“Eat up.” Chen Bo waved his chopsticks.

Jiang Chen forced a smile. “Senior Brother, aside from me and Chen Tian, has anyone else come looking for you?”

Chen Bo shook his head, looking surprised. “What do you mean by that?”

Jiang Chen picked up a spoon as he replied, “This Junior Brother just feels that Senior Brother shouldn’t lack for things like vegetables or spirit beast meat, right?”

Chen Bo wasn’t stupid; he understood immediately. He said earnestly, “Ah, the amount of spiritual energy a person can refine each day is limited. Eating too much is pointless.”

Jiang Chen said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “But… this is way too plain.”

“Isn’t there still wine?” Chen Bo smiled slightly and picked up the wine pot.

The corner of Jiang Chen’s mouth twitched violently.

Good grief, pairing Spirit Rice porridge with wine.

He had originally thought Senior Brother was a relatively normal Wood Spirit Root cultivator. Now he realized he was actually quite… abstract.

The two chatted casually while finishing their porridge.

“Junior Brother Jiang, the arena at Fire Peak opens tomorrow. Won’t you go give it a try?”

“Although Wood Spirit Roots aren’t suited for combat in the early stages, gaining some experience is still good!”

“Which formal disciple who has reached Foundation Establishment doesn’t hope to obtain more resources?”

“If Senior Brother wishes to go, this Junior Brother will accompany you. It wouldn’t hurt to broaden my horizons either!”

And so, they agreed to head to [Fire Peak] tomorrow morning.

By the time Jiang Chen returned home, it was already Hai hour (9-11 PM).

The Pearl Chicken was already curled up resting in its coop.

Da Huang, however, was full of energy. At the slightest sound, he began scanning the area, his bright eyes particularly noticeable in the night.

“Guard the Spirit Farm well!” This time, Jiang Chen genuinely patted Da Huang’s head before returning inside the house.

Cultivators didn’t need to bathe, and their clothes possessed self-cleaning abilities. Therefore, Jiang Chen lay directly on the wooden plank bed.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. Through the open window, he gazed contentedly at the night sky.

A huge moon hung at the zenith, casting a frosty white glow. There were no clouds tonight; stars twinkled one after another, and from time to time, a shooting star streaked across the vast expanse.

Occasionally, fireflies drifted past the window.

The world was silent save for the croaking of frogs and the chirping of insects; the atmosphere was exceptionally peaceful.

A gentle night breeze drifted through the window into the room. Devoid of any trace of sultry heat, it was incredibly tender.

Gradually, Jiang Chen closed his eyes.

The night passed without incident.

Quietly, the next day arrived.

At the usual time, Jiang Chen opened his eyes and began his daily routine: making breakfast, cultivating at the Spirit Farm, and cleaning up dog and chicken droppings outside the house.

Finally, he stretched his “wicked” hand toward the Pearl Chicken’s coop.

But this time, something was different.

Normally, the Pearl Chicken laid one egg every three days. Today, however, there were two.

The Pearl Chicken tilted its head and let out a short cry that sounded quite proud.

As if saying: See? Your mother here is amazing!

Jiang Chen carefully took out the two eggs and held them in his hands for close inspection. In terms of size and shape, they were almost identical. The only difference might be their weight; one was slightly heavier by a tiny bit, the other slightly lighter.

But this extra egg… was an unexpected delight. It also meant today’s luck should be pretty good.

The Pearl Chicken slowly walked out from its warm coop. Its beak moved up and down as if hinting at something.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen put away both eggs. Then, he took out a small handful of Tier-2 Spirit Rice and offered it to her with a smile. “You’ve worked hard!”

At that moment, Da Huang, who had been on guard all night, scurried over, wagging his tail with an ingratiating look on his face.

“You’ve worked hard too.” Jiang Chen gently patted the dog’s head with his other hand.

By the time he finished attending to them both, it was already late morning. It was time for his appointment with Senior Brother.

Jiang Chen prepared lunch in advance so Da Huang could eat directly when he woke up.

Once everything was settled, he finally mounted his Paper Crane and flew toward Chen Bo’s place.

He arrived not long after, and subsequently, Jiang Chen boarded Chen Bo’s Paper Crane so they could depart together.

The location of the arena was [Fire Peak], a place everyone knew.

Jiang Chen had been here once before when he went to the rogue cultivator market district. His impression of this place was profound—giant swords and flying swords were everywhere; it looked quite awe-inspiring.

This time, although it was morning, the vast plaza was packed with people. Formal disciples were everywhere, and all types of spiritual roots could be seen.

Whether it was the common Five Elements spiritual roots—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—or rare variant spiritual roots like Wind, Thunder, or Ice, all could be found here.

“Hurry! This arena over here needs repairs!”

“Is that protective formation over there installed yet?”

“We need an Earth Spirit Root Junior Brother over here! Quick!”

It was as lively as one could imagine. The arenas were all built by Earth Spirit Root disciples.

Chen Bo controlled his Paper Crane to land and then said, “Although Wood Spirit Roots aren’t suited for combat in the early stages, understanding combat experience and techniques is essential.”

“Otherwise, during a fight, you’ll be like a block of wood.”

Spiritual roots generated and restrained each other in cycles, following the Five Elements. Therefore, spell attributes functioned the same way.

For example, Fire restrains Metal. Thus, Metal Spirit Roots are suppressed in multiple aspects when facing Fire. Being able to unleash half their power is already considered excellent.

But Metal Spirit Root disciples rich in combat experience and skilled in techniques… can minimize these restraining effects.

At the same time, generating spiritual roots—such as Wood generating Fire—allowed for powerful combinations. Wood attribute spells combined with Fire attribute spells could unleash multiplied power.

This is also why Five Elements spiritual roots are so popular. The more spiritual roots one has, the fewer weaknesses one possesses. The number of spells available, on-the-spot reactions, and other aspects will all improve to varying degrees.

Jiang Chen listened while nodding. “Senior Brother speaks wisely.”

Soon, the two arrived at the nearest “Arena No. 1”.

Since it wasn’t yet time for the formal disciple competitions, the people here were only honing their experience and skills.

Currently, on Arena No. 1, two people were fighting.

One had a Water Spirit Root, the other a Metal Spirit Root.

The Water Spirit Root user released a water sphere enveloping themselves. Not only did it provide high defense, but it also allowed them to move quickly—slippery like an eel.

The Metal Spirit Root user’s approach was very simple: toss out a Metal Sword Orb. Sword energy was automatically released, making whooshing sounds through the air.

Although Metal and Water do not restrain each other—in fact, they generate each other—what unfolded was one-sided suppression.

The Metal Spirit Root user stood motionless on the spot. Conversely, if the Water Spirit Root user slowed even slightly, they would be caught by the Metal Sword Orb, leading immediately to a perilous situation riddled with holes. It looked extremely dangerous.

The fight didn’t last long before the Water Spirit Root user conceded defeat.

Maintaining the water sphere defense consumed large amounts of spiritual energy; before even getting close to the opponent, they couldn’t hold out.

The Metal Spirit Root user didn’t expend much energy; they had even stood motionless throughout the entire bout.

Chen Bo asked curiously, “Junior Brother, if you encountered such a situation, what would you do?”