“I need to renovate my house. Are you free?”

The morning after the formation was installed, Jiang Chen pulled out Tie Zhu’s Communication Talisman.

It was time for an upgrade.

First, his wooden hut was a fire hazard—a serious concern for someone experimenting with high-temperature flames. Second, it was simply too small. He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator now, a man of status. Living in a cramped shack where guests had to sit on his bed was embarrassing.

Half an hour later, Tie Zhu arrived.

The young Earth Spirit Root disciple jogged over, utilizing the natural flow of the earth’s veins to move at a speed rivaling a flying artifact.

Jiang Chen was already brewing a pot of Orchid Mist Tea, a rare blend he’d picked up at the secret market. He poured a steaming cup and handed it over.

Tie Zhu took a sip, his eyes widening. “Good tea!”

“Junior Brother Tie,” Jiang Chen said with a warm smile. “You Earth cultivators are the experts on construction. Do you have any suggestions for my renovation?”

Tie Zhu set down his cup and looked critically at the wooden structure. “To be honest, Senior Brother, I’ve wanted to say this for a while. Your current place is too cramped. With your strength and status, you shouldn’t be squeezing yourself into such a small box.”

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “The current trend among successful Spirit Farmers is to upgrade to earthen or stone structures. They offer more space and are easier to expand.”

Jiang Chen nodded. Senior Brother Chen lived in a massive stone house that felt more like a fortress than a home.

“Stone it is,” Jiang Chen decided. “How long will it take?”

“If I work alone, at least three days,” Tie Zhu calculated. “If we hire a team, maybe one day.”

A team meant strangers. Strangers meant prying eyes. Jiang Chen waved his hand dismissively. “I only trust you. Take the three days.”

Tie Zhu beamed, touched by the display of confidence. “Don’t worry, Senior Brother! I won’t cut a single corner.”

“Drink your tea. I’ll clear out my things.”

Jiang Chen swept his belongings into his Jade Green Gourd. By the time he stepped back outside, Tie Zhu had drained his cup, savoring the lingering spiritual energy of the high-grade tea.

With a wave of Tie Zhu’s hand, the demolition began.

Roof tiles, rafters, beams, and walls dismantled themselves in an orderly fashion, reducing the wooden hut to a neat pile of lumber in minutes.

Tie Zhu set down his cup again and began surveying the terrain. If he knew anything about Formations, he could have incorporated a Feng Shui layout to boost the ambient Qi. Unfortunately, he was purely a builder.

They sketched out the plans.

The new house would be two stories high, with a two-level basement.

The ground floor would house the kitchen and living room. The second floor would contain the bedroom and study.

“Make sure there’s easy access to the roof,” Jiang Chen instructed. “In the summer, I like to lie up there and watch the stars.”

He could already picture it: the night breeze, the chirping of insects, the galaxy wheeling overhead. The atmosphere would be absolutely perfect.

The ground trembled as Tie Zhu crushed the old wooden foundations, preparing the earth for stone.

“Senior Brother,” Tie Zhu pointed to the nearby stone mountain. “We need a lot of raw material. Does that mountain have an owner?”

Jiang Chen froze for a split second before shaking his head. “No. It’s just a generic, unclaimed rock pile.”

“Perfect. I’ll start quarrying—”

“Start from the left side,” Jiang Chen interrupted.

“Why? If it’s unclaimed…”

“The right side is Da Huang’s designated toilet,” Jiang Chen lied smoothly. “It’s covered in shit.”

Tie Zhu recoiled, his face twisting in disgust. As an Earth disciple, he didn’t mind dirt or ore dust, but the thought of mining through layers of dog feces was visually and olfactorily repulsive.

In reality, the feces was a minor issue. The true reason was strategic: the right side hid the sealed entrance to the secret cave. The left side was solid rock.

Tie Zhu got to work.

Being a one-man crew slowed the process down. Excavating the foundation, laying the base, cutting the stone, and assembling the walls—it was heavy, meticulous labor.

To ensure Jiang Chen didn’t have to sleep in the dirt with the chickens, Tie Zhu prioritized the shell. By the end of the first day, the foundation, outer walls, and roof were largely complete, providing a windproof shelter.

Three days flew by.

Tie Zhu worked tirelessly, transforming the plot of land. The final result was a sturdy, imposing two-story stone house with a deep, reinforced basement.

Jiang Chen inspected the work and nodded in satisfaction. He handed over the agreed payment.

Thirty jin of Top-quality Spirit Rice. Five jin of Top-quality Spirit Wine. And the Flying Paper Crane.

Tie Zhu accepted the goods and immediately tried to offer thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones in return. “Senior Brother, this is too much. Helping you is helping myself.”

Jiang Chen pushed the stones back. “Take it. You missed three days of mining in the Earth Veins. I won’t let you work for a loss.”

Tie Zhu didn’t argue further. He knew that without Jiang Chen, he would never have tasted Top-quality rice, let alone reached the peak of Qi Condensation so quickly. To him, Jiang Chen wasn’t just a client; he was a benefactor.

Tie Zhu imprinted his Qi onto the Paper Crane. It fluttered to life, expanding to a rideable size. He hopped on, wobbling slightly as he learned the controls, and then ascended into the sky, exhausted but happy.

Jiang Chen watched him disappear over the horizon.

“Three days,” Jiang Chen murmured, his eyes narrowing. “He lived here for three days, walked past the fields a hundred times…”

This renovation had been a test.

He wanted to see if a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator with an Earth Spirit Root—someone sensitive to the land—could detect the anomalies in the second Spirit Farm.

The result was clear. Even at such close range, Tie Zhu had noticed absolutely nothing.

The [Mirror Flower Water Moon Array] was flawless.