The spirit herb garden on Misty Moon Peak was vast, stretching over thousands of acres. Various types and grades of spirit herbs were meticulously organized and planted. As soon as you approached, the fragrant aroma of the herbs enveloped you, making you feel utterly refreshed and invigorated.

The disciple who led the way found the steward of the garden, exchanged a few words, and then took his leave.

The steward was a bit surprised. It was the first time someone who wasn’t an inner sect disciple had been assigned here without any duties. But since the orders came from above, he wasn’t about to make things difficult.

Leaf was given a small, secluded courtyard. It was nestled in a bamboo grove, naturally insulated from noise, providing a truly serene environment. As long as that eccentric Han Yueyue didn’t come to bother him, he was content to stay put.

Meanwhile, Qianqian had returned to Bright Moon Peak. Her father, Master Mo Yan, was the peak master and also the elder brother of Sect Leader Cuilan. In their generation, there were seven siblings, each commanding a peak, all of them powerful Jindan stage cultivators. Among them, Cuilan was the strongest, already at the ninth level of the Jindan stage, just one step away from breaking through to the Yuanying stage.

Leaf had only heard of Spirit-Binding Wood and Demon Beast Bones but had never seen them before. He didn’t even know how to identify them.

"Better not get my hopes up," he muttered, shaking his head and tucking the piece of wood back into his storage bag.

Just then, a streak of purple light shot across the sky. It was Qianqian, riding her Violet Leaf. She circled once in the air before locking onto Leaf's position.

"Hey there, princess! Did you bring everything Uncle Leaf asked for?" Leaf's eyes lit up when he saw her. He was eagerly awaiting the sixty-six kinds of spirit herbs needed to rebuild his meridians.

"Here you go. A few of them are fifth-grade herbs. It took a lot of sweet-talking to get my mom to agree," Qianqian huffed, tossing him a storage bag with a look of irritation.

"That was part of the deal, of course you had to deliver," Leaf said, casually scanning the contents of the bag. All sixty-six herbs were there.

If that rascal hadn’t taken liberties with her, she wouldn’t have chased him, wouldn’t have ended up captured, and wouldn’t have agreed to this unfair deal. Yet, here he was, acting like it was all perfectly normal, making her seethe with anger.

"Fine, I don't care about you. You can stay with the Zixia Sect for one year. After that, get lost," Qianqian snapped, her fury barely contained.

"Why so angry? You didn't lose out. Uncle Leaf promised to help you build your foundation within the year, and I always keep my promises. In the end, you’re the one who benefits," Leaf grinned, ignoring her rage.

Qianqian didn't bother responding. She took off on her Violet Leaf, flying away from Misty Moon Peak. She still thought Leaf was just bragging, convinced she was getting the raw end of the deal.

That was exactly how Leaf wanted it. No one to bother him meant peace and quiet, giving him more time to study the Sky-Holding Technique.

With the spirit herbs in hand, it was time to start the process of dispersing his qi and rebuilding his meridians.

Leaf took out a few low-quality magical artifacts he had taken from the Red Powder Fairy and the Ghost Daoist. After a bit of refining and imprinting his spiritual mark on them, he set up a mixed prohibition array in his room based on their different attributes. The array’s power was limited but sufficient to keep out the garden’s errand boys.

He filled a large barrel with spirit spring water and started a fire to bring it to a boil.

Spirit spring water was easy to come by since it was used to irrigate the entire spirit herb garden. However, Leaf thought the spiritual energy contained in the water was rather thin. Given his current circumstances, he had to make do.

Once the water was boiling, Leaf carefully added the sixty-six types of spirit herbs in order. As the water began to change color, he took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination.

With a flurry of swift finger presses over his body, he finally pressed his lower abdomen. A sound like a balloon bursting echoed out, and the spiritual energy in his body was immediately dispersed, pouring out of his pores like mad.

"Ah..." Leaf’s face contorted in agony. The pain from dispersing his qi was as excruciating as any earthly torture, as if every bone and muscle were being sawed, smashed, and torn apart.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the water in the barrel turned as black as ink. Leaf, now naked, was pale, drenched in sweat and blood that had seeped from his body. A closer look would reveal his muscles twitching uncontrollably.

He licked his parched lips with a dry tongue, giving a bitter, self-mocking smile. His white teeth were stained with streaks of blood, adding to his eerie appearance.

With great difficulty, Leaf crawled into the boiling medicinal bath, sitting cross-legged. He began to chant, guiding the medicinal energy into his body, starting the process of rebuilding his meridians.

"Father, Mother, Sect Leader," Qianqian greeted as she entered the room, finding not only her parents but also the sect leader.

"This is outrageous! Sneaking down the mountain without permission! You’re to reflect on your actions in Bright Moon Ravine for six months," Master Mo Yan roared, his mustache trembling with anger.

"Brother, Qianqian is still young. Don’t be so harsh on her," Sect Leader Cuilan gently intervened, always having had a soft spot for Qianqian due to her close relationship with Mo Yan.

"Father, I won’t dare do it again. Please forgive me this once. By the way, since coming back from the trip, I feel something might be wrong with my body," Qianqian said, testing if Leaf was telling the truth about the restriction he placed on her.

Sure enough, as soon as she mentioned it, Master Mo Yan’s anger dissipated. He scanned her with his divine sense but found nothing amiss.

Cuilan, being a woman, had no such reservations. She not only used her divine sense but also checked Qianqian physically, finding nothing wrong.

"There’s nothing wrong. In fact, your cultivation seems to have progressed, likely indicating you’re on the verge of breaking through to the seventh stage of the Fetal Movement. Spend the next few days cultivating quietly and don’t wander around," Cuilan said, gently stroking Qianqian’s hair.

Qianqian felt a pang of disappointment. It seemed that rascal Leaf hadn’t lied. The restriction he placed on her was so subtle that even the sect leader couldn’t detect it, yet she could clearly feel it herself.

...

At Misty Moon Peak, a thin mist would rise at night, and the silvery moonlight made the place look ethereal, as if veiled by a delicate gauze.

Leaf sat on the roof, fiddling with the black wooden piece he had taken from the Ghost Daoist's storage bag, trying to make sense of it under the hazy moonlight.

"Spirit-binding wood? Or a demon beast bone? Or just a rotten piece of wood?" Even with all his experience, Leaf couldn’t tell what it was. If it were spirit-binding wood or a demon beast bone, he would have struck gold. But then again, such rare materials were scarce even in the immortal realm, so what were the chances it would appear in the mortal world?