My Portable Spirit Farm: Rise of the Humble Servant

Chapter 176: To Consume It Myself!

Innate Spirit Root…

Chen Ping stared at the radiant vine, his mind racing with calculations.

The value of this item was simply incalculable. An Innate Spirit Root was a unique existence in this world, a treasure that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Rank 5 Qingyun Ancient Tree.

To use such a heaven-defying object on a mere mortal? It would be a reckless squandering of heavenly treasures. It felt like using a diamond to crack a walnut.

Chen Ping stroked his chin, a dangerous idea taking root.

Is there a possibility… that if I consume this Innate Spirit Root myself, it would still have an effect?

Could it improve his Spirit Root aptitude? Could it enhance his cultivation talent?

Regardless of the specifics, a supreme treasure of this caliber could only be truly honored if he used it on himself.

After a moment of deliberation, Chen Ping decided to consult the source.

He concentrated his Divine Sense, projecting a clear inquiry to the mutated vine: “I already possess a Spirit Root. If I consume you, will it still work? Will there be a conflict? Or will it cause an unforeseen backlash?”

This time, the immature consciousness responded with much greater clarity.

“Ordinary… same kind… absorbed… invalid…”

“I… different… special… parasitize… Soul…”

“Second Spirit Root… Second Dantian… Second System… Symbiosis…”

Chen Ping communicated with it for a while longer, piecing together the fragmented concepts.

The explanation was shocking.

If this were an ordinary Five Elements Yin Spirit Vine, Chen Ping’s existing Spirit Root would simply digest it as fuel. There would be no permanent enhancement.

But this vine was an anomaly. It proposed a radical alternative: It would bypass his physical body entirely and parasitize the depths of his soul.

There, it would form a “Second Spirit Root,” completely independent of his original biology.

Using his chest—the Middle Dantian—as its foundation, it would open up a “Second Dantian” and construct a complete, parallel cultivation system!

It would provide Chen Ping with a secondary source of Qi processing, while Chen Ping’s powerful blood vitality would serve as the soil to keep it alive.

Mutual benefit. Perfect symbiosis.

“Deep within the soul… A Second Spirit Root… A Second Dantian…”

It sounded like fantasy.

But if it were true? This was an opportunity that defied the heavens.

Chen Ping’s heart began to hammer against his ribs involuntarily.

The allure was fatal.

What did an independent cultivation system imply?

Double the Qi accumulation speed?

Complex multi-threaded spell casting?

A hidden trump card that could catch enemies off guard?

Or perhaps… a “Second Life”?

But the risks were equally terrifying.

The Soul was the most vital and fragile component of a cultivator. Allowing an alien, sentient spirit entity to parasitize it was no different from planting a ticking time bomb next to his heart.

Was this “symbiosis” truly reliable?

Would it grow strong enough to devour the host?

Would opening a Second Dantian cause his physical body to collapse under the strain?

The variables were endless, and every single one of them pointed toward death.

Time ticked away. The light of the mutated vine grew unstable at the edges, pulsing erratically as if to remind him that the three-day deadline was imminent.

Chen Ping’s gaze flickered between the vine and his own hands.

Give up?

Watch this supreme Fated Chance wither into dust before his eyes?

He couldn’t do it.

The path of Cultivation was inherently defying heaven to fight for one’s fate. Great opportunities always walked hand-in-hand with great peril.

This vine was a miracle born from the unique environment of his Jade Pendant, the nourishment of the Spirit Spring, and the sacrifice of hundreds of its kin. Its rarity was beyond estimation.

To put it bluntly, its existence was an accident—and Chen Ping’s luck.

How low was the probability of a spirit plant evolving into an Innate Spirit Root? 1 in 100 million?

Since encountering the Qingyun Ancient Tree, Chen Ping had devoured ancient texts regarding botany. He knew exactly what this was.

And now, this supreme treasure was within arm’s reach.

Chen Ping wanted to slap himself for hesitating.

What is there to think about?

Cultivation is about fighting for the impossible. It is about seizing that unique “One” amidst a sea of zeros!

Perhaps, in the unseen workings of the world, this was Heaven’s Will.

“I’ll risk it! Wealth is sought in danger!”

Chen Ping’s eyes hardened.

He couldn’t bear to give it to anyone else. Therefore, he had to be the one to swallow the risk.

He believed in the logic of the Jade Pendant Space. Moreover, the vine’s desperate plea for symbiosis felt like a survival instinct, not a deception.

He extended a hand, slightly slick with sweat, and gingerly grasped the root of the mutated vine where the light was blinding and the Qi most dense.

It felt warm and smooth, like living jade. A surge of vitality pushed against his skin, eager to burst forth.

He took a deep breath.

He pulled!

The moment the spirit vine left the soil, its blinding light collapsed inward, every drop of essence retracting into the root system.

Chen Ping didn’t hesitate. He shoved the root mass—the vessel of the “Innate Spirit Root”—directly into his mouth.

It didn’t require chewing. The moment it touched his tongue, it dissolved into a warm, crystalline stream. A strange, five-elemental fragrance exploded in his mouth as the liquid slid down his throat.

But just as the energy was about to descend into his abdomen to join the Sea of Qi, a sudden anomaly occurred!

The energy seemed to possess a will of its own. It slammed the brakes within his meridians, reversed its flow, and shot upward like a geyser.

It bypassed the torso entirely, charging straight for his brow—the Sea of Consciousness!

A blast of cooling sensation swept through Chen Ping’s skull, as refreshing as plunging into an ice spring in the dog days of summer. His spirit shuddered in ecstasy.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the stream of energy condensed, twisted, and finally manifested as a phantom image of the Five Elements Yin Spirit Vine.

This phantom was purer and more solid than its physical form. Five-colored light swirled around it, radiating a sense of newborn innocence, joy… and dependence.

A clear thought stamped itself directly onto the core of Chen Ping’s soul.

“Thank… Symbiosis… Begin…”

As the thought echoed, the phantom vine gently swayed.

In that instant, countless rootlets—fine as spider silk—extended outward and pierced into the vast, boundless “soil” of Chen Ping’s soul.

“Ugh!”

Chen Ping grunted, his physical body violently shuddering. He nearly toppled over from his cross-legged position.

The “rooting” wasn’t physical pain. It was a profound, intrusive sensation of being pulled and filled from the inside out.

It felt like countless invisible needles were gently stitching themselves into the very fabric of his existence, settling down to draw nourishment.

Using his Inner Sight, he watched in awe. His soul power, originally a chaotic mist, was being drawn in thread by thread, absorbed by the hungry rootlets of the five-colored vine.

It didn’t feel like plunder.

It felt like a marriage.