Returning to his shack, Chen Ping lay on the creaking, broken wooden planks, yet he felt no desire to sleep.

The dull ache brought by the Ore Toxin spread deep within his body, feeling like countless tiny ice needles pricking at his marrow.

He closed his eyes, but his mind was exceptionally clear, repeatedly analyzing every detail.

Within the Jade Pendant, the Black Earth could grow Spirit Grain. However, Spirit Grain’s requirement for Qi was far lower than that of Purifying Grass.

Did the Black Earth count as a Spirit Field?

Did the aura within the space count as Qi?

He didn’t know.

He only knew that this was the only place he could try.

Caution.

He must be cautious.

He couldn’t stake all his hopes on a single attempt. What if the space couldn’t sustain its growth? What if the seeds themselves were defective?

He couldn’t afford to lose.

After completing five sets of the Vitality Technique, Chen Ping felt slightly more comfortable. Without hesitation, he entered the Jade Pendant space.

He had divided the space into three distinct areas.

One section was piled high like a small mountain with Spirit Rice.

Although he had already consumed over a hundred pounds of Spirit Rice raw, compared to the twelve hundred pounds total, that was a small fraction.

On another side sat a simple makeshift kitchen and drying racks.

Half a month ago, Chen Ping had “accidentally” obtained an iron pot. This meant he no longer had to eat raw Spirit Rice and could instead enjoy fragrant, cooked meals that lingered on the palate.

As for the Wild Boar meat, he had processed almost all of it. The skeleton was discarded outside the space, while the meat was either kept for grilling and stews or hung on the racks to cure into jerky.

Chen Ping walked to the central area of the Black Earth.

He crouched down and used his rough fingers to carefully dig a shallow hole in the soil.

His movements were light and slow, as if performing a sacred ritual.

He took out a small paper packet from his robe; inside were three dark brown seeds.

Holding his breath, he gingerly picked up one seed with his fingertips. Gently, steadily, he placed it into the small hole.

Then, using the surrounding fine soil, he evenly covered the seed, leaving only a thin layer on top.

No water.

Within this space, no water was needed.

Back when the Spirit Rice grew, he hadn’t used a single drop. He didn’t dare to water it recklessly now, afraid of ruining everything by trying to be clever.

After finishing, he took a step back, his gaze tightly fixed on the small mound of earth.

The seed lay quietly in the dark soil, showing no reaction.

Worry overwhelmed him.

Was this step right or wrong? There was no way to verify.

But the step had been taken; life or death now depended entirely on fate.

He stayed in the space for a long time, silently watching the spot where he had buried the seed, until his spirit felt weary and he had no choice but to withdraw.

The foul air of the shack instantly rushed into his nostrils; the tightness in his chest became even more pronounced.

He lay down and closed his eyes, but all he saw was that dark brown seed and the pitch-black soil swaying before him.

The next day, the mining process became even more torturous.

Physical exhaustion and the corrosive sensation of the Ore Toxin were magnified tenfold by his immense psychological anticipation and anxiety.

Every swing of the pickaxe felt like his arms were weighted with mountains. Every breath tugged at a dull ache deep within his organs.

He hardly dared to think about the situation inside the space, afraid of returning to find complete stillness.

He could only force himself to focus on the rock before him, using mechanical repetition to suppress his inner turmoil.

Finally, he endured until the end of the shift.

Instead of dragging his heavy steps slowly back to the shack as usual, he forced himself to speed up. He almost ran.

Upon rushing into his solitary shack, he immediately entered the Jade Pendant space.

He practically lunged toward yesterday’s planting spot. His gaze swept urgently over the patch of Black Earth.

Then, his breath hitched.

On that patch of pitch-black soil, a tiny speck of extremely faint greenness—almost imperceptible—had pierced through the dark brown seed coat and timidly peeked out.

The sprout was as fine as a newly hatched larva. Its color was an almost translucent pale green. Against the backdrop of the dark soil, it looked so fragile it made one’s heart tremble.

But it truly existed.

It was alive!

An indescribable surge of heat instantly rushed to Chen Ping’s head, making him dizzy.

Wild joy washed away his despair like a tidal wave.

His fingers trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to touch that speck of tender green but stopped halfway, afraid that even his breath might disturb this fragile life.

It worked!

It really worked!

This Black Earth, this space… it really could grow Purifying Grass!

This wasn’t just a plant; this was proof that he could survive. It was the only rope pulling him out of this mining hell.

The power of hope dispelled the accumulated fatigue and discomfort from his body. An unprecedented excitement supported him.

He hesitated no longer.

He immediately took out the small oil-paper packet containing the two remaining seeds from his bosom.

Gingerly, beside the first seed, he dug two more holes of the same size and depth.

His fingers were clumsy from excitement, but he forced them to be steady.

He picked up one seed and placed it into the hole, covering it with soil.

He picked up the last one, placed it, and covered it.

His movements carried devout focus and determination. Three seeds, three hopes—all planted.

When the last seed was completely covered by the fine Black Earth, Chen Ping slowly stood up and took a long, deep breath.

The oppressive despair that had weighed him down for the past month dissipated completely from his chest.

He remembered someone saying that the growth cycle of Purifying Grass was twelve months. Twelve months to mature, twenty-four months to bear seeds.

According to his experience planting Spirit Rice on the Black Earth, the growth speed here was twelve times faster than in an ordinary Spirit Field.

Barring accidents, after one month, these three Purifying Grass plants would be fully mature.

With three Purifying Grass plants, he had to allocate them carefully.

One plant must be consumed to decompose the Ore Toxin within his body.

According to his current physical condition, two months later, his Physical Strength might drop below two hundred pounds due to the erosion.

If that happened, he would fail to complete the mining tasks issued by the Immortals.

The Immortals naturally had no particular opinion about him, Chen Ping. Completing or failing the task meant nothing to them.

But certain people wouldn’t be happy.

Fatty Wang, for example, would definitely come to harass him, perhaps even colluding with the mine overseers to banish him from the sect.

That would completely sever his chance of becoming a superior person and ruin any chance of saving his parents.

He could not lose this opportunity.

He still had to seek revenge!

Therefore, of the three Purifying Grass plants, he could only grit his teeth and consume one to remove most of the toxins from his body. This would allow him to mine normally and maintain his life here.

As for the remaining two Purifying Grass plants…

How many seeds they could produce after two months depended on Heaven’s decision.

Chen Ping’s heart filled with gratitude.

Regardless, he finally saw hope.

As long as hope persisted, he would persist. He would keep going!