I stroked my chin, my gaze fixed on the system's map highlighting the high-density spiritual energy zones across Huaguo. The preliminary experiments with the spirit vein catalytic fluid in the Guixu Secret Realm had succeeded — not only had local spiritual energy concentrations spiked dramatically, but the effort had returned fifty thousand merit points to my account. My confidence in the "Spiritual Energy Revival Preliminary Plan" had never been higher.

"Old man, do you think these dozen or so spiritual energy nodes on the map might be sitting on soil suitable for spirit vein seeds to take root?" I tapped the virtual screen. The dense spiritual energy halo hovering over the Kunlun mountain range was particularly eye-catching.

The system elder's projection was gnawing on a packet of instant noodles — old jar pickled cabbage flavour — and mumbled indistinctly: "Who knows? But those ancient sects in Huaguo might genuinely be sitting on primordial spirit soils left over from antiquity. Just think carefully before you go barging in. Those sects are terribly protective of their own, especially the Kunlun Immortal Sect — notorious for looking down their noses at everyone."

My first stop was Qingcheng Mountain. The moment I stepped through the mountain gate, two disciples at the Qi Refinement stage came forward with their horsetail whisks, blocking my path. "Who goes there, fellow Daoist, to trespass on Qingcheng Mountain?"

I couldn't be bothered with pleasantries. I released the full pressure of my early Nascent Soul cultivation. The two disciples were instantly flattened to the ground, their spiritual energy shields shattered to nothing — not even dust remained.

"I am Ethan Lu. I wish to view the records in your sect's Scripture Pavilion in search of accounts relating to spirit soil." My voice was unhurried, yet the entire mountain-protecting formation of Qingcheng Mountain trembled faintly in response.

Three streaks of light shot down from the mountaintop. The lead elder, an old Daoist, flicked his horsetail whisk, his eyes wide with shock: "Nascent Soul stage! Might you be Deputy Director Ethan Lu of the Demon Demon Suppression Bureau?"

I raised an eyebrow. "That's right."

The old Daoist immediately rearranged his expression into a fawning smile. "So it is Senior Ethan! My deepest apologies for the discourtesy! The Scripture Pavilion is yours to browse as you please — if you need anything at all, this poor Daoist will personally guide you!"

The cultivation world truly does bow to strength. This old man was probably old enough to be my great-great-grandfather, and yet here he was calling me "Senior"...

Qingcheng Mountain's Scripture Pavilion turned out to hold real treasures. In a battered volume titled A Study of Spirit Soils of Shu, I found a record of "Xi Rang" — the legendary self-replenishing earth — but the locations marked within had long since been submerged by floodwaters. Seeing my expression, the old Daoist scrambled to offer several stalks of "Dew Condensation Grass" by way of consolation. I waved them aside and instead pressed an Ice Heart Pill into his hands.

The old Daoist's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of it. He had no idea what manner of pill it was, but from its dense spiritual energy and intricate pill-patterns, any cultivator with eyes could tell it was no ordinary thing.

"I apologise for the trouble. This pill is called the Ice Heart Pill. It can advance the cultivation of a Core Formation practitioner. Please accept it, Daoist."

"Not at all, not at all," the old Daoist replied, looking utterly overwhelmed. He had merely lent out some old texts, and in return received a supreme-grade medicinal pill. It felt like a dream.

Ding! Qingcheng Mountain's favour rating increased by 100%. Gifting of pill enhancing the sect master's cultivation. Merit points awarded: 50,000.

When I departed Qingcheng Mountain, the disciples watched me go as though they were gazing upon a living immortal. The news spread through the cultivation world almost instantly: "Ethan Lu single-handedly subdued Qingcheng Mountain, and casually gifted them an immortal pill!"

My second stop was Shushan. I had barely reached the foot of the mountain when a group of Core Formation cultivators stepped out to block my way. The sword cultivator at their head sneered: "Word is you can catch three strikes from a Core Formation cultivator bare-handed. Allow me to test that claim today!"

I shook my head wearily. The sword cultivator wasted no words — he drove his flying sword straight at my face. I couldn't even be bothered to draw my Battle Wave Blade. I simply flicked a finger, sending a precise ribbon of spiritual force crashing into the hilt of the incoming sword.

Clang! The flying sword fell to the ground. The sword cultivator's hand split open at the web between thumb and forefinger, and he stared at me in alarm. "You... you weren't even trying?"

"Had I tried, you'd already be ash." I had no interest in prolonging the conversation and walked straight up the mountain. The sect master of Shushan came down to receive me personally, even more deferential than Qingcheng Mountain, and opened the ancient text repository within the restricted zone known as the Demon-Locking Tower.

Inside the Shushan Compendium of Spirit Plants, I found references to "Spirit Marrow Soil" — but those too were annotated with the words: perished along with the withering of the spirit veins. The sect master's face cycled through several shades as he studied my expression, clearly trying to guess what I was thinking. I had no patience for that either, and tossed him a Nascent Soul Transformation Pill without a second thought. I had noticed long ago that his cultivation had been stagnating at the late stage of Core Formation for quite some time. The Shushan sect master stared at the pill in his palm, so transfixed that he didn't even notice I had already taken to the skies.

Ding! Shushan's favour rating increased by 300%. Merit points awarded: 50,000.

The stops that followed — the Hundred Flowers Sect, Qingyun Sword Sect, Yunhua Sect — all played out more or less the same way. Wherever I arrived, I either crushed resistance with raw power or let my reputation do the talking, then casually handed out medicinal pills that left their sect masters and patriarchs gobsmacked. So long as they were upright, decent sects, gifting them something always yielded a positive return.

At the Hundred Flowers Sect, I pointed out a flaw in their sect-guarding formation on a whim. At Qingyun Sword Sect, I exchanged a few pointers on swordsmanship with a Nascent Soul elder, forcing him to concede in just a handful of moves — the gap in cultivation arts and magical treasures between cultivators at the same realm was still quite pronounced.

The ancient records across all these sects pointed toward the same conclusion: after the Spirit Vein War ten thousand years ago, the vast majority of spirit soils had vanished alongside the dying spirit veins. The few scattered remnants that survived had been quietly sealed away by the major sects.

End of Chapter 91: Sect-Hopping for Spirit Soil