Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos

Chapter 1: When People Are Pushed to Their Limits

The biting north wind whipped up mounds of snow like blades.

Winter’s harsh grip was akin to a prison, where even a single drop of water instantly froze.

Amidst the pristine white landscape, a lush emerald bamboo forest thrived, its vibrant green leaves shimmering like jade with a delicate translucence. Droplets clinging to them resembled radiant pearls, each gleaming brilliantly.

Dreamlike wisps of snowy mist swirled around, transforming the scene into something akin to an ethereal paradise.

On the forest floor, a creature resembling a four-legged snake swiftly slithered through the undergrowth, leaving trails of eerie colors in the air from its scaled back.

Hiss!

A sudden burst of icy chill struck the four-legged snake.

The temperature plummeted, freezing the creature instantly into a lifelike ice sculpture, solidly bound to the ground.

“Finally caught that damned pilfering pest.”

With a rustle, a youth emerged from the bamboo grove.

His steps were agile, his figure tall and straight as a pine tree, and his features well-proportioned. His eyes were deep pools, clear and penetrating. Clad in a thick padded jacket, a sense of relief washed over his face.

Fang Xi approached the ice sculpture, picked up the frozen four-legged snake, weighed it in his hand, and gradually, his expression fell, muttering incessantly, “What a loss, what a loss!”

“A non-ranked demonic insect - Stone Lizard, worth only one spirit crystal. Not only did it waste three days of my time, but I also used up a ‘Frozen Talisman’. Even though it’s just a low-tier, first-stage talisman, it still costs nearly half a spirit stone!”

Fang Xi’s face was filled with sheer frustration.

The so-called “spirit crystals” are fragments of spirit stones. Typically, ten spirit crystals can be exchanged for one low-grade spirit stone.

This deal was undoubtedly a loss.

Yet, he had no choice but to handle it!

As the spirit farmer of this bamboo grove, next year’s harvest depended entirely on the growth of these bamboos. Naturally, he couldn’t let the demonic insects wreak havoc unchecked.

Whish! Whish!

A chilling wind blew, causing Fang Xi to shiver uncontrollably.

He looked up at the sky, where snowflakes began swirling once more, and instinctively tightened his grip around his thin padded jacket. With a sigh, he thought, “Unbelievable, it’s been a whole year since my transmigration already? If not for being transported here, I wouldn’t have fathomed that even cultivators feel cold…”

Yes, Fang Xi is indeed a transmigrator!

Fang Xi’s transmigration was rather unremarkable, devoid of any extraordinary circumstances. In his previous life, he had diligently worked hard to get accepted into university but then succumbed to laziness, neglecting his studies and ultimately failing to secure a decent job after graduation. His parents, constantly urging him, pushed him into joining the competitive civil service exams. However, the mathematics section left him feeling utterly miserable.

It proved that even under immense pressure, one’s mathematical abilities do not magically improve!

Unfortunately, before the exam results could be announced, Fang Xi found himself transported during the test itself!

Upon opening his eyes, he arrived in a world where cultivators existed, inhabiting the body of another young man also named Fang Xi.

This youth, with a cultivation base at Qi Refinement Third Layer, lived alone as a spirit farmer affiliated with Qingzhu Mountain Market in the southern wilderness of the Yue Kingdom.

Initially, Fang Xi struggled to believe in his transmigration, but after several hours of experimentation, when he tentatively cast his first minor spell using the body’s memories, he finally realized the truth - he genuinely possessed supernatural powers, becoming akin to an exalted immortal!

Of course, being a cultivator doesn’t immediately make one an immortal; there is still a mortal aspect, subjecting them to sensations of cold and heat, aging, sickness, and eventually death.

From his memories, Fang Xi learned that as a cultivator’s power and realm advance, they indeed gain extended longevity, resistance to illnesses, and ultimately can achieve true immortality.

The best example was the Situ Clan, which controlled Qingzhu Mountain Market; it was rumored to have multiple ‘Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators’ within its ranks!

As Foundation Establishment cultivators, they embodied the mortal imagination of longevity - at least doubling their lifespan, easily living beyond two hundred years!

Two hundred years! In his previous life, such a span would witness the rise and fall of most dynasties.

Thus, Fang Xi chose to embrace his predecessor’s life, continuing as a spirit farmer in the market while embarking on his own cultivation journey.

Currently,

Despite his initial disdainful remarks, after some grumbling, Fang Xi carefully stored away the stone dragonfly. After all, it represented one spirit crystal!

Inheriting his predecessor’s savings, his total wealth amounted to merely dozens of spirit crystals!

Managing this six-hundred-square-meter plot of ‘Crystal Jade Bamboo Forest’, each year after paying half the harvest as taxes, he was left with only around 100 catties of matured bamboo rice - roughly equivalent to ten bushels, valued at thirty spirit crystals…

After painstakingly farming for an entire year, his income amounted to just three low-grade spirit stones…

“Sigh, cultivation is hard, but survival is even tougher!” Fang Xi lamented, brushing off the snowflakes from his clothes before starting to clear weeds within the bamboo grove.

These weeds, nourished by spiritual energy, grew exceptionally robust. If left unchecked, they would compete with the crystal jade bamboo for nutrients, adversely affecting the harvest.

As a spirit farmer, mastering minor spells like the Spring Breeze and Timely Rain Technique or Gengjin Grass-Sweeping Sword was essential.

Despite inheriting the original host’s memories, Fang Xi still struggled immensely with farm work and found daily life unbearably difficult.

Being at Qi Refinement third layer placed him only at the initial stages of the Qi Refinement realm. In Qingzhu Mountain Market, it was common to encounter cultivators at the fourth layer or higher, representing the intermediate stages, and occasionally even great experts above the seventh layer surfaced. The cultivation world thrived on the law of the jungle, where cunning schemes and brute force were rampant.

In extreme cases, high-level demonic cultivators might perform blood sacrifices over vast areas to enhance powerful spells or forge magical artifacts, though such incidents were rare yet clearly documented in books.

At times, Fang Xi contemplated abandoning the cultivation path altogether, returning to the mortal realm as a wealthy man, surrounded by wives and concubines, to comfortably live out the remainder of his days.

However, he quickly dismissed this thought.

After all, when it comes to enjoying comforts, not even ancient emperors could rival the lifestyle of an ordinary person in modern times.

The allure of extraordinary powers and immortality was the only thing surpassing modern conveniences!

Despite the hardships, Fang Xi persevered through gritted teeth.

Under a sky dark as ink,

Fang Xi looked up at the gloomy weather and hurried towards his residence.

The sky was dark as ink.

Fang Xi looked up at the gloomy weather and hastened towards his residence.

Qingzhu Mountain Market had a protective array, but to conserve spirit stones, it typically covered only the main street and surrounding shops. The idea of extending it to encompass the entire mountain, including the spirit fields, was impractical.

As a result, this area wasn’t particularly safe at night.

Although the Situ Clan’s enforcement team patrolled, robberies by rogue cultivators still occurred occasionally. Naturally, Fang Xi wouldn’t risk his life for such dangers.

The residential district for spirit farmers was near the summit market, which saw frequent patrols, making it relatively secure.

Fang Xi cynically suspected that another reason might be their own poverty; even rogue cultivators deemed them unworthy targets.

After walking uphill for a while, a low-lying shanty neighborhood came into view. Each home was demarcated by fences, with sounds of chickens and dogs echoing around.

Seeing this familiar sight, a hint of a smile appeared on Fang Xi’s face.

Just a few steps further, an elderly cultivator resembling a farmer passed by, grinning as he greeted, “Hey, young Fang, fancy finding a good spot for some fun?”

His wrinkled face revealed two large yellow teeth when he smiled, and surprisingly, his cultivation level seemed lower than Fang Xi’s, hovering around Qi Refinement second layer.

This was Fang Xi’s neighbor, Old Man Mai.

Fang Xi wasn’t sure about his background, but due to their daily interactions, they had developed a friendly rapport.

Seeing Old Man Mai’s expression, Fang Xi immediately knew where he was headed.

Within the makeshift shantytown built from wooden planks, there were also female cultivators known as “Kun” practitioners. They rarely engaged in farming, enjoying relatively comfortable lives with alternative means of income.

Old Man Mai, despite having been a farmer longer than Fang Xi, struggled financially and even borrowed spirit crystals at times. It was clear where most of his savings had gone.

Shaking his head, Fang Xi declined, “Old Man Mai, I need to cultivate tonight…”

In truth, soon after familiarizing himself with this new body, he had visited the ‘Drunk Immortal Building’ in the market, spending nearly half of his meager savings for a memorable night that left him barely able to walk out…

It must be said, those enchantress-like creatures were truly captivating.

Since then, Fang Xi focused all his energy on farming. There was no choice; his resources were scarce…

Without saving money, how can I afford tea sessions with lovely ladies? I won’t settle for stale brews…

Fang Xi returned to his dwelling and opened the door.

His residence was spacious, divided into separate areas for living room, bedroom, and cultivation room… Some cultivators even utilized their fenced spaces to grow spirit vegetables or raise spiritual poultry, maximizing every inch of land efficiently.

Fang Xi entered the kitchen, retrieved some mixed spirit rice with coarse grains, and began brewing a pot of porridge.

The spirit rice, naturally, was ‘Bamboo Jade Rice’, each grain resembling emerald jade and emitting a delightful fragrance. Even when combined with ordinary coarse grains, it remained exceptionally tasty and sweet.

After consuming the porridge, not only did he feel warmth in his stomach, but there was also a subtle rise of spiritual energy within him.

Seizing this opportune moment, Fang Xi promptly moved to the cultivation room and commenced rigorous practice.

An hour later, Fang Xi opened his eyes with a wry smile, “This Everlasting Spring Art is truly arduous. After one year of intense training, I’ve barely managed to match the original host’s cultivation level. I haven’t even glimpsed the peak of Qi Refinement third layer, let alone attempting to break through the bottleneck to mid-Qi Refinement stage… It’s so challenging…”

Sighing deeply, he perked up his ears to listen for any surrounding sounds, then pulled out a talisman and affixed it to the wooden wall of the cultivation room.

It was a low-tier first-rank ‘Protection Talisman’, offering a certain level of defense. Most importantly, it could isolate sound and spiritual energy fluctuations!

As for Foundation Establishment level divine senses, although he couldn’t fully protect against them, any such scan would immediately trigger an explosion, alerting the cultivator.

Having completed these preparations, Fang Xi’s expression returned to calmness, and he snapped his fingers.

Snap!

In an instant, he found himself transported to another location.

Inside the room, warm hues illuminated the cozy atmosphere, reminiscent of a spring day. A fine blend of calming incense burned within a purple-golden censer.

Fang Xi lounged comfortably on a plush chair made from sandalwood, adopting a relaxed slouch akin to Ge You’s iconic pose.

With a wave of his hand, a custom-made cultivation air conditioner activated, maintaining the ideal temperature and humidity within the room.

After sufficiently resting, Fang Xi casually discarded his worn-out cotton jacket and changed into luxurious silk garments, further enhancing his elegant and carefree demeanor.

He opened the door, and dazzling sunlight streamed in, revealing an opulent mansion courtyard.

In the blink of an eye, it felt like entering a completely different world.

And indeed, that was precisely the case!

A hint of satisfaction curved Fang Xi’s lips.

When pushed to desperation, humans can accomplish anything, including crossing dimensions!