Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

At midnight, at plot number seventy-three in Medicine Valley—

Chen Yuan sat cross-legged beside the field of Yin Soul Flowers, with five mid-grade spirit stones arranged in a semicircle in front of him. The moonlight, filtered into a cold blue by the Medicine Valley's grand formation, shone on the surface of the spirit stones, causing spiritual energy to rise like mist.

He picked up the first piece and held it in his palm.

The Long Breath Technique is in operation.

The pure spiritual energy flowed into my meridians like a warm current, much smoother than that from a low-grade spirit stone.

Without any impurities or blockages, and without the need for strenuous refining, the spiritual energy directly flows into the dantian, nourishing the sapling of the word tree rooted in the sea of ​​consciousness.

The saplings swayed gently, their leaves unfurling.

The first spirit stone turned to dust.

Chen Yuan didn't stop, and took the second piece.

This time, he guided his spiritual energy to break through several stagnant points in his meridians—these were the natural blockages in his four spiritual roots, which he had only managed to clear after five years of arduous cultivation.

The pure spiritual energy, like a fine awl, chipped away at the barrier bit by bit.

pain.

It feels like a red-hot needle is piercing through your veins.

Chen Yuan's forehead was covered in sweat, but his breathing remained steady.

He had experienced something far more painful—the backlash from the ley line mark, where his entire arm felt like it was both frozen and scalded. This little bit of pain, he could bear.

The second one is exhausted.

The third piece continues.

With spiritual energy accumulating to a critical point, it began to break through the bottleneck of the fifth level of Qi Refining.

The vortex of energy within the dantian accelerates its rotation, its edges rubbing against the barrier, emitting a buzzing sound that can only be heard through internal vision.

When Chen Yuan took the fourth spirit stone, his hand paused for a moment.

He thought of the old spiritual farmers in the shantytown who were stuck at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining—Old Zhao had practiced for forty years, but he was still only at the third level when he died. It wasn't that he didn't try hard enough; it was that he didn't have enough spirit stones, his cultivation method was incomplete, and his spiritual root was too poor.

He has a chance because he can see the entries, grow mutated spirit plants, and exchange them for mid-grade spirit stones.

But this opportunity was earned at the cost of one's life.

The ley line mark on his arm was faintly burning—a permanent scar left from his failed attempt to repair the formation, and a special connection he had established with this land.

Chen Yuan closed his eyes and gripped the fourth spirit stone tightly.

Rush.

The spiritual energy surged like a burst dam, crashing against the bottleneck and barrier.

Once, twice, three times.

"Click—"

A slight cracking sound echoed inside my body.

The barrier wasn't broken, but it developed cracks. Spiritual energy seeped in through the cracks, like tree roots digging into a crevice in the rock, gradually widening the gap.

Chen Yuan took the fifth and final spirit stone, which he used to break through the barrier.

This time, he didn't rush to absorb it. Instead, he divided his spiritual energy into two streams—one to continue impacting the crack, and the other to flow back and nourish the meridians that had been damaged by the impact.

A steady, long-term approach is not just empty words.

Two hours later, the east began to lighten.

The fifth spirit stone was exhausted.

Chen Yuan opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. The breath lingered three feet away from his body, condensing into a white ribbon in the morning mist—a sign of pure spiritual energy.

Fifth level of Qi Refining, achieved.

It was a natural progression, not a dramatic event, but a breakthrough achieved through years of accumulation.

He felt the spiritual energy within him surge nearly twice as much, felt the sapling of the word tree grow another half inch taller, and felt the earth vein imprint resonate more deeply with the land beneath his feet.

Its daybreak.

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At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), outside Su Wanqing's cave.

Chen Yuan stood at the bottom of the stone steps and waited for a quarter of an hour. The door opened, and out came a girl with her hair in two buns, who looked to be eleven or twelve years old and had reached the third level of Qi Refining.

"Senior Brother Chen?" The girl tilted her head. "Senior Sister wants you to come in."

The cave was so simple it was almost empty.

A futon sits in the center, a desk is on the left, a medicine shelf is on the right, and a calligraphy scroll hangs on the wall that reads "The Way follows nature."

Su Wanqing sat behind her desk, copying something. Without looking up, she simply said, "Sit."

Chen Yuan sat down on the futon.

"Reached the fifth floor?" Su Wanqing's pen continued to move.

"Yes."

"Five mid-grade spirit stones were used?"

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat: "Yes."

"What a waste." Su Wanqing finally put down her pen, looked up at him, and said, "With your spiritual root, three pieces are enough. The extra two pieces are for peace of mind."

Chen Yuan remained silent.

"Speak, what is it?" Su Wanqing leaned back in her chair. "You never reach out to me first."

Chen Yuan took a deep breath: "This disciple would like to ask... what exactly is the difference between a Spirit Farmer and a Spirit Plant Master?"

Su Wanqing raised an eyebrow.

"A Spirit Farmer," she said slowly, "is someone who knows how to farm. They know the seasons, understand the soil and water, can keep spirit plants alive, and can ensure a good harvest. Ninety percent of the farmers in the Southern Frontier are Spirit Farmers, divided into nine ranks, from identifying herbs to meticulous cultivation, with the highest being able to grow third-tier spirit plants."

"That plant master?"

"Spiritual plant master," Su Wanqing paused, "is not farming, but 'cultivating the Dao'."

She got up, took a jade slip from the medicine shelf, and activated it.

Light and shadow are projected in the air, showing the growth process of a plant—from seed germination, to sprouting branches and leaves, to flowering and fruiting, and then to withering and returning to the soil. But the next moment, the withered plant sprouts new buds, and the cycle repeats itself.

"The Spirit Farmer follows the natural order," Su Wanqing said. "The Spirit Plant Master... creates the natural order."

She waved her hand, and the light and shadow shifted.

The same seed, planted in different environments—ice fields, volcanoes, swamps, deserts. In each environment, the plant undergoes adaptive variations, growing into different forms.

"Do you understand?" Su Wanqing looked at Chen Yuan. "Spiritual farmers find suitable land to plant suitable crops. Spiritual plant masters... enable crops to survive anywhere, and even thrive."

Chen Yuan stared at the light and shadow, his heart pounding.

"So... even plant cultivators have ranks?"

"Yes." Su Wanqing put away the jade slip. "Third tier. First-tier spirit plant master can cultivate mutations and optimize a single attribute—for example, making the fire grass more fiery and the perilla more medicinal. Second-tier can cultivate across attributes and create entirely new variants—for example, making aquatic plants drought-resistant and allowing yang attribute spirit plants to absorb yin energy. Third-tier..."

She stopped and looked at Chen Yuan.

"A third-tier spirit plant master can imbue a spirit plant with 'spirituality'—not to give it intelligence, but to allow it to resonate with the laws of heaven and earth, so that its growth is its cultivation. A grass cultivated by a third-tier spirit plant master will naturally possess the Daoist charm when it matures."

The cave was quiet for a moment.

Chen Yuan asked in a low voice, "What rank is Master Su?"

"Peak of the second tier." Su Wanqing turned around and looked at the calligraphy on the wall. "Stuck for seven years. Lacking an opportunity."

She turned around: "You're asking these questions because you want to become a plant cultivator?"

Chen Yuan nodded: "This disciple wants to know... is it possible?"

"Yes." Su Wanqing walked back to her desk. "But you have to understand the difference first. Being a spirit farmer is a skill, being a spirit plant master is a philosophy. Skills can be learned, but philosophies must be comprehended. If you can understand the attributes of spirit plants and induce their mutations—that's the talent to become a spirit plant master. But talent is just the stepping stone."

She sat down: "A spirit plant master must understand formations and alter the earth's veins. They must be knowledgeable in medicine and able to balance yin and yang. They must observe celestial phenomena and master the seasons. Most importantly... they must be able to endure loneliness. The cultivation cycle for a high-level spirit plant can easily be ten or a hundred years. Your impatience in growing the mutated fire edelweiss in these three months needs to be corrected."

Chen Yuan took notes carefully.

"Any more questions?" Su Wanqing asked.

"Yes." Chen Yuan looked up. "If someone... takes notice of me because I've cultivated a mutated spiritual plant, is that a blessing or a curse?"

Su Wanqing smiled.

This was the first time I smiled so genuinely, and there was admiration in my eyes.

"Finally, you've hit the nail on the head," she said. "Old Liu from the alchemy room sent me a message yesterday, asking about your situation. He's taken a liking to your Firefly Grass and wants to take you into the alchemy room as a spiritual plant apprentice."

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

"That's a blessing." Su Wanqing changed the subject, "But Senior Brother Wang Mo from the Outer Sect's Affairs Hall also sent a note saying that you violated the sect rules by privately cultivating high-level spiritual plants and that they want to investigate you."

"This is a disaster," Chen Yuan interjected.

"Yes." Su Wanqing leaned forward. "Now you have to choose. If you go into the alchemy room, Elder Liu can protect you, but you'll have to focus on alchemy auxiliary materials, which will narrow your path with spiritual plants. If you stay with me, I'll have to help you deal with Wang Mo's troubles, but whether I can stop them depends on your value."

Chen Yuan remained silent.

"No rush, give me an answer by today." Su Wanqing waved her hand. "Go out. Oh, by the way—"

As Chen Yuan reached the door, she added, "Has there been any unusual activity lately regarding the ley line mark on your arm?"

Chen Yuan rolled up his sleeve, revealing dark red, root-like patterns: "It gets hot occasionally, especially on rainy days."

Su Wanqing's eyes narrowed slightly: "That's the earth's veins 'recognizing' you. Last time you forcibly connected with the earth's veins to set up an array, although you failed, the earth's veins remembered your presence. This is both an opportunity and a risk—if the earth's veins become unstable, you will be the first to suffer."

She paused for a moment: "Use your spiritual power to explore the ground less often recently."

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