The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

The Beginning of Spring.

The biting frost of winter finally began to recede, replaced by the faint promise of warmth.

Before the first rays of dawn could pierce the horizon, Jiang Chen was already awake. He rolled out of bed and headed straight for the outer ridges of the fields.

A hundred meters away, the door to a crude earthen hut creaked open. Lin An stepped out, his movements brisk and vibrating with nervous energy.

Everyone knew the significance of this day. The Beginning of Spring wasn’t just the optimal time for planting Spirit Seedlings; it marked the arrival of the annual Spirit Qi Tide.

For any cultivator with a Wood Spirit Root, today was the most important day of the year.

The two men soon met on the path.

“Senior Brother Jiang,” Lin An said, his eyes widening slightly. “You look… different. Have you lost weight?”

Jiang Chen touched his cheek, feigning surprise. “Have I?”

Lin An nodded. “Before, you looked robust. Now? You look lean. Wiry.”

Jiang Chen frowned slightly, though internally, he knew exactly why.

It seems the frequent Dual Cultivation sessions are taking a physical toll, he mused.

Fortunately, the “relentless effort” had paid off. He had successfully… persuaded Senior Sister Yu Caiqing.

She had agreed to invest 10,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Once Jiang Chen sold off a portion of his own stockpile, he could match that amount. Adding the contributions from Jin Fugui and Mo Yu, the total pool would reach a “small” 30,000.

It wasn’t a fortune by the standards of major clans, but for a group of independent disciples, it was their absolute limit. They had squeezed every stone they had.

The only variables left were Lin Yu and her father, Bai Xiaotian.

Since his last conversation with Lin Yu, there had been radio silence.

Had she forgotten to mention it? Or was Bai Xiaotian simply uninterested in a partnership?

Regardless, Jiang Chen was a pragmatist. If he couldn’t secure the Talisman and Curse market, he would simply pivot. He would concentrate his “attack” entirely on Spirit Plants, Pills, and Spirit Weapons.

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.

The ambient Wood Spirit Qi thickened, heavy and sweet. The density multiplied with every breath.

Jiang Chen snapped back to the present. He turned to Lin An, his voice authoritative. “Don’t worry about planting the crops. I’ll handle the sowing personally. You just focus on absorbing the Qi when the tide hits.”

“Alright!” Lin An agreed hurriedly, relieved.

Jiang Chen reached into his storage bag and pulled out a jar. “Here. One jin of Top-quality Spirit Wine.”

He handed it over. “You’re still in the Qi Condensation stage. Your body can’t handle pills yet. Stick to this.”

Jiang Chen actually possessed a batch of Top-grade Foundation Spirit Pills. Their effects were similar to the wine, but far more potent.

However, they were strictly for Foundation Establishment cultivators. If Lin An took one, his meridians would likely explode. Conversely, for a Golden Core cultivator, the effect would be negligible.

Lin An accepted the jar with trembling hands. He had tasted this wine before and knew its value.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang!” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I swear, I will reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible!”

Jiang Chen nodded and moved toward the first mu of the Spirit Farm.

He stood at the edge of the field, the spring seedlings ready in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he scattered them all at once.

As the seeds hung in the air, Jiang Chen formed a hand seal.

Vine Bind.

Invisible tendrils of Qi lashed out, catching every single seed with pinpoint precision. With a sharp mental command, the Qi drove the seeds downward. They drilled into the rich black soil in perfect unison, buried at the exact optimal depth.

The efficiency was terrifying.

Lin An watched, jaw slack. “Is… is that a Foundation Establishment technique?”

Back when they had been promoted to regular disciples, they were given the chance to choose one free spell from the archives: Spirit Growth Art, Vine Bind, or Wood Spirit Nourishment Art.

Everyone—except Jiang Chen—had chosen the Spirit Growth Art for its utility in boosting crop yields.

Lin An had never seen Vine Bind used for planting. He naturally assumed it was some high-level divine ability.

Jiang Chen ignored the gaze and inspected his work.

In the past, this first mu had been a mix of Spirit Rice, vegetables, and Spirit Clover. Now, he had completely abandoned the low-value Spirit Clover.

He moved to the second mu. The perimeter was still guarded by the thorny Golden Crow Vines, but the interior had changed.

Alongside the precious Variant Mother Rice, the field was now densely packed with variant offspring rice.

If the first field was his “basic income” for sect tasks, this second field was his personal treasury.

The Spirit Qi concentration in this Mutated Spirit Rice was at least double that of Top-quality Spirit Rice. It was a resource ordinary disciples could only dream of.

After sowing the variant rice, Jiang Chen checked a specific spot in the soil.

The Earth Origin Fruit.

It had been nearly half a year since he planted the seed. During that time, he had repeatedly used the Green Lotus Domain to force its growth.

Yet, peering at the soil, he saw only a tender green sprout.

Truly worthy of its reputation, Jiang Chen thought, shaking his head. Ten years to take root, ten years to flower and fruit.

Even with his cheats, it would take another year or two to reach maturity.

He moved to the third mu.

This was the plot gifted to him by Wang Ze. Originally, he had planned to grow standard melons and fruits here. But after his “strategic discussions” with Senior Sister Yu Caiqing, plans had changed.

He needed Yang-extreme medicinal herbs.

Yu Caiqing needed them to refine the Yin-Yang Interlace Pill. Furthermore, when the Return to Ruins Secret Realm opened, these herbs would be essential for survival and trade.

He seeded the ground with Crimson Sun Ginseng and Red Gold Thunder Marrow Grass.

Finally, the fourth mu—the Grade 2 field he had acquired from Lin An.

Here, he continued the theme of Yang-extreme herbs, but with a twist. Instead of Ginseng or Vines, he planted Piercing Sun Lingzhi and Warm Sun Mushrooms.

Rumor had it that these two fungi possessed a symbiotic relationship. When grown together, their qualities would resonate and improve. If he got lucky, they might even mutate.

By the time Jiang Chen finished planting all four fields, the sky was turning a pale grey.

Boom.

Suddenly, the air trembled.

The Wood Spirit Qi didn’t just rise; it erupted like a gusher.

The Spirit Qi Tide had arrived.

Jiang Chen and Lin An immediately dropped into a lotus position, each claiming a spot on the ridges.

Lin An uncorked his jar, took a swig of Top-quality Spirit Wine, and began circulating the second level of the Evergreen Art.

Jiang Chen went a step further.

He popped a Top-grade Foundation Spirit Pill into his mouth like a piece of candy, washed it down with a mouthful of Top-quality Golden Wine, and engaged the max-level Green Lotus Art.

Beneath the soil, his companion Green Lotus silently extended its roots, amplifying his absorption.

The difference in efficiency was brutal.

Lin An was still in the Qi Condensation stage. His Qi Sea hadn’t opened, so he could only store Qi within his meridians. Even with the wine, he was like a cup trying to catch rain.

Jiang Chen, however, was a black hole.

His Qi Sea devoured everything. The endless stream of Wood Spirit Qi poured into him, rapidly refining into pure Wood Spirit Power.

Previously, due to his dual cultivation with Yu Caiqing, his Fire Spirit Power had grown in both density and volume. It had been aggressive, constantly threatening to consume his Wood Qi.

But now?

The Wood Spirit Power surged, expanding from a goose egg to the size of an ostrich egg.

The Fire Spirit Power, realizing it was outmatched, instantly curled in on itself. The “desire” to devour vanished.

Jiang Chen nearly laughed. It really is a case of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

On the other side of the field, Lin An was undergoing his own transformation.

The nine wisps of Spirit Power in his body, battered by the external pressure of the Wood Qi tide, finally began to fuse. They twisted, compressed, and merged into a single, thick strand.

His aura spiked. His physique, realm, and strength jumped to a new level.

Tears streamed down Lin An’s face.

“I finally… I finally reached Qi Condensation Mid-stage!”

Under normal circumstances, he should have reached this level years ago. He might have even been Late-stage by now.

But he had made mistakes. He had delayed his own growth. It was a classic case of reaping what one sows. Only now, thanks to Jiang Chen’s charity and the Top-quality Spirit Wine, had he managed to claw his way back to mediocrity.

He was still lagging behind Zhao Ziyao and Zhao Ying. And compared to the Foundation Establishment monster sitting nearby…

“Senior Brother Jiang!” Lin An turned, eager to share his small victory.

The words died in his throat.

Lin An sat there, dumbfounded.

Jiang Chen was surrounded by an incredibly dense wall of Wood Spirit Qi, so thick it was impossible to see the person inside!