Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Chapter 161: Chapter 158: Selection Rules

“What kind of spirit plant is this?”

Zhong Yue, who had rushed over, asked, concerned about his teammates’ safety since this area was unexplored.

He was well-versed in the species and habits of demon beasts, but knew relatively less about spirit plants, only being aware of some high-value spirit medicines.

Ji An said in a deep voice:

“This is the Profound Leaf Sword Bamboo, a very rare Earth Element Spirit Bamboo. The spiritual material is not particularly noteworthy, but the spirit leaves it produces are invaluable spiritual objects.

The leaves can be refined into Gold Element Spirit Liquid for Artifact Refining, and can also be used by sword cultivators to purify their flying swords.

If it could be cultivated into Tier Two Spirit Bamboo, its value would be immense.”

In the entire Western Continent, only Luofeng Valley has cultivated a batch of Profound Leaf Sword Bamboo. It’s said that this spiritual object can continuously grow over time, eventually becoming Tier Two top-grade spiritual wood.

Tier Two top-grade materials have always been the main material for refining top-grade spiritual artifacts.

“Are there Tier Two Spirit Bamboos here?”

Zhong Yue’s eyes lit up; discovering materials of such grade would surely yield a fair amount of contribution points, and perhaps even some small merit.

“Of course not, these Spirit Bamboos are currently only at the Tier One Upper Grade level.

That’s not important. What’s important is that with this batch of Spirit Bamboos, the sect has broken Luofeng Valley’s monopoly.”

Ji An explained that the sect’s artifact refiners needed to purchase some Profound Leaf Sword Bamboo leaves from Luofeng Valley when refining Tier Two Gold Element Spiritual Artifacts.

A pound of leaves doesn’t yield half an ounce of spirit liquid when refined, so the demand is vast. He turned and said:

“Senior Brother, send a signal to notify the sect.”

The team executing the task was distributed with some one-time emergency magical artifacts to activate when encountering irresistible demon beasts.

In Ji An’s view, if such an artifact is activated and there’s no High-Tier Cultivator from the sect nearby, the likelihood is that one can only await death.

High-Tier Demon Beast slaughter of Low-Tier human cultivators happens quickly; they might even manage a few bites while in pursuit.

“Is it necessary?”

Zhong Yue bared his teeth; he felt it was making a mountain out of a molehill over a mere Tier One Upper Grade spirit plant.

“Trust me, it’s not wrong!”

“Alright.”

…

A sky-penetrating signal arrow exploded in the air with a whistling sound, forming a golden flower, clearly visible for miles around.

A dozen breaths later, Ji An saw a silver light breaking through the air towards them.

Li Haoran descended rapidly steering his sword light, and shouted:

“Did you send the signal? Where is the demon beast?”

He saw this group calm and unhurried, showing no signs of panic, but the signal clearly came from here.

Ji An cupped his hands and said:

“Senior Brother, we were not in danger.

The reason we sent the signal was that we discovered a batch of Profound Leaf Sword Bamboo, which we wanted to report to the sect.”

He did not try to ingratiate himself further; he had only met the other person once and doubted whether such a prodigy would even remember him.

He always believed that without equal status, it’s better to have less association.

No sooner had Ji An finished speaking than he saw a flash of light, witnessing Li Haoran steering his sword light passing by him, prompting a fright.

’What speed! If we were enemies, I would probably have already been struck several times.’

Li Haoran smiled slightly and said softly:

“Not bad, indeed it’s Profound Leaf Sword Bamboo. The sect’s spirit farmers have work to do.”

His flying sword required refining with various spiritual objects. If the sect could cultivate Tier Two Spirit Bamboo, he could exchange it with contribution points, saving lots of trouble.

“What are your names? I’ll report you to the sect for rewards.”

“Reporting to Senior Brother, I am Ji An.”

The three Foundation Establishment cultivators in the team reported their names in turn, then continued onward.

…

The next day.

Mingfeng Mountain had already been thoroughly searched, with numerous cultivators reorganizing into teams.

At the mountain’s foot, array masters directed disciples to place array discs.

On the outskirts surrounding the mountains, large numbers of Foundation Establishment cultivators piloted flying shuttles back and forth for patrols.

Occasionally, a Golden Feathered Eagle would fly by, but they would collectively drive it away.

The weeds and trees throughout the area were cleared, cut, and burned—resembled the aftermath of a wildfire.

“Senior Brother Ji!”

Zeng Rui, with a bandage-wrapped arm, greeted him, eyes full of joy from a long-awaited reunion.

“What happened?”

Ji An asked with concern; generally speaking, cultivators rarely needed bandages for injuries unless it was a severe wound.

“Just a bit unlucky; I encountered a late-stage Foundation Establishment Black Wind Wolf that had awakened the Wind Blade Technique. It severed my arm below the elbow.

Thankfully, it was reattached by the master uncle, and I’ve taken spirit medicine. A few months’ rest should be fine.”

Zeng Rui patted his chest with his good arm, still with lingering fear.

The attack from that demon beast was incredibly sharp, breaking through the defensive spirit light of his top-grade magical artifact in just two strikes and sliced off his arm.

His teammate fared worse, half his head was chopped off, dying instantly on the spot.

Ji An nodded slightly and said:

“Glad it’s okay. Take it easy with the magic techniques later.”

He had ten Foundation Establishment spirit farmers divided under him, who were about to plant the Bloodthirsty Vine.

As a neighbor and Senior Brother, it was permissible to care for the injured.

Ji An examined the quality of the seeds and felt that their vitality was insufficient.

He performed a spell, releasing the Jade Wood Transformation Skill. The vibrant green glow brightened the cultivators’ eyes nearby, and an exuberant vitality spread out.

“Senior Brother, what a remarkable technique!”

The Spirit Farmers, who recognized its value, exclaimed in admiration, noting that the Magic Intent contained in the technique was far superior to anything they had experienced.

After completing the spell, Ji An patted the Spirit Beast Bag, summoned the grey-feathered sand goose, mounted it, and shouted:

“Everyone, you’re in charge of releasing the Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell, while casting the Spirit Rain is my responsibility. Let’s begin.”

His Spring Breeze and Rain Skill could cover an area of thirty acres, making him confident that it had the widest range.

At his command, the Spirit Farmers began to cast the Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell.

Each Spirit Farmer was accompanied by ten Qi Refining Disciples. These disciples grabbed buckets full of seeds and used the Object Control Technique to scatter the seeds.

This task wasn’t highly technical; it only required them to evenly spread the seeds across the land.

The grey-feathered sand goose flew steadily, as it was only at the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining, and dared not act rashly in the presence of so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

The earth-toned Spirit Light flickered constantly, depicting a bustling planting scene.

In just a double hour, the Spirit Farmers and numerous Qi Refining Disciples had planted four hundred thousand catties of Bloodthirsty Vine seeds.

Ji An continued riding the Beast Taming mount, his fingers flying through Dharma Seals, continually casting the Spring Breeze and Rain Skill.

White mist rolled outwards as spirit rain drizzled down, the air filled with a nourishing aura.

Soon, the Bloodthirsty Vine seeds sprouted tender shoots, stretching upward in the spirit rain.

“Why are they growing so fast?”

Another Spirit Farmer, also responsible for casting Spirit Rain, shook his head awkwardly. The Bloodthirsty Vines next to him had grown over three inches tall, whereas his designated area had sprouts only an inch high, a stark contrast.

Ji An finished his spell and called out:

“Water them with fresh blood!”

To rapidly mature the Bloodthirsty Vines, nourishing them with beast blood was necessary.

The many Qi Refining Disciples boarded the Flying Ship, pouring buckets of beast blood below, filled with chunks of meat.

These materials were from the recently slain Qi Refining Black Wind Wolves, an asset the sect had heavily invested in.

The Bloodthirsty Vines, nourished by fresh blood, deepened their crimson patterns and quickly grew another two or three inches taller, making the vines appear sturdier.

Such Bloodthirsty Vines could pose a deadly threat to beasts and a certain danger to low-tier demon beasts.

From this point on, this area would be a forbidden zone of life.

…

As the sun set, the earth was tinged with a shade of blood, and the air was filled with a strong scent of blood.

Ji An saw a twenty-plus-zhang-high earthen-colored Spirit Light form at the base of Mingfeng Mountain.

Cheers erupted from the cultivators, the Mountain Protection Array was now functional.

“Haha, we’re safe now, no need to worry about other demon beasts attacking anymore!”

Mingfeng Mountain was a Tier Two Upper Grade Spiritual Vein, capable of temporarily repelling Golden Core Stage Demon Beasts’ attacks if spiritual energy was extracted from the Earth Vein regardless of cost.

Mid-mountain, cultivators from the three sects gathered together.

Most cultivators from Yuanhe Mountain were burly, baring their upper bodies to reveal robust muscles.

Their bodies bore various tattoos, reportedly runes that aided in Body Refining.

Among the Luofeng Valley cultivators, there were more female cultivators, approximately half, clad in pale cyan Magical Robes, similar to silk skirts, moving gracefully like green blossoms.

Zeng Rui looked on enviously, murmuring softly:

“In Luofeng Valley, it’s easier to find a Daoist partner.”

He felt he had joined the wrong sect; Luofeng Valley seemed more suitable for him as a Spirit Farmer.

Ji An chuckled and said:

“That’s not necessarily true, Junior Brother. Your goal is to establish a cultivation clan by spreading your branches and leaves.

If you seek a Daoist partner, are you sure you can take concubines?”

The more advanced the cultivator, the harder it is to bear offspring. To quickly spread branches and leaves, one must find more Qi Refining female cultivators.

With a Daoist partner, it’s unlikely they would allow such actions.

Zeng Rui rubbed his nose and laughed, “Hehe.”

…

Night fell, the bright moon hanging high, as distant demon beast howls echoed faintly.

At the Golden Spirit Sect’s temporary campsite, numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators sat around the bonfire.

Lin Jiuxiao’s voice resonated across the area, clearly reaching everyone’s ears.

“The battle went smoothly. In the coming days, we only need to build an Immortal City here, and then we can gradually withdraw.

The Three Sects and Cyan Cloud Immortal City will each establish a travel route, facilitating cultivator exchanges.”

They were indeed planning to build an Immortal City here!

Ji An grinned; he had suspected this, and now it was confirmed.

The other cultivators quickly pieced together the true intentions of the sects, marveling internally.

Lin Jiuxiao paused for a few breaths, then continued:

“In four years, it will be time for the Three Sects’ competition. This time, the victor will receive even more generous rewards.

The rules for selecting participating cultivators are different this time. The sects have decided to base it on actual combat ability, establishing a kill leaderboard divided into Early-stage, Middle-stage, and Late-stage Foundation Establishment groups.

Slaying demon beasts around Mingfeng Mountain will earn points. The top ten point holders in each group will qualify to compete, with the leaderboard closing three months before the Three Sects competition.”

The Three Sects capturing Mingfeng Mountain and building Mingfeng Immortal City marked the next step — attracting more loose cultivators and families to settle here through various means.

In just a few years, this area could become as prosperous as Cyan Cloud Immortal City.

The earnings from Mingfeng Immortal City would be divided, with each sect receiving thirty percent, and the remaining ten percent split based on competition results.

The sect ranked first would receive half, the second thirty percent, and the third twenty percent.