Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 279: Two Years

In the blink of an eye, two years passed!

Wang Hao’s cultivation remained at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, but his internal Magic Power had deepened significantly, bringing him a solid step closer to the late Foundation Establishment stage! This rapid progress was due entirely to three factors: a massive consumption of Pills, the dense Spiritual Qi of the Rank Three spiritual vein, and the restorative properties of the Warm Jade Bed.

Inside his heavily warded secret chamber, Wang Hao sat cross-legged on the Warm Jade Bed. He slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a breath of turbid air.

“Open the panel!”

Name: Wang Hao

Age: 59

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer (62,038 / 75,937)

Cultivation Method: Red Lotus Illusory Wood Heart Sutra (Fifth Layer)

Body Refining: Ice Muscle Jade Bone Technique (Fifth Layer)

Magic Power: 62,028 / 62,038

Skills:

Alchemy: Rank Two High Grade

Talisman Making: Rank Two Middle Grade

Artifact Refining: Rank Two Low Grade

Puppetry: Rank Two Low Grade

Formations: Rank One High Grade

Spells: Rank One Spells (Omitted), Essence Fire Three Transformations, Sword Riding Technique, Hidden Spirit Technique, Flowing Cloud Sword Technique.

Divine Abilities: Spirit-Splitting Awl, Yin-Yang True Fire, Illusory Wood Shadow Separation Technique, Golden Eye Pupil Technique, Wind Escape (Bankrupt Edition).

He dismissed the status screen and opened the Farm interface.

Nine glowing plots of golden soil instantly caught his eye. They were planted with a staggering array of heaven-defying flora: Golden Yuan Fruit, Kongsang Divine Tree, Divine Ability Fruit, Cloud Mist Tea Tree, Ice Soul Flower, Yellow Pine Ganoderma, Mysterious Wonder Fruit Tree, Spirit-Nourishing Fruit, and Ethereal Bamboo.

In the adjacent plots of standard black soil grew Green Moon Exquisite Fruits, Hundred Fragrance Spirit Fruits, Condensed Yuan Fruits, Soul-Falling Flowers, and various other premium Spirit Herbs.

After thirteen long years of waiting, the Golden Yuan Fruit tree had finally matured. In the outside world, even if a Golden Yuan Fruit Tree was planted on a Rank Four spiritual mountain and painstakingly tended by a Rank Three spiritual farmer, a single harvest would yield a maximum of six or seven fruits.

But Wang Hao’s Farm was an absolute cheat. It ignored the laws of heaven and earth, instantly guaranteeing the maximum theoretical yield: ten perfectly ripe Golden Yuan Fruits!

His other golden-tier crops had already gone through several harvest cycles. For instance, he currently possessed twenty Divine Ability Fruits in his inventory. That was enough to forcefully Awaken innate divine abilities in twenty Wang clan members!

Unfortunately, he couldn’t simply hand them out; he needed a plausible cover story for acquiring such mythical treasures. His upcoming excursion might provide the perfect excuse!

His stalks of Ethereal Bamboo had also crossed the thousand-year maturity threshold. They were now fully capable of being forged into true Dharma Treasures. With ten complete stalks in his possession, Wang Hao could finally begin laying the groundwork for his ultimate sword formation. However, he didn’t have a reliable, high-tier artifact refiner at his disposal, and handing over thousand-year Ethereal Bamboo to an outsider was practically begging to be murdered for his wealth.

Wang Hao pragmatically decided to shelve the bamboo until he successfully formed his Golden Core. He would use it to forge his own Natal Magical Artifact. Because a Natal weapon is intrinsically linked to a cultivator’s heart meridian and soul, the forging process bypassed many technical hurdles; his current Rank Two High Grade artifact refining skill would actually be sufficient! With enough preparation, he could forge it himself.

What truly surprised him, however, was the Cloud Mist Tea Tree. It had mutated and broken through to Rank Three! The legendary specimen guarded by the Tang family was merely Rank Two High Grade.

A Rank Three Cloud Mist Tea Tree could only be harvested once a century, and even then, it only yielded a single liang (roughly 50 grams) of leaves. Factoring in the golden soil’s eighty-fold temporal acceleration, Wang Hao could harvest one liang every year and three months. If he used half a qian (roughly 2.5 grams) per brew, a single harvest would only last him twenty cups…

But the effects were monstrous. Cloud Mist Tea forcibly elevated a cultivator’s comprehension and enlightenment. Drinking a cup while studying Formations or Artifact Refining would astronomically accelerate his skill progression!

Wang Hao seriously debated ripping up his other crops to plant two more plots of Cloud Mist Tea. But golden soil plots were strictly limited, and his current crops were simply too vital to destroy. He couldn’t bear the waste.

The Farm’s soil could be upgraded to the next tier—Purple Crystal Soil—but the system requirement was absolute: the host had to reach the early Golden Core stage first.

Since Wang Hao was only at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, the golden soil would have to suffice. There was no need to rush.

Wang Hao shifted his focus to his spirit beasts and insects.

Ya Ya the thunder crow had successfully completed its tribulation, advancing to Rank Two High Grade. Its plumage was thicker and entirely golden, while violent arcs of black lightning constantly danced across its wings. It looked like a terrifying, primordial predator… right up until it opened its beak and squawked, instantly ruining its majestic image.

Little White and the Illusion Moon Butterfly were both hovering at the absolute peak of Rank Two Middle Grade, ready to trigger their advancements at any moment. However, Wang Hao deliberately suppressed them. He was about to leave the safety of the island and venture into unpredictable territory; he might need their immediate combat power. Advancing meant they would be comatose for months. They could break through once he returned safely.

The Ice-Fire Python was growing at a terrifying rate. Gorged on premium Nurturing Spirit Pills, extreme-attribute Spirit Herbs, and the dense Spiritual Qi of the Rank Three mountain, it had already reached Rank One High Grade and was currently undergoing its advancement slumber. Since a Rank One beast offered Wang Hao zero combat utility, he didn’t bother delaying its breakthrough. By the time he reached the Ji clan, the python would likely be a Rank Two Low Grade beast.

The three new species of spirit insects had all hatched successfully, but as mere larvae, they were useless in a fight.

The Earth-Devouring Spirit Earthworms, however, were immediately put to work. Wang Hao had them dumped straight into the clan’s spirit fields, where they happily gorged on rotting roots and rapidly fertilized the soil.

Satisfied with his inventory, Wang Hao unsealed the heavy stone doors of his secret chamber and stepped out into the sunlight.

The sharp clash of steel immediately greeted him. In the courtyard below, Zou Yu and Wang Wenyue were locked in a fierce sparring match.

Zou Yu wielded the esoteric arts of the Sun and Moon Rotation Technique, while Wang Wenyue had seamlessly transitioned to the lethal strikes of the Guiran Sword Art. Both were practicing top-tier cultivation methods, and their martial foundations were rock solid. From Wang Hao’s calculating perspective, the two women were perfectly matched, trading blows without either gaining a clear advantage.

Sensing Wang Hao’s arrival, they instantly retracted their Magic Power and sheathed their weapons, their faces lighting up.

“Brother! You’re out of Secluded Cultivation?”

“Greetings, Master!”

Wang Hao swept his Divine Sense over them and gave an approving nod. “You haven’t slacked off these past two years. Both of you are at the absolute peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining! Have you made preparations for Foundation Establishment?”

Wang Wenyue immediately pouted, kicking at the dirt. “We don’t have enough clan contribution points! Sister Yu is fine; she’s earned a fortune setting up Formations for the family over the years. But I don’t have a single point to my name!”

“That is entirely because you are lazy and refuse to learn any supportive auxiliary skills!” Zou Yu shot back, rolling her eyes.

“What does it matter? Are you saying I have to attempt the breakthrough without a Foundation Establishment Pill?” Wenyue whined.

Wang Hao chuckled, shaking his head. “Are you forgetting who is standing in front of you? Your internal foundations are solid, but they still need a bit of polishing. Once I return from my upcoming trip, I will personally provide each of you with a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

Zou Yu bit her lip, her expression fraught with worry. “Master… won’t the other Elders and clan members gossip if you show such blatant favoritism?”

Wang Hao waved a dismissive hand, his tone turning utterly pragmatic. “One of you is my blood sister, the other is my direct disciple. Given the sheer volume of resources and security I have personally provided this clan, I am well within my rights to secure two measly Pills. Besides, I am not embezzling from the clan treasury. I will be purchasing these Pills privately from the outside world using my own funds. Let them try and complain.”

He looked at Wenyue. “Furthermore, among our overseas branch, hardly anyone has saved enough contribution points anyway. Priority has always gone to whoever reaches the ninth layer of Qi Refining first; the points are treated as a debt to be paid off over decades after they reach Foundation Establishment. Put your hearts at ease.”

“Thank you, Brother!” Wenyue cheered, practically vibrating with excitement. “You really do dote on me the most! Thank the heavens I followed you overseas. If we were still on the mainland, Father would be so rigidly bound by clan law he’d never just hand me a Pill! Sister Yu, what are you waiting for? Thank your master!” She grabbed Zou Yu’s arm and shook it excitedly.

“Thank you, Master!” Zou Yu bowed deeply. She knew her master’s pragmatism; once he made a decision, it was final. Still, the weight of the debt she owed him only grew heavier.

“By the way,” Wang Hao asked, suddenly recalling his earlier investments. “How is the cultivation of your spirit insects progressing? The Snow Jade Spider and the Black Jade Bees?”

To his surprise, Wenyue instantly grimaced, her face twisting in pure disgust. “Brother, I refuse to raise those Black Jade Bees! They are pitch black, hideously ugly, and entirely too vicious! Can’t you just let me raise Little White instead? Or find me a flying spirit beast?”

Wang Hao stared at her in disbelief. “Are you actually complaining? The Black Jade Bee swarm is a lethal trump card that countless cultivators would kill to possess! Cultivated properly, they are an unparalleled slaughtering tool!”

“I don’t care, I want a flying mount!” Wenyue stomped her foot stubbornly. “Brother, please find me another beast! Something fluffy and cute like Little White!”

Wang Hao rubbed his temples. Of course his battle-crazed sister was a secret aesthetics snob. And if Little White ever heard itself being referred to as a ‘cute, fluffy pet,’ the arrogant fox would likely shred her to ribbons.

“Fine,” Wang Hao sighed, relenting with a wry smile. “I will keep an eye out for a suitable mount during my travels.”

After exchanging a few more words and ensuring their cultivation was stable, Wang Hao left the courtyard, riding his flying sword directly toward Green Ox Peak to meet with Patriarch Wang Guang’an.