[Greenwood Thunder-Fire Spirit Root] [Vine Bind: 3rd Layer] [Blazing Oil Technique: 3rd Layer] [Green Lotus Art: 9th Layer]

Breaking through from the Early to the Mid-Stage of Foundation Establishment had granted Jiang Chen an additional thirty years of lifespan. In his pragmatic eyes, those extra decades were worth more than an entire harvest of high-quality crops from a Second-Grade Spirit Farm.

Jiang Chen ascended from the depths of the mine alone. The path was crowded with Earth Spirit Root disciples rushing downward, their faces flushed with greed, but Tie Zhu was nowhere to be seen.

When he reached the relative safety of the upper tunnels, Jiang Chen opened his storage bag and retrieved a Communication Talisman. He couldn’t let his brother miss this gold rush.

“Senior Brother Jiang! Long time no see. Do you need me to loosen some soil?” Tie Zhu’s cheerful voice crackled through the paper.

“Earth Vein, 38th layer,” Jiang Chen said, his voice clipped and urgent. “Yellow Earth Essence eruption. Get there. Now.”

He cut the connection immediately.

He didn’t offer explanations or waste time with pleasantries. He had pointed the way; whether Tie Zhu seized the fortune was a matter for fate to decide.

Jiang Chen sped out of the Earth Vein, bypassing his home and heading straight for the Spirit Farm Core Management Office.

Since he had publicly staged a breakthrough to the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment to cover his tracks, there was no point in hiding. It was six months ahead of his original schedule, but the benefits outweighed the risks. He needed to see Elder Mu immediately to claim his new land allocation.

Half an hour later, the silhouette of Flat Top Mountain appeared.

The admin hall was quiet at this hour. Jiang Chen walked straight into the main palace and spotted the elderly manager.

“It’s you,” Elder Mu said, instantly recognizing the disciple who had managed to grow Top-quality Spirit Rice.

Jiang Chen cupped his hands in a traditional gesture of respect. “Manager, I have successfully broken through to the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment.”

Elder Mu blinked, surprise flickering in his eyes. “Weren’t you in the late Qi Condensation stage just days ago?”

Jiang Chen recounted the events in the Earth Vein with practiced ease: the wine delivery to Tie Xin, Manager Yang Zhenyue’s eviction order, and the sudden, chaotic eruption.

Elder Mu nodded slowly as he listened. “To break through without the aid of a Foundation Pill… that is a stroke of immense fortune.”

The old man looked at him appraisingly. The boy’s comprehension was average, but his affinity for planting and his sheer luck were undeniable. In the cultivation world, luck was often a skill of its own.

“If you hadn’t known Tie Xin, you wouldn’t have been that deep. If the vein hadn’t collapsed, you wouldn’t have found the Qi,” Elder Mu mused. “As the old saying goes, it’s all about timing and fate.”

He smiled warmly. “Since you’ve crossed the threshold, you are entitled to the benefits of your new station.”

“First, your monthly stipend: one Mid-grade Spirit Stone and a bottle of Foundation Spirit Pills.”

Elder Mu handed over the resources. “And as a Wood Spirit Root farmer, you are granted an additional mu of Second-Grade Spirit Farmland. Where do you want it?”

“Right next to my current plot,” Jiang Chen answered without hesitation.

“Done. Go back and wait. A team of Earth disciples will arrive shortly to break ground.”

“Goodbye, Manager.” Jiang Chen bowed again and retreated.

Watching the young man’s figure recede, Elder Mu sighed, his eyes distant. “I have seen the Cloud Sea Sect rise, and I have watched as one cultivator after another fell. I wonder how far you will go, kid.”

Jiang Chen rode his Giant Leaf back to the farm, the wind whipping past his face.

Upon landing, Da Huang and the pearl chickens swarmed him, sniffing the potent, unstable energy still radiating from his pores.

Jiang Chen sat cross-legged on the grass. He began venting the residual attribute-less Spirit Qi he hadn’t fully assimilated.

Da Huang inhaled the nutrient-rich haze and promptly passed out in a drunken stupor. The pearl chickens huddled into a motionless ball, completely intoxicated by the power.

Time passed in silence until a rhythmic tremor shook the ground.

Jiang Chen opened his eyes. A squad of Earth Spirit Root disciples jogged into view. Men and women alike, they were built like oxen, their muscles corded and dense.

“Are you Senior Brother Jiang?” the leader asked, his tone respectful.

Jiang Chen stood and smiled. “That’s me.”

Senior Brother.

It had been nearly four years since he joined the Cloud Sea Sect. Finally, someone used the honorific upon first meeting. It was music to his ears.

“Senior Brother Jiang, we’re here to open up your second mu of land.”

Jiang Chen didn’t skimp on hospitality. He immediately produced a Top-quality Black-skinned Watermelon for the crew.

The leader, a burly man named Wu Guangman, beamed as he accepted the fruit. “I’m Junior Brother Wu Guangman, the team leader. These are my crew members. If you ever need tilling or Earth Qi infusion, just find us.”

“I appreciate it,” Jiang Chen said. “How does the process work?”

“We measure, loosen the deep soil, and then collectively infuse Earth Qi to transmute it into nutrient-rich black soil,” Wu Guangman explained. “The sect covers the costs for this first opening. Any future changes or relocations will cost you Spirit Stones or Spirit Rice.”

Jiang Chen nodded. “Let’s get to work.”

Wu Guangman rallied his team, and they began staking out the perimeter.

Jiang Chen directed them to the spot he had long since chosen: to the left of his wooden house, mirroring the first field.

It provided aesthetic symmetry, yes. But more importantly, it brought his legitimate operations closer to the stone mountain—making it that much easier to secretly transplant the mutated crops and black soil from his hidden sanctuary.