Chen Jinshu studied the four-acre expanse within the spatial realm, her brows furrowed in contemplation.
"I'll cultivate three acres and leave one for movement."
Using all the land for spirit plants would leave no room to maneuver—one careless step could ruin precious herbs. She envisioned reserving the remaining acre for a small wooden hut, a resting place for tending the fields.
After setting the three Crimson Mist Fruit saplings in a corner, she assessed the soil's fertility.
Though still a novice spirit farmer, she could discern quality. True fertile soil required not just abundant spiritual energy but also nutrients akin to those sustaining cultivators.
Digging her fingers into the earth, she found it softer than expected. While its spiritual energy matched her three-acre plot on Vulture Mountain its richness surpassed it by at least ten percent. The dark, loamy texture hinted at ample moisture and humus—ideal for growth.
After sampling soil from four spots, she noticed the sporadic wild herbs thrived in patches of even greater fertility. With a plan in mind, she expanded the cultivated area around these natural clusters.
Two hours later, her spirit hoe had transformed three acres into orderly rows. The outermost soil darkened further, its nutrients untouched by competing plants.
She planted the Crimson Mist Fruit saplings in the richest section, summoning a gentle rain of spiritual energy to revive their wilted leaves. Now, her remaining seeds included only Golden Blossom Rice and Wood Spirit Rice. The latter, a staple crop, could stay in her mountain fields.
But the Golden Blossom Rice—perfect. Its grains were key ingredients for Bigu dan.
She sowed every remaining seed across the prepared land. Yet the unused space gnawed at her.
"Tomorrow, I'll buy more seeds from Uncle Yong'an."
She recalled him harvesting Frostleaf Tobacco and Purple Stamen Flowers. The tobacco, cheap but high-demand, supplied talisman paper. The flowers, however, were primary ingredients for Qi Condensing Pills—valuable for mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
The next morning, Chengtian Hour (7:45 AM)...
Chen Jinshu waited near her spirit fields until the lumbering figure of Farmer Chen Yong'an appeared.
"Uncle Yong'an! Do you have seeds for Purple Stamen Flowers or Jade Orchids?" She clasped her hands politely, her smile earnest.
"Why the sudden need?" He frowned. Her existing crops had looked healthy during his last inspection.
"Ah…" Her expression crumpled. "You saw those venomous insects. They destroyed half my Jade Orchids. Without replanting, I'll never afford next year's rent." She lowered her eyes, voice trembling. "And the market… with my measly second-layer cultivation…"
"That damned Chen Heng!" Yong'an spat, recalling the swarms of Blackfrost Swine Lice. "Ruining a child's livelihood!"
Sympathy won out. "I've plenty of Purple Stamen seeds. Jade Orchids, too, though fewer—prices dropped years ago, so I stopped growing them."
"Thank you!" Her eyes lit up. The beetle infestation had serendipitously provided cover for her request.
Five spirit stones later, she left with two hundred seeds of each plant—and an extra sack of Golden Blossom Rice for her pill experiments. Back in her spatial realm, she planted every seed until the fields brimmed with potential.
"They're sprouting already?!"
Overnight, the Golden Blossom Rice had broken soil, while the Crimson Mist Fruit saplings stood noticeably taller, their leaves a richer green.
Noon, in the alchemy chamber adjacent to her bedroom...
After hours of cultivation, Chen Jinshu summoned the Genesis Alchemy Furnace and ignited the spirit charcoal.
The chamber's design intrigued her. Unlike typical rooms, flames here burned steadier, even intensifying over time—likely due to embedded fire-attuned energies.
Charcoal glowing, she set the cauldron atop the flames to preheat.
Then, she reviewed the Bigu dan recipe—memorized but worth revisiting.
As the simplest pill for beginners, it required only three ingredients: Golden Blossom Rice, Spiritbloom Flowers, and Verdant Fruit. Cheap and accessible.
"The rice is the trickiest."
The manual warned: too much heat would scorch the grains; too little left them unrefined.
Testing the cauldron's temperature, she judged it right and tossed in a handful of rice. Her hands wove sealing arts to liquefy the grains. Minutes later, a savory aroma filled the air—the rice had cooked.
"Not quite the goal." She sighed, scooping the fluffy grains into a bowl. Edible, but useless for alchemy.
Her second attempt ended with acrid smoke.
"Burnt." Her stomach growled at the charred scent.
Without a master's guidance, progress was agonizingly slow.
"Again."
Analyzing her mistakes, she readjusted the flame's timing.
On the third try, a medicinal fragrance emerged—progress!
Then—cough!
Black smoke erupted as the nascent liquid evaporated into a crusty residue.
"Was my handwork too slow?"
Fanning away the smoke, she reset the cauldron with grim determination.
Failure was just another step toward mastery.