He began leading Alex along a winding stone path deeper into Thousand Herbs Peak.
As they walked, he pointed out various buildings scattered along the mountainside -storage halls, herb-drying courtyards, and refining chambers where disciples worked withrge cauldrons and strange medicinal tools.
"Thousand Herbs Peak holds an important position in the Wudang Sect," the young man exined.
His tone shifted into something more professional.
“We cultivate medicinal herbs, gather rare nts from the mountains, and manage their storage."
He gestured toward several terraces carved into the hillside, each filled with carefully nted herbs.
“Our department specializes in spirit medicine."
His eyes briefly flicked toward the distant refining halls.
"Pill refinement. Herbal extraction. Medicinal preparation."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"If it heals the body or strengthens cultivation..."
"...there''s a good chance it came from here."
"Bing an Outer Sect disciple of Thousand Herbs Peak also means something else,” the young man said as they continued walking along the stone path. “You will serve as an apprentice apothecary."
He spoke calmly, but there was a hint of pride in his voice.
"That means you must study nts, vegetation, and medicinal herbs. You''ll also learn the techniques used to refine and prepare spirit medicine."
Alex listened carefully as they walked. The young man exined everything in surprising detail how herbs were cultivated, how they were harvested, and how different ingredients werebined to produce medicinal effects.
By the time they reached the supply hall, Alex''s head was already buzzing with new information.
Inside the building, he received his Outer Sect disciple uniform along with several standard items issued by the sect.
Time passed quickly, and before he realized it, dusk had arrived. The golden light of the setting sun washed over Thousand Herbs Peak as the two of them continued walking through the mountain paths.
Thanks to the young man''s exnations, Alex had already learned a great deal about the inner workings of the peak.
Eventually, they arrived at a quiet building known as the Medicines Pavilion.
Inside, the young man handed Alex a thick book.
"This is the introductory text," he said.
Alex looked down at the heavy volume in his hands.
The title alone made his eyebrows twitch.
“This book records Twenty thousand types of nts and vegetation,” the young man exined calmly. "You must memorize them."
Alex nearly choked.
"Twenty thousand?"
The young man ignored his reaction.
"Once you''ve mastered the contents of this book, you will be allowed to receive the second volume."
He looked at Alex with a faint smile.
"Junior Brother Bai, the road of cultivation is long and difficult. Spirit medicine is something no cultivator can do without."
His voice carried the calm confidence of someone who understood the sect well.
"If you can be an apothecary, your rise within the sect will be very fast."
He raised a finger as he spoke.
"Apprentice apothecary."
Then another.
"Senior Apothecary."
Finally, a third.
"Master apothecary."
He smiled slightly.
"Junior Brother Bai, how far you go in the future will depend on the fortune you encounter along the way."
By the time night settled over the mountain, the young man finally led Alex to a quiet courtyard residence prepared for him by the sect.
The smallpound sat peacefully beneath the moonlight, surrounded by low stone walls and tall herb gardens swaying gently in the night breeze.
The young man stopped at the entrance.
"Junior Brother Bai, I have to leave the mountain tomorrow," he said.
"So I won''t be able to apany you any further."
He sped his hands politely.
"If there''s anything you don''t understand, you can alwayse find me."
"My name is Xuan Chen. I belong to the Xuan generation."
He smiled warmly, then bowed in farewell.
Without another word, he turned and walked away down the moonlit path.
Alex stood there for a moment in silence.
The night air was cool.
After a while, he took a deep breath.
Then he turned and looked at moonlight poured over Thousand Herbs Peak of the Wudang Sect, washing the mountain in pale silver light. The thick mist that usually cloaked the slopes had begun to thin, drifting slowly through the valleys like ghostly rivers. Under the glow of the night sky, the entire peak looked breathtaking—quiet, mysterious, and almost unreal.
Halfway down the mountain, a narrow side path led to a secluded courtyard residence.
The courtyard itself was surprisinglyrge, nearly the size of a small field.
Flowering nts grew along the edges of the stone paths, and rows of medicinal herbs filled carefully tended garden beds. Their fragrance. drifted through the cool night air, soft and soothing.
With a casual flick of his sleeve, Alex pushed open the gate and stepped into the
courtyard that would now be his home.
Alex stood in the middle of the courtyard and slowly looked around.
his new courtyard.
"Well..."
A slow grin spread across his face.
"I guess bing an Outer Sect disciple isn''t so bad after all."
"Outer Sect disciples are official members of the Wudang Sect," he muttered to
himself. "Of course the treatment is better than what servants get."
He nced around the courtyard again, clearly pleased.
"This ce really isn''t bad at all."
His gaze slowly lifted toward the upper slopes of Thousand Herbs Peak.
The top half of the mountain was reserved for Inner Sect disciples. Only they were qualified to live closer to the peak where the spiritual energy was strongest.
Alex narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied the distant lights above.
Then he shrugged and walked across the courtyard toward a small hut standing near the corner of the yard.
He pushed the wooden door open. It creaked loudly as it swung inward, the old hinges cracking in the quiet night.
Inside, the room was simple but clean.
A low meditation bed sat in the center, with a small wooden table beside it and a
shelf built into the wall. The air carried the faint scent of dried herbs.
Alex stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
He sat down on the meditation bed, pulled out the thick volume describing twenty thousand herbs, and opened it slowly.
Then, without making a sound, he gave Gaia amand inside his mind.
Record everything.
The massive book describing twenty
thousand types of nts and vegetation was instantly scanned and stored. What would normally
require three full years of
memorization had beenpleted
intess than an hour.
"Now," Alex murmured to himself, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his lips, "I
finally have plenty of time to improve my cultivation."
Decision made, Alex cross-legged on the meditation bed.
When it came to cultivation, he had never allowed himself to ck off.
Even during the past few months, when his progress had slowed almost to a crawl,
he still practiced every single day.
The reason was simple.
Cultivation was his shield.
It was the only thing protecting him in this dangerous world until he could find a way
to leave.
Because of that, he had no intention of stopping.
Alex closed his eyes.
He quietly swallowed several pills he had created earlier using leftover herbs from
the kitchen.
The moment the pills dissolved, warm energy began spreading through his body.
He slowly guided the flow of spiritual energy through his meridians.
The spiritual energy here was far denser than what he had experienced in the Servant Quarter. Heaven and earth energy drifted through Thousand Herbs Peak like
invisible tivers, rick and abondant
Alex drew it in steadily.
His breathing slowed.
His mind grew calm.
Soon, he entered a deep state of meditation-so focused that the outside world
seemed to disappear entirely.
Time passed.
Minutes.
Hours.
Alex had no idea how long he remained in that state.
Until suddenly-
A furious roar shattered the silence of the day.
The sound exploded through the courtyard like thunder.
"You worthless Outer Sect brats!"
Alex''s eyes snapped open.
The voice was full of rage.
"If your job is to help me, then why the hell have you ignored me for three months?!"
The voice grew even more furious.
"Are you all dead?!"
A moment of silence.
Then the voice roared again, filled with murderous fury.
"If you''re had not dead, then I''ll just kill you again right now!"