Chapter Ninety-One: Silverleaf Grass

Zhang Ming and Xue Kun exchanged glances. At first, both of them assumed that Ling Tian relied on the prestige of the Mu family when handling affairs outside. But now, it was clear that this was far from the case. In reality, Ling Tian had resolved many troublesome matters for the Mu family entirely by his own strength.

“If there’s nothing major, then I’ll take a leave of absence. If anything comes up that requires my attention, have Wang Yong inform me.” Ling Tian instructed Wang Yong to fetch the leave slip. Given his special status at the moment, Ling Tian chose to follow procedure to avoid appearing privileged and putting Mu Qingcheng in a difficult position.

Not only did he write a leave slip, but he also made up for the previous absences.

Zhang Ming took the leave slip, looked it over, and then put it away, flashing Ling Tian a grateful smile. Though he knew it was merely a formality, Ling Tian’s actions were a tangible show of support for Zhang Ming’s work. Had Ling Tian ignored procedure, as the manager of the General Affairs Department, Zhang Ming would have been forced to swallow his displeasure.

“All right, you’re all busy, I’ll let you get back to work,” Ling Tian said, greeting everyone before leaving Qingcheng Group. Originally, he had intended to visit Mu Qingcheng, but knowing how absorbed she was in the development of the new product, he decided against disturbing her. With the strength of Qingcheng Group’s R&D team, the new product would surely be launched soon.

After reporting as required at Qingcheng Group, Ling Tian returned to his rented house.

Now that his strength had recovered to mid-stage Qi Refining, Ling Tian re-refined the Spirit Gathering Array, raising its level somewhat, though it still fell short of a first-grade formation.

The difference between almost first-grade and true first-grade was fundamental.

“To craft a first-grade formation, I’ll probably need at least the strength of the Qi Transformation stage,” Ling Tian remarked with some regret. If other cultivators were present, they would likely go mad with envy.

After all, even postnatal martial artists struggled to create a first-grade formation.

Yet Ling Tian, only at mid-stage Qi Refining, had crafted a formation nearly at that level. It was clear just how formidable he truly was.

Glancing at the time and seeing there was still much of the day left before the evening gathering, Ling Tian decided to tidy up the courtyard and transform it into a defensive array to prevent any unwelcome intrusions.

This was Ling Tian’s first thorough cleaning of the courtyard since moving in. While clearing weeds in the backyard, he sensed intense fluctuations of spiritual energy—a degree he had never encountered before.

Could it be that something valuable was hidden here?

Ling Tian swiftly extended his spiritual awareness, following the sensation until he discovered, tucked in a corner of the courtyard, a bamboo about twenty centimeters tall with three silvery leaves, its entire body a vibrant green and radiating a powerful spiritual aura. This was it.

He immediately crouched down for a closer look, and a surge of information flooded his mind.

Silverleaf Grass—lush green throughout, leaves a silvery white, mature height about a foot. A low-grade spiritual herb. Effects: fortifies the body, nourishes essence, enhances cultivation...

Although this Silverleaf Grass didn’t quite qualify as a first-grade spiritual herb, for Ling Tian at present, it was nothing short of a precious elixir. If used to refine pills, it would maximize its medicinal potency, aiding cultivators in advancing—a perfect herb for those at the foundational stage.

“I’ve lived here so long and never realized that such a treasure was hidden here,” Ling Tian exclaimed with excitement.

He checked the soil around the Silverleaf Grass but found nothing remarkable. Clearly, its appearance here was pure chance.

To accelerate the herb’s growth, Ling Tian decided to set up a small Spirit Gathering Array at the spot. As long as spiritual energy was abundant, Silverleaf Grass would grow much faster.

He called Zhang Ding, instructing him to purchase ten top-grade white jade stones, each the size of a pearl.

Upon receiving the call, Zhang Ding fetched a hundred thousand yuan from the old director, bought the jade in Baolan City, and rushed back.

Once the jade was in hand, Ling Tian did not ask Zhang Ding to leave. Instead, he began refining the jade right before him. With a flick of his finger, a crimson flame sprang forth from nowhere, and he started to refine the jade, turning it into formation flags...

Zhang Ding rubbed his eyes hard, trying to see more clearly. Was Ling Tian’s finger really producing flames? Did he have a lighter hidden in his finger?

After more than an hour, Ling Tian set up a simple Spirit Gathering Array near the Silverleaf Grass.

He then expended a great deal of spiritual awareness and true energy to create a defensive formation, even adding a miniature illusionary array so that the Silverleaf Grass would appear no different from the surrounding plants.

The Silverleaf Grass was key to Ling Tian advancing to upper-stage Qi Refining—he had to protect it at all costs.

In his excitement at discovering the Silverleaf Grass, Ling Tian overlooked one fact: any spiritual treasure’s presence would inevitably attract strange and fierce beasts.

Totally absorbed in his formation work, Ling Tian failed to notice a small green snake lurking in a crack in the opposite wall—a triangular head, emerald body about half a foot long, tongue flicking in and out, its triangular eyes locked intently on the Silverleaf Grass.

Suddenly, a flash of green shot from the corner, heading straight for Ling Tian at lightning speed.

By the time Ling Tian reacted, it was too late to dodge. The snake bit into his right arm, its fangs piercing his protective aura and skin, injecting a large amount of venom directly into his bloodstream.

“Don’t move!” Ling Tian stopped Zhang Ding, who was about to grab the snake, and in a flash caught the viper by its vital spot, sealing its acupoints to halt the spread of venom.

Using his finger, Ling Tian knocked the snake unconscious and said, “So it’s just a little bamboo viper.” Upon closer inspection, he realized this snake differed from ordinary bamboo vipers—much smaller, and carrying the scent of Silverleaf Grass. It was clear the snake had been guarding the herb, absorbing the aura it emitted.

“Boss, let me kill this snake and drive you to the hospital. The venom of a bamboo viper is deadly—without prompt treatment, your life is at risk!” Zhang Ding said anxiously, getting up to find a knife.

Ling Tian waved him off. “Just keep watch,” he said, placing the viper beside the Silverleaf Grass and beginning to channel his true energy to expel the poison.

Suddenly, Ling Tian noticed the bite wound was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He examined it—some venom remained, but it was rapidly fading.

“So that’s it!” Ling Tian understood: thanks to having swallowed the inner core of the Crested Serpent King, his body was now resistant to snake venom. Although this bamboo viper was formidable, it was nowhere near the level of the Crested Serpent King.