Lin Sheng wasn't surprised. If the Heaven Seal Gate had truly faced destruction...
The sect's higher-ups would naturally prioritize preserving their inheritance.
Scripture libraries always ranked among the first locations to evacuate.
Cultivation techniques.
Formation manuals.
Those represented the sect's true foundation.
Without them...
Even surviving disciples couldn't rebuild the sect.
Thus...
The first three floors had likely been thoroughly emptied before the sect's final collapse.
Ordinary disciples normally accessed only these lower levels.
Outer Disciples.
Inner Disciples.
Even many Core Disciples rarely ventured higher.
Naturally...
These floors contained the most frequently used manuals.
They also happened to be the easiest to evacuate.
Lin Sheng continued upward.
Second floor.
The situation remained nearly identical.
Destroyed bookshelves.
Missing manuals.
Broken jade slips.
Occasionally...
He discovered damaged cultivation methods beyond recovery.
The Chip recorded everything without complaint.
Even incomplete information retained research value.
Third floor.
The same.
The destruction here appeared even more severe.
Some sections of the floor had completely collapsed.
Ancient wooden shelves had rotted away long ago.
Several stone bookcases remained standing.
Completely empty.
Lin Sheng quietly observed the surroundings.
"The sect evacuated in an orderly manner."
Not panic.
Not chaos.
An organized retreat.
Whoever ordered the evacuation clearly possessed sufficient authority.
Otherwise...
The Scripture Pavilion wouldn't have been emptied so efficiently.
Of course...
Not everything could be moved.
Many damaged manuals remained.
Several incomplete records still survived.
Unfortunately...
None possessed particularly high value.
Lin Sheng continued scanning regardless.
Knowledge accumulated gradually.
Every fragment strengthened the Chip's database.
Sometimes...
One missing sentence completed another incomplete technique.
Sometimes...
Several damaged manuals together allowed partial reconstruction.
Research rarely produced immediate rewards.
Accumulation remained its true strength.
Several minutes later...
Lin Sheng reached the staircase leading upward.
Unlike the first three floors...
The entrance toward the fourth floor emitted faint spiritual fluctuations.
Formation runes quietly covered the stairs.
A barrier.
Not particularly strong.
Yet intact.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So..."
"The higher floors weren't evacuated."
Or perhaps...
They couldn't be.
Either possibility remained likely.
He slowly extended his perception toward the barrier.
Immediately—
A warning appeared.
---
[Unknown Formation Detected.]
[Estimated Rank: Above Rank Two.]
[Current Analysis Progress: 0.7%]
---
Lin Sheng didn't attempt to force his way through.
Instead...
He quietly smiled.
Good.
Very good.
If the higher floors remained sealed...
Then the valuable inheritances might still exist.
He wasn't the only person capable of reaching such conclusions.
The sect's evacuation likely prioritized ordinary inheritances first.
The truly important manuals...
Perhaps those above Rank Three...
May have remained protected by the pavilion's defensive formations.
Rather than risking their destruction during transport.
The same logic likely applied elsewhere.
The Alchemy Pavilion.
Most pills had undoubtedly turned into dust over the countless passing years.
Even the finest pill bottles eventually lost effectiveness.
Without constant spiritual nourishment...
Medicinal efficacy gradually disappeared.
Likewise...
The Weapon Hall.
Ordinary spirit artifacts probably corroded long ago.
Only exceptional treasures possessed any hope of survival.
Moreover...
The Heaven Seal Gate's disciples certainly wouldn't abandon usable weapons while fleeing.
Anything easily transported would naturally have been taken away.
The same principle applied throughout the sect.
Only locations permanently protected by powerful formations retained their original contents.
The Array Center.
Protected.
The upper floors of the Scripture Pavilion.
Protected.
The Medicinal Garden...
Lin Sheng's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
That place remained the greatest unknown.
Medicinal herbs couldn't simply be carried away easily.
Many high-grade spiritual herbs required specific environments to survive.
Transplantation often failed.
Perhaps...
The Heaven Seal Gate had simply chosen to leave them behind beneath the protection of their formations.
If so...
After countless years...
Their medicinal age would likely have reached astonishing levels.
Naturally...
Such opportunities wouldn't come without danger.
Any surviving medicinal garden would almost certainly contain guardian formations.
Perhaps...
Guardian beasts as well.
Lin Sheng calmly withdrew his perception.
Then looked upward toward the remaining four floors.
The true inheritance...
Likely began there.
---
The Heaven Seal Gate's medicinal garden stretched for dozens of acres.
Ancient stone paths divided countless herb fields into neat sections.
Even after countless years, rich spiritual qi still lingered throughout the area.
Every breath carried dense medicinal fragrance.
Spirit herbs swayed gently beneath the artificial sunlight of the secret realm, their leaves shimmering with spiritual light.
To an ordinary cultivator...
This place was a paradise.
To an alchemist...
It was priceless.
Lin Yan calmly walked along one of the stone paths.
Unlike everyone else rushing through the ruins searching blindly for opportunities, her destination had been decided from the very beginning.
The medicinal garden.
She knew very well that the other cultivators would eventually discover this place.
It was simply a matter of time.
Therefore...
She intended to finish harvesting everything worthwhile before the crowds arrived.
Her beautiful eyes slowly swept across the fields.
Immediately, the spiritual fluctuations of every herb became crystal clear.
As someone possessing Wood and Fire Spiritual Roots, her perception toward spirit herbs far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators.
She didn't need to inspect them individually.
One glance was enough.
"Three hundred and twelve years..."
"Four hundred and six..."
"Three hundred and eighty-nine..."
Her figure flashed.
With every movement, another spirit herb disappeared into her storage ring.
She never hesitated.
Nor did she waste time.
Every herb she selected had already reached at least three hundred years of age.
Some approached five hundred years.
Several rare species had nearly reached six hundred years.
These herbs were already valuable enough to assist Foundation Establishment and Xuan Gang cultivators.
Even Purple Palace cultivators would not completely ignore them.
As for herbs approaching one thousand years...
Lin Yan merely glanced toward them before calmly looking away.
Those...
Were different.
Spirit herbs exceeding a thousand years possessed astonishing medicinal properties.
Many could already refine pills beneficial even to Golden Core cultivators.
Naturally...
Such treasures would never remain unprotected.
Around every one of those herbs, she could clearly sense either terrifying formation fluctuations...
Or the sleeping aura of powerful guardian beasts.
There was no need to provoke them now.
The secret realm had only just opened.
There would be opportunities later.
Within only ten minutes...
The medicinal garden had already changed dramatically.
Every spirit herb exceeding three hundred years that wasn't protected had completely disappeared.
Even many herbs slightly above two hundred years had been harvested if they possessed rare medicinal properties.
Only two categories remained untouched.
The first—
Herbs protected by ancient formations.
The second—
Spirit herbs below one hundred years.
Those possessed little value compared to the risks and time required.
Lin Yan gently closed her storage ring.
The ring upon her slender finger emitted a faint flash before returning to silence.
Unlike ordinary cultivators...
She possessed a true storage ring.
Storage treasures naturally possessed different grades.
Qi Refining cultivators generally used storage pouches.
Small.
Limited.
Foundation Establishment cultivators usually upgraded to storage bags.
Their internal space greatly exceeded storage pouches.
As for Purple Palace cultivators...
They normally possessed storage rings.
Their internal space expanded dozens of times over.
Many reached more than fifty times the capacity of ordinary storage bags.
Such treasures remained extremely precious.
Even within the Lin Family, only Purple Palace experts and the most outstanding direct descendants possessed them.
Fortunately...
As the foremost genius of her generation, Lin Yan naturally qualified.
She gently looked back across the now much emptier medicinal garden.
Her expression remained calm.
This harvest alone had already exceeded her expectations.
Especially several rare medicinal ingredients.
Those would prove extremely useful when refining Rank Two pills.
After all...
She wasn't merely a cultivator.
She was also an alchemist.
The combination of Wood and Fire Spiritual Roots naturally granted extraordinary affinity toward alchemy.
Wood nurtured medicinal herbs.
Fire refined medicinal essence.
The two attributes complemented one another perfectly.
Perhaps because of this...
Her thoughts naturally drifted toward cultivation itself.
Throughout the cultivation world...
The quality of Spiritual Roots had always determined a cultivator's starting point.
Generally speaking...
Spiritual Roots were divided into seven grades.
Inferior.
Low.
Mid.
High.
Top.
Earth.
Heaven.
Each increase represented a tremendous leap in cultivation talent.
The difference wasn't merely cultivation speed.
Rather...
Sensitivity toward spiritual qi.
The higher one's Spiritual Root grade, the easier it became to sense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Absorption became smoother.
Breakthroughs became easier.
Control became increasingly refined.
Naturally...
Spiritual Root quality wasn't the only factor.
The number and compatibility of Spiritual Roots mattered just as much.
Many cultivators possessed only a single Spiritual Root.
Such cultivators followed a very straightforward cultivation path.
Their bodies absorbed only one type of spiritual qi.
Their cultivation methods were simpler.
Their breakthroughs more stable.
Their early cultivation speed was often astonishing.
Especially if their Spiritual Root quality was high.
However...
Single-attribute cultivators also possessed limitations.
Their methods often specialized too heavily in one direction.
Versatility remained lacking.
Meanwhile...
Cultivators possessing multiple Spiritual Roots experienced far greater difficulties during the early stages.
Choosing cultivation methods.
Balancing several spiritual attributes.
Absorbing multiple kinds of spiritual qi.
The amount of cultivation resources required increased dramatically.
Many simply couldn't endure the burden.
Yet...
If cultivated correctly...
Multiple Spiritual Roots often possessed greater long-term potential.
Not because multiple roots were inherently stronger...
But because of compatibility.
Each attribute carried its own natural characteristics.
Wood excelled at nurturing life.
Fire excelled at destruction and refinement.
Water possessed adaptability.
Metal emphasized sharpness.
Earth symbolized stability.
These attributes could either strengthen one another...
Or suppress one another.
Among the Five Elements...
Metal generated Water.
Water generated Wood.
Wood generated Fire.
Fire generated Earth.
Earth generated Metal.
This mutual generation represented harmony.
When a cultivator possessed mutually conducive Spiritual Roots...
Their cultivation became remarkably smooth.
Each attribute naturally nourished the next.
Lin Yan herself represented exactly such a case.
Her Wood Spiritual Root continuously nourished her Fire Spiritual Root.
The two attributes circulated endlessly.
One strengthened the other.
One completed the other.
Combined with an appropriate cultivation method...
Her actual cultivation speed approached cultivators possessing Earth Grade Spiritual Roots despite her own roots being only Top Grade.
Naturally...
The opposite also existed.
Mutual suppression.
Metal restrained Wood.
Wood restrained Earth.
Earth restrained Water.
Water restrained Fire.
Fire restrained Metal.
Such combinations proved troublesome.
A cultivator possessing mutually suppressive Spiritual Roots often suffered greatly.
Cultivation slowed.
Spiritual qi circulation became unstable.
Breakthroughs became increasingly dangerous.
Severe backlash during advancement could cripple cultivation...
Or even result in death.
Fortunately...
Such situations weren't completely hopeless.
Cultivators could specialize entirely in one attribute.
Alternatively...
They could obtain cultivation methods specifically designed to reconcile conflicting elements.
Unfortunately...
Those techniques remained exceedingly rare.
Only powerful sects or ancient inheritances typically possessed them.
Lin Yan lightly smiled.
Her own situation had been exceptionally fortunate.
Excellent Spiritual Roots.
Perfect elemental compatibility.
Outstanding cultivation techniques.
Abundant resources.
All combined together...
Only then had her cultivation progressed at such an astonishing pace.
Many people believed talent alone explained everything.
They were wrong.
Talent merely opened the first door.
What truly determined how far one walked...
Was everything that came afterward.
Just as she finished organizing her thoughts...
Her gaze suddenly shifted toward the distance.
Several powerful spiritual fluctuations had entered the medicinal garden.
"They're finally here..."
Without another glance at the harvested fields, Lin Yan's figure disappeared among the ancient pathways, leaving behind only the untouched high-grade formations and thousand-year spirit herbs awaiting the arrival of the secret realm's true struggle.