Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

Before the morning mist had even dissipated, Chen Yuan's right arm had already begun to itch.

It wasn't the kind of itching that comes with a wound healing; it was a strange sensation of something slowly growing and rubbing against each other deep within the flesh.

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a tree-shaped mark on his palm that was a few shades deeper than yesterday, with dark red veins extending three fingers' width upwards along his forearm.

"It's grown again."

He whispered, pressing the edge of the mark with his left index finger. It didn't hurt, but there was a slight numbness, like being gently pricked by an extremely fine needle.

The entry will automatically appear in the view:

[Blood Ginseng Symbiotic Imprint (Deep Fusion Period)]

[Status: Continuing to grow, current fusion level 17%]

[Warning: The process of flesh transformation is accelerating, and it is expected to cover the entire right arm in 42 days]

Chen Yuan lowered his sleeves and pushed open the door of the thatched hut.

Plot number seventy-three was shrouded in a thin layer of gray mist—this was the "dead veil" left behind after the Yin Soul Flower exhaled Yin energy at night, harmful to mortals but highly nourishing to cultivators who practiced Yin-attribute techniques. He walked to the edge of the field, squatted down, and reached out to touch the dark flower that had been blooming for twenty-seven days.

The petals were cool to the touch, like the finest silk.

【The Ghost Flower (Peak Blooming Season)】

[Entries: Pure Yin Energy (extractable), Nourished Soul Power (non-extractable)]

[Status: Approximately 33 days remain in the flowering period; pollination must be completed within 7 days for the flowers to bear fruit]

[Warning: Natural pollination success rate is less than 10%]

"Seven days."

Chen Yuan withdrew his hand, the coolness of the petals lingering on his palm. There were still two months left in the bet, but if artificial pollination couldn't be completed within seven days, the flower's magnificent bloom would be in vain.

He stood up and glanced at the other areas of the herb garden.

The Flying Feather Sect's Medicine Valley covers an area of ​​700 acres and is divided into four major areas: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow.

The Heavenly Realm area is the private medicinal garden of the Golden Core elders.

The Earth-level area is planted with rare spiritual plants of level three or higher.

The Xuan section is the testing ground for inner disciples.

The yellow zone—the marginal area where he was located—was specifically used to house "problem plots" and "problem disciples."

Plot No. 73 is a notorious deadly spot in the Yellow District; in previous years, nothing planted there would survive more than three months.

The plot next door, number 74, belongs to a senior sister at the eighth level of Qi Refining. She grows pansies, but has had a poor harvest for two consecutive years. Plot 75 is even more barren; after three batches of Fire Cloud Grass died last year, it has been completely abandoned ever since.

But this morning, Chen Yuan's gaze was fixed on the edge of plot number seventy-five.

There was a pile of rubble, from which several clumps of green vines stubbornly sprouted. The vines were thin and weak, and the leaves were only the size of a fingernail. They trembled in the morning breeze and looked as if they might wither at any moment.

A line of pale gold text popped up in the field of view:

【Green Yuan Vine (Wild Variety)】

[Entry: Weak Wood Aura (Continuously Released), Earth Leyline Affinity (Extractable)]

[Status: Malnourished, near death]

[Warning: This variant is suspected to be a degenerated bloodline of the ancient 'Spirit Vine'. If cultivated properly, it may be able to restore some of the 'Living Spirit Stone' characteristics.]

Chen Yuan's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

Living spirit stone.

He had read about this term in "Tales of Spiritual Plants". In ancient times, there was a strange tree called "Spirit Gathering Wood", whose trunk naturally contained pure wood spiritual energy. Cultivators could directly draw spiritual power from it for cultivation, with effects comparable to mid-grade spirit stones. However, this tree disappeared three thousand years ago.

And this clump of wild vines that is about to wither has a similar bloodline?

He practically lunged at it.

His knee slammed into the gravel, instantly tearing his blue trousers, but he didn't care. He carefully parted the rocks with both hands, revealing the roots of the Qingyuan Vine—thin as hair, mostly dried and yellowed, with only the main root still retaining a trace of green.

"Still alive..."

Chen Yuan's voice trembled. He extended his right hand, the tree-shaped mark on his palm slightly warm, and a very faint scent of blood ginseng emanated from it.

The main root of the Qingyuan Vine suddenly trembled, like a dying person grasping at a last straw, its thin roots desperately extending towards his palm.

Entry perspective refresh:

[The Azure Vine received the 'original aura of the wood element,' triggering its survival instinct.]

[Status: From 'Near Death' to 'Struggling to Survive']

[Recommendation: Immediately replenish with humus rich in wood elemental energy, and irrigate with the "Spiritual Rain Technique: Green Wood Variation" for three consecutive days to stabilize vitality]

Chen Yuan immediately got up and rushed to the pile of miscellaneous items behind the thatched hut.

He found a worn-out wooden bucket and half a bag of compost left over from last year—it was compost that Old Zhao from the shantytown had taught him to make before he died. It was originally intended to be used to improve the yellow-budded rice paddies, and now it came in handy.

"Not enough, too little..."

He frowned as he looked at the thin layer of humus at the bottom of the bucket. Although the roots of the Qingyuan vine were thin and weak, at least two full buckets of soil were needed to cover all the roots. And it would take three months to compost one bucket of leaf mold.

He suddenly remembered something, turned around and rushed into the thatched hut, dragging a pottery jar out from under the bed.

The jar contained about twenty pale blue stones—"moss stones" he had found on the edge of the forbidden area, their surfaces covered with a layer of moss that could spontaneously absorb moisture. He had brought them back because he found them novel, but hadn't yet figured out what to do with them.

Glossary entry overview:

【Moss Stone (Low-grade Spirit Ore)】

[Entry: Faint Aquatic Energy, Promotes Moss Growth]

[Status: Spiritual energy content is continuously decreasing]

[Suggestion: It can be crushed and mixed into the soil to temporarily increase soil moisture and improve its affinity with wood.]

"This is it!"

Chen Yuan picked up the pottery jar and ran outside. He squatted down by the pile of stones, grabbed a moss-covered stone, and channeled the power of the "Copper Skin Kung Fu" into his right palm—

"Click."

The stone shattered with a crack. He grabbed another piece and crushed it as well.

My fingers were quickly cut by the stone chips, and blood seeped out and mixed with the stone dust.

But he ignored the pain and kept grinding the moss-covered stones into powder, one after another.

Then he grabbed some humus, mixed it with stone powder, and rubbed it repeatedly with both hands until the two were completely combined. Sweat trickled down his forehead and into his eyes, stinging them, but he closed one eye and continued rubbing.

Half an hour later, the mixed soil was ready.

He carefully lifted the main root of the Azure Vine, placed a damp cloth underneath, and then slowly filled the cracks in the rocks with the mixed soil. Each time he filled a handful, he pressed it down with his hand, while simultaneously circulating the Long Breath Technique to infuse the soil with a faint trace of wood spirit energy.

This process is extremely mentally taxing.

The Long Breath Technique was already much less efficient because of his physical body, and now it was forcibly drawing spiritual energy to nourish his body. In just half a cup of tea's time, Chen Yuan felt a sharp, empty pain in his dantian. But he gritted his teeth and continued.

One vine, two, three...

By the time all the roots of the Azure Vine were covered with fresh soil, Chen Yuan's face had turned pale, and his back was soaked with cold sweat. He staggered to his feet, formed hand seals, and began to cast the Spirit Rain Technique.

But ordinary spiritual rain is not enough.

He closed his eyes and recalled the Five Elements Transformation taught by Su Wanqing: sharp metal rain can break through the soil; warm wood rain can promote growth; abundant water rain can irrigate; fiery fire rain can kill bacteria; and thick earth rain can strengthen the roots.

"The Aoki variant... uses liver qi as a guide, transforming spiritual energy into rain, like spring rain nourishing all things..."

Chen Yuan chanted the incantation in a low voice, forcibly mobilizing the remaining wood-attribute spiritual energy in his body, and circulating it along an unfamiliar meridian path.

The mark on my right arm suddenly throbbed with pain, as if countless roots were burrowing into my flesh—the spirit of the blood ginseng was resisting this "outward" behavior.

"Stop fooling around!"

He let out a low growl and pressed his left hand hard against the mark on his right arm. The pain only made him more alert, and his spiritual energy finally broke through the obstruction, escaping from his fingertips and transforming into a dozen pale blue raindrops that landed precisely on each leaf of the Azure Vine.

Raindrops melt upon touching the leaves.

The wilted yellow leaves straightened up at a visible speed, their veins gleaming. The main root suddenly plunged an inch deeper, and more fine roots sprouted from the stem nodes, greedily burrowing into the new soil.

It became.

Chen Yuan's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the pile of rubble, panting heavily. His dantian was completely empty, and his meridians burned with the pain of overexertion. But he stared intently at the clump of Qingyuan vines, his eyes shining with an alarming intensity.

The scope of this term has been refreshed once again:

【Green Vine (in recovery period)】

[Entry: Weak Wood Aura (continuous release, increased production), Earth Affinity (stable)]

[Status: Vitality recovered to 30%, expected to enter rapid growth phase in seven days]

[New Feature: Each mature Azure Vine can release wood-elemental energy equivalent to 0.3 low-grade spirit stones per day, with a range of three feet.]

0.3 yuan.

Chen Yuan's heart pounded. There were seven Azure Vine vines in front of him. If all of them were fully cultivated, they would produce the spiritual energy equivalent to 2.1 low-grade spirit stones every day. Although it wasn't as efficient as directly absorbing spirit stones, it was a continuous, free source of spiritual energy that belonged entirely to him!

More importantly, it is "alive".

Spirit stones will run out, and mineral veins will dry up, but as long as this vine doesn't die, it will continue to provide him with spiritual energy. If he can cultivate more and better variants, or even restore some of the power of the ancient "Spirit Vine"...

"Junior Brother Chen?"

A voice came from behind.

Chen Yuan froze, instantly composed himself, and slowly turned his head.

The senior disciple from plot number seventy-four stood by the edge of the field, holding a water jug, looking at him with a puzzled expression. This senior disciple, surnamed Lin, had been a disciple for five years and had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, but it was said that she had been stuck at this bottleneck for two years. She rarely spoke, always burying herself in tending to the few half-dead clumps of pansies.

"Senior Sister Lin." Chen Yuan stood up, patted the dirt off his trousers, and said, "Good morning."

"What are you doing?" Senior Sister Lin took a few steps closer, her gaze falling on the pile of rubble. "That's... wild vines? Why are you digging that up?"

"They looked pitiful, so I just helped them out." Chen Yuan smiled, trying to keep his tone light. "Anyway, the Yin Soul Flower at plot number seventy-three has stabilized, so I'm just killing time."

Senior Sister Lin stared at the clump of Qingyuan Vine for a few seconds, her brows furrowing slightly. "I've seen this vine before. It was here the year before last, and it's been half-dead ever since. What did you use to save it?"

"It's just some humus soil with a little moss and stone powder added." Chen Yuan pointed to the shards of pottery next to him. "As you know, our Yellow Zone has very little spiritual energy, so it's not easy to grow anything. I was thinking that if we could find some resilient wild grasses to improve the soil, it might be easier to grow other things in the future."

This statement is half true and half false, but it makes perfect sense.

The disciples in the Yellow Zone did indeed frequently exchange ideas on improving the soil—although most of them were not very useful.

Senior Sister Lin's expression softened a bit: "You're certainly putting in the effort. However..." She paused, then lowered her voice, "I advise you not to waste too much time on this. Deacon Wang came again yesterday, walked around plot number 75 several times, and even asked me if I knew who was in charge of this plot."

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat: "What did he say?"

"He didn't say it explicitly, but his expression was grim." Senior Sister Lin looked around, her voice even lower. "I heard from the senior brothers in the Xuan section that Deacon Wang is looking for a pretext to 'privately occupy sect land' and wants to deal with a few disobedient individuals. Although plot number 75 is currently abandoned, it is still nominally sect property. You're disturbing the peace here..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

Chen Yuan was silent for a few seconds, then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister."

"Be careful." Senior Sister Lin picked up the watering can and left, returning to her patch of pansies to continue watering them day after day.

Chen Yuan stood there, looking at Senior Sister Lin's back, and then at the Qingyuan Vine that had just come back to life at his feet.

The marks on my right arm started to itch again.

He clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.