Chapter 21 — The 10 Silver Trash and The Artificial Spirit Soil
The Value of Trash
Morning broke over Meng Village. The snow was blindingly white, but the village square was stained red with the blood of the Iron-Hide Bear.
The villagers were butchering the carcass. It was a festive atmosphere, but underneath, there was a heavy layer of fear.
"Careful with the hide!" the Village Elder barked, thumping his cane on the ground. "If you nick it, the price drops!"
A hunter wiped his bloody knife. "Elder, this hide... the fur is like steel wire. In the city, a blacksmith would pay 10 Silver Taels for this to make armor."
The crowd went silent.
10 Silver.
That was enough to feed the entire village for two years. It was a fortune that people would kill for.
"And Long Tan... he just left it?" a woman whispered, looking toward the closed gate of the Long family courtyard. "He only took the heart? He threw away 10 Silver like it was trash?"
"He didn't throw it away," the Elder said, his voice trembling slightly. "He left it as a warning. He is saying: 'I am so strong that 10 Silver is beneath me.'"
The villagers shivered.
Yesterday, they thought Long Tan was a desperate outcast.
Today, they realized he was a monster who considered a fortune to be "scraps."
"Send the best meat to his door," the Elder ordered, sweating despite the cold. "Do not ask for money. Just leave it and bow."
The Failed Experiment
Inside the courtyard, Long Tan was oblivious to their fear. He was focused on his own experiments.
In the corner of the yard, near the frozen garden patch, lay a pile of white bones—remains of the wolves he hunted before, and some deer bones.
"Strength alone is not enough," Long Tan muttered. "I need resources."
He picked up a wolf femur. With a squeeze of his 495 Jin grip, he shattered it. He ground the fragments into a fine white powder in a stone mortar.
He took a handful of normal garden soil. He mixed the white bone powder into it.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
It was just dirt mixed with bone dust. Cold. Dead. Useless.
"As I thought," Long Tan analyzed calmly. "Bone powder is just fertilizer. It adds nutrients, but it doesn't change the nature of the soil."
He looked up at the sky.
"This country... the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy is too thin," Long Tan mused. "That is why no Immortal Herbs or Spirit Fruits grow here. The air is empty. Normal plants starve for energy."
If he planted ginseng here, it would take 100 years to become a Spirit Herb. He didn't have 100 years.
The Sun-Moon Photosynthesis
Long Tan placed his hands back onto the mixture of dirt and bone dust.
"But I don't need the air," he whispered. "I have the technique."
Sun-Moon Refining: Activate.
He cycled his breath.
Inhale the cold Moon Yin.
Exhale the hot Sun Yang.
Usually, he kept this energy inside to refine his muscles. But this time, he pushed it out through his palms.
HUMMM.
The soil reacted instantly.
The Yin-Yang energy acted like a catalyst. It fused with the calcium and marrow in the bone dust.
Steam rose from the dirt.
The grey, frozen soil turned a deep, rich black. It became warm to the touch. It felt heavy, like it was pulsing with life.
"Success," Long Tan smiled.
He understood the science instantly.
"It works like Fast Photosynthesis," he analyzed. "Plants need sunlight to grow. My Qi provides concentrated Sun (Yang) energy for growth speed, and Moon (Yin) energy for density and nutrition."
By injecting this energy into the bone-enriched soil, he had created Artificial Spiritual Soil.
"In this soil," Long Tan calculated, "a normal herb might mature in a month instead of a year. A Spirit Fruit might actually survive."
The System's Path
A notification flickered in the back of his mind. The Family Luck System.
It was silent for now.
"The System gave me Sun-Moon Refining Volume 1 as a starter gift," Long Tan thought. "It is enough to take me to the peak of the Mortal Realm."
He sensed the vague requirement for the next big reward.
Target: Innate Master (XianTian).
"Volume 2... or maybe a Pill Recipe... will likely drop when I break through to Innate," Long Tan guessed. "But that is too far away. I shouldn't be greedy."
He clenched his fist.
"Right now, I am barely touching the 500 Jin limit. My immediate goal is to become a Third Rank Martial Artist. Until then, I am just an ant with a good shovel."
He looked at the patch of Spiritual Soil.
"This soil will grow the herbs I need to speed up my cultivation. It's a perfect loop."
Teaching the Wife
"Tan?"
Su Lan's voice broke his concentration. She was standing by the boiling soap pot, looking exhausted. Her arms were trembling from stirring the heavy mixture for hours.
Long Tan stood up and wiped the dirt from his hands.
He looked at her. She was loyal, hardworking, and smart. But she was physically weak.
'If I become a Third Rank artist, my enemies will be strong. Su Lan cannot remain a regular woman. She needs to be able to survive.'
He walked over and took the ladle from her hand.
"Sit," he commanded gently.
Su Lan sat on the wooden stool, breathing hard. "I'm sorry, Tan. I'm just... a bit dizzy."
"Don't apologize for working hard," Long Tan said. He placed his hand on her back. "Close your eyes."
He pushed a gentle stream of Sun-Moon Qi into her spine.
"The technique I use," Long Tan said, "is too violent for you right now. But I can teach you the breathing rhythm."
"Breathing?" Su Lan asked, feeling the warmth spread through her tired muscles.
"Yes. It draws energy from the world to heal the body," Long Tan lied slightly—it was actually drawing energy from him, but it was the same principle. "Listen to my count. Inhale... hold... Exhale."
He guided her through a simplified cycle.
Su Lan's pale face regained its color. Her breathing stabilized. She felt a strange heat in her belly, a tiny seed of strength she had never felt before.
"This..." Su Lan opened her eyes, amazed. "I don't feel tired anymore."
"Practice this every morning," Long Tan said seriously. "It won't make you an immortal overnight. But it will make your strength grow. Soon, you will be able to crush bones just like me."
Su Lan looked at the bone powder in the garden, then at her own hands. She nodded fiercely.
"I will practice," she promised. "I won't be a burden."
Long Tan smiled.
"Good. Now, let's finish this soap. The Merchant arrives tomorrow."
[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
Spiritual Soil Created! 🌱
Using logic: Bone Dust (Nutrients) + Sun/Moon Qi (Photosynthesis) = Magic Soil.
Even in a world with thin energy, Long Tan can grow high-grade herbs!
System Check:
Current Goal: Third Rank Martial Artist. 🎯
Next Big Reward: At Innate Master level.
Next Chapter: The 500 Jin Barrier.
Long Tan attempts to break the limit of the human body before the Merchant arrives.
👉 Add to Library! The Farm is open for business! 📚
💎 Drop a Power Stone to speed up the harvest! 🌿