Chapter 111: Rice Blossom Spirit Fish, Mastery of Qi Refinement, Earth-Grade Mystic Water Crocodile

Winter fades and spring arrives, the seasons turn in their endless cycle. The sunlight of spring bathes Moonwatch Island in a lush green glow.

Qin Ming was practicing the Spirit Rain Technique, nourishing the spiritual plants in his enchanted fields. The second-tier, mid-grade spiritual crops he had planted previously were now ready for harvest this year.

[Name]: Spirit Nest Rice [Attribute]: Mana Crystals x5 (Maturity 91%)
[Name]: Spirit Nest Rice [Attribute]: Space-Time Leaves x5 (Maturity 92%)
[Name]: Spirit Nest Rice [Attribute]: Beast Taming Art (Maturity 91%)
[Name]: Spirit Gathering Tea [Attribute]: Soul Power Crystals x5 (Maturity 92%)
[Name]: Spirit Gathering Tea [Attribute]: Space-Time Leaves x5 (Maturity 91%)
[Name]: Purple-Gold Bamboo [Attribute]: Vitality Crystals x5 (Maturity 89%)
[Name]: Purple-Gold Bamboo [Attribute]: Space-Time Leaves x5 (Maturity 90%)

After watering all the spiritual plants, Qin Ming walked toward the rice paddies where the Spirit Nest Rice grew. He gazed at the lively rice flower spirit fish swimming joyfully in the water.

Nearly three years had passed. These spirit fish had absorbed the spiritual energy from the Spirit Nest Rice and were influenced by the Long-Life Vine. Their appearance had transformed greatly; the smallest weighed around four or five pounds, each marked with several peculiar tiger stripes.

These spirit fish were exceptionally agile, hunting the scattered rice flowers in the fields.

Qin Ming licked his lips and casually scooped up one of the larger rice flower spirit fish.

He was ready to have some meat.

Outside, he set up a simple stove, summoning the Devouring Spirit Poison Flame to cook. Indeed, cooking with a second-tier Heaven and Earth Spirit Flame was a display of true extravagance!

The Devouring Spirit Poison Flame morphed into a blue firebird, which Qin Ming skillfully controlled to gently heat the pot.

After cleaning the spirit fish, he placed it in the pot with a few seasonings, brewing a clear fish soup.

Soon, a rich aroma filled the air, and the broth exuded a surprising spiritual resonance!

"What is this?" Qin Ming was astonished. He had never expected that a simple soup would produce such a phenomenon.

He recalled hearing in Tianhe Market tales about the legendary Azure Dragon Spirit Fish and their miraculous 'Little Azure Dragon Soup' and 'Great Azure Dragon Soup.'

Could it be that the Spirit Nest Rice rice flower spirit fish he had cultivated had similar effects?

Excited, Qin Ming ladled a large bowl of the spirit fish soup from the pot. Ignoring the heat, he took a big gulp.

Boom!

A vast surge of spiritual energy shot straight into his mind!

Beyond the fresh and irresistible flavor of the fish, Qin Ming's internal mana began rising rapidly.

"As expected, this spirit fish soup, much like the legendary Azure Dragon Soup, can increase one's mana," he said.

After finishing the soup, Qin Ming quickly practiced the Ancient Wood Longevity Technique to refine the spiritual energy within.

More than an hour passed.

The aura of his mana grew increasingly powerful.

Finally, he reached a critical threshold.

A low hum resonated around him as immense waves of energy surged forth. The Long-Life Vine responded in kind, emitting jubilant emotions.

The spiritual energy of the world began to resonate with Qin Ming.

Within his dantian and qi sea, the azure misty ocean doubled in size.

He slowly opened his eyes, filled with immense joy.

"Qi Refinement Stage, Great Perfection, achieved!"

Qin Ming had never imagined he would reach this milestone in such a manner. The previous occupant of this body had never dared to dream of it, yet today, he had succeeded.

Two beams of sharp light flashed from his eyes before gradually dimming.

The aura of perfected Qi Refinement stage mana on his body slowly concealed itself.

Qin Ming stood like an ancient tree—weathered and serene.

The Ancient Wood Longevity Technique also possessed the effect of masking one's mana aura.

After solidifying his cultivation further, Qin Ming returned to the spiritual rice paddies to watch the spirited rice flower fish swimming about.

Having tested it himself, he was certain these Spirit Nest Rice rice flower spirit fish possessed the same ability as the Azure Dragon Spirit Fish King to enhance a cultivator's mana.

They even benefited those in the Foundation Establishment stage to a certain degree.

Their miraculous nourishing effect rivaled that of the famous 'Great Azure Dragon Soup.'

He estimated that even selling a single fish would fetch a considerable sum of spirit stones.

Yet, he intended to keep these mana-enhancing spirit fish for his own use and to raise more of them in the future.

Perhaps, Qin Ming's time of fortune had arrived.

One day, as usual, Qin Ming prepared to infuse the beast egg with the essence of wood and grass.

Suddenly, he heard knocking sounds from the eggshell.

It seemed the life within was about to break free.

The entire beast egg trembled as the creature inside repeatedly struck the shell, but the outer layer was too tough.

Despite numerous efforts, it could not break through.

Qin Ming stood nearby, anxious, his palms sweaty.

He chose not to assist the creature in breaking the shell—it had to emerge on its own.

The knocking grew more frequent over the course of an hour.

Crack!

A clear fissure appeared on the surface of the egg, followed by a second and a third.

Crack!

Finally, the entire egg split open.

A little crocodile, more than a foot long, sprang out.

The tiny creature looked around cautiously.

It seemed to recognize the familiar aura emanating from Qin Ming.

It let out eager cries, ran toward him, and affectionately rubbed against his pant leg, clearly hungry.

Qin Ming was momentarily stunned.

He was unsure what to feed it, so he casually offered some spirit beast meat.

He squatted down, watching the little crocodile devour its meal with great appetite.

Though small, the crocodile already bore the majestic bearing of a king, with a long snout lined with two rows of sharp teeth and black-golden scales along its back.

Flipping through a book on demon beasts, Qin Ming finally found the corresponding entry.

It was a terrestrial-grade bloodline demon beast—the Mystic Water Crocodile.

This little Mystic Water Crocodile was born with the cultivation of a first-tier lower-grade demon beast.

Upon reaching adulthood, it possessed the potential to advance to a third-tier demon beast.

Qin Ming looked at the little crocodile with delight, amazed that this adorable creature would become so formidable.

In the days that followed, Qin Ming added a new responsibility: feeding the little crocodile.

However, he kept it confined within his cave dwelling to prevent it from causing havoc in the spiritual fields.

Once it grew stronger, Qin Ming planned to release it into the lake near Moonwatch Island to guard the area.

But that was still far off; the crocodile needed time to mature.

According to his research, some demon beasts with higher bloodline tiers could grow at astonishing speeds if provided suitable conditions.

Thus, Qin Ming spent his days on Moonwatch Island raising fish, cultivating plants, nurturing beasts, farming, and training.

Day after day passed.

A full year slipped by.

During this time, he was almost entirely cut off from the world, yet life was peaceful and fulfilling.

No matter how chaotic things became outside, they could not disturb the tranquility of this remote northern land.

Qin Ming’s gradual cultivation finally reached a turning point.

Within the second-tier spiritual field beneath the main peak, all the second-tier mid-grade spiritual plants he had planted matured.

He collected all their attributes, a great wave of attribute leaves quietly appearing within his spiritual sea.

At the same time, this meant he was on the verge of advancing to a second-tier mid-grade Spiritual Plant Master.

Moreover, he could now enter the Plant Illusion Realm for trials.

Once obtaining the Mother Spirit of Ten Thousand Trees, he could fully perfect the Supreme Wood Body, refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, and strike for Foundation Establishment.

Soon after, Qin Ming traveled to the Tianhe Market Spiritual Plant Master Guild.

Accompanied by the official responsible for examination and registration, he returned to Moonwatch Island to record the relevant information.

When the silver-haired recorder arrived on Moonwatch Island and saw the three acres of icy crystalline jade-colored second-tier mid-grade Spirit Nest Rice, his eyes widened in disbelief, his voice trembling:

"Spirit Spirit... Spirit Nest Rice!"