Longevity through Upgrading Buildings Chapter 1: Fish Pond Level 1

"I’ll return tomorrow. If the Immortal Residence fee for this month remains unpaid, you’ll be evicted from our Zengtou City."

"Got it."

"..."

Ji Yuan observed the black-robed man staggering away across the muddy riverbank. He was just about to shut the courtyard gate when a neighbor from the next yard emerged.

A bald elder puffing on dry tobacco appeared. Glancing at Ji Yuan’s anxious expression, he spoke with a grin:

"Brother Ji, why not get a loan from Liu Laizi to settle the Immortal Residence fee first?"

"Or else, as a Level 2 Qi Cultivation loose cultivator, venturing out of Zengtou City spells certain death."

Borrow from Liu Laizi?

Hell, that usurer’s 80% interest would trap you in endless debt... Ji Yuan nodded, "I’ll manage somehow."

Then he slammed the courtyard door shut.

Old Man Huang didn’t push further. He’d only suggested it for the referral cut; success or failure was irrelevant to him.

Ji Yuan stepped back into his rundown shack, scanned the surroundings, and inwardly fumed: "Damn it all, I crossed over to a cultivation realm and still gotta shell out rent?!"

"Charging three Low-grade Spirit Stones monthly for this dump—might as well just rob people outright!"

Fury surged through Ji Yuan briefly.

He grasped the harsh truth; just as Old Man Huang noted, for a loose cultivator at Level 2 Qi Cultivation like himself, departing Zengtou City meant becoming easy prey.

Tribulation Cultivators might strip him bare then silence him.

Or silence him first before looting everything.

Even within Zengtou City, rogue loose cultivators sometimes posed as Tribulation Cultivators for quick gains—outside, it was far worse.

In this realm, houses hold no value, land means nothing.

Yet safety commands an infinite price.

Three days prior, Ji Yuan had been a Blue Star wage slave, indulging in hotpot and karaoke with buddies after shifts, utterly unprepared to awaken in the Cangluo Continent.

He’d inherited the body of a youth sharing his name in Zengtou City, under Water Dragon Sect’s domain.

Nestled near the vast Cloud Rain Marsh, the Water Dragon Sect had erected numerous markets along its shores, drawing low-level loose cultivators to hunt Spirit Fish and harvest Heavenly Treasures.

Such loose cultivators earned the moniker "Fishermen."

Zengtou City was one such hub, and the original Ji Yuan had been among these Fishermen.

His parents were too, until two months back when a mid-Stage 1 Spirit Fish claimed them during a fishing expedition.

Now orphaned and facing expulsion from Zengtou City for unpaid rent... What a cursed start!

Yet glimmers of hope lingered—typically, this was prime time for a golden finger to emerge.

Memories of Qidian novels flooded Ji Yuan’s mind, and suddenly, a luminous panel materialized before him...

Text crowded the display.

[Fish Pond lv0 (Upgradable)]

[LV1: Spirit Effect: Fry growth rate +20%, a certain probability for Semi-Spirit Fish to evolve into Spirit Fish]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-grade Spirit Stone ×1, plant purified water reeds, clear waterway (achieved)]

[Chicken Cage lv0]

[lv1: Spirit Effect: Spirit Eggs produced daily, contain trace Spiritual Qi, can substitute meals]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-grade Spirit Stone ×2, normal rice ×50 jin (unachieved)]

[Pigsty lv0]

[LV1: Spirit Effect: Spirit Dolphins gain 100 jin muscle in seven days, flesh contains Body Tempering Medicine, and can speed up wound healing]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-grade Spirit Stone ×5, iron ingot ×50 jin, rough salt 10 jin (unachieved)]

[Cave Mansion lv0]

[LV1: Spirit Effect: Self-healing walls, basic Dust Avoidance Barrier, nighttime Spiritual Qi concentration +20%]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-grade Spirit Stone ×5, glutinous rice paste ×3 barrels, repair broken tiles (unachieved)]

[Spirit Field lv0]

[LV1: Spirit Effect: Crop cycle -30%, output contains weak Wood Spiritual Qi]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-grade Spirit Stone ×5, plant ash ×50 jin (unachieved)]

[...]

What sort of golden finger was this?

A farming system?

Before Ji Yuan could ponder deeply, a rush of memories surfaced: this system was the "Building Upgrade Panel." In essence, meeting the requirements allowed it to enhance buildings, unlocking potent features.

Take the sole upgradable structure now—the fish pond at his home.

It demanded 1 Low-grade Spirit Stone, plus purified water reeds planted and waterway cleared.

Every Fisherman in Zengtou City maintained a modest fish pond for Cloud Rain Marsh catches, so the reed and waterway tasks were already done.

That lone Low-grade Spirit Stone... it was Ji Yuan’s final possession.

No wonder rent went unpaid.

The family once held more, traded for Elixirs and Talismans on his parents’ final outing.

Tragically, they fell in the Cloud Rain Marsh.

Upgrading the fish pond from lv0 to lv1 would boost fry growth by 20% and offer chances for Semi-Spirit Fish to mutate into true Spirit Fish.

The growth boost was straightforward; from inherited memories, Ji Yuan knew semi-spirit fish were transitional between ordinary fish and demonic beasts, prime targets for novice Qi cultivators like him, while Spirit Fish equated to Stage 1 Demon Beasts.

Their meat, scales, or unique organs served as vital Cultivation resources.

Tackling a Stage 1 early Spirit Fish in water required at least Level 4 Qi Cultivation.

The original Ji Yuan’s father had reached Level 4 Qi Cultivation, yet perished against a Stage 1 mid Spirit Fish.

Right now, Ji Yuan’s fish pond held precisely one Semi-Spirit Fish.

A Seven-star Perch the original had snagged at the cost of his life three days earlier... as the original vanished into the endless Cloud Rain Marsh, Ji Yuan assumed control.

Ji Yuan produced his sole Low-grade Spirit Stone... with five, he might waver.

But just this one? No second thoughts.

Upgrade it!

With firm intent, the Low-grade Spirit Stone crumbled to powder in his grasp. Simultaneously, the panel updated to reveal Level 2 [Fish Pond] effects and requirements.

[Fish Pond lv2]

[Spirit Effect: Produces 1 drop of Water Dew daily, increased chance for Semi-Spirit Fish to advance, growth speed +30%]

[Upgrade Conditions: Low-grade Spirit Stone ×30, Cold Iron Sand ×5 jin, engrave Ice Condensation Talisman]

A Level 2 fish pond yields Water Dew?

That was premium treasure—healing wounds, replenishing spiritual power, aiding cultivation. A single drop fetched 8 Low-grade Spirit Stones on the market.

Before joy could fully bloom in Ji Yuan, splashes erupted from the backyard fish pond.

"What’s happening?!"

Ji Yuan dashed to the backyard, finding the northwest pond churning wildly.

A private line of text hovered above it, visible solely to him.

[Fish Pond: lv1]

An arm-length shadow darted within. Disbelieving, Ji Yuan drew nearer.

One look left him dumbfounded.

The pond had held only a 1-Spirit-Stone Seven-star Perch before.

Now, the Semi-Spirit Fish had vanished.

In its place swam a Stage 1 early Spirit Fish... a Cold Blood Perch worth 15 Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Such was the power of Level 1 [Fish Pond]?!