Chapter 104 Additional Benefits

Grey-feathered sand geese landed on the mountainside, and Ji An, full of energy, leaped down from the back of the beast and strode towards the Qin Gong Hall.

"Thump!"

He heard a heavy thud behind him. Ji An stopped and turned around. He saw Sha Yan lying on the ground, her wings spread, her long neck seemingly soft and boneless against the ground.

After four or five consecutive days of high-intensity flight, plus carrying a person on its back, it had reached its limit.

In the past, it would always neigh a few times to curry favor upon arriving at its destination, but today it had no strength left.

"It's time to buy a flying shuttle for transportation," Ji An thought to himself.

He made a hand seal, and a white mist about ten feet in diameter rolled above the sand goose's head, as if an invisible cloud dragon was emerging from within it.

As the raindrops, imbued with moistening energy, patted down, the beast's condition improved slightly.

Sand Goose's constitution is more suited to water, so its days on Crimson Flame Peak will not be easy; it will have to be kept in that secluded pool.

Ji An entered the main hall and saw Ye Changqing resting with his eyes closed again. He chuckled and said:

"My senior brother's daily life seems quite leisurely."

Ye Changqing had already heard someone coming, and upon hearing this, he finally opened his eyes:

"Although there are quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect, the missions they receive are all on a yearly basis. Moreover, there are several junior brothers in the Diligence Hall who are specifically responsible for running errands and collecting mission items, so this place is mostly deserted."

My junior brother is young and full of ambition, while I am already old and no longer seek further progress in my cultivation; naturally, my days are leisurely.

He stood up, a hint of melancholy in his smile:

"Have you chosen a location for your cave dwelling?"

"I've chosen Crimson Flame Peak!"

"I've been there a few times. My junior brother practices the Wood element technique, so it has a significant impact on him."

Are you sure? Once you've made your choice, it's very difficult to change it.

Ji An cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. I have my own plans."

"It's good that you understand the pros and cons, junior brother. Now that you've made your decision, please leave your magical imprint on the Mountain and River Map."

Tomorrow I will send someone to Crimson Flame Peak in the name of the sect to inform them of the deadline for relocation.

“Cultivators in the early stages of Foundation Establishment can obtain twenty acres of spiritual fields, but the spiritual energy of Crimson Flame Peak is extremely fierce, which has a certain adverse effect even on cultivators who practice metal or fire element techniques.”

The sect provides additional subsidies for cultivators who choose this type of cave dwelling, and junior disciples can freely allocate thirty acres of spiritual fields.

“Excellent,” Ji An said with a smile, adding that there were additional benefits that made it even more delightful.

After leaving his magical mark on the landscape painting, he stayed and chatted with the other party.

The greylag geese were exhausted and would not recover quickly, so they would have to wait a few more minutes before they could set off.

He took out a celadon jar containing the spiritual tea and smiled:

"I see you have tea sets here, senior brother. Why don't we brew some tea and drink it together?"

Ye Changqing glanced at the porcelain jar, a slight smile playing on his lips:

“Good tea, Yi Fang Zhai’s ‘New Rain in the Empty Mountains’. I’ll go get some spirit charcoal.”

"You're an expert."

Ji An picked up the porcelain jar and examined the pattern on it carefully. He thought to himself that Tian Qingbai was quite generous; he had originally thought it was just some ordinary spiritual tea that the other party had given him casually.

Ye Changqing came over carrying a copper basin in one hand, and said with a smile:

"If you get serious about brewing tea, there's a lot to learn. There are specific rules about which type of spirit charcoal to pair with which spirit tea."

He took out a bronze stove that resembled an ancient tripod, with three legs and two handles. Due to long-term use, the handles and the opening for filling charcoal were shiny and bright.

Ye Changqing put the silvery-gray charcoal in, and with a light tap of his finger, a flame shot from his fingertip and disappeared into the furnace.

The next instant, the small stove was illuminated with a fiery red color, but there were no flames and not a trace of smoke.

Ji An used his object manipulation technique to place the kettle on the stove, and said with some confusion:

"Senior brother, I noticed that the sect's missions require a large amount of spirit charcoal, and even second-tier spirit charcoal. Why is that?"

To make second-tier spirit charcoal, the raw material is second-tier spirit wood, which takes at least twenty or thirty years to grow. Wouldn't it be too wasteful to make spirit charcoal from spirit wood? Surely it's not just for the sake of making tea for one's own enjoyment?

Ye Changqing did not answer, but asked instead:

"Junior brother, since you joined the Ningcui Cliff lineage, did you not learn alchemy?"

“No,” Ji An paused, then said:

"It seems that only Qi Refining stage disciples use spirit charcoal when refining pills, right? After Foundation Establishment, alchemists will use Earth Lung Fire instead."

"At a certain stage of alchemy, the medicinal liquid needs to be boiled for a long time. If the fire of the earth's lungs is too explosive, it may cause some loss of medicinal properties."

Refining ordinary pills is fine, but for high-level pills, it is extremely difficult to collect enough medicinal materials for a single batch, and any waste is unacceptable to an alchemist.

Similar to brewing spiritual tea, certain elixirs can be made using specific spiritual charcoal to maximize their medicinal properties.

Therefore, using high-grade spirit charcoal is an inevitable choice during the refining stage of the medicinal liquid. Senior Sister Ge Ying is a master of alchemy; you can ask her when you get back.”

Ji An looked slightly embarrassed. He spent most of his time improving his cultivation and practicing spells. He needed to catch up on his studies when he got back, so as not to be secretly ridiculed.

By studying the jade slips brought out from the Hall of Transmission of Skills a few times, one's perspective will gradually broaden.

He changed the subject and asked:

"Senior brother, which senior master is in charge of the Transmission Hall? I sensed the fire element aura emanating from his body for a moment."

"It's Master Zhu Xiangrong. He's an expert in weapon crafting and practices fire-based techniques."

A gurgling sound came from the kettle. Ye Changqing skillfully used his object manipulation technique to grab the kettle and start brewing tea. A faint fragrance mixed with the steam wafted out.

General Affairs Hall.

As soon as Ji An stepped into the room, he heard Tian Qingbai's enthusiastic voice.

"Junior brother, where have you been enjoying yourself these past few days? I've already found a few good spirit farmers for you to choose from."

"I spent some extra time conducting an on-site inspection of the cave dwelling. Thank you for your help, Senior Brother."

"Junior brother, please wait a moment. I will notify the disciples who meet the requirements to come and let you choose."

Tian Qingbai picked up several communication talisman swords, activated them, and said:

“Choosing a cave dwelling requires careful consideration, and on-site inspection is also necessary. I wonder where Junior Brother has chosen his cave dwelling?”

If we live close by, it will be easier for us to move around.

"The cave dwelling is located in a somewhat remote area, on Crimson Flame Peak, on the outskirts of the sect."

"It's too far away, what a pity."

Tian Qingbai didn't know where the so-called Crimson Flame Peak was, but it was on the outskirts of the sect, at least several hundred miles away from his cave dwelling, so he could avoid visiting it frequently.

Ji An glanced at Fatty Tian, ​​who was saying "it's a pity" but whose tone didn't reflect it, and gave him a polite smile:

"It is indeed a pity."

Half an hour later, the qualified spirit farmers arrived one after another. After Ji An personally presided over the test, he selected a spirit farmer whose Lesser Cloud Rain Technique and Thick Earth Technique had both reached the perfect level.

"Come to Ningcui Cliff to find me before Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow, and I will take you to the herb garden."

"Yes, sir. I will go back and prepare immediately."

Ling Nong, whose temples were as white as frost, showed a pleased expression and said respectfully.

With his magical prowess, managing the herb garden doesn't take up too much time and won't interfere with his planting of spirit grains, which is equivalent to earning a lot of contribution points for free every month.

Sometimes, when the guru is in a good mood, one might even receive some rewards.

Ji An waved and, after the other person left, bid farewell to Tian Qingbai and departed.

Grey-feathered sand geese glide happily across the lake, emitting joyful cries. Returning to their most familiar area fills them with excitement.

The experience of the past few days was so unpleasant that it longed for this place where mountains and rivers meet.

Ji An could roughly guess what the beast tamer was thinking. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and a hint of sympathy flashed in his eyes.

The sand geese landed in the spirit field, and Ji An looked at the lush green talisman grass and spirit rice, nodding with a smile.

During the days he was away, the spiritual plants were well taken care of.

He made hand seals, casting the Thick Earth Technique and the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique. This should be his last season planting at the Azure Lake.

In a few days, once I've mastered the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra and the Spring Breeze Transforming Rain Technique, the two basic planting spells that have accompanied me for several years will slowly be buried in the dust of time.

The moistening scent spread through the air with the drops of spiritual rain, and the spiritual plants swayed in the wind, creating rolling green waves.

Ji An stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the land to which he had poured so much effort and energy, his thoughts drifting back to the night he first entered the sect.

"Senior brother, what have you been busy with these past few days?"

Huang Feihu saw the figure standing on the path in the field from afar and shouted happily, "He's coming to bring rain to the spirit field!"

He had to take care of dozens of acres of spiritual fields, which had exhausted him these past few days. Now that the main character was back, he could finally relax.

Ji An turned around and waved gently.

Huang Feihu jogged over, his expression increasingly surprised:

"Senior brother, has this reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"I was fortunate enough to achieve Foundation Establishment a few days ago, so I had to attend to other matters. I appreciate your hard work these past few days, Junior Brother."

"It's not hard work, it's what I should do."

Huang Feihu hurriedly waved his hand. Although he knew this day would come sooner or later, he did not expect it to come so soon.

His eyes were filled with envy. He knew that the other party had only entered the sect three years earlier than him, and in eleven years, he had broken through from the first level of Qi Refining to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Such talent is comparable to that of disciples with superior aptitude and family support.

What encouraged him most was that all of this was achieved through the other party's own hard work.

This boosted Huang Feihu's confidence. Although he couldn't match the other's talent, he believed that if he continued to work step by step and with his grandfather's help, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage wouldn't be difficult.

He is currently at the eighth level of Qi Refining and has already reached a bottleneck. After breaking through to the ninth level of Qi Refining, he will accumulate enough points over several years to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills, and then he can focus on refining himself and waiting for a breakthrough.

“Feihu, after I reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I recommended you to help manage the herb garden at Ningcui Cliff, but Master required that at least one of the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique and Thick Earth Technique reach the perfect level, so this matter could not be accomplished.”

"This is because I am not good enough. Thank you for your recommendation, senior brother."

Huang Feihu smiled bitterly. He knew he had no advantage over the spirit farmers who had taken care of the spirit fields for half their lives. He could only say that his luck hadn't come and he had wasted his opportunity.

"Now that I have successfully established my foundation and have chosen my cave dwelling, I lack someone to manage things both inside and outside the home. I wonder if you would be willing?"

According to sect rules, Foundation Establishment cultivators can bring two Qi Refining stage disciples to assist with trivial matters, so that they can have more time to cultivate. They only need to pay the contribution points paid by their accompanying disciples each quarter.

For example, his master had two maids who were responsible for his food and daily life.

"I do!"

Huang Feihu bowed. This was not even a question; being able to rely on a Foundation Establishment senior master was something every ordinary disciple dreamed of.

Putting aside everything else, being able to cultivate at the spiritual vein nodes can greatly improve their efficiency in advancing their cultivation level.

(End of this chapter)