Shencao Mountain.

Li Xuanxiao sat at the mountain's base, sketching blueprints.

Ground squirrels scurried past him carrying small stones in their paws.

Shencao Mountain had more hills than plains.

To achieve sustainable development, Li Xuanxiao had improved traditional spirit rice cultivation methods.

The specific approach involved constructing terraced fields for three-dimensional planting.

Combined with modern drip irrigation technology, water was delivered through pipelines with capillary tubes less than five millimeters in diameter.

The water reached the roots for localized irrigation.

The "water" used for irrigating spirit fields couldn't be ordinary water, of course.

It had to be natural spring water from spirit vein convergence points or water condensed from heaven and earth's spiritual energy through formations.

With Li Xuanxiao's improved drip irrigation, the utilization rate of this spirit vein water reached 95%, while fertilizer efficiency more than doubled.

By arranging formations, the photosynthesis rate during spirit rice cultivation increased severalfold.

However, multiplied photosynthesis wasn't purely beneficial.

Thus, spiritual energy membranes were needed to prevent photo-oxidative damage.

Additionally, sword grass was planted around the fields. Unlike weeds that uselessly absorbed soil nutrients,

this grass eliminated pests.

After exterminating insects, the decaying sword grass released a gas that cleared residual sword intent.

Harmless and pollution-free—the epitome of green and healthy farming...

When the midday sun rose,

the ground squirrels began their meal.

Li Xuanxiao sat among the little squirrels, enjoying pumpkin porridge made from his own harvest, his face radiating contentment.

The Chinese obsession with farming ran deep in their bones.

Spring sowing, summer planting, autumn harvest, winter storage.

The essence of mortal life boiled down to three daily meals.

Li Xuanxiao cherished this feeling immensely.

His lifelong dream had been to transmigrate to a peaceful world—

preferably a xuanhuan farming novel universe.

Where he could spend days tending flowers and plants, living leisurely with a carefree heart like drifting clouds.

So whenever this world wore him down,

Li Xuanxiao would set aside his tasks to recharge.

Comforting himself that everything would eventually pass—

after all, wasn't everyone just scraping by?

"............"

Developing Shencao Mountain couldn't focus solely on defense and offense.

That would be unsustainable.

Long-term planning was necessary for steady development.

Li Xuanxiao planned to collaborate with Great Sui's merchant guilds to sell his spirit rice.

Fortunately, his status as Great Sui's Chief Court Officer and National Preceptor Jia Sidao helped facilitate this.

What a beautiful sunny day~

Li Xuanxiao couldn't help but sigh.

After lunch, he received sword cultivation guidance from his sword spirit.

After years of trials, Li Xuanxiao had grown to trust the sword spirit,

allowing it to assist his cultivation—

though mostly limited to sword dao.

"Come on, enter me from behind!"

Li Xuanxiao sat deep in the mountain range, at Shencao Mountain's leyline core.

Only those bearing the Mountain Lord's seal could enter this place without triggering lethal arrays.

Here, spiritual energy concentrated at the intersection of Shencao's spirit veins,

where the mountain's essence gathered.

The dense spiritual energy flowed into his body like murmuring streams, nourishing his physique and soul.

The sword spirit transformed into a wisp of sword intent that entered Li Xuanxiao's body, smoothly reaching the Purple Palace to help refine the flying sword.

When the sword spirit first saw the flying sword inside Li Xuanxiao, it gasped in shock.

Terrifying!!

Could such a sword truly exist in this world?

In the Purple Palace Dantian, the small sword measured only three inches.

Its spine seemed to have coiling dragons—upon closer inspection, they were dragon-thick sword energies.

The tip extended into the practitioner's limbs and bones.

The slightest mishap would make it tremble slightly, causing spiritual energy tides within the Purple Palace.

Upon careful observation, the sword spirit noticed the blade contained its own miniature universe.

The sword spirit didn't know this sword's origins, but they must have been extraordinary.

This was likely the sword embryo born between the brows of someone with innate sword physique at birth,

growing alongside its master.

Innate sword physiques were rare—their owners didn't need to seek flying swords, being born with lifebound blades.

From childhood, their pores exhaled not impure qi but hair-thin protective sword auras.

The sword spirit had seen innate sword physiques before.

Its two previous wielders had been such individuals.

The sword spirit itself had been born into this world alongside its wielders before gaining consciousness.

Yet compared to this flying sword, those seemed inadequate.

The sword spirit grew curious.

Li Xuanxiao's body couldn't have produced such a sword—the blade's rejection of his physique proved that.

Whose sword was this?

The sword spirit didn't ponder deeply. If Li Xuanxiao wouldn't say, there must be difficulties.

As refinement began, the sword's shadow suddenly emitted cyan light.

Instantly, the qi sea in Li Xuanxiao's dantian boiled like stormy waves......

Li Xuanxiao's breathing carried faint sword glows, his fluttering sleeves echoing with faint sword hums.

Half a month later,

Li Xuanxiao finally stabilized his energy. The sword spirit emerged from his body.

"Does this sword have a name?" the sword spirit asked curiously.

Li Xuanxiao nodded. "Have you eaten?"

Sword Spirit: "No, I've been helping you refine sword intent this whole time?"

"I mean, this flying sword is called [Have You Eaten]."

The sword spirit fell silent.

Actually, this was a lie—Li Xuanxiao would never reveal his sword's true name to anyone.

Besides, naming it [Have You Eaten] would be too lame.

Its real name was [One of Us].

"........"

After fifteen days and nights of arduous cultivation,

Li Xuanxiao finally succeeded in refining traces of sword intent into his body.

Throughout this process, that powerful, razor-sharp sword intent continuously assaulted his meridians,

as if trying to tear those fragile pathways apart.

The sense of security from such hard-won progress was indescribably satisfying.

Like surviving an apocalypse outside,

while curled up in a safe house,

admiring newly acquired stockpiles of food,

enjoying skewers and chilled drinks—pure contentment.

Sometimes he wondered—what was life's purpose?

Why all this striving?

Wouldn't a carefree existence suffice...

*Slap!*

Li Xuanxiao suddenly slapped himself hard, eyes turning sharp.

"Worthless Li Xuanxiao, what nonsense are you thinking!?

Thrive in adversity, perish in comfort—are you courting death!?"