The mutated rice seeds continuously absorbed water and expanded.

Seven days later, fresh sprouts indeed emerged.

Because this was an experiment, Jiang Chen only used 100 grains. The success rate was high: 95 grains sprouted. The other 5 grains, although expanded, showed no change.

Next, he planted all 95 sprouted grains into the black soil. But not outside in the Tier-2 Spirit Farm—rather, under the Stone Mountain.

Overall, they surrounded the mutated mother rice plant, like stars surrounding the moon.

Next came the long wait.

Days passed one after another. Autumn departed, and winter arrived.

Soon, the harvest day for the third quarter arrived.

Jiang Chen stood on the field ridge. Before him lay the golden Spirit Rice plants.

Since summer, the yield hadn’t changed much. Even though the spirit beast manure had been changed to the five-hundred-year grade, and the Minor Rain Spell had been applied over five times, it actually didn’t make much difference either.

This was the current limit of the Tier-2 Spirit Farm’s capacity.

Jiang Chen, without hesitation, decisively picked up his sickle and began harvesting.

Under his diligent labor, the Tier-2 Spirit Farm before him was harvested completely.

Subtracting Jin Fugui’s 150 jin, Tie Zhu’s 50 jin, and Chen Tian’s 800 jin…

Now, Jiang Chen held 3,500 jin of Tier-2 Spirit Rice in storage.

[Current Lifespan: 74,923 days]

He had successfully broken the previous two-hundred-year record, setting a new high.

Jiang Chen washed a sweet potato stained with black soil using water, then stuffed it into his mouth and took a bite. Immediately, his eyes lit up. “So sweet!”

The sweet potato flesh was crisp, and the raw juice sweet—truly worthy of being a premium sweet potato.

Subsequently, he walked at a brisk pace toward the Stone Mountain. As soon as he approached, a faint aroma was detected in the air. This unique scent of the mutated Spirit Rice plant was easily distinguishable.

Jiang Chen entered the cave and soon arrived before the mutated Spirit Rice plant.

Compared to summer, it had become taller and larger, having already reached about 2.5 meters. Its surface was coated in a layer of golden light.

Jiang Chen decisively activated the Evergreen Art to check the details.

[Mutated Spirit Rice (Mother Plant): Mature]

[Yield: 100 grains]

[Traits: Fruitful and Blessed, One Zhang Domain]

The old entries disappeared, replaced by new entries. Regarding “One Zhang Domain,” Jiang Chen understood well. After raising the Evergreen Art to the fifth layer, he similarly obtained a similar ability—he could perceive the situation of all spiritual plants within a ten-zhang radius in very detailed clarity.

Beside the mutated mother rice plant were ‘her’ children.

Each plant’s panicles numbered six. They resembled miniature versions of the mutated mother rice plant. It seemed the only differences were panicle count and size.

There was no quality distinction. Child rice plants were just child rice plants; they wouldn’t continue to grow further. They couldn’t replace the mother rice plant.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen, after some consideration, picked up his sickle.

[Lifespan +9,500 days]

The total harvest added 950 days of Lifespan.

Clearly, mutated child rice plants were of a higher grade than Tier-2 Spirit Rice. Therefore, harvesting one increased his lifespan by +10 days—4 days more than standard.

If he could plant on a large scale… massive cultivation… The result was imaginable.

But currently, this idea was impossible to achieve. If planted outside, it would be easily discovered by others. If kept under the Stone Mountain, the space was insufficient. Currently, each harvest quantity was limited to around a hundred plants.

Time flew, and another three months passed. Jiang Chen harvested again.

Outside in the Tier-2 Spirit Farm, there were still Spirit Rice, sweet potatoes, and chili peppers. Under the Stone Mountain, there were still a hundred mutated child rice plants.

Giving Chen Tian’s 800 jin, giving Jin Fugui’s 150 jin, plus daily consumption and brewing wine…

Now he held 5,000 jin of Tier-2 Spirit Rice in storage.

As for the Mutated Spirit Rice, he previously ate ten jin; he now had 70 jin.

[Current Lifespan: 91,483 days]

Merely one quarter had passed, and Jiang Chen increased his lifespan by another thirty years.

One must know that a normal Wood Spiritual Root cultivator at the Qi Condensation stage had a lifespan of, at most, between one hundred twenty and one hundred fifty years. Although Jiang Chen was also at the Qi Condensation stage, his lifespan had already reached the Foundation Establishment level.

Cultivators’ time was fundamentally insufficient. Sometimes a single seclusion passed several decades. Higher realms consumed more time. Many people, the reason they strove to improve their realm, was fear of death. A small realm improvement could extend decades of lifespan. If one crossed a major realm, then several hundred or even a thousand years.

But even if one’s lifespan was extended further—even becoming an immortal—one still couldn’t achieve eternal life. Death still approached step by step, making countless cultivators and immortals tremble in fear.

Jiang Chen, however, didn’t have such troubles. As long as he diligently farmed, even if his aptitude was poor, there would still be a day he became an immortal ancestor.

“Fellow Daoist Jiang.”

One day, Jin Fugui arrived at the Spirit Farm.

Jiang Chen, who was roasting a sweet potato, saw him come and immediately rose from his chair. “Let’s go.”

The two had agreed the day before to go together to the Red Leaf Valley market to sell goods.

Now, the brewed Tier-2 Spirit Wine had reached five hundred jin. Various vegetables like sweet potatoes, Chinese cabbage, chili peppers, etc., also amounted to several hundred jin. Although he could store them in his storage pouch, the quantity was too much. The small storage pouch space was completely insufficient. He must go to the Harvest Alliance to sell them.

“Get on.” Jin Fugui patted his mount, the spirit beast camel.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen smiled, then took out the Paper Crane from his small storage pouch. He infused spiritual energy, and it instantly enlarged several times.

Jin Fugui seeing this was stunned. “When did you buy this?”

“Wow.” Jin Fugui put away his spirit beast camel into his beast-taming ring, then jumped onto the Paper Crane’s back. After observing it, he exclaimed in surprise, “It’s actually a high-grade item.”

Jiang Chen controlled the Paper Crane to ascend, then asked, “I heard this year the Red Leaf Valley market is livelier than last year?”

Jin Fugui nodded, somewhat gritting his teeth as he said, “Exactly. Many formal disciples out traveling, because they need to participate in this damned Formal Disciple Competition, have all returned.”

More people meant greater competition. The ranking was harder to climb. It made him angry and helpless.

Jiang Chen blinked his eyes. “I’m not concerned about that. I want to find an array master to help install an insect-repelling array.”

Jin Fugui widened his eyes. “Now the price of everything is rising. A random array price is at least fifteen Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Are you so rich?”

That was equivalent to five thousand jin of Tier-2 Spirit Rice, seventy jin of Mutated Spirit Rice, five hundred jin of Tier-2 Spirit Wine, and several hundred jin of premium vegetables.