Chen Ping pressed the pile of Spirit Stones against his Dantian.

Flash.

A blinding white light erupted.

Like parched earth meeting a torrential storm, the Jade Pendant unleashed a terrifying suction force.

The Spirit Stones dimmed instantly. Their stored Qi was violently stripped away, transforming into wisps of white mist that vanished into the Jade Pendant hidden within his body.

In the span of a few breaths, over a hundred Spirit Stones crumbled into a pile of gray-white Waste Residue.

Chen Ping wasted no time. He sent his consciousness into the Jade Pendant space.

His spirit lifted immediately.

The Black Earth space had expanded again. Just like last time.

Although the increase wasn’t staggering, the original one-acre plot had clearly extended outward. A new ring of virgin soil had formed, increasing the total area by roughly ten percent.

The new land was just as dark and fertile as the core, radiating that same mysterious, ancient aura.

“Excellent.”

Chen Ping nodded, a cold glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

It had cost over a hundred Spirit Stones for a mere ten percent gain, but the logic held sound. As long as he had the resources, this miraculous medicinal field could expand indefinitely.

He left the new strip of land fallow for now, reserving it for future high-grade acquisitions.

With the expansion complete, Chen Ping ruthlessly reorganized the layout. He divided the Black Earth into four distinct zones.

Zone One: Core Ingredients.

This area held his most valuable production assets: the Cold Star Grass tree (the primary ingredient for the Marrow Cleansing Pill), the Qi Gathering Grass tree, and the new seedlings for the Origin Nourishing Fruit, Moonlight Grass, and Three Star Flower.

This was his engine. Occupying the largest space, it ensured that whenever he needed resources for cultivation, the harvest was ready.

Zone Two: Auxiliary Herbs.

Here, he planted the high-volume, low-tier fillers needed for refining Qi Gathering Pills—and eventually, Origin Nourishing Pills.

Zone Three: Logistics.

A practical corner for tools, harvested herbs, and drying racks. It functioned like an open-air Storage Pouch. This area was indispensable and would only grow as his operations scaled.

Zone Four: The Treasure Vault.

Segregated in a quiet corner, this was the smallest zone. It held only two occupants: the charred, lifeless stump of the Soul Nourishing Wood, and the mutated Five Elements Yin Spirit Vine.

The vines were thriving.

When he first looted them, they were half-dead. Now, nourished by the Black Earth, the vines were thick and vibrant. The leaves had recovered their luster, and the roots glowed with the distinct gold, green, blue, red, and yellow lights of the five elements.

The Black Earth was clearly far superior to whatever natural environment they had originated from.

Chen Ping narrowed his eyes. He still didn’t understand the composition of this soil. It felt ordinary to the touch, yet it possessed a terrifying ability to satisfy the extreme environmental demands of rare botanical treasures.

In the outside world, regular Yin Spirit Vines struggled to survive without specific conditions. Here, a mutated Five Elements variant flourished effortlessly.

Truly, a unique, supreme Spirit Soil.

Time passed.

Chen Ping’s focus shifted entirely to the stump.

The Soul Nourishing Wood.

When he first planted it, it was a heavy, pitted lump of charcoal. The scorch marks bit deep into the grain. It felt utterly dead, as if obliterated by heavenly lightning. It contained only a withered, hollow silence.

He had planted it as a lost cause, gambling that the Black Earth could work a miracle where logic failed.

He had buried it upright in the Treasure Vault, leaving only an inch of the charred top exposed, and drenched it in spirit spring water.

Every day since, it was the first thing he checked.

Day one: Dead silence.

Day two: No change.

Day three: The exposed top seemed dry, but microscopic cracks appeared in the char.

Day four, day five… nothing.

Chen Ping’s heart had begun to cool. Perhaps even the Black Earth had limits.

Day six.

He squatted before the stump, ready to leave after a cursory glance.

He froze.

His gaze locked onto the soil line—the boundary where the Black Earth met the charred wood.

The color… had shifted.

The absolute, dead black had faded, revealing a microscopic hint of deep brown. The soil around the base looked wetter than the surrounding earth.

Chen Ping’s heart skipped a beat.

He leaned in, his face inches from the dirt.

It wasn’t an illusion.

Deep within the tiny fissures of the charred surface, the color was no longer the black of ash, but a somber, heavy brown. It held a faint, almost imperceptible “moistness.”

More importantly, he could sense a weak, bizarre energy leaching from the Black Earth. It was slowly seeping into the dead wood, stripping away the stubborn necrosis inch by inch.

Day seven.

When Chen Ping entered the space, the recovery was undeniable.

A piece of charred bark the size of a fingernail had flaked off the top. Beneath it lay deep brown, rough wood grain.

And there, right against the soil…

A tiny, translucent white dot had timidly poked its head out.

A root sprout.

It was alive.

Despite being a piece of wreckage with severed vitality, the Black Earth had dragged it back from the abyss. It was struggling, painfully and slowly, to take root.

Chen Ping exhaled a long breath, suppressing the surge of adrenaline.

Success.

The Black Earth had not failed him.

This piece of trash, this remnant of wood, had been resurrected.

It would be a long road before it restored its spirituality and grew leaves capable of nourishing the soul. But the hardest step—survival—was complete.

This proved that the Black Earth’s capabilities far exceeded his imagination.

It meant that in the future, when browsing Black Markets or exploring secret realms, Chen Ping possessed the confidence to target “garbage” spirit plants that others deemed hopeless. He had the power to turn waste into treasure.

He stared at the tiny white sprout and the deep brown wood.

In his mind’s eye, he saw a towering Soul Nourishing Tree, its leaves rustling with soul-repairing energy. He saw himself refining endless batches of Soul Nourishing Pills, expanding his consciousness far beyond his cultivation realm.

It wouldn’t take forever.

Five years. Maybe ten.

The Soul Nourishing Wood would become a tree, and he would reap the harvest.