Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

Chen Yuan stuck the two bone spikes into his belt, turned around, and didn't walk out of the gap.

He took another step toward the blood pool.

The six corpses took a step back.

He continued walking.

One step, two steps, three steps.

The corpses retreated to the edge of the blood pool; any further and they would fall in. The flames in their eye sockets flickered wildly, conveying a clear fear—not of Chen Yuan, but of the pool of blood behind them.

They would rather face Chen Yuan than touch the blood pool.

Chen Yuan stopped and smiled.

The laugh was short, like a cough.

"So you're afraid too," he muttered to himself, "afraid of being swallowed by it?"

No one answered.

He didn't need to answer. He bent down, took the forbidden area token from his boot, weighed it in his hand, and then threw it forcefully into the depths of the blood pool.

The token arced through the air and landed in the churning blood plasma without even making a splash.

"Alright." Chen Yuan clapped his hands. "Now it knows where I am."

The moment the words left his mouth, the blood pool exploded!

It wasn't an explosion; instead, the outline at the bottom of the pool suddenly expanded, creating a giant blood bubble. Countless faces appeared on the surface of the blood bubble—men, women, young, and old—some wailing, some laughing wildly, all crammed together, twisted and deformed.

Then the blood bubble burst.

Blood plasma cascaded down from the dome like a waterfall, congealing and piling up at the edge of the pool, forming three human figures.

It's not a corpse.

It was a completely new monster, pieced together from blood and bone fragments. It was three meters tall, with thick limbs, no facial features, only a vertical slit on its face filled with countless eyeballs.

Every single eyeball was moving, all looking at Chen Yuan.

"Tsk." Chen Yuan took half a step back. "Uglier than those seven from before."

Before the words were even finished, the monster on the far left moved.

It took a step, its movements stiff but extremely fast, covering ten zhang in three steps. It raised its right arm—the arm stretched and deformed in mid-air, the end of which condensed into a blood-red bone hammer, which it swung in a circle and smashed down.

Chen Yuan didn't take the bait.

He pushed off with his left leg and rolled to the side. The bone hammer slammed into the spot where he had just been standing, creating a crater half a foot deep, scattering rubble and blood everywhere.

He had just gotten up when the second monster arrived.

This time it was the left arm, the end of which condensed into five whip-like tentacles, lashing out with a sharp whistling sound. Chen Yuan swung his hoe to block, the blade severing two tentacles, but the remaining three tangled around the hoe handle, and he yanked them sharply.

The hoe slipped from his hand.

Chen Yuan released his grip and withdrew, simultaneously pulling the two bone spikes from his belt and holding them in his hand.

The third monster didn't move. It stood by the pool of blood, the vertical slit on its face slowly opening to reveal layers upon layers of sharp teeth. Then it inhaled—

The blood mist in the air rushed wildly into its mouth.

Chen Yuan's heart tightened, and he wanted to dodge, but the other two monsters blocked his left and right sides.

We have no choice but to tough it out.

He gritted his teeth and pushed the "Copper Skin Skill" to its limit, causing his entire body skin to turn bluish-gray. At the same time, he pressed his right palm against his chest, guiding the blood ginseng root to seep out of his body and form a thin, dark golden net in front of him.

The monster stopped inhaling.

Then, it spits.

It wasn't a blood mist, but a solid, dark red blood arrow, with countless groaning human faces appearing on its surface.

The blood arrow struck the dark gold net.

The net dented instantly, but didn't break. The tip of the blood arrow began to corrode and melt, like an icicle hitting a branding iron. But the impact was still there; Chen Yuan was pushed back three feet, his shoes carving two furrows in the sand.

I feel tightness in my chest and a sweet taste in my throat.

He swallowed the blood, looked up, and saw a hole in the center of the dark gold net—corroded by the blood arrow. The net was slowly repairing itself, but very slowly.

The blood ginseng root brought a feeling of fatigue.

That last bite took a lot of energy. My spiritual power is insufficient.

Chen Yuan looked down at his right hand. The bark patterns on his palm, the dark gold veins, had faded somewhat compared to before.

The sapling is still slowly repairing itself in the sea of ​​consciousness, and it's currently around 70% complete.

not enough.

We need to go faster.

He reached into his robes and pulled out the cloth bag containing spirit stones. There were still fifteen mid-grade spirit stones left inside—his entire fortune.

I originally intended to save it for when I attempted to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

Looking at it now, whether I can even survive today is a question.

Chen Yuan tore open the cloth bag, poured out five spirit stones, and held them in his left hand. He gripped the bone spike in his right hand, staring at the three monsters.

The vertical slits on the face of the monster in the middle began to inhale again.

The other two flanked from the left and right.

Chen Yuan didn't wait for them to take shape.

He moved first—rushing towards the leftmost monster, bone spikes piercing its chest. The monster raised its arm to block, the bone spikes piercing its arm but not going through, remaining lodged in the bone.

Chen Yuan released his grip, crouched down to dodge the sweeping tentacles, and pressed his left hand to the ground.

He used brute force to smash five mid-grade spirit stones into the sand.

Then he activated the "Long Breath Technique" to frantically extract spiritual energy from the spirit stone.

Pure spiritual energy surged into his meridians like a flood. His bottleneck at the fifth level of Qi Refining began to loosen under the impact of this external force.

But not enough.

The monster gave him no time. Three of them pounced at once.

Instead of retreating, Chen Yuan charged forward, heading straight for the monster in the middle. Just before they collided, he leaned back, sliding under the monster's crotch, and his right hand instinctively grabbed its calf—the touch was cold and sticky, like holding a freshly peeled tree trunk.

Using the momentum, he flipped over and jumped onto the monster's back.

The monster reacted extremely quickly, grabbing back. Chen Yuan clamped his legs around its neck, and with his left hand, he took out five more spirit stones from his pocket. This time, instead of patting them into the ground, he stuffed them directly into his mouth.

Bite it up.

The fragments of the spirit stone, mixed with pure spiritual energy, sliced ​​through his throat like blades and rushed into his stomach. The excruciating pain made his vision blur, but his spiritual power became even more violent.

He circulated his cultivation technique, guiding this spiritual energy to break through the bottleneck.

once.

twice.

The third time, a clear cracking sound came from inside the body.

Sixth level of Qi Refining, achieved.

His total spiritual energy nearly doubled, his meridians widened, and previously sluggish areas became clear. However, the spirit stone fragments were still churning in his stomach, causing him to bend over in pain.

The monster seized the opportunity, grabbed him by the back, pulled him off his back, and slammed him against the rock wall.

Chen Yuan adjusted his posture in mid-air, pushing off the wall with both feet to dissipate most of the force, but he still suffered internal organ displacement from the impact. He spat out a mouthful of blood upon landing, the blood mixed with fragments of spirit stones.

He got up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and smiled.

"It hurts quite a bit."

Before he could finish speaking, the other two monsters had already pounced on him.

Chen Yuan did not dodge.

He stopped, took a deep breath, and poured all the spiritual power he had just gained into the "Copper Skin Technique".

The energy cultivation method's pathways within the body glowed with a bluish-gray light. The copper skin, which had previously only covered the surface of the body, began to penetrate deep into the muscles. The bones emitted a dense series of crackling sounds, like popping beans.

The third floor... the fourth floor...

When attempting to reach the fifth floor, it got stuck.

The manual states that the fifth level of the Copper Skin Technique requires "blood and qi as fine as mercury, and bones as strong as refined steel." He currently has enough blood and qi—having just broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, his blood and qi are at their peak. However, his bone strength is insufficient.

Unless... with the help of external forces.

Chen Yuan looked at the three monsters.

They simultaneously raised their arms, unleashing a barrage of attacks: bone hammers, tentacles, and blood arrows.

Chen Yuan closed his eyes.

It's not about waiting to die.

It involves pressing all the spiritual energy in the body—including that from the blood ginseng, the remnants of spirit stones, and the newly acquired energy—into the bones.

Then, just tough it out.

"Thump! Hiss! Boom—"

Three attacks landed on him simultaneously.

The bone hammer struck his left shoulder, fracturing his scapula. Tentacles entangled his right leg, their spikes piercing his flesh. A jet of blood struck his chest, shattering the dark gold net completely, the arrowhead penetrating half an inch into his skin.

Chen Yuan groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

But he didn't fall.

Instead, by taking advantage of this external force, he broke through the bottleneck of the fifth level of the Copper Skin Technique.

A deep hum came from deep within the bones.

Like the sound of iron being forged in a blacksmith's shop.

All the bones in his body simultaneously shimmered with a metallic sheen, emanating from within and casting a bluish-gray hue on his skin. His muscles bulged, then quickly contracted, becoming firm and resilient.

Copper Skin Technique, Fifth Level.

It became.

Chen Yuan opened his eyes, grabbed the blood arrow in his chest with his right hand, and pulled it out forcefully.

The arrow broke, and the muscles at the wound twitched. After three breaths, the bleeding stopped and a scab formed.

He moved his left shoulder; the bone still hurt a little, but he could move it.

Then he looked at the three monsters and grinned, "My turn."

He stopped using bone spurs.

He charged straight over and punched the monster on the far left in the face.

The moment the fist touched the blood-soaked body, the power of the fifth level of the Copper Skin Technique erupted. It wasn't penetration, but a shockwave—like a heavy hammer hitting the surface of water. The shockwave spread out from the fist, and the monster's entire head exploded, splattering blood everywhere.

The headless corpse swayed, then collapsed, turning into a pool of blood.

The second monster's tentacle was pulled out.

Chen Yuan neither dodged nor avoided, letting the tentacles wrap around his neck. He grabbed the tentacles with both hands and pulled hard—not to break them off, but to pull the monster over completely, then slammed his forehead against them.

"Bang!"

The monster's face was deeply dented.

Chen Yuan released his grip, and the monster collapsed to the ground, twitched twice, and then remained still.

The third monster had a wide-open vertical slit on its face, as if it were about to inhale.

Chen Yuan didn't give it a chance.

He bent down, picked up the spirit hoe from the ground, took a running start, jumped, gripped the hoe with both hands, and chopped down with all his might.

The hoe blade cut into the vertical crack.

its stuck.

The monster struggled frantically, its hands reaching for Chen Yuan. Chen Yuan didn't let go; instead, he pressed down with his entire weight, pushing the hoe handle downwards.

One inch, two inches...

The vertical seam was forcibly pried open, tearing all the way to the neck. The eyeballs inside burst open one by one, splattering out a foul-smelling liquid.

Finally, the monster stopped moving.

Chen Yuan released his grip, took two steps back, and gasped for breath.

All three monsters were wiped out.

But the blood pool began to churn again.

This time it wasn't a coagulated monster; the water level in the pool was dropping—like a bathtub with the plug pulled out, the blood plasma level decreasing at a visible rate, revealing the bottom of the pool.

The bottom of the pool is not made of stone.

It was a huge, complete skeleton.

Like the ribs of some giant beast, each rib was three zhang long, curving upwards in an arc to form a cage shape. The surface of the skeleton was covered with runes, from which flowed a dark red light.

In the center of the rib cage, a heart the size of a fist floats.

It was dark red, with veins all over its surface, and it was still pulsating.

thump.

thump.

thump.

With each jump, the entire cave would shake.

Chen Yuan stared at the heart for three breaths.

Then he turned around, walked to the spot where he had buried the five spirit stones, squatted down, took out the remaining five mid-grade spirit stones, and pressed them all into the ground.

Then sit cross-legged and close your eyes.

Consciousness sinks into the sea of ​​consciousness.

The sapling has grown to two feet tall, with a thick trunk and lush leaves. The restoration progress is at 99%, just a little short.

He "looked" at the Blood Ginseng Yang Body—it had completely merged into the sapling's root system, becoming one with it. Dark golden veins extended upwards from the roots, through the trunk, and into the veins of every leaf.

Only one last connection is missing.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath and poured all the spiritual power he had just gained from breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refining into the sapling.

At the same time, the heartbeat vibrations coming from the direction of the blood pool surged in together.

Two forces collided and merged inside the sapling.

The crack in the tree trunk began to slowly heal.

99.1%...99.3%...99.7%...

99.9%...

100%.

The sapling jolted violently.

Then, it begins to grow.

It wasn't growing taller, it was "expanding"—countless tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the tree trunk, and from each crack emerged a dark golden root, which plunged into the void of the sea of ​​consciousness, frantically absorbing something.

At the same time, the veins of the five leaves begin to change:

The veins of the [Blood Resonance] leaf changed from dark red to dark gold, and the patterns became more complex, resembling some kind of formation.

The golden hue of the leaf tip, representing "law affinity (slight)," spreads throughout the entire leaf.

The cracks in the [Cross-border Resonance (Extremely Micro)] leaf have all healed, and a faint silver sheen appears on the leaf surface.

[Evil Devourer (Intermediate)] is upgraded to [Evil Devourer (Advanced)].

A new leaf has appeared—[Life Source Perception (Beginner)].

All changes were completed within three breaths.

Then, the sapling calmed down.

Chen Yuan opened his eyes.

The bark-like texture on his right palm disappeared. His skin returned to normal, leaving only a faint, dark golden tree-shaped mark on his palm.

He clenched his fist.

I didn't feel any difference.

But when he looked at the heart at the bottom of the blood pool, something else appeared in his vision—

On the surface of the heart, several lines of small text appeared:

[Name]: Blood Refining Core (Fragment)

[Status]: In a deep sleep, imprisoned

[WARNING]: Forcibly touching will trigger the restriction.

Chen Yuan blinked.

The words are still there.

It's not a hallucination.

He looked down at his palm; the tree-shaped mark was slightly warm.

"...So that's how it is." He murmured, "It's not about seeing with your eyes, it's about seeing with 'it'."

He stood up and walked towards the blood pool.

The pool water had dried up, leaving only a thin layer of blood plasma covering the bottom. He stepped in, feeling the sticky texture beneath his feet, but this time he wasn't corroded.

He stopped in front of the rib cage.

The heart is right in front of me, within reach.

But he didn't reach out.

Instead, he turned and looked into the depths of the cave—behind the blood pool, where a crack in the rock wall, previously concealed by blood plasma, was now exposed.

A faint light shone through the crack.

It wasn't a bloody incident.

It was a soft, milky-white light, like moonlight.

Chen Yuan stared at the crack for a long time.

Then he laughed.

His smile was tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"I knew it," he said softly. "How could this godforsaken place only have one color?"

He stepped towards the crack.

Behind him, the heart at the bottom of the blood pool suddenly beat faster.

It's like urging someone on.

It also sounds like a warning.