Family, they are nothing but frightened rats hiding in the crevices of the world. They wouldn’t dare show their faces here, let alone walk right into our territory.”

Years ago, the Huang Family had been the strongest of the four local powers. They had plotted to annex the Qin, Qi, and Ji families to monopolize the secret of the Pill Cauldron Sect ruins. However, the three families had discovered the plot and struck first, forming a ruthless alliance to annihilate the Huang clan.

To prevent future retribution, they had executed every Huang member they could find. A few had escaped, but over the years, they had been hunted down or had fled the sea region entirely. They would not dare return.

Qi Li sighed. “Miss Ji, while we shouldn’t recklessly confront them… if they are snatching resources that rightfully belong to us… can we really just stay silent?”

Ji Xiaotang snorted lightly. “Let them scavenge. They don’t have the legacy maps. Wandering around aimlessly won’t lead them to the true treasures.”

She gestured toward the mountain. “Let’s hurry to the Spirit Medicine Garden instead. We know exactly where it is. We’ll harvest all the spiritual herbs, and then… we’ll wait for them at the exit.”

The ancestors of the three families had left behind simplified maps of the ruins, marking the critical resource points. This was their greatest advantage.

Qin Hu curled his lip skeptically. “If they don’t have maps… how did they find this Scripture Pavilion?”

“Is that strange?” Ji Xiaotang shot back. “If you arrived at unfamiliar ruins, wouldn’t you look for the most prominent building? And Scripture Pavilions are always built in specific geomantic locations. Would your family build a library at the bottom of a swamp?”

“I…”

“Enough! Both of you!” Qi Li interrupted. “Let’s move. The Spirit Medicine Garden shouldn’t be hard for them to stumble upon eventually. If we’re late again, we’ll just be handing them another fortune!”