The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality Chapter 17

Jiang Chen was not in a hurry to submit his task. He had to ensure he was on the same level as everyone else.

Only when there were just two days left until the New Year, and everyone had mostly finished their harvests, did he proceed.

He then arrived at the [Core Farm Management Office] and once again met [Elder Mu]. It was similar to his last visit; due to the crowd, there were disciples working part-time.

"Elder Mu!" Jiang Chen was very respectful; after all, the other party was a [Manager].

"It's you." Elder Mu had not forgotten and still had some impression of him.

Jiang Chen gave a slight nod. "I've come to complete the winter task and submit [Spirit Rice]."

Hearing this, Elder Mu looked him up and down. "If I recall correctly, this is your first time planting in winter. Could it be that your yield met the standard?"

"Barely managed to complete it," Jiang Chen said with a forced bitter smile.

Elder Mu showed slight surprise. "Being able to complete it is enough. Those from your same batch didn't even meet the one-thousand-jin yield requirement."

"Zhao Ziyao?" That name popped into Jiang Chen's mind.

Regarding this, Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised but didn't dwell on it. Their relationship had always been just average anyway. If it weren't for Lin An being the connection between them, they probably would have never interacted until old age.

Subsequently, Jiang Chen submitted one thousand jin of [Tier-2 Spirit Rice] for the winter task.

"These days, newcomers who can grow [Top-quality Spirit Rice] are few and far between." He hadn't expected the one before him to be capable of it.

Jiang Chen thought to himself, It seems [Top-quality Spirit Rice] isn't something just anyone can grow. But I only have this kind of [Spirit Rice] on me.

He then discovered that exchanging [Top-quality Spirit Rice] yielded different points.

If it were high-quality [Spirit Rice] produced from a [Tier-2 Spirit Farm], one thousand jin could earn two hundred points. However, for [Top-quality Spirit Rice] produced from a [Tier-2 Spirit Farm], the same one thousand jin could be exchanged for 250 points—an extra 50 points—along with praise from Elder Mu.

Before leaving, Jiang Chen specifically asked another question.

He learned that to exchange for another high-level cultivation technique would actually require two thousand points. That meant either submitting ten thousand jin of [Tier-2 Spirit Rice] in one go, or accumulating points bit by bit until he could exchange for it eventually.

"It seems I can only wait a while longer," Jiang Chen pondered.

Afterward, he left the [Core Farm Management Office].

Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the downhill path outside the palace, he ran into a familiar face head-on.

Zhao Ziyao!

The other party looked worried and troubled, clearly in a bad mood. However, upon seeing Jiang Chen, Zhao Ziyao's eyes lit up, and he quickly stopped him. "Fellow Daoist Jiang!"

"What is it?" Jiang Chen asked warily, watching the other person closely.

Zhao Ziyao couldn't help but ask, "Did you complete the winter task?"

"Yes," Jiang Chen replied after some thought, ultimately deciding not to lie.

Since Elder Mu had casually revealed Zhao Ziyao's situation, it meant news of his own completion of the winter task couldn't be hidden. Given that, hiding it from Zhao Ziyao now might cause this person's displeasure. Therefore, it was better to openly admit it and first see what this guy actually wanted.

Seeing this, a flash of displeasure appeared in Zhao Ziyao's eyes, but it was hidden quickly. He then asked, "Could you lend me one hundred jin of [Tier-2 Spirit Rice]?"

"Just as I thought," Jiang Chen knew this guy was up to something. He then put on a troubled expression and said, "I also barely managed to complete the winter task. What little I have left isn't even enough for myself."

Admittedly, the other party might be hiding something. But since he himself had failed to complete the winter task due to insufficient yield, the likelihood of him hiding anything was small.

"I can only lend you ten jin, no more than that," Jiang Chen said with a pained expression.

"Ten jin is fine too," Zhao Ziyao did not refuse.

Jiang Chen immediately took out ten jin of [Tier-2 Spirit Rice] from his small storage pouch.

"I'll definitely return it to you next year," Zhao Ziyao promised after receiving it.

Then, Zhao Ziyao continued walking toward the mountaintop platform.

Jiang Chen turned his head to look at the other's hurried retreating back, his eyes instantly turning cold.

This person is not worth getting close to.

Their relationship had always been average, yet he so proactively borrowed things. In contrast, consider Lin An. Although both had some reservations toward each other during their time in the outer sect, after becoming formal disciples, Lin An had never once come to borrow anything from him. Even that time with [Wang Ze], when Jiang Chen proactively offered [Spirit Rice], Lin An only reluctantly accepted it.

"Auspicious snow foretells a bountiful year; next year will be even better!"

At that moment, goose-feather-like snow suddenly began to fall from the gray sky. An extreme chill swept across the entire [Spirit Farm] area.

Having nothing better to do, Jiang Chen stopped and watched the snowy scenery for a while.

He noticed that not all areas were covered by the heavy snow. Many [Spirit Farms] remained no different from autumn, completely unaffected. There were even places where steam actually rose, melting the snowflakes before they could land.

Two days passed in an instant.

The moment Jiang Chen opened his door, a cold wind mixed with swirling snowflakes rushed in. Fortunately, as a cultivator, he wasn't afraid of the cold.

Outside, the [Spirit Farms] were blanketed in ice and snow. The vast world seemed to enter a state of preservation all at once.

Crunch, crunch!

Jiang Chen trudged step by step away from his home and headed in another direction.

As he approached the [Core Farm Management Office], he noticed more and more people gathering nearby. Everyone was heading in the same direction.

"[Paper Cranes]! Can carry three hundred jin! Reach the market in half a shichen! "

"Rent for one day: five [Low-grade Spirit Stones]! Purchase price: fifty [Low-grade Spirit Stones]!"

"Horse-type spirit beasts! Reach the market in just one stick of incense! Ten [Low-grade Spirit Stones] per day!"

When Jiang Chen reached a fork in the road, he was surprised to find many [Rain Pavilion] and [Beast Mountain] disciples standing by the roadside. They were all hawking and renting out various items for rapid travel.

But clearly, compared to spirit beasts, people tended to prefer [Paper Cranes], because they were cheaper. Five [Low-grade Spirit Stones] were equivalent to ten jin of [Tier-2 Spirit Rice].

At that moment, a Wood Spiritual Root disciple who had rented a [Paper Crane] shouted to those around him: "I can take two more people to [Red Leaf Valley]! Just one [Low-grade Spirit Stone] or two jin of [Tier-2 Spirit Rice] each!"

It didn't take long for three people to gather. Then, the [Paper Crane] began flapping its wings vigorously.

However, it didn't actually take off into flight. No—to be precise—it didn't fly high. Whether it was because three people were too heavy or it was designed that way, the [Paper Crane] maintained a vertical distance of only about five meters from the ground.

The person who rented the crane asked with a smile: "Fellow Daoists, how was your harvest this year?"

Another person was a female disciple who had awakened her Wood Spiritual Root. She said flatly: "Better than last winter."

The renter introduced himself: "I am [Xu Liang]. I've been a formal disciple for five years."

Jiang Chen introduced himself: "Jiang Chen."

The female disciple finally said: "[Wu Meng]. Two years."

Xu Liang said playfully: "Fellow Daoists, this year's [Red Leaf Valley] market will be very lively."

Jiang Chen asked curiously: "Why?"

Xu Liang explained: "Because there are only two years left until the Formal Disciple Competition begins. So all formal disciples have started gathering resources."

"That has nothing to do with us," Wu Meng said, pouting slightly.

Wood Spiritual Root disciples weren't suited for combat. Even if they participated in the Formal Disciple Competition, their rankings wouldn't be high. No matter how capable they were, if they encountered those with Metal or Fire Spiritual Roots, they'd still be outmatched.

Xu Liang waved his hand dismissively: "[Fellow Daoist Wu Meng], you're mistaken about that."

"Oh?" Wu Meng raised an eyebrow slightly in skepticism.

Xu Liang said seriously: "We can actually use this opportunity to sell our [Spirit Rice], spirit plants, etc., at higher prices!"

"That makes sense," Jiang Chen deeply agreed.

"Therefore, I wanted to discuss with you both beforehand... market prices," Xu Liang got down to business.

Jiang Chen had always thought each spirit farmer worked independently, so there was no need for grouping together. But after interacting with Xu Liang, he realized everything he thought was wrong.

[Spirit Rice] sales generally followed two channels. One was through official channels, exchanging [Spirit Rice] for points. The other was through unofficial channels, based on market transaction prices.

And these unofficial channel transaction prices had always been determined by Xu Liang, or rather, by forces behind him.

This force consisted of veteran spirit farmers who had joined [Core Farm] areas for at least three years. It was called the [Harvest Alliance].

When prices should be high, when prices should be low—all controlled by them.

With only two years left until the Formal Disciple Competition, Xu Liang and others deliberately restricted quantities of spirit plants. First, they reduced output flowing into markets, increasing customer demand. Then, they used this opportunity to raise prices, making huge profits.

Normally, two jin of [Tier-2 Spirit Rice] could be exchanged for one [Low-grade Spirit Stone]. But under their control, now they could sell for two stones!