1: Even in the cultivation world, there are people who lose their jobs; building upgrades are an example.

Qianyuan Immortal Dynasty, Qingyun City.

Deep autumn with heavy dew; a cold wind swept up a few withered leaves, swirling them across the somewhat desolate street.

Clad in thin black clothes, Lu Xian hurried through the alleys, rushing toward the Hundred Elixirs Hall.

"Damn, I can't stand this crappy job for even one more day! Why is there still a 797 schedule in the cultivation world? It's absolutely insane!"

Lu Xian grumbled in his heart.

Finally, at the end of the Hour of the Rabbit, he reached the entrance of the Pill Hall.

Before he could even catch his breath.

A large hand barred his way.

"Lu Xian, due to laziness and failing to meet performance targets for three consecutive months, you are fired!"

"You've worked as a laborer in the Hundred Elixirs Hall for two and a half years with a monthly salary of 40 spirit shards. Shopkeeper Huang is kind-hearted; here is 200 spirit shards as compensation. Take it and leave!"

A burly man inside the door announced in a booming voice, casually tossing a cloth bag toward him.

"Huh?"

Lu Xian reflexively caught the bag of spirit shards and stood there dazed.

In his past life, after being 'optimized' out of his job, he encountered a 'Great Fortune' truck on his way home. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't overcome it and thus underwent Transmigration.

Who would have thought that after arriving in the cultivation world, he would be laid off yet again.

Still, it was better than on Blue Star; the compensation was actually 2N.

"Brother Zhang, can you give me the inside scoop? What's the specific reason?" Lu Xian asked in a low voice.

Zhang Tie glanced left and right, leaned in closer, and lowered his voice:

"Little Brother Lu, you're sixteen now, aren't you? You still haven't won the lottery for a Quasi-Immortal Certificate, have you? To tell you the truth, Shopkeeper Huang hired someone new who has a certificate for only 30 spirit shards a month. Naturally, you..."

Lu Xian fell silent.

Even the cultivation world is this competitive?!

"I understand. Thank you!" He didn't ask further, cupped his fists in thanks, and turned to leave the Hundred Elixirs Hall.

On the way home, Lu Xian organized the information he had gathered in this world over the past few years.

The place where he resided was under the jurisdiction of the Qianyuan Immortal Dynasty.

Unlike the Age of Dharma Decline, this world seemed to be in an 'Era of Extreme Spirit.'

Everyone possessed a Spiritual Root and could Cultivate. Resources were abundant, and regardless of talent, one could reach Peak Qi Refining through sheer consumption of resources.

However, a thousand years ago, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau observed that the concentration of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was 'declining' year by year at an extremely slow pace.

When the news broke, the entire court and commonality were shaken.

The Six Sects and Ten Great Families within the court, under the banners of 'seeking welfare for future generations' and 'following the Heaven and the Dao,' took the opportunity to jointly submit a petition.

Immortal Emperor Qing Ming followed their advice and issued three imperial decrees: Dharma Burning, Technique Banning, and Quasi-Immortal!

In the following five hundred years, civilian Cultivation Techniques were centrally destroyed, and the private teaching of the various cultivation arts—pills, weapons, formations, and talismans—was strictly forbidden.

Most crucially, without a 'Quasi-Immortal Certificate' issued by the imperial court, no one was allowed to practice immortal methods, regardless of their natural talent.

Various Loose Cultivators refused to comply, leading to a bloodbath that left mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

Another five hundred years passed, the number of Cultivators had plummeted by nearly half, and the Spiritual Qi barely maintained a balance.

"Heh, sounding so dignified... it's nothing more than consolidating the Immortal Dynasty's tens of thousands of years of rule..."

Lu Xian dragged his heavy steps back to the Shantytown outside Qingyun City and pushed open a dilapidated wooden door, which creaked loudly.

This small courtyard was left behind by the original owner's parents. It was quite spacious, with the front and back yards totaling over two mu.

Outside the city, land was the least valuable thing.

Of course, land rent had to be paid every year.

According to the laws of the Qianyuan Immortal Dynasty, all land under heaven belongs to the Emperor; individuals only have the right to use it.

Fortunately, this year's rent had already been paid in full.

What about the future? Should he just find a city full of Mortals and lie flat for the rest of his life?

Or perhaps marry, have children, and pin his hopes on his descendants?

Lu Xian thought of those who had participated in the lottery for thirty or forty years, aging from their prime to white-haired before barely stepping onto the immortal path.

Even if they became immortals, the hope of Foundation Establishment was almost entirely cut off.

If he couldn't obtain a Quasi-Immortal Certificate and begin to Cultivate before the age of twenty, his life would be destined to stay this way.

He shook his head, no dejection in his eyes.

Haven't you heard that Heaven never seals off all exits!

"If all else fails... I'll become an outlaw and practice 'black' immortality!" Lu Xian gritted his teeth.

Under a thousand years of high pressure, there were always some rebellious or desperate people who refused to be constrained by the court. They fled into the deep mountains and wilderness, hiding away to Cultivate those 'wild' Cultivation Techniques that had luckily survived.

However, this path was extremely risky; once discovered, it would mean eternal damnation.

After sitting in silence for an hour, Lu Xian thought of another method.

That was, bribery.

There were rumors in the black market of ways to contact the Registrar in charge of issuing certificates, but the 'entry fee' alone had been inflated to 50 Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

And his entire net worth, including the compensation he just received, amounted to exactly 226 spirit shards.

One hundred spirit shards were only equal to one Low-Grade Spirit Stone!

This small amount of money wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between someone's teeth.

"Since things have come to this, first..."

Lu Xian was about to get up.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the host for Awakening the Building Upgrade System!]

[You can consume specific Materials to upgrade buildings under your name and obtain unique effect buffs!]

[The current upgradeable list has been expanded]

[Immortal Cave: Rank 0]

[Rank 1 Effects: Shelter from wind and rain, soundproof barrier. Spiritual Qi concentration +20%, physical and mental energy recovery speed +10%, combat power within range +100%]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-Grade Spirit Stones *10, lime mortar *50 catties, bluestone bricks *1000, wooden boards *30]

-

[Cultivation Chamber: Rank 0]

[Rank 1 Effects: Risk of Qi Deviation -10%, Cultivation speed +20%]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-Grade Spirit Stones *8, Tranquility Stone *1]

-

[Spirit Field: Rank 0]

[Rank 1 Effects: Can plant Tier 1 spirit plants, growth speed +100%, small chance (<1%) of mutation, one random spirit plant gains +1 year of growth daily]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-Grade Spirit Stones *8, tilling, weeding, and pest control]

-

[Chicken Coop: Rank 0]

[Rank 1 Effects: Delicious meat, 5% chance to evolve into a Tier 1 Spirit Bird after daily feeding. Egg production rate +100%]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-Grade Spirit Stones *2, wooden boards *10, Green Grass Rice straw *3 bundles]

"Ah, this cheat... why does it look a bit like a farming game I played in my past life?"

As a veteran reader of Tomato Novel in his past life, Lu Xian understood everything after looking at the panel.

Simply put.

The Immortal Cave should represent the entire courtyard.

The Cultivation Chamber was the quiet room used by the original owner's parents for meditation.

The Spirit Field in the backyard had been abandoned since he went to the Hundred Elixirs Hall.

Although the bonuses of the first three buildings made him salivate, he currently had less than three Spirit Stones on him, so he temporarily dismissed those thoughts.

His gaze finally fell on the [Chicken Coop] entry.

That Chicken Coop was built last year, and he later bought ten ordinary chicks.

According to the old man who sold them, they carried a trace of Jade Marrow Chicken Bloodline, costing him a full two spirit shards!

Each chicken laid an egg about every two days.

Lu Xian hadn't been interested in the eggs before; he was just craving their meat.

If the Chicken Coop was upgraded to Rank 1, there would be a 5% chance of evolution every day. Could they really turn into Jade Marrow Chickens?

His heart skipped a beat; he knew all too well what 'Tier 1' meant!

Once something reached a tier, it had to be priced in Spirit Stones; spirit shards simply wouldn't be enough!

The Drunken Immortal Tower in the city bought Jade Marrow Chickens for 30 Spirit Stones each without limit. If he set up his own stall, he might be able to sell them for around 40 if he was lucky.

"As long as I can sell two or three, the Quasi-Immortal Certificate will be as good as mine!"

Upgrade! It must be upgraded!

While it was still early, Lu Xian went out to the roadside a bit further away and chopped down two large trees, huffing and puffing as he carved them into 10 wooden boards, making several trips to carry them all home.

Then he went back into the city and spent twelve spirit shards to buy three bundles of Green Grass Rice straw from someone who specialized in spiritual farming.

He felt a bit of a sting in his wallet, but considering that Green Grass Rice was the most common spiritual grain, the straw would at least have a trace of Spiritual Qi, so the price was reasonable.

By the time he returned home, the sun was setting, and the sky was filled with evening clouds.

Lu Xian went to the backyard.

The Chicken Coop was built in the upper right corner of the Spirit Field. Looking at the simple and dilapidated shed, he felt a bit ashamed.

"Whatever. System, upgrade it for me."

The wooden boards and Green Grass Rice straw on the ground, along with the two hundred spirit shards he had just counted out from the cloth bag, vanished instantly, turning into specks of light that merged into the Chicken Coop.

The outline of the dilapidated shed suddenly blurred.

In an instant, an exquisite, sturdy, and brand-new Chicken Coop stood before him.

"This... I don't think I even blinked." Lu Xian marveled.

He had thought he would need to build it himself, or that the Materials would fly over and assemble themselves.

"Whatever, we're in a cultivation world, why talk about science? It's just in time to feed the chickens for today."

Herding the chickens back into their quarters, Lu Xian took out a large bag of ordinary grain and scattered it evenly into the feeding trough.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck."

The chickens scrambled for the food, creating a lively scene.

Half a quarter-hour passed, and seeing no abnormalities, Lu Xian felt a bit disappointed.

"Cluck—"

A hen that had been pecking at the food suddenly threw back its head and crowed loudly, its body size abruptly doubling.

Its originally dull feathers took on a warm luster, and upon closer inspection, its claws even revealed a hint of translucent jade.

A Jade Marrow Chicken! It worked!