Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

"Contractor, let’s search the outer areas again tomorrow. If we still can’t find it, the Spirit Medicine Valley probably isn’t in this region." In truth, they had come to this area first because it was the closest to the teleportation point.

The various regions within the Lingxiao Secret Realm changed over time—a general rule established over hundreds of years. However, by a stroke of luck, there were occasional years when the Secret Realm’s environment would align with a specific map. Even if the overlap wasn’t perfect, a map from within the last three years still had some reference value.

The Lighting Pearl suspended in the cave cast a cold, pale-white light. Ning Xuan gazed at the two sheepskin maps spread across the table, her fingertip gently tracing the vermilion mark that indicated the Spirit Medicine Valley.

Although they hadn’t found the Spirit Medicine Valley, the past two days hadn’t been entirely fruitless. Ning Xuan took three herbs out of her Space Button. One of them had only three leaves, shaped like long, slender daggers, and glowed with a faint, silvery-blue light. Star-like specks swirled across the leaves, refracting fine glimmers of light under the Lighting Pearl.

"This stalk of Star Grass is thirty years old. While not particularly old, it’s perfect for my needs," Ning Xuan said, looking at the Star Grass with satisfaction.

The other two herbs were Snake Scale Wood and Earth Dragon Saliva. Compared to the Star Grass, these two ingredients were relatively common. It just so happened, however, that these three ingredients could be used to create a Mid-level Compound Potion: the Dragon Saliva Clearing Miasma Potion. Every contestant and their companion entering the Lingxiao Secret Realm had been inspected beforehand. While daily necessities, food, and weapons were allowed, Exotic Plants, medicinal ingredients, and any finished medicines were strictly forbidden.

They had been in the Lingxiao Secret Realm for three days. During that time, while searching for a place to settle, clearing out potential threats, and looking for the Spirit Medicine Valley, they had also been vigilant in seeking out useful medicinal plants. The three herbs Ning Xuan produced were only a part of their findings.

"Lin Mo, take off your shirt," Ning Xuan said, setting the Star Grass aside and turning to give him the order.

Lin Mo’s face suddenly flushed red. He glanced at Chen Nan and hesitated for a moment, looking rather embarrassed.

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up," Ning Xuan chided with a frown, seeing him drag his feet.

"Contractor, can we go onto the bed?" Deeply reluctant to undress in front of Chen Nan, Lin Mo couldn’t help but ask.

"I’m going to look at your wounds. What would we need the bed for?" Ning Xuan said with a look of disdain, realizing he had likely misunderstood.

"Thank you for your concern, Contractor. They’re just minor injuries, it’s nothing." Only then did Lin Mo recall that he had indeed sustained some superficial wounds inside the chaotic Energy Field. He hadn’t paid them any mind.

"Strip," Ning Xuan said, looking at him and uttering a single word.

"Contractor, I’ll go check on the other caves first," Chen Nan said, standing up.

Ning Xuan glanced from Lin Mo to Chen Nan, a little confused. ’Isn’t it perfectly normal for men to be shirtless around each other?’

"You’ve got a great build. Are you afraid of Ah Nan getting a look?" Ning Xuan said, amused.

Lin Mo lowered his head, undid his cuffs and buttons, and took off his shirt. His shoulders were broad and his back tapered, with elegant, powerful lines and well-defined muscles. But his flat abdomen and broad back and shoulders were covered in numerous purple wounds. On his shoulder blades were three gashes so deep the bone was visible. Strangely, there was no blood, only dark purple bruising that spread along his meridians as if it were crawling beneath his skin.

Ning Xuan took a disinfectant cotton pad from her medical kit, pressed it against the wound on Lin Mo’s shoulder blade, and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Lin Mo shook his head. "It doesn’t." Not only did he feel no pain, he barely felt the touch at all—just a numb sensation, as if through a thick barrier.

"You’ve been poisoned. If these wounds aren’t treated, they’ll be even worse by tomorrow." Ning Xuan grabbed Lin Mo’s hand and guided it back, making him touch the bone-deep gashes on his own shoulder blade.

Lin Mo was startled when he felt the wound. He looked down at the bruises on his abdomen, an embarrassed expression on his face. "Contractor, I didn’t know it was this serious. Normally, a small wound like this would have healed by now."

Upon entering the Secret Realm this time, not only was the Spiritual Power Level of a High Level Spirit Controller severely suppressed, but their physical constitution was as well, drastically reducing their body’s ability to recover.

Ning Xuan carefully examined his injuries, even probing the deepest gash to inspect the bruising. She finally confirmed it was miasma poisoning. This miasma existed in every corner of the Secret Realm. As long as one remained uninjured, it was harmless. But once a person was wounded, the miasma would invade the body through the opening.

After finishing her examination, Ning Xuan lanced the wound on Lin Mo’s shoulder blade and squeezed out the purplish-black, stagnant blood. She then used a Golden Needle to seal the surrounding acupoints, preventing the poisoned blood from spreading. Next, she took out the Panlong Purple Pattern Refining Furnace and quickly refined the Star Grass and other herbs into the Mid-level Compound Potion: the Dragon Saliva Clearing Miasma Potion. The finished medicine was a translucent, ethereal blue that seemed to be filled with starlight. It was stunningly beautiful.

Ning Xuan sprinkled the medicine onto the freshly lanced wound. A sharp TSSSSSS sound filled the air. The moment the liquid touched his skin, the wound erupted in white foam and wisps of black smoke. Lin Mo felt as if a handful of salt had been rubbed into the gash, as if he’d been thrown onto hot gravel and sharp thorns. It was like millions of venomous ants were gnawing at his flesh. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The piercing agony made him cry out. The cave echoed with Lin Mo’s suppressed screams. His fingers curled into fists so tight his knuckles turned white, his nails digging into his palms and drawing blood. His face was pale, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. His back arched and bucked violently as he tried to pull away from Ning Xuan’s grasp.

"Don’t move! Bear with it!" Ning Xuan snapped in a cold, sharp voice.

Lin Mo felt the pain wash over his consciousness like a tsunami. A vortex of crimson and ethereal blue exploded before his eyes. He tasted the metallic tang of blood rising in his throat. He bit his lower lip to shreds, but even that couldn’t stop the death-like shudders wracking his body. He spasmed uncontrollably. It was pure torture.

Lin Mo never could have imagined that healing could be so agonizing. Just when he felt he was about to be torn apart by the pain, a cool, soothing sensation, like a clear spring, suddenly surged up from the base of his spine. The pain receded like a tide. The black smoke from the wound dissipated, the purple marks faded at a visible rate, and a translucent film began to form over the damaged flesh. Utterly spent, Lin Mo collapsed onto the stone platform. His pupils were dilated and unfocused, as if his very soul had been torn from his body, leaving him drained of all strength.

Chen Nan had heard Lin Mo’s agonizing screams and started heading back. Hearing the commotion, he had been worried something was wrong with Lin Mo and thought he should return to intervene if needed. Just as he returned, the painful cries stopped abruptly.

To Lin Mo, the healing process had felt like an eternity, but in reality, only a few minutes had passed.