Jia Ren left his residence, just in time to bump into Yang Shengwu stepping out.

Yang Shengwu said, "I just received news that the Five Elements Marketplace is organizing a trade meeting, with at least a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators participating. Besides exchanging goods, they also plan to discuss strategies against the Five Elements Sect. You must not miss it."

A trade meeting?

A trade meeting with over a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators participating was indeed rare and would allow for the exchange of numerous treasures and Spiritual Medicines.

With some luck, one could also get the desired Alchemy Recipes.

The trade meeting... he had no intention of attending.

This was an after-effect of being "forcibly recruited" to the last exchange meeting.

Jia Ren hadn't forgotten the last time he participated in an exchange meeting. The female cultivator of the Cold Moon Palace had been tied to a war chariot, nearly falling into the hands of a Bizarre Alliance Golden Core Cultivator.

What if the hundred-plus Foundation Establishment Cultivators decided to attack the Five Elements Sect on the spot?

Starting the battle prematurely, he would miss the best opportunity to go to the Five Spirits Medicine Garden.

Although one could exchange for many Spiritual Medicines at the trade meeting, it also required spending Spirit Stones and Elixirs, which needed capital.

How could that compare to... stealing?

No cost, yet all profit.

Jia Ren said to Yang Shengwu, "Keep an eye out for an Alchemy Recipe that enhances the Cultivation Level of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, along with a few types of Spiritual Medicines."

Not willing to take the risk of attending the trade meeting didn't mean giving up.

Yang Shengwu could go to the trade meeting on his behalf, not only to gather intelligence but also to obtain the desired Spiritual Medicines and Alchemy Recipes.

Jia Ren took out a River Mountain Bag, filled with Spirit Stones and Elixirs from five Foundation Establishment Cultivators, as well as some Condensing Spirit Pills he had set aside.

This item could be exchanged for many Spiritual Medicines, but obtaining the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Alchemy Recipe would depend on luck.

"Don't worry, leave this matter to me," Yang Shengwu assured him.

Jia Ren had no deep hatred for the Five Elements Sect; his coming here was to help himself.

With the Five Elements Sect retreating and defending its Sect, it attracted many forces hostile to the Five Elements Sect.

He had done well enough, and Yang Shengwu couldn't expect more.

Jia Ren followed the map, flying with his sword.

An hour or so later, he saw the Five Elements Sect surrounded by a five-colored light screen from a distance.

The Sect Protection Array was created at the pinnacle of the Five Elements Sect's power. Golden Core Cultivators had improved it over a thousand years, making the Formation formidable even among Third Rank standards.

For a Golden Core Cultivator to break through the Five Elements Sect's defense would require considerable time.

Jia Ren's purpose was not to break through the Sect Protection Array of the Five Elements Sect this time.

Spending time and energy attacking the Five Elements Sect was a thankless task, and in the end, it would likely benefit others.

Jia Ren's gaze turned to the rear mountain; his eyes brightened.

The cloud-covered rear mountain presented a fairyland-like scenery, vast in area with everything within obscured by clouds, their details indecipherable.

This place was the Five Spirits Medicine Garden.

Rich with Spiritual Energy, the Five Spirits Medicine Garden covered a vast area with a large number of Spiritual Medicines planted.

Though the Five Elements Sect wasn't an Alchemy Sect, it had a specialized Pill Hall for making Elixirs, and the demand for Spiritual Medicines was no small amount.

The Sect Protection Array's coverage was limited and didn't extend over the Five Spirits Medicine Garden, which was guarded by a separate Formation.

If it were the past, safety would not be an issue.

The Five Spirits Medicine Garden was right under the noses of the Five Elements Sect, and with the Five Elements Ancestor himself on guard, who would be so bold as to sneak into it?

But times had changed. With the Five Elements Sect withdrawn and not emerging from their Sect, the defense of the Five Spirits Medicine Garden was inadequate.

This was the perfect opportunity to infiltrate.

Jia Ren stopped his Escape Light and concealed his aura to prevent the Five Elements Sect Cultivators from noticing.

Once the Five Elements Sect detected an invasion by outsiders, they would surely collect or destroy their Spiritual Medicines early, not giving an advantage to their enemy.

The best course of action was to infiltrate silently, take the benefits, and flee.

Then he would decide based on the situation whether to fan the flames of the Five Elements Sect's destruction.

He arrived stealthily at the location of the rear mountain and didn't rush to act, using his limited knowledge of Formations to determine the composition of the Formation.

The Sect Array was of high rank, far beyond Jia Ren, a layman in this field. It was complex and not merely a single Formation but a compound one.

Composed of multiple Formations intertwined, the difficulty of breaking through it increased dramatically.

To dismantle the Formation in a conventional way was not an easy task, both time-consuming and effort-demanding.

With the Ban-breaking Finger, as long as he could pinpoint the core, he could aim at a point to break the whole. This could momentarily disable parts of the Formation, which wasn't difficult and would be sufficient for him to infiltrate silently.

My true form must act.

The Insect External Incarnation could use all the skills of the true form, but the upper limit was only Grandmaster Level.

Such a level of Ban-breaking Finger might not meet the requirements, so the true form had to take action.

It's just breaking the prohibition; the danger isn't great.

The long-unseen true form appeared, continually gauging the Formation, discerning its core.

Upon entering the compound Formation, it would trigger multiple Formations, combining to form a killing trap.

There were also warning Formations that would alert the Five Spirits Medicine Garden and the Five Elements Sect at the first sign of trouble.

The latter had to be dealt with immediately to prevent the leak of information and to avoid getting surrounded and attacked by Five Elements Sect Cultivators.

Even with two Third-Rank Monster Pets in hand, facing the might of an entire Sect still made him apprehensive.

Jia Ren continued to observe, identifying the most recognizable Formation.

Let's try if the Xuan Shui Escape is feasible?

A drop of Six Xuan Yuan Heavy Water appeared in his palm, and from it, fine strands of water began to snake out toward the Formation like serpents.

HUM!

An invisible barrier formed, blocking the inflow of water from the outside, preventing entry.

Jia Ren's eyes glowed white as he identified the location of this particular Formation.

It was of no high rank and could be broken!

He acted swiftly. The light of the Ban-breaking Finger flickered, the invisible barrier disappeared, and the water met no further obstacles, flowing unimpeded.

With the water passing through the Formation, things would be much easier.

The Xuan Guang Water Mirror formed, reflecting the Medicinal Garden in its entirety, not missing a single detail.

Within the Formation, the Spiritual Energy was dense and misty.

Large amounts of medicinal herbs of the same type were planted together in numerous patches, both in quantity and variety.

Through the Xuan Guang Water Mirror from afar, century-old Spiritual Medicines were not rare.

Many young attendants and cultivators were busy tending to the medicinal fields, like diligent bees.

Good thing I didn't rush in.

Without using the Xuan Guang Water Mirror for scouting, I would have run into Five Elements Sect Cultivators upon entry.

Jia Ren confirmed they wouldn't leave and had to choose a different direction to proceed.

He found a new location, repeated the old trick, and used the Xuan Guang Water Mirror to assess the situation inside, ensuring he could infiltrate.

After changing positions three times, he finally found a secluded area with no one around.

The plants here were high-end Spiritual Medicines, and the Spiritual Energy was even richer.

Looking up, century-old Spiritual Medicines were plentiful.

This place it is!

Break the communication Formation!

Jia Ren resolutely used the Xuan Shui Escape to infiltrate but was obstructed by an invisible force.

There was a Formation set up here that prohibited escape techniques.

What a hassle!

Jia Ren spent a lot of time and finally found the source.

The Ban-breaking Finger briefly 'disabled' the Formation, and the Xuan Shui Escape was unhindered, transforming into a stream of water that flowed through the Formation into the Five Spirits Medicine Garden.

Joy nearly spilled from Jia Ren's eyes; he had successfully infiltrated the Five Spirits Medicine Garden!

He gazed at the century-old Spiritual Medicines within arm's reach and couldn't help but feel ecstatic.

A casual glance revealed hundreds of century-old Spiritual Medicines within sight, all ready for the taking if he so wished.

No, once a Spiritual Medicine is picked, if the news leaks, I might not get the chance to find the Golden Elixir Spiritual Medicine...

The century-old Spiritual Medicines were good, and exchanging them with Spirit Stones and Elixirs wasn't difficult.

The Spiritual Medicines used in refining Golden Core Formation Pills were precious and impossible to exchange.

Even if I wanted to join the Sect, they wouldn't give such strategic-level Spiritual Medicines to outsiders.

The chances of finding them in the outside world were next to none.

If I missed the Five Spirits Medicine Garden, getting them again wouldn't be easy.

I mustn't let small gains blind me and lose sight of greater opportunities.

Jia Ren waved his hand, and the newly arrived Insect External Incarnation turned into a Spirit Insect, landing neatly in his sleeve, as he kept his breath as faint as possible.

He proceeded carefully and cautiously to avoid accidental discovery.

Luck was with him; perhaps due to a shift change, as he didn't see a single cultivator.

Following the map given to him by Yang Bingzhi, Jia Ren judged his location and delved deeper into the Five Spirits Medicine Garden.

Cloud Spirit Flowers and Hundred Spirit Ginseng are all three hundred years old?!

There were many three-hundred-year-old Spiritual Medicines, each growing robustly, yet not a whiff of medicinal fragrance could be smelled.

Jia Ren scrutinized the three-hundred-year-old Spiritual Medicines carefully.

They were different from ordinary Spiritual Medicines, with prohibitions placed on each plant; any disturbance would attract the Medicinal Garden Manager's attention.

This couldn't stump Jia Ren with his Ban-breaking Finger, which could easily break such restrictions.

After a moment's hesitation, he still refrained and did not act.

He hadn't gone far before he decisively stopped and swiftly hid among the medicinal plants.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator passed by with a few young attendants, his face cold as he ordered, "Take good care of the Spiritual Medicines. If there's a problem with even one plant, I'll have your heads."

The attendants replied, "We will take great care of the Spiritual Medicines."

The group came quickly and left swiftly, without lingering.

Jia Ren watched the departing Foundation Establishment Cultivator, his hidden form silently undergoing a transformation.

In no time, he had changed into the likeness of that Cultivator.

His aura and appearance were exactly the same, indistinguishable from the original.

Jia Ren formed a water mirror in his palm and examined it closely.

The changing ability of the Thousand Fantasies Face is really impressive!

Once the transformation was complete, Jia Ren felt a sense of ease and boldly proceeded deeper.

The deeper he went, the more stringent the Guards became.

He occasionally saw Five Elements Sect Cultivators patrolling the garden, tallying the number of Spiritual Medicines.

They counted and recorded the number of Spiritual Medicines daily for comparison.

This was to prevent anyone within the garden from filling their own pockets and stealthily stealing the Spiritual Medicines.

A Qi Refining Cultivator asked, "Elder Wu, why did you come back so quickly?"

With such tight patrolling, Jia Ren couldn't avoid detection, so he continued forward with the newly assumed identity.

Jia Ren (as Elder Wu) replied, "There were a few Spiritual Medicines that I was worried about; I did not want any mistakes."

How could a Qi Refining Cultivator dare to defy a Foundation Establishment Elder? Though surprised, he respectfully led the way.

The deeper into the Five Spirits Medicine Garden they went, the denser the Spiritual Energy became. Beyond the three-hundred-year-old Spiritual Medicine area lay the five-hundred-year-old ones.

The number of five-hundred-year-old Spiritual Medicines was markedly fewer, but there were still several hundred plants.

The foundation of the Five Elements Sect was truly astonishing.

Within the garden, Jia Ren also saw the main Spiritual Medicines for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, planted in abundance.

No wonder the Five Elements Sect could ensure a steady supply of Foundation Establishment Pills every decade.

Just the Spiritual Medicines for Foundation Establishment Pills he'd seen, if all refined, could produce over a hundred pills with no problem.

The Five Elements Sect didn't kill the goose that laid the golden eggs; they chose a slow and steady approach, ensuring an unending supply of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Moreover, the current predicament of the Five Elements Sect was a shortage of Golden Core Cultivators, with the number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators surpassing others in the Barren Extreme Land.

Jia Ren arrived at the innermost part of the Spirit Medicine Garden, froze on the spot, and stared at a jade-colored spiritual flower, his face lighting up with ecstasy.

The Golden Core Main Medicine, the Jade Spirit Flower!

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