After storing the letter, Chen Jinshu willed herself into her spiritual plant space. The once three-acre plot had expanded to four acres after her breakthrough to Layer 4. The new field was already sown with Violet Core Flowers, the main ingredient for Qi Condensing Pills.
"Does this space grant an acre per minor breakthrough or per full layer?" She pondered. A year and a half ago, advancing to Layer 3 hadn't triggered growth—likely confirming the former.
Though time flow remained unchanged, the ambient spiritual energy had thickened noticeably. With a series of hand seals, she summoned a Spirit Rain over the fields, mist curling like phantom silk.
"Six more months till harvest."
Her gaze landed on four Snow Lotuses, now lush and fifteen inches tall—a far cry from their withered state a year prior. Stunted initially by poor nutrition, her Wood Spirit Art and the space's nourishment had nearly corrected their growth cycle.
Nearby, she plucked the last three Vermilion Sunset Fruits, storing them in a sandalwood box. One fruit had previously purged most of her pill toxins; another would cleanse her completely, further accelerating her cultivation.
(Note: The fruits' potency required half-year intervals between doses.)
Next, she inspected the two Wood Spirit Peach Trees by her bamboo hut. Trunks now thick as her calf, branches heavy with leaves—yet blossoms remained years away, let alone fruit.
"Next time, I'm transplanting a mature one. This wait is torture."
A pulse of Wood Spirit Art sent inch-long shoots bursting forth.
"Proficiency-level art, one inch per cast. Not bad."
After gathering Moon Spirit Honey, she exited.
"Time to refine Qi Condensing Pills. My current pills are losing efficacy."
Where a high-grade Lingyuan Pill once fueled 36 cultivation cycles, it now barely managed 25. At Layer 4, her dantian stored 130 strands of purified qi—each breakthrough adding ~30 strands. Progress now demanded exponentially more energy.
"Manifest, Genesis Alchemy Furnace!"
The lotus-marked alchemy furnace materialized from her brow, settling atop glowing spirit charcoal. Though she'd mastered three low-grade pill recipes, the lack of mid-grade alchemy manuals had stalled her progress. Desperate, she'd commissioned Chen Huaiyang to scour the market—claiming "academic interest."
Miraculously, he'd returned with a mid-grade manual (four recipes) for 600 spirit stones—a fortune, but worth every coin.
"Was it the Shadowpeak Flinch's Auspicious Light at work?"
Seven grueling days later, her tenth attempt yielded four pale-green pills—all low-grade, one nearing mid.
"Disappointing… but it confirms my rank as a mid-grade alchemist."
A test pill shocked her: 48 cycles—equivalent to high-grade efficacy! Likely due to her space-grown ingredients' superior potency.
That evening, she roasted the Giant-Horned Deer basted in Moon Spirit Honey, its aroma saturating Plum Blossom Courtyard.
Two Months Later
With Xuanming Sect's trials imminent, Chen Jinshu prepared to lease her fields. As she harvested the final Violet Core Flowers, three figures approached—her mother Madam Chen Wu and Second Uncle Chen Wentan.
Her chest tightened. For the first time in years, she felt like a child again.
"Mother! Second Uncle!"