Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Zhuu Xiangrong sighed inwardly, ever since he entered the sect, he had always been the best among artifact refiners of the same level.

Until now, he had become the best artifact refiner in the whole sect.

But to commence refining a top-grade spiritual artifact just over ten years after breaking through to the Chao Origin Stage, he never had that kind of wealth back then.

When could a Spirit Farmer become so strong! He was, after all, a noble artifact refiner.

Ji An suddenly widened his eyes and said incredulously:

“In the artifact refining inheritance obtained by the sect, is there really a complete inheritance for the imitation methods of these two types of spiritual treasures?”

He knew that the sect had acquired the imitation methods for the Wuji Xinghuang Banner and the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, always thinking they were incomplete and could only refine lower grade spiritual artifacts.

Zhuu Xiangrong nodded affirmatively, “Of course, to be precise, these two spiritual artifacts count as standard spiritual artifacts, so not many sect cultivators choose to refine them.”

The spiritual artifacts used by Chao Origin Stage cultivators have distinct features because that way they suit them best.

For example, his spiritual artifact was the Three Yang Li Fire Furnace, extremely convenient for refining artifacts, and could similarly pour the fire within the furnace to attack enemies.

However, as an artifact refiner, he rarely fought, so he seldom used the attacking capability.

He paused for a moment, then said:

“As far as I know, the sect’s Treasure Pavilion possesses most of the materials, only lacking the banner surface materials.”

Ji An scratched his head, “Tier Two top-grade Spirit Silks, can’t be found in the Western Continent, right?”

He knew the sect’s Beast Taming Hall produced a small amount of Tier Two upper grade Spirit Silks, but had absolutely no top-grade Spirit Silks.

The Spirit Silk not possessed by the sect, the other two sects in the Western Continent would not have either.

Hearing this, Zhuu Xiangrong laughed heartily, and said:

“If there were no materials, I wouldn’t have recommended it to you, Junior Brother.

The Spirit Silk needed for the two Tier Two top-grade spiritual artifacts requires Junior Brother to gather personally.”

He didn’t keep him in suspense and continued:

“First, as for the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, you need to absorb the Qi of the Morning Glow and the Late Sunset, merge them into one, turning the shapeless and intangible glow into a tangible silk line.

Finally, absorb the Sun’s Bing Fire Qi and refine the Tier Two upper grade Flame Spider’s silk into a golden thread, used for weaving the rune pattern, this spider silk is available in the sect’s Treasure Pavilion.

Once all materials are ready, the remaining work can be completed by finding a Foundation Establishment Stage disciple to use the loom.”

“Absorbing the glow and Sun’s Bing Fire Qi, cultivators who have opened up the Fire Mansion can do it, and the method to absorb is simple, the Qi Refining Stage cultivation technique Spirit Extraction Technique can achieve it.

You can wait until you open the Fire Mansion and do it yourself, also allowing you to feel the Fire Element.

Of course, if you’re in a hurry, you can hire other senior brothers to do it.”

Ji An nodded and said:

“Thank you, Senior Brother, I have already opened the Fire Mansion, I can do it myself.”

“Ah? When did this happen?”

Zhuu Xiangrong grit his teeth, as the other had broken through to the Chao Origin Stage just over ten years ago! Thinking back to when he broke through to the Second Transformation of the Chao Origin Stage, it took him thirty-six years.

Even so, among the fellow disciples, he was a very outstanding existence, his time only slightly longer than Lin Jiuxiao and Lin Qiu Bai by two years.

To break through so quickly, could it be that the sect is about to birth another powerful cultivator like Li Haoran?!

“Just broke through a few days ago.”

Ji An steered the topic back, asking:

“What kind of Spirit Silk is used for the flag surface of the Wuji Xinghuang Banner?”

Zhuu Xiangrong sighed silently, restraining his thoughts, knowing from long ago that comparing oneself to others only leads to despair.

“The steps are roughly similar to that of the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, collecting the Qi of Wu Earth at the summit of a high mountain, and collecting the Qi of Ji Earth within the depths of a valley, combining Yin and Yang into a silk line.

Then use Tier Two upper grade Golden Spot Spider Silk, soaking it in the Earth Dragon Beast’s blood, for weaving the rune pattern, in the end, find the Weaving Girl to complete it.

Collecting the Earth Qi of Wu and Ji requires cultivators who have opened the Earth Mansion, as for the Earth Dragon Beast’s blood, the sect’s Treasure Pavilion has a reserve.

If you can bring enough good offerings to beg the Rock Ancestor, perhaps it will agree to release some blood, the blood of a Golden Core Stage Spiritual Beast is the best.”

After saying that, he took out a Blank Jade Slip, entered some information and handed it over:

“All the materials are inside, Junior Brother can check the Treasure Pavilion. If anything is missing, you can wait for the merchant flying ship from Central Continent to arrive to complete them.

As for the refining fee, each top-grade spiritual artifact costs one hundred Great Merits, which can be converted into Tier Two Middle Grade Sword Bamboo Golden Leaves to repay slowly.”

He hadn’t yet refined a top-grade spiritual artifact, this would be a rare experience, which could greatly enhance his artifact refining skills, so he could tolerate the slow repayment.

Ji An took the Jade Slip, placed it on his forehead, reviewed it carefully, and cupped his hands:

“Thank you, Senior Brother, I will return to trouble you once I have gathered enough materials.”

“Junior Brother, you must come!”

“Of course.

One more thing, I’m unsure how long it will take me to open the Earth Element Divine Mansion, could Senior Brother recommend a fellow disciple to help absorb the Earth Qi of Wu and Ji?”

Ji An inquired, based on his experience of opening the Fire Element Divine Mansion, it would take at least another five to six years to open the Earth Mansion.

He didn’t want to endure such a long delay.

“This task probably doesn’t interest anyone, it can’t be done within the sect, you have to seek outside help.

It requires traveling to many places, too time-consuming, you can only try your luck in the Immortal City to see if there’s a loose cultivator selling.

Or wait for the merchant flying ship to come, the Central Continent Business Alliance’s goods are complete, aside from being expensive, there’s nothing wrong with them.”

“Alright, that’s the only way.”

…

The fiery clouds drifted gorgeously and smoothly, standing atop them gave a sense of comforting warmth.

Ji An slowed his speed, descending on the Treasure Pavilion.

Upon entering the great hall, he saw Jia Yu sipping some fine wine.

“Senior Brother is truly living the carefree life.”

“Do you think I want to? A hundred years later, I’ll turn into a handful of yellow earth, centuries of cultivation reverting to dust, if I could advance rapidly, who would be willing to waste time!”

Jia Yu shook his head. He had also worked very hard back in the day, but his cultivation progress was still slow.

Lack of sufficient resources was one aspect; another was his persistent inability to comprehend the Five Elements Dao to a profound level and unable to polish the core of his Divine Mansion to perfection.

The once high-spirited cultivator had also lost his edge over the years.

Expectations lowered time and again, and eventually, he went with the flow, choosing to enjoy the present splendor.

These days he often recalled the ancestor’s support for outstanding disciples, feeling quite emotional and sentimental.

If one could become the red flower, who would willingly be the green leaf?

Ji An immediately realized he had misspoken; the other must have been reminded of something sorrowful.

He cleared his throat lightly and said:

“The two jars of spirit wine I brought, do you still want them, Senior Brother?”

“Of course, why not! Live for the moment, enjoy while you can.”

Jia Yu reached out with his hand, “Hand them over.”

Melancholy was but a momentary pain; after years of cultivation, he had learned when to let go.

Ji An took out two jars of middle grade spirit wine and handed them over; he would carry a dozen jars with him routinely.

Jia Yu poured the wine into a gourd, shook it contentedly by his ear a few times, and said:

“Based on what I know about you, you must have something to say. Speak out.”

On normal days when there was nothing going on, this junior brother’s presence was nowhere to be found.

“I have too many small merits on hand, I want to use them up. Senior Brother, help me see what materials I can gather?”

Saying this, Ji An handed over the Jade Slip.

Jia Yu took the Jade Slip with interest and placed it on his forehead, and after a moment, he said:

“Junior Brother, you’re really extravagant, the materials for two top-grade spiritual artifacts; you will need to use up most of your small merits.

Except for the materials you need to collect yourself, everything else is in the Treasure Pavilion, are you sure you want all of them?”

All of them were Tier Two top-grade materials, and there wasn’t any Sect cultivator at the Chao Origin Stage who was so extravagant, at least he hadn’t seen one.

Fortunately, they were artifact refining materials, otherwise, the Sect might not be able to provide them.

Ji An pondered for a moment and asked:

“I don’t need the Earth Dragon Beast’s blood for now, but I need all the other materials.”

He wanted to wait a few more years to see if he could cultivate a Tier Two upper-grade Earth Spirit Fruit.

If time allowed, he would try to use the spirit fruit as a reward to request some blood from Rock Ancestor.

“Alright, let’s see how many small merits you need.”

Jia Yu perked up, he set the gourd aside, rolled up his sleeves, and took out paper and pen:

“Six yang divine soil, three jin and six liang, two hundred and ten great merits.”

“Earth Marrow Bead, one hundred and twenty great merits…”

Listing out all the materials, Jia Yu took out a counting rod and calculated three times, responding with an “Mm”:

“You’ll need a total of three thousand four hundred and twenty great merits. Are your small merits enough?”

One great merit equals one hundred small merits; exchanging small merits for great merits also required some contribution points.

“Of course, they are enough.”

Ji An took out his identity Jade Token; what a generous spirit!

“Wait here, I’ll go to the Secret Vault to fetch your items.”

“Senior Brother, can you ask for me what price must be paid to obtain Rock Ancestor’s blood? I’m willing to offer Tier Two upper-grade spirit fruits as compensation.”

Jia Yu’s eyelid twitched, “Does Red Flame Peak already have Tier Two upper-grade Earth Spirit Fruits?”

“Not yet, I just want to find out first.”

“I’ll inquire for you.”

Jia Yu performed a hand seal to open the Mimic Array and entered the Secret Vault.

A moment later, he came out with a pile of boxes and jade bottles, placing them on the desk, saying:

“Rock Ancestor said fifty top-grade spirit fruits will suffice.

Count the quantities, and if there’s no problem, I’ll proceed to deduct small merits and three hundred forty thousand contribution points.”

“Understood, thank you, Senior Brother.”

Ji An was delighted, obtaining third-tier materials in exchange for Tier Two upper-grade spirit fruits. He could accept offering fifty of them.

He checked all the materials twice and nodded:

“No problem.”

After speaking, he carefully stored the materials in his Storage Bag.

The materials for the Wuji Xinghuang Banner couldn’t be gathered in a short time, but he could start collecting the Morning Glow Qi and other materials.

When the time came, he would first create the Earth-Departing Flame Banner to nourish it within his Dantian.

Jia Yu placed the pale golden Jade Token onto the Spirit Disc to deduct the corresponding small merits.

“I wish you, Junior Brother, to achieve your desires swiftly. When you procure the top-grade spiritual artifact, remember to show it to me.”

In the Sect, there wasn’t a single Chao Origin Stage cultivator with a top-grade spiritual artifact; everyone else was careful, seeking to choose the most suitable top-grade spiritual artifact.

After all, refining a top-grade spiritual artifact means intending to use it as a Lifebound Magical Treasure Artifact Embryo.

Ji An received the Jade Token, smiling:

“Alright, I’ll definitely come to show off to Senior Brother then.”

The characteristic that a top-grade spiritual artifact can be taken into one’s Dantian made him long for it immensely.

This way, the spiritual artifact was akin to constantly undergoing the refining of the Primordial Life Fire, and the longer the time, the stronger the power of the spiritual artifact.