Chapter 360: Named for Dongting
After a period of intense study, the two high-level arts he’d acquired from Mystic Heart City were not just mastered, but pushed to their absolute limits.
**Engraving Gold Art: Level 4 (Max)**
* **Effect 1:** Increases the potency of Metal Spirit Qi by 40%.
* **Effect 2:** +40% success rate when crafting Spirit Talismans, Spirit Weapons, and Magical Artifacts.
* **Effect 3:** Reduces Metal Spirit Qi consumption by 20% during forging and refinement.
* **Effect 4:** Reduces the probability of Metal Spirit Qi damaging base materials.
* **Special Effect 1:** Grants the ability to perceive the internal structure of metal ores, allowing for precise judgment of material quality.
* **Special Effect 2:** The Engraved Gold patterns passively gather ambient Spirit Qi, slowly replenishing consumed energy.
**Gentle Water Art: Level 3 (Max)**
* **Effect 3:** During dual cultivation, allows for the absorption of an additional 10% Water Spirit Qi.* **Special Effect 1:** Can sense the location of water sources within a ten-kilometer radius.
* **Special Effect 2:** By merging one’s Spirit Qi with a body of water, defense or attack is increased by 10%, and Water Spirit Qi conversion efficiency is increased by 10%.
**Current Remaining Lifespan: 763 years**
From damaged to maxed out, the first art had cost him eleven years of life, the second, nine. A neat twenty years in total.
For the current Jiang Chen, however, it was a pittance.
The greatest benefit was the perfect, fluid control he now had over the Five Elements Spirit Qi within his sea of qi. These arts were more than sufficient for his current stage. If he needed something better, he could simply find new techniques after breaking through to the Golden Core realm.
With a flicker, Jiang Chen vanished from his room, reappearing in his personal pocket dimension.
Compared to before, the space’s expansion had slowed considerably, likely due to the twenty acres of Spirit Farms he had planted. Previously, its growth had been a visible, constant inflation. Now, days could pass without any noticeable change unless one focused intently.
Jiang Chen’s gaze swept over the twenty acres. All the Spirit Rice was thriving. “Other strains take months to mature, but this Foundation Fortifying Abundant Soil Rice is almost ready for harvest.”
The plant was a marvel, maturing for harvest once every month. Its yield was astonishing, and the lifespan it provided was substantial. No wonder so many sects classified it as a precious-grade spirit plant. Rumor had it that the Spirit Grain Sect, specialists in cultivating such flora, possessed a unique variant of the Foundation Fortifying Abundant Soil Rice that they guarded like a dynastic treasure, hidden from all outside eyes.
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Jiang Chen focused on his two newly mastered arts. The Engraving Gold Art was best tested during forging or artifact refinement, where it could enhance the final product. He would have to find another opportunity for that. The Gentle Water Art, on the other hand, was far more eccentric, with some of its most potent effects only manifesting during dual cultivation.
“Let’s test the Gentle Water Art first,” he decided. “Hmm… I can definitely feel the water.”
Activating the art, he circulated the Water Spirit Qi from his qi sea. Instantly, his senses expanded. He could feel the ambient Water Spirit Qi drifting through the pocket dimension and, beyond that, pinpoint the location of every nearby water source. The larger the body of water, the sharper the sensation; the smaller, the more indistinct.
Yet, besides the small lake directly ahead, his senses picked up another source.
With another flicker, Jiang Chen appeared beside the Space Earth Element Fruit Tree and the patch of Earthen Soil Brown Awn Mutant Rice. He had to admit, since transplanting them here, he had paid them little attention. The mutant rice wasn’t particularly valuable, and the fruit tree had an incredibly long maturation cycle.
Theoretically, both plants were of the Earth attribute. So why had a puddle formed beneath them?
The water was strange—not clear, but a murky yellow, emitting a faint, acrid, earthy smell.
Jiang Chen stroked his chin. “Is this… Polluted Spirit Water?”
It was water that had become toxic after absorbing an immense amount of earth energy. Combined with Corrosive Gold Sand, it could be refined into a truly vile Spirit Weapon called Polluted Spirit Gold Sand, designed specifically to defile an opponent’s artifacts, talismans, and even their own Spirit Qi.
Furthermore, it was a key component for learning a high-level spell: the Corrosive Wave Art. Despite its simple name, the spell was devastating. According to the texts, it was powerful enough to erode even a Golden Core.
Realizing this, Jiang Chen couldn’t help but pat the stalk of the mutant rice. “And who said you were useless? You’re incredibly useful.”
Not only did it accelerate the growth of the Space Earth Element Fruit Tree, but it also produced this valuable, toxic water.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but the stalk of rice seemed to sway slightly at his touch.
Instead of collecting the Polluted Spirit Water, Jiang Chen simply reinforced the soil around the puddle. He then walked to the shore of the lake, a thought striking him. “I should give you a name, too.”
When the water was black, Blackwater Lake had been a fitting, if uninspired, name. But now, it was crystal clear.
He mulled it over, and then inspiration struck. He was a disciple of the Cloud Sea Sect, which was famously situated by the great Dongting Lake. It was only fitting. He would name this pocket dimension, and the lake at its heart, “Dongting.”
A grand Dongting without, a personal Dongting within.
A wide, satisfied grin spread across Jiang Chen’s face. With a loud “plop,” he dove into the water.
Before, he could swim, but he was by no means fast. Now, empowered by the Gentle Water Art, he moved through the water with the grace and speed of a fish, even without the ability to truly command the element.
The lake’s Dragon Carp were about to have a very bad day.
He became a blur beneath the surface, chasing down the hapless fish. He’d catch one, spin it around in a dizzying circle, and release it, much to the creature’s panicked confusion. At first, they seemed excited by the game, but they soon grew exhausted, scattering in every direction and desperately trying to hide in crevices. They looked less like mighty Dragon Carp and more like burrowing loaches.
Jiang Chen, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. It was a long while before he finally emerged from his Dongting space.
With a creak, he pushed open the door to his house. The morning breeze swept over him, carrying the damp, earthy scent of the Spirit Farms. The air was invigorating. His gaze swept across his small homestead.
Da Huang was still in its den. Hearing the door, it poked its head out, looking around furtively. Seeing it was its master, the dog emerged with a wide yawn and an ingratiating doggy smile.
Gege was still asleep, but the other twenty pearl chickens were already diligently pecking for insects in the fields. The rice stalks, heavy with dew, caught the morning light and refracted it into a thousand tiny rainbows. On the green gourd vine, he could already see rows of tiny, nascent gourds.
For a cultivator with a Wood Spirit Root, spring and autumn were the most comfortable seasons. But for Jiang Chen, whose Five Elements had reached a state of perfect equilibrium, every season felt the same.
He immediately set about his daily chores: weeding, cleaning up animal droppings, inspecting the Spirit Farms, and preparing breakfast.
By the time he finished, it was late morning. Jiang Chen donned his bamboo hat and turned to his two animal companions. “I’m heading to the Rain Pavilion,” he announced. “Behave while I’m gone!”