So, An Chen entered the back mountain.
This back mountain might sound like a small mountainous area, but it actually encompasses a very large region.
Although the Sect Protecting Grand Array cannot fully cover this entire area, Zhao Qingfeng and the Grand Elder can both probe it with their Divine Sense, so no mountain bandits can sneak in.
Beneath this back mountain lies a small Spiritual Vein, making the Spiritual Qi concentrated, and this large mountainous area is also very suitable for the growth of Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants.
At the entrance to the mountain, there were also several Qingfeng Sect Disciples preparing, and when they saw An Chen approaching, one of them's eyes lit up.
"Junior Brother, are you also entering the mountain to gather medicine?"
An Chen was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
"That's right.... You know me?"
The person laughed heartily.
"Who in the Sect doesn't know Junior Brother now? In just a few days, Junior Brother has actually reached Cultivation level four!"
An Chen sized up these people; they all seemed to be together and knew each other, consisting of three males and two females, a total of five people.
The Realm of these individuals was not considered high; the weaker ones were only at the Refining Qi Sixth Level, while the strongest was at the Qi Refining Peak.
"Junior Brother, do you want to come with us to gather medicine in the mountain? We've all been into the back mountain before. If you come with us, we can look out for each other, and we can also help you get familiar with the routes so you'll know how to get around next time you come."
An Chen thought for a moment, then politely declined:
"No, I just plan to walk around and get familiar with it. I won't go deep into the back mountain, and I'm not looking to gather any Spirit Medicine or Spiritual Plants. Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, just gather your medicine; don't mind me."
He was mainly afraid that these people were too enthusiastic.
If six people went together, the gathered Spirit Medicine probably wouldn't be enough to share, but more than that, An Chen was more afraid that these people would give all the gathered Spirit Medicine to him, and then he would owe too many favors.
Moreover, the Hanging Reward Hall had actually provided a map, which was quite clear, and even circled the main areas where Spirit Medicine grew with red circles.
An Chen didn't really need so many guides.
And even if he needed to find someone, he should definitely look for Chen Sheng and Jiang Cheng.
Seeing that An Chen was not interested, the person showed a disappointed expression, shook his head, and went back.
As An Chen passed by them, he noticed that they seemed to be whispering, seemingly discussing him, but An Chen didn't pay much attention and walked into the back mountain on his own.
The outer area of the back mountain, especially the path just entered, had been traversed countless times; there were hardly any trees left, and a dirt road had been trampled out.
However, in this area, not a single Spiritual Plant could be seen, only some weeds remained.
Even the leaves of some trees had been plucked clean.
An Chen recognized that those were all Spiritual Trees, and their leaves were also Spirit Medicine.
After walking for half an hour, An Chen felt like he was on a picnic, watching the scenery the whole way, and found nothing.
So, An Chen couldn't help but quicken his pace.
Actually, his own speed was already not slow; although he was walking, it was similar to a normal person's slow jog.
And now, An Chen simply tried the Qingyun Step.
It was quite useful.
An Chen quickly moved through the mountain forest, covering dozens of meters with each step, and in a short while, he had traveled several miles.
An Chen constructed a map in his mind, and at the same time, relied on his perceived travel distance and the surrounding environment to determine his position on this map, continuously refining the map's details.
Through this method, An Chen could quickly determine his location and the direction he needed to go next.
An Chen walked to a Spirit Medicine growth area outlined by a red circle on the map, slowed down, and then took out a Qi Replenishing Pill and ate it.
This part of the mountain forest was exceptionally dense, with shrubs and weeds everywhere, but many shade-loving Spirit Medicine grew in such places.
For example, qingxin grass.
An Chen quickly found several qingxin grass plants, and happily took out a wooden box, plucked the Qingxin Grass Leaf, and then stacked them inside the wooden box.
qingxin grass does not grow one by one; when it grows, it will be a large patch.
An Chen quickly found more qingxin grass nearby, a total of over twenty plants. An Chen plucked all their leaves and put them into the wooden box.
This wooden box quickly filled up. To fit more, An Chen pressed the leaves down firmly, then pressed against the lid, held it down, and then fastened the lid.
This way, one box could hold almost a pound of Qingxin Grass Leaf.
However, after gathering this patch of qingxin grass, An Chen circled the vicinity extensively but found no other gains.
The purchase price of Qingxin Grass Leaf is very low, and the Spiritual Plants An Chen gathered were also of relatively poor quality and low age. When used for Alchemy, they could only refine Medium Grade or Low Grade Medicinal Pill of the Qi Refinement Stage. These would only fetch one Spirit Stone per hundred grams at the Hanging Reward Hall.
Until noon, An Chen had not found any other Spiritual Plants.
An Chen even suspected that this qingxin grass was simply left behind by previous gatherers who deemed it worthless.
However, fortunately, these things are still very valuable when brought to Earth.
An Chen took out two flatbreads from his qiankun bag and gnawed on them, then, with nothing to lose, simply sped up and headed towards the center of the red circle.
Generally, Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants on the outer edge of the growth area are more easily picked, while those in the central area are picked less.
This strategy indeed worked; An Chen quickly found several Mysterious Yin Flowers. These are Spiritual Plants favored by Cultivator who practice Yin-attribute Cultivation Technique, and direct consumption can have the effect of improving Cultivation and accelerating the speed of Cultivation.
This also made them much more valuable; An Chen estimated that each of the flowers he picked could be worth about ten Spirit Stones.
These didn't need to be placed in special wooden boxes; they could just be put in the qiankun bag.
Then, An Chen found some more Spiritual Plants and Spiritual Plants, and also picked some and put them away.
The total value of these was approximately one hundred Spirit Stones.
However, after this, An Chen did not find any new Spiritual Plants for a long time.
An Chen guessed that what nourished these Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants was the Spiritual Vein beneath. The Spiritual Qi provided by the Spiritual Vein was limited, and this area might only have some Spiritual Plants in this circle.
To find more, he would have to look elsewhere.
An Chen felt that this efficiency was a bit slow.
An Chen reconstructed the map again, and he was surprised to find that he was already at the edge of the back mountain's outer perimeter, and a little further ahead was the inner perimeter...
The density of Spiritual Plants in the outer perimeter was too low; if he entered the inner perimeter, the density of Spiritual Plants would definitely be much higher, and the efficiency of picking would certainly greatly increase.
It was around one in the afternoon now, and even if he couldn't return by six, no one would notice his Transmigration in this desolate wilderness.
An Chen thought for a moment, then made up his mind.
Anyway, there was no danger in the inner perimeter; at most, there were two Yao Beasts, which should not be able to harm him.
Anyway, he had learned Qingyun Step; wasn't this precisely for escaping in times of crisis?