Time flew by, and another year had passed.
At the edge of a flat cliff near the peak of Changcui Mountain
Splash, splash, splash.
The gentle sound of flowing water echoed continuously. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky as steam from the hot spring rose, melting away all the winter chill. Thick mist curled and floated about, tactfully veiling the enchanting scene within the spring.
With such abundant geothermal resources available, Li Ye naturally wouldn't use them solely for alchemy.
The Lan family of old lacked the means to properly utilize the land, but Li Ye was different. He could directly draw on the geothermal energy through formations, creating a hot spring pool right here in the mountains.
It was a truly luxurious experience.
Most of Lan Xinyi's body was submerged in the spring, only hints of her fair skin visible now and then through the drifting steam.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her soft figure leaned closely against Li Ye. She lifted a wine cup and softly said,
"Li-lang… it's a new year… May this year bring you a bountiful harvest and great progress in cultivation…"
Li Ye took another cup, gently clinking it with hers.
"And may you also make great strides, so that the Lan family may soon rise to glory again…"
At those words, Lan Xinyi blushed even deeper, her eyes turning seductive and tender.
For the Lan family to rise again, they would certainly need more cultivators.
With only her and her younger brother Lan Ming left as direct descendants, and Lan Ming still so young, the burden of continuing the bloodline rested on her shoulders...
With that thought in mind, the girl snuggled even closer.
Steam surged, and soon the sound of water became more intense once again.
…
"Phew…"
Breathing out a white puff of air, Li Ye walked barefoot along the mountain grass, his long hair flowing and his robe loosely draped over his body, looking utterly relaxed.
Snowflakes still fell from the sky, covering the ground in a blanket of white, but he seemed unaffected by the cold, his expression peaceful and carefree.
He was well aware that Lan Xinyi had become more and more creative in her ways, putting in extra effort to please him.
But Li Ye had no intention of leaving behind a child here. With his refined control over his life essence due to successful body cultivation and with the dual cultivation technique gifted by Senior Brother Hu he never released even a trace of vital essence.
Naturally, there was no chance of conception.
It was all mutual pleasure and benefit better not to get emotionally entangled.
Step by step, Li Ye arrived at the Voidrealm Tree.
So much time had passed, and nourished by spiritual energy, the tree had grown to over ten meters tall.
Its trunk and branches were a rich blue-purple hue, sturdy and thick. The vibrant, jade-like leaves were lush and full, spreading like a royal canopy.
The once-flickering silver patterns had now completely merged with the tree itself, no longer easily visible.
Its power was nearing the peak of Tier One, but growth had slowed due to the area's limited spiritual energy.
Without a Tier Two spiritual vein, breaking through would be difficult.
However, the tree's innate domain power had become much stronger. Though still fragile, its connection to the formation had deepened, making the Green Vine Verdant Wood Formation even more mysterious and powerful.
"Happy New Year to you too…"
Li Ye gently stroked the tree trunk, sensing his bond with the tree. A faint, heartfelt emotion stirred within him.
[Your connection with the Tier Four spirit plant Voidrealm Tree – Jianmu Subspecies has deepened. Fixed Spirit Essence +0.2%…]
As the tree grew, the amount of fixed spiritual essence Li Ye received daily increased as well.
Originally, he had estimated it would take three years to accumulate enough, but with past savings and current pace, he now needed less than a year to complete it.
And today brought something new.
[You tended to the Tier Four spirit plant Voidrealm Tree – Jianmu Subspecies using the Blood Refinement technique, completing a growth cycle. EXP +500…]
[…]
[Tier Four Spirit Plant Voidrealm Tree – Jianmu Subspecies has completed a growth cycle. You received: Voidrealm Essence ×1…]
After a full year, the Voidrealm Tree had once again yielded experience and Voidrealm Essence.
"Finally, it's here…"
Li Ye's eyes lit up with joy as he slowly sat down, back against the tree.
With a thought, the Voidrealm Essence appeared and flowed directly into his body.
That long-missed yet unforgettable power, like a spring breeze, merged into his being, deepening his vitality and extending his lifespan by one year.
"If I can replenish the lifespan I lose each year… doesn't that mean I've essentially achieved immortality?"
Li Ye mused as he emerged from the comforting warmth that felt like a return to his mother's embrace.
This Voidrealm Tree truly was wondrous.
Stretching a bit as he stood, he could feel his qi and blood surging like the sun at dawn, full of youthful vitality.
"If this keeps up, I dare say even my physical cultivation talent will gradually optimize with each refining of Voidrealm Essence…"
The enhanced life force from the essence didn't just keep his body from aging it seemed to actively improve it!
Though he hadn't yet acquired suitable Elephant Demon blood to complete his body cultivation technique, with such continuous support, he felt he might not even need it.
At this rate, relying on resources like Qi and Blood Pills alone, he could probably push his body cultivation to perfection possibly even before his spiritual cultivation reached the same level!
"At this pace, once I form my Foundation, if no better path opens up, I might just focus purely on physical cultivation instead!"
With a self-deprecating chuckle, Li Ye feeling in peak condition immediately immersed himself in cultivation once more.
.......
"Master, thanks to your blessings, this batch of Blood Grain Rice is growing better than any spirit grain I've ever seen. The harvest this time is bound to be astonishing…"
Fang Ze and Xiong Li looked at the young man before them graceful as jade yet exuding natural authority with increasing reverence and genuine respect in their eyes.
"It's also thanks to the two of you for tending to it so carefully,"
Li Ye praised with a nod as he picked up a plump head of grain and inspected it with satisfaction.
When Li Ye had first moved into this mountain, the timing for planting the Blood Grain Rice had been a bit late.
His Green Vine Verdant Wood Formation didn't possess the seasonal control abilities of a Tier Three formation, so only one crop had been grown over nearly a year.
Fortunately, things would get back on track this year, returning to two planting seasons annually.
He had already reaped the spiritual essence and experience when the rice matured same as previous harvests which confirmed his suspicion: the benefits from Tier One spirit plants had an upper limit.
Now, only the final harvesting remained to fully verify his theories.
Li Ye casually shrugged off his robe, which Fang Ze hurriedly caught, while he rolled up his sleeves and took a sickle from Xiong Li.
"Master, this kind of task should be left to us…"
The two looked surprised and quickly followed him.
Could it be that someone of his status was afraid they'd hide a few heads of grain during the harvest and insisted on doing it himself?
"No need… I just like to do the harvesting myself."
Li Ye ignored their concerns and stepped into the field, raising the sickle.
With the first swing, a prompt appeared in his vision.
[You harvested Tier One spirit plant Blood Grain Rice. Corresponding fixed Spirit Essence acquired. Duplicate solidification of same-tier essence traits is not possible!]
Seeing a completely new notification, Li Ye's heart stirred.
Although he had once considered the idea of grinding a single spirit plant repeatedly to level up a specific trait, he also knew deep down that strengthening wasn't so simple.
Now it was clear: the same type of trait could only be solidified once per tier.
To achieve higher-level enhancements, he would need higher-tier spirit plants of the same type.
"Sigh… So much for grinding upgrades. What a pity."
Li Ye shook his head inwardly and began swinging the sickle even faster.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 150+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader