The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

A blue system panel flickered into existence before Jiang Chen’s eyes, detailing the attributes of the recipe he had just mastered.

[Item: Ice Heart Jade Pot Wine]

Proficiency: Masterful

Effect 1: Slowly regenerates non-fatal injuries for cultivators below the Golden Core stage.

Effect 2: Reconstructs damaged Meridians.

Effect 3: Purges specialized Fire Poison from the body.

Effect 4: Upon consumption, Spirit Qi absorption efficiency increases by 100% and Water-attribute spell potency increases by 50% for one hour.

Effect 5: Reduces Spirit Qi consumption for Water-attribute techniques by 50% and increases the probability of breaking through a bottleneck by 10%.

Special Effect 1: Grants immunity to Cold Poison and negative Water-attribute status effects for one hour.

Special Effect 2: While submerged in water, the user can harness ambient Water Spirit Qi to unleash devastating spells.

Negative Effect: Long-term consumption leads to an accumulation of excessive cold energy, potentially freezing the Meridians.

For an ordinary alchemist, reaching this level of proficiency would take decades. For Jiang Chen, it was merely a matter of an instant.

He already possessed Masterful proficiency in Spirit Wine and Golden Wine. While those were lower in rank compared to the Ice Heart Jade Pot Wine, the underlying principles of fermentation and spiritual balance were universal. Leveraging his existing experience and the System’s assistance, he integrated the knowledge instantly, achieving perfect comprehension.

The next step was the actual brewing.

However, Jiang Chen didn’t rush. He didn’t even notify Long Ao, who was waiting anxiously outside.

He knew that if he produced a masterpiece immediately after receiving the recipe, it would be too suspicious. Genius had its limits; he didn’t want to appear monstrous.

So, he made Long Ao wait.

Two days drifted by peacefully.

During the day, Jiang Chen lived his life of leisure—eating, drinking, and tending to his plants. At night, he engaged in Dual Cultivation with Senior Sister Yu, diligently exchanging Yin and Yang energy.

During this period, Long Ao left briefly to attend to matters at the Beast Mountain but returned almost immediately. He was determined to wait until the wine was finished. Given his disfigured face and weakened state, it made little difference whether he rested here or in his own cave abode.

It wasn’t until the third day that Jiang Chen finally descended into the basement to begin the first batch.

He started by purifying his hands in spring water.

Then, he unsealed the storage vessel containing the Cold Pond Ice Spring water. The liquid poured out like molten blue crystal, instantly releasing a bone-chilling mist that lowered the room’s temperature.

Jiang Chen didn’t freeze it further. Instead, he poured it into a cauldron and brought it to a boil.

He stirred the bubbling liquid clockwise with a long ladle.

It was a strange alchemical reaction. After the Ice Spring water had been boiled exactly eighty-one times, a significant portion had evaporated. What remained was no longer water, but a thick, viscous fluid resembling white bone marrow.

This was the core essence of the wine: Ice Soul Marrow.

Next, Jiang Chen retrieved a fruit knife crafted entirely from porcelain to avoid contaminating the ingredients with metal Qi. He sliced the Ice Spirit Grass into translucent wafers and mixed them with the Snow Lotus Stamen.

As the mixture began to secrete a fragrant juice, he introduced the yeast.

The blue-white liquid instantly turned brilliant and crystalline, glowing with an inner light.

For the final step, Jiang Chen lined the bottom of the vat with washed Top-quality Spirit Rice. He created a palm-sized hollow in the center of the rice bed and carefully placed the Ice Toad Heart inside.

The Ice Toad Heart pulsed with intense cold. The moment it settled, frost spread rapidly outward, freezing the Spirit Rice, the spirit peppers, and the liquid mixture at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Jiang Chen watched with hawk-like intensity. The moment the frost reached the edge, he covered the vat with a layer of silkworm gauze and topped it with a bed of glowing red Fire Spirit Peppers.

Fire above, ice below. A delicate, volatile balance of Yin and Yang was achieved.

Under the heat of the peppers, the frozen mixture beneath began to thaw and transform into a jelly-like consistency.

Now, all that remained was to wait.

It would take at least seven days for the fermentation to complete. As with all spirit wines, the longer it aged, the higher the yield and quality.

Jiang Chen lingered in the basement for a while longer to ensure the reaction was stable before turning and heading back up to the surface.

In the living room, Long Ao was nursing a cup of Orchid Mist Tea. He looked like he was about to vomit from drinking so much tea over the last three days. Seeing Jiang Chen emerge, he shot up from his chair.

“How did it go?”

Jiang Chen smiled effortlessly. “The brewing process is complete. As for the final product… we will have to wait another seven days for it to ferment.”

Long Ao’s expression fell slightly.

There were only five days left until the start of the formal disciple competition.

If he wanted to participate, he would have to fight through the first two days without the healing wine. If his luck was good, he would face weak opponents and conserve his strength. If his luck was bad… he might run into a genius in the first round and be eliminated while still injured.

It was a gamble, but there was no other choice.

Jiang Chen glanced at the full cup of tea on the table. “Senior Brother, why aren’t you drinking?”

Long Ao grimaced. “I’ve been drinking tea every day. I feel like I’m marinating in it.”

“It seems you share Pei Mo’s preference for wine,” Jiang Chen remarked with a grin.

Hearing Pei Mo’s name, Long Ao paused, a flash of melancholy crossing his ruined face. “He has been gone from the Sect for over a year now. I wonder when he will return.”

Jiang Chen took a sip of his own tea. “I heard that Senior Brother Chen Tian will return in half a year. If Pei Mo intends to participate in the Grand Competition, he should be returning sooner than that.”

For formal disciples, the Grand Competition was the ultimate stage. A strong performance could attract the attention of the Elders. Breaking into the top ten guaranteed a spot as a Core Disciple, granting access to the lofty, resource-rich Immortal Peaks.

It was a once-in-a-decade chance to Defy the Heavens and change one’s fate. No ambitious cultivator would willingly miss it.

Long Ao sat back down, studying Jiang Chen with genuine curiosity. “Junior Brother, you don’t seem anxious at all. Do you really not plan to participate?”

Jiang Chen nodded firmly. “I am just an ordinary Wood Spirit Root farmer. I have never fought a day in my life. Rather than going up there to be humiliated and give away free points, I prefer to stay here and farm honestly.”

Long Ao’s expression grew complex. He sighed, a sound heavy with emotion. “If only everyone could have such clear-minded thinking as you, Junior Brother.”

Jiang Chen looked out the window at his Spirit Farm. The green seedlings swayed gently in the wind, painting a picture of tranquility. “The pursuit of the Immortal Path… is it not simply to seek a state of clear-mindedness?”

Long Ao was stunned. He sat in silence for a long time, digesting the words, before looking at Jiang Chen with deep respect.

“Junior Brother… I have been taught a lesson.”

At that moment, a vibration buzzed from the Jade Green Gourd at Jiang Chen’s waist.

He flipped his palm, and a Communication Talisman appeared. He stood up and walked to the door to ensure privacy.

It was Lin An.

“Senior Brother Jiang, I have scoured the markets!”

“I have confirmed 28 Spirit Farmers who are currently cultivating extreme Yang-attribute medicinal herbs.”

“How many are willing to sell?” Jiang Chen asked via spiritual transmission.

“Most of them. But many crops are not yet mature…”

“Good,” Jiang Chen commanded, his eyes narrowing. “Sign contracts with all of them immediately. Buy everything. Futures, pre-orders, whatever it takes. Lock down the supply.”

“Understood!”

Jiang Chen put away the talisman, his mind racing.

The Cloud Sea Sect had over ten thousand formal disciples. The Grand Competition wasn’t a week-long affair; it would drag on for months, possibly half a year.

That gave him plenty of time to corner the market and prepare his inventory.

Just as he turned to re-enter the house and resume his chat with Long Ao, the Jade Green Gourd vibrated again.

Jiang Chen paused. It wasn’t Lin An this time.

It was Lin Yu.

“Jiang Chen. My father wants you to come to the Rain Pavilion.”

“He wants to discuss the cooperation.”

Jiang Chen’s lips curled into a faint, satisfied smile.