After passing through the Teleportation Array in front of the Purple Heaven Palace, Shen Mo and Peak Master Zhou Shili appeared inside a grand hall.

Unlike the Mountain River Realm, the passage leading to the Jade Pool Dungeon was located in this hall.

The entire hall was safeguarded by numerous Prohibitions, so much so that Shen Mo's sense couldn't penetrate them, let alone discern the hall's location!

Soon after, an elderly man with white eyebrows and a beard emerged from a side chamber.

Shen Mo could smell a strong scent of herbs emanating from him. These were all aged ganoderma, a type of spiritual plant.

Just as Shen Mo was feeling puzzled, Zhou Shili respectfully took out the sect's order and handed it to the old man for inspection.

Then, the elder casually glanced at Shen Mo twice before opening the door leading to the deeper part of the grand hall. He nodded at the two and returned to the side chamber.

Shen Mo followed Zhou Shili, stepping through the door.

The room was empty except for several stone columns arranged in a circle, anchoring a spatial rift in the center.

These stone columns were strikingly similar to the ones Elder Shentu had used to seal the Heavenly Demon passage.

The difference lay in the runes engraved on the stone columns.

Faint radiance fell into the rift, causing it to stagnate, appearing as motionless as an ink blot on a scroll.

Shen Mo quickly understood.

The stone columns sealing the Heavenly Demon passage were designed to destabilize the rift, preventing Heavenly Demons from entering this world.

The Formation at hand, composed of these stone columns, provided stability instead.

"This is the passage to the Jade Pool Realm. There are a few things I need to inform you of before you enter," Peak Master Zhou Shili said.

"The Jade Pool Dungeon contains numerous spiritual plants and spiritual medicines, some of which have been growing for thousands of years!"

"All these spiritual medicines are managed by Elder Li. He has registered every single plant."

"You must not pick them at will! Otherwise, if Elder Li complains to me, I won't be able to protect you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo had a sudden realization.

No wonder Elder Li smelled so strongly of herbs; he was the one responsible for managing the spiritual medicines within the Dungeon.

Not all spiritual medicines rely on age to accumulate potency.

However, in the cultivation world, there are indeed many spiritual plants and spiritual medicines whose quality improves the longer they grow.

The time flow in the Jade Pool Dungeon is ten times faster than in the Outer Realm, making it very suitable for the growth of these spiritual plants and spiritual medicines.

Ten years in the Outer Realm would equate to a hundred years of growth for spiritual medicines within the Dungeon, yielding hundred-year-old specimens.

Moreover, the Riverside Sect has existed for nearly a thousand years. Even if they've possessed the Jade Pool Dungeon for only a few hundred years, there must surely be spiritual plants several thousands of years old within it.

"I will take the Peak Master's words to heart," disciple Shen Mo replied respectfully.

However, a trace of confusion still lingered on his face.

Zhou Shili, as the Peak Master of Stars Peak, held a position subordinate only to the Sect Master and Supreme Elders, yet higher than any Hall Master.

Elder Li, on the other hand, was just an ordinary Elder with a relatively low Cultivation Realm.

Why was the Peak Master so deferential towards Elder Li?

He didn't show such an attitude even when facing the Sect Master.

Seeing the confusion on Shen Mo's face, Zhou Shili chuckled and explained, "Don't underestimate Elder Li due to his low Cultivation Realm. He has been in the sect far longer than even some of the Supreme Elders."

"When the most senior Supreme Elder was still an outer disciple, Elder Li was already a sect Elder."

"Never mind me; even if the Supreme Elders or the Sect Master himself came, they would have to show him considerable respect!"

Shen Mo was astonished to hear this.

Although Golden Core Realm patriarchs enjoyed a Lifespan of a thousand years, the Riverside Sect had faced several crises that threatened its complete annihilation.

During its most perilous times, the sect had not even a single Golden Core Realm expert.

Consequently, no Golden Core experts had survived from the sect's founding to the present day. The oldest Supreme Elder was merely a little over five hundred years old.

If so, Elder Li's Lifespan must have already far exceeded five hundred years. Adding the time he spent entering the Jade Pool Realm to tend to the spiritual plants, his true age was likely closer to six or seven hundred years.

A Spirit Sea Realm Cultivator, at full count, only had a five-hundred-year Lifespan. For Elder Li to live so long was truly extraordinary.

"He once, by a stroke of fortune, consumed a Grade VII Elixir. His Lifespan now rivals that of a Golden Core Realm expert!"

"However, Elder Li paid a heavy price for acquiring such an extended Lifespan. For all these years, his Cultivation Realm has not advanced even a fraction."

"It is precisely for this reason that he volunteered to manage the spiritual medicines in the Jade Pool Realm."

"Firstly, his relatively long Lifespan means he won't die of premature old age."

"Secondly, he is also cultivating better spiritual medicines for the sect's Alchemists, hoping that one day, an Elixir can be concocted to allow his Cultivation Realm to resume its growth. If not for his own lack of talent in the Alchemy Path, our Riverside Sect would not be left with only a single Grade IV Alchemist!"

Peak Master Zhou Shili said, his voice tinged with regret.

Shen Mo gathered from this that, aside from his extended Lifespan, Elder Li was likely not outstanding in other aspects. However, his contribution in managing the spiritual medicines within the Dungeon was undoubtedly significant to the sect.

Otherwise, why would Wu Gong, Zhao Lingyin's Master, have chosen the Riverside Sect over the other Four Great Sects to become an alien minister?

He was undoubtedly drawn by the Riverside Sect's possession of numerous spiritual medicines thousands of years old, some of which were rare treasures extinct in the Outer Realm, hoping to leverage them to further his attainments in the Alchemy Path.

"Enough idle talk. Once you enter the Dungeon, there's no need to rush your advancement to the Spirit Sea Realm."

"Use these ten months of seclusion to properly consolidate your foundation. The firmer your foundation, the more vast the Spirit Sea you eventually open will be!"

Shen Mo nodded, bowed respectfully to Zhou Shili, and then stepped into the spatial passage.

...

A cave paradise, miles deep; stone walls and clear streams, ever-flowing through four seasons.

This was Shen Mo's most direct impression upon entering the Jade Pool Dungeon.

This Dungeon was not particularly vast, perhaps only ten to twenty percent the size of the Riverside Sect's mountain entrance. Most of it had been converted into medicinal gardens, where countless spiritual medicines were planted.

Many areas were also preserved in their original, untouched state.

This was presumably to maintain the original ecological landscape, providing a suitable growing environment for spiritual plants and spiritual grass that were difficult to cultivate.

Shen Mo's powerful sense spread out, quickly discovering that these spiritual plants and spiritual medicines were indeed quite old.

Any randomly chosen plant was over a hundred years old.

Spiritual medicines hundreds or even thousands of years old were ubiquitous.

However, spiritual medicines over several thousand years old were less abundant. After all, with continuous harvesting and replanting over so many years, most of the first batch of planted spiritual medicines had likely been consumed.

Nevertheless, compared to the Outer Realm, they were still quite common.

Following the Peak Master's instructions, Shen Mo refrained from picking any spiritual medicines and followed the bluestone path towards the area specifically set aside for disciples' cultivation.

"The Spiritual Qi here is more than five times denser than in an Inner Door cave mansion. It truly lives up to the name 'Jade Pool'!"

As Shen Mo took a breath of the nature's spiritual energy and circulated his cultivation method to refine it, he felt the Purple Knack mana within his Qi Sea quietly strengthen by a fraction.

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