Xia Kong lifted his gaze and surveyed his surroundings. Life flourished throughout the farm space, and waves surged in his heart, refusing to settle for a long time.
When he recalled his arrival in this world, this strange farm had been only LV1. Its space had been half its current size, with just ten plots to cultivate and only three kinds of level-one crops available.
Level-one potatoes strengthened the body and nourished the meridians when eaten; level-one cherry tomatoes cleansed the essence and marrow, slightly improving cultivation aptitude; and level-one white radishes accelerated Dou Qi cultivation when consumed.
Now that he had successfully broken through to One-Star Dou Zhe, the Space Farm had risen to LV2 as well. Not only had the central pavilion been completely renewed, gaining functional rooms such as a kitchen, but the number of cultivable plots had doubled outright. Yet these were merely flowers added to brocade. Most importantly, quite a few new crop varieties and grades had also been unlocked.
Besides retaining the original level-one seeds, the seed shop now stocked level-two potatoes, level-two cherry tomatoes, and level-two white radishes, along with two entirely new varieties: level-two rice and level-two strawberries.
With a thought from Xia Kong, the farm panel appeared in his mind.
[Gold coins: 500][Sacred water: 0]
The warehouse still held twenty level-one cherry tomatoes and ten level-one potatoes.
Gold coins were the farm's universal currency and could only be used to purchase seeds. Level-one seeds cost ten gold coins each, while level-two seeds cost twenty. There was only one way to obtain gold coins: recycling mature crops. Their recycling value was generally fixed at ten times the selling price of their seeds.
As for sacred water, Xia Kong still had no idea how to obtain it or what wondrous effects it possessed, though he guessed it probably had something to do with shortening the time crops needed to grow.
Over the past month, Xia Kong had harvested mature crops to keep his gold coins circulating while eating their produce to temper himself. Before breaking through to Dou Zhe, he had pushed his body, meridians, and talent to the pinnacle of the Dou Power stage. Even without taking Qi Gathering Powder, he had successfully condensed a Dou Qi Vortex on his first attempt and become a Dou Zhe. Afterward, the medicinal potency of level-one crops had ceased to have much effect on him.
He had originally intended to trade the fruit and vegetables remaining in his inventory warehouse with Ya Fei. However, Xia Kong had little ability to protect himself, and he harbored reservations about the Mittel Auction House.
After all, taking out too many such extraordinary items at once could easily provoke covetousness and drive people past their moral limits. Whether he could leave the Mittel Auction House safely would become an open question. Fortunately, twenty white radishes and ten potatoes had been enough to fulfill this trade, so he had not brought out the cherry tomatoes, whose effects were even more astonishing.
Before leaving for the auction house that morning, he had harvested the previous batch of level-one crops and planted level-two seedlings in all twenty plots. There were still three days until the next harvest, just enough time to study the Azure Wood Sword Art he had just acquired.
As the thought faded, the panel slowly disappeared. Xia Kong walked into the bedroom in the central pavilion, took out the ancient scroll, and settled his mind to study and comprehend it carefully.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
With a spiritual foundation far beyond that of ordinary people thanks to his soul's two lifetimes, and aptitude, physique, and meridians that far surpassed others at his level, Xia Kong progressed smoothly in cultivating the Azure Wood Sword Art, without encountering the slightest obstruction.
The moment he circulated the cultivation method, he could clearly look within and observe his Dou Qi flowing through his body. His pale-green Dou Qi, once lively but somewhat soft, now carried a layer of piercing sharpness. Its depth and purity had improved considerably compared with before.
He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a while, allowing his body to fully adjust before finally leaving the pavilion.
A breeze swept across the paths and furrows, bringing a sweet, fresh fruit fragrance to his face. Harvest time had come again.
There were large, brilliantly colored strawberries, rice as translucent as white crystal, white radishes lustrous as jade, cherry tomatoes like individual rubies, and plump, hefty potatoes. Xia Kong reached out to pick and bent down to dig, gathering every piece of produce into his bamboo basket.
The instant the produce was separated from the plants, their once-lush green stems and leaves withered, dissolving into tiny specks of light within this strange space. But Xia Kong had seen this bizarre sight every day and had long since ceased to find it strange.
This harvest yielded four of each of the five currently available level-two crops.
Once the harvest was finished, he wasted no time, spending four hundred gold coins on a fresh batch of level-two seeds and filling all twenty plots again.
The gold coins in his inventory dropped straight to one hundred, exactly reaching the reserve warning threshold he had previously set for himself.
Hmm... there are twenty plots now, and level-two seeds cost twenty each. The warning threshold should rise to four hundred gold coins too.
After setting the gold coin warning threshold, Xia Kong's gaze fell on the thirty pieces of level-one produce stockpiled in his inventory.
"These crops aren't much use to me anymore, and it won't be suitable to sell them anytime soon. I might as well recycle them all and expand my gold reserves."
[Recycle: level-one cherry tomatoes ×20, level-one potatoes ×10, for a total of 3,000 gold coins?] [Yes]
He confirmed with a thought, and the level-one fruit and vegetables in his inventory were swept away.
With his newly swollen gold reserves safely stored, Xia Kong carried the freshly harvested level-two produce back to the pavilion.
Level-two strawberries primarily enhanced soul power. A stronger soul brought great benefits in every respect, whether cultivating Dou Qi, controlling Dou Techniques, or sensing heaven and earth. He first picked up a vivid red strawberry, temptingly luscious, placed it in his mouth, and chewed it carefully.
It tasted sweet, moist, and delicate, with an exquisite texture and not the slightest off-flavor from pesticides or preservatives. Unfortunately, its medicinal potency had to be refined gradually, so he could not indulge. Otherwise, Xia Kong would have liked nothing better than to swallow all four in one go.
A cool, gentle warmth slowly rippled outward from the depths of his mind, nourishing his soul little by little. He could clearly feel his soul power steadily increasing, and the pleasant sensation left him slightly intoxicated.
He estimated that it would take most of a day to fully absorb one strawberry's medicinal potency. Xia Kong then turned his attention to the other new crop-level-two rice. Each grain was about the size of a red bean, lustrous white throughout, and neatly squared.
According to the seed description, this rice was essentially a crystal condensed from pure, gentle Dou Qi, with effects similar to Spirit Stones in an immortal cultivation world. The difference was that Spirit Stones could only be absorbed, whereas the rice could be eaten and refined directly. After eating the rice, he would effectively remain in a constant state of cultivation until its medicinal potency was exhausted.
Xia Kong marveled inwardly. This ability truly defied the heavens. From now on, he would no longer need to sit in grueling meditation and cultivate bitterly; he only needed to work out how to turn the rice into delicious meals. It seemed rice would have to become a staple crop. After all, his cultivation was ultimately the foundation on which he could establish himself and survive in this world.
In the kitchen, using seasonings available on the Dou Qi Continent alongside rice, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and white radishes, he spent an hour preparing potatoes braised with cherry tomatoes, lustrous white steamed rice, and fresh vegetable and radish soup, bringing each dish out in turn.
The enticing aroma spread everywhere, making Xia Kong's mouth water after several days without a proper, filling meal.
Enough talk. Time to dig in!
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