The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Only one day remained until the official disciple competition.

In the morning, just after Jiang Chen had finished absorbing the Wood Spirit Qi gathered by the spirit plants, he felt a subtle vibration from his Jade Green Gourd.

With a thought, a Communication Talisman materialized in his hand. He infused a trace of his own Wood Spirit Power into it to activate the connection.

Chen Bo’s voice crackled through from the other side. “Junior Brother Jiang!”

“The newly recruited Wood Spirit Root disciples have all arrived at the outer area. It’s time for you to head over.”

“No problem,” Jiang Chen replied calmly. “Don’t forget what we discussed earlier.”

“Rest assured,” Chen Bo laughed. “I will definitely give that ‘foolish prince’ special attention.”

The connection cut. Jiang Chen stowed the talisman and stood up, dusting off his robes as he headed toward the stone house.

Before leaving for the outer perimeter of the Spirit Farm, he had chores to attend to. Specifically, he needed to prepare meals for Da Huang, the pearl chickens, Senior Sister Yu, and Senior Brother Long.

The first two were his pets.

Senior Sister Yu was his Dao companion.

Senior Brother Long was a distinguished guest.

All of them needed to be taken care of.

Fortunately, for the current Jiang Chen, cooking was a trivial task. With just a few simple ingredients, he could whip up a feast that would make a mortal emperor weep with joy.

As he plated the food, Yu Caiqing looked up, her eyes soft. “Will you be back tonight?”

“I will,” Jiang Chen promised.

“Alright. I’ll wait for you.” She looked particularly ravishing this morning, her usual icy demeanor melted into something delicate and charming.

Jiang Chen walked out the door and immediately summoned the Giant Leaf.

The artifact expanded, four massive emerald blades spinning slowly. He stepped onto it, and with a surge of Qi, he shot into the sky, flying toward the outer perimeter.

This time, Long Ao did not follow.

Trailing behind Jiang Chen every day felt a bit strange for a man of his pride.

However, Long Ao didn’t stay in the stone house either. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings with Yu Caiqing, he summoned his own Paper Crane and flew off toward the entrance of the Earth Vein caves.

As the distance to the outer perimeter closed, the landscape below unfolded.

Jiang Chen gazed down at the mountains and plains covered in First Grade Spirit Farms.

Since spring had only just arrived, the fields were lush with young spirit rice seedlings.

It was a sea of emerald green, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The sight filled Jiang Chen’s heart with complex emotions.

When he had successfully passed his assessment and become a full disciple back then, he never imagined he would return like this.

He was coming back not as a laborer, but as a Foundation Establishment expert representing the core administration.

The present was truly different from the past. Everything had changed.

“Look up! Four huge leaves are spinning in the sky!”

“There’s someone standing on them!”

“It must be a full disciple from the inner circle!”

“That flying artifact looks incredibly advanced… definitely not something a Qi Condensation disciple could own!”

As Jiang Chen descended, he instantly attracted the attention of the Outer Peak disciples below.

People standing outside pointed and shouted. Those inside heard the commotion and ran out to join the spectacle.

In moments, hundreds of people had gathered in the clearing.

Among them were quite a few seasoned Outer Peak disciples who had failed the assessment once, or even twice before.

At this moment, a female disciple with a Wood Spirit Root, dressed in the white robes of a full disciple, stepped forward.

“Are you Senior Brother Jiang Chen?” she asked tentatively.

Jiang Chen looked down at her from his hovering leaf. “I am. are you the full disciple assigned to guard the Spirit Farm this rotation?”

The woman’s attitude was extremely respectful. “Reporting to Senior Brother Jiang, my name is Lin Ya. I am indeed the guard for this rotation.”

Lin Ya had only become a full disciple two years ago. She had been personally recommended by Su Qing for this position.

Initially, when she heard Jiang Chen was coming, she hadn’t thought much of him.

In fact, she had privately resented him, believing he had snatched the easy “assessment” role while leaving her with the arduous “guarding” duty.

Conducting assessments was prestigious. Guarding the fields was hard labor. The disparity was obvious.

But then she learned who backed him.

The person who recommended him was Chen Bo, the cousin of the genius Chen Tian.

He was also connected to Wang Ze, a famous Foundation Establishment disciple in the core area.

And even Elder Mu, the Spirit Farm Manager, seemed to favor him.

Upon realizing his web of connections, Lin Ya instantly dropped her disdain. Now, she was just nervous.

Offending someone with this kind of background would be suicidal for her career.

Jiang Chen controlled the Giant Leaf to land gently. “Junior Sister Lin, you’ve worked hard.”

Lin Ya blinked, stunned. She quickly recovered, plastering an ingratiating smile on her face as she turned to the crowd of curious onlookers.

“Junior Brothers!” she announced loudly. “This is the Foundation Establishment expert who will be conducting your assessments this year—Senior Brother Jiang Chen!”

A full disciple.

And at the Foundation Establishment stage?

The crowd went into an uproar.

They all respectfully cupped their hands and bowed deeply, their voices thundering in unison. “Greetings, Senior Brother Jiang!”

Jiang Chen smiled warmly. “Junior Brothers, you’ve all worked hard. I hope every single one of you can successfully become a full disciple this year!”

Standing beside him, Lin Ya thought to herself, I heard rumors that this Senior Brother Jiang might be difficult, but he’s actually so polite. He treats me and even these outer disciples with respect.

Maintaining his benevolent smile, Jiang Chen continued, “Junior Sister Lin and I will be stationed here for a year. If any of you have questions about cultivation or farming, feel free to ask.”

“This Senior Brother Jiang is too good!”

“Most full disciples act high and mighty, looking at us like we’re dirt!”

“What do you know? Truly powerful people are always approachable!”

Ignoring the whispers of praise, Jiang Chen shot a meaningful glance at Lin Ya.

Taking the hint, she walked with him to a quieter spot away from the crowd.

“Senior Brother Jiang?” she asked, her eyes questioning.

“Is there an Outer Peak disciple named Mo Yin here?” Jiang Chen asked.

Lin Ya paused. “Mo Yin? At this time of day… he should be taking a nap.”

Her expression turned complicated. “That person is… very strange. He neither cultivates nor tends to the plants. He lives like a mortal from the secular world—he spends all his time eating and sleeping.”

Jiang Chen nodded. That sounded like the right target. “Which room is he in?”

“I’ll take you there personally,” Lin Ya offered after a moment’s thought.

They walked toward the disciple dormitories.

It wasn’t far. In fact, it was right nearby.

Whether by coincidence or someone’s deliberate arrangement, the room was familiar.

It was the exact same room Jiang Chen had lived in when he was an Outer Peak disciple years ago.

The door was slightly ajar.

Loud, rhythmic snoring drifted out from the gap.

Jiang Chen and Lin Ya exchanged a glance, then Jiang Chen pushed the door open.

Inside, a young man of about sixteen or seventeen lay sprawled on a wooden bed covered with straw, fast asleep.

He seemed to be enjoying his dreams immensely; a trail of drool ran down from the corner of his mouth.

Lin Ya smiled bitterly. “Senior Brother Jiang, this is Mo Yin.”

Jiang Chen waved his hand. “Go attend to your duties. Leave me.”

Lin Ya was taken aback but reacted quickly. “Yes, Senior Brother.”

After she left, Jiang Chen stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

He walked slowly to the bedside, examining the sleeping youth.

This was one of the princes of the Rust Empire.

He wore a moon-white brocade robe woven with silver threads, though it hung loosely and messily on his frame. Underneath, the collar of a dark-patterned soft silk inner garment peeked out.

Truth be told, the boy was quite handsome.

He had a high nose bridge and thin, pale pink lips.

But the image was ruined by the snoring, the drool, and the silly, vacant smile plastered on his face.

He looked normal enough physically.

Unfortunately, rumor had it that he had been captured by a demon when he was young. Although he was rescued, his soul was damaged, leaving him with “Soul-Loss Syndrome.”

Jiang Chen reached out, grabbed the boy’s shoulder, and gave him a firm shove.

“Wake up.”

“Hmm?”

Mo Yin groaned and groggily opened his eyes.

When his blurry vision focused and he realized a stranger was standing over his bed, his eyes widened in sheer terror.

“Ahhh!”

He let out a high-pitched scream.

His hands and feet flailed wildly, scrabbling against the mattress as he tried to back away.