Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 664 - 655: Map-Running Quest

The prelude of cause and effect came to an end, and now the main focus lies ahead. Both Jiang Yuan and Yuan Man braced themselves to listen attentively.

"Before this, Du Li spent a long time researching Life Origin. He said that whether it be humans, demons, or any living beings, the initial size of Life Origin is the same, about the size of." Qu Luming gestured with his hand, approximately the size of an apple.

"If initially counted by hundreds, wanting to die without losing one's path requires at least fifty portions of Life Origin. At the moment when the mind is scattered on death's edge, the Dantian must be split open and Life Origin used to irrigate the Spirit Root until complete death for transformation success.

I remember very clearly that when I began receiving the infusion, I could feel vibrant life, but the life within me was rapidly waning. At that moment, the vibrant Spirit Root became my only lifeline.

Du Li told me: success or failure rests on this, and only with a strong enough will to live can the Divine Sense attach to the Spirit Root to continue surviving.

The entire process seemed unbearably long but also extremely short. This sounds paradoxical, but at that time, on one side was the agony of death, and on the other, the vibrant joy of rebirth. After a moment of intertwining, my Divine Sense attached to the Elixir Field Spirit Root to survive, and I watched as my familiar body completely lost its vitality, turning to ash and dissipating.

Yet consciousness 'saw' its newborn state—a mass cloaked in a faint glow of energy enveloped the Dantian and Spirit Root. There was no body, nothing but a mass resembling a fetus.

Du Li took the light mass, whose shape of the Spirit Root could no longer be discerned, to the Netherworld, found a place filled with Yin Energy, and set up an Array for me to absorb the Yin Fiend Qi.

After forty-nine days and nights of absorbing the Yin Fiend Qi, the light mass gradually expanded, forming the body I have now.

At that time, the strength was very weak, weaker even than an ordinary ghost, only a translucent shadow. After my Spirit Root absorbed the Yin Fiend Qi and gained a new life, it transformed into my current Ghost Cultivator form."

Qu Luming formed a seal with his left hand, conjuring two forms in mid-air, one of a common Fire Spirit Root and the other a clawing ghostly figure.

Jiang Yuan glanced at the other's Dantian and found no deception; the condensed Spirit Root was identical.

Sitting diagonally opposite, Yuan Man's Elixir Field had two Spirit Roots entwined like a lush tree, but due to only twenty points of remaining Life Origin, the condition of these exquisite Twin Spirit Roots seemed somewhat withered.

Yuan Man listened in shock, gazing at the two distinctly different Spirit Roots, exclaiming, "You mean—after experiencing death and rebirth, with the nourishment of Life Origin, your Spirit Roots completely transformed after absorbing the Yin Fiend Qi?! Can Spirit Roots really transform?"

"It sounds outrageous, but it's true." Qu Luming nodded with a wry smile. "Du Li didn't believe it at the time, and if he hadn't forcibly taken your Life Origin, he might have attempted to convert a Demon Cultivator into a Demon Cultivator."

[Successfully learned the new usage of Life Origin]

[Side Quest: Doppelganger]

[Quest 1: Trade and inquire about the specific usage of Life Origin, completed. Reward: Life Origin +10 issued]

[Current Life Origin Balance: 310 points]

[Quest 2: Gift Qu Luming thirty premium incense sticks and wait for three days. Reward: Acceleration Card +1]

As lines of text scrolled through the interface, Jiang Yuan, accustomed to skimming through at a glance, found no interference with his daily life.

He glanced down, thinking, what's the use of learning the method if I don't even have a Spirit Root?

The new quest was not difficult to complete; Jiang Yuan immediately took out thirty sticks of incense from the Storage Bag. "Daoist friend, it's not easy for you either. Unfortunately, you didn't encounter a reliable true body. I'm grateful for your heartfelt teachings today, so please accept these handmade incense sticks as a token of appreciation."

Qu Luming, who had a penchant for this, saw the handful of premium incense sticks and his eyes lit with desire. He quickly stood up, accepting them with respectful hands, "Thank you, sir, for the incense! Should you ever need anything from me, please order me anytime!"

With the entanglement with his true body possibly deterring Mr. Jiang, he didn't dare to dream of constant offerings, focusing his mind on how to distance himself from Du Li and shamelessly seek support.

The scent of just one incense stick had stirred his cravings, leaving him both satisfied and unsatisfied, the memory of its superior aroma aching in his bones.

Now, with Mr. Jiang's generous offering of a whole handful, Qu Luming felt moved to the point of wanting to pledge his allegiance instantly!

"Indeed, it's not easy, starting from zero in ghost cultivation after demon cultivation, surely it's been a journey of countless hardships." Yuan Man watched with envy, though being too polite to ask directly for anything.

Her own troublesome issues in the underground cavern were still numerous, pondering to eliminate the nuisances and perhaps spare some Spirit Medicine post-restoration in exchange for incense!

Spirit Stones and such are ultimately common items, providing no substantial aid at her current level of cultivation. In contrast, the incense that Jiang Daoist modestly claims to make casually is not commonly seen; therefore, bartering should naturally favor rarities.

"Senior, since you know my difficulties, could you..." Qu Luming asked, pointing at the flower-like tattoo by his ear, "remove this prison?"

Yuan Man decisively shook her head, "No way. We agreed on exchanging five thousand years of lifespan to offset it. I've only taken two thousand years so far, still lacking over half. Not until the remaining three thousand years are in hand will I remove it."

Qu Luming: ...

Having a true body like Du Li's, I am indeed cursed with bad luck!

Seeing his look of frustration, Yuan Man smiled faintly and said, "I've heard that there are many powerful figures in Fengdu of the Netherworld. Maybe you can try to find someone to help you capture it. If you can deal with this cage using your skills, feel free to come find me. By then, not only will I not be angry, but I'll also reward the solver with a treasure. You should know that my vine cage has never met its match since its creation. I'm really curious to see if there's a Ghost Cultivator in the Netherworld who can come up with a way to break it."

"Senior, you're not joking, are you?" Qu Luming was on the verge of tears, this thing is no cute little creature; it might open its bloody mouth at any time and swallow his head whole!

So she wants me to be a test subject just to find someone who can solve it?

Alright, alright, is this how all the bosses play?

Just wait! Once I get rid of this trouble and become a powerful being myself, I'll find some nemesis to torment similarly!

"Don't worry, as long as you behave and don't provoke me, the vine cage won't bother you. If you can't find a way to break it, when Daoist You delivers the Longevity Pill, I'll set you free," Yuan Man said as she floated up gracefully. "It's getting late, I have to return to Cloud City to make some preparations."

She placed her right hand on the table, and as she moved it away, she left two pale green leaf-shaped Jade Pendants on the table. "These are the passes for Cloud City, gentlemen, let's part here. Should you pass Cloud City, feel welcome to visit."

Each person took one, and Jiang Yuan saw her out the door.

The sky was already brightening, and the Market was beginning to be shrouded in a faint mist. Other shops were putting up boards in preparation for closing.

Yuan Man's figure seemed to blend and fade like a leaf into the mist and vanished.

"I should take my leave too," Qu Luming bowed, pointed to his ear, and whispered, "Sir, do you have any way to break it?"

Jiang Yuan didn't know when he could build a brewery, so he replied offhandedly, "I can help think of something."

"Thank you for your trouble." He bowed again, and as he stepped onto the street, his figure gradually faded and vanished within two or three seconds.

What a hectic night it has been!

He closed the shop door and reopened it, stepping onto his courtyard soil just as the clock ticked to six in the morning, Wilderness Ascension.

The ripe fruits and melons in the field filled the air with their fragrance, the morning glow bathed the neatly arranged fields with a layer of pale gold.

"Time to harvest rice!" Jiang Yuan dashed towards the fifty Level Five fields.

The random Magical Seeds planted last time had mostly been harvested, except for a few plants that had a thirty-day countdown until maturity. The rest were all planted with Spirit Rice seeds unlocked from the System Mall.

This rice, rich in Spiritual Energy, is comparable to the regular rice of ordinary fields, and is a staple often consumed by High Realm Cultivators. It matures in two days, and since the main quest requires harvesting a Level Five field 100 times, planting this variety in large quantities is the most cost-effective option!

He walked into the rice field, where the mature Spirit Rice, slightly translucent, glowed faintly, and the heavy heads were bent low.

With the process digitized by the system, farming and harvesting became very simple and easy. With a gentle tug on the head of rice, a soft "pop" was heard, and the plant on the pixel block-like field vanished, with a portion of Spirit Rice being directly stored in the Storage Bag, ready to be transferred to the global granary with one click later.

"Pop, pop, pop, pop..."

Jiang Yuan walked and tugged, the tangible feel of holding the crops was much more authentic than clicking through each option on the courtyard communicator. Seeing the harvested, empty, clean, and tidy fields gave him an inexplicable sense of relief and a profound sense of satisfaction.

[Main Quest: Build a Seventh Level Home. Reward: Void Detector Blueprint]

[Quest 2: Harvest a Level Five Field 100 times, completed. Reward: Acceleration Card*2 dispatched]

[Quest 3: Build a Brewery. Reward: Random Special Blueprint +1]

Oh my, I can build a brewery now?

He eagerly opened the construction task, needing ordinary materials was of course no problem; plenty of special materials had been accumulated over time, definitely enough. But there was just one hitch—building the brewery required six different types of water.

Level Six Well Water counts as one;

The other five options are: special lake water tainted with toxins at the entrance of Spiders Valley; swamp water from the depths of the Secret Realm in Mist Barrier Swamp; lake water from Golden Carp Lake Market; water from the Golden Chicken Seal next to Golden Chicken River Market; and finally, Cold Spring Water—a specialty of Cold Spring City.

"Looks like this is a map exploration task." Jiang Yuan checked and found all these locations unlocked, so gathering them wasn't hard, but the Golden Chicken Seal couldn't be reached after the Market closed, needing him to wait until evening.

Then I'll head to Spiders Valley first, the daytime there is unaffected; then head to Mist Barrier Swamp to find Miss Chan Yu, have her lead me to the needed swamp water, and rush to Gold Chicken Seal for the water in the evening to reach Cold Spring City immediately.

The Evil Cultivator Zhao Family's stronghold should be raided too!