Han Yu listened to Sun Kang, thinking that Senior Brother Sun was truly a warm-hearted and trustworthy man.

“No need for now, Senior Brother Sun. I didn’t see any Spirit-Stealing Rats when I checked the fields today.”

“Maybe they’ve moved on,” Sun Kang said. “Let’s hope they don’t come back. With your situation and Li Quan’s, those beasts are a real nightmare to handle.”

Han Yu hesitated for a moment before probing further. “Senior Brother Sun, I’ve felt my cultivation stalling lately. I wanted to find something to help me along… do you know where I might look?”

Sun Kang burst into laughter. “Junior Brother Han, every Laborer Disciple asks that eventually. When the bottleneck hits and daily bitter cultivation yields nothing, and you don’t have Green Grain Spirit Rice to sustain you, who hasn’t dreamed of finding a spirit herb to soar into the Outer Sect?”

He shook his head. “But those who actually find them are one in a million.”

“Look at me. If I knew where to find a herb that could push me to the third or fourth layer of Qi Refining, I’d be camping there day and night!”

“Wanchun Valley is a major sect,” Sun Kang continued. “Among the five great sects of the Southern Region, we are the most obsessed with spirit plants. Every inch of land near the sect has been scoured clean. Finding a rogue spirit herb out there is harder than finding hair on a bald man’s head!”

Han Yu felt a flash of realization. No wonder his crows had only found two fruits after days of searching. The sect had already picked the surrounding area clean. For a mere Laborer Disciple, finding anything was a miracle.

“Then, Senior Brother Sun, are there any common spirit herbs nearby that I should recognize?”

Sun Kang chuckled, amused by his persistence. “I knew you wouldn’t give up! Fine, every laborer has had this fantasy. I was the same once.”

“Please don’t take offense, Senior Brother,” Han Yu said politely.

Sun Kang waved him off. “It’s fine. I’ve hit the absorption limit of my Spirit Root for the day anyway. I’ll tell you about a few things you might run into.”

The “absorption limit” was something Han Yu had begun to feel himself.

This was the harsh reality of Spirit Roots. A poor grade didn’t just mean a slower manual circulation of Qi; it meant that the body literally couldn’t process large amounts of spirit herbs or pills.

Even with infinite resources, a superior Spirit Root could hold more energy and refine it faster. An inferior root was like a narrow jar that could only be filled so much before it overflowed. It was a limitation of birth, almost impossible to change.

However, most Laborer Disciples never reached that limit because they were too poor. Only someone like Sun Kang, with some savings and the extra spiritual energy from the ripening rice, could occasionally “eat his fill” and hit that ceiling.

Sun Kang began listing what he had seen in the markets over the years.

“Aside from our rice, you might see Qi Refining herbs like Jade Root Grass, Yellow Star Fruit, or Primordial Spirit Ganoderma. All of those are great for cultivation.”

“Then there’s Spirit Blood Vine,” Sun Kang added. “Useless for us, but powerful for mortals. A tiny piece can make their blood boil with strength, letting them lift hundreds of pounds. Too much, and they’ll literally explode.”

He laughed. “The mortals call it Snake Blood Vine and think it’s a deadly poison.”

Han Yu memorized the descriptions, noting that none of them matched the blue fruit he possessed.

“Are there any others, Senior Brother?”

Sun Kang thought for a moment. “Well, there’s Crimson Heart Bamboo. It’s hard as iron and used for forging. Then there’s the Plantain Leaf that Outer Disciples use. Those are refined from the sect’s spirit trees and used as flying tools.”

“Oh! I did see a fruit once at the market. It looked like a blue gemstone, about the size of a fingertip. They called it Mystic Heart Fruit. It clears the mind and aids in practicing spells, alchemy, and talismans. Its Qi-boosting power is about the same as a Primordial Spirit Ganoderma.”

Han Yu’s heart leaped. The color and size were a perfect match. The fruit the crows had brought him was the Mystic Heart Fruit!

“Can you eat those directly?” Han Yu asked, trying to sound casual.

“You could, but it’s a waste,” Sun Kang advised. “For laborers like us, the best move is to sell them at the market for spirit rice. That way, you get a Steady Flow of energy over a long period. It’s much more efficient.”

Han Yu nodded, but he thought differently. If I can get a ‘steady flow’ of these fruits, wouldn’t that be even better?

He thanked Sun Kang and hurried back to his stone house.

The two crows were still sleeping in their nest under the bed. Han Yu pulled out the crystalline blue fruit. Its fragrance was sharp and refreshing; a single sniff made his head feel light.

He swallowed one. It melted instantly, a cool stream of liquid rushing down to his dantian. His mind felt as if it had been plunged into a cold spring, reaching a level of clarity he had never known.

This was a true spirit fruit! The energy it provided was many times greater than a simple rice ball.

He immediately began his Circulation Cycles. After three full rotations, he felt his Spirit Root hit its daily limit. His internal spirit seed had grown visibly, yet the medicinal power of the fruit still lingered in his muscles, slowly radiating outward.

He could cultivate for another two days on this single fruit alone.

Sun Kang was right—for someone with only one fruit, selling it for rice was smarter. But Han Yu didn’t have that problem. As long as he had his crows, his supply was effectively endless.

The only flaw was his Four Spirit Roots. Because his aptitude was so poor, he could only absorb a fraction of the power each day.

However, the Mystic Heart Fruit had another use: it enhanced the mind.

Han Yu took advantage of the clarity to practice his Wind Control Technique and Water Control Technique.

He was stunned by the results. He had originally thought these were just tools for farming, but as the Mystic Heart Fruit sharpened his focus, he began to see the underlying complexity of the spells.

From morning until dusk, he practiced relentlessly. Finally, he pressed his fingers together and channeled his Spirit Breath.

“Go!”

A violent gust of wind erupted inside the small room.

With a flick of his fingers, the gale died instantly. He had mastered the flow.

Just as he was about to start on the water technique, he heard heavy footsteps outside.

“Little brat!”

The old Daoist, Li Quan, had returned.