Chapter 179 Every Bush and Tree Seems Like an Enemy

"Uncle-Master, what do you think of me as a disciple?"

Ge Ying asked with a smile. She had hardly ever personally taught her disciples in planting, but their abilities were unexpectedly strong.

She now believes that her disciple will surely be able to cultivate new top-grade spirit fruit trees for the sect. If her disciple can break through to the Chaoyuan stage, it is not impossible for him to grow a third-tier spirit tree.

If a sect possesses a third-tier spirit tree, the Golden Core inheritance will be more stable, providing a reliable source of resources to trade with major sects in the Central Continent.

Do I really have to say it's good?

Jia Yu chuckled, took a sip of wine, and said:

"Liu Yu is quite talented in combat, and Ji An has mastered the true teachings of spiritual farming. It seems that most of your other disciples have chosen alchemy. The Ningcui Cliff lineage is bound to grow stronger in the sect."

Ge Ying's smile spilled from the corner of her eyes, "I just hope the demon calamity will break out later, so that these disciples can grow up."

I've heard that Mingfeng Mountain is not peaceful. Could this be a harbinger of war?

Jia Yu paused in his drinking, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes:

"The demons deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains have not yet made any major moves, and it is still too early for the demon calamity to break out."

However, on the eve of the war, all sorts of monsters and demons came out.

Ghost cultivators, demon cultivators, and evil cultivators are all becoming active in the Mingfeng Mountains. These things won't cause any major trouble, but they will affect our plans.

As the human race expanded outwards from Mingfeng Mountain, that region became increasingly turbulent.

After all, it's not the heartland of the human race, so it will take a long time for things to stabilize.

"There are demonic cultivators too?"

Ge Ying exclaimed in shock, "Demonic cultivators use the essence and soul of living beings as raw materials to refine demonic artifacts, making them the common enemy of all living beings."

The cultivation world has never stopped cracking down on demonic cultivators, yet they persist despite repeated bans.

"When demonic cultivators were rampant, they spread far too many inheritances, which could be hidden in some obscure corner."

Furthermore, with sufficient spiritual energy and blood essence, demonic cultivators can improve at an incredibly fast pace.

Those cultivators whose path forward was cut off could not resist the temptation.

When the Central Continent united to exterminate the demonic cultivators, many fled to other remote and desolate places. There should be quite a few demonic cultivation traditions scattered throughout the vast mountains of the Western Continent.

Jia Yu shook his head. Demonic cultivators are good at hiding their tracks. If they don't actively expose themselves, it's difficult to discover their true identities.

The methods of demonic cultivators also have their merits. The Divine Elephant Sect, a major body-refining sect in Central Continent, has adopted the methods of demonic cultivators, drawing demonic patterns on their bodies to squeeze out their potential and improve their body-refining progress.

Ge Ying said worriedly:

"I'm afraid that if the demonic cultivators gain power, things will become difficult."

"The demonic calamity will not amount to anything before it erupts; any signs of it will be nipped in the bud."

My concern is that once the war breaks out in full force, the demonic cultivators will reap the benefits.

It would be truly disastrous if we raised a monster like this.

Jia Yu's expression also became serious. The sect had been preparing for the demon calamity for over a hundred years and was quite confident in its ability to cope.

If demonic and monster calamities were to erupt together, it would be an enormous disaster.

He coughed heavily and said:

"There's no need to overthink it; there's always a way out."

In all the years of cultivation, demonic cultivators and monsters have never truly gained the upper hand; now they merely hide in the shadows, barely clinging to life.

Ge Ying gave a smile that lacked any real mirth and said:

"Man proposes, God disposes; that's all we can do."

There's something I need to tell my martial uncle: when my disciple Ji An comes to exchange for spiritual items in the future, he will bring my identity jade token, and I will pay for all the minor merits.

I will inform you in advance using the golden sword of communication.

Jia Yu's eyes widened in surprise, and she said:

"You're so supportive of him?"

Such strong support goes beyond the typical mentor-student relationship.

Besides, the other party has relatives who cultivate in the sect.

"I think it would be even more significant for the sect if a Lingnong who has reached the Chaoyuan stage were to emerge from among its disciples."

"How easy is it to become a Lingnong during the Chaoyuan period!"

Okay, I understand. Ji An can use your identity jade token to exchange for spiritual items.

Jia Yu sighed softly. Among cultivators who are extremely talented in the art of magic, how many are willing to become spirit farmers?

"Thank you for your permission, Martial Uncle," Ge Ying said, bowing with her hands clasped.

"I remember that the sect doesn't seem to have planting techniques for the Chaoyuan stage."

"If a Spirit Farmer at the Chaoyuan stage really appears, the sect will definitely purchase the relevant planting techniques at any cost."

Ji An piloted the flying shuttle away from Chaoyang Peak and headed straight for Lingxiao Mountain.

He landed in the Hall of Transmission of Skills, searched the spell area, and selected a few spells.

During his entire Foundation Establishment period, he did not plan to learn any other spells.

Having mastered the spells in the Stone Turtle's spellbook and the few spells in his hand to the Great Perfection level, he felt he could dominate the Foundation Establishment stage.

Ji An placed the spell jade slip on the guard's desk and cupped his hands in greeting:

"I would like to trouble Uncle Zhu to exchange for the spell."

The person on duty was none other than the weapon-refining master Zhu Xiangrong. Just like when the two sides first met, there were many jade slips placed next to Uncle Zhu, and he would occasionally write something in the blank jade slips.

Judging from the colors revealed on the jade slips, they should all be related to weapon crafting.

Zhu Xiangrong used a hand seal to release the restriction on the jade slip and said calmly:

"The Rejuvenation Technique, the Detoxification Technique, the Plants and Trees as Soldiers Technique, and the Quicksand Technique—four Foundation Establishment stage spells—require two thousand contribution points after deducting the preferential treatment for second-class disciples."

He acted in a businesslike manner, clearly indicating that he no longer remembered Ji An.

"Thank you, Uncle-Master."

Ji An handed over the jade tablet and quickly copied the jade slip himself.

In the sect, the contribution points required to exchange for spell jade slips are very small, which is a great benefit.

The expenses that independent cultivators spend on spells are also a considerable sum.

For someone like Ji An now, two thousand contribution points are practically free.

After leaving the palace, Ji An slowly walked towards the Hall of Diligent Work.

The Rejuvenation Spell and the Detoxification Spell are both wood-elemental spells, and both are auxiliary spells. The Rejuvenation Spell can greatly accelerate the recovery of a cultivator's injuries.

After the demonic calamity breaks out, this kind of magic will be used frequently. He should study it carefully, and then drawing the Rejuvenation Talisman will be much smoother.

"All plants and trees are soldiers" is also a wood-elemental spell, a deluxe upgrade of the Entangling spell, even more powerful than group Entangling.

Quicksand is an earth-based spell, a large-area control spell.

His spell control system consists of the Cold Wind Technique, the Grass and Trees as Soldiers Technique, and the Quicksand Technique.

With the help of the stone turtle, he is bound to be a versatile warrior in the world of magic cultivation.

No matter what kind of enemy they encounter, they can use targeted spells to strike.

"Of course, I am a peace-loving person and have no need for or inclination towards fighting."

Ji An muttered to himself as he stepped into the Hall of Diligent Work.

If one can improve their cultivation safely, steadily, and quickly, then fighting and being aggressive is the most unwise choice.

Playing life-or-death situations is too exciting; crushing victories are his favorite.

"Oh my, Senior Brother Ye is so busy today?"

Ji An exaggeratedly said that after getting to know the other party better, they talked much more casually.

Ye Changqing, who was writing something on a piece of paper at the time, glanced at it upon hearing this and said:

"We are currently developing a task plan for the next few months, and I am the one pushing these things forward."

"Please sit down and wait for me to get ready."

The temple master doesn't usually handle trivial matters; these are all done by the deputy temple master.

"You go ahead and get busy, the important thing is to get things done."

I'm going for a stroll outside. My senior colleague will call me when I'm done.

"Okay," Ye Changqing replied.

Ji An arrived outside the main hall and took out a magic jade slip, sticking it to his forehead.

Sitting idly waiting is not his style; he would rather use that time to learn the basics of magic.

Learning spells is not difficult; the difficulty lies in raising the level of spells and making casting spells an instinct.

About half an hour later, Ji An had successfully cast all the necessary spells.

[Spell: Overlapping Waves Technique (Beginner 1%)]

Rejuvenation Technique (Beginner 1%)

[The grass and trees seem like soldiers (1%).]

After mastering the basics of magic, Ji An squatted beside the grass and cast a binding spell by making hand gestures.

The grass, about a foot square, immediately grew wildly, growing from just above ankle level to above knee level in the blink of an eye. Its stems and leaves became thicker and turned a deep, dark green.

The vines flailed wildly, trying to grab onto something.

About fifteen minutes later, the vines swayed more and more slowly, the dark green gradually faded into withered yellow, and finally collapsed helplessly.

The twining technique stimulates the plant's potential, allowing it to unleash all its vitality in a short period of time. The drawback is that it only works on herbaceous and vine plants.

Casting Entangling Strike on a large tree will at most cause it to grow a few more leaves.

The Entangle spell is deadly to herbaceous plants; once the spell wears off, the plant will die completely.

As the level of the Entangling spell increases, the casting range will expand.

The area covered by the "every bush and tree seems like an enemy soldier" phenomenon was much larger, about ten feet in diameter.

It can work on herbaceous plants as well as woody plants.

However, when casting spells on trees, it is best to choose tree species with flexible branches, otherwise the effect will be minimal.

Based on past experience, Ji An decided to practice the Entangling Technique to the highest level before practicing the "All Plants and Trees Are Soldiers" technique.

"Junior Brother Ji?"

A call came from inside the main hall, and Ji An responded:

"Here you are."

His mind connected with the stone tortoise, and he glanced at it before standing up and rushing back to the Diligent Work Hall.

[Spell: Entangling Roots (Beginner 1% → 4%)]

Having a low-grade Dao Seed, he is now improving his spell level very quickly.

Ye Changqing cupped his hands and said:

"Congratulations on breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, Junior Brother. Weren't you supposed to be holding a celebration in two days? What brings you to Lingxiao Mountain today?"

Yesterday evening, he received a message talisman and pondered for a long time what kind of congratulatory gift to send.

Congratulations!

Ji An returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said:

"I selected several spells at the Transmission Hall. In a few years, I should be able to draw Rejuvenation Talismans and Detoxification Talismans."

"Alright, I trust the quality of your talismans, Junior Brother. There will definitely be a large demand for these kinds of auxiliary talismans in the future."

Once you successfully draw a high-grade talisman, remember to let me know.

Ye Changqing nodded slightly and extended his hand, saying:

"Please sit down, don't stand."

"Junior brother, you are a rare guest. Let me brew you a cup of tea to quench your thirst."

Ji An hurriedly waved his hand and said:

"Senior brother, no need to rush. I'll exchange for some Azure Dragon Wood seeds and then leave. It will be midnight by the time I get back to Crimson Flame Peak."

Ye Changqing shook his head and chuckled. This junior brother really was the type who would never move unless there was something wrong.

"How many do you want? I'll get them for you."

"Ten should be enough."

"Senior brother, the sect has a second-tier top-grade spirit peach tree. Do you have any of its seeds?"

Ji An asked, explaining that he planned to plant more peach trees, perhaps one of them would have the most potential.

"The fruit of the top-grade spirit peach tree is in high demand, and the peach seeds can also be used to refine pills. Occasionally, some of them will enter the Diligent Work Hall, but they will be exchanged for within a few days."

"If my junior brother wants it, we'll have to wait until the next batch of spirit peaches ripens and then figure something out."

Ye Changqing offered an explanation, then turned and went into the storeroom to retrieve tree seeds, saying:

"Ten seeds, one thousand contribution points."

Exchanging seeds from the sect is very cheap, but every transaction is recorded. Later, the junior disciple will need to hand over four spirit trees to the sect to earn contribution points or minor merit.

Ji An took out the jade token and smiled:

"Thank you for reminding me, senior. I understand the rules. I will hand in even more."

(End of this chapter)