Wang Ba felt the surging power coursing through his body and the density of his newly solidified muscles.

For a moment, he was tempted to push the Physique Strengthening Scripture straight to the Fourth Layer.

But he held back.

“What if I break through and Deacon Li notices?”

“How would I explain it?”

“Mastering the first three layers could be hand-waved as exceptional latent talent. But mastering the Fourth Layer so quickly? That’s not talent. That’s an anomaly.”

The first three layers combined hadn’t taken as much time or effort as the Fourth Layer typically demanded. To bridge that gap instantly would be suspicious.

“No. I need to be steady.”

“I’m only thirty. I’m not old yet. I have plenty of time. I can’t rush things.”

He paced the room, calculating the risks, turning the thought over and over in his mind.

In the end, Wang Ba crushed the seductive urge to max out the Physique Strengthening Scripture. Survival came first.

However, leaving so much Lifespan sitting idle in his account made him deeply uneasy.

Resources that couldn’t be converted into immediate personal strength were, in his current precarious situation, a waste. Worse, it felt like he was disrespecting the risk he had taken to sell that Spirit Poultry.

“Right! Didn’t that golden page from Old Man Sun record a cultivation method?”

Wang Ba suddenly remembered the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture.

According to the text, this method was agonizingly slow to cultivate.

Its effects were described vaguely, mentioning only the ability to “confuse the minds of others.” The specific utility could only be understood by one who practiced it.

Previously, Wang Ba had been unwilling to burn his precious Lifespan on something so ambiguous.

But now, with the Physique Strengthening Scripture locked behind a wall of caution, he had no other outlet for his resources. The Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture was his only option.

“Another skill, another path of survival,” Wang Ba comforted himself.

The only issue was that the technique didn’t currently appear on his cheat panel.

Clearly, he hadn’t met the entry requirements yet.

That was easy enough to fix. Between fermenting chicken feed, feeding the flock, and cleaning the coop, he had plenty of downtime to study.

“Oh, that’s right. Shopkeeper Lu stuffed a bag into my hands before I left.”

Wang Ba suddenly recalled the gift. He hurriedly pulled out the pouch and gently tipped its contents onto the table.

Clack.

A small, thumb-sized stone, irregular in shape and glowing with a faint blue light, tumbled out along with a pile of brilliant, ruby-red rice grains.

“A Spirit Stone… and is this Spirit Rice?!”

Wang Ba held his breath. He picked up the Spirit Stone, cradling it in his palm to examine it under the dim candlelight.

The uneven surface of the stone shimmered with a dreamlike luster, refracting the flickering flame.

It was no less exquisite than the finest diamonds from his previous life.

This was the first time he had actually held one.

Before, he had only watched from a distance as Immortals traded them. To say he hadn’t been envious would be a lie.

Now, he finally had the chance to toy with such an Immortal treasure.

The feeling was visceral. It was like being a child in his previous life and finally owning a high-quality razor—a symbol of growing up, of finally attaining something he had admired from afar.

But this wasn’t just a razor.

And this was far more than just a stone.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement churning in his chest.

Once calm, Wang Ba carefully scooped up a handful of the red grains.

Spirit Rice.

He had seen it many times in the grain shop, but he had never dared to buy it.

Nor did he have the money.

Unlike ordinary rice, which cost one tael and two mace of silver per catty, Spirit Rice was priced exclusively in Spirit Stones.

Even the cheapest variety—which looked identical to what lay before him—cost 0.02 Spirit Stones per catty.

He carefully gathered the grains on the table and weighed them in his hand. It was roughly one catty.

“Shopkeeper Lu really knows how to do business,” Wang Ba sighed internally.

Three Spirit Stones for twenty-two chickens, plus a free catty of Spirit Rice thrown in as a hook.

Although it was the cheapest grade, the gesture ensured that if an ordinary person had more goods to sell, they would undoubtedly return to Lu’s Grain Depot.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned his attention to the coop. He grabbed a male Spirit Poultry and activated his ability, draining every drop of its remaining time.

Gaining 0.4 years of Lifespan, he deftly slit the bird’s throat while it was still disoriented, draining the blood into a bowl.

He moved with practiced efficiency—boiling water, scalding the carcass, and plucking the feathers. He burned the feathers immediately to destroy the evidence. After washing the meat clean, he placed it in a clay pot, filled it with water, brought it to a rolling boil over high heat, and then reduced the flame to a simmer.

He started a second pot, mixing one liang of Spirit Rice with a larger portion of ordinary rice.

He couldn’t bear to cook a pot of pure Spirit Rice. It felt too extravagant.

As for the Spirit Poultry themselves…

Keeping them alive was a liability.

Deacon Li visited once a month. Hiding a few ordinary chickens was one thing, but hoarding twenty-two Spirit Poultry? The spiritual energy fluctuations would be impossible to mask. He would be discovered.

So, when he bartered with Shopkeeper Lu for the flock, he had already decided their fate.

He would eat them.

It was only twenty-two birds, after all.

In the mortal world, a woman during zuoyuezi—the traditional month of postpartum confinement—could easily consume thirty chickens to recover her strength. He could certainly handle twenty-two.

Although, it was undeniably wasteful.

If he really couldn’t finish them, he would find a way to sell the excess at a distant market.

Regardless, they absolutely could not remain in the manor.

The earthenware pot simmered over a low flame for nearly two hours. When he finally lifted the lid, a thick, rich aroma exploded into the room.

It needed no seasoning. With just a pinch of salt, the fresh, savory fragrance of the meat pierced straight through his nose and into his brain.

It was the spiritual energy. Just taking a whiff made Wang Ba feel as if he were about to ascend on the spot.

It was fortunate that this manor was isolated in a desolate wasteland. Anywhere else, this smell would have attracted unwanted attention immediately.

Wang Ba didn’t stand on ceremony.

He served himself a bowl of the crimson-tinted mixed rice, poured a bowl of rich chicken soup filled with tender meat, and added a side of blood tofu made from the bird’s essence.

The meat was melt-in-the-mouth tender, the blood tofu smooth as silk.

But most critically, even though he lacked a Spirit Root and couldn’t naturally capture Qi from the environment, the abundant energy stored within the Spirit Poultry’s flesh swarmed into his gut and surged through his limbs.

Vaguely, he could feel his Physique Strengthening Scripture advancing on its own.

The improvement was microscopic, but for Wang Ba, who had struggled for every inch of progress, it was a delightful surprise.

“No wonder the Immortals treat this as Spirit Chow. It truly is extraordinary!”

However, reality soon set in. After eating just one drumstick, Wang Ba felt his stomach bloat with fullness.

He only managed half a bowl of the rice before he hit a wall. He physically couldn’t swallow another bite.

The Spirit Rice released a fragrant, appetite-stimulating aroma the moment it hit the tongue, but the contained energy was simply too dense. As a mere mortal, Wang Ba’s body couldn’t process it fast enough.

“This is a problem. Twenty-two birds in one month? I’ll never finish them.”

“Especially since Deacon Li’s next visit is less than a month away.”

Wang Ba rubbed his distended belly, frowning in distress.

Forget twenty-two. Even eating five of these potent birds in a month would be a herculean effort.

Just look at him now—bursting with inexhaustible energy. He felt as if he could go three days without food or water and still run a marathon.

The energy buzz was so intense that he couldn’t sleep. Even as the moon climbed to its zenith and cast its silver light across his pillow, he didn’t feel a shred of drowsiness.

Tossing and turning was useless. He eventually gave up, climbed out of bed, and lit the oil lamp.

He pulled out the golden page recording the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture.

He had read it before, but the memory was hazy. Yet tonight, as he squinted at the tiny characters, the words seemed to burn themselves into his mind.

He meticulously studied the text from beginning to end, reading and rereading it several times, carefully analyzing the structure of every sentence.

Perhaps it was the Spirit Poultry fueling his brain, but Wang Ba felt exceptionally sharp tonight. He felt as if he could remember everything he read at a single glance.

Complex passages that had previously baffled him now unraveled with ease. When he looked away to recall them, the text appeared in his mind’s eye instantly.

He became completely immersed in the study, lost in the esoteric depths of the scripture, until the crow of a rooster shattered his concentration.

He looked out the window. The horizon was already turning the pale white of a fish’s belly.

“An entire night has passed?”

The chill wind of early morning, carrying the scent of damp earth, swept into the narrow room.

Wang Ba stood up from the table and stretched. Surprisingly, despite sitting on a hard stool all night, his lower back didn’t ache at all.

Instead, he felt refreshed, his mind clear and alert.

Most importantly, the night of hard work had finally yielded a result.

A new line of text hovered before his eyes.

[Consumable Item: “Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture” First Layer. Based on comprehensive aptitude and Root Bone, conversion requires 113.7 years.]

[Current Body’s Remaining Lifespan: 125.3 years]