Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

On the third day, just as Chen Yuan sat down on the bluestone in Changchun, a loud bang came from the wooden door.

It wasn't the sound of a door being pushed open, but the dull thud of something heavy hitting something, followed by the piercing sound of wood cracking.

Chen Yuan suddenly stood up and looked towards the entrance—a large hole had been broken in the middle of the heavy wooden door, and a figure stepped in amidst flying wood chips.

It's not Mu Shoujing.

The newcomer wore a dark black robe from the Discipline Hall, with silver cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, and stood tall and straight like a pine tree.

He looked to be in his forties, with a resolute face and sharp, eagle-like eyes. After entering the room, he glanced at Chen Yuan and his gaze immediately fixed on him.

Jiang Tianzheng.

The head of the Discipline Hall, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, is a powerful figure within the Flying Feather Sect, second only to a few Supreme Elders.

Chen Yuan's heart sank, but he remained calm and bowed respectfully, saying, "Uncle Jiang."

Jiang Tianzheng didn't respond. He walked slowly into Changchun Realm with his hands behind his back, his gaze moving slowly among the towering spiritual plants. Each step was steady, his boots making a soft "rustling" sound on the black soil.

"This is Changchun Realm," he suddenly said, his voice low. "Senior Brother Mu's blessed land truly lives up to its reputation."

Before he could finish speaking, another person entered through the wooden door.

Mu Shoujing.

He was wearing a dark blue robe today, his hair was tied up neatly, and his face was expressionless. He glanced at the broken door and then looked at Jiang Tianzheng.

"Junior Brother Jiang," Mu Shoujing said calmly, "what sect rule did my Changchun Realm's gate violate that warrants your personal intervention to break it open?"

"In urgent situations, we must act expediently." Jiang Tianzheng turned to face Mu Shoujing. "We received a secret report that someone in Changchun is practicing evil arts and disturbing the earth's veins. According to Article 127 of the sect rules, the Discipline Hall has the authority to conduct emergency inspections of any suspicious locations."

"Evil magic?" Mu Shoujing raised an eyebrow. "In my Changchun Realm, besides myself and my newly initiated apprentice, is there a third person?"

"That's why we need to investigate." Jiang Tianzheng turned his gaze to Chen Yuan, "Nephew Chen, come here."

Chen Yuan looked at Mu Shoujing.

Mu Shoujing nodded slightly.

Chen Yuan walked between the two and stood with his hands at his sides.

"Uncle Jiang." He bowed again.

"Junior Nephew Chen," Jiang Tianzheng stared at him, "have you been cultivating within the Changchun area these past few days?"

"Yes."

"During cultivation, have you ever felt unusual vibrations in the earth's ley lines? Or... is there anything strange about the flow of spiritual energy?"

Chen Yuan remained silent for a moment.

"My cultivation is low, and my sense of the earth's veins is not deep. As for spiritual energy..." He carefully chose his words, "The spiritual energy in Changchun Realm is much denser and flows faster than outside. I only consider it a characteristic of the secret realm."

"Faster?" Jiang Tianzheng pressed, "How faster?"

"It's just that... when circulating spiritual energy, the speed at which it enters is more than three times faster than in the Medicine Valley. But the consumption is also faster. After cultivating for three hours every day, I feel that my Qi Sea is empty and I need to adjust my breathing for a long time to recover."

Jiang Tianzheng's eyes flickered. He turned to look at Mu Shoujing.

"Senior Brother Mu, isn't the spiritual energy in your Changchun Realm... a bit too 'rushed'?"

"Urgent?" Mu Shoujing smiled. "Junior Brother Jiang's words are interesting. Abundant spiritual energy naturally leads to rapid absorption, but is that what you call 'urgent'? Then shouldn't we call those places outside with sparse spiritual energy 'deprived of life'?"

"I'm not talking about the concentration of spiritual energy," Jiang Tianzheng shook his head. "I'm talking about its nature. Normal spiritual energy in heaven and earth is gentle and balanced, nourishing things silently. But the spiritual energy here..." He raised his hand and grasped at the air, a layer of pale golden light emanating from his palm, "...with a 'plundering' force."

"Plunder?" Mu Shoujing's smile faded slightly. "Junior Brother Jiang, you can't just say things like that."

"Whether it's nonsense or not, we'll find out by investigating." Jiang Tianzheng withdrew his hand and looked at the patch of ghostly flowers. "Senior Brother Mu, would you mind if I went inside to take a look?"

"As you wish." Mu Shoujing stepped aside. "I'm keeping some malevolent spirits in my flowerbed. Junior Brother Jiang's cultivation is so high, he'll be fine. Just be careful not to disturb them, lest it spoil the harmony."

That's a polite way of putting it, but the meaning is clear—you can insist on investigating, but you'll be responsible for anything that happens.

Jiang Tianzheng, however, seemed not to have noticed. He strode towards the flower bushes, the corner of his dark robe fluttering in the deathly air, stirring up a slight breeze.

Chen Yuan stood still.

Mu Shoujing didn't move either.

The two watched as Jiang Tianzheng walked into the flower bushes, his figure gradually swallowed up by the large, purplish-black flowers.

"Master," Chen Yuan asked in a low voice, "Uncle Jiang, he...?"

"He's here to investigate the case," Mu Shoujing said calmly. "It's the duty of the head of the Discipline Hall."

"But the door..."

"It's just a door." Mu Shoujing glanced at the hole in the wooden door. "It can be fixed."

He spoke casually, but Chen Yuan noticed that the fingers of his right hand, hanging by his side, unconsciously curled up for a moment before slowly relaxing.

A muffled thud suddenly came from deep within the flower bushes.

It sounded like something had been struck heavily. Then came Jiang Tianzheng's voice, not loud, but clear: "Senior Brother Mu, what's going on with this stone platform?"

Mu Shoujing's expression finally changed.

He strode towards the flowerbed, Chen Yuan following behind him. Passing through layers upon layers of Yin Soul Flowers, they arrived at the central open space—the stone platform was still there, and the seven soul lamps were still there. But on the side of the stone platform, there was a fresh crack.

Jiang Tianzheng stood in front of the stone platform, looking down at the array patterns. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his gaze sweeping across Mu Shoujing's face before landing on Chen Yuan.

"Junior Nephew Chen," he suddenly asked, "do you know what kind of formation this is?"

Chen Yuan shook his head: "This disciple does not know."

"This is called the 'Seven Stars Soul Nourishing Array'," Jiang Tianzheng said, enunciating each word clearly. "It uses seven strands of living souls as a guide, drawing nourishment from the earth's yin energy to nurture the soul of the one who sets up the array. It is a ghost-based array."

He looked at Mu Shoujing.

"Senior Brother Mu, you're a Golden Core cultivator who practices wood-elemental techniques, what do you mean by setting up a ghostly array in your cave?"

The area around Changchun was deathly silent.

Those majestic spiritual plants stood silently, their leaves motionless and their branches unmoving.

Only from the depths of the Yin Soul Flower thicket, a faint hissing sound could be heard from the flow of Yin energy.

Mu Shoujing remained silent for a long time.

"Junior Brother Jiang," he finally spoke, "are you sure this is the 'Seven Star Soul Nourishing Array'?"

"I recognize the array patterns." Jiang Tianzheng pointed to the intricate patterns on the stone platform. "The Kan position draws in Yin, the Li position gathers evil, and the Dui position locks the soul—standard ghost array patterns. There's no mistake."

"What if I told you," Mu Shoujing said slowly, "this isn't a Soul-Nourishing Array, but a 'Spirit-Locking Array'?"

"A spirit-locking array?"

"Yes." Mu Shoujing walked to the stone platform and touched the crack. "The spiritual energy in Changchun Realm is too dense, and it also carries the unique Yin energy of the secret realm. I set up this formation to lock in this Yin energy and prevent it from leaking out and affecting the veins of the Medicine Valley."

He raised his head and looked at Jiang Tianzheng.

"If Junior Brother Jiang doesn't believe me, you can ask some elders from the Array Academy to come and examine it. Let's see if this is the Spirit-Locking Array I mentioned, or the Soul-Nourishing Array you said."

The two looked at each other.

The air seemed to freeze.

After a long while, Jiang Tianzheng looked away.

He looked at the seven soul lamps, then at Mu Shoujing, and suddenly smiled.

"Senior Brother Mu is joking." He turned and walked outside. "Since it's a spirit-locking array, then there's naturally no problem. It's just that the way this array is set up... really resembles some ghostly techniques, which is bound to cause misunderstandings."

He walked to the edge of the flower bushes, then stopped and looked back at Chen Yuan.

"Nephew Chen."

"Disciple is here."

"If you feel any discomfort while cultivating in Changchun Realm—such as a disturbed soul, stagnant spiritual energy, or…" He paused, "or dream of something you shouldn't dream of, immediately report to me at the Discipline Hall."

"Yes." Chen Yuan lowered his head.

Jiang Tianzheng glanced at Mu Shoujing again before turning to leave. The corner of his black robe disappeared through the hole in the wooden door.

Only two people remained in Changchun.

Mu Shoujing stood there, staring at the crack on the stone platform, motionless for a long time. Chen Yuan stood behind him, able to see his hands behind his back, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Master," Chen Yuan said softly, "the door..."

"Get out." Mu Shoujing interrupted him, her voice as cold as ice. "You don't need to practice today. And you don't need to come tomorrow either."

Chen Yuan was taken aback: "But..."

"go out."

Chen Yuan dared not say anything more, bowed, and turned to walk towards the wooden door.

As he passed the stone platform, he caught a glimpse of the seven soul lamps out of the corner of his eye—the blue light clusters were still burning quietly, but the light seemed to be... a little dimmer than before.

He withdrew his gaze, quickly walked out of the flower bushes, through the spiritual plant forest, and stepped out of the broken wooden door.

Jiang Tianzheng was nowhere to be seen in the stairwell.

Chen Yuan walked down the corridor alone. His footsteps echoed in the empty passage, one after another.

He stopped in front of the rock wall and looked back at the way he had come.

The long staircase stretched upwards, ending at a broken wooden door. Behind the door lay the desolate Changchun Realm, and there stood the master, his back stiff, before the Soul Lamp.

Chen Yuan turned around and pushed open the rock wall door.

Light streamed into the medicine valley, carrying the fresh scent of herbs and the faint sounds of laborers working in the distance.

He stepped out the door, and the rock wall closed in behind him.

Standing before the precipice, Chen Yuan raised his right hand and looked at the Chaos Divine Crystal in his palm.

On the surface of the crystal, those chaotic colored patterns were flowing at an unprecedented speed, as if... they were excited.

He clenched his fists and walked towards the medicine valley.

His steps were very steady.

But my heart was beating very fast.