Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Chapter 220: Chapter 212: Top-Grade Golden Leaf

The impact of the Tier Two Gourd on Zhao Lei was truly immense. As far as he knew, the Sect had never encountered a Purple Fire Gourd at the Spiritual Artifact level.

A vine spirit plant that, when grown to Top-Grade level, is already very rare, unexpectedly cultivated Tier Two fruits, a breakthrough like never before.

Zhang Yuanshan and Liang Hill beside him didn’t know much about the Purple Fire Gourd and didn’t feel surprised.

To them, it’s not strange for Senior Brother Ji to cultivate Tier Two Spirit Plants.

Ji An slightly coughed and asked:

“Senior Brother Zhao, what is the cost to refine a Spiritual Artifact?”

Zhao Lei snapped out of his imagination a bit embarrassingly and said:

“I’ve refined quite a few Spiritual Artifacts, but I’ve never refined a Spiritual Artifact-level Purple Fire Gourd before. This material is unheard of.

The refinement cost is two thousand Spirit Stones. If other Tier Two materials are needed as assistance, I need to go back and study thoroughly.”

For the same Magical Artifact, the refinement techniques for Top-grade and Top-grade differ little, the difference lies in the stacking of Dharma Prohibitions.

But the difference in refinement between Top-Grade Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts is much greater.

Materials are precious, to avoid damaging the materials, he plans to go back and consult his master to determine which refining method is more secure.

Ji An counted out twenty middle-grade Spirit Stones and said earnestly:

“Senior Brother, please use the best materials without worrying about cost-saving.

However, collecting Artifact Refining materials is a bit challenging for me, if senior brother happens to have some on hand, please sell them to me.”

He wants to quickly obtain a Spiritual Artifact, the Fire Control Technique hasn’t been practiced much these past few months.

“Once I devise a feasible refining plan, I’ll inform you, Junior Brother.

If other Tier Two materials are needed, I’ll do my best to gather them without further instructions from you.”

Zhao Lei said confidently, refining each new type of Spiritual Artifact is a valuable experience for him.

Refining Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts doesn’t involve Tier Two Middle Grade resources, he has plenty of Tier Two Lower Grade materials on hand.

Artifact Refiners tend to quote more material quantity than necessary when accepting custom commissions, primarily to prevent material waste.

If these materials are leftover, they aren’t returned to the client.

Over time, Artifact Refiners accumulate a large stockpile of materials, especially the high-tier ones.

Ji An clasped his hands and smiled:

“Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Zhao Lei put the items into the Storage Bag, stood up and said:

“Junior Brother, for me, trying to refine a brand-new Spiritual Artifact is an exciting endeavor. Please allow me to take my leave.”

“I’m more than happy about your attitude, Senior Brother. When the Spiritual Artifact is successfully refined, I’ll invite you for a drink.”

“Haha, great! The reputation of Red Flame Peak’s fine wine is widely known among Artifact Refiners.”

“Senior Brother, can you process the gourd for now? I must keep the seeds.”

Ji An said, with Tier Two seeds, the chances of cultivating more Tier Two Gourds in the future increases significantly.

Zhao Lei, somewhat troubled, said:

“Extracting the seeds is quite simple, but to do so, I need to treat and process the gourd. My Pill Fire alone is inadequate. Does the Grotto Mansion have an Earth Fire Chamber?”

Processing Tier Two materials is exponentially more challenging than Tier One Top Grade materials, consuming more time. Without Earth Fire assistance, he is unsure.

“Certainly, Senior Brother, follow me.

Red Flame Peak was originally leased out for Artifact Refining, naturally Earth Fire Chambers are carved out.

Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Liang, please sit comfortably for a moment.”

Ji An activated the Flying Shuttle, transporting Zhao Lei to the mountainside.

“These two Spirit Pines planted at the entrance of the Grotto Mansion have a sense of prosperity.”

Zhao Lei smiled, the Tier Two Red Cloud Pines are like burning torches, bringing joy to those who see them.

As an Artifact Refiner, he greatly appreciates such colors.

He has similarly planted several, albeit Tier One Spirit Woods, at his own grotto.

He doesn’t understand planting, thus allowing the Spirit Field to nurture slowly.

“Haha, they look even more enchanting at night.”

Ji An cast spells to open the Dharma Prohibition and led the guest into the Earth Fire Chamber.

“Senior Brother, feel free to proceed, I’ll wait outside.”

Perhaps having unique techniques, it’s inappropriate for him to observe.

“Junior Brother may need to wait a bit longer, processing Tier Two materials takes a significant amount of time.”

Zhao Lei acknowledged, opened the Earth Fire’s restriction, and began simple refinement using the Fire Control Technique.

Under his control, the Earth Lung Flame transformed into mysterious patterns, making the Spirit Light on the gourd’s surface more intense.

Half an hour later, Zhao Lei emerged full of smiles from the Earth Fire Chamber, handing over a handful of seeds:

“Junior Brother, mission accomplished! Your Earth Fire possesses considerable spiritual qualities, comparable to mine.”

The only drawback is the presence of Gold Element Spirit Mechanism, making the flame impure, requiring divided attention for removal, increasing the Divine Sense and Magical Power consumption for Artifact Refiners.

While manageable for Magical Artifact refinement, it’s highly detrimental for Spiritual Artifact refinement efficiency.

Without this drawback, this place would have been long chosen as a grotto by Artifact Refiners or Pill Masters.

The Tier Two seeds are half-again larger than the Top-Grade seeds, entirely red like fire, and full of Spirit Light.

Ji An carefully examined them, noting only seven matured seeds from such a large gourd, the rest were shriveled.

Ji An pinched them, discovering the shriveled seeds were hollow inside.

“Junior Brother, if you cultivate another Tier Two Gourd in the future, make sure to spare one for me. I can exchange it for Tier Two materials.”

Zhao Lei chuckled, he greatly enjoys collecting Magical Artifacts with special uses, the Spiritual Artifact-level Purple Fire Gourd has a spot on his list.

“I’ve noted that, please be patient, Senior Brother.”

Ji An was very confident; if he could plant it the first time, he could plant it the second time.

The two walked out of the grotto mansion, and Zhao Lei cupped his hands:

“Junior Brother, I’m eager to return, so I won’t go down the mountain to bid farewell to Junior Brother Zhang and the others.

Once the Spiritual Artifact refining plan is out, I will immediately inform you, goodbye.”

“Thank you for your effort, Senior Brother.”

Zhao Lei summoned the Flying Shuttle and hurriedly left.

…

Ji An returned to the Cold Pool and said apologetically:

“Sorry to keep you two waiting.”

Liang Hill picked up a cup of Spirit Tea and smiled:

“With such fine Spirit Tea to taste, the wait doesn’t feel long at all.

Senior Brother, what kind of Spirit Tea is this?

The taste is very special, something I’ve never experienced before.”

He had stayed at Red Flame Peak for many years and could say that he had tasted most of the Spirit Tea here.

“I got a seed of the Ghost Moon Cyan Jade Tree from Senior Brother Liu Yu.

We discovered that brewing the fresh leaves from the tea tree together with other Spirit Teas does not lose the original flavor but adds a unique taste.”

Ji An explained, adding that the only downside was that it took more than half a year for the tea tree to barely reach Tier One Middle Grade.

Even so, the situation is much better than with the Soul Nourishing Wood.

The small black tree, which grows in dark environments and only likes moonlight, is still Tier One Lower Grade, and its size hasn’t grown.

Now it’s only one foot seven inches tall, with a few sparse leaves, which displeased Ji An, who was used to seeing lush Spirit Wood.

The role of the Ghost Moon Cyan Jade Tree has slowly begun to show, but cultivating the Soul Nourishing Wood is a long-term task.

He sat down and asked:

“Junior Brother Zhang, can you refine Water-Resistant Beads and Fireproof Beads?”

He was lacking these practical auxiliary Magical Artifacts and needed to have a few on hand.

“Yes, these are Treasure Pearl Magical Artifacts, and the refining technique is relatively simple.”

“Please help me refine them, one of each type. How many Spirit Stones?”

“What quality does Senior Brother want? Top-Grade Level is durable for many years.”

Each use of Treasure Pearl Magical Artifacts causes minute wear to the Dharma Prohibition.

If these types of Magical Artifacts are used frequently, they need regular maintenance; otherwise, it can lead to irreparable damage affecting the lifespan.

“Then choose Top-Grade Magical Artifacts.”

Ji An had plenty of Spirit Stones in hand, so he naturally wanted to buy something durable.

“Three hundred Spirit Stones are enough.”

Zhang Yuanshan quoted a cost price and then added:

“Senior Brother, how many Profound Leaf Sword Bamboos at Top-Grade Level do you have? I’d like to purchase some bamboo leaves.”

During his tasks in Mingfeng Mountain Immortal City, he noticed that Flying Sword Magical Artifacts wore out the fastest.

Adding some Sword Bamboo Leaves to nourish the Magical Artifacts would significantly help, enhancing both sharpness and toughness.

When the sect harvested the leaves of the Profound Leaf Sword Bamboo, they could be exchanged by Artifact Refiners just a few hours after they were delivered to Diligence Hall. He didn’t manage to grab a lot.

Zhang Yuanshan wanted to stock up some; whether for personal use or trade later, it was beneficial.

“Currently, there are thirty-six Top-Grade Sword Bamboos, and since bamboo leaves can be preserved for a long time, I keep some every time I sell. How much do you want?”

Ji An not only had more Spirit Stones but also increasingly varied resources.

“As much as possible, what’s the price?”

“Fifty Spirit Stones for a pound of Top-Grade Golden Leaf.”

The Golden Leaf is relatively light, and each Sword Bamboo can only yield about half a pound of leaves a month. Over-harvesting would affect the growth of Spirit Plants.

Only Golden Leaves above Top-grade Level have value in use. The Sword Bamboo brings in about twelve thousand Spirit Stones annually, and the earnings are growing yearly.

However, the Sword Bamboo has higher requirements for the Spirit Field, and each Spirit Wood occupies much more space than the Copper Patterned Mulberry.

Ji An felt that the situation at Red Flame Peak was very similar to a classic math problem from his previous life.

Imagine a plot of farmland where Crop 1 and Crop 2 have different planting densities and values; how should each crop be planted to maximize benefits?

“Then give me fifty pounds first, do you have that much in stock?”

Zhang Yuanshan asked; the price was very fair, slightly more expensive than the sect’s exchange price.

Ji An grinned and said with a smile:

“Junior Brother, you’re not holding back; I can do that.”

He turned his head and instructed the maid:

“Yu Han, go to the warehouse and bring the Top-Grade Golden Leaves and weighing tool.”

Zhang Yuanshan showed joy, as fifty pounds of Golden Leaves would last a long time.

Xia Yuhuan brought the items, weighed fifty pounds.

Ji An then added a small handful of Golden Leaves on top as a bonus and said:

“Junior Brother, there’s something else I need your help with.

You have a lot of contact with cultivators. If you could source any Profound Yellow Soil, spare some for me.”

Now, as he practiced the Cultivation Method, the speed at which he refined Spiritual Objects was increasing, and the sect’s secret vault might not always meet his needs.

Zhang Yuanshan pondered:

“When I was at Mingfeng Mountain Immortal City, I obtained a fair amount of Profound Yellow Soil. I can spare half a pound for you now.”