The Almighty Dominance novel Chapter 590

All Alex wanted was to survive in this place and eventually find a way out.

That was it.

He didn’t want fame. He didn’t want status. He certainly didn’t want to throw himself into some reckless competition that could get him killed.

So why did everything here seem to drag him toward danger?

He truly couldn’t understand the way these people thought.

Still… in his current condition, he had no way of facing Li Chingxue.

If this had happened in the past—when his power was still intact—the situation would have been completely different. Back then, he could have slapped that beautiful, arrogant face of hers without hesitation.

And she would have had no choice but to accept it.

But now…

“Why am I so unlucky…?”

Alex let out a long sigh.

Complaining wouldn’t change anything. Right now, the only real way to protect himself was to grow stronger. He needed better skills. Better martial arts.

And that meant reaching the second floor of the library.

The first floor only held basic manuals—techniques meant for beginners. If he wanted something truly useful, something that could actually help him survive, he had to reach the second level.

But access to the second floor wasn’t free.

He only had two choices.

Either become an apothecary or pay for everything with merit points.

Alex leaned against the fence of his herb garden, thinking carefully.

If he remembered correctly, disciples could earn merit points by supplying herbs to the Medicine Pavilion. The pavilion constantly needed ingredients for pills and medicines, and they rewarded disciples based on the value of what they submitted.

Those merit points could then be exchanged for privileges.

Including access to the second floor of the library.

If he wasn’t mistaken, one day of access to the second floor cost around one hundred merit points.

Alex quickly ran the numbers in his head.

If he could gather one thousand merit points… that would give him ten full days inside the second pavilion.

Ten days.

That would be more than enough time to study several powerful martial arts techniques.

His gaze slowly swept across the herb garden.

Rows of plants swayed gently in the breeze, nourished by the rich spiritual energy that filled the sect grounds.

Alex narrowed his eyes, carefully considering which herbs would bring the highest reward.

Then his gaze stopped.

“There you are…”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Earth Spirit Ginseng.

One of the most widely used ingredients in pill refinement. Nearly every alchemist needed it, which meant the Medicine Pavilion always paid well for it.

Two years ago, Alex had planted about twenty Earth Spirit Ginseng roots in this garden.

Under normal circumstances, a mature Earth Spirit Ginseng might earn around one hundred merit points.

That was the standard value.

Without hesitation, Alex picked up a small digging tool and knelt beside the nearest plant.

The soil here was rich with heaven-and-earth energy. Over the past two years, Alex had carefully guided that energy through the garden using simple formation techniques.

Combined with the precise arrangement of herbs, the entire plot had become an ideal environment for cultivation and herb growth.

He had even used leftover medicinal pills as fertilizer.

Nothing had been wasted.

Because of that careful attention, the Earth Spirit Ginseng growing here had developed far beyond normal standards.

Alex dug slowly, loosening the soil around the root.

A moment later, something massive began to emerge from the earth.

His eyes widened.

The ginseng root was enormous.

Nearly the size of an adult human.

Its body was thick and full, with branching roots that resembled arms and legs. The overall shape looked uncannily human—like a small figure sleeping beneath the soil for years.

Because Alex didn’t want to damage the roots, he had to work slowly and carefully. Each thin strand of root had to be separated from the soil by hand. One careless pull could snap it.

The process was painfully slow.

After several exhausting days of digging, he had managed to harvest only three of them.

He lifted the bundle of Earth Spirit Ginseng onto his shoulder and groaned under the weight.

“These things are already one and a half meters long…” he muttered. “If they were refined into medicine, the potency would be terrifying.”

For a moment, he looked at the massive roots with regret.

Then he shook his head.

“But right now, I need merit points more than I need medicine.”

At that moment, a large crowd of Outer Sect disciples had gathered outside the Missions Office of Thousand Herbs Peak.

Nearly everyone was carrying something—spirit herbs, medicinal roots, rare plants—anything they hoped could be exchanged for merit points.

Inside the courtyard, an elder of Thousand Herbs Peak was responsible for inspecting the items.

The reward depended entirely on quality.

Better herbs meant more merit points.

Outside the building stood a massive flat boulder, polished smooth by time.

A ruddy-faced old man with snow-white hair sat cross-legged on top of it, calm and motionless.

In front of him stretched a long line of disciples that seemed to go on forever.

Each one clutched a spirit plant nervously, waiting for their turn.

Whenever the old man finished examining an item, a young assistant standing beside him would immediately record the result and issue the corresponding merit points.

The inspection continued.

The elder picked up the next herb and studied it carefully.

“Not bad,” he said after a moment. “This Moon-Dew Lotus Root has developed six spirit veins. Mid-grade quality.”

He casually tossed it into a wooden tray.

The disciple’s face lit up with relief.

The elder immediately reached for the next plant.

“Elder Hou, this disciple successfully cultivated Earth Spirit Ginseng.”

With a simple wave of his sleeve, two ginseng roots appeared on the ground before him.

Each Earth Spirit Ginseng measured roughly fifty centimeters long.

They were thick and twisted, their shapes vaguely resembling the limbs of small children. Pale golden skin covered the roots, and faint threads of spiritual energy pulsed through the veins beneath the surface.

The moment they appeared, a rich herbal fragrance spread through the air.

The disciples nearby immediately leaned forward to look.

Li Tianyu straightened slightly and spoke with restrained pride.

“I first planted the seedlings within earth-vein spiritual soil. Every day, I nourished them with my own spiritual energy. Once every three days, I watered them with spirit spring water. And every ten days, I infused them with wood-type spiritual essence.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“In addition, I used the Earth Energy Gathering formation technique that I mastered, along with several supporting spirit herbs, to guide their growth.”

His gaze flickered with quiet satisfaction.

“That allowed them to mature to fifty centimeters in length.”

Several disciples inhaled sharply when they saw the roots clearly.

Even those who knew little about spirit herbs could feel the dense energy coming from them.

Elder Hou leaned forward slightly, studying the ginseng roots with great attention.

After a moment, he slowly stroked his beard.

“Very good,” he said.

“These Earth Spirit Ginseng roots have already reached half a meter in length, and their spiritual veins are extremely stable.”

He lifted one of the roots and examined it carefully.

“If they remained underground, they could easily continue growing until they reached seventy-five centimeter.”

He set the root back down and nodded approvingly.

“They have already surpassed the standard for high-grade herbs.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“These can be classified as extreme high-grade Earth Spirit Ginseng.”

“I encourage you to continue working hard,” Elder Hou said calmly. “If you can cultivate these Earth Spirit Ginseng roots until they reach seventy-five centimeters, they would qualify as superior-grade spirit medicine.”

The moment the surrounding disciples heard the words extreme high-grade, a ripple of astonished whispers swept through the crowd.

Many disciples stared at the thick ginseng roots lying on the ground, their eyes filled with naked envy.

Extreme high-grade spirit herbs were not something ordinary Outer Sect disciples could produce.

Yet Li Tianyu had grown ten of them.

Li Tianyu’s smile widened slightly. The pride in his eyes grew brighter.

He clasped his hands respectfully toward Elder Hou.

“Thank you for Elder Hou’s praise.”

He turned, preparing to walk toward the assistant to collect his merit points—

When suddenly a cold snort cut through the air.

“Elder Hou, those herbs are completely ordinary. There’s nothing worth keeping in such low-grade plants. Why not just throw them away?”

The voice was sharp and unpleasant.