Chapter 181 Liangqiu Foundation Building

Ji An grinned; that was a difficult question to answer.

Other spirit farmers should be so ashamed that they wouldn't dare to show their faces when they learn of my current level of magic.

Even the cultivators of the Law Enforcement Hall would fall silent upon learning the level of my magical combat skills.

Liu Suyun didn't continue the topic, but pointed to the extra tunnel in the cave and asked:

"What is this for?"

There were obvious claw marks on the cave entrance and the rock walls inside. She compared the claw marks and concluded that they were the marks left by the spirit-seeking rat.

Ji An replied:

"This is another spiritual vein node that has been surveyed. We plan to plant new Earth Spirit Fruit Trees here. Would you like to take a look?"

Currently, this spiritual vein node can only accommodate a maximum of three or four more spiritual trees, so we must explore new areas.

"OK."

"Senior sister, please follow me, be careful not to get scratched by the rock face."

Ji An walked ahead. The tunnel was only wide enough for one person to pass through, and the rock walls retained many protruding edges.

He didn't participate in digging this tunnel; it was all the work of the golden retriever, and there are many flaws.

Overall, the tunnel slopes downwards, and despite the presence of several luminous pearls, the light remains dim.

After walking about thirty or forty feet, they came to a large cave with three luminous pearls embedded in the ceiling. The spiritual energy here was slightly richer than in the previous cave.

Ji An said:

"This node is smaller than the previous one. The rock gets harder as you go down, so the exploration can only go this far."

If you dig any deeper, you'll encounter malevolent energy underground, making the roots unsuitable for the growth of spiritual plants.

Only one ventilation opening was excavated at this node, and the air was slightly polluted.

Liu Suyun looked around and nodded slightly, saying:

“Very good. It’s already very lucky to have found a spiritual vein node without any natural caves.”

"Junior brother, how many Earth Spirit Fruit trees are you planning to plant?"

"At most five or six plants. The nodes are too small. Planting too many will affect the main spiritual vein."

Ji An replied that he estimated it based on the entire spirit tree reaching the second-tier quality.

"After the new spirit tree is cultivated to the highest grade, I will order more fruit. Junior brother, remember to give me a share."

"The seeds of the Earth Spirit Fruit were obtained from my senior sister. Under the same conditions, you have the right of first refusal."

Liu Suyun smiled:

"Thanks in advance."

Three days later.

After selecting the best-looking Earth Spirit Fruit, Ji An handed over the rest of the fruits:

"Senior sister, I've made my selection. Please indicate the quantity."

Looking at the boxes of spiritual fruits, Liu Suyun subconsciously rubbed her hands together; she had never been so wealthy before.

"There are a total of 157 Earth Spirit Fruits. After deducting the 120 that belong to me, I need to pay 37 spirit stones for each fruit."

Each item costs 80 spirit stones, totaling 2960 spirit stones. Let's calculate it as 3000.

Five catties of top-grade spider silk, at four hundred spirit stones per catty, means I need to pay my junior brother a total of five thousand spirit stones.

She quickly calculated in her mind and took out fifty mid-grade spirit stones.

Ji An put away the spirit stones, a slight smile playing on his lips. These spirit stones were pure extra income, requiring only a small amount of magic power.

As the spirit tree ages, the number of fruits it produces will only increase.

After the transaction was completed, Liu Suyun stood up, a charming smile on her lips, and said:

"I'm leaving now. The little ones in the Spider Cave must be starving."

She couldn't wait to return to Yunmeng Peak and bring the golden-spotted spiders delicious spiritual fruits.

The Golden-spotted Spider population has expanded. With the help of top-grade Earth Spirit Fruit, the strongest spiders are selected for focused training. Even one more spider capable of producing second-tier spirit silk would be a huge profit.

Ji An grinned, thinking that this senior sister had really heavy tastes.

"Senior sister, please wait a moment. Yuhan, go and fetch five catties of second-grade pine nuts."

The pine cones from the second-tier Red Cloud Pine were harvested first, and Du Huaiyuan had already begun brewing second-tier pine nut wine.

No need to dry it; cultivators have plenty of ways to quickly dry it and roast it to make 500 jin (250 kg), which they then presented as a high-end gift.

Liu Suyun blinked:

"I always make my junior brother spend money."

Two months later, the Azure Dragon Tree had grown to about ten feet tall, and the brewing work at Crimson Flame Peak was nearing completion.

Ji An activated the Green Wood Everlasting Spring Technique to refine the spiritual objects. Many green roots spread from his palm, enveloping the Xuanhuang Soil and Azure Dragon Wood in his hand.

As the cultivation technique was activated, the spiritual objects lost their color and gradually turned into ordinary yellow soil. The Azure Dragon Wood seemed to have endured thousands of years of wind and frost, turning into rotten wood.

In front of him was a small white jade bowl, about the size of a palm and two inches deep. The once vibrant and spiritually rich jade water had turned into clear water, and no longer showed any trace of its spirituality.

Ji An finished his cultivation, and the emerald green in his eyes was even more intense than usual.

"Finally, there's a result."

He stood up and stretched languidly.

He cut down a second-tier Pure Spirit Bamboo and spent the last few days searching for which wood-elemental spiritual object would be more suitable for him to refine, to verify if there was any difference.

After careful comparison, he found that when refining Azure Dragon Wood, his spiritual senses felt the most comfortable, followed by Clear Spirit Bamboo, while he felt nothing at all with Green Maple Wood.

From now on, he will have to work hard to cultivate the Azure Dragon Wood.

He strolled back to the stone house, where Liang Qiu and Huang Feihu were already waiting.

"Uncle-Master, we've received news that we can go to the General Affairs Hall to collect the Foundation Establishment Pills. I'd like to ask for leave today."

"That's great! You can go after you've had breakfast."

Ji An patted the two of them on the shoulders and continued:

"After obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pill, you can return and adjust your condition to establish your foundation."

"Thank you for your care over the years, Uncle-Master."

"It's not a matter of preferential treatment, but rather mutual benefit."

After our two fellow cultivators successfully established their foundations, let's drink our fill and enjoy ourselves to the fullest.

"What good news is there to celebrate, that you didn't even tell me!"

Du Huaiyuan walked out of the winery and happened to hear the second half of the sentence.

Ji An briefly recounted the matter between Huang Feihu and the other man, and then smiled:

"Senior brother is indispensable!"

After breakfast, Ji An handed over the flying shuttle and gave him instructions:

"Go quickly and come back quickly."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master," Liang Qiu said, taking the shuttle and leaving with Huang Feihu.

Du Huaiyuan unscrewed the wine gourd, took a sip of wine, and smiled.

Ever since he got the gourd magic artifact, he would always drink a few sips whenever he had nothing else to do.

"Junior brother, all the pine nuts have been brewed into spirit wine and sealed in jars. This year's second-grade pine nut wine is 600 catties, and the top-grade spirit wine is 36,000 catties."

Ji An nodded slightly and said:

"Thank you for your hard work, senior. We're about to start sales. Do you have any connections?"

The pine nut wine brewed in previous years has been aged long enough to be exported, and there is not much space left in the warehouse.

Du Huaiyuan hurriedly shook his head and said with a wry smile:

“In the past, I only did small-scale production, brewing at most a few thousand kilograms of spirit wine a year. My drinking buddies could handle it all, so I never had to worry about sales.”

"I'll have to rely on my junior brother's help for my share of the spiritual wine too."

He enjoys brewing and drinking wine, but has absolutely no interest in selling it.

Ji An shook his head. He wasn't interested in running a business. He could pursue immortality, but running a business was a waste of time.

He immediately thought of Wei Songnian, the best agent. They had worked together for many years. Wei Songnian was reliable and not greedy.

He had also investigated privately and found that the other party had offered a sufficient discount on the price.

Ji An said to the maid beside him:

"Yu Han, tell Huang Xuan to go to Green Bamboo Valley and see if Junior Brother Wei is in the sect."

If he's there, invite him over.

“Yes,” the maid replied and left the stone house.

"Once the spirit wine goes on sale, I will have enough spirit stones to buy pills."

Du Huaiyuan's face lit up with joy. He had been living a rather impoverished life in recent years, and had never had a sufficient supply of elixirs.

His condition improved after refining Foundation Establishment Pills for the sect in the past two years, but he has not yet reached his full potential in terms of pill production.

The next day.

At dusk, the sunset is magnificent, and everything is painted with a romantic crimson hue.

Liang Qiu cupped his hands, his gaze resolute, and said:

"Uncle-Master, I'm in good condition, and all preparations are complete. I'll begin Foundation Establishment tonight!"

Huang Feihu cupped his hands in greeting:

“Me too. This is a second-tier spiritual vein. If we are far away, our simultaneous foundation building won’t be affected.”

Ji An nodded slightly and said:

"Since you've made your decision, go all out. We'll have a drink and a good chat tomorrow at noon."

Du Huaiyuan laughed:

"I wish tomorrow would come quickly."

He couldn't wait to drink the nectar.

Under the enchanting moonlight, Liang Qiu stayed in the stone house by the cold pool, while Huang Feihu was at the entrance of the underground cave. Together, they began to build their foundation.

The two sisters, Xia Yuhan and Huang Xuan, stood guard outside the cave while Huang Xuan and Li Cheng kept watch.

Ji An piloted the flying shuttle, performing his nightly ritual of casting spells on the spirit tree.

Based on experience, breakthroughs in the Foundation Establishment stage usually don't yield results until the early morning of the following day.

In the mulberry field, a yellow aura flashed, a green rain of light fell, and then a huge white mist obscured the moonlight.

Light shimmered in the mist, and the rain poured down, tapping the mulberry leaves and creating a joyful song.

A vibrant, moist, and nourishing atmosphere permeates the air, and all the trees are full of life.

At dawn, Ji An woke up from his sleep and walked out of his cave. He saw the waning moon set behind the western mountains and the starlight dimmed.

He used his Wind Control Technique to fly down the mountain and found that the two who had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage were doing well, so he went to the mulberry field to cultivate with peace of mind.

He chose a location far away from the cold pool to ensure that it would not affect Liangqiu.

When he finished his cultivation, it was already broad daylight, and the golden-red mist on the top of Crimson Flame Peak was billowing, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Ji An returned to the stone house. At this time, there was no longer any spiritual energy fluctuation outside Liang Qiu's house, and Huang Xuan and the others did not look good.

He was secretly startled and asked:

What's the current situation between the two of them?

Whether the foundation building was successful or not should now be clear.

Huang Xuan lowered his head and said with difficulty:

"Reporting to Uncle-Master, Senior Brother Liang has successfully established his foundation, but Senior Brother Huang has failed."

Even with Foundation Establishment Pills, it doesn't guarantee success in Foundation Establishment.

A single Foundation Establishment Pill can drain the coffers of most Qi Refining stage cultivators, and only a very few ordinary disciples can obtain a second Foundation Establishment Pill.

"How is Flying Tiger doing?"

"When Senior Brother Huang came out, his face was covered in blood and his steps were unsteady. Uncle Du went in to check on him."

As they were talking, Du Huaiyuan came out.

Ji An went to meet him and whispered:

"Senior brother, how is Flying Tiger doing? Have you found out the reason for his failure?"

Du Huaiyuan grinned:

"The Foundation Establishment Pill protected my heart meridian. The physical injuries are not serious; they just look terrible. I'll recover in a few months."

The main problem is damage to the spirit, which requires a slow recovery, taking at least two or three years, and at most four or five years.

Based on his words, I analyzed that the reason for the failure was insufficient spiritual strength.

(End of this chapter)