Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

The Spirit Medicine Valley was a treasure trove within the Lingxiao Secret Realm. Over seventy percent of the rare medicinal herbs in the Secret Realm came from this place. Consequently, many Alchemists and their companions, just like Ning Xuan’s group, made finding it their first objective upon entering the Secret Realm.

The location where Ning Xuan and her group had teleported into the Secret Realm was quite far from here. They had also wasted some time clearing their surroundings to find a safe place to rest, so it was already quite late by the time they arrived.

Just as Ning Xuan arrived, she heard a beast-like roar. A strange Half-beastman with crimson eyes and the body of a bear, but the face of a human, was frantically attacking a crowd of people.

The monster stood over two meters tall, its body as stout as a small hill. Knotted muscles were covered in thick, long, cyan-gray fur, which was now matted and stained red with blood. The most terrifying part was its human face—a fist-sized tumor protruded from where its forehead should have been. The tumor pulsed, occasionally spewing black mucus. Below it was a gaping maw that nearly split to its ears, and between its three rows of sharp teeth, it chewed on a human arm, foul-smelling slime dripping from its jaws.

"Contractor, it’s an Advanced Level Bear-type Mutated Beastman," Lin Mo said calmly to Ning Xuan. "Its transformation is recent, so it still has some fighting strength, but it’s nothing to be afraid of."

Just then, the Mutated Beastman, which had been on all fours, suddenly rose onto its hind legs. It slammed its powerful, barbed legs into the ground, causing a violent tremor that sent dust and stones flying. The Mutated Beastman seized the opportunity to pounce on the man closest to it. The young man had been lingering near the creature, unwilling to leave. Now pinned to the ground, he cried out through his tears, "Xiong Yue, open your eyes and look! It’s me! We grew up together, went to school together, and then worked together! We were the closest comrades-in-arms! How could you suddenly become like this?"

"Brother Zhou, run!" someone nearby yelled at the pinned man while attacking the Mutated Beastman.

But it was too late. The Mutated Beastman’s massive paw came down with a SMASH on the man’s head. His skull shattered instantly, brain matter splattering across the ground in a gory mess of red and white.

The surrounding people screamed and scattered. Just then, a flaming arrow shot out from the crowd. With a THWACK, it struck the tumor right in the center of the Mutated Beastman’s forehead. The archer’s strength was immense; the single arrow pierced straight through the creature’s skull.

"It’s Captain Xiao! He made his move!" someone in the crowd cheered.

Chen Nan whispered to Ning Xuan, "He’s Xiao Yulin, the captain of the Abyss Mercenary Corps. That Sunset Divine Bow of his is very famous."

Xiao Yulin had killed the Mutated Beastman with a single arrow, temporarily resolving the crisis. However, as the crowd gazed at the entrance to the Spirit Medicine Valley, now shrouded in black mist, they all fell silent once more.

"Everyone, it’s our turn to enter the valley. Qing Xian, Qingyu, you two go," Xiao Yulin said. He was handsome, with sharp brows and piercing eyes. As he scanned the surroundings, his gaze held an unconcealed arrogance.

The two assistants Yan Fuzhen had sent to Ning Xuan had already gone to gather information. A short while later, they returned and reported their findings to her. This black, poisonous miasma had appeared at the entrance to the Spirit Medicine Valley three days ago. At first, it was faint and not very noticeable. A group of seventeen people had entered the valley together. Shortly after entering, three of them suddenly mutated. The others were caught off guard, and three more were wounded by the mutated trio. The poisonous miasma seeped into their wounds, and all three died horribly on the spot.

Of the remaining eleven people, five fled deeper into the Spirit Medicine Valley and their whereabouts were unknown. The other six fought back against the Mutated Beastmen. In the process, three more of them died. The last three managed to escape the valley and inform their teammates outside about the situation.

Since then, the people waiting outside the valley had divided themselves into three groups, taking turns to enter. At first, people were still eager to get inside, but over the past few days, the probability of mutation has grown higher and higher. Now, many were no longer willing to enter the valley.

Ning Xuan listened to her subordinate’s report, her expression thoughtful as she gazed at the black mist. ’This mist... the aura feels similar to the toxic gas I cleansed from Lin Mo’s wound when I was healing him,’ she thought. ’But this baleful energy seems much stronger.’

The two male Spirit Controllers sent by the Abyss Mercenary Corps had already entered the gloomy, black-misted entrance of the Spirit Medicine Valley. Everyone stared nervously at the entryway. After about five minutes, a hoarse bird cry echoed from within. A strange man with black wings and a sharp beak protruding from his human face burst out, flapping his wings as he charged straight for Xiao Yulin.

With a THWUMP, an arrow struck the strange man square in the chest. He collapsed to the ground a dozen meters away from Xiao Yulin. Ning Xuan watched him fall and saw tears streaming from his eyes, his face filled with sorrow. It was obvious that, unlike the crimson-eyed Mutated Beastman from before, this man was still perfectly lucid.

"Qingyu, don’t blame me for being cruel," Xiao Yulin said softly, a pained expression on his face as he looked at his fallen team member.

The strange man on the ground quickly stopped breathing. Most of his body still retained the features of the Human Clan; only his wings, beak, and sharp claws were like those of an Exotic Beast.

"Captain Xiao, your decisiveness is a sign of responsibility! Otherwise, it would be like with Xiong Yue just now—hesitating only ends up hurting everyone," someone shouted. No one else in the crowd voiced any objection to Xiao Yulin’s actions.

Xiao Yulin cupped his fist to the crowd in acknowledgment. Someone from behind him stepped forward and stored Qingyu’s body in a Space Button, leaving the ground clean. Compared to the chaos of the Mutated Beastman’s rampage earlier, the scene quickly returned to calm.

When Yan Fuzhen came to deliver the assistants and inform Ning Xuan about the changes to the Secret Realm’s rules this morning, he had also given Ning Xuan, Chen Nan, Lin Mo, and Leng Yue disguises to prevent them from being targeted. Right now, all six members of their party wore altered faces. The people gathered at the entrance found them unfamiliar. Someone immediately asked, "You’re here to enter the valley for medicine, right? We’re split into three groups here, taking turns to go in. You can see which group you want to join. Or, if you’re willing, you can go in directly right now." This was a special courtesy extended to newcomers.

’But these newcomers just saw that Mutated Beastman go berserk. They probably won’t dare to rush into the valley.’

Hearing this, the corners of Ning Xuan’s mouth lifted into a faint, serene smile. She elegantly clasped her hands in a salute to the surrounding crowd, her voice crisp and firm. "Since we can go in directly, we won’t waste any more of everyone’s time. We’ll enter the valley now."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Xuan stepped forward without the slightest hesitation, taking the lead.