Chapter 136 Fire Crystal Ant

One month later.

The moon was bright, the stars were few, and a gentle night breeze carried the scent of countless shimmering green lights in the spirit field, falling like torrential raindrops onto the outstretched leaves and dark blue branches of the Emerald Mulberry.

Under the light, the leaves resembled translucent jade, with their veins clearly visible.

Ji An felt his magical power completely depleted and gently exhaled.

I finally completed the spellcasting plan I had drafted for today. It wasn't easy at all.

If he wanted to cultivate the spirit tree quickly, he couldn't rely on Huang Feihu or the nearby spirit farmers; he had to perform the spell himself.

"I was going to be a farmer, but I ended up becoming one."

Ji An chuckled, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Now that he owns 5,000 acres of forest, he only needs the roots of these spiritual trees to penetrate deep into the earth, and then his life will be much easier.

In the newly added spiritual fields, there are approximately 600 acres of Emerald Mulberry and Jade Ivy trees planted around the Cold Pool.

Due to the unique environment of Crimson Flame Peak, it requires more care on a daily basis, which takes up most of his energy.

If it weren't for the fact that the range of a perfect-level spell is large enough, his magical power wouldn't be sufficient to cast spells on the spirit tree every day.

He had to perform the Jade Wood Transformation Technique and the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra every day, and he also had to use the Spring Breeze Transforming Rain Technique every few days.

Compared to them, copper-patterned mulberry and iron wire grass are much easier to manage; all that's needed is to cast the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra daily.

However, effort and reward are proportional, and the difference in the growth of the spirit trees became obvious after just one or two months.

The Fiery Mulberry and the Green Ivy Tree are now half a person tall, but the Copper Mulberry is only just above his calf. However, in his plan, the Copper Mulberry will be the most important support in the future.

Within the sect's territory, the planting area of ​​Copper-Patterned Mulberry is far smaller than that of the other two types of spiritual wood, indicating the greatest potential demand.

Ji An had already thoroughly studied the planting techniques passed down from his master, but he couldn't find any more secret methods to accelerate the growth of the metal elemental spirit wood. He could only rely on the earth elemental intent of the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra to accelerate its growth.

This isn't a solution; he needs to go back to Ningcui Cliff and ask for advice.

A teacher's role is to impart knowledge, instruct in skills, and resolve doubts. If a student were to rely solely on their own exploration, it would take an unknown amount of time to achieve results.

The next day, Ji An rode his flying shuttle to Ningcui Cliff, where Ge Ying was tending to the herb garden inside the cave.

"Greetings, Master. I will take care of these matters."

He took over from the other person and began to cast a spell on the spiritual medicine. His hand seals changed, and raindrops fell on the branches and leaves of the spiritual plant amidst the rolling clouds and mist, producing a crisp and melodious sound.

Ge Ying watched this scene with a smile and nodded slightly.

After the spell was completed, the two returned to the living room. Ji An cupped his hands and said:

“Master, I have contracted out the more than 1,000 mu of spiritual vein area that has increased in Crimson Flame Peak. I have planted copper-patterned mulberry, jade-leaf mulberry and green ivy trees, and also cultivated a few earth spirit fruit trees.”

Whether it's fire-elemental spiritual plants like Crimson Cloud Pine, or wood-elemental spiritual plants like Pure Spirit Bamboo and Jade Leaf Mulberry, in addition to relying on the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra and Azure Wood Transformation Technique to accelerate cultivation, there are also Flame Fire Mantra and Spring Breeze Transforming Rain Technique available.

However, the Copper-Patterned Mulberry and the Earth Spirit Fruit Tree can only be cultivated using the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra. I would like to ask if there are any other secret methods to accelerate their cultivation?

With tens of thousands of years of tradition in the cultivation world, it's impossible that there weren't secret methods to accelerate the cultivation of metal and earth elemental spiritual plants.

In the sect's transmission hall, there were very few secret methods related to planting. He had already carefully examined them when he was building his foundation, but there were no relevant records.

Ge Ying looked at her disciple deeply for a few moments, then said softly:

"Unbeknownst to us, you have grown to this level, and are now able to plant so many spirit trees at the same time. This is a blessing for the sect."

Her tone was a mixture of relief and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, including admiration and regret).

The sect has too little knowledge of planting techniques, which has already affected the disciples' ability to perform.

She paused, then said:

"Aside from spells like the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Spell, the only force in the entire Western Continent that possesses the secret method to accelerate the cultivation of metal and earth elemental spiritual plants is Falling Maple Valley."

The sect's spirit farmers have figured out some methods, but they require spiritual resources and are only suitable for cultivating a small number of plants, used when cultivating spirit trees for advancement.

"You want to cultivate spirit trees on a large scale? This method is not feasible."

Ge Ying took out a jade slip, made a copy, and presented it to her disciple with a hand seal.

Ji An took the jade slip, placed it on his forehead, and read it with his divine sense. After reading it, he remained silent.

The method described inside uses a magic array to refine the corresponding spiritual objects, thereby supplying the spiritual wood to accelerate its growth. It is indeed not suitable for large-scale cultivation and has no cost-effectiveness at all.

The most economical method is to extract the corresponding Five Elements essence to nourish the spiritual wood, but this economical method is only relative.

Setting down the jade slip, Ji An smiled wryly:

"It looks like I'll have to set aside some time each day to extract the essence."

In his heart, he wanted to cultivate at least a few second-tier spiritual trees from the Copper-Patterned Mulberry.

We will now designate 10 to 20 acres as experimental fields, from which we will select the most promising plants for intensive cultivation.

The price of the Gold Essence is the most expensive among the various essences, and it is needed for a long time and in considerable quantities.

If he relied entirely on purchasing, it would be difficult for him to afford, so he needed to keep some spirit stones on hand for unforeseen circumstances.

Extracting the essence of the five elements is a task that cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining can do. When Lao Huang was still in the sect, he would go to Biyue Lake every day to extract the essence of the water element.

This is also a source of income for many Qi Refining disciples, but he has never done it because it is quite time-consuming.

To be honest, Crimson Flame Peak is an excellent place to extract the essence of metal and fire elements, but the environment there is too harsh for Qi Refining stage disciples to endure, and Foundation Establishment stage cultivators rarely do the work of extracting essence.

Ge Ying took out a jade slip and handed it over, saying:

"I once gave you a Five Elements Spirit Extraction Technique, which can extract the essence of any of the five elements."

The casting steps can be adjusted according to the different essences extracted; you'll understand it at a glance, and you won't need to learn multiple spirit extraction techniques from the sect.

"Thank you, Master."

Ji An solemnly put the jade slip back into his storage bag, and then talked about his planting situation on Crimson Flame Peak, sharing his insights and gains and losses.

As Ge Ying listened, she smiled from time to time. Among her many disciples, there was only one Ling Nong, and only this disciple could express the joy of a bountiful harvest, reminding her of her youth.

After her disciple finished explaining the current situation and plans, she said gently:

"Your plan is good, but it can be done better."

When I last visited Crimson Flame Peak, I saw a large number of ancient red pine trees there; it was just a bit wasteful to roast the pine nuts.

"You can go to the Beast Taming Hall to order a Fire Crystal Ant Queen as your tamed beast, and then buy several hundred more Fire Crystal Ants later."

When the red pine flowers bloom, the fire crystal ants can collect pollen to make pine honey.

If pine honey can reach the first-tier superior grade, it is a high-quality auxiliary material for refining fire-attribute pills.

"The environment where you are located is quite suitable for the growth of fire crystal ants, so you don't need to spend too much extra time managing them."

In a few years, the queen ant will break through the Foundation Establishment stage and will be able to produce a continuous stream of top-quality pine honey.

Ji An nodded slightly and smiled:

"Thank you for your guidance, Master."

He began to recall information about the Fire Crystal Ants. They were social monsters, and controlling the queen meant controlling the entire monster race.

The larger the Fire Crystal Ant colony, the stronger the queen ant is. He had seen a description of a Queen Ant in the Chaoyuan stage in the Miscellaneous Records of Cultivation.

Ji An flew to the Beast Taming Hall on Emerald Bamboo Peak. He took out his identity jade token and said:

"I ordered a Fire Crystal Ant Queen, and I'd also like a copy of the secret method for cultivating queens."

I'll also add five hundred ordinary fire crystal ants; I'll take them with me when I collect the queen.

Although the queen ant's strength is somewhat affected by the size of the colony, it's always good to accelerate her growth even a little.

The disciple respectfully accepted the jade tablet, manipulated it on the spirit plate, and said:

"Uncle-Master, I'm ordering the Queen Ant for 500 contribution points, the Cultivation Secret Method for 1500 contribution points, and the Ordinary Fire Crystal Ant for 2000 contribution points. It only contains the preparation of spiritual food and will be effective for both the Queen Ant and the Ordinary Fire Crystal Ant, but the effect is not significant. You can pick up the goods in a month."

Fire Crystal Ants are insect-type demonic beasts. Sects mainly cultivate high-level battle beasts and do not have in-depth research on this type of demonic beast.

As the disciple spoke, he returned the jade token and the waist token that served as proof with both hands.

After leaving Green Bamboo Peak, Ji An arrived at Red Copper Mountain.

Zhang Yuanshan welcomed him into the cave and said:

"Junior brother has been quite active lately."

After achieving Foundation Establishment, the other party stayed in his cave and devoted himself to cultivation, not venturing out for several years. However, during this period, he started running around to various places.

Ji An pursed his lips and said:

"Senior Brother Ye from the Diligent Work Hall said something similar to me."

Zhang Yuanshan couldn't help but laugh, but after a moment he stopped and said seriously:

"Junior brother, you should visit more often and make more friends so that you can help each other when the demon calamity breaks out."

Ji An nodded slightly:

"I will definitely communicate more with my fellow disciples in the future. After the spiritual vein is upgraded, there will be a large area of ​​spiritual fields on Crimson Flame Peak. Let's wait until we get through these busy years."

"I've come today to ask my senior brother to forge a high-grade defensive magic weapon."

I've thought about it. I don't know when I'll be able to gather all the materials needed to craft the Apricot Yellow Banner, and I need a magical artifact for self-defense.

It requires sufficient defensive capabilities without hindering agility and movement.

He only had a mid-grade magic artifact, the Stone Turtle Shield, which was no longer sufficient to meet his requirements.

Now, through his persistent practice, his Wind Control Technique has reached the Great Perfection level. Although he has not generated a Dao Seed, his movements are agile enough to allow him to turn freely in the air.

Purchase another high-quality defensive magic artifact; that should be enough.

Zhang Yuanshan pondered for a moment and said:

"I suggest that my junior brother refine the Earth Spirit Pearl. It is a pearl-shaped magic artifact that can generate protective spiritual light."

Although it is far inferior to Senior Brother Zhao's Apricot Yellow Banner, it is more than capable of dealing with attacks from the mid-Foundation Establishment level and can greatly weaken attacks from the late-Foundation Establishment level.

At the same time, its advantage lies in its low mana consumption, allowing it to be used for extended periods.

He took out a fist-sized pearl and said:

"This Earth Element Bead is a defensive magic artifact that I crafted for myself. It has twenty-four layers of magical restrictions on it. Junior brother, you can give it a try."

Ji An took the pearl and walked to the center of the living room. He channeled his magic into it, and immediately a yellow spiritual light protected his body. He could move around without any problems, and the effect was similar to that of the apricot yellow flag.

"Senior brother, you'll provide all the refining materials. Don't be stingy with the good ones. Including the refining costs, how many spirit stones will be needed?"

Precious pearl-type magical artifacts are not easily damaged, and once he obtains the Apricot Yellow Banner, they will be easy to sell.

Zhang Yuanshan calculated the material prices and said:

"A little over a thousand spirit stones, just give me a round number."

Ji An readily paid the spirit stones and asked:

How long will it take to pick it up?

"I don't have enough materials on hand, so I need to acquire some. It will take about two or three months. I'll let you know once the ritual implement is finished."

Zhang Yuanshan paused for a moment, then said:

"Junior brother, do you need an offensive magic weapon?"

"No need," Ji An waved his hand. After seeing the magical artifacts, he felt that using them for attacks was too rigid.

His magical skills are sufficient; he can now directly use offensive magical artifacts.

Spiritual artifacts can be refined to improve their compatibility with cultivators and also have a certain degree of growth potential.

(End of this chapter)