As night fell, Chen Ping sat cross-legged on his wooden bed early.

He carefully retrieved a Low-grade Spirit Stone from his robe. Its cool, hard edges pressed against his palm, bringing a strange sense of solidity.

Before he could draw Qi into his body, this stone felt no different from any ordinary rock on the roadside. But now it was different.

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind. The mental Cultivation method of the Evergreen Art slowly circulated within his consciousness.

As the technique operated, a faint yet distinct pulling force emanated from his fingertips, reaching into the Spirit Stone.

In that instant, his perception changed.

The interior of the Spirit Stone was no longer a lifeless rock but a misty, dense fog composed of countless tiny points of light.

These points of light were far denser and more refined than those scattered in the world.

Their colors were also more vivid—green for wood, red for fire, yellow for earth, white for metal, and black for water. The five-colored points of light intertwined and shimmered brilliantly.

Chen Ping guided his own Qi, pushing it through his Meridians with difficulty to complete one Circulation Cycle.

Each completed Circulation Cycle felt like adding a tiny bit of weight to the faint cluster of Qi within his Dantian.

As the technique continued, those pure points of light within the Spirit Stone seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, peeling away strand by strand.

The points of light passed through Chen Ping’s skin, through the pores on his fingertips, and merged into the flow of Qi circulating within his body.

One Circulation Cycle followed another.

Time passed in silence.

Outside the window, the deep black gradually turned to dark blue, then revealed hints of grayish-white.

When Chen Ping slowly withdrew from his deep Cultivation and opened his eyes, dawn was already breaking.

His first action was to sense the cluster of Qi within his Dantian.

That faint cluster of Qi was still as small as two strands of hair intertwined.

But he could feel its increased solidity and growth.

Using a Spirit Stone for a night of arduous Cultivation yesterday was more than twice as effective as a normal night of dry, difficult Cultivation.

Chen Ping’s heartbeat suddenly quickened.

He looked down at the Spirit Stone in his palm.

At this rate, perhaps he wouldn’t need a full year to break through to the 1st Level of Qi Condensation.

Of course, the originally warm and restrained luster inside the Spirit Stone had noticeably dimmed. Those active, pure points of light inside had diminished by nearly twenty percent.

“One Spirit Stone can only be used for five days…”

He murmured to himself, fingertips tracing the rough surface of the stone, his heart stirring.

If one complete Spirit Stone could only support such efficient Cultivation for five days…

Then the three Spirit Stones he had left would last fifteen days.

After fifteen days, he would fall back into the state of climbing like a snail.

Chen Ping’s mind became restless.

He couldn’t just sit and eat through his resources.

He still needed to continue acquiring resources to greatly increase his Cultivation speed.

Only then would he not be eliminated by the Sect.

For the next half month, Chen Ping’s life was clearly divided into two distinct parts.

During the day, he was that taciturn and meticulous Registered Disciple managing the Hundred Herb Garden, performing his duties with utmost care.

Occasionally seeing Bai Zhi’s tall figure passing by, although some emotions would stir in his heart, he no longer had any thoughts of approaching her for conversation.

Matters of romance had completely sunk beneath the icy depths of Cultivation in his heart.

Nights belonged to Spirit Stones and the Evergreen Art.

Like a miser calculating their last rations, he precisely planned the consumption of each Spirit Stone.

When the last Spirit Stone in his hand completely turned into a grayish-white stone devoid of any Qi fluctuations, a huge sense of emptiness gripped his throat.

He knew it was time to make his next move.

No matter how great the risk, he had to make his next move.

In the Black Earth space, the Dew Condensing Grass was lush and green. The Cold Star Grass had already formed tiny silver spots on its leaf tips but still needed time to fully mature.

He had tried countless times to cultivate on that Black Earth. The points of light representing Qi there were so dense they seemed almost tangible.

Yet for some reason, it was as if an unbreakable transparent barrier separated him. No matter how he operated his technique, he couldn’t absorb even a trace from there.

This space seemed to only recognize medicinal roots and herbs.

Without Spirit Stones or Pills, his Cultivation speed plummeted back into a despairing quagmire.

The growth of that cluster of Qi in his Dantian became so slow it was almost negligible.

The one-year deadline hung over him like a cold guillotine blade slowly descending.

There was no time left.

On a morning in the fifth month, before dawn had fully broken.

Chen Ping rose from his simple plank bed.

He changed into his most worn-out Servant Peak gray robe and carefully wrapped a dusty headscarf around his hair and half his face, leaving only a pair of calm eyes exposed.

Then, from within the Black Earth space, he took out twenty Cold Star Grass plants and twenty Dew Condensing Grass plants.

After carefully wrapping them in clean coarse linen cloth, he concealed them close to his chest.

These were what he relied on to break through to the 1st Level of Qi Condensation.

Fifty li north of the Servant Peak, an unnamed small Marketplace remained bustling.

This was a small Marketplace set up by Registered Disciples and Outer Disciples.

Relatively speaking, it was safer.

Of course, not necessarily completely safe.

Wherever there is a Marketplace, there will always be villains. This is an ironclad Rule.

Chen Ping moved through the crowd like a slippery fish.

He was no longer that clueless newcomer. His eyes swept over each stall while his ears caught every conversation about herb prices.

“Cold Star Grass—two Spirit Stones per plant, no bargaining!”

“Dew Condensing Grass—eighty Spirit Stone fragments, hurry if you want it!”

Inquiring, comparing, calculating silently in his mind.

The Cold Star Grass he brought had thick leaves, clear silver spots, and roots carrying rich medicinal aura—clearly superior quality.

As for the Dew Condensing Grass, its leaves were also larger than usual by one circle.

Feeling confident now.

Chen Ping hesitated no more. He found a relatively open spot at the edge of the Marketplace, directly sat on the ground, and spread out the coarse linen cloth.

Twenty Cold Star Grass plants, twenty Dew Condensing Grass plants—neatly arranged on the cloth.

“Top-grade Cold Star Grass. Two Spirit Stones and twenty fragments per plant.”

“Top-grade Dew Condensing Grass. One Spirit Stone per plant.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried certainty.

Once the prices were announced, they immediately attracted several gazes.

“Cold Star Grass for two twenty? Twenty more than Old Li’s stall?!”

A thin, gaunt Cultivator muttered.

Beside him, a Cultivator carrying a medicine basket approached, picked up a Cold Star Grass, examined the leaf veins and roots, and carefully sniffed it.

“Hmm… this quality… indeed much better than Old Li’s stall. Old Li’s at best average quality.”

He looked up at Chen Ping.

“Fellow Daoist, Cold Star Grass at two twenty—I’ll take five plants!”

“Dew Condensing Grass, give me five too!”

“Save three Cold Star Grass for me!”

“Dew Condensing Grass, I’ll take the rest!”

Doubts were quickly drowned out by knowledgeable buyers rushing to purchase.

The herbs Chen Ping brought truly stood out in quality. A slightly higher price seemed reasonable given the superior goods.

Within a short half hour, the coarse linen cloth became empty.

Chen Ping silently counted the obtained Spirit Stones.

Cold Star Grass: twenty plants, each at two twenty. Total forty-four Spirit Stones.

Dew Condensing Grass: twenty plants, each at one. Total twenty Spirit Stones.

Sixty-four Low-grade Spirit Stones—should buy quite a few good things.

Chen Ping quickly stood up without lingering. His figure disappeared into the crowd.

Twisting and turning into a quiet corner, he swiftly removed his outer robe, turned it inside out, put it back on, and changed to a different colored headscarf to wrap his face.

Re-entering the human tide, he was now another inconspicuous gray-clad person.

Next, he needed to purchase the resources he wanted.