Chapter 178 Azure Dragon Wood

A radiant light adorned Ji An's surroundings, like a sea of ​​stars under the night sky.

Ge Ying sighed almost imperceptibly, feeling a sense of 'comparison is the thief of joy'. Only after breaking through to the late Foundation Establishment stage could she absorb the three kinds of spiritual energy through her cultivation technique.

She had already overestimated her disciple as much as possible, but she still underestimated his potential.

Spiritual energy and spiritual energy are two different substances. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is originally formless. Only when the spiritual energy is concentrated to a certain degree will it show the form of mist. Absorbing and exhaling spiritual energy is something that any cultivator can do.

Everything has a spirit, and this spirit refers to the spiritual energy, the "qi" hidden in all things.

The fact that the disciple was able to draw upon three kinds of spiritual energy through the technique indicates that his understanding of the Evergreen Mountain Technique had reached the same level as hers.

Even if it is not as good as others, it is not far off.

Having such a disciple is a very fortunate thing. The only unfortunate thing is that I didn't teach him much about cultivation techniques.

"You can stop now."

Upon hearing his master's words, Ji An slowly stopped practicing, a flash of emerald light appearing in his eyes.

"Before breaking through to the Chaoyuan stage, your current understanding of the cultivation method is sufficient."

"You'll have a shorter cultivation time in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and you should be able to catch up with Liu Yu."

Ge Ying's tone was filled with joy, and Liu Yu's mastery of fire-based techniques was equally astonishing.

None of her current disciples have reached the late Foundation Establishment stage.

The disciple with the highest cultivation level is Zhu Qinghao, the second disciple, who broke through to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment five years ago.

One day, the two disciples who joined later will be able to surpass them and become the leaders of the Ningcui Cliff lineage.

Against the backdrop of an impending demonic calamity, the emergence of two exceptionally talented disciples filled her with immense joy.

"Come, let's go to the secret vault together to exchange for the refined spiritual items."

As Ge Ying spoke, she summoned her flying shuttle.

The sect has a rule that spiritual items for cultivators to refine cannot be exchanged in large quantities within a short period of time, in order to prevent some disciples from hoarding resources.

She should go there herself; her master in the secret library should agree.

Ji An leaped into the flying shuttle first and said:

"Master, I will take control."

The sect's secret vault is located on the mountainside of Chaoyang Peak, surrounded by various spiritual trees, many of which are so large that several people can barely encircle them.

Ge Ying pointed to the woods and said:

"See that path in the forest? When you fly, follow the path above you. Don't try to take the easy way out by flying in a straight line, or you'll be forcibly dragged to the ground by the anti-flight formation. There's a maze inside."

If you accidentally wander in, do not try to get out; wandering around will inevitably trigger the killing moves within the formation.

Send a distress signal via the sect's jade token, then wait where you are. Remember this!

"Understood, Master. The protection is very tight. Very good."

Ji An agreed, saying that he had visited Chaoyang Peak once before when he went to Mingfeng to participate in the battle at the mountain. There weren't so many rules there then, so it seemed that the formation wasn't activated or some of its functions were disabled.

Ge Ying smiled slightly and said:

"The secret vault is of great importance; it is one of the most valuable areas in the sect, so its protection is naturally very tight."

Descend and land in the open space in front of the largest hall.

"Alright," Ji An said, controlling the shuttle to land smoothly.

The two arrived in front of the main hall, where they saw a plaque with the three large characters "Treasure Pavilion" written on it.

The plaque has a black background with a gold border, and the lettering is also gold.

The gold paint on the gold frame and the large characters has worn off considerably, as if telling a story of the vicissitudes of time.

Upon entering the main hall, one immediately smells the aroma of wine.

Ji An saw Jia Yu sitting at the table, drinking a little wine, with a plate of peanuts in front of him.

There were many niches carved into the wall behind the other person.

The niche contained boxes of various sizes covered with talismans, sealed by a light curtain, similar in style to the Hall of Transmission of Skills.

Ge Ying stepped forward, cupped her hands in greeting, and said:

"Greetings, Uncle-Master Jia. My disciple has broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. I've brought him here today to exchange for cultivation items."

Ji An also cupped his hands in return:

"Greetings, Martial Uncle."

Jia Yu put down his wine cup and smiled:

"Not bad, Xiao Ge, another disciple has broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

"Boy, give me your identity jade token."

He took the jade token handed to him, placed it on the white jade spirit plate, and nodded:

"That's really good. He advanced to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment after only fifteen years of breakthrough. He's a promising talent."

"Xiao Ge, you've already explained the principles of exchanging spirit items, right?"

"Reporting to my uncle, I have already given instructions."

Jia Yu hummed in agreement and then said:

"Then I won't go into details. I cultivate the Azure Wood Everlasting Spring Technique, which can be exchanged for wood-elemental spiritual items for refining. Currently, I have Azure Dragon Wood and Azure Maple Wood in stock."

Actually, there's not much difference, but I still suggest exchanging for some to try. Maybe a certain type of spirit wood will have a special effect on you.

After saying that, he picked up his wine glass, tilted his head back, and drank it down.

Ge Ying smiled and said:

"Uncle-Master, one type of spiritual item is not enough."

Ji An needs three types of spiritual objects: wood, water, and earth.

"Cough, cough."

Jia Yu coughed a few times suddenly, his eyes widening:

Are you serious?

He understood very well what it meant for a cultivator who practiced the Wood Element Technique to receive three types of spiritual items.

Given Ji An's age, it's a certainty that such a cultivator will break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage, and he could even be cultivated as a reserve for the Chaoyuan stage.

Ge Ying tilted her head slightly, her smile widening:

"Of course it's true, I've tested it myself."

Her tone was calm, but her pride was undeniable.

"Smack."

Jia Yu slammed his hand on the table, causing the wine glasses and dishes to bounce.

"Okay, Xiao Ge, your luck has finally turned around."

First there was Liu Yu, and now there's Ji An; they've taken on two excellent disciples!

A few years ago, when Liu Yu came to the secret vault to exchange for spiritual items, he also asked for three types of spiritual items. At that time, he felt that the Ningcui Cliff lineage had a good chance of prospering.

Among the disciples of Ningcui Cliff, there had never been any late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to take on major responsibilities. Now that two have emerged, it is indeed a fortunate thing.

Jia Yu pondered for a moment and said:

"Currently, there are two second-tier low-grade water-elemental spiritual items: Azure Wave Jade Water and Flowing Spiritual Water. For Ji An, there is no difference, so he can just choose one. As for earth-elemental treasures, the only one left is Xuanhuang Soil."

Both the Jade Water and the Flowing Spirit Water are spiritual objects of the Gui Water Dao. Since the other party does not cultivate water-based techniques, the difference in effect between the two spiritual waters can be ignored.

Ge Ying thought for a moment and said:

"We exchanged Azure Dragon Wood, Green Maple Wood, Jade Water, and Dark Yellow Soil."

The spirits of the wood, water, and earth elements are allocated in a ratio of 6:3:1.

"Uncle-Master, can the two of us exchange for a year's supply?"

Jia Yu nodded slightly and said:

"If you are willing to make sacrifices for your disciple, then of course you are."

Exchanging for a second-tier spirit item requires both contribution points and minor merit.

Xiao Gong can only be obtained by accepting specific tasks or by submitting second-tier spiritual items.

Mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators often don't have many minor cultivation points. Sects allow disciples to accumulate minor cultivation points on credit, but this benefit is only available for the first three years after a breakthrough.

Ge Ying smiled and said:

"Thank you, Uncle-Master. I'll cover the small amount of effort needed to exchange for the spiritual items, and Ji An will share the contribution points himself."

This was agreed upon long ago. She used the second-tier materials her disciples obtained from Crimson Flame Peak to exchange for several thousand minor merits and several hundred major merits, which would eventually be used on her disciples.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Jia Yu scratched his head. Ji An's jade tablet contained over six hundred minor merits, which was more than many disciples who had just entered the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

He sighed inwardly at how much the other person was favored by his master, but he was also willing to make some sacrifices to help his disciple grow up faster.

Jia Yu made a hand seal, and part of the wall behind him disappeared into the wall structure, then parted to the sides, revealing a smooth gray stone wall.

The stone flickered and disappeared; it was actually a transformation of the mimicry magic array.

Jia Yu entered the secret vault, and another burst of light and shadow revealed the gray stone walls once more.

During the brief moment the gate was open, Ji An sensed a peculiar fluctuation of earth-elemental spiritual energy that flashed by.

Ji An grinned, thinking to himself:

'So everything in the outer niche is just for show.'

Ge Ying covered her mouth and chuckled, saying:

"When I first saw this scene, I had the exact same expression as you do now."

Ji An laughed:

Are all the boxes in the niche empty?

"It's not empty, it's just that the amount of spiritual items stored inside is small, not enough for our exchange needs."

A moment later, Jia Yu stepped out, placed the four boxes on the table, and said:

"The quantity of Azure Dragon Wood and Green Maple Wood is equal. Please check. There are a total of 360 minor merits and 6,000 contribution points."

He paused, then smiled and said:

"Kid, you have a deep understanding of the cultivation techniques, so your cultivation level is improving faster. However, the consumption of spiritual items is also high. You need to hurry up and earn some merit points."

Without some wealth, one cannot sustain such enormous expenditures; in his view, Ge Ying could not continue to help him.

Ji An handed over his identity jade token, examined the weight of the spiritual item, and smiled:

"Don't worry, Crimson Flame Peak now has twelve second-grade low-level Crimson Cloud Pines, and we can start submitting spiritual items to the secret vault this year."

In addition, there are a dozen or so low-grade Tier 2 Pure Spirit Bamboo plants; you can cut them down and exchange them if you need more cultivation points.

Having second-tier resources at his disposal, he said he wasn't flustered at all.

Once Master runs out of his small cultivation techniques, the second-tier spiritual items produced in Crimson Flame Peak should be enough to make up for the losses from the exchange.

Jia Yu's eyes lit up, and she praised:

"Good lad, that's really impressive. For a spirit farmer to be able to cultivate a second-tier spirit plant is a real achievement."

"When you brew some second-grade pine nut wine and send it over next time, you'll definitely get a share of the profits."

Second-tier spirit wine is considered a luxury item; even he cannot enjoy it every day.

"No problem, I'll send a few jars over then."

"Let me make this clear first, this is a gift to my martial uncle; I don't need any benefits in return."

"Haha," Jia Yu was in a great mood.

A glint of light flashed in Ge Ying's eyes as she said:

"Since you've managed to cultivate a second-tier Qingling Bamboo, why not plant a few more Canglong Woods? This kind of spirit wood can be cultivated to the mid-grade level of the second tier, and it's even possible to cultivate it to the high-grade level."

She was also a spirit farmer and understood the significance of cultivating the Qingling Bamboo to the second tier. However, considering her disciple's expertise in planting magic, she felt it was reasonable.

With this disciple's abilities, it would probably take less than ten years to cultivate a second-grade low-level Azure Dragon Wood, and he would not lack small uses in the future.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master. That's exactly what I was thinking. Is the Azure Dragon Wood Seed exchanged in the secret vault?"

Ji An said that being able to cultivate higher-grade spirit trees would better demonstrate his abilities.

"Exchange the seeds at the Diligent Work Hall. You go back first. Uncle Jia and I still have things to discuss."

(End of this chapter)