Fang Xi was examining a scroll, a look of surprise and astonishment on his face.
Found in the storage bag of the second son of the Kou family was none other than the "God of Wine Manual"!
This scroll, the wine recipe he had missed out on at the auction, unexpectedly ended up being acquired by the second son of the Kou family.
"Could it be that this person intends to build influence?"
"Or perhaps he is just a wine enthusiast, fond of fine spirits?"
Fang Xi couldn't figure it out, so he set the "God of Wine Manual" aside and began to inventory the other items.
Several high-grade magical tools, a stack of talismans, clothing... and finally, a pile of spirit stones, probably around five to six hundred pieces.
It had to be said, the wealth of a late-stage Qi cultivator was truly substantial.
Today, Fang Xi had slaughtered so many early-stage Qi cultivators and even one mid-stage cultivator, yet their combined wealth still couldn't match this person's.
"Besides these, there is also a golden Jiao Blade magical tool, similar to the Golden Jiao Sword, best kept out of sight."
After finishing the inventory, Fang Xi neatly organized the items in the storage bag by category.
These were all crucial items to be taken to Daliang for transporting supplies in the future.
Once everything was in order, he tore open a protective talisman and walked out of the room.
The moonlight outside was beautiful, casting its glow on the surface of the lake, where the water and sky seemed to blend together, making it hard to distinguish between reality and illusion.
Taking advantage of the quiet night, Fang Xi strolled leisurely, admiring the scenery of Mirror Moon Lake.
Occasionally, muffled sobbing could be heard from the secluded houses nearby.
Fang Xi paid no attention and simply walked to the lakeside, quietly enjoying the moonlight. "Truly... what a long day it has been!"
As he gazed at the moon, he suddenly sighed.
At that moment, Fang Xi's expression changed.
Perhaps due to a change in his mood, his internal energy was stirred, and he felt the technique of the fourth level of the "Changchun Formula" within him, as if it wanted to break through the restrictions and enter a completely new realm.
"Is this... an opportunity for a breakthrough?"
Fang Xi knew that if he didn't seize the opportunity immediately, he might miss this chance for a breakthrough.
With this thought in mind, he immediately sat cross-legged and began to operate the technique.
Since there were no enemies present, and besides... he was a body cultivator, even if there were any surprises, they wouldn't be able to kill him in one strike.
Mirror Moon Lake was truly a first-grade spiritual vein, with even more abundant spiritual energy than his cave in the Treasure Ship Market.
Fang Xi silently absorbed the spiritual energy and converted it into internal energy.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, feeling that the "Changchun Formula" within him had opened up a completely new meridian pathway, and his internal energy had grown stronger, Fang Xi couldn't help but open his eyes in satisfaction.
He saw the faint light of dawn outside, with the red sun rising in the east, painting the sky with morning glow.
Unknowingly, it was already early morning!
He stood up, brushed off the dew on his collar, and exhaled a breath. "Finally... the fifth level of Qi refinement!"
Fang Xi had been stuck at the fourth level of Qi refinement for a long time, but thanks to his daily diligent cultivation, he finally seized the opportunity to break through the bottleneck!
"Congratulations, Fellow Fang, on another breakthrough in your cultivation."
A melodious voice, like the sound of silver bells, suddenly came from beside him.
"Island Master!"
Seeing Ruan Xingling, Fang Xi couldn't help but be slightly surprised. "You?"
"Yesterday, when I saw Fellow Fang's enlightenment, Xingling specially stood by to protect." Ruan Xingling approached gracefully, then asked thoughtfully, "The cultivation technique Fellow practices seems quite ordinary..."
"To be honest, I cultivate the 'Changchun Formula'..." Fang Xi scratched his head, seeming somewhat embarrassed in his response.
In fact, he had considered changing his cultivation technique.
However, better cultivation techniques were extremely rare in the market.
And after witnessing how Ruan Xingling tricked Lu Jingqing, Fang Xi's thoughts on changing techniques faded.
Rather than switching to an unfamiliar one, he preferred to continue cultivating the Changchun Formula, the technique he was most familiar with!
Moreover, mainstream goods had their advantages! They were more widely known!
Even if there were pitfalls, they had been largely smoothed out by the numerous scattered cultivators who had gone before!
"The Changchun Formula is also good, known for its balance and harmony... If I'm not mistaken, the Lu family's scripture pavilion still holds a copy of the 'Green Wood Technique,' which I can gift to Fellow Fang."
Ruan Xingling said with a smile.
"Thank you, Friend!" Fang Xi immediately expressed his gratitude, but in his heart, he was more inclined to just take a look.
"Furthermore, the spiritual land of Emerald Cliff has been prepared..." Ruan Xingling hinted, "The spiritual land of Peach Blossom Island is the best, followed by the Twin Eastern Peaks, then the Twin Western Peaks... Emerald Cliff is the least favorable. Is Fellow really choosing that place?"
She felt that with Fang Xi's strength, even if he forcibly occupied the Twin Eastern Peaks, the couple of Old Wood and Wei Yixin wouldn't dare to say much.
"Emerald Cliff is already good enough. To be honest, I used to work as a spiritual farmer, just dreaming of becoming a landlord one day."
Fang Xi's face showed contentment.
Although the Twin Peaks were good, they were too close to Mirror Moon Lake, with a lot of traffic, which was not very convenient.
"Enough!" Ruan Xingling seemed somewhat speechless as she tossed a wooden token.
The token carried a faint scent of peach wood, made from peach wood core, with Fang Xi's name engraved on the back, along with a hundred-year lease agreement for renting Emerald Cliff.
Moreover, it seemed that the token had been refined, making it a low-grade magical tool.
"Infuse a bit of energy into it, and from today onwards, this will be your proof."
Ruan Xingling explained the usage of the token, "With this token, you will have the authority to enter and exit the 'Water Moon Great Array' of Mirror Moon Lake."
"Thank you, Friend!"
Fang Xi accepted the token, thanked her again, and felt a hint of excitement in his heart.
Finally, finally...
He was going to start planting trees!
...
Emerald Cliff was located on the east side of Peach Blossom Island, about a dozen miles away from Mirror Moon Lake and the Twin Peaks.
Arriving at Emerald Cliff, Fang Xi saw that it was adjacent to the Thousand Islands Lake, with endless water to the east, occasionally splashing waves hitting the cliff walls.
The entire cliff wall appeared slightly green in color, resembling a giant piece of jade, hence the name Emerald Cliff.
Although there was a slight spiritual vein here, it was not top-notch, and the spiritual energy seemed somewhat lacking.
Upon climbing the cliff, Fang Xi saw about a dozen acres of cultivated spiritual fields. At the edge of the fields were several wooden houses, likely built by the hired spiritual farmers of the Lu family.
As for those spiritual farmers?
If they hadn't been killed yesterday, they probably either surrendered or fled. It was Ruan Xingling's problem, not his concern.
"I'm twenty-one this year, and it's still spring. If there's time, I can plant the seeds of the Red Blood Spirit Rice."
Fang Xi surveyed Emerald Cliff, confirming that there were thirteen acres of spiritual fields that had been well tended. He nodded to himself, "It's evident that the previous farmers worked diligently, but it's a pity... a pity..."
He certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to plant a demon tree here now.
Fang Xi was a patient person. After confirming the ownership of the land, he would wait at least another two years to see how things developed.
Then he would set up formations to conceal the interior and gradually create a reclusive, unsociable persona, reducing interactions with the local cultivators on the island.
Eventually, he would find an opportunity to stage a play, preferably with himself seriously injured, then disheartened, retiring here to live out his days.
Over time, there should be few people bothering him about planting trees.
As for these few years?
It would be best to plant some spirit rice first and then focus on cultivation.
Breaking through to the fifth level of the Changchun Formula was a good thing. There were no more bottlenecks ahead, just a process of continuous accumulation.
Creak!
Fang Xi pushed open the wooden door and entered the house.
These several wooden houses were very rudimentary, with furniture strewn about, benches overturned, and fragments of pots and pans scattered everywhere, giving a clear picture of the chaotic retreat of the spiritual farmers.
"What fate befell the owner of this house? Could they have been sent to fight, only to die by my sword? All for the lease of these few acres of land?"
Fang Xi felt somewhat speechless.
But thinking back to how he had willingly become a tenant farmer for a mere six acres of land on Qingzhu Mountain, he suddenly felt a bit suffocated...
"If it weren't for awakening the golden finger, I might have been conscripted by the Sutu family to fight to the death for those six acres of land..."
"With the ferocity of the war at that time, the original owner's cultivation at the early stage of Qi refinement would have almost certainly resulted in death!"
"Fortunately, I ran fast!"
Feeling a bit relieved, Fang Xi carefully observed the structure of the wooden house and shook his head, "No, it needs to be torn down and rebuilt!"
If everything was fine, he would be staying here for a long time, and this house was too dilapidated.
According to Fang Xi's own plan, he would at least need a small courtyard, and during construction, he could incorporate many of his own invented conveniences.
"It's too troublesome to do it alone. There's a town on the island, and I can call on the mortal mud and tile workers from there to help."
Fang Xi decided on the spot that he would make do with this wooden house for now and then call on the mortal workers to rebuild a small courtyard here.
Thinking about it, he couldn't sit still, so he took out the Black Cloud Pouch and headed towards the only mortal town on Peach Blossom Island.
The mortal town on Peach Blossom Island was called Peach Blossom Town, not very large, with a road paved with blue stone slabs, each household spaced far apart, with almost all of them having yards where peach blossoms were planted.
Fang Xi flew over on a magical tool, and the pedestrians on the road all knelt down, calling him "Immortal Master" and the like.
"Where is the local town mayor?"
He stopped directly in the center of the town and shouted.
Not long after, a middle-aged man dressed in silk and looking prosperous stood out from the crowd, "This Immortal Master is courteous. I am Zhou Quanyou, the local town mayor... It seems that the 'Spiritual Testing Ceremony' is still some time away. What instructions does Immortal Master have?"
Descendants of immortal cultivators might not necessarily have spiritual roots generation after generation, so whether it was the Lu family or the Ruan family, every few years they would come to the mortal town to test the children for spiritual roots, which was a rare opportunity for the townspeople to ascend to the heavens.
Of course, the children with spiritual roots taken away by the Lu family in the past few times all met a tragic end...
Fang Xi also knew about this matter and waved his hand, "I am not a spiritual testing master, but I come from Emerald Cliff and need to build a residence there. Allocate some manpower to come over, bring some provisions, and work there daily. Your benefits will not be lacking."
After saying that, he slapped his storage bag and threw out several gold bars.
Even in such a public place, he wasn't afraid of the other party embezzling, and directly flew away on the Black Cloud Pouch.
Even long after Fang Xi had left, Zhou Quanyou still bowed deeply, his face full of flattery...
(End of Chapter)