I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

On the twentieth day after the miracle of Jianmu, air raid sirens sounded across the entire territory of China for the first time in history.

There was no invasion of void monsters, and no new natural disaster warnings.

On the newly installed holographic projection screens in the new Chang'an base city and various survivor camps, a military spokesperson with a stern face appeared simultaneously.

"Attention all citizens. The Supreme Academy of Sciences has confirmed that due to the complete alteration of Earth's soil environment by spiritual energy, all conventional crops from the old era have suffered total crop failure. Current strategic grain reserves are only sufficient to sustain the entire nation for twelve months."

In the square and amidst the ruins, countless survivors who had stopped in their tracks felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Twelve months. It sounds like there's still a year to go, but for eight hundred million hungry mouths, it's nothing short of a countdown to death. Although everyone has been taught basic techniques long ago, most people are at most amateurs at the "first level of Qi Refining," a far cry from the legendary immortal realm of "abstaining from grains."

However, the spokesperson abruptly changed the subject, and the image on the large screen switched to a three-dimensional perspective view of the circulation of energy through the meridians and the surrounding plants, forming a grand cycle of spiritual energy.

"Do not panic! Immortal Kunlun has bestowed upon us the 'Feast for Salvation' for a new era. From this moment forward, the 'Wartime Agricultural Mobilization Law' will be implemented nationwide! The 'Spiritual Plant Symbiotic Guidance Method' bestowed by Kunlun will be made publicly available on the internal network free of charge."

"Attention everyone! Ordinary machinery and fertilizers are no longer effective. To grow spiritual grains, you must rely on the meridians of cultivators as a 'bridge'! As long as you circulate your cultivation techniques, absorbing and filtering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into your bodies, and then feeding it back to the spiritual rice seeds, the seeds will release the purest essence of plants to nourish your meridians as they grow!"

The spokesperson's voice carried a fervent, almost feverish quality:

"This is not just farming! This is a shortcut to cultivation bestowed upon us by Kunlun! From this moment forward, all bases will begin recruiting 'Spirit Farmers.' Use your sweat to exchange for cultivation points and rations!"

……

At six o'clock in the morning, the wind was biting cold.

On the outskirts of New Chang'an, beneath the high walls outside the Third Agricultural Base, more than 100,000 low-level cultivators stood in dense rows.

Wang Qiang, a programmer from the old days who used to type on a keyboard, was currently wearing a tattered cotton coat and nervously rubbing his hands in front of a military-grade "psychic energy fluctuation detector." He had been stuck at the first level of Qi Refining for a long time. Although the spiritual energy in the air was dense, it was too violent, and he dared not absorb it recklessly.

"drop--"

The detector swept across Wang Qiang's dantian and emitted a crisp beep.

"Spiritual energy reserves: 4 standard units. Meridian patency: Pass." The examiner, clad in power armor, handed over a bronze badge. "Pass! Assigned to the Seventeenth Spirit Farmer Squadron! Here's your copy of the Symbiosis Technique. Next!"

……

Inside the third agricultural base, the vast expanse of black spiritual soil has been fully cultivated.

Wang Qiang and thousands of other low-level cultivators who had just been promoted to "Spirit Farmers" were assigned to their respective furrows. In the soil in front of them lay the seeds of [Azure Jade Spirit Rice] that had been sown the day before.

"Everyone, hands on the ground! Activate the 'Spiritual Plant Symbiosis Method'!" the supervising officer roared.

Wang Qiang took a deep breath, knelt down, and pressed his palms firmly against the cold, dark blue soil. He formed a strange hand seal and began to draw in the spiritual energy in the air, circulating it through his eight extraordinary meridians before carefully injecting it into the soil.

"Buzz—"

The moment his spiritual energy came into contact with the spirit rice seed, a miraculous chemical reaction occurred!

The spiritual energy, filtered through Wang Qiang's body, was stripped of impurities and transformed into gentle nutrients that nourished the seed. In return, the Jade Rice seed beneath the soil, which had been greedily absorbing the nutrients, suddenly fed back an extremely pure and vibrant plant spiritual energy!

The spiritual energy of the plants flowed upwards along Wang Qiang's palm, like a long-awaited rain after a drought, gently soothing the hidden injuries in his meridians caused by improper cultivation, and finally sinking steadily into his dantian.

"Wow...that feels so good!"

Wang Qiang suddenly opened his eyes, his face filled with disbelief.

In the past, he would sit and meditate for a whole day to accumulate a trace of spiritual energy as thin as a hair; but now, after planting the land for only half an hour, the pure spiritual energy returned by the seeds was equivalent to three days of his past arduous cultivation!

What shocked him even more was that as he established a "symbiotic cycle" with the seeds, an extremely faint sound of soil breaking through the ground could be heard.

"Click..."

A tender sprout, crystal clear and as if carved from the finest jade, pushed through the heavy black soil. With its appearance, an extremely rich aroma of rice, mixed with boundless vitality, instantly swept across the entire planting area.

"It's sprouted! And... and my cultivation level has increased!!"

In the fields, not only Wang Qiang, but countless Lingnong people exclaimed with wild joy.

So what they said was true! Farming is not only not tiring, but it can also speed up cultivation many times over! This tangible double benefit instantly ignited the fervor of all the lower-level cultivators.

"Again! I can plant two more acres! Nobody stop me!" Wang Qiang felt the bottleneck of the first layer of Qi cultivation within his body loosening slightly, his eyes turning red. Like a tireless machine, he pounced on the next plot of farmland.

Three hours later, when the rice soup made with [Azure Jade Spirit Rice] was served, the spiritual farmers who drank the rice soup experienced another small surge in their cultivation.

The entire lower-level cultivation world of China went completely mad.

Fighting to the death over a few spirit ore... it's not as good as coming to the agricultural base and getting a permanent position as a "spirit farmer"! Safe, plentiful, and you can efficiently increase your cultivation!

……

Tens of thousands of meters above the ground, inside the Creation Pavilion on the main peak of Kunlun Mountain.

Gu Qing stared at the constantly fluctuating data panel on his retina, a hint of precise control over human nature emanating from his deep eyes.

[Ding! The popularity of "Basic Guide to Planting Spiritual Plants" has greatly increased!]

[Ding! The host has gained 1.2 million 'Junior Spirit Farmers' under their command! This number is expected to surpass 10 million next week!]

A closed-loop ecological symbiosis has been formed!

Gu Qing gently swirled the purple clay teacup in her hand, which contained celestial tea brewed with the finest spiritual spring water.

"The highest level of exploitation is not to force them to work with a whip." Gu Qing looked down at the millions of spirit farmers on the land below who were frantically planting crops for "cultivation," and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "It is to package the shackles as opportunities, so that they are willing to work 996 for you, and even be grateful to you."

Ordinary people think they have gotten a huge advantage.

They used spiritual energy to stimulate the seeds, which in turn nourished their meridians, and the spiritual rice filled their stomachs. It seemed like a perfect symbiotic and mutually beneficial cycle.

But they will never know that in this enormous cycle, their fanatical faith in Immortal Kunlun, the vast causal effects of each life leap, and the control over the bottom layer of the entire new era agricultural system... all flowed into Gu Qing's pocket as the most lucrative "middleman's profit."