Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

Three days later...

Fang He left the spirit field and headed towards the guard team's camp.

Although his realm had become somewhat stable, the sense of crisis in his heart remained undiminished.

The second-tier sea beast that Captain Chen mentioned was like a sword hanging overhead, ready to fall at any moment.

He needs to know more; there might be news at the guard's base.

Along the way, the wandering cultivators on the street had various expressions.

Some people hurried by, while others huddled together talking in hushed tones, their faces filled with worry.

Fang He passed by a tea stall and overheard several rogue cultivators discussing something.

"Have you heard? Another group of sea monsters has been spotted out to sea..."

"A second-tier sea beast leading a group of first-tier creatures—if they charge this way, how are we supposed to survive?"

"Didn't the Qingyuan Sect send someone? That Foundation Establishment cultivator can't just stand by and watch him die, can he?"

"Hmph, relying on sects? Why should they care about the lives of us rogue cultivators?"

Fang He didn't stop and continued walking forward.

The chatter at the tea stall gradually faded away, but his heart grew heavier.

……

Outside the guard's camp, a group of independent cultivators were gathered.

Fang He took a few steps closer, her gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing on the person in the center.

He was a middle-aged cultivator, about forty years old, dressed in the robes of a Qingyuan Sect steward, with a deep and restrained aura.

Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Fang He recognized the person.

Gu Qingfeng is an outer sect steward of the Qingyuan Sect, stationed on Qing'ao Island.

After Ye Chen left, this person took charge of the island.

The surrounding rogue cultivators looked anxious and asked questions all at once.

"Steward Gu, is it true that the second-tier sea beast horde will come to Qing'ao Island?"

"We Qi Refining cultivators can't stop that kind of thing..."

"What arrangements will the Qingyuan Sect make? Will they send more personnel?"

Gu Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.

He glanced at everyone and said calmly, "The sect has its own arrangements; there's no need to ask further."

A rogue cultivator said anxiously, "But we all live by the sea. What if the sea monsters really attack..."

Gu Qingfeng interrupted, saying, "Those who should leave should leave, and those who should stay should stay. The sect will not force anyone to stay."

After saying that, he turned and walked into the camp, ignoring the people behind him.

The independent cultivators looked at each other, their expressions somber.

Some people grumbled and cursed, some were dejected, and some left silently.

Fang He stood at the back of the crowd, observing quietly.

Gu Qingfeng's attitude has already explained everything.

The sect will not risk their lives for rogue cultivators on the outskirts of the islands. If second-tier sea beasts really attack, those in the Qi Refining stage will be cannon fodder.

He couldn't rely on the sect; he had to rely on himself.

Fang He turned and left, heading towards the market.

……

The market was as bustling as ever.

Fang He walked on the stone-paved road, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

He wanted to inquire about the basics of alchemy and see if there were any suitable opportunities in the market.

"Brother Fang!"

A familiar voice came from the side.

Fang He turned his head and saw Captain Chen leaning out from behind a stall, waving at him.

"Captain Chen."

Fang He walked over.

Captain Chen was packing up his stall, putting the goods one by one into his storage bag.

Upon seeing Fang He, he smiled and pulled her to a quiet spot.

"Brother Fang, you've come at the perfect time. I was just looking for you."

Fang He asked, "What's wrong?"

Captain Chen lowered his voice, his expression grave: "The situation with the second-tier sea beasts I told you about last time is even more serious than we anticipated."

"I went out to sea again these past two days and saw the scale of the marine mammal herd from afar; it was shocking."

"It was covered with dorsal fins, a dark mass on the sea surface, and you could feel its menacing aura from a great distance."

Fang He nodded: "I just went to check on the guard's camp."

Captain Chen raised an eyebrow: "You saw Gu Qingfeng?"

"I met them, but they were indifferent and said the sect would make its own arrangements."

Captain Chen scoffed, "It's just a perfunctory gesture. Those big shots don't care about the lives of us rogue cultivators."

He shook his head, then changed the subject: "However, I've also discovered an opportunity."

Fang He looked at him.

Captain Chen continued, "There is a remote island in the open sea, which is said to have rare medicinal herbs. I want to open a new sea route to it."

"But there are flying fish in those waters."

"Iron-beaked flying fish?"

Fang He asked.

"A type of social sea beast, of the lowest rank. A single one is not a threat, but when they travel in groups of hundreds or thousands, they become extremely troublesome."

Captain Chen sighed, "Ordinary evasion methods have limited effectiveness, but if there were special evasion pills, the risks could be greatly reduced."

Fang He kept this in mind.

Elixirs and elixirs also fall under the category of alchemy.

He then brought up his interest in learning alchemy: "I've been thinking about alchemy lately. There's a Master Liu in the east of the market who's taking on apprentices. There's also a Master Zhang in the west who's looking for help. I'd like to give it a try."

Captain Chen shook his head repeatedly after hearing this.

"Brother Fang, you absolutely must not go to those two places."

"Master Liu charges too much. It costs twenty spirit stones to even begin the apprenticeship, and that's not even a formal apprenticeship; he just lets you do odd jobs."

"Master Zhang has a bad temper and will curse people at the slightest provocation. Several people have been driven away by his cursing."

Fang He frowned: "Is it that difficult?"

Captain Chen patted him on the shoulder: "There's also a Master Wu Dan on the south side of the market. He's also eccentric and doesn't easily take on disciples."

"But he's currently looking for a rare medicinal herb, and if I can help, I might have a chance to get in touch with it."

"Moreover, Master Wu has an assistant who is an orphan. If we can get along with her, we might be able to find out more information."

Fang He's heart stirred.

This information is useful.

Captain Chen then said, "But Brother Fang, you should think this alchemy matter carefully."

Fang He looked at him.

"Alchemy is not something anyone can do; it consumes a lot of energy."

Captain Chen said seriously, "I've seen many rogue cultivators who waste their spirit stones, neglect their cultivation, and end up not even refining a few pills, wasting several years of their lives."

"If you really want to take this path, you have to be mentally prepared."

Fang He nodded: "Thank you for the reminder. I will consider it carefully."

Captain Chen packed his things, bowed to Fang He, and hurriedly left.

Fang He stood there, pondering for a moment.

There's no rush to refine the elixir; let's make preparations first.

……

Fang He walked in a secluded spot, the panel appearing in his mind.

His experience with extractions during this period made him vaguely aware of a certain pattern.

The terms extracted from marine mammal material, related to water and marine mammals, are: [Swimming Proficiency], [Marine Mammal Sensing].

The terms extracted from the cultivation jade slip, related to cultivation techniques, are: 【Circulation of Qi and Body】 and 【Spiritual Energy Condensation】.

The terms extracted from the fragments of magical artifacts are related to the use of spiritual power.

The terms are related to the item types.

Terms extracted from a certain type of item are often related to that type.

This discovery is important.

To obtain entries related to alchemy, one should start with alchemy-related items.

Identifying spiritual herbs is a fundamental skill in alchemy. First, find an item related to identifying spiritual herbs.

Fang He wandered around the market and found a used bookstore.

The stall owner was an elderly man with white hair, who was dozing off while leaning back in his chair.

The stall was filled with all sorts of old and worn books, most of them incomplete, with yellowed paper and some even riddled with holes from insects.

Fang He squatted down, his gaze sweeping over the pile of books.

The "Introduction to Appreciation" and "Sharpened Senses" functions quietly, sensing the essence of each book.

A book badly damaged by insects caught his attention.

He picked up the book; the cover was already blurred, but the four characters "Illustrated Catalogue of Spiritual Herbs" were still faintly discernible.

Some pages were missing, but through the entries, he could sense that the book contained a deep understanding of spiritual herbs.

Fang He picked up a worn-out booklet next to him. The cover had the words "The Secret of Nourishing the Heart" written on it. The pages were curled and yellowed, and the book was in poor condition.

"Old man."

Fang He spoke.

The stall owner opened his eyes, his cloudy gaze falling on Fang He.

Fang He held up two books: "How many spirit stones are in these two books?"

The stall owner glanced at it, then waved his hand: "Take it for one spirit stone."

Fang He handed over the spirit stone and put the two books into his pocket.

……

On the edge of the market, in a quiet corner.

Fang He took out a tattered copy of "Illustrated Catalogue of Spiritual Herbs" riddled with insects.

The panel appears, and the history rewind function is activated.

A faint glow appeared on the pages of the book, and knowledge about identifying spiritual herbs flooded into my mind.

[Spiritual Herb Identification]: White entry, enhances the ability to identify spiritual herbs and allows the perception of their internal medicinal properties.

Fang He was overjoyed.

Sure enough!

The correlation between terms and item types has been verified.

He wanted entries related to alchemy, so he started with items related to alchemy, and it worked.

He then took out the tattered "Heart Nourishing Manual" and went through the same process.

[Mental Stability]: Gray attribute, resists the invasion of inner demons, restores mental consciousness by +10%.

Although it has nothing to do with alchemy, it is still a useful term.

Fang He composed herself and walked towards the spirit field.

……

Back in the thatched hut, Fang He took out the incomplete copy of "Illustrated Catalogue of Spiritual Herbs" and began to read it by the light of an oil lamp.

The pages of the book are incomplete, but the descriptions of the medicinal herbs are very detailed.

The term "[Identification of Herbs]" lingered in my mind, echoing the words in the book.

Fang He closed the book and blew out the oil lamp.

Tomorrow I'll go to the south side of the market to see that Master Wu...