Cultivating in Reverse: My Sign-In System Wants Me Dead

Chapter 154: Chapter 154 - The Shared Harvest and the Detonator

The copying lasted longer than expected.

Each recipe contained not only words, but also medicinal ratios, refinement sequences, heat-control notes, herb-handling warnings, and old annotations left by unknown alchemists.

Copying them carelessly would lose meaning.

So everyone moved slowly.

By the time the last record was copied, several cultivators looked more exhausted than after a fight.

But their eyes were bright.

Every faction represented here now had a copy of the ancient records.

For many of them, this harvest alone was enough to make the trip worthwhile.

Su Bai checked the copies one last time.

After confirming there were no obvious gaps, he collected the original jade slips and stored them carefully.

No one objected.

After that came the remaining preserved powders and old medicinal bottles.

Compared to the records, the physical medicines were easier to divide.

There were not many complete pills left, and most preserved bottles had weakened medicinal force, but the sealed powders were still useful.

Su Bai did not think too much about it.

"There is enough for everyone to receive a small share," he said. "Since we already have the recipes and usage records, each faction should keep at least one sample if possible."

The cultivators immediately looked at him.

Su Bai continued, "A record tells you the method. A sample tells you what the finished medicine should resemble. Color, scent, texture, medicinal weight, and spiritual behavior are difficult to understand from writing alone."

Mu Qing’s eyes lit up.

"That is true. For alchemy, a sample can sometimes be more valuable than ten pages of description."

Another cultivator nodded quickly.

"If our sect tries to reproduce the powder later, having even a little reference will save many failed attempts."

"Brother Su really looks ahead," someone said with admiration.

Another immediately added, "That is what you call thinking two steps ahead."

Qiao Wen glanced at them.

"If he thought only two steps ahead, we would all be dead already."

The room went quiet.

Then a few people laughed.

Even Su Bai almost smiled.

The tension eased.

Soon, the preserved powders and medicinal samples were divided into small portions. Emergency-use medicines were set aside first, especially those related to soul stabilization and wound treatment.

Once the alchemy chamber was settled, the group moved back into the greenhouse.

This time, they were no longer simply looking.

They were harvesting.

The ancient records had included preservation instructions for some of the herbs, and Mu Qing also understood enough herb-handling methods to avoid damaging their medicinal roots.

Jade boxes appeared one after another.

The ancient greenhouse was treated with more respect than some ancestral halls.

Clear Vein Jade Herb was removed with its surrounding soil.

The Cold Marrow Root was placed in a cold jade box.

The Three-Pattern Soul-Stitch Grass was harvested only after Mu Qing and Su Bai confirmed how to preserve its soul-thread pattern.

Other herbs were recorded, identified when possible, then carefully packed.

...

After the harvest was complete, the group gathered in the greenhouse.

The jade boxes were placed in the center.

For a moment, everyone’s eyes shone.

Even after dividing the records, this was still a frightening harvest.

The herbs here had survived for countless years inside an ancient formation.

Even the least valuable among them would be precious outside.

Qiao Wen looked at the pile of jade boxes, then at Su Bai.

"Brother Su, you should choose first."

Several cultivators nodded.

Su Bai looked at them.

"I already hold the originals for now."

"That is different," Mu Qing said softly. "Without you, we would not have found this place safely. We also would not have survived the root chamber."

Another cultivator added, "You stopped the miasma source."

"You destroyed the false shells."

"You kept us from fighting over the records."

One of the smaller faction cultivators said sincerely, "If Brother Su does not take the largest share, I will feel uneasy accepting anything."

The others nodded.

After a brief discussion, the group agreed that Su Bai would receive twenty percent of the harvested spirit herbs.

Even Su Bai was slightly surprised.

These young cultivators loved treasure very much.

Yet they were willing to give him such a large share without being forced.

For a moment, he felt a little touched.

Of course, touched was touched.

Refusing was another matter.

Su Bai accepted calmly.

"Then I will not be polite."

Chen Feng snorted, but was ignored.

After Su Bai’s share was set aside, the remaining herbs were divided according to contribution.

The group discussed it openly.

Chen Feng received a larger share because he had contributed fire sword Qi during the cocoon rescue.

Mu Qing also received a larger share. She had identified herbs, helped control medicinal powder dosage, understood preservation methods, and checked the rescued cultivators’ conditions.

Qiao Wen received a strong share as well. He had protected the victims emotionally and practically, and participated throughout the rescue.

Zhao Heng received a solid defensive share. He had held the rear, guarded the group’s retreat routes, and stood ready whenever danger appeared.

The formation-aware cultivators received more than an ordinary share. Their work on recording and interpreting the reversed formation was too important to ignore.

The two cultivators who had guarded the victims also received proper shares. They had not entered every chamber, but guarding unconscious cultivators in a dangerous ruin was not leisure.

The remaining cultivators received smaller but still generous shares based on their participation in searching, recording, carrying, watching, and supporting the group.

No one was left empty-handed.

Even the smallest share contained enough spirit herbs to make its owner smile like a fool who was trying very hard not to smile.

As for the unconscious rescued cultivators, the group discussed them briefly.

In the end, they decided not to assign harvested spirit herbs to them.

They had not participated in the exploration or division.

But when they woke, they would be allowed to copy the records related to the hall and the danger they had suffered through.

That was already generous. And fair.

Qiao Wen accepted this arrangement after a moment of silence.

He knew Su Bai had already done more than enough for Luo Shenshui.

Soon, the group returned to the main hall.

The two guarding cultivators received their shares, and their eyes widened.

"You really left some for us?"

"Of course," Qiao Wen said. "You guarded the wounded."

One of them held his jade box carefully and bowed.

"Thank you."

The other followed quickly.

"Thank you, everyone."

The atmosphere became strange for a moment.

Several cultivators looked away, unused to it.

They had entered the Sanctuary expecting danger, treasure, competition, and suspicion.

They had not expected that giving someone a fair share could feel this good.

One young cultivator muttered, "So this is why Radiant Sky Sect disciples always look so steady?"

Chen Feng glanced at him.

"Do not exaggerate. Some of them are also annoying."

Qiao Wen laughed.

The mood eased further.

But the good mood did not last forever.

By then, the lotus-light barriers around those who had consumed Immaculate Lotus-Heart Pills had begun to fade.

The white glow clinging to their bodies had grown thin.

Several cultivators looked down and sighed.

"These were high-grade pills..."

"They did not even last a full day."

"The Sanctuary really eats money."

Someone gave a bitter laugh.

"Not money. It eats sect foundations."

No one refuted him.

The pills they had taken outside would have been enough to make many disciples jealous. Yet here, they were only temporary protection.

The group gathered in the main hall to discuss what to do next.

Leaving immediately was possible.

But risky.

The rescued cultivators were still unconscious.

There were also five possible false bodies that had not been accounted for.

Su Bai listened to the discussion for a while before speaking.

"We stay here for now."

Everyone looked at him.

Su Bai continued, "The rescued cultivators may wake after their soul fragments settle. We need their testimony."

Qiao Wen nodded immediately.

"Agreed."

"Also," Su Bai said, "the remaining borrowed faces may return here."

The hall became quiet.

Su Bai’s voice remained calm.

"They lost this place. If they still have instinct or orders, they may come back to investigate. Or they may bring more victims."

The young cultivators’ expressions turned serious.

The thought chilled them more than the miasma.

Chen Feng’s hand rested on his sword.

"Then we wait and cut them down."

Qiao Wen frowned.

"Verify first."

Chen Feng clicked his tongue.

"I know."

Su Bai said, "Use this time to rest, cultivate, sort your gains, and recover. Do not wander alone. No one answers voices from outside. No one leaves the hall without telling the group."

Everyone nodded.

This time, no one argued.

The main hall gradually settled into order.

Su Bai watched them for a moment.

Then his gaze moved toward the old skeleton near the broken wall.

It was the skeleton whose storage ring had turned into dust earlier.

At that time, everyone had treated it as another disappointment.

But now, Su Bai looked at it differently.

The Vanguard’s Entropy-Detonator remained in his system inventory.

Its description lingered in his mind.

Every frontline soldier had a curse-rune carved into their skull.

Su Bai walked toward the skeleton.

No one paid much attention at first. They assumed he was checking the hall again.

Su Bai crouched beside the bones.

The skeleton was old beyond measure. The cloth around it had nearly vanished. The bones were dry, gray-white, and cracked in several places.

He looked at the skull carefully.

At first, he saw nothing.

Then, when he gathered spiritual sense into his eyes, he noticed a faint mark hidden beneath the brow bone.

A shallow, dark pattern carved into the skull.

Su Bai’s heart tightened.

’It was real.’

The curse-rune was real.

He reached out and touched the skull lightly.

Nothing happened.

Su Bai frowned slightly.

Did that mean the rune had lost power?

Or did it mean he was not recognized as the enemy?

The description had said the rune triggered if the enemy tried to consume the fallen soldier’s soul, memories, or identity traces.

Su Bai had only touched it.

He was not trying to devour anything.

Naturally, it did not respond.

His eyes lowered in thought.

Then he silently took out the Vanguard’s Entropy-Detonator.

It was a small black-iron tool, cold and heavy despite its size.

Su Bai held it in his palm.

For a moment, he did not know how to use it.

There was no obvious switch. No inscription explaining the method.

Ancient commanders were apparently not considerate toward future users.

Su Bai stared at it silently.

Then he sent a trace of will into the tool.

The black-iron surface responded.

A thin line of coldness crawled from the Detonator into his fingers.

At the same time, the faint rune on the skull lit up faintly.

He felt the connection.

Su Bai’s pupils constricted.

He touched it again and activated the Detonator.

This time, the curse-rune responded.

The faint mark on the skull unfolded layer by layer, like a sealed eye opening inside the bone.

The air around the skeleton twisted.

Then the rune collapsed inward.

A silent detonation erupted... in his mind.