I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

Xin Chang'an Base City, the third agricultural research base in the suburbs.

It has been a full half month since the "Jianmu Miracle".

The enormous, azure tree that defies human vision still stands tall in the sky. Its cascading azure light rain not only thoroughly purifies the air but also brings an early, vibrant "warm spring" to the Qinling Mountains in early winter.

In the refugee camps surrounding the base, laughter and joy filled the air as people greedily breathed in the fresh scent of grass and trees, grateful for their survival.

However, inside the core greenhouse of the third agricultural base, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like it was frozen.

"The 427th trial planting experiment... failed."

Academician Lin Guodong, China's chief agricultural expert, stared intently at the constant temperature incubator in front of him, his eyes bloodshot and his voice trembling as if he were crying.

Inside the cultivation tank was a handful of fresh soil, just dug up from outside, with an eerie dark blue hue. Scattered on the surface of the soil was a layer of charred ash, as if it had been scorched by a raging fire.

That was a minute earlier, when he personally sowed the cold-resistant super rice seeds that had undergone three generations of genetic improvement.

"How could this be...? This doesn't make sense!"

A young doctoral student clutched his hair in despair. "The nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content in the soil is perfectly fine; it's even rich in extremely active spiritual energy. This is clearly the most fertile soil in the world, so why do seeds instantly carbonize and wither the moment they touch it?!"

"Because 'the weak cannot tolerate nourishment'."

Academician Lin Guodong slumped into his chair, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant: "Although Jianmu absorbed the toxins from Hongxue, the 'spiritual energy' it emitted has completely changed the structure of the Earth's soil."

He pointed to the charred seeds in the culture tank and smiled bitterly: "It's like forcing a newborn baby to drink a whole thousand-year-old wild ginseng soup. The cell walls and gene chains of ordinary plants on Earth simply cannot withstand the erosion of this kind of violent, high-level energy!"

Upon hearing this, the entire laboratory fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone realized the terrifying truth hidden behind those words.

"Old Lin..." General Chen pushed open the laboratory door and strode in, his face even more ashen than the cold wind outside. "The Academy of Sciences just sent soil monitoring reports from all over the country. From the black soil of Northeast China to the water towns of Jiangnan, all the farmland exposed on the surface has mutated."

General Chen took a deep breath, as if using all his strength to utter the second half of his sentence:

"The survival rate of our existing conventional crop seeds is... zero. Our strategic grain reserves can only support the nation's 800 million people for a maximum of 12 months."

This was like a bolt from the blue.

Having survived the slaughter of the Void Monsters and endured the mutation of the Crimson Poison Snow, all of humanity had just knelt down to thank the heavens for bestowing upon them clean air, only to discover in despair that the soil of the old era could no longer grow a single grain of rice in the new era.

A global famine of unprecedented scale, capable of driving humanity to extinction, has entered its 12-month countdown.

……

Gu Qing sat in front of the water mirror, watching the chaotic scene reflected in the mirror—high-ranking officials in various places were in a state of panic, and ordinary people were frantically hoarding stale grain on the black market—his eyes were as calm as still water.

"Only by destroying an old world can a new one be built. How can you willingly work for me when you can't even get enough to eat?"

He casually swiped open the [Creation Mall], his gaze precisely locking onto a category among the dazzling array of goods: [Low-Tier Spirit Plant Blueprints].

"System, purchase the seed stock of [Azure Jade Spirit Rice (Tier 1)] and [Crimson Blood Spirit Wheat (Tier 1)], as well as the accompanying 'Spirit Plant Cultivation Guide'."

[Instruction confirmed. Purchased.]

Two seeds, each the size of a pigeon egg and emitting a faint glow, along with a jade slip, appeared out of thin air in Gu Qing's palm.

"This Jade Spirit Rice not only perfectly absorbs the spiritual energy from the mutated soil, but long-term consumption can also subtly transform the physique of mortals, making them more susceptible to spiritual energy..."

Gu Qing toyed with the seed in his hand, his smile deepening: "Once they get used to eating spirit rice, eating ordinary food will be like chewing wax. Not only their stomachs, but even their genes will be completely bound by this cultivation system."

He snapped his fingers lightly.

The void beneath Lord Creation sank slightly.

A specially modified Daoist soldier commander quietly appeared. His dark heavy armor resembled a mobile black fortress, with rune arrays slowly circulating on the inner walls of the armor, exuding a heavy and cold aura.

The chilling aura emanating from him was not an emotion, but a fighting instinct etched into his flesh and soul.

There was no announcement, no sound.

He had already knelt on one knee below the jade steps.

"Go." Gu Qing tossed the two mother seeds and the jade slip to the Dao soldier commander. "Send this to the highest command headquarters in New Chang'an. Tell them that this is the 'food for saving the world' bestowed by Kunlun."

"Here you go!" The Dao soldier commander took it with both hands, and it transformed into a sword light that shot into the sky.

……

The following morning, at the new Chang'an base city.

The atmosphere in the top conference room had reached freezing point. The ashtrays were overflowing with cigarette butts, and everyone's eyes were filled with deep despair.

"Implement the highest level of food rationing! Even including the meat of all mutated animals, could we last another year?"

"Impossible! Eating too much mutated beast meat would drive ordinary people insane!"

Just as everyone was arguing, a deafening sword cry suddenly rang out in the sky outside the conference room.

Immediately afterwards, a Xuanjia Dao soldier hovered in mid-air outside the bulletproof glass window. Ignoring the countless anti-aircraft missiles locking onto him below, he casually waved his hand, and a stream of light pierced through the glass, landing steadily in the center of the long table.

It was an antique brocade pouch woven from an unknown material, with a warm, smooth jade slip placed beside it.

"The mortal realm is too defiled to bear the spirits of the new world. In your mercy, our Lord has bestowed upon us the 'Guide to Cultivating Spiritual Plants' and the mother plants of 'Azure Jade Spiritual Rice' and 'Crimson Blood Spiritual Wheat'."

The cold and authoritative voice of the Xuanjia Dao soldier resounded directly in the minds of every attendee:

"This substance requires the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate. If it can be successfully grown, consuming it will strengthen muscles and bones and prevent all diseases. I hope you will take good care of it."

Having said that, a flash of sword light appeared, and the Dao soldier disappeared into the clouds.

The entire conference room was deathly silent for a full half minute.

Academician Lin Guodong was the first to react. He pounced on the brocade pouch like a tiger, and opened it with trembling hands.

When he saw the two "seeds" inside, each the size of a pigeon egg, crystal clear like the finest jade and ruby, emitting an alluring fragrance, tears welled up in his eyes.

"There's hope... China is saved!!"

General Chen grabbed the jade slip, and the moment he touched it, a wealth of information about how to use spirit-gathering arrays to improve the soil and how to use spiritual energy to nourish seeds flooded into his mind.

"General, what does the jade slip say?" the high-ranking official next to him asked anxiously.

General Chen opened his eyes, his expression extremely complex, seemingly a mixture of ecstasy and deep awe:

"The immortals of Kunlun said it's a kind of spiritual plant. To truly cultivate this spiritual rice, ordinary machinery and fertilizers are useless. It must be nurtured little by little by those who possess 'qi perception' using their own spiritual energy."

"As for the mother plant, it is not inexhaustible. In a short period of time, it can only differentiate into a limited number of spiritual plant seeds, and can only slowly expand outward as a seed source."

The meeting room fell silent once again after these words were spoken.

Everyone understands what this means.

This means that, starting today, traditional agriculture will be completely overturned.

This means that in order to survive and to provide food for all mankind, they must devote the entire nation's resources to teaching everyone the "Guide to Cultivating Spiritual Plants" passed down by Kunlun.