"As your master, I still have some strength left. If I can help you a little, of course I will, but the road must ultimately be walked by you yourself.
Lingyu, you are naturally cautious. As long as you face forward with courage, Foundation Establishment will be as nothing. Recall the bravery you showed a year ago, when you fought that Foundation Establishment-stage bandit cultivator."
Ge Ying could see clearly that this disciple of hers lacked confidence and needed encouragement.
"Many thanks for the Master's guidance."
Receiving her master's affirmation, Li Lingyu's eyes shone more brightly, carrying a spirited gleam.
"My lifespan has only a few decades left. My greatest wish is to see you all grow quickly. When the monster calamity erupts, you and your junior brothers must support one another."
"There's no need for Master to command it; we would do so regardless."
Ge Ying nodded in satisfaction, a gentle smile touching her lips.
"Luo Ying of the Moonlit Peak line is my descendant. These years she has wandered abroad, hunting demons and tempering her combat arts. When you entered my tutelage, she had long been away, so none of you has met her yet.
In the future, when there is a chance, I will arrange for you to gather. You should cultivate a closer bond."
Her partner and child had perished in an expedition years ago. Luo Ying was her great-grandniece, so like her in her youth and deeply cherished.
But unlike Ge Ying, Luo Ying had no interest in alchemy or the cultivation of spiritual plants. She pursued the free, unrestrained path of the sword, and her talent in combat was considerable. Thus, Ge Ying had sent her to train under Lin Qiubai of Moonlit Peak, an Origin Ascension sword cultivator whose reputation echoed across the entire Western Continent.
Li Lingyu's brows arched slightly in surprise. Moonlit Peak was the sect's sword cultivation lineage; few in number, yet they formed the sect's sharpest fighting force.
She gave a bitter smile. "We are, of course, willing to be close to Senior Sister Luo Ying. I only fear she may not be easy to get along with."
Most sword cultivators were aloof, cold, and proud. It was doubtful such people would look kindly upon ordinary disciples like them.
She understood her master's meaning. Ge Ying wished to weave a wider net of allies around Luo Ying, knowing how difficult it was for sword cultivators, who shunned worldly pursuits, to maintain good relations.
Refining flying swords consumed endless spiritual materials, yet sword cultivators held to the creed of honesty to the sword and heart, refusing to study alchemy, arrays, or talismans. Everything they needed had to be fought for with their own hands.
Broader connections made acquiring resources easier, but sword cultivators' high pride often made them poor at relationships. After all, who wanted to befriend someone who disdained them, unless they had an ulterior motive?
Ge Ying knew well the foul tempers of most sword cultivators. She only smiled faintly.
"At the very least, you should know each other. If, after my passing, Luo Ying ever requires aid, I hope you will extend your hand for my sake."
"If Senior Sister Luo Ying ever truly needs us, we will not shirk."
Li Lingyu pressed her lips together, then forced a smile.
"Who can say what the future holds? Perhaps Master herself will make great strides and break through to Origin Ascension."
"Hehe. Child, do you even believe your own words?"
Ge Ying shook her head, a trace of warmth in her eyes. She gazed out into the air before her, her expression tranquil yet far-reaching, before finally sighing softly.
After so many years of cultivation, she had begun to touch upon the true essence of her techniques. Had this comprehension come decades earlier, perhaps she really might have broken through to Origin Ascension.
But now, though she had reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, her blood and vitality were waning. At most, she could climb one more step to the ninth layer.
Unless fate granted her a heaven-defying chance, such as obtaining a third-rank Longevity Pill or other life-extending treasure, there was absolutely no possibility of breaking through.
Yet third-rank Longevity Pills were sought after even by Origin Ascension cultivators. Though she considered herself wealthy, her resources could not compare to theirs.
...
The evening sky blazed like a great furnace, dyeing the mountains with a flush like strong wine.
Descending into this fiery sunset glow, Ji An landed at the foot of Verdant Cliff.
He tilted his head, watching a dark flying boat dive from the heavens. He thought to himself: with faster tools available, talisman-birds were indeed becoming obsolete.
On the open ground before the bamboo lodge, Li Lingyu stepped from the flying boat, pinched a spell seal, and shrank the vessel down to an inch-long model that fell neatly into her palm.
"Senior Sister, I see a hidden smile on your lips and light in your eyes. What happy news have you encountered? Tell me."
Brushing her fringe behind her ear, Li Lingyu revealed a mysterious smile.
"For now, it's a secret. Tomorrow you'll know. I'm going to prepare dinner, we'll talk later."
Ji An scratched his head. Judging from her flight path, she must have just returned from their Master's cave-dwelling, likely after receiving some secret instruction.
He wasn't particularly curious. Everyone had their own chances and opportunities.
Tossing a Spirit-Beast Pellet to the gray-feathered sand goose, Ji An watched as the beast swallowed it happily, let out a triumphant cry, and flapped off toward the nearby stream to catch fish and shrimp.
Verdant Cliff was nourished by a second-tier spirit vein. The waters of the creek brimmed with spiritual qi, making its fish and shrimp plump and delicious.
Seizing the quiet while his senior sister prepared dinner, Ji An sat cross-legged inside the bamboo lodge, circulating the secret Meridian-Opening Method to nurture his spirit channels.
For more than a year now, with no shortage of pills or spirit stones, and cultivating atop a second-tier spirit vein even though the stone tortoise devoured a large share of his gains, his cultivation had still advanced swiftly.
Every day, he performed the meridian-opening practice. By now, he had opened up thirty percent of the auxiliary branches recorded in the method.
As his cultivation neared the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, his speed at opening branches would only increase further.
When the time came and he finally obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill, he would have great confidence in succeeding with a single attempt.
Just then, Ji An abruptly stopped cultivating. His eyes snapped open as he sensed the abnormal surging of heaven and earth spiritual qi outside.
Opening the restriction, he strolled out of the bamboo lodge. The moonlight spilled down like liquid silver, covering the clearing as if it were a still pond.
Not far away, the bamboo grove rustled gently in the night breeze.
"So that's why she was so happy. She's ready for Foundation Establishment!"
Ji An thought to himself, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He no longer cultivated, but instead reclined in a chair, quietly sensing the fluctuations of spiritual qi.
Foundation Establishment required compressing one's own spiritual power again and again. By observing the changes in ambient qi, he could roughly deduce the rhythm of the process, knowledge that would serve him well later.
Come to think of it, this was already the third time he had personally witnessed a Foundation Establishment.
The night passed without further words.
...
The following morning, a surge of spiritual pressure burst forth, shattering the cave's restriction and spreading into the surroundings.
"Congratulations, Senior Sister, on achieving your heart's desire!" Ji An shouted cheerfully. "Remember, I stood guard for you all night, don't forget to pull your little brother up after you!"
"You glib-tongued rascal!"
A sharp rebuke rang out from within, but the joy and excitement beneath her voice were impossible to hide.
A few days later, Li Lingyu, having chosen her own cave-dwelling, moved away from Verdant Cliff. Half a month later, she returned with a fellow disciple who wished to purchase her flying boat. After the transaction, Ji An's storage pouch grew heavier by two hundred and twenty spirit stones.
Now, the foothills were Ji An's domain alone.
Cultivation, nurturing his spirit channels, refining his techniques, tending the herb garden, planting his spirit fields, he moved forward at his own steady pace, polishing himself step by step.
A year later, sensing his cultivation had reached a bottleneck, he stopped taking pills.
Each day, he would completely exhaust his spiritual power, then restore it solely through meditation, gradually refining it to greater purity.
Two more years passed. By then, every meridian that could be opened had been opened. His spiritual channels formed a dense, interconnected "network" that spread throughout his entire body from his head, fingertips, torso, and legs all the way down to the soles of his feet.
He had prepared everything he could. Now, all he lacked was a Foundation Establishment Pill.
...
At the hour of Si, just past sunrise, outside the medicinal garden.
Standing among the ziyang woods, Ji An sank his mind into the stone tortoise. His eyes grew unfocused.
[Master: Ji An]
[Dao Resonance: 0]
[Spiritual Qi: Kan – 1649.6, Gen – 504.8, Zhen – 16.4, Xun – 1437.9, Kun – 1421.3, Qian – 1.5]
[Techniques: Withering-Bloom Formula (Perfection – 61%)]
After years of accumulation, he had finally amassed enough spiritual qi for an all-out attempt to condense the Wood-element Dao Seed.
"Refine the spiritual essence. Perform the Withering-Bloom Formula."
Ji An's divine sense entered the stone tortoise's inner space, and he stepped onto the Xun position.
As he repeatedly practiced the incantation, verdant grass sprouted beneath his feet, grew tall, and then withered into brittle yellow stalks. Growth and death formed a cycle of decay and renewal, endless and unbroken.
From nothingness, a dark green Dao Seed condensed and sank into one of his acupoints.
[Dao Seed: Yimu Rejuvenation (Unranked). Stored in the Jade Spring Acupoint. Insight gained into the true meaning of the Wood-element spell "Withering-Bloom Formula." Slight increase in comprehension of Wood-element techniques.]
[Spiritual Qi: Xun 1437.9 → 69.5]
Only an instant had passed in the outside world when Ji An's eyes cleared once more.
At this moment, he found that trees in his spiritual perception seemed subtly different. He could faintly sense the hidden channels within them, feel the flow of Wood-element vitality coursing along those veins.
On a sudden inspiration, Ji An formed the seals for the Withering-Bloom Formula. His fingers blurred into afterimages as he thrust out his hand in a grasping motion.
A torrent of crystalline green motes burst from the grove ahead, streaming into his palm. In an instant, they condensed into a smooth, pigeon-egg-sized orb of jade-green essence.
It was as if time itself had shifted in a blink, the seasons of heat and cold passing in a breath. The grass beneath the trees yellowed and shriveled, leaving behind a desolate stillness where vitality once thrived.
"Can the Withering-Bloom Formula really be this fierce?"
Ji An's heart pounded in shock. Before, casting the spell had always been a slow process: first gathering motes of green light, then condensing them into gaseous essence, liquefying it, and finally solidifying it.
In the past, he had to remain close to a spirit tree, sometimes even pressing his hand against it, or else the absorption of Wood-element energy was painfully sluggish.
But now, with just a flick of the seal and a casual grasp, the Wood-element vitality flowing inside plants was savagely ripped away, as though life and death itself were his to command.
Wood represented growth and flourishing vitality, yet all things in the world had yin and yang. Jia and Yi Wood embodied the duality of this element.
Though both branches shared Wood's essential qualities, their natures diverged. Yi Wood was yin; it seized life force, drawing vitality away.
Ji An's gaze flickered. If there are Wood-element beasts, could the Withering-Bloom Formula serve as an offensive spell against them?
Furthermore, since the human body contained the five elements as well, could this spell work upon living people?
His thoughts scattered in all directions, brushing against the edge of revelation as though he were standing before a door, fingertips brushing its surface, yet unable to push it open.
By the time he returned to himself, the sun was already nearing midday.
"Not the right moment yet," Ji An murmured with a faint smile. He set aside his musings and resumed forming seals, condensing one verdant orb after another.
He closed his right eye and held one of the Wood Beads up toward the sun between two fingers. Within its translucent green glow, something seemed to flow faintly.
It was, in truth, an illusion. But the beads formed by a perfected Withering-Bloom Formula were indeed different; the Wood-element energy inside was far livelier, brimming with restless vitality.
"From now on, these Wood Beads shouldn't be sold outside."
Keeping the thought to himself, Ji An discreetly opened the restriction and entered the medicinal garden.
Walking up to Xiang Yong, he said warmly:
"Old Xiang, from now on, condensing Wood Beads will be your task. As for casting Flamefire Incantations on the fire-element herbs, leave that work to me."
He had already acquired three Dao Seeds. Next, his focus needed to shift toward sharpening his Sharp Gold Art and the Flamefire Incantation.
"Alright," Xiang Yong nodded, readily agreeing. To him, practicing the Withering-Bloom Formula was simply too time-consuming. He assumed Ji An had grown tired of the task and lost patience.
Current Spell Proficiencies:
Flamefire Incantation (Perfection 23%)
Sharp Gold Art (Perfection 81%)
Object Manipulation Technique (Perfection 58%)
Wind Riding Technique (Perfection 10%)
Water Curtain Technique (Perfection 36%)
Geng Metal Finger (Perfection 21%)
Cold Wind Technique (Minor Success 5%)
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