According to the records, the Earth Yuan Fruit had stringent growth requirements. It thrived only in areas saturated with thick Earth Qi. Its growth cycle was excruciatingly slow: ten years to root and sprout, another ten to flower and bear fruit.

More importantly, it possessed a unique duality that Jiang Chen found unforgettable.

When the fruit was intact with flesh, it embodied the Wutu attribute—[Yang Earth]. In this state, it was a premium resource for consumption, refining defensive artifacts, or establishing array foundations.

However, once the flesh was stripped away, leaving only the pit, its nature inverted to the Jitu attribute—[Yin Earth]. Its primary characteristic became “muddiness.” It could transform arid soil into rich, sticky clay.

Buried in a Spirit Farm, the pit acted as a potent fertilizer, improving soil quality and boosting the nutrient density for other crops. It could even serve as a high-grade medium for Talismans.

This explained the bizarre phenomenon from the previous night. The sudden transformation of the soil into a viscous sludge was the direct result of the pit’s Jitu influence.

Currently, three known mutations of the Earth Yuan Fruit existed.

1. Heavy Earth Fruit The fruit turned a dark, burnished gold, its surface etched with dragon-scale patterns. It became unimaginably heavy, weighing thousands of catties. Upon ripening, its sheer gravitational density would trigger localized earthquakes, requiring powerful arrays to mask its aura lest it attract Great Demons.

Utility: Massively amplified Earth-element spells and innate abilities.

Primary Use: Core material for the Earth-attribute Life-Bound Artifact, the [Xuanhuang Seal].

Market Price: ~3,000 High-grade Spirit Stones.

2. Filthy Earth Demon Fruit This mutation occurred when the plant grew in areas dense with Yin-evil energy, absorbing resentment and terrestrial malice. The fruit became pitch-black, veined with blood-red patterns. Merely touching it could warp the mind. It emitted a aura of decay, withering surrounding flora, yet often grew in symbiosis with the rare [Soul-Devouring Vine].

Utility: Refined into the [Filthy Earth Demon Pill], boosting Yin-evil arts.

Primary Use: Crafting the infamous [Filthy Earth Banner].

Market Price: Priceless due to rarity. Last seen a century ago, sold for 5,000 High-grade Spirit Stones.

3. Spatial Earth Yuan Fruit The rarest variant. It grew near unstable spatial rifts or Secret Realm entrances, absorbing leaking spatial energy. The fruit became semi-transparent, its interior filled with flowing, sand-like light. It was weightless yet impossible to store in standard spatial tools.

Utility: Granting insights into rudimentary Space-element arts like [Inch-Earth Shrinking] or [Minor Teleportation].

Primary Use: Refining Cave-Heaven artifacts (like pocket dimensions) or constructing [Cross-Realm Teleportation Arrays].

Market Price: None. It was too scarce to have a fixed price.

Standing atop the stone mountain, the cold wind whipped Jiang Chen’s hair across his face, but his mind was crystal clear.

An ordinary Earth Yuan Fruit was valuable, certainly. For Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was a treasure. But its true potential unlocked only at the Golden Core stage.

As his reading expanded, so did his understanding of the cultivation world’s harsh realities.

Upon reaching the Golden Core stage, a cultivator’s Spiritual Sense evolved into Divine Sense.

If one formed an Earth-Grade Golden Core, they could awaken an Innate Divine Ability based on their Spirit Roots. This was why elites like Chen Tian were obsessed with achieving an Earth-Grade Core.

Why had Feng Xiao succumbed to demonic possession back in the Flower Sea? Because a mere Human-Grade Golden Core granted Divine Sense but no Innate Ability.

This was the great filter.

Human-Grade cores capped out at the Nascent Soul stage, with most never even reaching that.

Earth-Grade cores offered a path to the Soul Formation stage.

And Heaven-Grade Golden Cores? They granted powerful Divine Sense, multiple Innate Abilities, and early contact with the Power of Laws. Ascension to immortality was all but guaranteed.

Jiang Chen’s gaze hardened. If I can cultivate this seed… if I use the [Spirit Finger] on it daily for twenty years… even a single mutation would change my destiny.

Wealth was secondary now.

If he could induce a mutation into the [Spatial Earth Yuan Fruit], he could refine a mustard-seed dimension. He would no longer need to sneak around like a thief, hiding his harvest in cumbersome bags or gourds.

Jiang Chen descended the mountain, careful not to disturb the stone blocking the entrance to the hidden cave. Regardless of Zhu Fuxian’s friendly demeanor, the elder’s presence was a warning. Jiang Chen needed to move the [Variant Mother Rice] immediately.

Back at his farm, he reburied the Earth Yuan Fruit pit in the second acre. Since its “muddying” effect was beneficial to the soil, there was no harm in letting it gestate there.

Ten years to root. Ten years to fruit. Even with the [Green Lotus Domain], this was a long-term investment.

With the planting done, Jiang Chen shifted his focus. It was time to master his second Fire-attribute technique.

Spiritual Sense had limits. Its range was too short for effective surveillance.

But if he mastered the [Fire Crow Qi Nurturing Method], he could bind Fire Crows as scouts. Their vision range far exceeded his own, acting as a third eye in the sky.

Moreover, he discovered a synergy: meditating near the [Golden Crow Vine] during the day not only accelerated his absorption of Fire Qi but also deepened his comprehension of fire-based arts.

Days turned into weeks.

Jiang Chen fell into a disciplined rhythm. By day, he tended the Golden Crow Vines and studied the Fire Crow manual. By night, he cultivated the Moonlight Grass. In the gaps, he brewed Spirit Wine, refined Vitality Pills, and cooked spirit meals.

His life was full, busy, and peaceful.

During this time, Jin Fugui rarely visited, except for quick ingredient drop-offs. Mo Yu only appeared to cast [Minor Rain]. Lin Yu, Lin Yan, and Wang Bing vanished entirely, likely sequestered in intense training for the upcoming [Formal Disciple Grand Competition].

As the solar term of Frost’s Descent passed, the temperature in the Spirit Farm plummeted.

Jiang Chen stood by the Golden Crow Vines, enjoying the radiant heat they emitted against the biting cold. He was on the verge of a breakthrough with the [Fire Crow Qi Nurturing Method].

Suddenly, a prickle of unease ran down his spine. He looked up, scanning the western sky.

A black dot was rapidly expanding, hurtling toward his farm.

The wind pressure arrived first—a heavy, oppressive gale that bent the trees and flattened the grass.

Whoosh!

A massive white crane, its wingspan exceeding twenty meters, descended from the clouds.

In the Cloud Sea Sect, Spirit Cranes were symbols of status, rarely seen outside the Beast Mountain.

“Storm Crane 7?” Jiang Chen recognized the beast instantly.

And if the crane was here, its master couldn’t be far behind. The genius of Beast Mountain, Long Ao, had arrived.