Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos

Chapter 89: Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement

Fang Xi played with a scroll, his face filled with surprise and unexpected delight.

Within the second Kou brother’s bag of holding, he found none other than the Wine God Manual!

The very wine recipe collection that had slipped through his fingers at the auction was unexpectedly won by this Kou sibling.

‘Could it be that he intended to establish his own influence?’

‘Or perhaps he himself is a connoisseur, fond of indulging in wine?’

Unable to determine the reason, Fang Xi set aside the Wine God Manual and began inventorying the rest of the items.

There were several mid-grade magical artifacts, a stack of paper talismans, clothing…and finally, a pile of spirit stones totaling around five or six hundred.

It must be noted that plunderers at Late Stage Qi Refinement possessed considerable wealth.

Despite killing numerous early Qi Refinement cultivators and even one mid-stage, their combined riches did not match this single individual’s bounty.

“Additionally, there’s a Golden Flood Dragon Blade artifact, similar to the sword - best kept hidden from public view.”

After completing the inventory, Fang Xi organized the items systematically within the bags of holding.

These would be crucial for future expeditions to transport goods across Great Liang.

Once everything was sorted, he tore open a protective charm and stepped out of the room.

Outside, the moonlit night was serene, with its reflection merging seamlessly with the lake surface, making it hard to distinguish reality from illusion.

Taking advantage of the tranquil darkness, Fang Xi strolled leisurely, appreciating the scenic beauty of Mirror Moon Lake.

Occasionally, muffled sobs could be heard from nearby secluded houses, but Fang Xi paid them no heed. Instead, he approached the lakeside, quietly enjoying the lunar view and murmured, “What a… truly long day!”

Gazing at the moon, he suddenly felt a profound sense of melancholy.

At that moment, his expression shifted. Perhaps due to a change in his emotional state affecting his internal magical energy, he sensed the fourth level of the Everlasting Spring Art stirring, as if poised to break through its current limitations and enter a new realm.

“Is this…an opportunity for breakthrough?”

Fang Xi knew that failing to seize this chance might result in losing it altogether.

With that thought, he immediately sat cross-legged, activating his cultivation technique.

There were no enemies around now, and besides…being a body cultivator, even a surprise attack wouldn’t instantly defeat him.

Mirror Moon Lake indeed lived up to its reputation as a first-tier spiritual vein; the abundance of spiritual energy surpassed even what he had experienced in his immortal’s cave at the Treasure Ship Market.

Fang Xi silently absorbed spiritual energy, transforming it into magical power.

Unaware of time passing, he felt the Everlasting Spring Art’s magical energy carve new pathways within his qi passageways, further strengthening him. Satisfied, Fang Xi opened his eyes.

Outside, the faint morning light revealed a red sun rising in the east, casting vibrant hues across the sky.

Without realizing, it was already dawn!

He stood up, casually wiping away dewdrops from his collar and exhaled deeply, “Finally… reached the fifth layer of Qi Refinement!”

Fang Xi had been stuck at the fourth level for quite some time, but his diligent daily cultivation paid off.

Seizing this opportunity, he finally broke through the bottleneck!

“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Fang, on your cultivation breakthrough.”

A melodious voice, akin to tinkling silver bells, suddenly echoed nearby.

“Island Lord!” Fang Xi saw Ruan Xingling and couldn’t help but express surprise, “You?”

“I noticed your moment of enlightenment yesterday and stayed nearby to guard you,” Ruan Xingling approached gracefully before thoughtfully inquiring, “The cultivation technique you’re using seems rather ordinary…”

“Not to withhold information, I am indeed practicing the ‘Everlasting Spring Art’…”

Fang Xi scratched his head, seeming slightly embarrassed as he replied.

In truth, he had considered changing his cultivation technique. However, finding better methods within the market was exceedingly rare. Moreover, after witnessing how Ruan Xingling tricked Lu Jingqing, his desire to switch diminished.

Rather than risking an unfamiliar technique, it made more sense to continue refining the Everlasting Spring Art, which he knew best!

Additionally, there were advantages to common techniques - their widespread use meant any potential pitfalls would have been identified and rectified by countless rogue cultivators over time, greatly reducing the risk of hidden traps!

“The Everlasting Spring Art isn’t bad; its strength lies in being balanced and harmonious… If I recall correctly, the Lu Clan’s Technique Pavilion also contains ‘Qing Mu Art,’ which could be gifted to you,” Ruan Xingling said with a warm smile.

“Many thanks, Daoist friend!” Fang Xi promptly expressed his gratitude, though internally, he still leaned towards merely referencing it rather than adopting it fully.

“Furthermore, the spiritual land at Jade Cliff has been prepared…” Ruan Xingling hinted subtly, “Among Peach Blossom Island’s spiritual lands, Mirror Moon Lake is the finest, followed by East Twin Peak, then West Twin Peak…with Jade Cliff being the least desirable. Are you sure about choosing that location, Daoist friend?”

Fang Xi sensed that with her strength, even if she were to claim the East Twin Peak forcefully, neither Old Daoist Xiu Mu nor Wei Yixin’s couple would dare to object much.

“Jade Cliff is already excellent. To be honest, I’ve been a spirit farmer all this time, just dreaming of one day becoming a landowner,” Fang Xi said with a hint of satisfaction on her face.

While Twin Peaks were desirable, they were too close to Mirror Moon Lake, constantly bustling with people, which wouldn’t provide the desired privacy.

“Oh well!” Ruan Xingling seemed slightly speechless and tossed over a wooden token.

The token emitted a faint peach fragrance, crafted from the core of a peach tree. On its backside, Fang Xi’s name was engraved along with a hundred-year lease agreement for Jade Cliff. Remarkably, the token appeared to have undergone refinement, making it akin to a low-grade magical item.

“Input a thread of your magical energy, and from today onwards, this will serve as your proof of ownership,” Ruan Xingling explained. “With this token, you’ll have access rights to our Mirror Moon Lake ‘Watermoon Great Array’.”

“Many thanks, Daoist friend!”

Fang Xi accepted the token, expressing gratitude once more, feeling a surge of excitement within her.

Finally, finally…

it’s time to start planting trees!

---

Jade Cliff was situated on the eastern side of Peach Blossom Island, approximately ten miles away from Mirror Moon Lake and Twin Peaks.

Upon reaching Jade Cliff, Fang Xi found it adjacent to Wan Island Lake. To the east stretched an endless expanse of water, with waves occasionally crashing against the sheer cliffs.

The cliff face appeared predominantly green, resembling a massive piece of jade when viewed from afar, hence its name.

Although there were some minor spiritual veins at Jade Cliff, they were insignificant, indicating a lack of abundant spiritual energy.

Fang Xi ascended the cliff and noticed about ten acres of cultivated spirit fields. Along the edges of these fields stood several log cabins, presumably built by the Lu Clan’s employed spirit farmers.

As for those spirit farmers?

If not killed yesterday, they likely either submitted or fled. In any case, it was Ruan Xingling’s issue, not his concern.

“I’m twenty-one this year, and it’s still early spring. If I act promptly, I can sow the Scarlet Blood Spirit Rice seeds.”

After inspecting the entire area around Jade Cliff, Fang Xi confirmed that there were indeed thirteen acres of well-maintained spirit fields, causing him to nod approvingly. “It’s evident that the previous spirit farmers took great care here. Unfortunately… what a waste…”

He certainly wasn’t foolish enough to plant the Demon Tree right away.

Fang Xi was a patient individual; after securing this land, he planned to wait at least two more years to observe any potential threats.

Then, he would set up concealment formations to shield his activities and gradually establish himself as reclusive, disliking social interactions. This would minimize contact with other cultivators on the island.

Finally, he needed to find an opportunity to stage a dramatic scene - ideally getting severely wounded, appearing disillusioned, and choosing this place for retirement.

Over time, people should gradually stop disturbing him while he focuses on planting trees.

As for these initial years?

He decided to start by cultivating some spirit rice and concentrate on his cultivation without distractions.

Breaking through to the fifth layer of the Everlasting Spring Art was promising, and with no immediate bottlenecks ahead, it was now about steadily accumulating strength.

With a creak, Fang Xi pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside.

The log cabins were built quite rudimentary, with furniture scattered across the floor and broken shards of pots and bowls visible everywhere. It immediately conveyed the hasty retreat of the previous spirit farmers amidst panic.

‘What happened to the owner of this house? Surely not dispatched to battle and then killed by my sword, all just for leasing these few acres of fields?’

Fang Xi felt somewhat speechless.

Recalling his own past on Qingzhu Mountain, where he willingly became a tenant farmer for a mere six units of leased spirit field, he suddenly felt suffocated…

‘If I hadn’t awakened my golden finger, I might have been conscripted by the Situ Clan to fight over these six hectares…’

‘Given the brutal intensity of that war and my original cultivation at merely early Qi Refinement, it would’ve been almost certain death!’

‘Thankfully, I ran fast enough!’

Feeling somewhat relieved, Fang Xi meticulously examined the log cabin’s structure and then shook his head, “Nope, this has to be torn down and rebuilt!”

Assuming no issues arose, he planned to stay here for a long time, but the current cabin was too dilapidated.

In Fang Xi’s vision, it should at least resemble a small four-sided courtyard house. Additionally, during construction, he could incorporate various innovative conveniences of his own design.

“Doing everything alone is too cumbersome. There’s a town on the island already; we can enlist its mortal masons and tile workers.”

Fang Xi promptly decided to temporarily reside in the log cabin while calling upon locals to rebuild a new courtyard residence nearby.

With this plan in mind, he couldn’t sit still any longer. He took out the Black Cloud Pocket and swiftly headed towards Peach Blossom Island’s only mortal settlement.

The town on Peach Blossom Island, named ‘Peach Blossom Town’, was quite small. Its streets were paved with limestone slabs, and houses were spaced apart generously, each featuring courtyards adorned with peach trees.

As Fang Xi flew overhead using his magical artifact, pedestrians below knelt respectfully, addressing him as ‘Immortal Master’.

“Where can I find the local town mayor?” Fang Xi shouted upon landing directly at the town’s center.

Shortly after, a middle-aged man dressed in silk attire and bearing a prosperous appearance stepped forward from the crowd. “Greetings, esteemed Immortal Master. My humble self is Zhou Quanyou, the local town mayor… It seems there’s still some time before the Spirit Assessment Ceremony. May I inquire what instructions you have for me?”

Not every descendant of cultivators possesses spiritual roots, so both the Lu and Ruan Clans periodically visited this mortal town to assess children for such aptitude. For the townsfolk, it represented a rare opportunity akin to ascending to heaven.

Of course, previous occasions when the Lu Clan took spiritually gifted children ended tragically…

Fang Xi was aware of this practice and waved his hand dismissively. “I am not here for the Spirit Assessment. Instead, I come from Jade Cliff and require assistance in constructing a residence nearby. Please allocate some workers, equipped with provisions, to work on this daily. You will be well-compensated.”

With that, he slapped his bag of holding, producing several gold bars which he tossed towards them. Unconcerned about potential greed under such public scrutiny, he promptly departed on the Black Cloud Pocket.

Even long after Fang Xi had left, Zhou Quanyou remained deeply bowed, his face filled with obsequious expressions…