One day later.
"Hey, slow down!"
Elian couldn't help but smile bitterly as he watched the fluffy little ducklings chirping and scrambling in front of him.
The twelve Purple-Striped Goose chicks had all hatched, turning into this adorable flock of goslings, their fluffy appearance almost identical to the ducklings from his previous life.
They looked gentle and cute, but the only downside was the high cost of raising them.
At this stage, the Purple-Striped Geese were very young and fragile, and any mishap could lead to their death. To ensure their survival, Elian had no choice but to cook spirit rice porridge for them.
Spirit rice, however, was incredibly precious. On the market, one spirit stone could only buy three pounds of spirit rice.
Previously, the family had given Elian an annual stipend of thirty pounds of spirit rice, worth ten spirit stones, which, combined with additional spirit stones, had been more than enough to support his cultivation.
But now, with the Chen family struggling financially, most of the spirit rice had been sold off to pay debts, and the spirit rice stipend had naturally stopped.
If the Third Elder hadn't insisted on giving him ten pounds of spirit rice before he left for Linghu Isle, he wouldn't have had any to feed the Purple-Striped Geese.
This spirit rice was his personal supply, meant to accelerate his cultivation. During the four months he'd been on Linghu Isle, he had rationed it carefully, consuming only one or two ounces every three days. Now, he had only six pounds left.
But suddenly, he had twelve new mouths to feed. Oblivious to the value of spirit rice, the goslings squabbled and fought over the porridge, only to cry out for more once it was gone, leaving Elian exasperated.
"Eat, eat, eat."
"At this rate, you'll bankrupt me," he muttered. Despite his complaints, he still scooped out another ounce of spirit rice to cook a bowl of porridge for the little ones.
After feeding them, Elian sat cross-legged on the ground, his face a mix of frustration and amusement.
"In novels about cultivation from my past life, the protagonists are always otherworldly, like celestial beings descended to earth, dominating the world."
"I never imagined that in the real cultivation world, I'd end up farming, feeding fish, and raising ducks."
"If someone wrote a novel like this, no one would believe it." (Sorry mc :c )
With that thought, Elian chuckled. He glanced at an ancient zither on the balcony of his bamboo hut and smiled peacefully.
In his past life, he had been an art student, and this zither was one of the few hobbies he had carried over.
"No one said cultivation has to be all about fighting and killing."
"Playing the zither, planting a few acres of spirit fields, feeding spirit fish, and raising a few spiritual birds—isn't that also a form of cultivation?"
He spoke softly to himself, a sense of peace settling over him.
Cultivation required resources, and those resources were paramount. If no one planted fields or cultivated renewable resources, and everyone resorted to plundering, where would the resources come from?
Demonic cultivators were universally despised in the cultivation world precisely because they produced nothing. Instead, they hunted mortals and cultivators in large numbers, using human blood, flesh, and souls to forge artifacts, threatening the very foundation of the cultivation world.
Their selfishness, their philosophy of "every man for himself," and their willingness to extract the world's potential for personal gain often led to disastrous, short-sighted destruction.
If the Chen family were to one day fall, its tens of thousands of mortal descendants would likely become prey for demonic cultivators and beasts, their souls condemned to eternal unrest. This was why the Chen family's eldest elder and many cultivators remained stationed in Pingyang City year-round.
"Three ounces of spirit rice a day. The remaining six pounds will only last twenty days."
"Fortunately, in twenty days, they'll survive the most fragile stage of their infancy."
Elian calculated how long the spirit rice would last. Thankfully, the Purple-Striped Geese were spirit beasts. Once they passed their infancy, they could be fed regular rice or even released into Linghu Isle.
Other than the gentle Azure Spirit Fish, there were no dangerous beasts in Linghu Isle. Once the geese matured, they would be strong enough to fend off ordinary wild animals and could hunt freely in the lake.
In the days that followed, Elian returned to his regular cultivation routine.
In his spare time, he nurtured the spirit fields every two weeks, tended to rare spiritual herbs, counted the Azure Spirit Fish, and fed the Purple-Striped Geese. Time passed swiftly.
By late July, Elian stood beneath the Spirit Peach Tree, gazing at the 56 ripe spirit peaches it had borne, unable to hide his joy.
At last, the Spirit Peach Tree's fruits had matured. With 56 spirit peaches, this harvest was worth 280 spirit stones.
Overjoyed, he picked one peach and took a bite, savoring the sweetness. The peach was not only rich in spiritual energy but also exceptionally delicious.
"This spirit peach is extraordinary," he exclaimed, delighted.
"No wonder it sells for such a high price."
After finishing the peach, Elian felt as though he had refined a precious pill. His spiritual energy had grown noticeably, and he was now on the verge of breaking through to the eighth level of Qi Refinement.
It had been eight months since he broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refinement. Normally, it would take another two years to reach the eighth level at his current cultivation speed.
However, the two Purple-Striped Geese he had hunted earlier had significantly boosted his cultivation, saving him considerable time.
Now, after eating a spirit peach, he was finally at the threshold of the eighth level of Qi Refinement.
"One spirit peach isn't enough," he muttered.
Sensing the opportunity for a breakthrough, Elian consumed seven or eight more spirit peaches. At last, he accumulated enough spiritual energy to attempt breaking through.
In just half an hour, his body trembled with spiritual energy. He exhaled a wisp of white mist and opened his eyes, smiling with satisfaction.
"The eighth level of Qi Refinement."
Elian felt his spiritual energy grow significantly stronger, and he couldn't suppress his joy.
At just sixteen years old, breaking through to the eighth level of Qi Refinement was exceedingly rare. Even in large sects, such talent would be considered exceptional.
At this rate, he was confident he could reach the ninth level of Qi Refinement before turning twenty and begin planning for Foundation Establishment.
"With over 50 spirit peaches every year, my cultivation speed will increase further."
"This will save a great deal of time and help me reach the ninth level of Qi Refinement sooner."
Excited by the thought, Elian looked at the Spirit Peach Tree with gratitude and exhilaration.
With the resources from the Spirit Peach Tree, he no longer had to worry about cultivation supplies. Even without a family stipend for the next few years, his progress wouldn't be hindered.
As the days passed, Elian's life settled into a peaceful rhythm of refining spirit peaches, raising ducks, farming, feeding fish, and cultivating.
By late autumn, a small boat approached Linghu Isle, and a familiar voice called from afar.
"Elian, I've arrived!"
Elian stepped out from the central island and saw three figures approaching.
Seeing them, he couldn't help but smile.
"Sixteenth Grand-Uncle," he greeted.
The visitor was Chen Changlu, the sixteenth-ranked cultivator of the Chang generation in the Chen family and Elian's Sixteenth Grand-Uncle.
The other two were his cousins, Chen Nianqian and Chen Nianyuan. Though older than Elian, their cultivation levels and status were far below his.
Chen Changlu was 89 years old and only at the seventh level of Qi Refinement. His lower cultivation level had spared him from the calamity a year ago.
As he approached Elian, his eyes immediately noticed the change in his cultivation. With a hint of uncertainty, he asked, "The eighth level of Qi Refinement?"