Half a year later.
The leaves of the Firecloud Ginseng in the courtyard had grown even more vivid, their veins glowing crimson, showing robust vitality.
The two spiritual fruit trees had already grown to half the height of a man, and Ji An had pruned them with care.
Pruning was an essential part of cultivating fruit trees; without it, their future yields would be much diminished.
Ji An sank his mind into his dantian, linking with the Stone Turtle.
[Master: Ji An]
[Dao Resonance: 0]
[Spiritual Qi: Kan 636.8, Kun 597.4, Xun 349.2, Zhen 6.4]
[Spells: Minor Rain Technique (Perfection 78%)
Thick Earth Formula (Perfection 62%)
Withering-Bloom Formula (Perfection 4%)
Flamefire Incantation (Great Accomplishment 97%)
Sharp Gold Art (Perfection 27%)
Object Manipulation Technique (Perfection 36%)
Wind Riding Technique (Great Accomplishment 15%)
Water Curtain Technique (Perfection 14%)
Geng Metal Finger (Perfection 3%)]
Because he had reduced the mu of his spirit fields, the number of times he cast rain each month had dropped significantly, slowing the advancement of the Minor Rain Technique.
After calculating, Ji An realized that even if he refined all of his Kan-energy, it still wouldn't be enough to push the spell to Great Perfection. So he decided to hold onto his accumulated spiritual qi, it might come in handy at an unexpected moment.
Over the past half year, ever since pushing Geng Metal Finger to Perfection, he had focused his main efforts on comprehending the Sharp Gold Art. Through constant tempering, his divine sense had grown sharper and more refined.
Methods for strengthening divine sense were exceedingly rare. The fact that he had discovered a way to refine it even during Qi Refining made his spiritual perception and precision far surpass his peers, allowing him to wield the Stone Turtle Shield with effortless control.
Because he had often gone out to prepare supplies for the upcoming beast hunt, Ji An had broadened his horizons and gained more worldly experience.
Through subtle comparisons, he realized that his divine sense was stronger even than that of many cultivators at the peak of Qi Refining.
Satisfied, Ji An nodded to himself and began checking the contents of his storage pouch:
A Spirit-Draining Formation array set, two artifacts, five Shenyuan Pills, five antidote pills, three healing pills, fifteen spare spirit stones, fifty Water Curtain Talismans, fifty Geng Metal Talismans, several packets of insect-repelling powders, and twenty Beast-Nourishing Pellets.
He had spent every spirit stone he could spare. This was the best preparation possible.
He was going out to hunt beasts for one purpose only: to go big. Wherever he passed, nothing would be left standing. If he couldn't quickly amass spirit stones this way, then he might as well stay home and farm his spirit fields in peace.
Everything prepared, Ji An used the Object Manipulation Technique to draw over the wooden carving from afar, placing it before his lounge chair. Reclining comfortably, he closed his eyes to rest.
Sunlight filtered through the doorway, illuminating half his body, tiny motes of dust dancing in the light.
The Spirit-Seeking Rat saw its plaything taken away, squeaked angrily, and scampered over to nibble at his shoes.
"Senior Brother!"
The shout outside disturbed the quiet of the bamboo house. Ji An took out the jade token that controlled the array and formed a hand seal.
At the gate, Huang Feihu watched the ripples of white light shimmer and vanish like waves on water. The barrier had been lifted.
He pushed open the wooden door and strode in.
"Senior Brother, I'm here! Whatever needs doing while you're away, just leave it to me."
Scratching the back of his head, he gave a simple, honest smile.
"I've realized I have a knack for earth-element techniques. Just a few days ago, I pushed the Thick Earth Formula to Great Accomplishment!"
"That's excellent. Congratulations, Junior Brother."
Ji An raised his brows, his eyes shining with genuine delight.
Handing over the jade token that controlled the array, he instructed:
"I won't say polite words. While I'm away, it would be best if you could cast Thick Earth Formula once a day to nourish the land, and Minor Rain once every three days.
As for the spirit fields, rain them once every two days; the Thick Earth Formula you can adjust according to your mana reserves."
Since the Jadegrain Rice hadn't yet tasseled, its demand for spiritual rain and earth energy wasn't too high, so entrusting the task to him wouldn't cause much impact.
Ideally, the spiritual plants in the courtyard should also be nurtured every few days with the Flamefire Incantation. But Huang's flamefire spell had only just reached Proficiency good enough for weeding, but still lacking when it came to nurturing spiritual flora.
After finishing his explanations, Ji An also taught him the control method for the array formation.
Huang Feihu nodded gravely.
"Senior Brother, I'll remember everything clearly. Rest assured."
"When I return, we'll go to Hundred Flavors Pavilion for a drink."
The two parted ways, and Ji An mounted his spirit bird, flying toward Luoxia Mountain.
Luoxia Mountain lay on the westernmost edge of the Golden Spirit Sect. From here, one could rent the sect's tamed flying beasts.
Ever since the sect had seized control of a spiritual vein deep within the Ten-Thousand Mountains, several aerial routes had been established, allowing disciples to take flying boats directly to the new outposts.
Mo Cliff Mountain wasn't too far from the sect, but it was still over three thousand li away. Riding a talisman bird at its leisurely pace would take six or seven days.
Ji An paid a spirit stone for a ticket. The flying boat would depart at dusk and arrive the following morning.
A few days later.
At Drunken Immortal Residence in Mo Cliff Mountain, the most luxurious "Sky Room No.1" rang with the sounds of drinking and laughter.
The table was piled with a dazzling array of dishes, all delicacies from the wild mountains.
Chen Moxuan raised his cup with both hands, his booming voice carrying warmth and camaraderie:
"Brother Zhang, I've long wanted to treat you to a drink. Today I finally have the honor, please, drain this cup with me!"
The untouched wilderness had drawn countless beast-hunting squads, and damaged artifacts had become all too common. Refiners were now busier than ever, turning into people every squad scrambled to curry favor with.
Before Chu He had joined their team, their dealings with Zhang Yuanshan had been purely transactional, nothing beyond business.
Whenever they returned from hunts, if someone's artifact was unlucky enough to break, waiting half a month or more for repairs was normal. The delays crippled hunting efficiency.
But ever since Chu He came aboard, they'd gained a connection. Now, if an artifact was damaged, repairs could be completed in three or four days, just enough time for them to rest and recover without wasting a moment.
"Brother Chen, you flatter me," Zhang Yuanshan replied with a kind smile. "We are all disciples of the same sect. Helping one another is only proper. Come, everyone, let us drink together!"
"Cheers!"
After setting down his cup, Zhang Yuanshan continued warmly:
"Junior Brother Chu has received much care and guidance from you all. Now that Junior Brother Ji has come, I must trouble everyone to extend him the same."
He had spoken privately with Ji An earlier, inquiring about his circumstances.
At first, he hadn't approved of Ji An joining a hunting party. After all, the young man was a spirit farmer tending his fields, which left little time for honing combat spells.
Though competition for Foundation Establishment Pills had grown fierce, trying to amass spirit stones quickly through beast-hunting was still exceedingly dangerous.
The higher the grade of the spirit herb, the stronger the beast guarding it. To truly profit, one had to gnaw on the bones others couldn't crack.
But when he witnessed Ji An effortlessly command the Stone Turtle Shield, Zhang Yuanshan dropped his objections.
Chen Moxuan and the others now turned their eyes on Ji An, studying him with newfound seriousness.
Zhang's words made it clear: tonight's banquet was largely to give Ji An face and backing.
A disciple assigned as a spirit farmer was usually of average aptitude. For him to be valued so highly by a promising young refiner meant he must have something truly noteworthy.
Jiang Qiuyue giggled and said:
"Junior Brother Ji and Brother Zhang both hail from Green Pine Dao Academy, entering the sect in the same year. And now you've already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, truly, you make us older disciples feel ashamed!"
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