“Not bad, not bad.”
“The Black King Drake’s meat is so fresh and tasty.”
After taking a bite of braised meat, Jiang He closed his eyes and took small bites. He could feel the concentrated qi in the Black King Drake’s flesh, and average humans would not withstand the power even within such a small chunk, and they would get sick even if they had such a tiny bit.
Not even rank-one or two martial artists could have much, or they would easily blow up.
“Feral King meat are real treasures. If a rank-five martial artist could eat it every day and sleep afterwards, they would not even need to cultivate to quickly reach rank-six.”
Jiang He sighed in awe before glancing at Sora as she quietly pinched a piece, saying, “You’re just rank-two, don’t eat too much or you’ll get sick.”
Even as he spoke, he took a few more pieces for himself.
Delicious!
For Jiang He, it was not important whether the Feral meat was powerful—the taste takes precedent.
Why would pythons face extinction before the Revival of Qi despite being such a ferocious creature?
It was because their meat was delicious, and a single catty of their flesh could sell up to several hundred dollars.
As for the Black King Drake…
Though it had ascended as a drake, it was still a python in Jiang He’s perspective.
Beside him.
Sora stood up and poured Jiang He a glass of rank-nine rose tree Origin Fluid.
A sweet aroma entered his mouth.
It was as outstanding as the meat of the Black King Drake.
Most importantly, it improves spirit while you enjoy the fine taste—it does not get cozier.
Having stuffed himself and took a seat at the sofa, Jiang He was ready to have a break before heading to the farm… after all, less than an hour had passed, and it was not yet time to harvest his ‘crops’.
Leaning on the sofa, Jiang He took out his phone.
Back when he ‘created’ the Three Thousand Calamities, Lü Yan the Tang-dynasty poet who popped up piqued Jiang He’s interest.
His poem was not bad—it had its own unique style and sounded very impressive, and logically speaking such a poet should have some degree of fame and be included in grade school, middle school, and high school textbooks. However, he had never even heard of him, even though the part ‘Over the long years since gaining these tenets, never once did the flying sword claim a man’s head’ sounds quite familiar.
He keyed in the name Lü Yan on the search bar.
“Eh? It actually has a Baidu page…”
“Lü Yan, style name Lü Dongbin, the self-proclaimed Returner… Haha, that’s quite an interesting nickname—Master Pure-Yang? Old Pure-Yang?”
“Hold on…”
Jiang He’s eyes suddenly widened and he muttered to himself, “His style name is Dongbin? Last name Lü… Lü Dongbin?”
Jiang He kept reading: The leader of the eight immortals, an immortal Daoist, honorably addressed as Pioneer Lü, Pioneering Master Lü, Pioneering Immortal Lü or Pure-Yang Pioneering Master.
There was an online anthology of his sixty-two poems as well.
It was also stated that Lü Yan was a famed Daoist in the Tang era of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms… along with many divine myths concerning him
The reincarnation of Dong Mugong of the heavenly palace or whatnot…
The Pure-Yang Sword Sage…
The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea and the like.
Jiang He rubbed his temples.
Are these legends recorded on the internet real?
Before, Jiang He would have been laughing, saying how could divine myths be taken for truths?
Even so, that might not be the case now.
While divine myths must never be taken at face value, they should not be completely disproved either since Jiang He was certain that the era of Immortals and Qi Refinists did exist in history.
As for why it eventually was lost… Jiang He had a hunch that it had to do with the environment.
For example, the Old Martial Era once prospered, but declined five hundred years ago… cultivation became more difficult, and that past glory only returned with the Revival of Qi.
“Could this be the Degenerate Age that novels often mention?”
“And is this Degenerate Age over with the Revival of Qi? Could the Era of Immortals and Qi Refinists rise again in the future?”
This possibility indeed existed.
With the many heritage sides of the Old Martial Era discovered, the moment when the residence of cultivators or heritage sites of immortals were found and immortal arts were uncovered, the nation would definitely promote it given their current stance.
“Forget it. I’m getting a headache just thinking about this stuff—I’ll have a look at my farm for now.”
Jiang He checked the time to find that it was already ten o’clock.
Leaving the mansion, Jiang He stepped out to his farm… and froze just as he entered it.
Since it was already ten in the evening and still days away from the full moon, a crescent moon hung above the night sky. Therefore, reasonably speaking, the farm ought to be pitch-black…
But it was still bright as day here.
After all, there were many suns that were hovering over the farm.
Jiang He could not help being amused at the sight.
How were those suns?
Those were just sunflowers, shining in brilliant golden radiance.
Jiang He had planted 25 purple-gold sunflower seeds which had grown into 25 sunflowers, each of them standing around 2 meters tall, with a sunflower that had a diameter of one meter at the tip.
The sunflowers were emanating veins of golden light, and really resembled a sun when seen from afar.
Jiang He was quite surprised.
“Back then, I could only plant ten gold bullion trees… how did I manage to get all these sunflowers at once from those twenty-five purple-gold sunflower seeds? Not even peppers, corns, and carrots had such limits before.”
“Perhaps it was because the gold bullions were not normal ‘crops’?”
Even as he thought about it, Jiang He walked up and plucked one of the giant sunflowers.
[Ding!]
[+1000 Farm Points]
A System Notification jingled beside his ear.
Rubbing with his hands to remove the woolly stuff from the sunflower’s disc, he plucked on sunflower seed and studied it closely.
The seed was much larger than the average sunflower and was purple-golden in color. It would even reflect a beautiful, crystalline purple radiance when illuminated by the radiance of the other sunflower discs.
Crunch.
Jiang He put the seed inside his mouth, gnawing at it.
The shell of the sunflower seed was thin but the inside ample, although having just one had a modest effect. Jiang He could not sense an improvement in spirit if he did not extend his senses on purpose, but the meter-wide sunflower disc floret had countless seeds, and the accumulation would absolutely and rapidly improve his spirit within a short period of time.
“Still, spirit growth comes second. I could kill time when I’m bored by munching on these sunflower seeds.” Jiang He appeared delighted.
Before, he had been snacking on ‘crops’ such as qi pellets, blended qi pellets, walnuts, and carrots, and one always eventually gets sick of their snacks after having too much of it.
But that was not for the case of sunflower seeds.
Save for oral dryness or numbed mouth, the only other drawback of sunflower seeds was that the littering of its shells was unhygienic.
“That said, with eighteen boxes in my backpack, can’t I just spare one for keeping sunflower seed shells? It stacks infinitely anyway, and I wouldn’t have to worry that I have no place to put it even I snacked on sunflower seeds over ten thousand years.”
Jiang He thought then, that the only observable shortcoming at the moment…
Was a lacking of taste and texture.
Nevertheless, as a young farmer tried and true, Jiang He was familiar with sunflower seeds—they are soft once plucked and tastes average when eaten then and there. It was only by drying it that it tastes good, after which it could be fried and cooked in various styles to be freely chosen from.
“With twenty-five one-meter wide sunflower disc florets, I’d get over a hundred catties of sunflower seeds.”
“I’ll pluck the flowers for now, and empty out all the seeds tomorrow, dry them and fry them with the five-spices.”
Hence, Jiang He walked up and plucked the giant sunflowers.
[Ding!]
[+1000 Farm Points]
[Ding!]
[+1000 Farm Points]
[Ding…]
System Notifications jingled repetitively right beside his ear, with the 25 sunflowers earning Jiang He 25000 Farm Points and 2500 Farm EXP. Coupled with the harvesting of the Scarlet Flame Sword, grave grass, and the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula, he earned more than 6000 Farm EXP in just two days.
Moreover, he earned over 60000 Farm Points within the same period as well.
However, redeeming two packs of Mysterious Soil and cultivating the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula cost him a total of 15000 Farm Points, making it a grand total of over 20000 Farm Points spent if he counted in the other nitrogen fertilizers and composite fertilizers he used for farming, along with the nitrogen fertilizers he redeemed for the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers.
Initially, he had around 8000 Farm Points…
But as Jiang He glanced at his System Panel now, he realized that he had accumulated 52000 Farm points now.
Soon, he was surprised to found that after he had plucked the sunflowers, their stems did not crumble into ashes as usual, becoming withered instead.
Frowning, Jiang He said, “Dumbo, Trumbo, chop off those stems and burn them… let’s help them since they won’t turn to ashes themselves.”
Having got their orders, Dumbo and Trumbo walked up, shovels in paws and began to root up the sunflower stems.
Clang!
However, Dumbo’s shovel blade snapped off when it touched one of the stems, and it did a double take before cursing, “What the hell… is it that tough?”
It was not just Dumbo—even Jiang He was stunned.
Was the stem of the purple-gold sunflower supposed to be that tough?
He threw Dumbo his Dragon-Slaying Saber, and the dog rose to stand on its rear legs, clenching on the blade before slashing it down on the stem. But despite the dog’s dozens of swings, the stem was not cut, and instead the dog ended up lying on the ground, poking out its tongue as it panted.
“Oh?”
Jiang He’s interest was piqued at that.
He walked up, took the Dragon-Slaying Saber, circulating his True Qi, and slashed out—
Snikt!
The sunflower stem split instantly.
Nonetheless, Jiang He’s eyes brightened and he chuckled. “Interesting. That swing could kill an average rank-nine martial artist, but I could feel slight resistance from this sunflower stem… this thing is as tough as an average rank-nine’s True Qi guard.”
Then, after he cut down all 25 sunflower stems, he put away his blade and instructed, “Put away that stuff. I’m bringing you two to Lingzhou City tomorrow and see if we can make you two some armor, and get a big wok to cook five-spices sunflower seeds and spicy lobster…”
Jiang He then turned to look at the Sword Will Barrenwort, and promptly scowled.
To be fair, the Sword Will Barrenwort did grow…
But contrary to what he imagined, their number did not increase and there are still two tufts.
The only difference was that the ones that grew out was massive and over two meters tall, just as their leaves increased by threefold—growing twenty-seven leaves each.
“How is this a barrenwort?”
Jiang He was rather speechless.
Still, there was no telling what the Sword Will Barrenwort effect would be like…
Wait, that’s not quite right. It should be called ‘Twenty-Seven Leafed Sword Will Grass’ now.
[Ding!]
[+5000 Farm Points]
“…”
Jiang He’s eyes lit up the moment he plucked the first tuft of Twenty-Seven Leafed Sword Will Grass.
One tuft for five thousand Farm Points?
That value was quite high.
And when the value is high, the effect must be great!
[Ding!]
[+5000 Farm Points]
Having plucked both tufts of Twenty-Seven Leafed Sword Will Grass, Jiang He then turn towards the spot where he planted the Three Thousand Calamities.
No tree had grown, although there was a bundle of sagely light that took form over there.
Sword Qi danced within it, and sword will pulsed.
A single jade scroll hovered within the light.
Jiang He walked up, expectant and yet apprehensive, reached out with his hand and grabbed the jade scroll.
[Ding!]
[+30000 Farm Points]
As the System Notification jingled beside his ear, Jiang He inhaled sharply and stared at the jade scroll in his hand.
Lines of data appeared.
[Three Thousand Calamities]
[Attribute: Sword Sage Cultivation, Heavenly Immortal tier, includes the three styles of White Foal Crosses the Rift, Thunderflame Calamity, and Three Thousand Calamities.]
After staring at the jade scroll for a long time, Jiang He suddenly exclaimed an expletive.
“Sh*t!
“What the hell is going on?”
“The cultivation manual I created was supposed to cultivate up to Golden Immortal-tier! How did it get reduced to Heavenly Immortal after planting it?”
But after Jiang He’s complaints, Jiang He had to yield…
Heavenly Immortal-tier… so be it.
It was more or less acceptable.
There was no telling how many thousands of miles away from Heavenly Immortal he was now, and he could afford to wait until his farm levels up and directly create more cultivation manuals to Immortal Emperor or Saint tier then.
Still, since it was only Heavenly Immortal-tier, it meant that there would only be the eight levels of Qi Refinist, Golden Cinnabar, True Child, Convergence, Sufferance, Mahayana, and Heavenly Immortal, did it not?
[Ding!]
[Heavenly Immortal-tier Sword Sage cultivation: Three Thousand Calamities detected. Consume 20000 Farm Points to learn the first level?]
Jiang He: “…”
Both were immortal arts, but the immortal physique Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula only needed 5000 Farm Points.
So why would the Three Thousand Calamities need 20000? Was it supposed to be this shady?
But despite his complaints, Jiang He had already spoken cheerfully—
“Cultivate!”
[Ding!]
[-20000 Farm Points]
[Congratulations, Host. You have gained Mastery over the first level of the Three Thousand Calamities.]
Oom!
A unique energy instantly shrouded Jiang He at that.
In that very moment, Jiang He realized that aside from True Qi, a new energy was birthed in his cinnabar fields and ocean of qi…
Mana!
And it was getting increasingly stronger, until it actually surpassed his True Qi to reach great heights.
After a long time…
Jiang He cultivation concluded.
Reaching out with his senses, he realized immediately—
“The first level of the Three Thousand Calamity corresponds to the tier of Qi Refinist… so does that mean my mastery of the first level is a perfect grasp over Qi Refinist?”
He rose to his feet, circulating his mana before a horrific aura burst out of his body. He felt that he could easily slay the Black King Drake if he fought it now, and most importantly…
Whoosh!
The Scarlet Flame Sword shot out from between his brows as a scarlet radiance from the sea of swords in his mind.
Having cultivated mana, he could unleash the full power of the Scarlet Flame Sword!
