The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Chapter 257: Green Wood Mystical Swan

The announcement sent a ripple of excitement through the gathered crowd.

Chen Bo and Jiang Chen exchanged a glance, both breathing a silent sigh of relief. If Chen Tian succeeded in breaking through to the Earth-grade Golden Core, the Chen Clan wouldn’t be the only ones ascending. Everyone in his orbit—Chen Bo, Jiang Chen, Han Xin—would be pulled up in his wake.

Even the Water Spirit Root disciples of the Rain Pavilion felt a surge of vicarious pride. Finally, someone was poised to reclaim the glory that Shui Wuhen had lost.

“We look forward to Senior Brother Chen’s breakthrough!” “If you need anything—pills, materials, manpower—just say the word!”

The enthusiasm was palpable. Chen Tian smiled, radiating a quiet, unshakeable confidence. “I appreciate the offers, but I have already gathered everything I need. From the cores of Five Elements monsters to the necessary pills, talismans, and formations—my preparations are complete.”

Once he finished greeting his acquaintances, he would enter secluded cultivation. Unless the sky fell, he would not emerge until he was a Golden Core master.

The jump from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment was relatively forgiving; a healthy body and a Foundation Pill were usually enough. But the transition from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was a metamorphosis—the alchemical transmutation of liquid Spiritual Energy into solid Qi. It was a grueling process that could take anywhere from six months to a year.

As time passed, the crowd of well-wishers thinned out, leaving only the core trio: Jiang Chen, Chen Tian, and Chen Bo. Han Xin was absent, likely drunk in a ditch somewhere, and Pei Mo was busy preparing for the formal disciple competition.

Chen Tian turned his gaze to Jiang Chen, his eyes crinkling with warmth. “So, Junior Brother Jiang. How does it feel to be a Spirit Nurturing Envoy?”

Jiang Chen patted the token at his waist. “Not bad. It has its perks.”

“Your talent justifies the rank,” Chen Tian said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Eight hundred pounds of Top-quality Spirit Rice every quarter for two years straight? That kind of stability is terrifying. You earned this.”

Jiang Chen grinned. “We’re all on the same side, Senior Brother. No need for flattery.”

“That we are,” Chen Tian agreed, his expression hardening slightly.

Seeing the shift, Jiang Chen dropped his smile. “Senior Brother, a word of caution. Watch out for a man named Mo Sha.”

Chen Tian let out a cold laugh. “I know the name. The man who broke Shui Wuhen’s spirit and trampled the Rain Pavilion’s face. If I weren’t about to enter seclusion, I’d hunt him down myself. If he comes looking for trouble… I’ll be happy to send him on his way.”

Chen Bo cleared his throat, steering the conversation to safer waters. “Tian, didn’t the Rust Dynasty promise Junior Brother Jiang an annual stipend?”

He pulled out a small storage bag and handed it to Jiang Chen. “Here. Three thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, plus the monster cores I promised you.”

Jiang Chen accepted the bag with both hands, bowing deeply without checking the contents. “Thank you, Senior Brother!”

Chen Tian looked at them both, his voice solemn. “Listen to me. When the time comes for you two to attempt the Golden Core, I will spare no expense to aid you. That is a promise.”

“That’s a long way off,” Chen Bo joked. “I’m mid-stage, and he’s early-stage. We’ve got at least five or ten years of grinding ahead of us.”

“Indeed,” Jiang Chen agreed.

The pleasantries were done. Jiang Chen cupped his hands. “I won’t keep you from catching up. I need to visit an acquaintance on the third floor.”

He turned and headed up the stairs.

Once they were alone, Chen Tian produced a second, larger storage bag and pressed it into Chen Bo’s hands. “Cousin. The ‘Foolish Prince’ persona and the Spirit Envoy position… I fought for those for you. Since you gave them to Junior Brother Jiang Chen, I have to compensate you differently.”

Chen Bo swept his Spirit Sense into the bag and nearly choked. “Ten thousand Spirit Stones? Four monster cores? And… an egg?”

“Ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones,” Chen Tian confirmed. “And a Green Wood Mystical Swan egg.”

Chen Bo’s jaw dropped. “A Green Wood Mystical Swan?”

It was a premier Wood-attribute spirit beast, rumored to carry a trace of the legendary Green Luan’s bloodline. Its value on the open market was astronomical—far exceeding ten thousand stones.

“The hunting team I joined in the Central Region stumbled upon a nest,” Chen Tian explained. “We got lucky.”

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the Rain Pavilion.

Jiang Chen scanned the Chamber. Surprisingly, Lin Yu wasn’t at her usual post, but her older sister, Lin Yan, was present.

“You…” Lin Yan blinked, surprised. “Are you here for my sister?”

“No,” Jiang Chen said.

Lin Yan’s eyes lit up, a flush rising to her cheeks. “Oh? Are you here for me?”

“No.”

Lin Yan’s face darkened instantly. “Then who are you looking for?”

“Me.”

Bai Xiaotian walked out of a small workroom, his face an emotionless mask.

“Father?” Lin Yan looked between them, baffled. “What business do you have with him?”

“He’s my material supplier,” Bai Xiaotian said flatly.

“Father,” Lin Yan warned, narrowing her eyes at Jiang Chen. “Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him abduct my sister.”

Bai Xiaotian smirked. “That would be fantastic. Take her off my hands.”

Jiang Chen ignored the family drama and cut to the chase. “Old Bai, how’s the Storage Bag?”

“Your materials are high quality,” Bai Xiaotian said. “Success rate is up. I have five hundred sheets ready.”

Jiang Chen frowned. “Only five hundred?”

Bai Xiaotian bristled, his voice rising an octave. “Hey! Do you know how old I am? Five hundred high-grade talismans in a few months, and you call that little?”

Jiang Chen laughed awkwardly, waving his hands. “No, no! Just saying, fifty or sixty is the prime of life for a cultivator! You’re practically a young man!”

Bai Xiaotian’s face turned a dangerous shade of purple. Sensing imminent violence, Jiang Chen dumped a new batch of raw materials on the table and bolted.

“Keep up the good work!” he shouted over his shoulder, sprinting down the stairs.

He didn’t stop running until he burst out of the first-floor entrance, gasping for air.

“Jiang Chen?”

He looked up to see Lin Yu walking toward the pavilion.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said, eyeing his disheveled state. “Did the Flying Serpent scare you?”

“Worse,” Jiang Chen said gravely. “Something far more terrifying than a mere serpent.”

Lin Yu paused, tapping her chin. “My father?”

Jiang Chen stared at her in shock. “How did you know?”

She smirked, tossing her hair. “Please. An angry Bai Xiaotian is scarier than any monster in the sect.”