Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

The night when the stars fall into the lake is so quiet that you can hear the sound of spiritual energy flowing.

Chen Yuan sat cross-legged in the center of the plant vein array, where the circulation system composed of the three spiritual plants—Blood Ginseng, Star Frost Moss, and Green Yuan Vine—was operating stably.

The wood spirit crystals glowed softly among the vines, like dewdrops hanging from jade branches.

He was just taking a routine breath adjustment.

But when his divine sense swept over the five-colored stars flowing in the orbit within his body, something that had been accumulating for a long time was suddenly triggered.

---

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, the myriad phenomena sapling suddenly trembled.

Those dormant entries—【Weak Spiritual Energy】【Minor Increase in Production】【Blood Potion Technique】【Evil Devouring Purification】—all lit up. They didn't just flash individually; rather, they seemed to be connected by an invisible thread, frantically arranging and combining.

Chen Yuan "saw" the spiritual energy circulation route of the "Long Breath Technique," gentle yet slow; next to it appeared the blood energy circulation diagram of the "Blood Bone Chapter," violent and harmful; the star trails of five-colored stars covered it, gray-black stars devoured impurities, emerald green stars repaired damage, crimson stars burned away evil spirits, pale gold stars harmonized life, and silver-white stars observed the microscopic world...

"Conflict...no, it's not a conflict."

Chen Yuan's consciousness became incredibly clear during his sudden enlightenment.

All his past cultivation experiences, insights from battles, and observations on "life" and "growth" while nurturing spiritual plants flooded back at this moment.

The branches of the Myriad Manifestations Tree grew wildly in the sea of ​​consciousness.

It no longer simply displays entries, but begins to deduce their meaning.

The gentle wood element of the "Long Breath Technique" is the beginning of "life";

The blood and qi tempering technique from the "Blood and Bone Chapter" serves as the catalyst for "annihilation";

The balance system of the five-colored stars serves as the "central hub of harmony";

Then, incorporate the concepts of "cycle," "symbiosis," and "transformation" gleaned from spiritual plants...

Countless points of light collide, recombine, collapse, and rebuild in consciousness.

Chen Yuan felt a splitting headache, yet he was also terrifyingly lucid.

He saw every fork in the road on his path of cultivation, and every choice he made.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew, and don't delve too deeply into a wide range of things." This is an ironclad rule in the world of cultivation.

But what if it's not "diverse" but "unified"?

What if there were a cultivation method that could encompass the growth of wood, the ferocity of blood, the mysteries of stars, the cycle of spiritual plants...?

Suddenly, a vague incantation appeared in my consciousness on its own, like the first complete piece of a pattern pieced together from countless fragments:

"Birth and death cycle, with qi and blood as the bridge."

The stars are arranged in order, and the five elements are the pivot.

The withering and flourishing of plants is the way; the rising and falling of the spiritual and the turbid are fundamentally on the same path.

These twenty-eight characters flashed by, yet they were like a key, unlocking the door to deeper deductions.

Light characters began to condense on the branches and leaves of the Myriad Manifestations Tree. They were no longer scattered words, but rather coherent, rhythmic fragments of mantras:

"Gather the vital energy of green wood to enter the liver meridian, and temper it with the fire of the heart to pass through the tower."

The lung's metal element descends and returns to the kidney's water element, while the spleen's earth element transforms and circulates throughout the body.

"Blood and bones serve as fuel to ignite the spiritual flame; ashes devour turbidity to clear the jade pot."

"The emerald green nourishes all the meridians, while the crimson flames burn away evil spirits and obstacles."

"Pale gold harmonizes the power of all elements, while silver subtly illuminates the true nature of reality."

The five colors revolve to create creation; the cycle of energy brings all things to life.

These fragments were chaotic and intermittent. Chen Yuan desperately tried to grasp them, only to find that he would remember one sentence and forget the next. Finally, all the words of light suddenly collapsed inward, coalescing into three core principles:

"All things carry yin and embrace yang, and achieve harmony through the interaction of these energies."

"Birth is the beginning of death, and death is the opportunity for birth."

"Embrace all rivers without rejecting differences, and unify all laws to achieve the same ultimate principle."

The nascent form of "The Secret of the Birth and Death of All Things" is beginning to emerge.

This is not a specific set of steps for circulating qi, but rather a "framework of practice," a "principle" of cultivation.

It told Chen Yuan: You can use the Long Breath Technique to absorb wood spirit energy, then use the Blood Bone Chapter to refine it, and then use the Five-Colored Stars to treat impurities, repair damage, and reconcile conflicts... These are not independent techniques, but different steps in a complete process.

Just like the Vein Array: Blood Ginseng is responsible for transformation (like the gray-black star devouring evil), Star Frost Moss is responsible for nurturing (like the emerald green star repairing), and Azure Vine is responsible for crystal production (like the explosive power of the crimson star). Each performs its own function, in an endless cycle.

The Secret of the Birth and Death of All Things.

The name naturally surfaced from the depths of my consciousness.

It's not about creating, but understanding; it's not about learning, but summarizing.

This set of techniques was originally hidden in all his past experiences; the Myriad Manifestations Tree simply helped him piece together the fragments into a complete picture.

---

"Chen Yuan? Chen Yuan!"

Bai Zhi's voice drew him closer, pulling him out of his deep epiphany.

Chen Yuan opened his eyes and found himself drenched in sweat, his face as pale as paper, but his eyes were frighteningly bright. The light of the Planting Vein Array had dimmed considerably, as if the sudden enlightenment he had just experienced had consumed a large amount of spiritual energy.

"Are you alright?" Bai Zhi squatted down in front of him, her brows furrowed. "Your breathing was so erratic just now, sometimes surging and sometimes subsiding. I thought you had gone mad."

The massive head of the Rift Cloud also peered over from the side, its beak almost poking Chen Yuan's face: "Human, your 'taste' has changed. Before, it was like a hodgepodge, now... well, still a hodgepodge, but the pot seems to have gotten bigger."

Chen Yuan forced a smile, wanting to laugh but lacking the strength.

He felt the nascent, illusory cultivation technique forming within his body; it was like a skeleton, waiting for him to fill it with flesh and blood through actual practice.

"I've figured some things out," he said in a hoarse voice.

"I can see that now." Bai Zhi handed over the water pouch. "The kind of 'realization' where you almost thought you were going to die?"

"Almost." Chen Yuan took a few gulps of water, easing the dryness in his throat. "I'm thinking about whether I can... integrate what I've learned."

"Integration?" Bai Zhi sat down opposite him, her moss-covered sword resting horizontally on her lap. "You mean the 'Long Breath Technique,' the 'Blood Bone Chapter,' and your strange and unusual stellar powers?"

"Hmm. They're each doing their own thing now, and sometimes they even sabotage each other. The Long Breath Technique thinks the Blood Bone Chapter is too violent, while the Blood Bone Chapter thinks the Long Breath Technique is too mild. The Five-Colored Stars are trying to mediate, and they're almost splitting themselves apart from trying to stop it."

Lieyun let out a hissing sound that sounded like a sneer: "Your human cultivation methods are so troublesome. We spirit birds are born to fly however we want, why do we have to deal with so many rules and regulations?"

"So your clan has been relying on talent for tens of thousands of years," Chen Yuan said irritably. "Your cultivation level depends on your bloodline, and the awakening of supernatural powers depends on luck—that's not cultivation, that's just lying around doing nothing."

Caught off guard, Lieyun turned its head and used its beak to preen the feathers on its wings, pretending not to hear.

Bai Zhi began to think seriously: "Integrating cultivation methods... that idea is too risky. The cultivation methods created by the sages of the past are all systems that have been refined through countless trials. If you make a mistake in your own deduction, at best your meridians will be damaged, and at worst your foundation will be completely destroyed."

"I know." Chen Yuan looked at his outstretched palm, where faint five-colored light swirled. "But my path has always been different from others."

He couldn't explain the existence of the Myriad Manifestations Tree, and could only give a vague answer: "I've learned a lot from spiritual plants. They need soil, sunlight, and water to grow, and they also need the tempering of wind and rain and the test of pests. Life and death are not opposites; death is part of life—only when withered leaves rot into mud can new buds be nourished."

Bai Zhi listened quietly without interrupting.

"My cultivation is the same. The Long Breath Technique is 'life,' it's accumulation; the Blood Bone Chapter is 'destruction,' it's tempering; my spiritual energy is harmonized and transformed. They shouldn't fight each other; they should form a cycle." Chen Yuan's thoughts became clearer as he spoke. "Just like this Vein Array, Blood Ginseng transforms earth energy, Star Frost Moss warms spiritual energy, and Azure Vine crystallizes and produces—each performs its function, forming a whole."

Lieyun turned back again: "That sounds nice. So, did you successfully integrate it?"

"It's just a rough outline," Chen Yuan said honestly. "It's like knowing that a house should have a foundation, walls, and a roof, but how to lay the bricks and how to put up the beams still needs to be tested slowly."

"What's the name?" Bai Zhi asked. "Such an amazing technique should have a name, shouldn't it?"

Chen Yuan remained silent for a moment.

"The Birth and Death of All Things"—that name is too grand and too ostentatious. He's currently just a minor cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, possessing the rudimentary form of such a high-level technique. If word gets out, he might not even know how he died.

"...I haven't decided yet," he finally said. "Maybe it'll be something like 'The Harmony Formula,' something simple."

Bai Zhi glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

She keenly sensed that Chen Yuan was hiding something, but what cultivator doesn't have secrets? She herself had just received the inheritance of the Tianmu Sect, so there was no need to pry.

"So what are your plans next?" She changed the subject. "Just stay here and go into seclusion to refine your cultivation technique?"

"No." Chen Yuan shook his head. "It won't work if you just work behind closed doors. Cultivation techniques need to be tested in actual combat and can handle various situations—how to operate when spiritual energy is abundant, how to maintain it when spiritual energy is depleted; how to repair injuries, how to unleash power when facing an enemy... all of these need to be tested."

He pushed himself up, his legs still a little weak, but his eyes had regained their usual composure: "Let's consolidate this stronghold first. The Vein Array needs time to stabilize, and the spirit crystal production of the Azure Vine also needs to be monitored. Once everything is on track..."

He looked across Starfall Lake and further into the distance, at the mountains shrouded in night.

"Let's go for a walk. There must be some suitable places to practice around Wuding Valley."

Upon hearing this, Lieyun raised his neck sharply: "Want to fight? Take me with you! I've been holding back for eight hundred years, my bones are practically rusting."

"It's 'sparring' and 'experience,'" Chen Yuan corrected it. "It's not asking you to slaughter an entire sect."

"It's all the same." Lieyun flapped its wings nonchalantly, stirring up a small breeze. "As long as it can move its claws, it's fine."

Bai Zhi sighed and sheathed her moss-covered sword: "Then I'll take advantage of these few days to practice the 'Insightful Eye Technique' more. At least when you're practicing until you explode, I'll be able to tell just how far you've gone."

"...Thanks." Chen Yuan forced a smile.

"You're welcome." Bai Zhi smiled in response. "Remember, if it really explodes, stay away from me and the Vein Array. Rebuilding is a huge hassle."

The conversation of the three (two people and a bird) drifted on the night breeze.

The starry sky was reflected on the surface of the lake, as was the faintly glowing array made of spiritual plants on the shore.

Chen Yuan sat back down at the center of the formation and closed his eyes.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the phantom of the "Mantra of the Creation and Extinction of All Things" floated silently. The branches and leaves of the Myriad Manifestations Tree swayed gently, seemingly stretching out in celebration of the success of this deduction.