Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Chapter 95: Chapter 93: Cyan Bamboo Mountain Marketplace

“Why did it take so long for you to come out? What did you discuss with the Master?”

Li Lingyu said, as the two were the only Qi Refining disciples under their master’s tutelage, they had each other’s backs when purchasing spiritual objects from other marketplaces.

Her Foundation Establishment is due within the next few years, and the Five Elements Essence needed for the mandatory tasks isn’t much, but after Foundation Establishment, she would need to submit higher-level spiritual items. Strapped for resources, she may not be able to complete the tasks.

Thus, she had the same idea as Ji An, thinking to buy more Essences and earn some profit, which would help ease her financial strains.

For this reason, she recently borrowed over a hundred Spirit Stones from several senior brothers and sisters.

“The Master tested my Magic Techniques.”

Ji An only spoke half the truth. It was better not to mention borrowing Spirit Stones to avoid sparking any unpleasantness or potential resentment.

“The Master has always intended to cultivate a disciple capable of succeeding her. A few senior brothers and sisters are quite talented in Alchemy, but nearly no one wants to invest effort in planting. Your talent is sure to make the Master fond of you.”

Li Lingyu spoke softly, with a hint of dejection in her words; she felt that despite her earnest efforts over the years, she hadn’t received half the attention from the Master as Ji An now did.

“Alas, I’m just a caretaker of the Spirit Field.

Sister, the sect’s flying ship to Cyan Cloud Immortal City departs only once a month, and we have to wait seven to eight more days for the next departure. Waiting means missing out on the opportunity.

I’m considering visiting the small and medium-sized marketplaces established by the surrounding Cultivation Clans of the sect, choosing a route to Cyan Cloud Immortal City. The only uncertainty is whether such a route is safe enough.”

Ji An changed the subject, having noticed the subtle emotion in her tone.

After going to Cyan Cloud Immortal City, Wei Songnian would not return by flying ship but would instead pass through various marketplaces.

However, they were a group of familiar sect disciples traveling together; ten plus Late-stage Qi Refining disciples traveling together was a guarantee of security.

“In both the sect and other marketplaces, Law Enforcement Teams are established to regularly purge Tribulation Cultivators, aiming to maintain the order of the Western Continent.

Because only with stabilized order can sects and various Cultivation Clans achieve better development.

I know the routes those trading disciples take; the safety is assured.

So, I’ll first rent a Flying Tamed Beast. Even if Tribulation Cultivators set their sights on us, they can’t catch up to us.”

Li Lingyu faintly smiled, proudly saying,

“Actually, most Tribulation Cultivators are miserable Loose Cultivators. Their mastered Magic Techniques and Magical Artifacts can’t compare to us sect disciples.

Both of us are Ninth-Layer Qi Refining. If we encounter Tribulation Cultivators, who knows who’ll be robbing who.”

“Sister is right. I need to make a trip to the Medicinal Garden. Where shall we meet afterward?”

Ji An said, still needing to return to his place to retrieve the Talismans accumulated over two months, to trade them in Cyan Cloud Immortal City for more starting capital.

“Let’s meet at the flying ship platform of Luoxia Mountain. Leaving Luoxia Mountain and heading southeast for 300 Li, there’s a small marketplace, which can be our first stop.”

With that, the two parted ways. Ji An first went to the Medicinal Garden to give Old Xiang a few directives, asking him to be more attentive in the coming days, then returned to the bamboo house at the foot of the mountain to pack the Talismans into his Storage Bag.

Finally, he put the Spirit-Seeking Rat into a cloth bag, fed a Spirit Feeding Pill to the grey-feathered sand goose, and rode on it.

…

Four days later.

Cyan Bamboo Mountain Marketplace is the largest market within 800 Li radius. Ji An swept all the Five Elements Essence and Five Elements Spiritual Objects from the store shelves and didn’t let the stalls of Loose Cultivators escape either.

As the two of them headed out of the marketplace, he exclaimed,

“There’s not enough goods!”

His Storage Bag was filled with nearly three thousand Spirit Stones, having only spent a bit over six hundred, and they were already halfway through the journey.

At this rate, he could spend at most eleven to twelve hundred Spirit Stones before reaching Cyan Cloud Immortal City. Borrowing so many from the mentor but failing to utilize them is a shameful waste of purchasing power.

Li Lingyu bared her teeth, having spent all her Spirit Stones at the previous marketplace. She tentatively asked,

“Maybe we don’t need to reach Cyan Cloud Immortal City before returning?”

She wasn’t surprised by this junior disciple’s wealth compared to her own; her Spirit Stones were all exchanged for Foundation Establishment Pills, while he was preparing for the exchange, so having more Spirit Stones was normal.

“I still need to go to Cyan Cloud Immortal City. Sister, have you forgotten I need to deliver Talismans to the cooperating shop?”

Ji An smiled and added,

“Sister, please accompany me. I don’t know the way, and traveling alone to the Immortal City doesn’t feel safe.

Rest assured, I won’t let sister go on a futile trip; any surplus losses will be covered by me, along with a token of gratitude.”

Sect’s Beast Taming rental is charged daily, so he couldn’t let her suffer a loss. Besides, the time cost is also a cost, to be accounted for.

“There’s no need for so many words between siblings,”

Li Lingyu smiled, feeling good about his words.

She didn’t intend to take his token of gratitude; she only asked him to cover the additional rental cost lost.

The two left the marketplace, heading toward their next target.

Roughly flying thirty plus Li, Ji An looked back with a sense of something, spotting an ink-colored flying ship hurtling directly toward them, barely three to four Li away.

Immediately on alert, he knew that cultivators in the wild would avoid each other from afar if they wished to prevent conflict.

Li Lingyu also noticed, her eyes narrowed and her tone grew cold as she said,

“Seems like it’s headed for us, ha! And they have a flying ship.”

If they really are enemies, they will surely catch up with us. Land, I want to see who dares to have such audacity!”

The two of them were wearing sect uniforms and were at the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining. Someone charging at them so boldly must be an enemy rather than a friend.

When leaving the sect, although she mentioned being targeted, it was actually just a joke. She hadn’t expected that someone would really dare to come.

The two quickly landed in the dense forest. Ji An glanced at the grey-feathered sand goose and cursed silently; without a Spirit Beast Bag, this brute couldn’t be put away.

This tamed beast is fast, but its combat power is dismal.

“Run farther away.”

He waved his hand, signaling the sand goose to move away, and shook the bag at his waist, causing the Spirit-Seeking Rat to jump down.

’Hide first, and attack to distract the enemy when you hear my signal.’

The Spirit-Seeking Rat nodded, its body flashed with spirit light and burrowed into the ground.

It was an Earth Element Demon Beast, having awakened its talent technique, Earth Element Technique.

The jet-black flying ship was extremely fast and arrived at their landing spot in just four or five breaths.

“Heh heh, no need to hide, two young friends from the Golden Spirit Sect.

I’m here just for money. Hand over your storage bags and magical artifacts, and I’ll turn away without saying another word.”

A hoarse voice echoed through the mountain woods. Zhang Tiezhu, wearing a black hood that only revealed his eyes, was recklessly spreading his divine sense, trying to locate the hidden individuals.

Feeling the spiritual pressure from the sky and the divine sense sweeping over him, Ji An’s face turned extremely grim; the opponent was unexpectedly a Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivator.

He glanced at Li Lingyu, her face displaying the same bitterness.

No one would believe an enemy’s words; surrendering their magical artifacts would make them lambs to be slaughtered. Only by displaying sufficient strength could they scare off the enemy.

“Senior sister, we must fight to have a sliver of hope. The blue talisman is the Water Curtain Talisman, the gold one is the Geng Metal Talisman, both are top-quality among the middle-grade talismans, don’t hold back.”

Ji An transmitted his voice, taking out a stack of talismans from his storage bag and handing them to her.

In his heart, he had steeled himself; he had brought more than twelve hundred talismans today. Unless the enemy quickly neutralizes them, even against a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, they could put up a fight.

Li Lingyu’s initially panicked eyes steadied as she received the talismans and transmitted:

“Then let us, as senior and junior, challenge this thief. Let’s move out, he’s already discovered us.”

Saying this, she produced a short-handled umbrella-shaped magical artifact and then activated a Golden Armor Talisman to protect her entire body before striding forward to confront the intruder.

The magical artifact was her father’s legacy, the Celestial Net Umbrella, capable of both attacking and defending.

Made of Windmill Copper and Refined Iron Essence, the umbrella surface was a muted pale gold, densely inscribed with runes, and the edges outlined sharp curves.

The umbrella surface appeared thin but incorporated eighteen layers of Dharma prohibition, with a defense power surpassing those shield-class magical artifacts, even more so.

This magical artifact could be controlled with a spell to spin at high speed, incredibly sharp, having once sliced a Unihorn Python with innate Rock Armor into two parts.

Ji An formed a spell gesture to release the Wind Control Technique, and immediately a light spirit power enveloped his body.

The Wind Control Technique he released many times daily, drop by drop, had reached the Perfection Level.

He lifted the Stone Turtle Shield, clutching a stack of talismans in the other hand, closely following his senior sister.

“You have guts, befitting sect disciples. Looks like you two want to test my skills.”

Zhang Tiezhu was the shopkeeper of the ’Hundred Refinement Pavilion’ in the marketplace, occasionally engaging in risk-free transactions.

Today, Ji An had spent over a hundred Spirit Stones in his shop without batting an eye, arousing Zhang’s greed; such wealthy sect disciples undoubtedly are prime targets.

Later, seeing the opponent visiting every artifact refining shop, Zhang’s greed intensified, firmly deciding to seize the opportunity.

The magical power of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator forms liquid, with a magic power quality one level higher than the Qi Refining Stage, making the same magic technique at the same level significantly different between Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Qi Refining Cultivators.

Even if he only knew one Foundation Establishment attack technique, dealing with two Ninth-Layer Qi Refining cultivators shouldn’t be difficult.

Zhang Tiezhu spoke, as a fiery red magic sword flew from behind him, dragging a fiery tail toward Ji An, who had just stepped out. It turned out his magical artifact had always been suspended behind him.

This flying sword was his proud creation, incorporating two fire-elemental spiritual objects and using copious amounts of fire element essence to nurture its spirit; it was a top-grade magical artifact.

Not only extremely sharp but capable of fire attribute attacks when attacking.

At the same time, he produced a yellow triangular flag in his hand which, when infused with magical power, the flag’s Dharma prohibition pattern surfaced, enveloping him in a dusky yellow spirit light.

This was another defensive top-grade magical artifact of his, capable of invoking Earth Element Spirit Light.

Being an artifact refiner, he profoundly understood the principle that magical artifacts need to be refined rather than numerous.

As the fiery glow reached Ji An’s eyes, he activated the Water Curtain Talisman to block the incoming attack.

Ever since the Dao Seed for Cloud Formation and Rainfall was formed, he felt the Water Curtain Talismans he drew had slightly changed, seeming more resilient.

A gentle blue water curtain rose, forming a perfect hemispherical surface.

Ji An infused magical power into the Stone Turtle Shield, with a yellow spirit light rising on its surface, adjusting the shield’s position with a spell, advancing instead of retreating.

He hadn’t personally experienced the methods of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but understood that merely defending would slowly wear them out. They must pose a threat to scare off the enemy; now it depended on whether their attacks could exert sufficient pressure on their opponent.

The Perfection Level water curtain merely delayed the flying sword for a moment; as spirit light shattered, the sword pierced the Stone Turtle Shield, causing a metallic clang.

Ji An instantly realized the defensive spirit light on the Stone Turtle Shield had been breached in an instant.