Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

On the seventh day after the Vein Array stabilized, the first spiritual energy tide appeared in Starfall Lake.

At first, only the ripples in the center of the lake became denser, as if a giant fish was turning over underwater.

Then, the brightness of the glowing ley lines at the bottom of the lake began to fluctuate, like breathing.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the air increased at a visible rate, even condensing into a faint, silvery-blue mist that flowed slowly across the lake and through the forest.

"It's here." Chen Yuan stood at the edge of the Plant Vein Array and took a deep breath. Rich and gentle spiritual energy flowed into his lungs, carrying the unique cool and moist air of Starfall Lake. This was the perfect environment for testing the framework of the new cultivation technique—abundant spiritual energy, gentle properties, and relatively controllable due to partial regulation by the Plant Vein Array.

Bai Zhi stood on a blue stone not far away, her eyes slightly closed. When she opened them again, a faint silver light was flowing in her eyes—she had activated the basic observation state of the "Seeing the Subtle Pupil Technique".

"The source of spiritual energy is in the lake's central ley line, with a peak occurring approximately every thirty breaths. The absorption efficiency of the plant vein array is currently stable, but the peak tide may exceed the array's capacity by about 30%."

Lieyun wasn't as sensitive to changes in spiritual energy concentration; it was more concerned with the actual effects: "So this 'tide' can make the vines crystallize faster? At the current rate, it only produces about five low-grade spirit stones a day—what can that even do?"

"It's enough for us to have no worries about basic cultivation for the time being." Chen Yuan walked towards the array's core. "Moreover, this tide isn't mainly for producing spirit crystals."

He sat cross-legged in the center, the roots of the blood ginseng glowing faintly beneath him, connected to the earth's veins.

The base of the array, covered with star-frost moss, shimmered with a soft silver-blue halo, and the branches and leaves of the Qingyuan vine moved undisturbed even without wind.

Chen Yuan closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into his sea of ​​consciousness.

The three general principles of the "Mantra of the Creation and Extinction of All Things" floated in the center, surrounded by fragments of the incomplete and incoherent mantra.

What he needs to do is try to piece together these fragments into a feasible and specific route for circulating Qi during this surge of spiritual energy.

The first peak of the tide has arrived.

The surging yet gentle spiritual energy, transformed through the plant vein array, flowed into Chen Yuan's entire body like a warm stream of water.

He immediately activated the still-developing framework of the cultivation technique.

"Embrace all rivers, accept differences without rejection..."

He silently recited the general principles and tried to guide the spiritual energy.

Initially, everything went smoothly.

The basic pathway of the "Long Breath Technique" automatically responded, with wood-attribute spiritual energy flowing gently along the liver meridian to nourish the internal organs. However, problems soon arose: too much and too fast spiritual energy surged in, exceeding the slow rhythm that the "Long Breath Technique" was accustomed to, and the meridians began to feel swollen.

"Unifying all laws leads to the One Way..."

With a thought, Chen Yuan did not forcefully use the "Long Breath Technique" to contain it, but instead guided the spiritual energy according to the rudimentary concept of "Five Elements Circulation" in the framework.

Part of the wood-based spiritual energy continued to flow through the liver meridian (wood), while the other part was deliberately guided towards the heart meridian (fire) – this was the "wood generates fire" transformation strategy within the framework. Sure enough, the spiritual energy began to become more active and refined under the tempering properties of the heart meridian, and the feeling of swelling decreased slightly.

But a new problem arose: the transformed fire-attribute spiritual energy was too active, causing a conflict with the original gentle wood-attribute spiritual energy at the point of intersection, resulting in a burning pain in the meridians.

"Pale gold harmonizes all elements..."

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the illusory image representing the pale gold star lit up.

Chen Yuan diverted part of his mind to simulate the life-harmonizing characteristics of the pale gold star, constructing a temporary "buffer layer" at the intersection of wood and fire spiritual energies.

This is not the true power of the stars, but rather a harmonizing effect that he simulated using his spiritual power based on the framework concept.

The burning sensation was significantly reduced, and the two streams of spiritual energy began to slowly merge, forming a purer and more vibrant special spiritual power.

Chen Yuan's spirits lifted; the framework's approach was correct!

He continued to experiment, guiding the incoming spiritual energy according to the Five Elements theory of mutual generation (Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water) to different meridians in sequence, amidst the ebb and flow of the tides, for preliminary transformation and refinement.

Every step was incredibly rough, with low conversion efficiency, and required his full attention to fine-tune. But a basic, cyclical prototype was being painstakingly built up within him.

This is completely different from any known exercise method.

It is not a fixed route for circulating qi, but a flexible "processing procedure": after the spiritual energy flows in, it is guided to the most suitable "processing stage" (different meridians, different transformation methods) according to its own attributes and state. Finally, what flows into the dantian is a mixed spiritual energy that has been initially harmonized and refined.

Time passed little by little.

Chen Yuan was soaked in sweat, his face flushed red and then pale, and his body trembled slightly.

Each high tide presents a new challenge, requiring him to constantly adjust the distribution ratio, conversion speed, and harmonization intensity of spiritual energy.

Bai Zhi's pupil technique remained locked on him.

She saw the flow of spiritual energy within Chen Yuan's body gradually become... traceable, moving from initial chaos and conflict. Although still clumsy and frustratingly inefficient, it was indeed developing in an orderly, cyclical direction.

What surprised her even more was that Chen Yuan's aura did not become weak or unstable during the forced integration process; instead, it slowly and steadily strengthened.

"This guy... he's actually figured it out?" Bai Zhi muttered to herself.

Lieyun lay to the side, idly counting the newly formed wood spirit crystals on the Qingyuan Vine: "One, two... still too slow. Human cultivation is such a hassle. If it were us spirit birds, with this concentration of spiritual energy, we could just swallow it, take a nap, and increase our cultivation level."

"And then you wake up to find yourself three times fatter and can't even fly?" Bai Zhi retorted without turning her head.

Lieyun choked, and sullenly pecked at the stone on the ground with its beak.

……

After the fifth tidal peak, the rough circulation within Chen Yuan's body was finally able to keep up with the speed of the spiritual energy influx.

Although the total amount of spiritual energy after transformation and refinement may only be about 60% of that directly absorbed and refined, its quality is higher and its compatibility with the body is better.

He slowly finished his practice and opened his eyes. A glint flashed in his eyes, revealing deep exhaustion, but even more so, excitement.

"How is it?" Bai Zhi jumped off the bluestone and walked over.

"The framework is feasible." Chen Yuan's voice was hoarse, but he had a smile on his face. "Just like you said, you've grasped the basics. But the details are a complete mess, the conversion is severely wasteful, and the harmonization relies entirely on brute force... Moreover, it can only barely function in this kind of environment with abundant and mild spiritual energy. In actual combat or in places with scarce spiritual energy, it will definitely collapse immediately."

"It's good enough that it can even spin," Bai Zhi objectively commented. "This is only your first official attempt. Have you come up with an official name for your 'Harmony Technique' yet?"

"No." Chen Yuan shook his head. "Let's talk about it when it can operate stably and doesn't damage my meridians."

Just then, Lieyun suddenly raised its head, the feathers on its neck standing up slightly, and looked towards the sky northwest of Starfall Lake: "Something is approaching. It's not a demonic beast... it's a flying magic artifact. It's not fast, but its target is clear: it's coming this way."

Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi's expressions tightened, and they immediately concealed their auras, hiding in the shadows of the woods next to the plant vein array.

Lieyun also shrank in size and landed on Chen Yuan's shoulder, its gaze sharp.

A moment later, a wooden flying boat, about three zhang long and of simple design, appeared somewhat sluggishly through the clouds and mist above Starfall Lake. A faded mark was on the side of the flying boat, seemingly the emblem of a small family.

There were three people standing on the flying boat, two men and one woman, all of whom were at the Qi Refining stage. The middle-aged man, who was the most advanced, was about the seventh level of Qi Refining, while the other two young men and women were around the fifth level of Qi Refining.

They looked travel-worn, and their airship had many scratches, suggesting they had been on a long journey.

"Senior brother, is this the place?" On the flying boat, the young woman looked down at the beautiful Starfall Lake with amazement in her eyes. "Such rich spiritual energy, and this lake..."

"The location marked on the map is correct." The middle-aged man's expression was solemn, and even more so, he was wary. "But according to the records, there should only be an ordinary spirit lake here, and the spiritual energy is not nearly as strong as this, let alone..." He looked at the area by the lake that faintly emitted a harmonious spiritual light and had unusually lush vegetation (the location of the plant vein array), his eyes filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"Could someone have beaten us to it?" The young man gripped his magic sword tighter.

The middle-aged man carefully maneuvered the flying boat, slowly descending its altitude and cautiously circling Starfall Lake to observe. His divine sense swept across the lake and woodland, but he did not find any obvious array barriers or man-made structures. Only the spiritual energy in the area by the lake was exceptionally active and orderly.

"This doesn't seem like the work of a major sect; there's no protective formation or markers." The middle-aged man pondered. "Perhaps some rogue cultivator discovered this place and set up a spirit-gathering formation?"

"Senior brother, shall we go down and investigate?" the woman asked. "Perhaps we can find some spiritual herbs, or... perhaps we can talk to the owner of this place?"

The middle-aged man hesitated. His family had fallen on hard times, and this adventure into the vicinity of Wuding Valley was to find the legendary "Starfall Grass" to heal their patriarch. The spiritual energy here was unusual, and perhaps there were clues. But if the place already had an owner, trespassing would only invite enmity.

In the woods, Chen Yuan asked Lie Yun in a low voice, "Can you figure out their background?"

"The flying boat is an old model from decades ago, almost scrapped. All three of them are somewhat weak, and the leader suffered a serious internal injury that hasn't fully healed. They're poor, but they don't seem like bloodthirsty bastards." Lieyun gave a sharp but accurate assessment.

Bai Zhi said in a very low voice, "They seem hesitant, as if they're looking for something."

Chen Yuan quickly weighed his options. The opponent wasn't strong, and his side had Lie Yun, a Foundation Establishment level fighter (though not fully recovered), the advantage of the Plant Meridian Formation, and he had just discovered a new cultivation technique. Bai Zhi also possessed a legacy—he wasn't necessarily afraid of them. But avoiding conflict would be best.

He thought for a moment, then whispered a few words to Bai Zhi and Lie Yun.

……

On the airship, the middle-aged man ultimately decided to risk landing on the opposite shore of the lake, away from the area with abnormal spiritual energy, to demonstrate his harmlessness. He had just steered the airship to turn—

"Fellow Daoists, you are guests from afar, why not come down and have a chat?"

A calm voice suddenly came from the woods below.

The three middle-aged men were immediately startled and summoned their magical artifacts, preparing for battle.

From the woods by the lake emerged a young man dressed in an ordinary blue robe with a calm expression. A magnificent pale golden bird perched on his shoulder, and beside him stood a young woman with a cool and aloof demeanor, holding a sheathed longsword.

Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a fist salute, a faint, polite smile on his face: "My name is Chen Yuan, and I am temporarily residing here for cultivation. May I ask what brings you three fellow Daoists to this secluded place?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to the airship. At the same time, he slightly released a trace of his own aura—the eighth level of Qi Refining, solid and steady, carrying a smoothness that came with a recent breakthrough, and also a subtle, elusive sense of harmony.

The middle-aged man's pupils contracted slightly. The other party's cultivation level was one level lower than his, but the solidity and refinement of his aura far surpassed that of others of the same level, and it also carried some kind of quality that the man did not understand. Moreover, the other party's calm appearance suggested either extreme confidence or that he had something to rely on.

He immediately suppressed most of his hostility, returned the greeting with a bow, and maneuvered the flying boat to slowly descend to the lake shore, while maintaining a safe distance.

"I apologize for disturbing your peaceful cultivation, fellow Daoist." The middle-aged man adopted a very humble attitude. "My name is Lin Huan, and I am accompanied by my junior brothers and sisters Fang Rui and Liu Qingyin. We come from the Lin family of 'Qingfeng Mountain' in the south. We have no ill intentions; we are simply following an incomplete map passed down from our ancestors to find a spiritual herb called 'Starfall Grass' to save lives. We noticed something unusual about the spiritual energy in this area and thus came to investigate. We have absolutely no intention of offending you."

He spoke earnestly and adopted a humble attitude, while also clarifying that he was merely passing through looking for medicine and that he had a family background (although it sounded quite dilapidated), thus reducing the other party's desire to kill and steal his treasure.

"Starfall Grass?" Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat. This name... did match Starfall Lake. He remained expressionless: "This place is indeed called Starfall Lake, but I haven't lived here long enough to see a spiritual plant called 'Starfall Grass.' Could the three of you describe its appearance in detail?"

Upon hearing this, the light of hope in Lin Huan's eyes dimmed slightly, but he still described it: "According to ancestral records, the Starfall Grass grows on the shores of lakes where the earth's veins and starlight converge. Its leaves are like slender willow leaves, with a silvery-blue luster. At night, it emits a faint starlight and often coexists with 'Dew-Accompanying Moss'..."

Leaves like slender willow branches, with a silvery-blue sheen, and a starlight-like glow at night...

Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi exchanged a glance without making a sound.

This description sounds... a lot like a mutated Starfrost Moss? And Starfrost Moss does often grow alongside Dewdrop Grass.

Are these people seeking out mutated Starfrost Moss to save lives? Or is "Starfall Grass" actually a special variant or ancient name for Starfrost Moss?

Chen Yuan's mind raced, but he showed a thoughtful expression before shaking his head: "A spirit herb with a silvery-blue luster... I have indeed never seen one. However, the three of you have come a long way and must be tired. If you don't mind, you can rest here for a while and drink some lake water. The water in this lake contains gentle spiritual energy, which is somewhat beneficial for healing and regulating your breathing."

Upon hearing this, Lin Huan and his companions visibly breathed a sigh of relief, while also feeling grateful. The other party hadn't driven them away or attacked them, and had even allowed them to use the water from the spirit lake; this was far better than the worst-case scenario they had anticipated.

"Thank you for your generosity, fellow Daoist!" Lin Huan bowed solemnly. "We will only take some water and rest for a while before leaving. We will not disturb you any further."