After bidding farewell to his master, Ji An mounted his Gray-Feather Sand Goose and soared toward Lingxiao Mountain.
The sky was a flawless blue, the mountains lush and verdant. His robes fluttered in the wind, lending him a serene, otherworldly grace.
Halfway along the journey, however, the beast began to circle in hesitation.
It seemed to remember… unpleasant things.
Just days ago, it had flown this same route, pausing over a green mountain where it had nearly lost its life. Now, with that memory resurfacing, even its windpipe seemed to burn faintly with phantom pain.
Ji An couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out to stroke the creature's smooth neck feathers.
"When your master travels," he said lightly, "you follow even if the road ahead is full of blades and frost.
Yet you, my friend, may not be strong, but you've mastered the art of self-preservation down to your bones. Go on!"
The sand goose let out a few reluctant cries, flapping forward with growing sluggishness.
Annoyed, Ji An gave its back a firm slap. Sometimes, too much wit in a spirit beast is just as bad as too little, he thought.
If I ever keep a combat beast, I'll pick a fearless one, a dumb brute who charges headfirst into danger, no questions asked.
With a pained screech, the goose finally beat its wings faster and picked up speed.
After a long flight, it landed before the Hall of Labor halfway up the mountain, collapsing in exhaustion and lying motionless on the ground.
The wind brushed past the iron wind chimes hanging beneath the eaves, filling the air with a crisp metallic melody.
Ji An quickly made his way toward the Transmission Hall. The guardian cultivator on duty had changed, though the setup was the same: a desk piled with jade slips, and one resting on the man's forehead as he read.
So the ones guarding these halls are basically librarians, Ji An mused enviously. They probably get to read most jade slips for free.
In the section for techniques, he soon found the Spirit-Sealing Technique jade slip. Setting it and his identity token on the desk, he said politely,
"Senior Brother, I'd like to exchange for this technique."
The cultivator's spiritual pressure was strong but still far below that of Elder Zhu, likely a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Spirit-Sealing Technique?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Without at least a Nascent Origin cultivation, you'll only scratch the surface. Waste of time, really."
Still, he picked up Ji An's identity token, deducted the required contribution points, then pressed the jade slip to his forehead before handing it back.
"Copy it yourself," he said coolly.
Ji An took out a blank jade slip, copied the technique, then gave a polite bow and left.
On his way back to the Hall of Labor, he spotted his sand goose still sprawled on the ground, feigning death. He sneered, shook his head, and stepped inside the hall.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ye Changqing, he spent a thousand contribution points to buy fifty Transmission Sword Talismans.
They chatted idly over a cup of spirit tea before Ji An finally rose to leave.
"Senior Brother," he said, "we'll talk again soon. Once the people at Chiyan Peak have cleared out, remember to let me know."
Ye Changqing smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I never forget my duties."
Ye Changqing simply shook his head. "When I say I'm napping, I am napping, but I've never once slipped up on what needs to be done."
Stepping out of the hall, Ji An walked over to his beast companion only to find the sand goose still sprawled on the ground like a dead dog.
He pinched a hand seal and flicked his finger. A streak of golden light shot into the dirt beside the bird's head.
The sand goose instantly felt a sharp, slicing presence graze its neck like a blade hovering just above its feathers. Though it was covered head to toe in plumage, a chill still ran down its spine.
Its feathers flared up in terror, eyes snapping wide open, but it dared not move an inch.
"You're begging for a lesson. Up."
At Ji An's command, the sand goose sprang upright, suddenly full of energy, and let out an eager, flattering cry.
On the way back, once it realized they were going home, the beast flew fast and smoothly, the picture of diligence.
Ji An, meanwhile, placed the Spirit-Sealing Technique jade slip against his forehead and read it with his divine sense.
The sheer amount of information inside made him raise his brows.
The most complex spell he'd studied before was Thick Earth Returning Chant; its formulas and annotations together added up to maybe five or six hundred words. But this Spirit-Sealing Technique? It contained over ten thousand, more than some full cultivation methods.
The text discussed the essence of the Five Elements, but in vague, veiled language.
It delved into the cycle of generation and restraint among the five forces, using cryptic metaphors and intricate reasoning. Just reading it made his head throb.
At the end of the treatise came a 300-word spell formula and not a single line of practitioner commentary or guidance.
And then, right below it, a "helpful" note:
"The divine intent behind this cannot be taught; it must be realized. Those who understand, understand. Those below the Origin Ascension Realm should skip the theory section entirely; you won't get it anyway.
Just practice the incantation, and directly trust me.
Remember! Remember!"
Ji An scanned through the jade slip, then couldn't help but laugh aloud.
"'Skip the theory and practice directly' shouldn't that be written at the top?" he muttered under his breath.
The formula claimed that all things under heaven could be sealed: it could suppress a spirit plant's vitality, lock away a cultivator's mana, and, at its pinnacle, even seal an entire spirit vein.
But its descriptions of the Five Elements' essence were obscured in misty metaphors enough to make any reader dizzy.
Ji An decided to heed the slip's advice: he abandoned the theory and focused on memorizing the incantation itself.
Some things simply couldn't be grasped below a certain realm of cultivation, like asking a child who'd just learned multiplication to solve calculus. It wasn't happening.
When I've gathered all ten Dao Seeds, he thought, then maybe I'll come back and actually study this thing.
A sharp cry rang out from above the sand goose's signal that it was descending. Ji An looked up, surprised to realize they had already reached Verdant Cliff.
Nearly two hours of flight, and he still hadn't managed to reach entry level with the Spirit-Sealing Technique.
He now believed every word of that warning in the jade slip.
Just then, a Transmission Sword glowing with pale light streaked through the air toward him. Ji An raised his hand, catching it effortlessly.
Sensing the familiar aura woven into the sword's spiritual signature, he extended his divine sense to read the message.
It was from Li Lingyu, inviting him to a small gathering at her cave residence three days hence, at the beginning of the Si hour.
The message also mentioned that Liu Yu and several others would be there, and they planned to discuss future cultivation plans and hoped he wouldn't miss it.
Ji An nodded slightly.
He hadn't yet formally announced his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment; this would be a good chance to make it public.
Besides, he wanted to ask what precautions he should take when moving into his new cave dwelling. The protective arrays would need to be replaced.
In the past, his cultivation had been too low to mingle among the Foundation Establishment circle. But now, it was time to strengthen those ties with his senior brothers and sisters, and also with people like Zhang Yuanshan.
Without companions to learn and exchange with, one easily becomes narrow-minded and ignorant. If nothing else, having friends meant having more channels for information.
The sect was soon to distribute Foundation Establishment Pills. Zhao Mengyao would receive one, and with her upper-grade spiritual aptitude, breaking through should be easy for her.
That meant Ji An now had the beginnings of a solid circle among the Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Maintaining those relationships would not only broaden his horizons but also serve as a quiet warning to anyone scheming against him.
After all, he had embarrassed Zhu Qinghao and Chen Xingyun a few days ago; there was no telling what kind of tricks they might pull next.
With that thought, Ji An took out two transmission swords. He sent one to Li Lingyu, confirming he would attend the gathering on time, and another to Zhang Yuanshan, inquiring whether the artifact he'd consigned for sale years ago had finally found a buyer. If it hadn't sold by now, he intended to retrieve it the next day.
Three years had passed; if no one had bought it after this long, then clearly no cultivator wanted it. He might as well take it to an immortal city and sell it there himself.
An hour later, a transmission sword from Zhang Yuanshan flew back with just four terse words carved into the message: "The artifact remains."
Ji An chuckled softly and tossed the sword aside.
Dusk settled. The last traces of sunlight vanished into the evening breeze, and the deep sky shimmered with countless stars.
After a quick meal, he sat cross-legged and began cultivating the Evergreen Aetherwood Art. Heaven and earth spiritual energy circulated through his meridians, while faint glimmers of light flickered from the water and wood Dao seeds nestled in his acupoints.
When his spiritual channels could no longer bear the strain of prolonged cultivation, Ji An paused to rest, then shifted to spell practice, choosing the Sharp Gold Art and Golden Armor Technique.
He had a bit of perfectionism in him: he wanted to push each of his Qi-refining spells to the great-completion stage before moving on to their Foundation-Establishment-tier versions.
Better to sharpen the knife before chopping wood. With his current reserves of mana, he could afford to spend more time perfecting his techniques.
At the same time, the stone tortoise within him could now absorb every type of elemental qi from Chiyan Peak. The three cultivation spells he used most were for farming and nurturing, which would keep improving steadily through daily practice and refined absorption.
He decided to devote most of his focus to metal-element spells, with fire-element techniques as a secondary priority.
That way, he could quickly strengthen his combat ability without relying on expensive artifacts. The spirit stones he saved would go toward purchasing pills instead.
After the tempering of Foundation Establishment, he felt his spiritual roots, though perhaps not quite of upper-grade quality, were not far off. His absorption efficiency for spiritual energy had greatly improved, and when taking pills, less of the medicinal essence went to waste.
Cultivating with elixirs was far faster than drawing in ambient qi alone. Medicine must not be stopped, he reminded himself with a wry smile.
...
The next day.
In the Red-Copper Mountain cave-dwelling, Zhang Yuanshan greeted him with a warm smile.
"After just one month in the sect, you've already reached minor success with the Minor Rain Technique. I knew you weren't one to remain in a small pond; you were bound to soar sooner or later. Looks like my eye for talent wasn't wrong!"
Breaking through to Foundation Establishment after eleven years in the sect was a fine achievement even among clan disciples.
What made it even more impressive was that Ji An had done it entirely on his own, step by step, from the first layer of Qi-Refining with no family support to lean on.
Zhang Yuanshan mentally compared their paths and realized he probably couldn't have done the same under such conditions.
Without backing, even reaching late-stage Qi-Refining would have taken him much longer.
"You flatter me, senior brother. I'm still far behind you."
The two traded the customary compliments, their tone growing increasingly cordial.
"Junior sister Zhao will soon receive her Foundation Establishment Pill. Junior brother Chu He has already exchanged enough contribution points for his and plans to attempt his breakthrough within five years. Among those of us who came from Green Pine Dao Academy, we've risen to the forefront. We should keep close contact and advance together on the path to immortality."
Zhang Yuanshan's expression brightened as he spoke. Word of the coming Demon Calamity had already begun circulating among the sect's upper ranks, and he had heard it from his clan uncle.
He knew well how terrifying such disasters could be. Once all-out war erupted, there would be no distinction between front lines and rear; every cultivator in the Western Continent would be drawn in.
Wandering cultivators could perhaps hide in remote places with thin spiritual energy, but sect disciples would have no such luxury; they would have to fight for their sect's survival.
Even as an artifact craftsman, he would likely be conscripted into battle. Better to strengthen alliances now; only by supporting one another could they endure what was coming.
Ji An smiled.
"In a few months, I'll hold my Foundation Establishment celebration. Once junior sister Zhao succeeds in hers, she'll host a banquet as well. We can all gather then to discuss our future cultivation plans."
...
(Author's Note: In this setting, the Qi-Refining realm is considered outside the formal ranks of true cultivators. Spiritual veins are categorized as lower, middle, upper, and supreme grades.
A first-rank spiritual vein corresponds to Foundation Establishment cultivators' dwellings, while Origin Ascension cultivators correspond to second-rank veins.
The earlier mention of 'third-rank spirit materials' has been corrected to 'second-rank upper-grade' materials.)
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