At the entrance of the main hall, two disciples of the Five Thunder Sect stood guard.

This was the Five Thunder Sect’s treasury. Many medicinal herbs, elixirs, and treasures were stored here. It was a forbidden area—ordinary disciples were not allowed to enter; only elders and the young sect master could enter.

Searching through his memories, Ethan Carter suddenly realized that although he had always held the title of young sect master of the Five Thunder Sect, he had never thought of using this status to improve his martial arts or solidify his position.

His weak martial arts was one reason, but on the other hand, it was precisely his simplicity and tendency to give in that made everyone in the Five Thunder Sect look down on him.

“Kind people are bullied, gentle horses are ridden. What belongs to me, no one can take away.”

Ethan Carter stepped forward and walked straight toward the treasury doors.

“Stop! The treasury is a restricted area—trespassing is a serious offense!”

A broadsword swept across, and one of the treasury guards immediately blocked Ethan Carter's path, his gaze sharp and unyielding.

“Get out of my way! As long as I haven’t been deposed, I am still the young sect master of the Five Thunder Sect. Others may not enter the treasury, but I can. Are you going to stop me?”

Ethan Carter shouted coldly.

His identity was known to everyone in the Five Thunder Sect. The rules of the treasury were no secret to these two guards either, yet they still blocked him—clearly, they were deliberately making things difficult.

“Hmph, young sect master? We only know of the elders, never heard of any…”

The guard sneered, about to cause more trouble, when suddenly a hand reached from behind, pulling him back.

“Young sect master, forgive us. This guy was just joking. Who are you, how could you be treated like anyone else? The treasury is forbidden to others, but not to you. Please, go ahead.”

On the left side of the door, the other guard, who had been silent, bent over with a fawning smile.

“Oh?”

Ethan Carter raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. He had thought he’d have to put in more effort, but unexpectedly, he got through so easily. He glared at the two of them, said nothing more, and walked into the treasury.

“Senior Thompson, what are you doing? The Second Elder already gave orders—no one but the elders is allowed in here. Especially not Ethan Carter.”

As soon as Ethan Carter disappeared inside, the guard at the door broke free and glared angrily.

“Junior brother, you’re being foolish. When immortals fight, why should we get involved? You know James Thompson from the back mountain, right? He angered the young sect master and was beaten half to death. The elders’ meeting is about to be held in a few days, and this guy will be deposed soon. He’s desperate now—he might do anything. We’re just errand boys, why risk our lives? Once he’s deposed, let the Second Elder deal with him.”

Senior Thompson said meaningfully.

“Thank you for the lesson, senior brother.”

The guard suddenly understood.

……

The treasury’s stone chamber was extremely spacious, covering several thousand square meters. Torches were mounted on the walls, illuminating piles of medicinal herbs. The most important place in the Five Thunder Sect was now completely open to Ethan Carter.

“Lingzhi with at least thirty years of maturity, baby ginseng over fifty years old, polygonatum of twenty years…”

Although he had expected it, Ethan Carter was still deeply shocked when he actually saw these spiritual energy-rich herbs of this world. In the other world, herbs of this age were almost extinct. The thin spiritual energy and the increasingly damaged natural environment made it impossible to find such naturally grown spiritual herbs.

When Ethan Carter was still the heir of a martial arts family, he once found a twelve-year-old polygonatum, which already amazed his elders. If they saw what was here, who knows how shocked they would be.

“Tsk tsk, such good stuff, all of it is good! What a pity that these spiritual herbs are simply used for body tempering, just absorbing their energy—what a waste.”

By torchlight, Ethan Carter was dazzled, like a pauper stumbling into a treasure trove:

“Spiritual herbs shouldn’t be used like this. Refining them into elixirs is the way to fully utilize these materials. Unfortunately, it seems this world doesn’t care about that.”

Ethan Carter actually knew several ancient secret recipes passed down in his family, but had always lacked the herbs to use them.

Ethan Carter was confident that if he could use these herbs to refine elixirs, not only could he expel the toxins from his body, but he could also make a breakthrough in a short time and regain the power he had in his previous life.

“Lingzhi, ginseng, astragalus, fleeceflower root, moon vine… I’ll take them all. Leaving them here is simply a waste.”

There were always restrictions on how much medicine could be taken from the treasury at one time. Even the sect elders couldn’t abuse their authority to hoard herbs. However, this rule meant nothing to Ethan Carter.

He was about to be deposed anyway—why should he care!

He grabbed a few burlap sacks, picked the best herbs he could find, and stuffed them in. He also grabbed a few bottles of healing elixirs, and finally, deep in the mountain’s heart, took a small purple alchemy cauldron before leaving, satisfied.

If he could have carried more, Ethan Carter would have emptied the entire treasury.

……