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

There are dozens of markets and towns of varying sizes within the Qingxuan Sect. The market closest to Zhang Li is located in Hanxi Valley next to Lingxi Peak.

Because the market is located in Hanxi Valley, it is also called Hanxi Market by the disciples.

Hanxi Market is not large, and it is mostly frequented by outer disciples living on the three peaks of Lingze, Lingxi and Lingmu, with very few disciples from other peaks visiting.

The disciples with higher cultivation levels preferred to go to the Luoxia Market outside the mountain gate. It was frequented not only by a large number of disciples from the sect, but also by a large number of wandering cultivators from outside.

Limited by his cultivation level, Zhang Li lacked the ability to travel long distances, so he naturally went to whichever market was closest.

After walking along the winding bluestone path in the mountains for about half an hour, the trees on both sides gradually thinned out, and a cool stream flowed gently, with a chill in the air. This was Hanxi Valley.

Two outer sect disciples stood guard at the valley entrance. They glanced at Zhang Li's wooden waist tag and then let him walk straight into the valley.

As soon as you step into the valley, the noise hits you immediately, a stark contrast to the tranquility of the mountain path.

Wooden shops have been carved out of the cliffs on both sides of the narrow valley, and a long bluestone street has been laid out along the babbling stream, with dozens of stalls crammed together on both sides of the street.

The place was bustling with outer disciples dressed in blue Taoist robes, walking in twos and threes. Some were squatting in front of the stalls picking out spiritual herbs, while others were haggling over prices around the shops. The sounds of conversation, shouts, and hawking mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Freshly picked Tier 1 Azure-Patterned Grass! Two plants for one low-grade spirit stone, brimming with medicinal properties. Buy now while supplies last!"

"Bigu Pills on clearance sale! More for the same price! Twelve pills per bottle. Limited quantity, first come, first served."

"Blank talisman paper, spirit ink, finished spirit talismans, quality and quantity guaranteed, discounts for bulk orders."

Zhang Li walked slowly down the street with the flow of people. He was surrounded by all kinds of hawking sounds, almost all of which he had never seen before. For a moment, he didn't know where to look.

Although he was dazzled by the sights, he remained clear-headed. He only had fifteen spirit stones on him, and he had to focus on buying spirit plant seeds.

Walking slowly along the long bluestone street, the vendors on both sides called out enthusiastically, and the variety of spiritual materials and pills was dazzling. Zhang Liqiang suppressed the urge to take a second look and focused his gaze on the stalls selling seeds.

Not far from there, a small stall filled with oil paper packets came into view.

The stall was run by an elderly cultivator with gray hair and beard. Several wooden trays were neatly arranged, with spirit grains, first-tier spirit herb seeds, and other low-tier spirit seeds available on the market.

The old man spotted Zhang Li approaching alone and immediately straightened his hunched back, a warm and friendly smile spreading across his face. He waved from afar, calling out, "Junior brother, come and take a look! My stall has all kinds of spiritual seeds, and the prices are fair. You won't find a better deal in the entire Cold Creek Valley!"

Zhang Li walked slowly to the stall, his gaze falling on the paper package labeled "Qi-Nourishing Grass," and asked, "Senior brother, how much are the seeds of the Qi-Nourishing Grass?"

The old man looked in the direction he was pointing, and quickly pushed the packet of seeds forward, smiling enthusiastically: "A packet contains twenty seeds, priced at three low-grade spirit stones."

"Okay, give me another packet of Green Spirit Rice seeds. How many spirit stones will that be in total?"

Zhang Li glanced at the other paper packages, and after thinking for a moment, asked for another package of spirit seeds for Green Spirit Rice.

"Alright, one packet of Qi-Nourishing Grass and one packet of Green Spirit Rice, totaling eight low-grade spirit stones."

As he spoke, the old man deftly picked up two packets of spirit seeds from the stall and handed them to Zhang Li.

The two exchanged money for goods, completing the transaction smoothly.

Half of the fifteen spirit stones had already been spent. On his way back, Zhang Li passed by a stall selling Bigu Pills and bought three more bottles, spending another six spirit stones. He only had one spirit stone left.

Wealth may be gone, but happiness will remain.

Clutching the spirit plant seeds and the fasting pills he had bought, Zhang Li hurried toward the small courtyard on Lingze Peak.

After returning to the courtyard, Zhang Li closed the doors and windows, drank a cup of cold tea, and took a breath before a thought struck him.

A slight dizziness struck, a flash of white light, and the person was already in the cave.

Zhang Li raised his hand and took out two packets of spirit seeds, one packet of Qi-nourishing grass and one packet of green spirit rice. He opened them all and evenly scattered the seeds in the black field.

The moment the seeds touched the black soil, an amazing sight unfolded.

In just a few breaths, the seeds of the Qi-Nourishing Grass broke through the soil and sprouted a delicate, tiny green shoot. Then, the shoot grew and stretched rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The slender branches stretched out segment by segment, and paired leaves spread out layer by layer. A faint blue light swirled and flowed around the branches and leaves. In no time, twenty plants were ready for sale, and the Qi-nourishing grass used for alchemy had grown.

The green spirit rice seeds scattered nearby were not to be outdone, taking root and sprouting at the same time. The slender stalks grew tall quickly, and soon they produced plump spirit ears, each ear full and carrying a refreshing fragrance.

Zhang Li squatted by the field, his eyes fixed on the spectacular sight before him, his heart trembling slightly.

The effects of the black fields were exactly as Zhang Li had guessed.

Previously, he had only sensed the rich spiritual energy by touching the black soil and had only a vague guess in his mind. Now, witnessing the spiritual seed mature in an instant, his guess has been completely realized.

Ordinary cultivators would need to take meticulous care of Qi-nourishing grass and green spirit rice for at least several months, spending a lot of time tending to them, weeding and eliminating pests. But in this dark field, they matured in just a short while, demonstrating an extremely heaven-defying ability to accelerate ripening.

However, Zhang Li soon discovered that the rapid ripening of spiritual plants was not without its costs. The originally dark soil had become lighter in color, especially the soil under the Qi-nourishing grass, which had turned slightly yellow.

Zhang Li picked up a small pinch of slightly yellowed soil and carefully sensed it. Sure enough, the spiritual energy in the soil was much less than before.

Thinking of this, Zhang Li suppressed his earlier excitement and became more cautious.

Black fields are not without limits; everything comes at a price. If they are squandered recklessly, this resource will be lost sooner or later.

He pondered for a moment, then took out the last remaining spirit stone from his storage bag. The spirit stone contained pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth; he wondered if it could replenish the spiritual energy that Kuroda had consumed.

Zhang Li took out the last remaining low-grade spirit stone and placed it on the black spirit field.

After waiting quietly for a few moments, a surprising scene unfolded.

The soil slowly absorbed the spiritual energy from the spirit stone, and the yellowish soil color on the surface gradually faded, returning to its original black color.

Zhang Li carefully sensed the soil again, and indeed, the spiritual energy within it had recovered somewhat.

"Spirit stones can nourish the spirit fields and replenish what's lost!"

Zhang Li's eyes lit up, and a huge weight was lifted from his heart.

This completes the cycle: spirit stones nourish the black field, the black field fosters the growth of spirit herbs, and the spirit herbs are exchanged for more spirit stones.

As long as spirit stones are continuously invested, this spirit field can be used for a long time without worrying about the depletion of its spiritual energy.

Zhang Li looked down at the mature spiritual plants in the field and suddenly remembered the alchemy content recorded in "Basic Cultivation of Immortals". A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

The book states that the main ingredient of the first-tier Qi-Nourishing Pill is Qi-Nourishing Grass. With just a small amount of auxiliary materials, Qi-Nourishing Pills can be made. The finished pills are more than twice as expensive as those made directly from spiritual herbs.

However, to become an alchemist, in addition to having the necessary qualifications, one also needs to invest a lot of resources in practice, the majority of which is the consumption of purchasing various spiritual herbs and medicines.

But this was not a problem for Zhang Li. He only needed to buy spirit seeds at a low price and then use black soil to accelerate their growth. The cost was negligible.

Zhang Li thought about it more and more and felt that it had potential.

Unfortunately, limited by his cultivation level and lacking the corresponding alchemy inheritance, his dream of alchemy could only be put on hold for later.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Zhang Li put the mature Qi-Nourishing Grass and Green Spirit Rice into his storage bag, and with a thought, returned to the house.