Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Three days later, atop the Immortal City, clouds gathered like dragons and tigers, with the roaring of dragons and the growling of tigers heard for miles.

Ji An let out a long breath; he was probably more nervous than the cultivator currently on the brink of a breakthrough.

After all, during breakthroughs, one’s mind must be free of distractions. Although his face did not show it, he couldn’t help but feel anxious, for in the past few days, the spiritual energy vortex from the other party had shown signs of instability several times.

At that time, he kept praying silently, hoping the other party would pull through, at least until the Gold Core Pill was refined, otherwise his efforts would be in vain.

At this moment, he completely relaxed, observing the changes atop the mountain with a tranquil heart.

As the dragons and tigers dispersed, the sky began to gather crimson tribulation clouds; when a cultivator breaks through to the Golden Core, thunder tribulations follow a certain pattern.

For male cultivators, the first thunder tribulation is dominated by the Fire Element, followed by Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood Element Thunder Tribulations, in the order of Five Elements Mutual Generation, ending with Chaos Thunder Tribulation.

For female cultivators, the first thunder tribulation is dominated by the Water Element.

In Immortal City, a tense atmosphere permeated as everyone knew the real test was about to begin.

One thunder tribulation followed the next, and when finally the purple tribulation clouds slowly dissipated, a bright moon appeared in the sky, competing with the sun for brilliance.

The Stone Turtle returned to Ji An’s side, back to the Dantian, nestled between the Primordial Life Fire and the Cyan Lotus Heart-Burning Fire, with its shell occasionally flickering with flowing light.

Ji An rubbed his hands together, feeling a kind of anticipation akin to opening a blind box, as his Divine Sense connected to the Stone Turtle, words immediately floated into his Sea of Consciousness.

[Master: Ji An]

[Dao Rhyme: Metal 14.8, Water 14.2, Wood 14.3, Fire 18.9, Earth 18.6]

He cut off the connection with the Stone Turtle and said in a low voice, ”Not bad.”

Descending from the sky, Zhang Jun squeezed his way through the crowd and greeted him with cupped hands:

”Senior, the task you instructed is done. Since these are all seeds, although the quantity was quite large, after my bargaining, the actual price wasn’t high, totaling one hundred and forty-six pieces of middle-grade Spirit Stone.”

Speaking, he extended a Storage Bag with both hands, ”The seeds and the remaining Spirit Stones are all in here.”

This Storage Bag was purchased by him too; he couldn’t just use a cloth bag as that would be too shabby.

After all, he’s dealing with a Golden Core Daoist Master; if the Master feels uncomfortable, he might lose a stable financial source.

Ji An took the Storage Bag, extended his Divine Sense to check its contents one by one, and nodded in satisfaction.

He took out two pieces of middle-grade Spirit Stone to hand over, ”This is your reward.”

Zhang Jun took one Spirit Stone and then gestured with his hand:

”This is enough for my reward, and there’s even a bonus. Taking more would seem greedy.”

He understood well, his contribution was certainly not worth two pieces of middle-grade Spirit Stone, and taking them brazenly might leave a bad impression on the other party.

After years of struggle, he understood that long-term business yields more profit.

Ji An’s eyes flashed with approval; knowing when to advance and retreat is an excellent quality.

”I now need someone to help with purchasing Spirit Medicine, do you have time?”

At the auction, he acquired a batch of pills, sufficient to sustain him until the next major auction. In order to obtain the Acala Bodhisattva Skill, he spent twenty pills, thus the creation of a new Pill Formula must continue.

If he manages to create a new Pill Formula, it can not only solve his pill shortage issue but also improve his certification rating as an Alchemist, and his reputation might work wonders in unseen places.

Zhang Jun straightened his posture, his voice loud and clear: ”Always ready to serve Senior!”

”Alright then, take this piece of middle-grade Spirit Stone as a prepaid reward.

In the future, every half month, come to Black Stone Mountain to find me.”

After discussing matters, Ji An rode the clouds away from Immortal City, and upon returning to the Black Stone Grotto Mansion, he immediately entered the Gourd World.

His feet stepping on the yellow earth, he gazed at the Gathering Essence Tree over ten feet high, his mind connecting to the Stone Turtle:

”Refine all Dao Rhyme, upgrade the Gathering Essence Tree’s tier.”

The Stone Turtle appeared above the Spirit Tree, with the ground displaying Eight Trigrams Pattern, surrounding the Gathering Essence Tree in the center.

The glow from the Eight Trigrams Map became increasingly dazzling, with yellow Spirit Light enveloping the Spirit Tree, forming a massive Light Cocoon.

The transformation required time, so Ji An did not stay put to wait; he rode the clouds to the pond, catching a Treasure Dragon Fish at the Chao Origin Stage level.

Proficiently scaling and cleaning it, he then marinated it with various condiments.

He returned to the vicinity of the Gathering Essence Tree, observing the growth of Spirit Devouring Insects.

These spiritual insects were now semi-transparent, immaculate and pure; when lying still, they looked like jade sculptures.

He could no longer remember how many molts these insects had undergone; the Washing Spirit Sand ground from Jade Cocoon had nearly reached Tier Three in quality.

Moments later, the Stone Turtle returned to his body, the Light Cocoon shattered, scattering Spirit Light across the sky.

Ji An turned his head, seeing the Spirit Light from the Gathering Essence Tree had grown brighter than before, though there were no other changes.

”Alas,” he sighed softly; the nourishment this Spirit Tree received over the years was immeasurable, with over a hundred points of Dao Rhyme spent, yet its tier hadn’t improved.

Back when the Gourd World ascended to Tier Three, it only cost over two hundred points of Dao Rhyme.

The Gathering Essence Tree truly had the facade of a Heaven and Earth Spirit Tree.

Now, he only hoped more cultivators would choose to break through to the Golden Core Stage in Immortal City, allowing him to benefit by association.

Suddenly, he had an idea, should he cultivate Gold Core Pill herbs and entrust the auction house for selling?

After pondering, he gently shook his head; doing so poses significant risks, worrying that someone might investigate the source of his materials.

While he can’t sell in Central Continent, he can return to Western Continent.

Ji An beamed with laughter, deciding to visit Immortal City again the following day to see if he could purchase some Spirit Medicine seeds.