Chapter 207 Development

Lingxiao Mountain, Chuangong Hall.

Ji An took out the jade tablet, affixed it to the light screen of the niche, obtained the "Theory of the Five Elements Mutual Aid of Spirit Beasts," and found some basic jade slips for cultivating and controlling beasts. He planned to study them slowly when he returned.

He handed the jade slip and jade token to the senior brother on duty, and smiled:

"Please, senior brother, copy the jade slip."

The high-level jade slips in the Transmission Hall are all protected by restrictions, so only the beginning of the content can be seen.

Only with the relevant key can the entire content be viewed and copied.

"A total of 5,000 contribution points. There is something I want to tell you, junior brother. The secret method in the 'Theory of the Five Elements of Spirit Beasts' is unique to our sect. I copied it into a special jade slip. The key is the route map of the Green Wood Everlasting Spring Technique."

The array diagrams in the secret technique must be crafted by the sect's array masters; junior disciples can post tasks in the Diligent Work Hall.

Advanced cultivation techniques and secret methods are all encrypted, and even if outsiders obtain them, they cannot view them.

Ji An accepted the jade slip and jade token, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

After leaving the Hall of Transmission, he took out a communication talisman sword and activated it to inform the people of Crimson Flame Peak that he would be returning that night.

Then, he walked to the nearby Qin Gong Hall.

At this moment, steam rises from the main hall, and the aroma of tea fills the air.

Ye Changqing held his cup, gazing into the distance at the door. On the table in front of him, there was a pile of pine nut shells.

He seemed to be lost in thought, showing no reaction to Ji An's arrival.

Ji An walked to the table and waved his hand up and down in front of the other person's eyes.

"Hey, senior!"

The Qin Gong Hall is truly a great place to retire; you can slack off as much as you want during work hours.

Ye Changqing came to his senses, raised his hand to push away the shaking hand, and said:

"Older people often dwell on the past because they have no future and can only reminisce about what once was."

Lately, he has become increasingly prone to reminiscing.

Be careful, as you grow old, your body seems to decay even faster.

"Senior brother is still vigorous despite his age; how can he be called an old man?"

Ji An took out a gray cloth bag from his storage bag, which contained two catties of second-grade pine nuts.

He didn't know what other people's storage bags contained, but whenever he went out, he would always fill one of his storage bags with spirit wine, pine nuts, dried fruit, smoked meat, and so on, to ensure he had food.

He did not like things like fasting pills.

"I'm getting old, you have to admit it."

Ye Changqing shook his head slightly. The once spirited young man had bowed his head under the harsh blows of time.

"Junior brother, what brings you here?"

He picked up a pine nut and cracked it open, feeling the spiritual energy and crisp texture it contained, and his gaze softened a little.

"Exchange for some supplies and issue another mission."

Ji An briefly recounted how he obtained the Earth-grade Rock Armor Bear, then found paper and pen and began to write.

"A low-grade demonic beast, tsk tsk, given time, it'll be easy to cultivate it to the late Foundation Establishment stage. Good luck!"

A moment later, Ye Changqing took the paper and began to read it carefully.

"The medicinal materials for cultivating beasts are all basic materials. You can go to the General Affairs Hall to exchange them yourself."

"All the materials needed to craft the Blazing Fire Earth-Concealing Array are here, plus the reward for the array master."

He picked up the counting rods and started calculating, but mental arithmetic was too tiring.

"The material cost is 24,000 contribution points, the array master is rewarded with 10,000 contribution points, and the task is issued with 100 contribution points."

I've arranged for the best formation master to work for my junior brother. It should be ready in about a month. I'll let you know when to come and pick it up.

If I happen to be free, I'll bring it to you.

"Thank you, senior brother," Ji An handed over the jade token, once again marveling at the convenience of being a disciple of a sect.

If he were a rogue cultivator, it would take him an unknown amount of time and spirit stones to acquire secret techniques and refine formations.

This is the advantage of being organized: disciples of sects are more likely to grow, followed by disciples of families, while independent cultivators face the greatest difficulty.

If a rogue cultivator manages to achieve something significant, he will undoubtedly become a formidable figure.

"No need for thanks for what is within my duty."

Ye Changqing manipulated the spirit disc to deduct the contribution points from the jade tablet and said:

"There are still 720,000 contribution points inside. You are now one of the wealthiest Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect."

Since Crimson Flame Peak began supplying mulberry leaves to the Beast Taming Hall, the contribution points the other party has been accumulating at a faster rate.

"Is this what you call being rich? I'm far from that. These contribution points are only worth a little over 30,000 spirit stones."

Those weapon refiners and alchemists are truly enviable; the resources they possess are far from their true abilities.

Ji An knew that although he was doing well, he was still far behind the accumulated experience of those veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage in just twenty years, while veteran cultivators typically have accumulated over a hundred years of experience.

After leaving Lingxiao Mountain, Ji An went to the General Affairs Hall and exchanged for a year's supply of medicinal herbs.

By the time he returned to Crimson Flame Peak, it was already dusk; the evening glow was like fire, and the sky was like a furnace.

The golden-red mist on the mountaintop had not yet dissipated, making the color appear even brighter.

Seeing the mountains and forests he hadn't seen for many days, Ji An felt a sense of relief and let out a long howl to announce his return.

The shuttle swooped down and landed by the cold pool.

Huang Xuan and his group of four had already lined up: "Welcome back to Crimson Flame Peak, Uncle-Master."

Xia Yuhan stepped forward and said:

"Uncle-Master, dinner is ready. Shall we serve the dishes?"

After receiving the notification, the group worked together to prepare a sumptuous feast of spiritual food.

Firstly, it would allow my martial uncle to taste the flavors of the past, and secondly, it would allow them to eat some of these foods as well.

"Don't rush," Ji An picked up the bear cub and began a mental communication with it, letting it become familiar with the four people's scent so that it wouldn't attack them in the future.

Huang Xuan smiled and said, "Congratulations, Uncle-Master, on acquiring another high-level beast."

"Congratulations, Uncle-Master," the others echoed.

After the little bear became familiar with the scents of the group, it let out a soft roar as it smelled the aroma of the cooked spiritual food.

The beast's voice was much lower and slightly fierce.

Ji An instructed:

"Serve the food."

After everyone had dinner, Huang Xuan began to report on the recent events that had occurred at Crimson Flame Peak.

"After my master left, one more second-tier Jade Leaf Mulberry and one more Crimson Cloud Pine were added."

"The stone door that blocks the passage to the underground cave opens and closes on a regular schedule every day."

"In order to cast the spell on the spirit field, we recruited five spirit farmers in the Qi Refining stage. The cost was two spirit stones per day, and we spent three hundred spirit stones in total. We harvested more than six hundred high-grade wood elemental beads."

He and Li Cheng simply couldn't take care of so many spirit fields.

"The two types of mulberry leaves sent to the Beast Taming Hall are worth 47,000 contribution points. Martial Uncle needs to go to Luoyan Mountain to collect them."

"All expenses and gains are recorded in the ledger, and my uncle can check them at any time."

Ji An nodded slightly and said:

"I understand. Everyone has worked hard. Each of you will receive ten spirit stones."

"Thank you for the reward, Uncle-Master."

As twilight faded and darkness fell, a full moon rose, casting its serene and cold light.

Ji An walked towards the underground cave, with the rock-armored bear running around him like a puppy.

The golden retriever came running over with a fire-toothed rabbit in its mouth. When it saw the new bear cub, it immediately roared and pounced on it.

The rabbit, who had been waiting to die with its eyes closed, discovered that the vicious rat had abandoned it. It scrambled to its feet and fled in a panic.

The aura of a Foundation Establishment stage demon beast is beyond the Rock Armor Bear's ability to withstand. Even demon beasts with high bloodline levels face a great risk of dying young when they are weak.

The little bear hurriedly hid behind its owner, while simultaneously letting out a howl for help.

Ji An activated his object manipulation technique, slowing down the golden retriever's movements for a moment.

His spell now has the force of six or seven hundred catties, which is enough to interfere with the actions of small demonic beasts.

The golden retriever bared its teeth, still fiercely wanting to cause trouble for the little bear.

That's enough.

Ji An shouted, thinking to himself, "They've even learned to compete for favor now."

He took out the Beast Taming Token and communicated with the golden retriever, telling it that the little bear was a newly acquired beast taming creature.

In future battles, the little bear will charge ahead to share the burden, while the other will simply hide at the back to help.

He described in detail the role of the cub as a "tank" and warned that if there were no Rock Armored Bears, the Golden Fur would have to fight the enemy on its own and engage in head-on combat with other monsters.

After the explanation, the golden retriever immediately understood the bear's purpose.

Oh, so you're the one who does the dirty and tiring work. That's alright then.

"Squeak squeak".

The golden retriever straightened up and let out a gentle bark.

Ji An crouched down and pulled the rock-armored bear out from behind, allowing the two pets to officially meet.

The golden retriever extended its paw in a friendly manner and patted the bear's paw, baring its teeth and showing what it thought was a benevolent expression.

The rock-armored bear let out a fierce howl, glared at the spirit-seeking rat, and then quickly snuggled into its master's arms.

"Squeak squeak".

Golden Retriever tilted its head and thought for a moment, then used its earth-walking technique to disappear.

Ji An led the Rock Armor Bear into the underground cave to check the growth of the Earth Spirit Fruit Tree and the Soul Nourishing Wood, and cast spells on the spiritual plants.

The little bear was frightened and stayed close to him, never leaving his side.

A warm, yellow aura shone in the cave, where the nourishing and profound Dharma meaning of the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra coexisted harmoniously.

The rock-armored bear pounced on the spot where the light shone, and it felt a familiar presence.

Bathed in moonlight, the leaves of the Soul-Nourishing Wood are tinged with a purple hue. It has barely grown taller in the past month, but it has added a new leaf.

The Thick Earth Technique used by Huang Xuan and the others had little effect on it, so Ji An did not allow them to enter the underground cave.

The yellow aura gradually merged with the soil and rocks, and the light dimmed.

Ji An left with the Rock Armor Bear, and just as he stepped out the door, he saw Golden Fur running towards him with Fire Fang Rabbit in its mouth.

The spirit mouse kills its prey and then uses its head to nudge it at the feet of the bear cub.

With such a small body, how can it possibly charge to the front and draw enemy fire without eating more meat?

The golden retriever had its own agenda, sincerely inviting its new companion to eat.

"Ouch."

The little bear hurriedly took a few steps back, let out a fierce but cowardly roar, and hid behind its master again.

Ji An was stunned, thinking to himself:

'So you've even learned how to cultivate it?'

He conveyed Golden Fur's meaning through the blood pact. Rock Armor Bear poked its head out, sniffed Fire Fang Rabbit, and then instinctively went for its prey.

Because it was captured at a very young age and was not taught hunting skills by its mother, its movements were clumsy and it relied entirely on brute force.

The golden retriever couldn't stand it anymore, squeaked a few times, and went over to demonstrate.

He tore open the Firetooth Rabbit's soft belly with his sharp claws, and the little bear imitated him, widening the wound and beginning to devour it.

Soon, half of the rabbit was inside the rock bear's belly. It had eaten quite a bit at dinner and was now completely full.

The golden retriever swallowed the remaining half and buried the fur somewhere; it was a clean spirit mouse.

And so, the two beasts had their first interaction, which was generally quite friendly.

(End of this chapter)