Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

Chapter 44 Traveling Between Two Places

When the morning bell rang at 3:45 AM, Chen Yuan was already standing in front of plot number 73.

The morning air in Medicine Valley was chilling, seeping into your very bones.

The dark purple soil was covered with white frost, which shone with a pale light in the morning light.

The ghost flower drooped its head, and the ulceration along the edges of its black petals had expanded.

Chen Yuan squatted down and put on ice silk gloves.

It's been three days.

Every day from dawn to dusk, he would press his hand on this yin-evil soil for six hours straight. The saplings, like ravenous beasts, frantically devoured the yin energy in the soil.

The repair progress increased from 47% to 51%, but the speed was significantly slower.

Now, the soil in the center of this three-foot square area has changed from dark purple to deep brown.

The yin energy has thinned considerably, but it's still not enough.

Far from enough.

"Oh, still arguing with the dead man flower?"

Zhao San's voice came from behind, carrying undisguised sarcasm.

Chen Yuan did not turn around.

Zhao San strolled over, deliberately stepping on the edge of the plot with his boots, splashing up a few mud droplets.

"I say, Junior Brother Chen," he squatted down to look Chen Yuan in the eye, "your flower is beyond saving. Three pillars of the Yin Sha Formation are broken, not only is the Yin energy leaking out, but the earth's veins are also in disarray. Even if Steward Su himself came, let alone someone like you at the fourth level of Qi Refining, he might not be able to save it."

Chen Yuan remained silent.

"If you ask me," Zhao San leaned closer and lowered his voice, "you might as well beg me. I know a senior brother in the Array Academy. Spend a few spirit stones and have him take a look at the pillar for you—fifty low-grade spirit stones, and I'll make the connection for you."

Fifty dollars.

Chen Yuan currently has seventy low-grade spirit stones in his storage bag—the leftovers from selling blood ginseng. But he shook his head: "Too expensive."

"Expensive?" Zhao San scoffed. "Saving your second-grade spiritual plant for fifty yuan is expensive? Then you can just wait to get lost in three months."

He left, humming a little tune.

Chen Yuan continued to look down at the ground.

He could afford fifty spirit stones. But what would happen after that? He needed at least a hundred spirit stones to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, and he was still a long way from the peak of the fourth level, which was exactly when he needed to save up resources.

Spirit stones are too expensive, and the entries are hard to find.

He spent the last three days wandering around the Medicine Valley, trying to find any spiritual plants with the "weak spiritual energy" attribute, even the lowest grade would be fine. However, the spiritual plants in the Medicine Valley were all of too high grade, the lowest being second grade, and their attributes had long been stable and formed, making extraction extremely difficult. Even if he could extract them, the spiritual energy consumed would be far beyond his capacity.

Spirit stones are too expensive.

---

At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the Medicine Valley's steward's hall distributes today's "nourishment."

Chen Yuan lined up to receive his coarse cloth bag. When he opened it, he saw three "yin spirit stones" the size of a fingernail. They were grayish and contained more impurities than spiritual energy.

This is for the Yin Soul Flower.

Zhao San, who was collecting the nutrients from the Crimson Sun Vine, had five large, high-quality "Fire Spirit Stones" in his bag. They were so warm that you could feel them even through the cloth bag.

"What are you looking at?" Zhao San noticed Chen Yuan's gaze. "The Crimson Sun Vine is a second-grade upper-level plant, while your Dead Man's Flower is only a second-grade lower-level plant. Different grades, different treatment."

Chen Yuan did not argue.

He took the three inferior Yin Spirit Stones back to plot number seventy-three. Instead of using them right away, he squatted down, placed the stones in his palm, and channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into them.

It contains many impurities and has little yin energy.

The seedlings in the entry conveyed a faint sense of "yearning".

Chen Yuan thought for a moment, then instead of spending the spirit stones, he held them in his hand and circulated his cultivation technique.

The spiritual energy enveloped the Yin Spirit Stone, which was slowly absorbed.

Impurities were filtered out, and the thin yin energy flowed into the dantian along the meridians, and then... it was intercepted by the sapling of the word entry.

The saplings trembled with satisfaction.

Although it was little, it was indeed useful.

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up.

He had seventy spirit stones in his storage bag. If he could repair the sapling with these inferior Yin spirit stones, he could save the spirit stones needed to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

---

Early noon, break time.

Chen Yuan hurriedly left the medicine valley and returned to the shantytown.

My own yard.

When Chen Yuan entered the courtyard, he paused for a moment—the courtyard had been swept, the weeds cleared, the water tank wiped clean, and the firewood neatly stacked.

The door to the east wing was ajar, and the sound of Widow Li coughing could be heard from inside.

Chen Yuan didn't go inside; he went to the fields first.

The land, eight mu in total, is divided into three plots: three mu of edelweiss, two mu of perilla, and three mu of Qingyang rice.

After a few days of neglect, weeds sprouted, but the spiritual plants grew... unexpectedly well.

Chen Yuan squatted on the edge of the field and first looked at the edelweiss.

The grass blades weren't wilting at all; in fact, they were even more lush than a few days ago. The leaves were a vibrant red, with distinct serrated edges, resembling a burning fire in the afternoon sun. More importantly—the entire field of edelweiss emitted a faint but uniform fluctuation of fire-spirit energy.

Chen Yuan was stunned.

He reached out and pressed down on one of the plants, channeling his spiritual energy into it.

There is no entry for it, but its growth is excellent—the leaves are plump, the veins are unobstructed, and the root system is well-developed.

He recalled the dictionary entries in his mind.

With a thought, thirty-seven points of light appeared in my consciousness.

There are ten light green growth-related entries, including [Rapid Maturation] ×3, [Developed Root System] ×2, [Enhanced Disease Resistance] ×2, etc.

When he left three days ago, he tried using a [Quick Maturation] on the Edelweiss, but the effect was not obvious, so he didn't bother with it anymore.

It now appears that the effects of the entries are delayed?

Or rather, does it require time to penetrate?

Chen Yuan got up and walked to the perilla field.

The perilla plants grew even better—the leaves were so thick they looked like they could be squeezed for water, and the deep purple color had an oily sheen. The plants were crowded together, and the soil was almost invisible.

A gentle breeze stirs the leaves, revealing faint golden veins on their undersides.

He touched one.

Spiritual Energy Detection: There are no stable entries, but the flow of spiritual energy inside the plant is unusually smooth, and the root system is twice as thick as that of ordinary perilla.

This is happening again...

【Well-developed root system】—He did indeed use one of the perilla plants.

There was also a [disease resistance enhancement] – one of those was used as well.

The effects are stacked?

He walked to the Qingyang rice paddies.

The rice seedlings are tender green, already reaching knee-high, with upright leaves and no signs of yellowing at the tips. More importantly, a faint, pure spiritual energy permeates the rice seedlings—it is subtle, but undeniably present.

Chen Yuan squatted down and pressed his hand against the soil to examine it.

The soil is fertile, and the negative energy has been completely eliminated. The rice seedlings have well-developed root systems, and each plant grows uniformly strong.

He used a [rich in spiritual energy] on Qingyang Rice.

The effects are now becoming apparent.

Chen Yuan stood on the edge of the field, looking at the eight acres of land, and a mix of emotions welled up in his heart.

When he left three days ago, he was disappointed because he couldn't find any entries. But now it seems that the low-level entries he possessed were already quietly playing a role.

However, the effects take time to accumulate.

He was just too impatient.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Widow Li came over carrying a bamboo basket containing two coarse flour buns and a dish of pickled vegetables.

"Brother Chen," she said softly, "have you eaten? I've cleared the weeds and watered the fields... These crops are growing so well, I've never seen spiritual plants grow so well before."

Chen Yuan accepted the bamboo basket: "Thank you."

The steamed bun was still warm.

He squatted on the edge of the field, eating a steamed bun, while Widow Li stood beside him, quietly watching the field.

"Brother Chen," she suddenly said, "this land...can it be sold for money?"

Chen Yuan chewed on his steamed bun and nodded: "Yes."

In another half month, the edelweiss will be ready to be harvested, dried, and sold to Boss Liao. The perilla will mature in a month, and the pharmacy will buy it. The Qingyang rice will be harvested in three months; if the quality is good, the price can double.

If the eight acres of land continue to grow at this rate, it will yield at least a thousand spirit stones in three months.

I have the resources to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

After finishing his steamed bun, Chen Yuan got up and walked to the center of the tinder field.

He sat down cross-legged and placed his hands on the soil.

This wasn't an investigation; it was "communication."

His consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness, looking at the thirty-seven points of light.

Twelve pale gold production-boosting entries: [Minor Production Increase] x6, [High-Efficiency Production Increase] x4, [Super-Efficiency Production Increase] x2 (fragments).

With a thought, he took out a [Minor Production Increase] talisman.

The light flowed down the arm into the soil, then spread out like ripples, covering an acre of edelweiss.

There were no earth-shattering changes.

But Chen Yuan could sense that the edelweiss in that acre of land was growing at a slightly faster rate. The leaves were redder, and the spiritual energy was stronger.

He then took out another [High-Efficiency Production Increase] elixir—its effect was stronger than that of the Lesser-Efficiency Production Increase, but it also consumed a lot of resources.

This time, half an acre was covered.

Then comes the tender green "rapid maturation" – accelerating growth in about two days.

He used it on perilla leaves.

One, two.

The perilla leaves visibly thickened, and the pale golden veins became clearer.

Finally, there's the milky white one, "Rich in Spiritual Energy"—which increases the spiritual energy content of spiritual plants.

He used it on Qingyang rice.

The vitality among the rice seedlings has intensified.

After doing all this, Chen Yuan was sweating profusely, and most of his spiritual energy in his dantian was depleted.

But seeing the eight acres of land thriving, he smiled.

He laughed heartily.

---

At three quarters past noon, Chen Yuan returned to Medicine Valley.

He continued tending to the Yin Soul Flower in the afternoon. He absorbed the three inferior Yin Spirit Stones, and the repair progress increased to 52%.

At three quarters past the hour, when the evening bell rang, Zhao San arrived again.

"Junior Brother Chen," he said, his expression not looking too good, "I've managed to get Senior Brother Zhang's price down to forty-five yuan. But you'll have to pay a twenty-five yuan deposit first."

Chen Yuan looked at him: "Why is the price down again?"

Zhao San clicked his tongue: "Senior Brother Zhang has taken on other jobs, so he can only spare some time here. Forty-five yuan is the lowest I can offer."

Chen Yuan remained silent.

He now has eight acres of land as a backing, and will have a considerable income of spirit stones in three months. Forty-five stones isn't something he can't afford.

But he remembered Su Wanqing's warning, the risks of the earth's yin energy, and his reserve of seventy spirit stones.

And... he wanted to try other methods.

"I'll think about it for one night," he said.

Zhao San's face darkened: "The price won't be this high tomorrow."

he's gone.

Chen Yuan stood there, looking at the Yin Soul Flower.

Then, he made a decision.

---

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Chen Yuan went to the Medicine Valley Library.

He found a book called "An Introduction to Earth Veins and Array Formations" and turned to the chapter on "Yin Sha Array".

I watched for half an hour.

His eyes lit up when he closed the book.

The principle behind the Yin Sha Formation is quite simple. There are two ways to repair it: one is to replace the pillars and rearrange the formation; the other is to use a temporary formation plate to fill the gaps.

The first method requires the Foundation Establishment stage to perform, while the second method... can be done during the Qi Refining stage.

The temporary array plate requires the following materials: ten Yin Spirit Stones, one piece of Soul-Suppressing Wood, and three Yin-Guiding Talismans.

He has Yin Spirit Stones—inferior Yin Spirit Stones from Medicine Valley, which are usable. He needs to buy Soul-Suppressing Wood and Yin-Guiding Talismans at the market.

A piece of Soul-Suppressing Wood, five spirit stones. Three Yin-Guiding Talismans, six spirit stones.

It adds up to eleven yuan.

It's much cheaper than hiring a senior colleague from the court.

But the problem is—he doesn't know how to set up a formation.

The book only explains the principles, not the specific techniques.

Chen Yuan closed the book and walked out of the library.

The night sky was moonless.

He stood on the steps, looking at the light shield of the Medicine Valley and the direction of plot number seventy-three in the distance.

Then he remembered the entries he knew.

I'm reminded of the dictionary entries in my mind.

I think of the thriving plants in the eight acres of land.

To gamble or not to gamble?