Jiang Chen mentally reviewed his agricultural assets. The first acre of his Spirit Farm was strictly regulated; he couldn’t afford to make major changes to the crop rotation there.

The [Top-quality Spirit Rice] was the linchpin of his economy. It was simply too important.

A single season yielded four thousand catties. The distribution was non-negotiable: eight hundred for Chen Tian, one hundred and fifty for Jin Fugui, and a staggering one thousand two hundred and fifty catties submitted to the sect as tax.

That left him with roughly one thousand eight hundred catties.

From that surplus, three hundred catties were immediately earmarked for brewing [Top-quality Spirit Wine] and [Golden Wine]. When the dust settled, he only really owned about one thousand five hundred catties of rice per harvest.

That left the second acre—his Grade-2 Spirit Farm—as the only variable he could play with.

He couldn’t plant it fully, however. He needed to reserve space to transplant the [Variant Mother Rice] from the Stone Mountain. After running the numbers, Jiang Chen decided to dedicate the remaining space to two specific medicinal herbs for Yu Caiqing.

The Yang-extreme herb: [Golden Crow Vine]. The Yin-extreme herb: [Moonlight Grass].

The choice was pragmatic. The [Golden Crow Vine] was a dense, climbing creeper; he could plant it along the perimeter of the field to create a natural privacy screen, shielding his farm from prying eyes. As for the [Moonlight Grass], he had already successfully cultivated it once. Stick with what you know.

Yu Caiqing nodded, accepting his proposal. “Fine. I will source the [Crimson Sun Ginseng], [Black Yin Lingzhi], and [Tai Chi Flower] myself.”

“What about seeds?” Jiang Chen asked.

Yu Caiqing opened her jade-green medicine pouch. “I have plenty of [Moonlight Grass] seeds. As for the [Golden Crow Vine], you can purchase them at the market or exchange sect contribution points for them at the Spirit Farm Management Office.”

Jiang Chen blinked, leaning forward with a shameless, expectant gleam in his eye. “And regarding the… compensation?”

Yu Caiqing didn’t miss a beat. “If the harvest coincides with my pill refining, you may take one pill from the batch as payment. Whether you keep it or sell it is up to you. If I am not actively refining, I will purchase the herbs from you at full market price.”

Jiang Chen rubbed his chin, doing the mental math.

Yu Caiqing was a Senior Alchemist. A single batch of High-grade pills was worth over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones. If she succeeded with the Earth-grade pills, the value would quintuple, perhaps even decuple. And even in the worst-case scenario—a buyout—he would still make a solid profit.

It was a risk-free investment.

“Deal,” Jiang Chen was about to say, ready to ask for the seeds.

Buzz.

Suddenly, the [Black Nether Cauldron] sitting over the Earthfire vent began to tremble. A low, resonant hum filled the chamber.

All three cultivators spun toward the sound.

Yu Caiqing reacted instantly. “The batch is ready. The [Water-Fire Dragon Tiger Pill] is forming.”

Jiang Chen and Lin Yan watched with bated breath. This was a High-grade pill refinement—a rare spectacle.

Yu Caiqing reached into her pouch and produced a small, amber-colored box. The moment she cracked the lid, a surge of fierce, baleful energy flooded the room. It was like an invisible predator had just stalked in.

Lin Yan gasped, instinctively retreating several steps, her eyes wide with primal fear.

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes against the pressure. Inside the box sat a single drop of liquid. It wasn’t red; it was a mesmerizing blend of silver and gold, shimmering with a cold, metallic luster.

“Is that…” Lin Yan stammered. “A drop of Essence Blood from a thousand-year-old [White Gold Tiger]?”

Legend held that the White Gold Tiger possessed a trace lineage of the Divine Beast, the White Tiger. While their regular blood was red, their Essence Blood—the core of their vitality—manifested as liquid metal.

“Correct,” Yu Caiqing said, her voice grave. “The final step for the [Water-Fire Dragon Tiger Pill] requires this catalyst. It forces the latent medicinal energy to erupt.”

Jiang Chen activated his focus, determined to… observe every detail for future reference.

Yu Caiqing approached the shaking cauldron. She cracked the lid just enough to flick the drop of heavy, metallic blood inside.

BOOM.

The reaction was instantaneous. Steam erupted from the vents like a geyser.

This wasn’t normal steam. It carried the terrifying, suffocating aura of a millennium-old beast, laced with the razor-sharp sensation of Geng Metal Sword Intent. The air in the room felt like it was filled with invisible needles.

The [Black Nether Cauldron] groaned, rocking violently on its stand as if trying to contain a nuclear reaction.

Yu Caiqing didn’t flinch. She switched hand seals, abandoning the [Li Fire Art] for the [Fire Guiding Art]. She channeled her Qi, beckoning to the Earthfire vent below.

WHOOSH.

The orange flames, previously tamed, roared back to life. They twisted and danced wildly, surging up to wrap the cauldron in a blazing embrace.

The black iron of the cauldron, etched with frost patterns, began to glow a dull, angry red. The frost dragons carved into the legs hissed, spewing frantic clouds of freezing mist to counteract the heat.

Extreme heat. Extreme cold.

The atmospheric pressure in the room fluctuated wildly.

Jiang Chen silently took three large steps back. He unclipped the [Jade Green Gourd] from his waist, aiming it squarely at the cauldron. If that pressure vessel decided to become a bomb, he needed his shield up yesterday.

But the explosion never came.

Under Yu Caiqing’s masterful control, the chaotic energies began to harmonize. The shaking subsided. The glow steadied.

Finally, the lotus carvings on the lid bloomed open, releasing a soft, rhythmic light. A rich, intoxicating medicinal fragrance washed over them, dispelling the metallic sharpness in the air.

Yu Caiqing’s hands moved in a blur—left hand forming the Li Fire Seal, right hand the Fire Guiding Seal. She slammed her palms toward the cauldron.

Clang!

The lid soared into the air.

A cluster of liquid floated out, suspended in the thermal updraft. It glowed with a cyan-white light, radiating both the vibrant vitality of Wood and the lethal sharpness of Metal.

Yu Caiqing’s fingers danced, separating the mass into three equal spheres.

As the cauldron cooled, releasing waves of residual frost, the liquid spheres solidified rapidly.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

Three perfect pills dropped into her waiting jade tray.

“Amazing,” Lin Yan breathed, giving a thumbs-up. “High-grade pills, just like that. As expected of Senior Sister Yu.”

Jiang Chen kept his praise internal, analyzing the data. The complexity is exponential compared to the Vitality Pill. And the risk of failure—or death—is significantly higher.

Yu Caiqing bottled two of the pills. She took the third, still warm, and tossed it to Jiang Chen.

“A signing bonus for our partnership.”

Lin Yan looked on with naked envy. “A single [Water-Fire Dragon Tiger Pill] sells for at least one hundred and ten mid-grade spirit stones on the market right now.”

Jiang Chen caught the pill, beaming. “Senior Sister Yu is truly generous!”

Yu Caiqing rubbed her temples, exhaustion evident in her posture. “I need to rest. I will attempt the Earth-grade [Yin-Yang Interlace Pill] after I recover.”

Days passed. The autumn harvest arrived.

Across the sect, Spirit Farmers were busy scything down their crops.

Jiang Chen, looking like a man without a care in the world, strolled into the Spirit Farm Management Office. His storage bag was heavy.

He placed his submission on the counter: One thousand six hundred catties of [Top-quality Spirit Rice].

The clerk blinked. Usually, Jiang Chen submitted twelve hundred, maybe fifteen hundred. Why the sudden increase?

For Jiang Chen, the math was simple.

He was now at the Foundation Establishment stage. A slightly higher yield wouldn’t raise eyebrows the way it would for a Qi Condensation disciple. It was safe to show a bit more competence.

The 1,600 catties from his Grade-2 field were exchanged promptly.

[Sect Contribution Points +400]

Jiang Chen checked his balance. Adding this to his previous savings of 1,600 points, he had hit the magic number.

[Total Points: 2,000]

A grin spread across his face. Finally. He could afford a High-grade cultivation technique or spell from the Immortal Sect’s library.