Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

“I’ve always been paying attention to the Sect’s preparations for the Agricultural Hall.

According to Junior Martial Uncle Zhang from the Diligence Hall, the Sect has already made some progress and is in the process of establishing detailed regulations for the Agricultural Hall.

Once the rules are set, it will become an independent hall.”

Ge Ying beamed with joy, as the establishment of the Agricultural Hall indicated that the Sect was keen on fostering Spirit Farmers.

In the years to come, the Sect’s Alchemists would have more abundant resources for Spirit Medicine, and the status of the Dan Ding Institute would naturally rise.

Most cultivators from the Ningcui Cliff lineage are Alchemists, so this news is very favorable.

She paused and continued:

“Once the Agricultural Hall is established, there is a very high possibility that you’ll be appointed as Hall Master, because only with you at the helm will all the Spirit Farmers be convinced, and other halls will take note.”

Finally, a cultivator from the Ningcui Cliff lineage would enter the Sect’s core, she could laugh herself awake from such a dream.

Ji An gave a polite smile, “I just hope my cultivation won’t be too disturbed.”

Taking charge of Ningcui Cliff wouldn’t take much time, but overseeing the Agricultural Hall would certainly be busy initially, something he didn’t want to see.

“The Sect will certainly take that into consideration. I anticipate that you’ll mainly be holding an honorary position and won’t need to appear too often.”

Ge Ying shared her speculation, as this disciple had the potential to become a Golden Core cultivator and the Sect’s ancestor wouldn’t let him waste his time on trivial matters.

“That would be best.”

Ji An disliked troublesome matters; even with just cultivating and opening his Divine Mansion, he already felt there wasn’t enough time.

He changed the subject and asked:

“How often does Senior Sister Ge return to the Sect these days?”

Ge Luoying and Liu Yu worked in the Law Enforcement Hall and often carried out assignments away from the Sect.

“The timing is not fixed; if things go smoothly, it’s a five-day cycle, but if not, it’s hard to say.

Ge Ying heard from her grandniece that among loose cultivators, Demonic Cultivation Techniques were rampant, clearly stirred up by a hidden hand.

Some enemies didn’t want the Western Continent to settle down; it’s unclear if it’s the work of Demon Beasts or some other force.”

Ge Ying’s words revealed her worry; outside the Sect was not peaceful. After the Demon Calamity and Demon Cultivators’ ravages, the original order in the Western Continent had collapsed.

The control exerted by various sects over surrounding areas had reduced to varying degrees, which was unavoidable.

The Mingfeng Mountain and Canglan Secret Realm incidents had caused significant loss of core disciples across sects.

To recover would take at least ten to twenty years.

Ji An sensed his master’s worries and comforted:

“The Sect must highly prioritize the safety of disciples sent on missions, Master, you can rest assured.”

After a brief chat, Ji An stood up and said:

“Master, I need to go to the Treasure Pavilion, I’ll take my leave.

If you get bored staying at Ningcui Cliff, you might visit the Red Flame Peak.

Over the past six months, its Tier Two Spirit Plants have increased quite a bit.”

Ge Ying laughed and said:

“With the Teleportation Array at my disposal, I can head over with a mere stretch of my legs.”

The two walked out of the grotto mansion, and Ji An took out the Flame Light Banner, infusing it with magical power.

With bright yellow flames flying, he maneuvered the Spiritual Artifact and left Ningcui Cliff.

…

Ji An put away the Flame Light Banner and stepped into the Treasure Pavilion.

He took out a jar of Tier Two Middle Grade Pine Nut Wine and cheerfully said:

“Senior Brother Jia, I hope you’ve been well.”

“Not well! It’s been a long time since I’ve had good wine, and my body occasionally shivers uncontrollably!”

Jia Yu received the wine jar, opened the sealing mud, and took in the aroma with satisfaction, nodding as he expertly poured the wine into a gourd.

Shivering uncontrollably was a fit of alcohol withdrawal… Ji An displayed a puzzled expression and asked:

“Senior Brother, aren’t you afraid the different grades of wine will mix flavors? Or is there more to it inside?”

With merely two breaths, Jia Yu used the Water Control Technique to pour all the wine into the gourd.

Shaking the gourd near his ear, he laughed and said:

“How could they mix flavors? To say that is to disrespect my drinking habits!”

A seasoned drunkard wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.

Ji An immediately understood; there must be some mechanism inside the gourd.

He used the Object Control Technique to bring over a chair and handed over his Jade Token:

“Senior Brother, collecting resources for the Chao Origin Stage.”

Jia Yu put away the wine gourd, stood up, and said:

“Please wait a moment, Junior Brother.”

He went into the Secret Vault, took out a Storage Bag, and said:

“Inside there’s a Tier Two Lower Grade Daoist Robe, three Top-grade Spirit Stones, two Jade Radiance Pills, a Tier Two Lower Grade Magical Artifact Soul Nourishing Pendant, and ten discs of Soul Incense.

When you collect resources in three years, except for the Daoist Robe and Pendant, the other items remain the same.

Please check them, and once confirmed, I’ll proceed with your paperwork.”

Ji An took out the items from the Storage Bag; the ochre-colored Daoist Robe, which constantly cleansed the body and resisted defilement, also offered a certain level of defense. Despite being just a Daoist Robe, it was comparable to a Perfection Level Golden Armor Technique.

The role of top-grade spirit stones needs no further explanation, they are the common currency for Chao Origin Stage cultivators.

The Jade Radiance Pill can nourish the Wood Element Divine Mansion to strengthen its core, making it just right for him.

However, receiving only two pills in three years is truly a bit too stingy.

The Soul Incense is deep purple, without any scent.

The Soul Nourishing Pendant is a deep black, seemingly capable of absorbing light, made from Soul Nourishing Wood.

It is a rectangular plaque, tied with a red silk string.

Four fingers long, two fingers wide, and half a finger thick, with a shallow relief, patterns, and the words ’Golden Spirit’.

These patterns are actually dharma prohibitions embedded by an Artifact Refiner.

Ji An probed it with his divine sense and immediately felt enveloped by a cool sensation, akin to the refreshing feeling after eating a mint.

He solemnly placed the Soul Nourishing Pendant around his neck, lining it up with his curiosities, placing it close to his body, and then lightly patting it.

Jia Yu chuckled and said:

“This pendant is a fine item, with artifact refiners using dharma prohibitions to lock in the qi mechanism of the Soul Nourishing Wood, allowing it to slowly release and nourish the spirit soul, gradually strengthening it.

The qi mechanism in the magical artifact can be released over about five years. Across the Western Continent, only we and Luofeng Valley each have a piece of Soul Nourishing Wood.”

The Soul Nourishing Pendant is made from Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Wood, which is why it is a magical artifact and not a spiritual artifact, because it is single-use.

Once the spiritual material within the Soul Nourishing Wood has completely evaporated, it becomes an ordinary magical artifact that can slowly restore divine sense consumption.

Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly and said:

“So, the next time I can obtain a soul-nourishing magical artifact is in five years, then?”

Nourishing the spirit soul for five years, and the next distribution coming in five years, seems reasonable.

“You think too much, the Soul Nourishing Wood grows extremely slowly and cannot be artificially cultivated, while the thirty-some Chao Origin Stage cultivators in the sect are all counting on it.

The next time you can obtain one, I’ll let you know.

The Soul Incense is made from the leaves of the Soul Nourishing Wood and other calming magic medicines. Although it does not strengthen the spirit soul, it can quickly restore divine sense consumption. It can be obtained once every three years.”

Jia Yu shook his head and gave a wry smile, recognizing that a strong spirit soul is beneficial to all aspects of cultivation, with the Soul Nourishing Wood magical artifact being the most sought-after item, without a doubt.

If the Soul Nourishing Wood’s tier were high enough, it would likely become exclusive to the ancestors.

Ji An grimaced, “Resources are never enough to go around.”

“That’s right, not just for us, but even in the Central Continent, those Nascent Soul grand sects face the same issue.

However, they have many smaller sects attached to them, receiving plenty of tributes every few years.

If not, they certainly wouldn’t be able to support so many Golden Core cultivators.”

Jia Yu tipped back a drink, letting out a satisfied exhale before continuing:

“Junior Brother, your situation is much better than that of most cultivators at the same level. Red Flame Peak has Tier Two Middle Grade Cloud Peak Silver Needle and Tier Two Lower Grade Jade Dew Golden Bud, providing nourishment for the spirit soul that most cultivators cannot achieve.

If you had been born three hundred years earlier, it might have been possible for me to enjoy the various good things you would have cultivated.”

If he had been born three hundred years earlier and joined the sect, the abundance of high-tier spirit plants from the sect would likely have outshone the entire Western Continent.

Being the only Chao Origin Stage Spirit Farmer cultivator in the Western Continent, one can only speculate on how much amazement he could bring to the sect.

Ji An couldn’t help but laugh, opting not to respond.

Even if he had been born a hundred years earlier, resources would still be scarce.

The abundance of these high-tier resources is relative, not absolutely excessive.

For example, the pills required by Chao Origin Stage cultivators often demand a seven to eight hundred-year-old medicinal age, yet how long does a Chao Origin Stage cultivator live? Just five or six hundred years.

Time is the most challenging hurdle to overcome, and even if the Azure Dragon Shocking Skill and other techniques reach the level of Great Perfection, ’accelerating ripening’ of spirit medicines still requires the accumulation of time.

The spell augmentation effect on high-tier spiritual medicine is much smaller than on low-tier spirit plants. For example, Yellow Sprout Rice and Celestial Essence Ginseng, with Foundation Establishment Techniques at the Great Perfection level, can reduce the maturity time of spirit rice from three months to seven or eight days, needing only a tenth of the regular maturity time.

But the same spell over twenty years can only increase the medicinal age of Celestial Essence Ginseng by a hundred years, requiring one-fifth of the normal maturity time.

Jia Yu did not pursue this topic further and asked:

“By the way, how many wisps of qi can you consume daily now?”

The efficiency of qi consumption can indicate the growth of the Divine Mansion’s core.

“Seven wisps daily, from morning till night, how’s that?”

Jia Yu halted his drinking motion, squinting his eyes unconsciously.

After contemplating silently for a moment, he asked:

“Hard to determine, how long have you been cultivating the Divine Mansion?”

Ji An recalled briefly, “Four months in total.”

Jia Yu took a sip of wine, but it felt like vinegar to him, the sourness clenching his teeth!

Back when he broke through to the Chao Origin Stage, it took him five months to develop the Fire Element Divine Mansion, while the other party took only two months.

Half a year after he successfully established the mansion, he consumed four wisps of qi per day—this was nearly double the difference.

“Consuming seven wisps of qi daily, such progress makes one feel like pummeling someone, do you get what I mean?!”

“Can I take Brother’s words as a compliment?”

Ji An’s face revealed a sense of pride; after breaking through to the Chao Origin Stage, he didn’t have much exchange with peers, for two main reasons:

Firstly, he hadn’t encountered any substantial difficulties, and secondly, he was busy developing the Heart Fire Mansion, leaving little time.

Jia Yu felt an itch in his teeth out of ’frustration,’ saying:

“Enjoy your last leisurely days while you can, in three years when your term ends, you’ll have to take over the Agricultural Hall.

At the same time, the sect will select a group of qualified Qi Refining disciples from whom you’ll need to accept at least two as apprentices.”