At dinner time, Ye Changqing drank a jar of spirit wine and hurriedly pushed away the hand pouring more:

"It’s enough for now. Once the demon calamity is over, we can drink to our hearts’ content."

The support from the Central Continent was nowhere in sight, and a shadow loomed over his heart.

The joy from discovering exotic plants was greatly diminished; usually, three jars wouldn’t get him drunk, but now he had lost the interest in drinking.

"With the sect united, we will surely overcome this crisis."

Ji An shouted loudly. Even though he had no confidence, he couldn’t lose the momentum.

"Victory is our only option."

Ye Changqing stood up, nodded heavily, and said:

"Junior Brother, please take care of things here."

"I won’t let you down," Ji An turned his head and instructed:

"Yu Lian, pack the remaining spirit wine for Senior Brother to take away."

They had ten jars of spirit wine but drank only two.

Ye Changqing showed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, "These spirit wines, I will share with Junior Martial Uncle."

He took the storage bag containing the wine and set off on the flying shuttle, far away.

As the music ended and the moonlight waned, the stars appeared particularly brilliant.

Ji An first arrived at the Earth Cave of the Soul Nourishing Wood to place the mimic array.

He then carved a circular stone slab matching the size of the moonlight tunnel entrance.

He tossed a top-grade Earth Spirit Fruit, and even though the passage was dug within a single night, the rewards were substantial.

Golden Fur joyfully leaped and caught it steadily, devouring it cleanly in no time, not forgetting to hand over the seed.

"Squeak, squeak."

Ji An crouched down, picked up the seed, and patted the fluffy golden-brown fur of the beast companion.

Golden Fur stood upright, ears flicking slightly, closing its eyes in extreme comfort.

"Well done, I’ll assign you a new task in the future."

Ji An took out the Beast Taming Token for a more in-depth exchange and demonstrated what it needed to do, finally promising:

"As long as you seal the passage and open the stone slab on time, you’ll be rewarded with an extra top-grade Earth Spirit Fruit every two months."

"Squeak, squeak!"

This task was straightforward, and Golden Fur understood immediately, realizing it was an easy reward to claim!

Ji An left the cave, considering that he would need to purchase a puppet for this task since he might take Golden Fur on an outing.

The future was uncertain, and he might be summoned unexpectedly someday.

...

Ji An started casting spells from the orchard, taking special care of these Tier Two Mid-grade Spirit Fields.

Future prosperity would largely depend on the spirit plants within them.

He cast the Spring Breeze and Rain Skill and Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell on the Celestial Essence Pear, while the Fire Element plants benefited from a set of Flame Fire Spell and Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell.

The Jade Leaf Mulberry, Biluo Tree, and Azure Dragon Wood received the most luxurious treatment, each being tended with three Foundation Establishment Stage planting techniques.

As the Jade Wood Transformation Skill was performed, countless verdant light points fell like rain, with a vigorous life force permeating the air, making everything appear lively and vibrant.

The leaves moved without wind, rustling as if applauding gratefully.

Currently, the Spirit Field contained 198 Tier Two Jade Leaf Mulberries, 150 Biluo Trees, and 24 Azure Dragon Woods.

Over the course of a year, selling just the Tier Two Mulberry Leaves could yield a net income of four thousand spirit stones.

As for the Tier One top-grade mulberry leaves, the annual harvest could bring ten thousand contribution points plus three thousand spirit stones in revenue.

...

Ji An maneuvered the flying shuttle, continued along the passage, and descended.

Dahuang was squatting at the entrance, vigilantly looking in all directions.

"Well done," Ji An tossed a top-grade Earth Spirit Fruit.

The Rock Armor Bear chewed it haphazardly a few times before swallowing it whole, with even the seed going straight into its belly.

Ji An patted its large head, chuckling as he scolded:

"You’re just like Pigsy!"

Dahuang wore a goofy expression, lying on the ground with its short, round tail wagging incessantly.

Ji An gave a slight nod, petting its furry big head:

"You can return to your original cave now."

With the mimic array in place, it no longer needed to stand guard; just instructing the Fire Crystal Ants to patrol this passage would suffice.

"Awooo!"

Dahuang gave a low growl before sprinting off at full tilt.

There were many Fire Crystal Ants here, which it didn’t like.

Ji An watched the Rock Armor Bear gradually disappear into the jungle’s night shadows.

The Beast Companion had now accumulated enough; he needed to find time to refine an elixir to assist it in breaking through the Foundation Establishment Stage.

It was unknown how long it would take to reach the natural growth stage’s Foundation Establishment Stage, so making early plans was wise; perhaps its strength would be needed soon.

Ji An entered the passage, checked the state of the spirit plants at the magma pool, and then performed the Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell and Jade Wood Transformation Skill.

The Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell could regulate the Earth Qi, which should be somewhat beneficial.

Brilliant green light shone, quickly approaching the spirit plants and merging into them.

Ji An sat cross-legged nearby, slightly lost in thought.

This peculiar Wood Element spirit plant actually nourished itself with Fire Element Spiritual Energy.

Having practiced the Evergreen Wood Skill, he could absorb the Spirit Mechanism of the Sun’s Bing Fire, finding many similarities between the two.

Wood gives rise to fire, and conversely, fire can nurture wood.

The power of the Wood Element is the thrumming lifeforce bursting forth with vigor, rather than some narrow material substance, granting him new insight.

After a moment, Ji An felt himself beginning to absorb the power of fire evil; the spiritual energy purified by the spirit plants was no longer enough to sustain his breathing exercise.

He stood up and left, placing the mimic array at the tunnel entrance.

Having completed everything, he went to the ant nest and communicated spiritually with the Ant Queen.

’Dispatch some soldier ants to patrol the passage I excavated.

Additionally, deal with the mountain rocks excavated.’

The ant acid secreted by the Fire Crystal Ants can corrode rocks. Before long, these stones will be reduced to powder by the ant colony, and the traces of their excavation will gradually disappear without a trace.

...

Ji An maneuvered the Flying Shuttle, circling around to the Copper Patterned Mulberry Field.

In the dim light, each Tier Two Spirit Plant emitted a silver and golden glow.

There are currently 95 Copper Patterned Mulberries in the Spirit Field. The high-tier Golden Silk Worms on Luoyan Mountain rely entirely on the supply from Red Flame Peak. Liu Suyun and Mo Mountain frequently purchase mulberry leaves from here.

In the bamboo forest, there are 56 Tier Two Profound Leaf Sword Bamboos, shining with golden light.

The gentle breeze brought waves of crisp sounds.

Each month, sixteen pounds of Golden Leaves can be produced. Ten pounds are handed over to the sect, earning 300 points of Small Merit.

The remaining Golden Leaves are kept for exchanging spiritual objects with others.

With Tier Two Golden Leaves in hand, there are many Artifact Refiners willing to exchange for Profound Yellow Soil.

Ji An performed the Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell, casting magic over the Spirit Field. Yellow spiritual light shone, and the Spirit Plants shimmered with bright hues.

Finally, he summoned the Flying Shuttle and returned beneath the Ghost Moon Cyan Jade Tree.

Perhaps the clouds veiling the moon dispersed, for the moonlight was much brighter than before.

The leaves of the Spirit Wood blended seamlessly with the serene moonlight, making the golden veins appear particularly striking.

Sitting cross-legged beneath the tree, Ji An took out the Azure Dragon Wood and other spiritual objects, beginning the final cultivation of the day.

As the Evergreen Wood Skill circulated, Earth Element, Wood Element, Water Element spirit light, along with the moonlight, were absorbed into his body.

Within the acupoints, ten Dao Seeds lit up one by one, and it seemed as if a bright moon also rose in his Sea of Consciousness, making his spirit soul especially refreshed.

...

At 5:00 AM, outside Red Flame Peak.

Two Qi Refining Disciples huddled under a large tree, with one young disciple occasionally glancing around.

They were sent by Ye Changqing to assist Ji An with planting and needed to arrive here by 5:00 AM each day.

The older disciple lightly shook his head, baring his teeth as he said:

"Stop looking, at this time, you won’t see anything anyway.

If that Junior Martial Uncle were to cast a spell, we would definitely notice it immediately."

The range covered by the Foundation Establishment Spirit Farmer’s magic is much larger than those attack techniques.

Attack techniques focus on concentration, while planting techniques emphasize dispersion, moving in two completely different directions.

Frustrated, the young disciple grumbled:

"Having to keep watch here every morning at this hour, who knows how long this will last? It’s unbearable!"

"Unbearable? Hmph! If you were sent to the Mingfeng Mountain front line, how would you cope then?"

The old cultivator sneered, leaning against the tree trunk:

"Suffering a little in the sect is one thing, but fighting Demon Beasts on the front line, that’s a life-and-death struggle.

Any slight mistake could end in death and the dispersal of your Dao."

Grown wise with age, he now suddenly understood why the sect had recruited so many disciples in recent years.

It was all preparation for the Demon Calamity, ensuring there’s enough disciples even if many become mere expendables.

He shivered, letting out a helpless sigh in his heart.

Suddenly, he noticed a shower of emerald light scattering across the sky, turning around hastily to see countless green light spots descending like a rain of stars.

The elder disciple jumped up in surprise:

"Whoa, such a large-scale Jade Wood Transformation Skill?!"

He had seen quite a few Foundation Establishment Spirit Farmers cast spells, but few could compare to this.

"Quick, let’s go show ourselves, Junior Martial Uncle has begun casting the spell!"

...

By late morning, as the Spirit Rain with its nourishing aura fell, the Spirit Rice plants appeared even more verdant.

Ji An ceased casting, instructing the two disciples beside him:

"My magical power is nearly exhausted. This is as far as we go for now.

From now on, plant this extent of the Spirit Field only."

His magical power was only half remaining, nearly depleted.

The older disciple, eyes filled with admiration, clasped his hands in respect:

"Junior Martial Uncle, including this plot, your spellcasting range for the morning was 5,000 acres."

How did such a formidable Junior Martial Uncle emerge in the sect, he had never heard of this before!

He had observed carefully and noted that the range of Spring Breeze and Rain Skill, Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell, and Jade Wood Transformation Skill was uniformly 50 acres.

Based on the pervasive Magic Intent and the plant’s response, the effects were unprecedented in his life.

Even more astonishing was the accuracy with which the other party released the spells; the range of all three techniques was completely consistent, without any deviation he could discern.

Ji An nodded slightly and asked:

"How will the planting ratio of Spirit Rice and medicinal herbs be determined in the future?"

"In response to Junior Martial Uncle, according to calculations, planting four acres of Yellow Sprout Rice, one acre of Huang Jing, and one acre of Ginseng yields the most suitable ratio for refining Fasting Pills."

...

Half a month passed quickly.

In the Diligence Hall, Ye Changqing received the Communication Talisman Sword, examining the message within.

He shook his head slightly, muttering:

"Such a huge gap, comparing people is simply exasperating."

He opened the ledger, noting down the information.

’Kong Yunyi, 2,500 acres of Spirit Fields planted, with 1,500 acres of Yellow Sprout Rice harvested, yielding 525,000 pounds of Spirit Rice, maturity time 12 days.’

Above this line, there was another entry.

’Ji An, 5,000 acres of Spirit Fields planted, with 3,000 acres of Yellow Sprout Rice harvested, yielding 1,230,000 pounds of Spirit Rice, maturity time 8 days.’

Ye Changqing began scratching his head, pondering on how to distribute such high yield rewards!

He vaguely recalled that the highest yield for Yellow Sprout Rice was only 300 pounds per acre, yet Junior Brother Ji’s Spirit Rice yield per acre exceeded 400 pounds.

Moreover, Ji An’s crops matured four days earlier than Junior Brother Kong’s, the hidden disparity in these figures was truly shocking.

There simply weren’t enough Alchemists for all this material, they couldn’t all go into refining Fasting Pills!