Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Chapter 94: Chapter 92: Mandatory Mission

Two months later.

Ge Ying hurriedly returned to the grotto mansion, sending out one communication golden sword after another, each flashing with spirit light.

A stream of light dived down from the mountaintop, halted by a dharma prohibition near a bamboo building at the foot of the mountain, continuously flickering with light.

Li Lingyu was training her divine sense inside the bamboo building. Sensing the commotion outside, she performed a spell to open the prohibition and reached out to catch the spirit sword.

On the lower right side of the spirit sword was the mark of her master. She felt a slight shock in her heart; the speed of the communication golden sword outstripped that of most late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and would only be used in emergencies.

She used her divine sense to read the contents of the communication golden sword and immediately walked out of the bamboo building.

Outside, on the open ground, grey-feathered sand geese leisurely pecked at vegetable leaves, while the spirit-seeking rat used its two front claws to tear open the hard shell of an acorn, stuffing the kernel into its mouth.

“Ji An, Master has summoned us; we need to go to the grotto mansion at the mountain top immediately.”

Li Lingyu called out, taking out a paper crane and injecting spiritual power into it.

Hearing the call, Ji An dispelled his magical power, and the golden light on his fingertips, as solid as sand, slowly dissipated, his mind connecting with the Stone Turtle.

[Sharp Gold Technique (Perfection 45%→46%)]

He performed a spell to open the restriction, then asked:

“Did Master mention what happened?”

He asked while descending from the bamboo building, taking out a paper goose and injecting spiritual power into it.

The broad-backed paper goose stood clumsily in front of the lifelike paper crane.

“No, but the message was sent by a communication golden sword and not an ordinary talisman, so something significant must have happened.”

Li Lingyu lifted her silk skirt and stepped onto the paper crane, tilting her head as she asked:

“Why aren’t you using the beast mount?”

“I just returned from Jade Water Lake, giving it a breather.”

Ji An laughed. Actually, this short trip was nothing for the grey-feathered sand goose, but he didn’t use the beast mount because he found that when going out with others, this beast mount always managed to stir up some trouble for him.

He had gained a profound understanding of the sand goose’s character—troublesome.

The two talisman birds slowly rose and flew into the distance, while the sand goose glanced at the spirit-seeking rat beside it:

“Gah!”

The spirit-seeking rat shivered, tore open an acorn, and tossed out the kernel, which the sand goose elegantly devoured with its long neck.

…

“I ran into Senior Brother Liu yesterday, and he mentioned that some disciples from a major sect in the Central Continent have arrived in our sect. That giant ship from a few days ago belonged to a certain sect as a magical artifact.”

Ji An said, wondering about the level of the sect possessing a flying ship hundreds of meters long.

Li Lingyu felt a twinge of anxiety, her eyes began to shimmer, and she recalled her master’s words from half a year ago.

’A demon calamity is imminent, and the Central Continent sects are sending people to assist.’

Could it be that signs of the demon calamity are showing?

Li Lingyu gently shook her head. That wasn’t possible so soon. Over the years, the Three Sects had been closely monitoring movements in the heart of the Ten Thousand Mountains. If there were any signs of a demon calamity breaking out, they would have already started summoning cultivators to battle.

“Junior Brother, did Master ever reveal to you the predicament that the Western Continent sects will face in several decades?”

“Huh? No, what predicament?”

Li Lingyu slightly furrowed her brows, shaking her head:

“I can’t tell you directly, but here’s a word of advice for you: strengthen your cultivation as soon as possible.”

Ji An scratched his head, thinking to himself:

’I’ve already been pushing myself to the limit to improve; I’m just short of resorting to deceit, murder, and arson.’

What kind of predicament will the Western Continent sects face? It must be a war between humans and demons.

Both of them fell silent, each lost in their thoughts.

Feeling bored, Ji An habitually cast the Wind Control Technique, carefully sensing the rhythm of the immortal vein during the spellcasting; each earnest casting brought small gains.

Before long, the talisman birds landed on the open ground in front of the grotto mansion, with the prohibition at the entrance opening automatically.

They stepped inside in unison and greeted:

“Greetings, Master.”

They arrived first, although they traveled on talisman birds.

Inside the grotto mansion, there was only their master and two Qi Refining stage maidservants.

Ge Ying waved his hand, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth:

“Find a place to sit; we will wait for the others. I’ve sent messages to all the disciples in the sect; the others should be on their way.”

Looking at Master’s expression, it seemed like it was good news this time.

Ji An and Li Lingyu found the seats furthest back and sat down, patiently waiting.

The other disciples arrived one after the other, all of them Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Once everyone was present, Ge Ying cleared his throat and said:

“I’ve gathered you all here regarding a major decision of the sect.

In the near future, the sect will issue a mandatory task for everyone, offering generous contribution points as rewards.

Qi Refining stage disciples will need to contribute the Five Elements Essence, while cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage will need to contribute higher-grade Five Elements Spiritual Objects.

This task is expected to last for ten years or even longer, so you all should prepare in advance.”

“Master, what is the sect’s purpose in doing this?”

It was the Second Senior Brother Zhu Qinghao who spoke. He had a lean build, an elegant beard, and was already a Fifth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, with his alchemy highly regarded by Master.

Mandatory tasks come with penalties. He had never seen the sect issue such tasks to everyone.

“There’s no harm in telling you, as it can’t be hidden.

The two ancestors spared no expense to invite Thousand Peaks Zhenren from the Central Continent’s Panshan Sect to survey the sect’s spiritual veins. After nearly two months of investigation, Thousand Peaks Zhenren devised a plan to accelerate the enhancement of the main spiritual vein’s quality.

Ge Ying’s speech was filled with uncontrollable excitement. The sect possessed two Tier Two top-quality spiritual veins, and there was a mysterious connection between these two veins.

If one of the veins was cultivated and upgraded, the other would gradually receive nourishment. This information was proven through experiments.

About two thousand years ago, after the southern vein was cultivated to Tier Two Upper Grade, the northern vein advanced to Upper Grade four hundred years later without extra cultivation.

By investing one set of resources, they obtained two sets of benefits. She only learned of this secret today.

After more than two thousand years of cultivation, the southern Tier Two top-quality vein was on the verge of advancement.

If this time they could cultivate it to Tier Three, in a few years, the sect would certainly have a second Tier Three vein. By then, the sect could become the strongest sect in the Western Continent, without a doubt.

“Enhance the quality of the spiritual vein?” Zhu Qinghao muttered to himself, swallowing the saliva that had formed.

The outbreak of the demon calamity hovered over the Western Continent cultivators like a sword. If the sect’s spiritual veins’ quality could be enhanced, a stronger Mountain Protection Array could be arranged, providing more safety for everyone.

Everyone’s eyes widened, excitement flashing across their faces. For everyone in the sect, this was tremendously beneficial news.

With the quality of the main spiritual vein enhanced, the quality of the existing sub-veins would also be upgraded by one tier.

Simultaneously, the coverage of the spiritual vein would inevitably expand significantly, and more sub-veins could radiate from the main vein. At that time, the spiritual vein could support more high-tier cultivators’ cultivation.

Ji An thought to himself and felt that spiritual veins might form beneath the spirit fields around Jade Water Lake in the future.

Ge Ying clapped her hands lightly, her face turning serious:

“Such matters ideally should be carried out in secret, even if it takes more time.

However, the current situation is complex, with the outbreak of the demon calamity imminent, not allowing us to proceed slowly.

Thus, the ancestor decided to act high-profile, issuing mandatory tasks to collect enough Five Elements Spiritual Objects to cultivate the spiritual veins in the shortest time possible.

Our strength might not be something other forces are willing to see, so be cautious when carrying out tasks outside the sect in the future.”

Throwing the jade slip to her second disciple, Ge Ying continued:

“Pass it around. The jade slip contains the spiritual objects and quantities required for the sect’s mandatory tasks.

You can now leave the sect to sweep goods from various marketplaces to avoid delaying cultivation due to task completion.

Remember not to purchase within the sect, and do not spread the news.

The mandatory tasks cycle annually, and failure to complete them results in severe penalties.

You need not inquire with those large stores in the marketplaces; the ancestor already sent people to sweep goods yesterday.”

“Master, there’s no time to lose. I’ll take my leave first.”

Zhu Qinghao rose and bid farewell, and the others also quickly took their leave, leaving only one person in the blink of an eye.

Ji An cupped his hands and smiled:

“Master, your disciple has an audacious request.

After the sect’s news leaks out, it will inevitably cause related material prices to soar until the day the mandatory task ends.

Now, while the outside world is still unaware, I want to stockpile some goods.

The window to earn high profits is only these few days; I hope to borrow some crystal stones from Master to tide me over.”

“Ah?”

Ge Ying was amused. She’s guided many disciples but encountered one proactively borrowing crystal stones from her for the first time today.

“What if you lose money, then what will you repay with?

You’re in the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining stage, already preparing to exchange contribution points for a Foundation Establishment Pill, right?

If this speculation fails, how will you purchase the Foundation Establishment Pill!”

She felt this new disciple was too worldly now, which wasn’t too concerning, but if they remained obsessed with acquiring spirit stones after Foundation Establishment, it wouldn’t be conducive to future cultivation.

Post Foundation Establishment, more time needs to be spent comprehending the divine intent in the cultivation technique, demanding a single-minded focus on the Dao.

At that point, although crystal stones remain important for cultivators, their importance decreases with the advancement of a cultivator’s cultivation.

“The reason your disciple is doing this business is merely to gather enough contribution points to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill sooner.

The chances of failure in this venture are very low, and even if it fails, I can still repay my debts through planting.

The sect has many unranked wastelands, with low rental fees for me.

Your disciple is not talented, but recently grasped the Magic Intent of the Thick Earth Technique.”

Ji An spoke eloquently, only discretely mentioning his reliance at the end.

Having mastered the Magic Intent of the two most important spells in planting techniques, he used his skills as collateral, confident he could borrow some spirit stones.

Master, who was skilled in the way of planting, would surely understand the significance.

A gleam flashed in Ge Ying’s eyes, and she secretly pinched a spell, opening the Dharma prohibition on the wall.

“Go in and let me feel the Thick Earth Technique with Magic Intent.”

She had a habit of taking a break after every batch of Qi Refining disciples she instructed advanced to Foundation Establishment, before starting the next round.

Before meeting this disciple, she hadn’t intended to take on new ones, merely hiring an excellent spirit farmer to manage the medicinal garden.

Only after the other party exhibited the Magic Intent level Small Cloud Rain Technique did she take them under her wing in admiration of talent.

Ji An calmly cast spells in the medicinal garden. The nourishing atmosphere appeared with the glow of yellow spirit light, permeating the soil.

After completing the spell, he stood respectfully beside Master, waiting for her response.

Ge Ying stood silently for a moment, her eyes showing gratification:

“Very good, keep it up.”

She felt this disciple might become the most outstanding spirit farmer since the sect’s establishment. That Tier Two top-grade spiritual peach tree was nearing the end of its life, and she worried she couldn’t nurture a new top-grade spirit fruit tree for the sect before exhausting her lifespan. Now, that worry greatly diminished.

Even if she couldn’t fulfill her wish, her disciple could take on this burden.

Ge Ying turned and walked out, her gentle voice echoing:

“I don’t have many crystal stones left, but I’ll lend you twenty middle-grade spirit stones.”