The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Chapter 211: The Fourth Mu of Second-Grade Spirit Farm

My Wood Spirit Root acted as the kindling, feeding its verdant energy into the flames until my Fire Spirit Root burned with an unprecedented intensity.

Aided by the Ice Soul Orb, the mutation of Yu Caiqing’s Ice-Water Spirit Root was progressing at a terrifying speed. She seemed thoroughly satisfied with my performance.

“With your assistance,” she murmured, her voice laced with post-cultivation lassitude, “my Ice-Water Spirit Root should fully mutate into a pure Ice Spirit Root before the Beginning of Summer.”

I rose and pushed open the window. A biting gust of winter wind rushed in, scattering the lingering heat and the heavy scent of musk in the room.

“Senior Sister,” I said, letting the cold air clear my head. “During my trip to the Nether Spring Medicine Garden, I stumbled upon a piece of intelligence.”

Yu Caiqing’s eyes shimmered, her gaze turning soft and fluid as water. “What news?”

“Nether Spring mentioned that once the formal disciple competition concludes, the Return to Ruins Secret Realm will appear. Apparently, it only opens once every 101 years.”

Yu Caiqing nodded slightly. “I’ve heard of it. That realm is renowned for containing extreme Yin spirit plants and treasures, as well as highly toxic medicinal herbs.”

I shook my head. “With my current strength, participating would be no different from delivering myself to death.”

“If you don’t plan to go,” she asked, arching a brow with interest, “why bring it up?”

“Think about it,” I said, my tone turning pragmatic. “If the Return to Ruins Secret Realm is about to open—a place dominated by Yin energy—doesn’t that mean the market price for all Yang-attribute commodities is about to explode? Spirit plants, pills, treasures, Spirit Weapons… everything.”

Yu Caiqing wasn’t foolish; she caught on instantly. “I see. You want to seize this opportunity to cultivate high-grade Yang spirit plants for profit?”

And pills, I added silently in my heart.

And Spirit Weapons.

Selling barbecue seasoning, roasted meat, and raw ingredients provided a steady income, but the margins were thin.

True wealth—the kind that built empires—lay in alchemy and Spirit Weapon crafting. These were the industries of immense profit.

Every cultivator needed equipment and consumables. And when preparing for a life-and-death venture like the Return to Ruins Secret Realm, they would pay any price.

Yu Caiqing chuckled lightly, breaking my train of thought. “You know, once my Spirit Root mutation succeeds, my entire focus will be on the Yin-Yang Interlace Pill.”

The implication was clear.

While this was indeed a golden opportunity to make a fortune, she wasn’t interested.

She was already a wealthy woman. She didn’t lack Spirit Stones. To her, wasting time refining low-level Yang pills for profit was beneath her station.

“Alright,” I said, feigning a sigh of regret. “A pity.”

Yu Caiqing stretched her arms, her skin looking impossibly fair against the dark wood of the room. “The Pill Tower is distributing its annual dividends over the next few days. As a resident Senior Alchemist, I cannot be absent. I won’t be able to accompany you for a while.”

Her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of crimson, and she cast me a glance that was equal parts coquettish and reproachful before dressing and taking her leave.

After Yu Caiqing left, I lay back on the nanmu bed, turning my attention inward to the sea of Qi in my dantian.

My Wood Spirit Power and Wood Spirit Root had been drained significantly during our session—exploited, really.

But the returns were astronomical.

Under the stimulation of Senior Sister Yu’s mutating Ice-Water Spirit Root, my Thunder-Fire Spirit Root had strengthened further.

In the past, my Fire Spirit Power accumulation had been sluggish due to the lack of a proper environment to absorb Fire Spirit Qi. But now, it had not only caught up to the concentration of my Wood Spirit Power but showed signs of surpassing it.

There was even better news.

The gestation of my Earth Spirit Root had accelerated.

Originally, I estimated it would take at least a hundred years to birth my first natural Spirit Root. But under the high-intensity stimulation of dual cultivation with a mutant Spirit Root possessor, that timeline had shrunk drastically.

It might only take a few decades now.

This was the terrifying advantage of dual cultivation. It was no wonder so many cultivators began seeking Dao Companions as early as the Qi Condensation stage.

I finally climbed out of bed.

Considering Lin An might drop by later, I prepared extra food. Once the daily chores were handled, I descended into the second basement level.

My alchemy furnaces and crafting stations sat in quiet anticipation.

Because Yu Caiqing had been staying over every night recently, I hadn’t touched them in days.

My hands were truly itching to work.

I had purchased several highly poisonous herbs from Nether Spring, and with Senior Sister Yu occupied at the Pill Tower for a few days, I finally had solitude.

It was the perfect opportunity to forge a few Blood Gourds.

I wanted to see if I could produce a Top Grade Spirit Weapon.

I wasted no time.

Compared to the Novice-level Green Wood Needle, the Blood Gourd was a significantly more complex artifact. The risk of failure was real.

For materials, I had the small Jade Green Gourds I’d grown and the Blood Evil Wood. My storage space was stocked with all the necessary mineral catalysts.

Ordinary blacksmithing involved placing metal in a mold and hammering it into submission.

Spirit Weapon crafting started similarly but diverged wildly in the later stages.

It required almost no physical hammering. Instead, materials were fused within the mold, additives were introduced, and the crafter had to maintain absolute control over heat, temperature, Spirit Power, and timing.

Crucially, one could not use mortal fire. While it could technically shape the object, the resulting quality would be trash.

One had to use the Fire Spirit Root, burning one’s own Qi.

Laymen called it “burning away impurities.”

Masters called it “shedding the mortal coil.”

I located the Spirit Weapon mold for gourds and retrieved five identical Jade Green Gourds from my inventory.

I actually had dozens of them. When I originally asked Hong Chui to forge one, he had used a single gourd. But during my harvest mutation, the vine had produced a staggering 42 gourds.

I lit the fires.

I used a brass crucible to melt the mineral base.

I sliced open the Blood Evil Wood, extracting the thick, crimson sap within.

Although this was my first attempt at a Blood Gourd, my movements were fluid and precise. My Spirit Weapon crafting skill had firmly reached the Proficient level.

Time slipped away, dissolved in the heat of the furnace.

Just as the first Jade Green Gourd was stabilizing into its new form, a faint voice drifted down from the floor above.

I frowned, forced to cut the flow of Qi and interrupt the process. The fires died down as I turned and headed upstairs.

When I reached the ground floor, I found Lin An standing at the doorway, craning his neck to peek inside. He let out a visible sigh of relief when he saw me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing bad,” Lin An replied quickly. “It’s just… the Earth Spirit Root disciples are here. They’re ready to open up the fourth mu of the Spirit Farm.”

I blinked in surprise. “They’re willing to come out in this freezing weather?”

Lin An scratched his head. “I don’t know why either. But the moment they heard it was for you, those Earth Spirit Root disciples got incredibly excited.”

I smiled, an educated guess forming in my mind. “Let me guess. Is the leader a hulking tower of muscle named Wu Guangman?”

Lin An’s jaw dropped. “How did you know?”

I pointed a finger toward the second and third mu of my Spirit Farm. “Those fields are their handiwork.”

Lin An slapped his thigh. “That explains it! No wonder they wouldn’t rest even in the snow. As soon as they heard they were reclaiming land for you, they came running. I couldn’t have stopped them if I tried!”