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

After leaving the pharmacy, Fang He had already made up her mind.

Su Yun'er's willingness to help and Wu Danshi's slightly warmer attitude are good signs.

But he needs more leverage before a formal collaboration can take place.

Not only must they demonstrate their value, but they must also have the ability to protect themselves.

The next morning, Fang He arrived at the Gongfa Pavilion on the east side of the market.

It was a two-story building, with two Zhou family guards standing at the entrance. Fang He stepped forward and showed his identification badge. The guards glanced at it, nodded, and let him pass.

Upon entering, one is greeted by a faint scent of books.

The cultivation technique pavilion is not large. Several bookshelves are placed around the perimeter, displaying various cultivation technique jade slips, and a long table in the center for people to browse the catalog.

Behind the counter sat a middle-aged monk, who was looking down and flipping through something.

When Fang He entered, he looked up, his gaze calm.

"Exchange for spells?"

Fang He nodded: "Fireball."

The steward put down the jade slip in his hand, stood up, took a light red jade slip from the shelf behind him, and placed it on the counter: "Fireball spell, first-tier low-grade spell, requires thirty merit points."

Fang He took out the merit plaque from his pocket and handed it over.

The steward took it and flashed it within the array on the counter. The array flashed, confirming that the merit amount was correct.

"Merit verification complete."

The steward pushed the jade slip toward Fang He, indicating that the transaction was complete.

Fang He carefully put away the jade slip and glanced at the remaining points on the merit board.

He probably won't take on patrol missions anymore, so there's no point in keeping these achievements. It's better to see if they can be of any use.

"I have a few points left on my achievement board, what can I exchange them for?"

The butler didn't even look up: "There's a pile of miscellaneous books in the corner of the counter, three points a book each, choose one yourself."

Fang He looked in the direction of the sound and saw several old booklets piled up in the corner of the counter, most of the covers of which were incomplete.

He went up and flipped through a few books, most of which were travelogues, notes, and gossip about the market, which were not of much value.

When Fang He turned to the fifth book, her fingers paused slightly.

This was a yellowed booklet, "The Record of the Travels of a Wandering Cultivator in the East Sea," with a tattered cover, but the moment Fang He touched it, a familiar feeling arose in his mind.

There are entries that can be extracted.

"This is the one."

The deacon took the merit plaque, deducted three points, and then ignored it.

Fang He put the miscellaneous books into his bosom and turned to leave.

Back at her residence, Fang He entered the courtyard, where no one was around.

He sat down cross-legged and placed the jade slip containing the Fireball Technique between his eyebrows.

As my divine sense probed in, the contents of the technique slowly flowed into my mind. The spiritual energy circulation route, casting gestures, and method of condensing fire elements of the Fireball Technique were all presented.

About fifteen minutes later, Fang He opened her eyes.

The techniques have been memorized; the next step is practice.

He stood up, took a deep breath, formed hand seals, and circulated his spiritual energy according to the instructions. The spiritual energy started from his dantian, flowed along the meridians to his arms, and finally gathered in his palms.

"fire."

Fang He let out a low shout, his inner energy surged in his palm, and a cluster of flames shot up, but then dimmed, leaving only a wisp of green smoke.

The fireball dimmed, indicating a significant depletion of spiritual energy.

Fang He frowned.

This was his first attempt; he didn't activate the [Fire Affinity] attribute and relied solely on his own spiritual power to cast the spell.

The results were indeed less than satisfactory.

He adjusted his breathing and circulated his spiritual energy again.

This time, he actively activated the familiar sensation in his dantian: [Fire Affinity].

The moment the entry was activated, Fang He felt as if the spiritual energy within his body had been ignited, its circulation speed accelerating and its heat rising.

He made a hand seal, and spiritual energy surged into his palms.

"fire!"

A bright fireball, the size of a fist, condensed in his palm, its flames blazing and radiating a scorching heat.

The fireball hovered in the air for three or four breaths before slowly dissipating.

The fireball was bright, the spellcasting was smooth, and the consumption of spiritual energy was reduced.

Fang He was overjoyed.

The effect of [Fire Affinity] is immediate; with this attribute, the power of Fireball increases by at least 30%.

He practiced several times and gradually mastered the trick.

The last time, the fireball hovered in the air for five or six breaths before dissipating, which was close to the beginner level.

After the drill was over, Fang He took out the book "The Travelogue of a Wandering Cultivator in the East Sea".

The cover was tattered, and the pages were yellowed.

With a thought, the panel appeared.

[Retrievable historical traces detected]

[Item: "The Travelogue of a Wandering Cultivator in the East Sea"]

[Historical Imprint: Reflections on Cultivation by a Loose Cultivator (Gray)]

【Whether to extract? 】

Fang He confirmed.

Extraction successful

[Acquired stat: Aura Affinity (Gray)]

Fang He put the book away with satisfaction.

With the two affinities for spiritual energy combined, the cultivation speed increased even further.

Looking at the lingering warmth in his palm, an idea popped into his mind: use vines to entangle and restrict the enemy's movements, then attack with a fireball spell... The combination of wood and fire elements might produce unexpected results.

In the following days, Fang He focused on perfecting his Fireball Technique while tending to the spirit field.

He participated in several more coastal patrols, but found nothing unusual.

The sea monsters seemed to have retreated, and the teams that went deep to clear them out suffered few casualties; everything was unusually calm.

Fang He remained vigilant, but also knew that things couldn't be rushed.

His proficiency with Fireball steadily improved, and his skill with Vine also became more refined through practice.

He already had a rough idea of ​​how to combine the two spells, and it just needed to be tested in actual combat.

-----------------

That afternoon, Fang He passed by the pharmacy and saw Su Yun'er squatting at the door, looking worried at a herb.

He stepped forward and greeted her, "Miss Su, what's wrong?"

Su Yun'er looked up and saw Fang He. Her brows relaxed a little. "Brother Fang, you've come at the right time. For some reason, the leaves of this companion plant of the Sea Soul Grass are starting to turn yellow."

Fang He squatted down and examined it carefully.

This is a herb plant that is half a foot tall. Its leaves are slender and should be bright green, but now the tips of the leaves have begun to turn yellow, and some leaves have even withered completely.

"How long have you been raising it?" Fang He asked.

Su Yun'er said, "I picked it from the outer islands and reefs half a month ago and have been keeping it in the pharmacy ever since. Grandpa Wu said this companion herb is very important for refining the Sea Soul Pill and told me to take good care of it. But it suddenly started to wither these past few days..."

Fang He stared intently at the screen.

[Identification of Spiritual Herbs] A familiar sensation rises from the dantian, as if there are a pair of invisible eyes that can see through the surface of the herbs and look directly into their interior.

Leaves are turning yellow, leaf tips are withering...

On the surface, it appears to be due to a lack of water or insufficient sunlight.

But Fang He didn't rush to conclusions. He continued to sense, following the stems of the herbs downwards, probing into the roots.

Deep within the roots, he sensed something amiss.

Something is gnawing at the roots.

Fang He frowned.

[Plant affinity] enhances perception.

This time, he clearly "saw" a tiny wormhole mark next to the main root, with several white insects the size of rice grains gnawing at the root.

"It's a pest infestation."

Fang He opened her eyes.

Su Yun'er was startled: "Insects? I check the leaves every day and haven't seen any insects."

Fang He pointed to the roots of the herbs: "The insects are in the soil, they specifically gnaw on the roots. Look at this soil..."

He gently brushed away the top layer of soil, revealing the root system underneath. "The roots have been gnawed quite a bit, no wonder the leaves are turning yellow."

Su Yun'er took a closer look and indeed saw several small white insects wriggling among the roots.

"This is a root-eating insect."

Fang He said, "It likes to parasitize the roots of spiritual herbs and gnaw at them from the inside. If it is not dealt with in time, this companion herb will die within three days."

Su Yun'er's expression changed slightly: "Then what should we do?"

Fang He said, "Watering with insect repellent for three consecutive days should get rid of them completely. The key is to discover it early, before the roots are completely destroyed."

Su Yun'er nodded repeatedly, then suddenly remembered something: "I'll go call Grandpa Wu!"

She got up and ran into the pharmacy. A moment later, Master Wu walked out slowly.

The old man was slightly hunched over, his face was withered, but his eyes were still sharp.

He walked to the companion grass, squatted down, and carefully examined the pests that Fang He had pointed out.

After a long while, he raised his head and looked at Fang He with a hint of shock in his eyes.

"How did you find out?"

Wu Dan asked, his voice hoarse.

Fang He said, "I have some knowledge of identifying spiritual herbs, and I just happened to sense that the roots were somewhat unusual."

Master Wu stared at Fang He for a few moments without saying a word.

The root-eating insects hide in the soil and are impossible to detect by ordinary means, yet this young man saw through them at a glance...

Su Yun'er chimed in, "Grandpa, Brother Fang knows about spirit herbs, and he's a good person. Weren't you looking for help before...?"

Master Wu raised his hand, stopping her from continuing.

After a moment of silence, the old man spoke: "You want to learn alchemy?"

Fang He nodded: "Yes."

Master Wu Dan said, "I do not accept disciples."

Fang He remained calm and waited quietly for what was to come.

Master Wu continued, "But cooperation is possible. You help me with my work, and I'll teach you the basics of alchemy. However, I need to assess your abilities first. Help me trace the origin of that batch of cooling ginseng. If you can find out, you can come and help out at the pharmacy in the future."

Fang He's heart stirred.

The source of the cold-natured ginseng is precisely an opportunity for it to prove itself.

He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Alright."

Master Wu stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "I'll see how your investigation goes in a month."

A look of joy flashed in Su Yun'er's eyes as she looked at Fang He, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Fang He nodded: "Thank you, Mr. Wu."

Master Wu didn't say anything more and turned to go back into the house.

As he reached the door, he stopped and said without turning his head, "Come back at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow, and I'll teach you how to identify medicinal herbs."

Fang He felt a warmth in her heart. This meant he had agreed.

Su Yun'er saw him to the door and whispered, "Brother Fang, those root-eating insects... I'll go buy some insecticide now. I can handle the watering."

Fang He nodded: "Remember to water it for three consecutive days, once a day. If the roots recover well, this companion plant can be saved."

Su Yun'er nodded earnestly: "I'll remember. Thank you, Brother Fang."

Fang He waved his hand and turned to leave.

Behind him, Su Yun'er watched his retreating figure with a faint smile on her lips.

Fang He left the pharmacy with light steps.

With the Fireball spell in hand, the alchemy collaboration was also secured.

He looked towards the market area, pondering his next move.

The source of the cold-natured ginseng can be traced back to that herb farmer named Old Zhang.

During these past few days of patrols, the sea monsters seem to have dispersed, and everything is unusually calm.

Fang He had a vague feeling that this peace wouldn't last long.

He quickened his pace and headed towards the spirit field before it got dark.