Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

Time flies, seasons change, and life passes in the blink of an eye.

In the early morning, a layer of milky white mist rises from the mirror-like surface of the lake, hazily enveloping the entire Crescent Lake.

In the small stone courtyard on the island in the middle of the lake, Zhang Li sat cross-legged on a futon, surrounded by a faint red glow. With each breath, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed into his dantian through his meridians.

It has been a full year since he took over the Crescent Lake Spirit Site.

The cultivation of the spirit field was completed two months ago, and the spirit seeds were planted not long ago.

The construction of the fish farm needs to be accelerated. Crescent Lake has unique natural advantages. With just a little modification, an independent aquaculture area can be divided and a simple protective wooden fence can be built for use. The fish fry that were released earlier are now growing freely in the water.

Now that all the heavy work of clearing the land has come to an end, Zhang Li has finally found some free time.

Looking down from the air now, the area around Crescent Lake has completely changed.

A neat and orderly field of Ink Blood Spirit Rice spreads out around the lake, with fine spiritual canals crisscrossing the area. The living water from the underground spiritual veins slowly nourishes the fertile land, and the rice seedlings are lush and green, gleaming with a dark spiritual light.

The lake is divided into several independent waters by wooden railings, where schools of spirit fish dart about underwater, occasionally leaping out of the water and splashing up tiny sparks of light.

The wooden houses along the riverbank are neatly arranged, and the farmers work the land according to the schedule every day, with everything in an orderly manner.

After finishing his practice, Zhang Li got up, pushed open the door and walked out of the courtyard. He channeled his magic power to his feet, and with a light touch of his toes, he arrived on the lake.

He rhythmically patted the surface of the lake with his hand, and a dark school of fish emerged from the bottom of the water. These fish were all quite large, about half a foot long, with their bodies shimmering with spiritual light and their scales glowing with a faint bluish-white radiance. They swam around his feet, waving their tail fins, waiting for him to feed them.

"It will take about another six months for all of these spirit fish to mature."

This spirit fish is called Azure Spirit Carp. Once it reaches maturity, it can reach the middle grade of the first rank. It is gentle and not aggressive. It is the most common type of farmed spirit fish. Its flesh is delicate and can nourish the body and blood of gentle cultivators. It is even more beneficial when paired with Ink Blood Spirit Rice.

Zhang Li counted the number of green spirit carp in the cage, and the number was not much different from the last count.

"Splash!"

A splash of water came, and the largest blue spirit fish, seeing that he hadn't fed it, actually used its tail fin to splash water at Zhang Li.

"Huh! She's got quite a temper."

Zhang Li raised his hand and unleashed a burst of magic to repel the splashed lake water. Then, a green vine shot out from his sleeve and tightly bound the several azure spirit carp.

"I wasn't planning on having any fun today, but if you're asking for it, don't blame me."

After storing the few azure carp in his storage bag, Zhang Li lightly stepped on the water's surface and slowly swam around along the wooden railing.

The Ink Blood Spirit Rice in each spirit field is growing evenly, the spirit irrigation canals are not silted up, farmers weed and fertilize on time, and the fields are managed meticulously.

After the patrol was completed, the morning mist had completely dissipated, and the warm sun shone on the lake, its shimmering waves dazzling the eyes.

He leaped back into the small courtyard in the middle of the lake, where Wang Mu and Li He had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Zhang Li return from the lake, the two hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to greet him.

"Senior brother, the records for the spirit fields and fishing grounds have been completed over the past two months, and I have come to hand them over to you for verification."

Li He handed over a neatly bound book with both hands, and Wang Mu added from the side, "The amount of spirit fertilizer and spirit grain for feeding the blue spirit carp is running low, but it should be enough for about ten days."

Zhang Li took the book and casually flipped through a few pages. The records were clear, showing the daily amount of spirit fertilizer and spirit grain used, which clearly indicated that the two of them were taking great care of it.

"Well done. I will apply for another batch of spirit fertilizer and spirit grain needed for the spirit field in Yunyu Immortal City in a few days."

At this point, Zhang Li paused, took out the several azure spirit carp, and handed them to the two of them: "Take these spirit fish and cook them. One for each of you, one for the farmers, and the remaining two, the same as before."

Wang Mu and Li He were overjoyed and thanked him profusely, accepting the gift. They then briefly reported on a few minor matters concerning the farmers. Seeing that Zhang Li had no further instructions, they tactfully took their leave.

Half an hour later, it was almost noon. The sun was high in the sky, and Crescent Lake was as clear as silk. Zhang Li finally saw what it meant to "float in the air as if there is nothing to rely on".

On the bluestone table in the courtyard, a pot of piping hot fish porridge sits quietly in a rough earthenware pot, wisps of white steam rising and slowly dissipating in the soft midday sun.

The spirit rice was ripened by Zhang Li using the space's black field a few days ago and was given to Li He and the other two as a reward. The fish slices were taken from the fattest fish meat on both sides of the belly of the green spirit carp, sliced ​​into pieces, without adding any seasonings, and then cooked.

Tsk tsk tsk!

The taste is incredibly delicious.

Besides the fish porridge, a whole steamed spirit fish lay on a white jade plate next to the rough earthenware pot. The fish was translucent and bluish-white, with its scales intact and stretched out. After being slowly steamed over a gentle fire, a faint spiritual light condensed on its surface. The fish was rich in oil, and its flesh was so tender that it almost melted in the mouth.

Whether in her past life or this one, Zhang Li never compromises her own comfort.

Zhang Li scooped up a spoonful of fish porridge and put it in his mouth. The soft and sticky rice melted instantly, and the fresh fish slices slid down his throat. The sweet and warm feeling instantly sank into his dantian along his esophagus. This nourishing food was gentle and long-lasting, like a gentle rain nourishing the earth. It flowed slowly through his limbs and bones, quietly nourishing his body's qi and blood.

After a few mouthfuls of hot porridge, Zhang Li felt warm all over. He then picked up a piece of spirit fish meat. The meat was tender and chewy, and a sweet taste exploded on his tongue, filling his mouth with a fresh flavor.

This wasn't the first time he had eaten Qingling carp, but he was still amazed by its deliciousness.

"This is life!"

After leisurely finishing his lunch, he went inside. With a thought, his figure appeared in the cave.

Looking at the black field before him, which was full of spiritual energy but empty, Zhang Li raised his hand and scattered a batch of spiritual seeds, which matured and were harvested in an instant.

Then the process is repeated over and over again: sowing, harvesting, sowing...

After repeating this process six times to resolve the issue of medicinal herb reserves, Zhang Li placed some spirit stones into the black field and then returned to his house.

Throughout the year, Zhang Li could only spare some spare time for meditation and cultivation, and had no time at all to refine pills.

Now that the spiritual field is on the right track, it's time for him to pick up alchemy again.

After lighting the fire and turning on the furnace, Zhang Li methodically added the spiritual herbs.

Having refined Qi-Nourishing Pills for a long time, he had already developed muscle memory, and even after a year without refining them, he still did not feel any sluggishness.

Soon, the batch of pills condensed and took shape, producing a total of eight pills, all of superior quality.

"Your skills are still good, not bad."

Zhang Li looked at the pills in the furnace, a smile playing on his lips.

Despite not practicing alchemy for a year, his foundation in alchemy remains solid.

"continue!"

After the alchemy furnace had completely cooled down, Zhang Li immediately began refining the next batch. He wanted to quickly increase the success rate of the Qi Nourishing Pill to 70% before he could start refining the Qi Condensing Pill.