Chapter 8 Ripe Spirit Peach, Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm)

1 day later.

"Sigh, eat slowly."

He gazed at the flock of chirping, fluffy ducklings before him and couldn't help but wear a bitter smile.

12 Purple-Striped Wild Geese (Demon Beast) hatched in succession, transforming into a flock of endearing goslings before his eyes—their downy fluff bearing striking resemblance to ducklings from his past life.

They appeared gentle and lovely, but the only drawback was the somewhat high cost of raising them.

At present, the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) was still extremely young, and a single misstep could lead to its premature death. To nurture them, Eldrin (Person Name) had no choice but to feed them congee made from spirit rice.

However, spirit rice was extremely precious, and in the market, 1 spirit stone could only buy 3 jin of spirit rice.

In the past, Eldrin (Person Name) received an annual subsidy of 30 catties of spirit rice from his family, equivalent to a stipend of 10 spirit stones. Combined with the spirit stones provided, it was more than sufficient to support his cultivation.

But now, the Chen family was in dire straits. Most of their spirit rice had been sold to repay debts, and naturally, the stipend of spirit rice had been cut off.

If not for the 10 catties of spirit rice that Third Elder had insisted on giving him when he came to Spirit Lake Continent, he would have had no spirit rice left to feed the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast).

These spirit grains were Eldrin's (Person Name) provisions, capable of accelerating his cultivation. In the 4 months since arriving at Spirit Lake Continent, he had only allowed himself 1 tael every 3 days. By now, merely 6 jin remained.

To his surprise, he suddenly had 12 extra mouths to feed. These little creatures, unaware of the preciousness of spirit rice, swarmed around the congee—jostling, squabbling, and devouring every last grain. Once the meal was gone, they crowded around Eldrin, yowling and clamoring until his head spun with chaos.

"Eat, eat, eat."

"If this continues, my entire family fortune will be stripped bare by you all."

Eldrin (Person Name) grumbled with feigned annoyance. Despite his words, he still scooped a handful or so of spirit rice and cooked a bowl of congee for the little ones.

After feeding a dozen or so little ones, he sat cross-legged on the ground, unable to suppress a wry smile.

"In the cultivation novels of my past life, the protagonists were always peerlessly elegant, like immortals descending to the mortal realm, dominating the world."

"Who would have thought that upon truly arriving in the world of immortal cultivation, I'd end up farming, feeding fish, and raising ducks."

"To think that cultivation could turn out like this—probably not even the novels would dare write such a thing, right?"

At this thought, Eldrin chuckled softly. His gaze fell upon the ancient zither resting in the pavilion before the bamboo hut, and a serene smile graced his lips once more.

In his past life, he had been an art student, and this ancient zither before him was perhaps the sole passion he had carried over from those bygone days.

"No 1 ever decreed that cultivation must be all about fighting and killing."

"Playing the zither at leisure, tending a few acres of spirit fields, feeding spiritual fish, and raising a couple of divine fowl—isn't this, too, a form of cultivation?"

He murmured calmly, his heart at peace.

Cultivation, cultivation—resources are of paramount importance. If no 1 farms the land or cultivates renewable resources, and everyone simply plunders from 1 another, then from where shall these resources come?

Demonic cultivators are universally condemned in the cultivation world precisely because they produce nothing, indiscriminately hunt mortals and cultivators alike, and refine magical artifacts using the flesh, blood, and souls of humans. Such acts would ultimately destroy the very foundation of our cultivation realm!

They are selfish and self-serving, believing that "heaven destroys those who do not look after themselves," and would even drain the world's potential for their own cultivation. To them, killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is a common practice.

If the Chen Clan were to fall 1 day, their dozen-1000 mortal descendants would likely become blood sacrifices for demonic cultivators and monstrous beasts, their souls denied eternal rest even in death. This was precisely why the Chen Grand Elder and a host of their cultivators remained permanently stationed in Pingyang Town (Location).

"3 taels of spirit rice per day means the remaining 6 catties will only last 20 days."

Fortunately, in 20 days, they would pass through the most vulnerable infancy.

Chen Muzi calculated how long the remaining spirit rice would last. Fortunately, since the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) was ultimately a spirit creature, it could be fed ordinary rice when needed or released to forage in Spirit Isle Lake (Location).

Spirit Isle Lake (Location) harbored no other demonic beasts besides the docile Azure Spirit Fish (Demon Beast). Once Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) survived its juvenile phase, it could fearlessly hunt in the lake, impervious to attacks from ordinary wild creatures.

In the days that followed, Eldrin returned to his daily cultivation routine once more.

In his spare time, he would nourish the spirit fields every half month, tend to the rare spiritual herbs, occasionally count the Cangqing Spirit Fish, and feed the spirit geese. Thus, the days slipped swiftly by.

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the seventh month. On this day, Eldrin stood beneath the spirit peach tree, gazing at the 50-6 spirit peaches ripening on its branches, and couldn’t help but reveal a look of delight.

To this day, the spirit peaches on the Spiritual Peach Tree had finally ripened, yielding a total of 56 spirit peaches—equivalent in value to 280 spirit stones.

Overjoyed, he plucked a spirit peach and took an experimental bite, discovering that it was not only rich in spiritual energy but also exceptionally sweet and delicious.

"This spirit peach is truly extraordinary."

"No wonder it's sold at such a steep price."

Chen Muzhi's face lit up with delight; this was the most delicious peach he had ever tasted.

As soon as the spirit peach was consumed, he felt as though he had refined a precious elixir. The true qi within his body surged by a noticeable margin, and he even sensed he was nearing the threshold of Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm).

It had been 8 months since he broke through to the Qi Refinement, 7th Layer (Cultivation Realm). Given his current cultivation speed, it would normally take approximately 2 more years for him to reach the Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm).

However, he had previously hunted 2 Purple-Striped Wild Geese (Demon Beast). These demonic birds were highly nourishing for cultivators' practice. After steaming and consuming both Purple-Striped Wild Geese (Demon Beast), he saved a considerable amount of cultivation time.

Now, after consuming another spirit peach, his cultivation had finally reached the threshold of Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm).

1 spiritual peach is not quite enough.

Seeing the opportunity to break through to the Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm) had arrived, Eldrin (Person Name) swallowed 7 or 8 spirit peaches in succession. Finally accumulating sufficient spiritual energy, he began his assault on the Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm).

Just half an hour later, the spiritual energy around him trembled faintly. He exhaled a wisp of white mist and opened his eyes with evident delight.

“Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm)。”

Eldrin felt his spiritual energy grow yet another measure stronger, unable to suppress a flicker of delight in his eyes.

He had just turned 16, and breaking through to the Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm) at such an age was an exceedingly rare feat—even among the great immortal cultivation sects, it would be considered truly exceptional.

At this rate, he was highly likely to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining before turning 20, then begin making preparations for Foundation Establishment.

Moreover, with the aid of over 50 spirit peaches each year, my cultivation progress can also be accelerated.

"This will save a great deal of time, allowing me to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining much sooner."

With this thought in mind, Eldrin gazed at the spirit peach tree, his heart stirring with excitement.

With these spirit peaches, he was no longer too short on cultivation resources. Even without the clan's stipend for the next few years, it wouldn't affect his cultivation progress.

Refining the spirit peaches, raising ducks, tending the fields, feeding the fish, and cultivating his practice—the days that followed were both leisurely and tranquil.

In the blink of an eye, late autumn arrived. On this day, a small boat approached Spirit Isle Lake (Location), its occupant’s voice carrying across the water from afar.

"Little Eldrin (Person Name), I've arrived."

Eldrin emerged from the heart of the lake island and saw 3 figures approaching.

At the sight of the newcomer, he couldn't suppress a smile.

Sixteenth Granduncle.

The visitor was Chen Changlu of the Chang generation from the Chen family. Among the cultivators of the Chang generation, he ranked sixteenth, making him Eldrin’s sixteenth grand-uncle.

The remaining 2 were his clansmen, Nian Qian and Nian Yuan. Though both were older than Eldrin (Person Name), their cultivation and status now paled in comparison to his.

Sixteenth Granduncle was 80-9 years old this year, with a cultivation base merely at the seventh layer of Qi Refining. It was precisely because of his low cultivation that he had managed to evade the calamity from 1 year ago.

As he approached Eldrin, his first glance caught the change in Eldrin’s cultivation level, prompting him to ask with a hint of uncertainty.

“Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm)？”