Chapter Eighteen: Second Transplant (Comments Appreciated!)

Early in the morning, experiments were conducted and the spiritual liquid was consumed; his body felt light and nimble, and his stomach had already digested last night’s dinner. He cooked a pot of rice porridge to fill his belly. Midway, he added two slices of green vegetables, stirring the bubbling, boiling soup with the ladle to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Gurgle—pop!

Bubbles burst with a crisp sound. Chen Yu was wholly absorbed, stirring then pausing, not allowing even a single grain of rice to scorch. At first glance, it seemed as if he was concocting a complicated potion rather than porridge.

The white rice surged in the water, gradually swelling from slender to plump, becoming soft and tender. The rice husks peeled open, tangled with wilted vegetable leaves, tossed by the waves within the pot, a faint sweet scent mingling with the rising steam.

He swallowed. For reasons unknown, he felt hungrier today than usual.

Chen Yu suspected the spiritual liquid not only cleansed his body but also increased his already considerable appetite.

It was indeed a blessing mixed with trouble.

The evidence was clear. After two quarters of an hour, he gazed at the empty, spotless bowls and clay pots before him, so clean they seemed to have been licked, and was momentarily speechless.

The old saying goes: eat well in the morning, eat plenty at noon, and eat little at night.

But for him, everything was different. No matter morning, noon, or night, he had to eat his fill at all three meals, or else his stomach would be the first to protest.

“Well, being able to eat is a blessing.”

After all, everything he consumed turned into nutrients to nourish his body, satisfying the demands of martial training without making him grow fat.

He stopped thinking about these trivial matters, cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, changed into the azure robe adorned with clouds and cranes, and respectfully offered incense in the Hall of Worship.

There was much to be done today. Always self-aware, he thought he might easily get busy and forget the Daoist patriarch and various True Lords, so he chose to offer incense several hours ahead of time.

As for the auspicious hour, whether the gods could taste the offerings, that was not his concern.

Finishing these minor tasks, Chen Yu shouldered his hoe and went to the vegetable garden.

He planned to transplant more plants and use spiritual energy to catalyze their mutation. He was curious about how the medicinal herbs bought from the mountain base might change under spiritual influence, but those herbs took too long to grow and required a more complex setup. For now, it was more practical to start with simple vegetables and fruits.

Once he had gathered enough experience, or discovered a more effective way to stimulate spiritual effects, he could experiment with medicinal herbs. The seeds he bought could remain viable for quite some time.

In the courtyard, careful not to break the roots, Chen Yu gently dug up several vegetables and placed them aside.

Two white roots, two Lan Court fruits, a handful of seven or eight Jade Worm stalks, and a bunch of green vegetable seedlings.

He was much more proficient than before, so all the plants were intact with little damage.

Additionally, both the white roots and Lan Court fruits were dug up as mature plants, and to create a comparison, he specifically pulled up a fully ripe Lan Court fruit for transplantation.

Under the leaves hung a dozen crimson fruits. As he filled in the soil, he plucked one, wiped it twice on his sleeve, and tossed it straight into his mouth.

Eating as he dug, after all the transplants were done, Chen Yu was about to reach out for another fruit as a reward, but found only two or three Lan Court fruits trembling in hiding among the leaves.

He raised his brows, stood, and returned from the herbal field to the vegetable garden, sweeping up red fruits concealed beneath green leaves in the furrows.

He gathered quite a few in his arms.

“I hadn’t noticed before, but Lan Court fruit really makes a good snack.”

His cheeks bulged, mouth overflowing with sweet juice.

Clap!

After a while, wiping his hands clean, Chen Yu followed the previous method: closed his eyes, focused his mind, and plunged his consciousness into the sea of awareness. In the next moment, he skillfully summoned a cleansing surge, driving it with overwhelming force toward a deeper corner.

No telling how long passed before a silver-white bead, round as a full moon, detached itself and was drawn to his side.

But he did not stop. The waves continued to surge.

Rumble! Rumble!

Waves and silver light intertwined in the void, their booming echoes reverberating across the boundless ocean.

The waves were not summoned from nothing; they relied on his mental strength, each strike consuming a portion.

Over time, Chen Yu’s thoughts grew unstable, the waves became low and feeble, their momentum fading, no longer as magnificent as at first.

Finally, after a long while, he stopped—not for any other reason, but simply because his consciousness could no longer endure.

His spirit was nearly exhausted; if he did not halt, it would harm his mind, at best causing a concussion, at worst leaving him muddled and witless.

So he had to stop.

Fortunately, the harvest was substantial. Glancing at the quiet bead beside him, Chen Yu was satisfied. He willed himself out of the conscious space and returned to the world.

Opening his eyes, feeling the three luminous points in his mind, he was pleased yet puzzled.

It had only been ten days since he had last used his mental strength to excavate the corners of his sea of consciousness. He hadn’t exerted himself fully then, but only managed to extract a single bead.

He estimated that even if he had pushed himself to the limit, at most he could have gotten two beads.

But now, he had extracted an extra bead of spiritual energy.

The reason, he surmised, was an increase in mental power.

Chen Yu recalled and finally pinpointed the cause.

The spiritual liquid.

Now, thinking back, that sensation of his soul being cleansed was no illusion—it had genuinely strengthened his spirit, enhancing his mental strength.

It seemed he ought to drink a few more mouthfuls when he returned.

Then Chen Yu realized he had been so absorbed in the comfort and fullness brought by the spiritual liquid that he forgot to note its taste.

As he tried to recall, he found he had no impression at all.

Wasn’t this just like Pigsy devouring ginseng fruit? He couldn’t help but laugh, then refocused, squatting to inject spiritual energy into the herbal field’s soil.

Unlike last time, this time the three areas, though transplanted with corresponding vegetables, were not crowded together, but spaced apart.

Last time, only one white root survived in the end. After some analysis, he guessed it was likely because things were too densely packed for the spiritual energy to nourish them all.

Now, his approach should be more successful… probably.

In truth, if spiritual energy were not so limited, he would have tried investing more beads to see the effect.

For now, he could only hope these plants would thrive like the great white root, eventually generating spiritual energy and spiritual sources, which would then dissolve in water to become spiritual liquid, allowing him to drink freely and replenish his spirit.

With improved mental power, he could extract more spiritual energy, plant more fields, and produce more spiritual liquid.

A perfect cycle.

Ha—choo!

Having infused the spiritual energy, using his perception, he could ‘see’ layers of networks forming below the soil, attaching themselves to the roots of the vegetables, connecting and nourishing them.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting.

Scratching his head, Chen Yu stretched lazily. Extracting three beads of spiritual energy at once had drained him, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded. After quickly dealing with the herbal field, he returned to the temple, dragged over a chair, and lay back.

With a flick of his right hand, he produced a water pouch, filled with the spiritual liquid made from yesterday’s well water and spiritual energy.

He uncorked it and gulped down a mouthful.

The cool, soothing sensation washed over his lips and tongue, spreading into a gentle warmth, like a trickling stream flowing through his limbs and bones. Chen Yu couldn’t help but moan, shifted into a comfortable position, and closed his eyes.

His mental strength was recovering, while his flesh and meridians were gradually fortified by the spiritual liquid.

All these changes happened imperceptibly. When a spring breeze swept high above, blowing away the clouds, and the sun shone down into the courtyard, one could see a faint, hazy white glow enveloping him, as if he were draped in a mantle of white jade.