Chapter 169 Heavenly Yuan Pear, Dragon Blood Fruit

"After listening to what you said, junior brother, I feel that you are already confident."

"Don't worry about the resources needed to upgrade the spirit field. I'll report to the hall master as soon as I return to the Diligence Hall."

A gratified smile appeared in Ye Changqing's eyes. The sect held most of his memories, and every action that could make the sect stronger should be supported.

He believed that a sect is like a bonfire, and each person is like fuel. If every cultivator can contribute their light and heat, how can the sect not prosper?

When a sect becomes strong, it can benefit its disciples, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

Ji An was taken aback for a moment, then said:

"Isn't it too early to report now?"

It's still a long way off before we upgrade the spirit field, so reporting it would put pressure on us.

Ye Changqing waved his hand and said:

"Junior brother, you may not know this, but when it comes to the allocation of high-level spiritual items, the earlier you report it, the better. There are probably many people waiting in line to use them."

Listen to me, you won't go wrong.

He paused for a moment, then continued:

"Since the scale of the Copper Pattern Mulberry and the Jade Leaf Mulberry is getting bigger and bigger, starting next year, you can submit a portion to the Diligent Work Hall."

"If we can maintain a stable supply of top-quality mulberry leaves, we can at least get some recognition at the Beast Taming Hall."

Copper-patterned mulberry is the main food of golden-bearded silkworms, while jade-leaf mulberry not only supplies various spirit silkworms but is also a high-quality feed for various herbivorous monsters.

No matter how many of these two types of mulberry leaves there are, they are not enough for the Beast Taming Hall.

Ji An cupped his hands and said:

"I'll do whatever my senior brother says."

He already had plans to supply the sect, and even if they didn't bring it up, he would have taken the initiative to do so.

Ye Changqing took out two boxes and smiled mysteriously:

"After all these years of freeloading off my junior brother, I've prepared two small gifts for you this time. Open them and take a look!"

Ji An took the box and smiled:

"Thank you very much, senior brother."

After all these years, it's not easy to finally receive a gift in return.

One box is only half the size of a palm, and judging from the wood grain, it is made of ironwood. The other box is made of ebony.

Ji An first opened the small box, inside were five brown seeds about the size of a finger bone, with faint blue wavy patterns on them.

Each grain is plump and full; one can sense the vibrant life force within them by probing with one's divine sense.

He picked up a seed and said:

"If I'm not mistaken, these should be seeds of the Tianyuan pear."

The Tianyuan Pear is a water-elemental spirit tree that can be planted by a cold pool.

"Hey, high-level spirit farmers are really something else. It is indeed a Heavenly Origin Pear seed, and a seed of a second-grade low-level spirit fruit."

"Junior brother, guess what seed will be in the next box?"

Ye Changqing clapped his hands and laughed, saying that he had obtained these seeds from Palace Master Zhang.

Freshly baked, pears I ate just the day before yesterday.

Ji An happily opened the Xuan Yang wooden box. Inside was a seed the size of a pigeon egg, with flame patterns on its surface, containing spiritual light, and occasionally flashing with red light.

It feels warm and smooth to the touch when held in the palm of your hand.

"I can only tell that it is a fire-elemental spiritual plant. Please enlighten me on what it is."

He hasn't come into contact with many spiritual beings, so he really doesn't recognize this one.

Even if he recognized them, he would pretend not to know them. This was a little conversational trick, so that his senior brother could show off a bit.

Ye Changqing coughed lightly twice, his gentle tone tinged with pride:

"So that my junior brother knows, this is a seed of a mid-grade second-tier dragon blood tree. It took me quite a bit of effort to obtain it."

He obtained this seed from a friend who had become a disciple of Yuanhe Mountain; it had passed through several hands before finally reaching him.

"The Dragon Blood Fruit Tree used to refine the Fire Dragon Heart-Refining Pill?"

Ji An had heard of this spiritual fruit at a trade fair; the Fire Dragon Heart Refining Pill was very famous, so he was deeply impressed by it.

"That's right. Dragon Blood Fruit is also the main ingredient in Dragon Blood Body Tempering Pill, and it is highly favored by body cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Perfection level."

Dragon's blood fruit contains abundant vital energy and can delay the decline of vital energy.

For cultivators whose vital energy is beginning to decline but who wish to break through to a higher realm, this is also an invaluable treasure.

"I like both of these spiritual seeds very much. I will plant them in a few days. When the spiritual fruits ripen, I will definitely give a few to my senior brother first."

Ji An solemnly cupped his hands in thanks. He didn't say anything like "thank you," but his gratitude was shown through his actions.

Ye Changqing's eyes lit up with delight, and he smiled:

"I've been waiting for you to say that, junior brother. I'm waiting."

"Sigh... I probably won't live to see the day you grow dragon's blood fruit."

"Senior brother will definitely be able to eat."

...

The next day, Ji An planted Tianyuan pear seeds near the stone house by the cold pool.

After soaking in the spring water overnight, the seeds look even more vibrant.

He planted them around the cold pool, spaced about two zhang apart, to prevent the spirit trees from influencing each other.

After planting the spiritual seed, he released the Spring Breeze and Rain Technique.

The clouds and mist covered the area where the seeds were planted, and with the refreshing rain, the seeds took root and sprouted, growing into seedlings three inches tall in just half a day.

Grey-feathered sand geese swam over, their shifty eyes darting around as they eyed the "glistening and delicious" saplings.

Ji An glanced at it, pointed to the stone table where they ate, and said coldly:

"If you dare to have any funny ideas, you'll be on my dinner table right now."

With a cry, the sand goose shrank its neck and jumped back into the icy pool.

That's too serious; it wouldn't dare challenge its owner's authority.

It decided to eat more small fish these few days to soothe its frightened heart.

Eating fish is done discreetly, making it difficult to detect how many spirit fish have been consumed.

Ji An instructed:

"Yuhan, go to the fire crystal ant nest and bring back some red powder, forty or fifty catties will do."

As he spoke, he handed the shuttle to the other person.

Dragon Blood Tree is a fire-elemental spiritual plant, so its level was definitely not high when it was first planted. Now that the Fire Crystal Ants have also reached a higher level, using its powder as fertilizer is a good choice.

"Yes," Xia Yuhan replied, piloting the flying shuttle towards the Crimson Cloud Pine Forest.

For cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, daytime is not suitable for cultivation, so she always stays by Ji An's side during the day or helps prepare meals.

While Xia Yuhan was carrying things, Ji An practiced his water control technique by the pool.

A hidden current formed a vortex under his control, and as he raised his finger, a rotating column of water rose up like a dragon sucking water.

After a while, Xia Yuhan controlled the shuttle to land and said:

"Uncle-Master, we've retrieved the items. Where did you put them?"

Ji An stopped practicing the spell and instructed her to place the powder in the chosen location.

He made a hand seal and released the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra, which thoroughly and evenly mixed the red powder and soil.

After planting the dragon blood tree seeds, he cast a fire spell to increase the fire elemental power in the soil.

Although the spiritual plant is of the fire element, it does not require only one of the five elements; it just requires more fire element spiritual power.

Even spiritual plants that grow in lava need to draw some earth-elemental spiritual energy from the magma, and there is also water-elemental spiritual energy in the magma, which manifests as a lively "soda".

The orange-red aura gradually dissipated, and Ji An sighed softly. The Flame Spell was slowly failing to meet the growing demand, and he needed to find a way to cultivate fire-based magic at the Foundation Establishment level.

The sect still lacks experience in planting. If you have time, go and visit the Qingyun Immortal City he's planning to visit, and try to get some information from the cultivators of Luofeng Valley.

Ji An released the Spring Breeze and Rain Technique, and a cloud the size of a millstone appeared in the sky above the land, where the nourishing rain fell silently to the earth.

Before long, a red seedling broke through the soil, its branches and leaves glistening like carved fire jade.

A bright yellow fireball appeared in his palm, evaporating the clouds and mist.

Unlike other types of spirit fruit trees, the Dragon Blood Tree does not require much water-based spiritual energy and is not suitable for excessive rainfall.

With this addition, Crimson Flame Peak now boasts a total of nine spirit fruit trees.

Inside the cave, Ji An was covered in medicinal mud.

As he circulated his Golden Jade Bone Body, the dust-like metallic powder in the medicinal powder shone like starlight in the night sky, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

The power of qi and blood filled his muscles and skin with each breath, and the piercing sensation made his whole body tremble.

Although he had experienced it countless times, each time it felt new; it was just too painful.

Suddenly, Ji An felt his muscles and skin contract violently, as if in a spasm.

The spine is like a taut bow, while the bowstring continues to contract.

The metallic energy contained in the medicinal mud, like a burst dam, poured into his body.

In an instant, all the spirituality was devoured, and all the moisture in the medicinal mud was absorbed, disintegrating into dust.

"Oh!"

Ji An took a step forward, exhaled, and spoke in a clear voice, like the clanging of metal, powerful and resonant, with a sense of relief and exhilaration.

At this moment, his skin radiated a moon-like color, with a sense of serene cold light.

At this point, his body-refining technique had reached the late stage of Silver Armor, and his skin was comparable to the tough animal hide of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"It's finally over. I'm not practicing this technique that consumes so many spirit stones anymore."

Ji An felt as if his teeth had been exposed to a cold wind for a long time, and even the pulp was cold.

He felt it was unnecessary to refine the skin to the level of Silver Armor Mastery, because future cultivation would require the consumption of second-tier low-grade spiritual items.

Even with his wealth, he couldn't afford to spend so much.

Once he obtains the Apricot Yellow Banner, his defense will be sufficient for the Foundation Establishment stage.

With multiple layers of armor, it's estimated that it can withstand two attacks from a cultivator who has just entered the Chaoyuan stage.

Half a month later.

Ji An stood beside the gourd trellis and plucked off the newly formed small gourds.

Seven purple gourd vines were planted, with two gourds retained on each vine, so that the nutrients could be fully supplied to the two gourds.

If left unattended, and multiple gourds grow on the vine, he will only harvest a bunch of low-level spirit gourds, which will be of little use to him.

The Purple Fire Gourd blooms in one year, gestates in one year, and the gourds that grow mature in the third year.

It is extremely difficult to cultivate a top-quality gourd within three years.

Ji An plans to make planting purple fire gourds a long-term endeavor, selecting the most vigorous seeds each time he plants them, and he always succeeds at least once.

His goal was not just to successfully grow a top-quality gourd once, but to cultivate seeds that could consistently produce top-quality gourds – that's what an ambitious spiritual farmer should do.

The Supreme Purple Fire Gourd is a very practical magic weapon; even cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage can use it.

His goal is to ensure that every cultivator in the sect who practices fire-based techniques can possess their own Purple Fire Gourd.

This is not only a source of revenue, but it can also greatly enhance the combat power of the sect's cultivators, which is something that the sect's higher-ups would definitely like to see.

(End of this chapter)