70: The altar of Shennong was erected, and the fertile soil, cultivated with traditional techniques, yielded abundant granaries. (Part 1)

The busy atmosphere of spring plowing permeated the entire Divine Realm.

Old farmer Barton, accompanied by his grandson, was planting rice seedlings in the fields alongside other farmers.

Most of the farmland in the Divine Realm had been converted to cultivate the "White Jade Spirit Rice." Although the yield per mu was slightly lower, its value far exceeded the "Low-Rank Spirit Grain" of the past.

"Grandpa, these seedlings look so vigorous!" The young grandson skillfully inserted the emerald green seedlings into the paddy field; faint spiritual light circulated on the leaves.

With the land nourished by the School of Agriculture's Fertile Soil Technique, one could clearly feel the softness and fertility of the soil while planting.

Barton straightened his back, wiped away his sweat, and a satisfied smile spread across his face: "Indeed, this is all the grace of our Lord.

I hear that the 'School of Agriculture scholars' in the academy are still cultivating even better seeds!"

He looked toward the simple and unadorned "School of Agriculture" in the distance, his gaze filled with awe.

Ever since our Lord bestowed this sacred Dao of the School of Agriculture, life in the Divine Realm had become increasingly promising.

Just then, high above the Divine Realm, Lin Zhou hovered above the Dragon mountains, his body wreathed in the Fire of Civilization and the rich, emerald-green Divine Power of the School of Agriculture.

He looked down at the vibrant land below, but a grander plan was brewing in his heart.

The "School of Agriculture" and the standard Fertile Soil Technique had already caused a qualitative change in the agriculture of the Divine Realm.

But Lin Zhou felt this was far from enough.

The core of the School of Agriculture's philosophy lay in "following the seasons and measuring the land's advantages," and even more, in the reverence and sublimation of "farming" itself.

He needed a miracle building that could truly condense the Luck of the School of Agriculture, communicate with the vitality of heaven and earth, and push the power of the School of Agriculture to its limit!

His consciousness sank back into the "Civilization Sanctuary."

Deep within the unlocked School of Agriculture region, a phantom of an altar, radiating an ancient, primal aura yet filled with the Concept of wisdom and compassion, flickered in the mist.

It was one of the supreme symbols closely related to the Origins of the School of Agriculture!

"Build, 'Altar of Shennong'!"

Lin Zhou did not hesitate and used his remaining civilization points.

8500 civilization points poured into the altar phantom like a bursting river!

Simultaneously, a large amount of rare wood reserved in the Divine Realm—"Hundred-Year Peach Wood Heart," "Green Spirit Stone" containing vitality, and "Earth Vein Spirit Milk" collected from around the Dragon mountains—were rapidly gathered toward a feng shui treasure spot next to the Dragon mountains under the guidance of Divine Power.

Amidst a roar, a simple and vigorous altar rose from the ground!

The altar was nine zhang high, built entirely of Green Spirit Stone, with the base carved with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and the ancestors farming and tasting the hundred herbs.

At the top of the altar, instead of a statue, stood a three-legged, two-eared bronze giant cauldron covered in profound patterns—the "Shennong Ding" (Phantom)!

The cauldron was not empty; it gathered the vitality and earth Qi of the Divine Realm on its own, transforming them into a pool of cyan spiritual liquid emitting a rich medicinal fragrance and life force.

Around the altar, nine surrounding "Top-Grade Spirit Fields" automatically evolved.

Their soil displayed five-colored radiance; they were none other than the legendary "Five-Colored Soil"!

Each spirit field corresponded to a different Five Elements attribute, capable of cultivating top-tier spirit plants with distinct characteristics.

Building Card: Altar of Shennong

Type: Miracle Building / Ritual / Production

Quality: Legendary (Elementary)

Effects:

Shennong's Blessing (Aura): Covers the entire Divine Realm. All farmland in the Divine Realm automatically promotes by one Rank (Ordinary → Fertile, Fertile → Spirit Field, Spirit Field → Blessed Land).

All crop growth speed +100%, yield +100% (multiplicative with existing effects!), and the success rate of breeding high-quality seeds is significantly increased!

Hundred Herbs Identification: Automatically analyzes the characteristics of plants introduced within and outside the Divine Realm, records their medicinal properties, toxicity, and growth conditions, and deduces optimized cultivation plans.

Five-Colored Spirit Fields: Possesses top-grade spirit fields with Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth attributes, capable of cultivating top-tier spirit plants with corresponding attributes, and slightly increases their mutation and advancement chance.

Shennong Ding (Phantom): Can consume Divine Power and Power Of Faith to condense "Life Spirit Liquid," which has powerful growth-inducing, healing, and Bloodline-optimizing effects. It can also be used to refine Advanced Medicinal Pill (requires Pill Formula).

Luck of the Nation: Condenses the Luck of the Nation (agriculture-related Luck), passively improving the stability of the Divine Realm's environment and the believers' resistance to natural disasters.

Special Unit: Can attract/convert "Shennong Envoys" (hero units with extremely high plant affinity and cultivation talent).

The moment the "Altar of Shennong" was completely finished, the entire Divine Realm seemed to be infused with the most fundamental vitality!

"Hum—!"

A soft yet majestic cyan beam of light shot up from the Shennong Ding phantom, then turned into a sky full of light rain, sprinkling onto every inch of the Divine Realm!

This light rain was not a simple Fertile Soil Technique, but contained the rule power of "Shennong's Blessing"!

Barton watched in astonishment as the "White Jade Spirit Rice" seedlings he had just planted in his field branched and sprouted at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The rice, which would normally take several months to mature, had completed most of its growth cycle in just the time it took to burn a stick of incense.

The rice ears began to form, hanging low with weight!

The soil in the field became darker and shinier, even flickering with faint treasure light, reaching the standard of a "Spirit Field"!

This was not just his field; all the farmland in the Divine Realm, whether growing food or cash crops, was experiencing the same miracle!

The yield and growth speed were doubled again on top of the already extremely high Foundation!

[Divine Realm Environment Update]:

Agricultural Rank: Leapfrog improvement!

Land Quality: 70% of the area reached "Spirit Field," 20% of the core area (such as Five-Colored Spirit Fields, around the Dragon mountains) reached "Blessed Land" level!

Total Grain Yield: On the original 600% Foundation, increased by another 100%, reaching 1200% of the initial state! (School of Agriculture + Altar of Shennong + Dragon mountains + original Foundation stacking)

Crop Growth Speed: Generally increased by 100%!

New Special Effect: [Luck of the Nation],

New Resources: [Five-Colored Spirit Fields] x9, [Life Spirit Liquid] (condenses slowly daily).

"A miracle! A supreme miracle!" Barton and all the farmers knelt on the ground, tears of excitement in their eyes.

They had never imagined that farming could become so efficient, so... sacred!

Lin Zhou felt the majestic vitality and purer Power Of Faith fed back from the Divine Realm, feeling happy in his heart.

With the "Altar of Shennong," the agricultural Foundation of the Divine Realm could be considered truly unbreakable, and it had even become one of his major advantages!

He immediately guided the School of Agriculture scholars, led by "Ji," to move into the "Altar of Shennong" to be responsible for managing and researching the nine "Five-Colored Spirit Fields."

At the same time, he personally mobilized the power of the "Shennong Ding" (Phantom), combined with the Spiritual Qi of the Dragon mountains and the fundamental vitality emitted by the Breath of Soil, and began to try to cultivate higher-level crops.

First, in the Gold-attribute "Five-Colored Spirit Field," he invested the previously reserved "Refined Iron Slag" and a common plant called "Sword-Tooth Grass," consuming 1000 points of Divine Power and some civilization points to guide it.

Under the irrigation of the Shennong Ding's Life Spirit Liquid and the rule nourishment of the Five-Colored Spirit Fields, the "Sword-Tooth Grass" underwent an astonishing mutation!

The grass leaves became straight and sharp, the edges flashing with metallic cold light, and the stems contained pure Gold-attribute Spiritual Qi!

Crop Card: Geng Metal Sword Orchid

Type: Spirit Plant / Combat Auxiliary

Quality: Fine (Blue)

Effects:

Leaves can be used to refine [Sword Qi Talisman], which, when activated, releases a Geng Metal Sword Qi equivalent to a full-strength strike of a LV15 Elf Ranger.

Stems can be ground into medicine to refine [Golden Sore Medicine · Modified], which has excellent hemostatic and muscle-regenerating effects and provides additional resistance to metal-attribute damage.

The plant itself can be arranged into a [Sword Orchid Formation], possessing certain defensive and counter-attack capabilities.

Planting Requirements: Requires Gold-attribute "Blessed Land" (Five-Colored Spirit Fields), requires care by a School of Agriculture Great Master.

Success! This was no longer just simple food, but a combat resource with strategic value!

Immediately after, Lin Zhou Advanced the "Wenxin Tea Tree" to "Wenxin Enlightenment Tea" in the Wood-attribute spirit field, improving its effects; cultivated "Blue Water Lotus" capable of refining underwater breathing potions in the Water-attribute spirit field; and used the residue of the "ashen furnace" in the Fire-attribute spirit field to cultivate "Blazing Gourd" that could explode...

The existence of the "Altar of Shennong" raised the abundance and strategic value of the Divine Realm's produce to a whole new level!

The grain warehouses were completely full, and various spirit plants with different functions began to be produced, accumulating the Divine Realm's Foundation at an astonishing speed.

However, just as Lin Zhou was immersed in the joy of agricultural development, the Law Fishmen patrol team responsible for the perimeter of the Divine Realm sent an urgent message through the hero Snik.

"My Lord! Abnormal spatial fluctuations have been detected in the border area! A weak but extremely filthy Death Qi is infiltrating!"

Lin Zhou's gaze tightened, and he instantly looked from high above the Divine Realm toward the direction the fluctuation came from.

He saw that at the border in the northeast of the Divine Realm, a small piece of space was rippling like water, and wisps of black-gray Death Qi were seeping out from it, eroding the surrounding grass and trees, causing them to wither and rot rapidly!

"Death Qi? Could it be residue from the last final exam? No, the source of the aura is different..." Lin Zhou frowned.

He could feel that this Death Qi was purer, carrying an ancient resentment that was by no means comparable to the Acquired undead Spell of Lich Salazar.

He immediately mobilized Divine Power, combined with Legalist Edicts, to form a barrier to temporarily seal that area, preventing the Death Qi from spreading further.

"Snik, send more patrols and monitor closely! Elwin, lead the Literary Heart Elves Spell group to stand by, prepare for purification! Bronzebeard, pause some production in the Tiangong Workshop and fully craft [Evil-Breaking Crossbow Bolts] against undead creatures!" Lin Zhou quickly issued a series of orders.

The Divine Realm had just ushered in a leap in agriculture; he must not let this inexplicable Death Qi destroy it!

He hovered above the anomaly point and observed carefully.

The spatial fluctuation was extremely weak and unstable, seemingly connected to a distant fragment of a death plane.

Although the Death Qi was pure, the amount was small, more like some kind of... unconscious infiltration?

"Could it be... an ancient death ruin, because of the changes in the rules of the main material plane or energy disturbances, that accidentally intersected with my Divine Realm?" Lin Zhou speculated.

This situation was not uncommon in the vast astral world.

If this were true, it would be a crisis, but also an opportunity!

An ancient death ruin could very likely contain precious resources, cards, and even... Divinity!

But regardless, before actively exploring, he had to be fully prepared.

This Death Qi had a strong suppression effect on the living, and ordinary believers could not approach it.

Just then, in the direction of the "Altar of Shennong," the phantom of the Shennong Ding seemed to sense this death force that was diametrically opposed to vitality, and it vibrated slightly.

The "Life Spirit Liquid" in the cauldron rippled, emitting a richer vitality, automatically forming an invisible force that neutralized and purified the escaping Death Qi.

"Life and death... are mutually generated and mutually restrained." Lin Zhou had a realization.

Perhaps the newly Acquired supreme power of the School of Agriculture was one of the keys to dealing with this incident?

He decided to stabilize the defensive line and purify the Death Qi while accelerating the improvement of high-end combat power, especially the "Hall of Heroes" which must be built quickly.

At the same time, he also had to use the power of the "Altar of Shennong" to cultivate more spirit plants with purification and life attributes to prepare for emergencies.

The peaceful development period seemed to be passing, and new challenges had arrived quietly.