Han had long anticipated landing a tangible treasure-type cheat.


    The definition of a “cheat” was absurdly broad—a weapon, a manual, a pill, you name it. Anything could qualify. With a monthly refresh, it was only a matter of time before he scored something solid.


    He didn’t care what form it took—usefulness trumped all, and Han wasn’t picky.


    Unlike [Dream Enlightenment] or [God’s Eye], which demanded exploration to unlock, the Cauldron of Creation spilled its secrets the moment he touched it. Information flowed from the cauldron, detailing its current powers.


    Han’s eyes lit up. Brilliant.


    Snapping out of his soul homeland, he sprang into action.


    “Aunt Mo, I’m heading to the martial hall real quick!” he shouted, bolting out.


    Lu Qingmo shook her head, unfazed.


    At the hall, Bai Ruoyue was still up. She blinked in surprise as Han burst in.


    “Little Brother, what brings you here so late?”


    “Senior Sister, hand over that Snake Soul Fruit we nabbed from Black Mountain,” he said, cutting straight to it.


    “What do you need that for?”


    Puzzled, she rummaged through her spatial pouch anyway, pulling out a wooden box and passing it over.


    “Big plans!” Han grinned, snagging the box and darting off again.


    This time, he didn’t head back to the peach grove—he went home. It’d been ages, but he still owned a house in Heiyun Town. Property owner status, check.


    Once inside, he scanned for safety, then popped the box open. Out came the vivid red Snake Soul Fruit—branches, leaves, roots, all intact.


    A haul from their second Black Mountain tremor trip, it purged bone impurities—a Bone Refinement gem. Fully green meant ripe; this red one was far from it, its potency weak.


    Han dug a small pit, planted the fruit, and aimed the Cauldron of Creation’s spout at it. Tilting the cauldron, a single emerald drop slid out, soaking into the fruit.


    Magic unfolded. The fruit glowed faintly, a hint of green creeping into its red husk. In mere breaths, every part—fruit, leaves, stems—turned lush green.


    Ripe at last!


    One drop of creation essence had matured this Bone Refinement spirit plant completely. Its aura spiked, thick and potent—night and day from before.


    “Sweet treasure—absolute gem,” Han muttered, nodding eagerly, heart racing.


    This was one of the cauldron’s powers.


    Its essence could ripen spirit and soul plants—seedlings, even seeds—straight to maturity. A Bone Refinement plant took one drop, thanks to Han’s Day Roamer soul.


    The essence stemmed from solar and lunar forces, but raw sun and moon power couldn’t do this. The cauldron was the key—infusing them with creation. Melded and brewed within, they became creation essence.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Han could leave it out to soak up sun and moon energy naturally—or feed it himself. Left alone, it’d take a full day to gather enough for a drop. His direct input slashed that time.


    The essence’s potency tied to the quality of the solar and lunar forces—and that quality scaled with cultivation. A titan could harvest lunar essence from the moon itself—way beyond surface scraps.


    Oh wait, I’ve been to the moon. Guess I’m a titan too.


    On his way to grab the plant, he’d already juiced the cauldron with both forces. A peek inside revealed two more drops.


    Stashing the ripened Snake Soul Fruit, Han pulled out a brocade box holding a six-petal flower—three white, three black.


    Marrow Shift Flower, a Marrow Cleansing spirit plant, another Black Mountain score. Unripe, it’d been sitting in his stash.


    He planted it, dripping essence. Two drops later, a seventh petal sprouted, five now white— hallmark of a mature Marrow Shift Flower.


    “One more drop, and it’d be fully ripe. So, three drops for a Marrow Cleansing plant,” he calculated, grinning wide.


    Ripening spirit plants—what a game-changer for any cultivator.


    And that was just one trick up the cauldron’s sleeve.


    The essence worked on pills too.


    Han fed the cauldron more sun and moon energy until a fresh drop formed. Then he grabbed a pill—Viscera Realm cultivation fodder, looted from a foe. He rarely used these; compared to Tree Brother’s pristine drops, they were riddled with impurities.


    Pills weren’t like plants. Refining them mixed in extras—minerals, beast blood—leaving residue. Overuse clogged meridians and flesh, tainting true qi, hampering breakthroughs. Impurity levels hinged on the alchemist’s skill and realm.


    Market pills? Bottom-tier junk. Near-pure ones either sat in top martial sects or got snapped up pre-forging. Regular cultivators scavenged the leftovers.


    A drop of essence sank into the pill. A green flash later, it glowed warmly. Han’s mental probe found only pure potency—no trace of junk.


    Trick two: essence purified pills.


    Now, alongside spirit plants, Han could pop pills worry-free. Back with Tree Brother, he’d doubled up on both.


    These two perks alone made the cauldron a rare marvel. Word got out, and Mountain-River Lifeblood List elites would storm in, scrapping for it.


    But the cauldron wasn’t done. Creation essence had a third use: living beings.


    Han hadn’t tested it yet, but the cauldron hinted at it. Its core power was creation—so it likely granted beings a spark of that too. Catch was, it worked only once per being.


    “Wonder if it can use solar and lunar forces others gather,” Han mused. If so, he could score higher-grade essence.


    Decision made, he tidied up, erased traces, and zipped back to the peach grove.


    Testing it on a being could wait—he’d first check if the cauldron accepted others’ harvested energy. One-shot deal, better make it top-shelf.


    Lucky for him, Saint-tier Lu Qingmo was right there.


    “Me, gather sun and moon energy?” she asked, puzzled.


    “What for?”


    “I want to see the quality at your realm,” Han said.


    “Cultivation’s about yourself,” she cautioned. “Gathering solar energy trains the soul—connecting with heaven and earth, subtly boosting your affinity with sun and moon. Don’t lean on others to harvest it for you. Plus, my yield’s higher than most Saints—too potent for your stage. It’d hurt, not help.”


    Han nodded vigorously, signaling he got it.


    “I just want a peek, honest.”


    She relented with a nod, used to his relentless curiosity—random questions, sudden moves.


    Lu Qingmo reached out, drawing lunar essence from the sky.


    “More, more!” Han urged.


    Rolling her eyes, she humored him, preserving it with a trick and handing it over.


    Solar energy? That’d wait for daylight. True powerhouses could snag both anytime, but she wasn’t there yet.


    Alone later, Han pondered the cauldron’s handling. A real treasure, visible to others—he’d need caution using it.


    After some thought, he settled on secrecy.


    He’d share the essence’s perks with close ones like Bai Ruoyue, but the cauldron itself? Under wraps. Unlike Dream Enlightenment’s ethereal nature—popping in and out, easy to shrug off—a physical treasure raised questions.


    Where’d it come from? Where’d it go next month?


    Explaining was a hassle, risking slip-ups.


    It wasn’t distrust in Lu Qingmo or the crew—just that some things stayed safer unsaid. The cauldron’s main gig was brewing essence anyway—that’d suffice.


    At dawn, Lu Qingmo delivered her solar harvest. Han checked—blazing, premium-grade, way beyond a Day Roamer’s grasp. Refining that into your soul? You’d be begging for a meltdown.


    He fed both high-quality batches to the cauldron, waiting with a twinge of regret.


    If only Moon Goddess whisked me to the moon now—straight to the top tier.


    A bit later, he peeked inside.


    Jackpot! Essence brewed.