The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Jiang Chen stood before the withered tree, his mind racing as he calculated its worth.

He was no stranger to high-level concepts. He possessed a Fire Spirit Root, his artifact forging skills had reached the Mastery stage, and he even shared a bed with a High-level Alchemist. He had tasted Earth-grade pills before.

But the Rebirth Pill was different. Its reputation was Grandmaster, its effects defying the very laws of nature.

While it couldn’t grant a second life in the literal sense, its power was absolute for anyone below the Nascent Soul stage. Unless one had been beheaded or had their soul utterly obliterated, this pill could extend a dying cultivator’s life by seven days.

It induced a state similar to ‘terminal lucidity’—a final, explosive rally of vitality where injuries, spirit, and consciousness were restored to their peak.

In the current market, a single Rebirth Pill—even one of inferior quality—could fetch ten thousand High-grade Spirit Stones.

Not Low-grade. Not Mid-grade. High-grade.

And now, one of the primary ingredients for this Grandmaster pill—the Death Tree, a plant that poisoned upon touch and killed upon ingestion—was growing quietly right in front of him.

It was a testament to the owner’s capabilities. Nether Spring was clearly no ordinary alchemist.

Zhu Fuxian swirled his wine cup, his gaze profound. “Junior Brother Jiang, everything you see in this garden… the poisons, the materials… they can all be traded for. Spirit Stones, pills, rare plants—he takes it all.”

Jiang Chen sucked in a sharp breath. Hiss.

He quickly scanned the valley. There were at least a hundred varieties of rare poisonous flora here.

If everything had a price… didn’t that mean that as long as he had enough money, he could strip this entire garden bare?

“Shall we split up?” Zhu Fuxian suggested. “We can browse on our own.”

Jiang Chen snapped out of his reverie and nodded. “Sounds good.”

Zhu Fuxian wandered off toward a crowded section of the garden, leaving Jiang Chen to his own devices.

Jiang Chen immediately refocused. He narrowed his eyes, locking his gaze and Spiritual Sense onto the invaluable Death Tree.

Blue text shimmered into existence before his eyes.

[Death Tree] [Age: 100 Years] [Status: Severely Damaged, Insufficient Spirit Qi] [Current Quality: Superior]

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.

No wonder Nether Spring is willing to trade it. The tree is dying.

He didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he expanded his Spiritual Sense, sweeping it across the garden like a radar.

Information cascades flooded his vision.

[Metal-Corroding Bone Flower] [Current Quality: Superior]

[Ghost Iron Tree Seed] [Current Quality: Superior]

[Blood Evil Wood] [Quality Forecast (Tomorrow): Supreme]

Jiang Chen froze.

Supreme?

He glanced around furtively to ensure no one was watching, then casually strolled toward the Blood Evil Wood.

Despite being called ‘wood,’ the plant was a grotesque fusion of tree and vine. It was thick and fleshy, its surface mapped with throbbing, vein-like patterns.

If one looked closely, the bark seemed to pulsate rhythmically, mimicking a human heartbeat.

Sharp thorns jutted from the branches, curved like the fangs of a beast, their tips stained an eerie, glistening crimson. The leaves were slender ovals edged with serrated teeth, resembling miniature saws.

The entire plant was a vivid, wet red, as if it had been watered with fresh blood.

Jiang Chen knew this material.

Back at his farm, his Green Gourd had mutated into the smaller, higher-quality Jade Green Gourd. The standard use for such a gourd was to refine it into a storage artifact.

But as his forging knowledge deepened, he had discovered a more sinister blueprint.

The Blood Gourd.

Like the Jade Green Gourd, it could store items. However, the Blood Gourd was designed to contain only one thing: living creatures.

Any living being sucked into its depths would be dissolved into bloody water within moments.

Crucially, this ‘blood water’ was an incredibly potent fertilizer for spirit plants, possessing effects similar to Spirit Rain.

The key material required to craft this horrific item was the ‘Blood Evil Wood Pulp’ found inside this very plant.

This pulp was versatile. In talisman crafting, it created the Blood Evil Wood Pattern. In formation mastery, it was the core of the Blood Evil Wood Devouring Formation.

Jiang Chen had been debating what kind of new artifact to forge. He currently possessed four main tools:

Instant Flash Green Wood Needle (Attack)

Demon Wood Boat (Transport)

Giant Leaf (Transport)

Jade Green Gourd (Storage)

His offensive options were painfully limited. The needle was good for assassinations, but he lacked area control or entrapment methods.

If he could forge a Blood Gourd, it would be like giving wings to a tiger. A force multiplier.

I need this.

Jiang Chen mentally marked the location of the Blood Evil Wood. He continued to wander, acting casual, but his excitement grew as he identified several other poisonous plants that were on the verge of becoming Supreme quality.

“The trading session begins now!”

A voice boomed from the far side of the valley.

Jiang Chen turned to see a mass of swirling black mist rolling in from the depths of the cave.

A chilling wind accompanied the fog, carrying a pungent, stinging scent.

The entrance was theatrical, over-the-top, and dripping with forced edge.

As the mist neared the crowd, it coalesced into a figure draped in heavy black robes.

It’s him, Jiang Chen thought. The guy from Senior Brother Zhu’s door.

“Keh… Keh… Keh!”

Nether Spring let out a rasping, staccato laugh, sounding like a stereotypical villain from a cheap play.

The crowd stared at him.

Silence.

No one gasped. No one trembled. The regulars looked bored, their posture shouting indifference.

Nether Spring laughed for a solid ten seconds. When he realized no one was reacting, his shoulders slumped.

“You… you guys could at least play along!” he whined, his villainous persona cracking instantly.

A masked figure in the crowd sighed. “We are playing along. We put on the robes and the masks, didn’t we? That should be enough.”

Another person chimed in, voice dripping with exhaustion. “Every time we trade, you make us wait just so you can make this entrance. Is it really that fun for you?”

Nether Spring’s mask twitched visibly. “Zhao Wuqing! Lin Nong! I’m marking your names down!”

The cultivator named Lin Nong rolled his eyes behind his mask. “Hurry it up. My seventh child and eighth grandchild are due any day now. I don’t have time for your cosplay.”

“Fine, fine! Let’s just start!” Nether Spring waved his hand dismissively, clearly annoyed that his mood had been ruined.

Jiang Chen watched the exchange, feeling a pang of second-hand embarrassment.

He had expected Nether Spring to be a terrifying, eccentric grandmaster. He thought the man was holding back a thunderous display of power.

Instead, the man was just… a weirdo.

I thought he was summoning a dragon, but he just let out a wet fart.

Did refining poison damage the brain?

Fortunately, while Nether Spring’s personality was questionable, his business conduct was professional.

The trading session began in earnest.

Nether Spring requested River of Forgetfulness Dew to refine his Yellow Springs Pill. Zhu Fuxian asked for Spirit-Devouring Withering Grass.

One by one, the attendees voiced their needs. Some lacked specific pills; others hunted for rare toxins.

Jiang Chen waited patiently. When the chatter died down, he stepped forward and listed the hidden treasures he had identified.

“I need the Blood Evil Wood, the Kun Earth Imprisoning Dragon Vine, the Green Wood Revitalizing Ginseng, and the Metal-Breaking Demon Bamboo.”

Every single item he named was currently ‘Superior’ but destined to become ‘Supreme’ within twenty-four hours.

Furthermore, all of them were critical materials for his future alchemy and forging plans.

Nether Spring paused. He could tell by the voice that this was a newcomer. To see a rookie try to acquire so many high-level poisonous materials at once was rare.

He looked Jiang Chen up and down. “A big appetite. Will you be paying with Spirit Stones or bartering with items?”

Jiang Chen patted the storage bag at his waist with a confident, heavy thud.

“Don’t worry about the payment,” Jiang Chen said calmly. “I am quite well-off.”