The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

A pale, fish-belly white was just beginning to streak the eastern sky, the first rays of morning still struggling to pierce the cloud cover.

With a soft creak, the door to the stone house swung inward. Jiang Chen, dressed in a simple white robe and a bamboo hat, stepped over the threshold. He strolled into the cool morning air, taking a deep breath and stretching his limbs with a satisfying groan.

“Finally, a proper taste of autumn in the air.”

“And today,” he mused aloud, “is going to be a busy one.”

In his kennel, Da Huang mimicked the stretch, striking a perfect downward-dog pose. He’d underestimated his current bulk, however, and the motion nearly demolished his entire “home.”

The sudden commotion startled Ge Ge, who had been dozing with its eyes shut, emitting soft purring snores. It snapped awake in an instant, eyes wide with alarm.

Jiang Chen chuckled, shaking his head. “Looks like it’s time for a renovation. I built these two years ago; you’ve both outgrown them.”

He then turned his gaze toward his Spirit Farms.

Outside, he now had five mu of second-grade fields. Inside his portable space, over a hundred mu of land was approaching the third grade. The days of agonizing over which crop to plant in which precious plot were long gone.

The previous night, before resting, he had already mapped out the entire planting schedule for the third quarter—autumn.

The first two mu would be dedicated to Top-quality Spirit Rice, as always.

The fifth mu, naturally, was reserved for the indispensable staples: melons, fruits, and various vegetables. A Spirit Farmer could survive without meat, but a life without rice and fresh produce was unthinkable.

Fortunately, possessing the Five Elements Spirit Root made every task remarkably convenient. Weeding, for instance, now required nothing more than a passing thought.

With the fields prepped, he began his daily feeding routine. Da Huang and Ge Ge were simple; they ate whatever he ate. The Pearl Chickens, the Light Spirit Turtles in the pond, and the Red-tailed Carp, however, had to make do with the Top-quality Spirit Rice harvested from the second-grade fields.

By the time he finished his chores, the sun had fully risen.

Holding several freshly laid eggs from the Pearl Chickens, Jiang Chen headed into the kitchen. Breakfast was simple: a pot of hot seafood congee made with yesterday’s leftovers and his own Five Elements Spirit Rice, along with a few fried eggs. It was a simple but satisfying meal.

Around nine in the morning, Jiang Chen walked toward his fields, pulling out a Communication Talisman.

“I’m about to plant. You still have that fertilizer for me?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course I do.”

“Good. I need a lot more this time, and don’t you dare try to pass off that fresh stuff on me again!”

“That was years ago! You’re still holding onto that?”

“An incident like that? I’ll hold that grudge for the rest of my life.”

With a mere thought, the prepared autumn seedlings materialized on the ridges between the fields. He circulated the Green Lotus Art, and a vibrant wave of Wood Spirit Qi surged from his Qi Sea. It enveloped the seedlings, gently guiding them as they burrowed deep into the rich, black earth.

Planting an entire mu took roughly five seconds—the length of a single breath. Five mu, five breaths. It was almost effortless.

But he wasn’t finished. Jiang Chen then channeled the Four Seasons Sutra, releasing a cool, invigorating aura that blanketed all five mu of his farmland.

Instantly, a chorus of rustling whispers rose from the fields. The seedlings surged upwards, their growth visible to the naked eye, bypassing weeks of maturation in mere moments.

Sensing the drain on his Qi Sea, Jiang Chen grew thoughtful. *The Five Elements Spirit Root is convenient, no doubt, but it comes at a cost: Spirit Qi quantity.*

A single Spirit Root allowed for a higher concentration and a greater volume of Spirit Qi. Multiple Spirit Roots divided that power into several streams, reducing the amount of each. Each path had its pros and cons. It was no wonder not all cultivators sought after multiple Spirit Roots. The Rice Master, Zhu Fuxian, and the Abyss Master, Shi Yuan, were both single-root cultivators, yet they were immensely powerful and held high positions in the sect’s hierarchy.

*I’ve heard that breaking through to the Golden Core realm transforms Spirit Qi into Magic Power—not just more potent, but more concentrated,* Jiang Chen mused. *And at that stage, the five elements of my Magic Power will cease to be separate, merging into a single, unified whole?*

As for when he himself would reach the Golden Core realm, that remained a distant question. Whether he would form a Human-Grade, Earth-Grade, or Heaven-Grade Golden Core was a complete unknown.

The thought of the Golden Core inevitably brought Chen Tian to mind. It had been nearly half a year. If he hadn’t broken through to the Earth-Grade Golden Core yet, had he hit a bottleneck?

Shaking his head, Jiang Chen dismissed the thought. Seeing that Jin Fugui had yet to arrive, he returned to his stone house and shut the door.

With a flicker, he vanished.

When he reappeared, he was standing within his portable space.

While he could plant whatever he wished in the five mu outside, the fields within this space had far stricter requirements. Top-quality Spirit Rice, for instance, didn’t even qualify to take root here. This land was reserved for the likes of Foundation Fortifying Abundant Soil Rice, Five Elements Circulating Rice, Golden Spirit Rice, and their mutated offspring.

Initially, Jiang Chen’s ambition had been boundless; he had planned to cultivate every last inch of the remaining land. But after planting more than ten mu, he noticed the Spirit Qi within the space begin to thin. By the time he exceeded twenty mu, the ambient energy could only be described as sparse.

The conclusion was clear: to cultivate the entire space, he needed an abundant supply of all five elemental Spirit Qis. The slightest deficiency would impact the total plantable area, the final yield, and even the quality of the harvest.

Staring out at the twenty mu of cultivated land, Jiang Chen murmured to himself, “I wonder… would a Spirit Gathering Formation even work inside this portable space?”

With his Earth Spirit Root, he could explore the path of a Formation Master himself. He wouldn’t need to rely on anyone else for the installation.

But first, he needed to learn the Minor Rain Spell. The microclimate within the space alone wasn’t sufficient to meet the irrigation demands of so many high-grade plants.

Jiang Chen exited the space and returned to his house, only to find Jin Fugui still absent. It seemed that without his spirit beasts, his efficiency at collecting fertilizer had plummeted.

That being the case, Jiang Chen saw no point in waiting around. He summoned Shattered Moon Flowing Frost, leaped onto the flying sword, and soared toward the core of the sect’s farmlands.

The journey was swift and unobstructed. Soon, he arrived at the foot of the central mountain.

The area was bustling with Spirit Farmers, some of whom he recognized.

Then, Jiang Chen spotted Zhao Ying. She was cradling a baby boy in her arms. The infant had a chubby, round face and bright, clear eyes, looking utterly adorable.

Intrigued, Jiang Chen immediately walked over. “Old Mo, how old is your son?”

Zhao Ying looked both surprised and honored by the attention. “Spirit Envoy Jiang!” she exclaimed with a hurried smile. “He’s six months old now!”

Jiang Chen gently tickled the baby’s chin with his finger. “And what’s his name?”

“Zhao Mingyuan.”

Jiang Chen praised, “A bright candle to light the southern sky, a steady path for a long journey. That’s a powerful name.”

Just then, Zhao Mingyuan, seemingly amused by the attention, broke into a fit of giggles. His laughter was infectious, and soon, the cultivators standing nearby were smiling and laughing along with him.