Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos

“Cultivating wood within the dantian, seeking longevity…”

In the underground cavern.

Fang Xi sat cross-legged beneath the Demon Tree, with a vital qi root extending from his back and connecting to its canopy.

As pure vital energy flowed through him daily, his physique grew increasingly vibrant.

Even the progress of his ‘Longevity Technique’ advanced rapidly by leaps and bounds.

Through introspection using his spiritual sense, he could discern a faint emerald-green network spreading throughout his limbs and bones, emanating from his dantian’s sea of qi towards muscles, veins, and flesh…

This was the process of constructing the ‘Azure Wood Spirit Body’!

“In just a few more years, I should achieve mastery over the Azure Wood Spirit Body, right?”

Fang Xi opened his eyes, two green glints flashing within them.

Once he accomplished the ‘Azure Wood Spirit Body’, despite having a low-grade wood elemental spiritual root, his aptitude would rival those with high-grade spiritual roots, akin to geniuses.

However, Fang Xi’s ambitions extended beyond this!

He aimed to at least cultivate the ‘Second Wood Dharma Body’!

Such a spiritual body was scarcely mentioned in cultivation lore, but it was certain that any cultivator possessing it, barring untimely demise, invariably ascended to Nascent Soul greatness!

With the growth rate of the Demon Tree, achieving the ‘Second Wood Dharma Body’ within several decades seemed entirely feasible!

After each day’s cultivation, Fang Xi routinely inspected his spirit field.

“Ooh!”

On a nearby ridge, a bare-bottomed little boy was joyfully running, followed by a toy tiger that lumbered along slowly with its four legs moving.

“Little Hu, where did you get this mechanical tiger puppet?” Fang Xi paused and casually asked.

“My mom just returned from the Spirit Hollow Market and bought it for me.” Little Hu sniffled, grinning foolishly as he replied.

“Hmm, go play now!” Fang Xi patted Little Hu’s head, feeling somewhat dejected. ‘Damn, after searching for years, I’ve yet to find even a trace of puppetry techniques… And now, while tending my tree, I discover a puppeteer’s work at the Spirit Hollow Market? Is fate playing tricks on me?’

‘Well, life is rarely smooth; unexpected setbacks happen. Stay composed, stay composed…’ he reminded himself silently.

Isn’t it just about inheriting puppetry skills? As long as one lives long enough, opportunities will eventually arise.

“Sir!”

Upon reaching Widow Wang’s log cabin, she immediately emerged with a beaming smile to greet him. “The Spirit Hollow Market is vast and beautiful, filled with abundant spiritual energy… I specifically bought a pack of spirit tea for you, Sir, and was just thinking to deliver it!”

“Ah, thank you very much.”

The spirit tea wasn’t worth even a single spirit stone, but it was the thought that counted. If Fang Xi refused it, Widow Wang would likely worry.

Seeing him accept it with a smile, her grin widened. “I also visited the Island Lord’s shop at the Spirit Hollow Market, called ‘Fire Refinement Pavilion’. The Great Shopkeeper there is Mu Wen!”

Fang Xi was not surprised by this outcome. After all, Feng Manlou had no intention of competing with Mu Wen.

Mu Wen himself went all-in, mortgaging several acres of his family’s spirit fields to borrow a vast amount of spirit stones, ensuring he could grease the necessary palms.

With Feng Manlou voluntarily withdrawing, Ruan Xingling couldn’t object much and ultimately granted the position to Mu Wen.

”…I believe the Zhong Family of Dragonfish has accepted this decision,” Widow Wang continued. “If the Thirty Six Islands truly unite, our combined Late Stage Qi Refinement cultivators would outnumber those of the Zhong Family significantly… By forming a joint law enforcement team, security around the islands will greatly improve. On my way here, I didn’t encounter any Plunderer cultivators…”

Widow Wang seemed envious. “It appears that the Mu Family patriarch made the right gamble; they stand to make substantial profits…”

“In that case… it’s indeed a good thing!” Fang Xi smiled warmly.

Regardless of why the Zhong Family backed down, peace is always preferable. He needed a tranquil environment for planting trees here.

As for Mu Wen’s temporary success? Let him have his moment; short-lived prosperity means little.

In a hundred years, we’ll see if he even matters then!

“Wang Aunt!”

Just then, another person arrived at Widow Wang’s residence - it was Lu Guo!

Upon seeing Fang Xi, he instinctively shuddered before bowing respectfully, “Master!”

“Ah.”

Fang Xi nodded, noticing that Lu Guo had already channeled qi into his body, becoming a first-level Qi Refinement cultivator!

‘Impressive for someone with mid-grade spiritual roots. It’s only been a few months?’

‘How long did it take my original self to reach the first level of Qi Refinement? A year? Or was it two years?’

‘No matter… maintain composure, stay composed!’

Suppressing the twitch at the corner of his eye, Fang Xi walked away without interrupting Widow Wang and Lu Guo.

Shortly after, Lu Guo emerged from Widow Wang’s house, holding a small wooden dagger.

With a thread of magical energy infused, the wooden dagger unexpectedly floated in mid-air!

‘A low-grade magical item?’

‘No… not quite a magical item, just a subpar toy, probably worth only a few spirit crystals…’

At a glance, Fang Xi recognized this as a similar trinket to Little Hu’s mechanical beast - lacking any real combat potential, purely intended for children’s play.

Despite its simplicity, Lu Guo cherished the wooden dagger, carefully wiping it down before attaching it solemnly to his waistband.

“It seems…it’s also time to teach him the later levels of the Everlasting Spring Art,” Fang Xi mused upon witnessing this scene.

A mid-grade spiritual root aptitude indeed offered significant advantages over a low-grade one.

Coupled with cultivating since childhood in a spiritual environment, there was a genuine possibility for Lu Guo to eventually break through to Late Stage Qi Refinement.

One could only wonder what Ruan Xingling truly had in mind.

---

Summer gave way to autumn, and soon another year drew to a close.

Fang Xi inspected the five-acre spirit field, then split the profits with Widow Wang in their usual 60-40 ratio, ensuring she had a prosperous holiday season.

In contrast, Lu Guo’s situation remained sparse; he still resided in his wooden hut.

One day, amidst the vibrant flowers, Ruan Xingling’s magical artifact descended within the Little Cloudrain Array.

“Island Lord graces us with her presence, bringing honor upon this humble abode!” Fang Xi greeted warmly, smiling. “I’ve prepared some ‘Bamboo Wine’, please allow me to offer you a cup.”

“Hmm!”

Ruan Xingling and Fang Xi moved under the peach tree, opening a bottle of Bamboo Wine together.

For reasons unknown, Ruan Xingling seemed particularly fond of this variety.

On the other hand, Fang Xi had diverse tastes - enjoying both Bamboo Wine and Crimson Blood Wine alike. Recently, he even brewed a batch of Peach Blossom Wine.

This wine carried the delicate aroma of peach blossoms, which was highly favored by many female cultivators. Strangely enough, Ruan Xingling still preferred Bamboo Wine over others.

“Lu Guo has reached the first level of Qi Refinement. I anticipate him advancing to the second level next year…” Fang Xi casually remarked as he poured a cup for Ruan Xingling.

“Indeed, mid-grade spiritual roots show promise, but it’s unfortunate that he falls short compared to Dan’er.”

Ruan Xingling’s expression remained indifferent, showing no signs of her emotions. Instead, she turned her attention to Fang Xi with concern, “At twenty-eight years old and already at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, if you can break through to Late Stage Qi Refinement within a few years, there’s hope for Foundation Establishment!”

“Island Lord jests…” Fang Xi’s face filled with bitterness. “I’ve just entered the sixth level, and accumulating and refining magical energy alone will take several years. Without at least five to six years of cultivation, I won’t reach its peak, let alone the significant bottleneck of reaching Late Stage… If I manage to breakthrough before turning forty, I’d consider myself incredibly fortunate.”

“The bottleneck between Middle and Late Stage Qi Refinement is indeed quite challenging…”

Ruan Xingling recalled how both the Feng and Mo Clans had fallen into chaos after their clan heads, who were in Late Stage Qi Refinement, passed away.

It was only with her intervention and support—along with depleting substantial family resources to purchase two Step-Breaking Pills from the market—that they successfully cultivated new members to stabilize the Late Stage Qi Refinement positions and regain order.

For rogue cultivators, even affording basic magical energy-enhancing pills was difficult; purchasing Step-Breaking Pills seemed out of reach.

“With your spirit rice harvest, aside from occasional pest issues, it’s nearly bountiful every year. After accumulating for a few more years, buying a Step-Breaking Pill from the market should not be a problem…”

Ruan Xingling seemed genuinely concerned for Fang Xi’s prospects.

With the resources from these ten-plus acres of spirit fields, Fang Xi still had a chance to reach Late Stage Qi Refinement.

Even if the yield was insufficient, he could mortgage a few acres like Mu Wen did, essentially killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, and it would certainly be enough!

“Ah…” Mentioning this topic, Fang Xi let out a long sigh, filled with melancholy. “In truth, my granary has very little spirit rice left.”

“Hm?” Ruan Xingling appeared surprised. “Did you use it all for brewing wine?”

“Not at all!” With a wry smile, Fang Xi led Ruan Xingling to his dedicated pill-concocting room.

This space was specifically set up for practicing his alchemy skills. The aroma of medicines wafted through the air, and in one corner, there were piles of spirit wood and spirit coal.

At the center of the room stood a three-legged, double-eared purple copper pill furnace, clearly a low-grade magical artifact!

“You…are studying the art of pill concoction?” Ruan Xingling’s eyes brightened. “Have you made any progress?”

“If I were to concoct Fasting Pills now, barely breaking even… As for others, it’s still a significant loss!”

Fang Xi replied expressionlessly, “Pill concocting impoverishes three generations, and studying arrays ruins a lifetime - I’ve truly witnessed it…”

“Ah…” she sighed.

Numerous cultivators could produce Fasting Pills, making it virtually impossible to earn spirit stones through this method.

Ruan Xingling gazed at the pill furnace, spirit medicines…and immediately understood the considerable expenses involved.

She couldn’t help but disapprove of Fang Xi’s decision to spend spirit rice on practice materials for pill concoction, questioning, “The art of pill concocting is vast and profound; upon realizing your lack of talent, one should promptly cut their losses. Why continue like this?”

In reality, Fang Xi had purchased these materials and waste pills using other sources of spirit stones. His primary income always came from selling mythical beast materials, not from farming spirit rice.

Placing the pill concocting room here was specifically intended to create an excuse for his spirit rice consumption.

Judging by her reaction, Ruan Xingling genuinely believed him.

“Sigh… with my mediocre aptitude, I thought mastering pill concoction might allow me to earn resources… But after investing so much, it became hard to let go, forcing me to keep pouring more into it…” Fang Xi’s demeanor conveyed a sense of being consumed by his pursuit.

“You… Ah!” Ruan Xingling shook her head repeatedly, exasperated.

Ruan Xingling shook her head repeatedly, “Fortunately, your cultivation hasn’t suffered much. From now on, pause your pill concocting and focus on cultivating instead, accumulating spirit rice… In the future, with some determination, you might still secure resources to break through to Late Stage Qi Refinement before turning forty.”

“Well… I just want to steadily cultivate to Late Stage Qi Refinement now. As for reaching that milestone by age forty? Success would be delightful, but failure would simply mean it’s my destiny!” Fang Xi sighed, downing the bamboo wine in one gulp. “Cultivator clans strive to achieve Late Stage Qi Refinement before forty primarily for a slim chance at Foundation Establishment. However, I’ve let go of any obsession with reaching Foundation Establishment. Gradually overcoming bottlenecks peacefully isn’t bad either… After all, I plan to spend my life farming and fishing on Peach Blossom Island, enjoying a tranquil existence…”

Faced with Fang Xi’s laid-back attitude, Ruan Xingling was momentarily speechless.