The north wind howled like a blade, sweeping up mountains of snow.
The harsh winter was like a prison, freezing even falling drops of water into ice.
In the midst of the snowy expanse, a patch of verdant bamboo forest thrived in lush abundance. The jade-green bamboo leaves shimmered like emeralds, glistening with crystal-clear droplets that sparkled like pearls, each one glowing faintly with light.
Wisps of ethereal white mist drifted through the air, lending the place an almost otherworldly, fairyland-like aura.
On the ground beneath the bamboo, a lizard-like creature scurried quickly through the undergrowth. Its back was covered in scales that shimmered with strange, otherworldly hues.
Hiss!
A sudden burst of cold air descended, enveloping the creature.
The temperature around it plummeted, and in an instant, the lizard was frozen solid to the ground, transformed into a lifelike ice sculpture.
"Finally caught this damn little thief."
The bamboo rustled, and a young man stepped out.
He moved with agility, tall and straight like a pine. His features were well-defined, and his eyes resembled clear, bottomless pools. Clad in a thick cotton coat, his face bore a look of relief and satisfaction.
Fang Xi came to a stop before the frozen lizard, picked it up, and weighed it in his hand. Slowly, his expression sank as he muttered, "A total loss…"
"Just a non-ranked demon insect—Stone Dragon Lizard. Worth one spirit crystal. And to catch it, I wasted three whole days, not to mention a 'Frost Talisman.' Even though it's only a low-grade first-tier talisman, it still cost me half a spirit stone!"
Fang Xi's face was full of frustration.
So-called spirit crystals were fragments of spirit stones. Generally speaking, ten spirit crystals equaled one low-grade spirit stone.
This venture? A total loss.
But then again, he had no choice.
Fang Xi was the spirit farmer of this bamboo grove. The coming year's harvest depended entirely on the health of this bamboo, so he couldn't just let the demon pests ravage it.
Whoosh, whoosh!
A gust of icy wind blew past, making Fang Xi shiver.
Looking up at the sky as snow began to fall again, he pulled his coat tighter and sighed inwardly, "Has it already been a year since I crossed over? If I hadn't gone through it myself, I'd never believe that cultivators could be afraid of the cold…"
Yes—Fang Xi was a transmigrator!
His transmigration story was rather ordinary—nothing special. In his previous life, he had studied hard to get into university, only to waste away once he got there. After graduation, with no good job in sight, he was hounded by his parents to take the civil service exams. He ended up being tortured by the math section of the aptitude tests, to the point he wished for death.
As it turns out, desperation doesn't help solve math problems.
Sadly, he didn't even get to see his exam results—he transmigrated right there in the examination room!
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a world of cultivators, possessing the body of a young man who, coincidentally, was also named Fang Xi.
This Fang Xi was a third-level Qi Refining cultivator, living alone as a spiritual farmer under the jurisdiction of the Green Bamboo Mountain Market in the State of Yue, part of the Southern Wilderness cultivation realm.
At first, Fang Xi couldn't believe it either. But after fumbling around for several hours and finally managing to cast a minor spell using the body's memories, he had no choice but to accept, he now wielded supernatural power and had become a cultivator!
Of course, cultivators weren't true immortals yet. They still had mortal aspects, experiencing cold, heat, sickness, and even death.
But he had also learned from the original host's memories that as one advanced in cultivation, one's longevity increased, diseases became a thing of the past, and immortality itself might not be impossible.
A perfect example was the Situ Clan, rulers of Green Bamboo Mountain Market. It was said that they had more than one Foundation Establishment elder in their ranks!
Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage matched every fantasy mortals had of immortals. For one thing, their lifespan was already doubled—they could easily live over two hundred years!
Two hundred years! In his previous world, that would be enough to witness the rise and fall of dynasties.
So Fang Xi chose to accept the identity and circumstances of the original host and began his own cultivation journey as a spirit farmer in the market town.
At this moment—
Despite his grumbling, after venting his frustration, Fang Xi still carefully stored away the Stone Dragon Lizard. After all, it was still worth one spirit crystal.
Having inherited all of the original host's savings, his total assets were only a few dozen spirit crystals.
The "Jade Bamboo Grove" he tended covered just six-tenths of an acre. After paying half the harvest as taxes each year, he was left with only about a hundred catties of bamboo rice—worth a measly thirty spirit crystals.
A year of backbreaking labor for just three low-grade spirit stones…
"Sigh… Cultivating is hard. Surviving is even harder."
Fang Xi sighed, brushed the snow off his coat, and started weeding the bamboo grove.
These weeds, nourished by spiritual energy, had grown tough and competitive. If left unchecked, they would steal nutrients from the bamboo and affect the harvest.
So being a proper spirit farmer required proficiency in spells like Spring Rain Technique and Metalweed Cutter Blade.
Although Fang Xi had inherited the original's memories, he still struggled with the farm work. Life was hard.
At third-layer Qi Refining, he was still at the lower tier of cultivators. In Green Bamboo Mountain Market, mid-tier cultivators of fourth-layer Qi Refining were common, and higher tiers like seventh-layer were occasionally seen. The cultivation world was one of the strong preying on the weak, and schemes and plunder were commonplace.
There were even high-level demonic cultivators who, to create powerful spells or artifacts, would commit blood sacrifices across vast regions. Though rare, such atrocities were well-documented.
Sometimes, Fang Xi even considered giving up on cultivation and returning to the mortal realm to live a comfortable life, marrying wives and concubines, and living out his days in leisure.
But he always discarded the idea.
After all, in terms of comfort, not even ancient emperors lived as well as an average modern person.
What surpassed the modern world was the allure of the supernatural and eternal life!
So, despite the hardships, Fang Xi gritted his teeth and pressed on.
…
The sky turned ashen and heavy.
Fang Xi looked up at the clouds, then began making his way home.
Although Green Bamboo Mountain had a protective array, to save on spirit stones, it only shielded the market's central street and shops. Forget protecting the entire mountain or the farmland.
So this area wasn't particularly safe after dark.
Though the Situ Clan's enforcers did patrol the area, incidents of robbery and rogue cultivators still occurred now and then. Fang Xi certainly wasn't about to risk his life.
The spirit farmers' residential zone was near the mountaintop market, a place the patrols frequented—relatively safe.
Fang Xi couldn't help but cynically think, maybe it's just that no one thinks it's worth robbing a poor spirit farmer.
After a short walk up the mountain, a slum of low sheds came into view. Each home was surrounded by rough fencing, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard.
Fang Xi smiled faintly at the familiar sight.
Just a few steps in, an old farmer-like cultivator passed by and greeted him with a grin, "Hey there, Brother Fang. Care to find some fun tonight?"
The old man's face was wrinkled, his yellow teeth showing as he smiled. His cultivation was even lower than Fang Xi's—around second-layer Qi Refining.
This was Fang Xi's neighbor, Old Maitou.
Fang Xi didn't know much about his past, but since they saw each other daily, a kind of friendship had formed.
From the expression on the old man's face, Fang Xi immediately guessed what he meant.
Even in this makeshift slum, there were female cultivators who didn't farm. Their lives were a bit better off—they had other means of earning a living.
Old Maitou had farmed longer than Fang Xi but lived in poverty. He had even borrowed spirit crystals once. It wasn't hard to guess where his money had gone.
Fang Xi shook his head and declined, "Old Maitou, I've got cultivation to do tonight…"
Truth be told, shortly after he got used to this body, he did go once to the 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion' in the market, blew half his savings, and staggered out after a night of indulgence…
No doubt about it—those demonesses who specialized in seductive arts were deadly.
Since then, Fang Xi had focused entirely on farming. He didn't have the money to fool around.
"Gotta save up if I want to enjoy tea with a real lady one day. No secondhand brews for me…"
Back at his own shack, Fang Xi opened the door.
His home was spacious, partitioned into living room, bedroom, cultivation room, and more. Some female cultivators even grew spirit vegetables or raised spirit birds in their courtyards, fully utilizing every bit of land.
Fang Xi went to the kitchen, took out some rough grain mixed with spirit rice, and cooked himself a pot of porridge.
The spirit rice, of course, was Jade Bamboo Rice—each grain gleamed like jade and gave off a fragrant aroma. Even mixed with mundane grains, it was delicious and sweet.
Especially after eating, warmth spread through his belly, followed by a faint wisp of spiritual energy.
Seizing the opportunity, Fang Xi immediately went to his cultivation room and began meditating.
Half an hour later, he opened his eyes with a wry smile. "This Evergreen Technique is ridiculously hard… After a whole year of effort, I've just barely stabilized the original owner's cultivation. I haven't even reached the peak of the third layer, let alone broken through to mid-stage…"
Sighing, he listened carefully for sounds outside, then pulled out a talisman and affixed it to the wall.
It was a low-grade first-tier Protection Talisman, offering basic defense—but more importantly, it blocked sound and spiritual energy.
It couldn't block the divine sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but if scanned, it would explode instantly, alerting him to danger.
After all this, Fang Xi's expression returned to calm. He snapped his fingers.
Snap!
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in a completely different place.
The room was warm and luxurious, glowing in soft light. A purple-gold incense burner released calming fragrance into the air.
A soft chair made of sandalwood beckoned. Fang Xi slumped into it, completely at ease.
With a wave of his hand, a cultivator-crafted air-conditioning array activated, keeping the room perfectly temperate.
Once he had rested enough, Fang Xi casually tossed aside his ragged coat and changed into fine robes, instantly transforming into a handsome, elegant young master.
He opened the door—brilliant sunlight poured in, revealing a grand and lavish estate beyond.
In the blink of an eye, it was like he had stepped into another world.
And in a way—he had!
A slight smile tugged at Fang Xi's lips.
When a man is pushed to the edge, there's nothing he won't do. Including crossing worlds.