Chapter 177 Perfect Merit

Ji An couldn't help but recall the brief hallucination he had experienced when he broke through to the next level. He stood up and activated the Jade Wood Transformation Technique.

Vibrant, emerald-green specks of light fell like a torrential rain, as if lively sprites had descended to earth.

At this time, before the morning light shines into the mountains and forests, this area has become a green ocean, with mulberry leaves visibly growing larger and new buds sprouting on the branches.

The Xia Yuhan sisters gazed at the ocean of light, their eyes seemingly sparkling with starlight.

Although they had seen the same scene countless times, this time it felt different.

At that moment, they felt as if they were in a secluded forest, where they could almost hear the trees growing.

Ji An nodded slightly. The area covered by the Azure Wood Transformation Technique expanded, the mana consumed decreased, and the pervasive mana intent increased.

Everything conforms to the characteristics of a spell reaching the Great Perfection level.

As his cultivation level improved, all the planting techniques he mastered reached the Great Perfection level.

"His merits and virtues have been fulfilled."

Ji An whispered something, then suddenly turned around and laughed:

"I'll prepare wine for lunch; I'm so happy today, I'm going to drink myself into a stupor."

The two maids responded in unison:

"Yes, ma'am."

My uncle's cultivation has improved, and his magical abilities have also made a breakthrough, which is worth celebrating.

The next day, at Ningcui Cliff.

Inside the cave, a maidservant brought out two cups of spiritual tea and then quietly left the living room.

Ge Ying sensed the spiritual pressure and vibrant energy emanating from her disciple, her eyes shining brightly:

"Mid-Foundation Establishment stage? Good! When did you break through?"

The fact that her youngest disciple surpassed her in cultivation level indirectly demonstrates her discerning eye.

Memories flashed through her mind as she recalled the time when she accepted this disciple.

In the herb garden of the cave, the other party's use of the Minor Cloud Rain Technique possessed magical intent, which made her consider taking him as a disciple.

The past events are still vivid in my mind, as if they happened just yesterday.

As the light shifted, when he regained consciousness, the Qi Refining disciple had become a Foundation Establishment Stage 4 cultivator.

Ji An cupped his hands and smiled:

"I just broke through yesterday. I originally wanted to inform my master through the Transmission Sword, but I felt that was not solemn enough, so I made a special trip today to express my gratitude to my master."

Becoming an apprentice marked a new beginning for him.

"Sit down, don't stand. Did you tell Liu Yu and the others?"

Ge Ying said gently, "For cultivators, cultivation level is the foundation of everything."

"I'm planning to invite them to Chifeng in a few days for a small celebration."

"Yes, we need to tell them that Qingwan and the others have fallen behind, and holding a celebration can motivate them."

Ge Ying nodded. Among her five youngest disciples, two had already become mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If this momentum can be maintained, perhaps before my time comes, the Ningcui Cliff lineage will have two more late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

She pondered for a moment and said:

"To advance to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, one must refine spiritual objects to enhance one's comprehension of cultivation techniques."

For you, the time spent in the middle stage of Foundation Building may not be more than a few years longer than in the early stage.

However, do not become arrogant or complacent because of this; you must still guard against pride and impatience, and diligently cultivate yourself.

If one can comprehend more of the divine meaning of the cultivation technique, it can significantly increase the speed of cultivation.

This disciple's aptitude is only average, but his comprehension is commendable.

As a cultivator progresses through cultivation, their aptitude will gradually improve, and their exceptional comprehension will bring them greater benefits.

"I will keep in mind my teacher's teachings."

Ji An nodded humbly and then said:

"Regarding cultivation, I only know that the Qi Refining stage is just the beginning, and the Foundation Establishment stage is when one truly embarks on the path of cultivation."

What is it that one seeks after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage? Can Master enlighten me?

He perused the Taoist books and various cultivation records in the sect and learned that after the Golden Core stage, there were many other realms such as Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation, which were similar to many cultivation novels in his previous life, which was truly astonishing.

However, the Taoist books only recorded the names of the realms, without mentioning what one needed to do to reach each realm.

The miscellaneous notes do record many stories of great achievements and repairs, but they clearly feel like boasting and conjecture.

My master is a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, so he should be able to access more secrets.

"Having just broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, you're already aiming too high?"

Ji An smiled gently and said:

"Only when you have a clear vision of the future can you truly appreciate the present moment."

"The path of spiritual practice is long and the destination is even more unattainable."

Having surpassed one peak, only to discover even higher mountains, are you not afraid of wavering and becoming confused?

"The morning mushroom knows not the dawn and dusk, the cicada knows not the spring and autumn."

How fortunate it is for a cultivator to witness the four seasons in the form of a cicada!

If one were unaware of the vastness of the sky and the immensity of the earth, so be it; but now that one knows the immensity of heaven and earth and feels a longing for them, what fear is there of a rugged and bumpy road ahead?

Ji An's voice was deep. In his previous life, living to a hundred years old was considered a long life, but now, the Golden Core Ancestor in his sect lived to be a thousand years old as if it were nothing.

Nascent Soul cultivators, who are above the Golden Core stage, have a lifespan of up to three thousand years.

Whenever he thinks of this, he can't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Ge Ying gazed at her disciple's gentle yet firm eyes, nodded slightly, and smiled:

"I was young once too, and I hope that many years from now you can still maintain this mindset."

Her gaze shifted elsewhere, her voice tinged with nostalgia:

"I can't tell you much, I can only vaguely describe the scenery ahead."

Because my cultivation level is insufficient, these insights are merely hearsay.

Others' paths are like stones from other mountains; they don't belong to you. You must remember this.

Ancient immortals divided cultivation into four stages: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit into emptiness, and refining emptiness into the Dao.

The Foundation Establishment and Origin Refining stages are merely the phases of refining essence into qi.

At this stage, we are refining our immortal veins, comprehending the power of the five elements, and condensing ourselves into a state of perfection.

The Chaoyuan stage involves refining the five elements within the chest to condense into the body's great elixir, and finally, the five elements converge to form the golden elixir through the fire of one's own life force.

The Golden Elixir is the end point of refining essence into qi, and at the same time, it is the starting point of refining qi into spirit.

What a Golden Core cultivator needs to do is to perfect his understanding of the Five Elements Laws, refine and improve the quality of his Golden Core, and at the same time temper his divine soul power.

They nurtured their souls into infant spirits within the golden core, eventually breaking free from the golden core's constraints to achieve the nascent soul stage…

Ji An listened attentively, sometimes looking confused, sometimes suddenly understanding.

The Master didn't explain in detail, but he outlined the path ahead. You can fill in the more detailed information yourself later.

Ge Ying shared everything she knew without reservation, and seeing her disciple's increasingly bright eyes, she nodded secretly.

Among the many disciples, this one had the least background; his father was a rogue cultivator, and he was all alone when he joined the sect.

His aptitude was also the lowest, only mid-grade, but his firm Dao heart and comprehension beyond that of ordinary cultivators made him stand out.

She picked up the cup and drank the cooled spiritual tea, saying:

"In the sect, every two years a senior master in the Chaoyuan stage will give a lecture, which all late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators can attend and discuss cultivation together."

If you're lucky enough, you might even get to see the ancestor himself come and answer your questions.

If one can break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage before the age of one hundred, they will receive first-class treatment: the contribution points required to exchange for cultivation techniques will be halved, and they will have priority in exchanging for spiritual items and artifacts.

The tradition of preaching the Dharma has continued since the sect migrated westward from Central Asia.

It is through the concerted efforts of the people over the past three thousand years that our sect has achieved its current prosperity.

Ji An's eyes revealed confidence:

"Then we'll have to fight for top-tier treatment, but..."

He then changed the subject and said:

"I don't have much confidence in the secret vault's resource reserves. The sect's accumulation over thousands of years should have been largely depleted during the upgrade of the spiritual veins."

Another demonic calamity is imminent, and many resources will likely need to be forcibly stockpiled in preparation for war.

He believed that in terms of resources, he would not be able to get much help from the sect.

Instead of allocating more resources to cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage, sects should focus on cultivating those with the potential to reach the Golden Core stage.

If there were another Golden Core Ancestor, that would be a true strategic asset.

Ge Ying smiled and said:

"If you perform well enough before the demonic calamity fully erupts, the sect will definitely provide sufficient support."

Only when you reach the late Foundation Establishment stage will you be able to access the sect's hidden resources.

Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly in thought, pondering what other secrets the sect might possess.

The sect has only been a Golden Core power for a little over a thousand years. If it has more resources, it should be in weapon crafting and beast taming.

"Now that you have broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, you need to go to the secret vault to exchange for spiritual items to refine in order to gain a deeper understanding of the cultivation techniques and divine intent."

"Let me ask you, how many of the Five Elements' power can one perceive when practicing the Green Wood Everlasting Spring Technique?"

Ge Ying asked, "Some traditions are not recorded in writing."

For example, refining spiritual objects does not mean that practicing wood-element techniques can only refine wood-element spiritual objects.

Even cultivators without a master would be reminded of this by their senior uncle who controls the secret vault when exchanging spiritual items.

Three kinds.

"Several types?!"

Ge Ying's voice suddenly rose a lot, and she felt that she was hallucinating.

Many cultivators, when they first enter the early stages of Foundation Establishment, can only sense one of the five elements' power, and even those with high talent can only sense two.

Ji An extended his right hand and bent two fingers:

"There are three types: the vigorous growth of Jia wood, the moistening effect of Gui water, and the inclusive and nourishing effect of Ji earth."

Master, is there a problem?

Ge Ying's breathing became somewhat rapid. Three kinds of Five Elements power, doesn't that mean they are similar to her current state?

She looked her disciple up and down again and again, then said, "Come with me."

The two left the cave and came to a secluded pool, surrounded by lush green trees.

"Practice for a while, then I'll take a look."

The disciple wouldn't lie about this, because it's pointless; she wanted to know the extent to which the disciple understood the cultivation technique.

"OK."

Ji An nodded slightly, habitually released the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Spell, then took out a futon and sat cross-legged in a shady place.

He changed his location every day while cultivating on Crimson Flame Peak, and he always carried several futons with him in his storage bag.

As the yellow aura filled the air, Ge Ying narrowed her eyes.

In addition to the nourishing and inclusive Dharma intent, there was also a profound and obscure aura in the Dharma intent, which was not present when she cast the spell. It was clear that she had practiced the spell to the extreme!

Ji An began cultivating the Green Wood Everlasting Technique. Emerald green wood-elemental spiritual light flew out from the surrounding spiritual trees, yellow spiritual light emerged from the earth, and nearly transparent water-elemental spiritual light leaped out from the pool and surrounded him.

(End of this chapter)