Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

The light filtering through the thatched roof changed from gray to bluish-white.

Chen Yuan opened his eyes but did not get up.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, his breathing as slow as a hibernating snake.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the roots of the sapling were slowly contracting, gradually reclaiming the spiritual energy that had dissipated during his breakthrough the previous night.

It's one foot and six inches long.

He "looked" at the sapling; it had three complete leaves, the fourth leaf had just unfolded, and the fifth leaf was still a tender bud.

The thirty-seven floating leaflets around it rotated slowly, like a group of silent stars.

Reach out—the hand in your mind—and grasp the nearest [highly productive] area.

It felt warm to the touch, like a stone just pulled from a fire.

He remembered the throbbing pain in his dantian when he extracted the spiritual energy, and the illusion that his meridians were about to burst from the strain. Back then, it felt like a burden; now…

"It's a knife," he whispered, his voice falling silent in the empty thatched hut.

The leaves are piled up.

The twelve yield-increasing flakes, ranging from pale yellow to brilliant gold, lay spread out in the gray mist like a stack of worn gold leaf. He picked up the brightest flake, and the information came through his fingertips: one mu, 30%, one season. As simple as announcing weights in a slaughterhouse.

There were ten leaves of the growing type, some light green, some brown, and some grayish-green. He touched the one that was "rapidly maturing," and the edges of its leaves shimmered, as if time had slipped through a crack there.

Eight pieces of high-quality material, semi-transparent, like ice formed from morning dew.

The last pile, seven pieces.

[Blood Refinement Resonance] Dark red, with golden light flowing in the veins of the leaves, like solidified blood mixed with molten gold. The moment his fingertips touched it, the leaves of the blood ginseng in the corner moved without wind, the golden patterns dimmed for a moment, and then lit up again.

[Slightly tough], grayish-brown, as hard as old cowhide.

[Environmental Adaptation], yellowish-brown, with cracked patterns on the surface resembling dry land.

【Micro-regeneration】, light pink, like newly formed granulation tissue.

He stared at the last three pieces for a long time.

[Definition Residue], translucent, shapeless. Stare at it, and fragmented images flash through the mist—the golden light of the veins of the golden thread grass, the black veins of the mandrill's bone spurs, the yin energy seeping from the soil of the underworld… all frozen moments of that "mutation." Like the world burping, spewing out its residue.

[Law Affinity] has no color, or rather, it steals the light from its surroundings. Holding it in your hand, you can feel an extremely faint vibration, synchronized with the rhythm of space. Like a heartbeat, but not his heartbeat.

[Cross-border Resonance], about the size of a fingernail, dark gray, with silver veins on the surface as fine as hair. Just now, it flashed.

Chen Yuan snapped out of his daze and opened his eyes.

The thatched hut was dimly lit, with only the golden glow of the blood ginseng leaves, like an eye opening in the darkness.

He got out of bed and went to the table to pour water. The bowl had a crack, and half of the water leaked out. He tilted his head back and drank the rest, the cold water flowing down his throat, extinguishing the slight restlessness in his lower abdomen caused by organizing the entries.

It's time for a breakthrough.

He held the two spirit stones in his palm and activated the Long Breath Technique. Spiritual energy seeped into his meridians, like water seeping into cracked earth.

The bottleneck between the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining was still there, like a stone gate. He banged on it for months, but the gate didn't budge.

But today is different.

In his mind's eye, the roots of the sapling gently swayed. With a thought, three leaves—[Highly Efficient Yield], [Rapid Maturation], and [Rich in Spiritual Energy]—floated over and "attached" to the sapling's three main leaves.

hum.

The sapling trembled.

The three main leaves lit up simultaneously, and the root system frantically absorbed the soul essence stored in the gray mist. The nutrients from the blood ginseng's purification process were rapidly converted and pumped back into the body.

It's not a warm current.

It's a flow of heat. Molten iron, red-hot, pours into the blood vessels, burning from the lower abdomen all the way to the limbs and bones.

Chen Yuan groaned, veins bulging on his forehead. Fine beads of blood seeped from his skin—not sweat, but ruptured capillaries.

He didn't stop.

The heat flow was directed towards the stone gate.

Boom. Once. Completely still.

Boom. Twice. Crack.

Boom. Three times. Cracks spread like a spiderweb.

Chen Yuan gritted his teeth, forcing out two words: "Open...!"

the fourth time.

The stone gate was blown open.

The torrent of spiritual energy rushed into the fourth meridian, like water bursting its banks, destroying everything in its path.

His meridians were forcibly widened, and the tearing pain made his vision go black, but he endured it.

Consciousness remained firmly anchored in the sea of ​​consciousness, watching the sapling grow.

One foot seven inches, one foot eight inches...

The fourth leaf fully unfolded, a tender leaf with pale gold veins and dark red edges tinged with the aura of blood refinement.

The fifth leaf bud sprouted.

Deep within the roots, new information emerges:

System upgrade complete.

[Entry extraction restrictions lifted: No daily limit (Warning: Overload risk still exists)]

Storage space expansion: 100

[New Ability Unlocked: Attribute Fusion (Beginner)]

Chen Yuan exhaled a breath of stale air.

The breath was pale red with a bloody smell, and when it was exhaled into the air, it condensed into a small cloud of red mist that took a long time to dissipate.

He looked down at his hands.

The blood droplets on the skin dried and formed dark red scabs. But beneath the skin, the pale green wood-elemental aura flowed more smoothly than ever before.

The golden-red ring at the edge of the aura—the blood-refining energy—deepened, as if it were edged with gold.

Fourth level of Qi Refining.

It became.

He stood up, his bones cracking. His muscles ached, but his strength was real. He used to be out of breath after swinging a hoe ten times, but now he felt like he could swing it a hundred times.

He walked to the water vat and scooped water to wash away the blood clots on his body. The cool water washed away the dark red stains, revealing the new, tougher skin underneath. The wound on his left arm from the mandrill was now just a pale pink scar.

After washing, he squatted down in front of the blood ginseng.

The blood ginseng sensed him, and its leaves swayed gently. The golden-red veins flowed in the dim light, as if they were breathing with life. He reached out and touched the very top leaf.

The leaf trembled, and the pure and gentle blood energy flowed back through the fingertips, seeping into the meridians.

When it encounters the wood-elemental spiritual energy of the "Long Breath Technique," there is no conflict; it merges naturally, like a stream flowing into a river.

"Yin and Yang coexist..." he murmured.

Blood ginseng nourishes blood and qi, replenishes essence; wood-based cultivation methods harmonize yin and yang, stabilizing the body. This synergy increases cultivation speed by 30%.

Moreover, there was no "mixed energy" as Yin Jiu mentioned, nor "demonic energy" as Hong Gu described.

Those dangers have all been purified by the [Evil Devouring] technique. The blood ginseng is now a clean and pure tonic.

A soft laugh came from outside the thatched hut.

Chen Yuan suddenly turned around.

There was no one at the doorway. Only the morning breeze swirled withered leaves around the threshold before drifting away.

But he heard it clearly.

A woman's laugh. Hoarse, languid, with an inexplicable allure—Hong Gu.

Chen Yuan clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it.

He walked back to the table, took out the string of soul-capturing bells, and placed them on the table. The bells lay quietly, without ringing, but one of them was trembling slightly, its dark purple surface gleaming with an eerie light.

He then took out the jade box containing the Demon Transformation Pills, opened it, and found all seven pills intact.

Finally, there was the Soul-Suppressing Pendant given by Yin Jiu—it was already broken, with only a few fragments of jade remaining.

The three items were placed side by side.

"The Demon-Transforming Pill dispels impurities and refines demonic energy to enter the body."

"The Soul-Capturing Bell forces the source of the soul, causing it to backfire and damage the spirit."

"The Soul-Suppressing Pendant, though protective, will shatter in one hit."

Chen Yuan sat down and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"What you've given me is poison mixed with antidote, and antidote mixed with new poison."

He looked up at the gradually brightening sky outside the shed.

On the distant ridge, Widow Li was squatting in the field replanting lamb's quarters.

The slender figure was blurred in the morning mist, moving slowly but steadily, planting one plant after another, as if it were planting its own destiny.

Chen Yuan stared at it for a long time.

He turned around and went back into the room, dragged a small wooden box from under the bed, and pulled out the book "Copper Skin Kung Fu" from the bottom.

It was given to me by Old Wu; Old Zhao traded it for three jugs of strong liquor.

Brush off the dust and turn to the first page.

"First layer, skin preparation. Method: medicinal bath and pounding, supplemented with blood and qi circulation..."

The smaller print at the bottom was still there: "If there's no medicine, use salt water; if there's no meat, sleep more. Life is more important than cultivation techniques. — Old Zhao's pen"

Chen Yuan closed the booklet and clenched it tightly.

The rough cover pressed against my palm, just like Old Zhao's calloused hands.

"Life is more important than cultivation techniques," he repeated softly, "but sometimes, cultivation techniques are life itself."

Walk to the water vat, fill a basin with water, and sprinkle some coarse salt.

She took off her shirt, revealing a lean but well-defined upper body.

There were still unwashed scabs on the skin, and the light pink scar on the left arm looked like a centipede.

He took a deep breath and circulated his newly acquired Qi Refining Level 4 spiritual power. A pale green spiritual light enveloped his entire body, with a faint golden-red ring around the edge.

Clench your fist and punch yourself in the chest.

A muffled thud.

The skin turned red instantly, but it wasn't broken.

The second punch landed on the left shoulder.

The third punch landed on the right abdomen.

Punch after punch, the force increasing. His skin turned from red to purple, from purple to blue, a burning pain like red-hot needles piercing his flesh. He didn't stop.

The salt water basin is within reach.

He stopped and immersed his entire arm in the water.

"hiss--"

Salt water flowed into the pounded wound, the pain causing Chen Yuan to clench his teeth and break out in a cold sweat.

Instead of pulling his hand away, he vigorously scrubbed his skin, allowing the salt water to penetrate every pore.

After washing and drying, continue pounding.

The thatched hut echoed with dull thuds and suppressed breathing.

In the distance, Widow Li raised her head, glanced in this direction, then lowered her head again to continue planting her vegetables.

Further away, the morning bell of the Flying Feather Sect rang out from the mountainside.

Clang clang—

Three long, heavy tones, like announcing a new day, or perhaps reminding someone of something.

Chen Yuan stopped punching, panting heavily as he looked out the window.

The echoes of the morning bell reverberated through the valley before gradually fading away.

He looked down at his chest.

His skin was bluish-purple, but beneath, the muscles had become more defined. A pale green aura flowed beneath the skin, repairing damage and forging his physique.

"Qi Refining Level Four, Introduction to the Copper Skin Technique..."

He twitched the corners of his mouth, a smile that was somewhat ruthless and cold.

"Not enough."

"But it has begun."

He grabbed the "Copper Skin Kung Fu" and stuffed it back into his pocket. He walked to the Blood Ginseng, bit his fingertip, and squeezed out a drop of blood—the first drop of essence blood on the sixth day.

The blood dripped onto the ginseng root and seeped in instantly.

The blood ginseng trembled slightly, and the fifth leaf emerged and unfurled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The gold patterns are even brighter.

Chen Yuan withdrew his hand and licked the blood from his fingertips.

It has a fishy, ​​sweet taste.

But this time, the sweetness outweighed the fishy smell.

He walked to the door and took one last look at the three things on the table—the Soul-Capturing Bell, the Demon-Transforming Pill, and the Broken Jade Pendant.

Then he turned around and closed the door.

It got dark inside the thatched hut.

Only the golden light emanating from the blood ginseng leaves and the quietly flowing light of the saplings in the sea of ​​consciousness.

Chen Yuan sat down in the darkness and closed his eyes.

and so on.

Waiting for Yin Jiu to arrive.

Waiting for Hong Gu to arrive.

What's meant to come will come.