Chapter 26 Cliff Mountain

Half an hour ago, in room number four of the "Heaven" section.

Zhang Yuanshan and his two companions arrived the earliest and gathered together to chat about their respective gains in the sect over the past six months.

"After entering the weapon refining hall, I have been working as an assistant to my clansman."

Discovering that I actually had some talent for weapon crafting, my family increased their support for my training, which allowed me to advance to the fifth level of Qi Refining within half a year.

Half a month ago, he was even able to forge the prototype of a magical artifact on his own.

"Senior Brother Zhang has a bright future ahead of him, which is truly enviable."

My younger sister barely broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining a month ago; she's still far from it.

Chu He said in a deep, muffled voice:

"Senior sister, please don't be modest. I only broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining yesterday. Wouldn't that make me seem too stupid?"

"Haha, everyone has a bright future ahead of them," Zhang Yuanshan casually changed the subject:

"A few months ago, Ji An came to Chitong Mountain to find us, saying he wanted to borrow a spirit stone."

At the time, I saw that he had mastered the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique to a minor degree despite being only at the second level of Qi Refining, and with his persuasion, I nodded in agreement. He borrowed two spirit stones from each of us.

"Oh, he also came to borrow spirit stones from you two?"

Zhao Mengyao was stunned.

"Oh? Junior Sister also had her spirit stones borrowed?"

Zhao Mengyao nodded, her face slightly embarrassed.

"I decided to sponsor him with spirit stones because he managed to master the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique within a month, despite only having the power of a second-level Qi Refining cultivator."

She suddenly felt a little regretful and said:

"Now that I think about it carefully, even a minor success in the Minor Cloud and Rain Technique can only increase the production of spirit grain by about 10%."

The three of them discussed it and were shocked to discover that Ji An had accumulated a debt of 16 spirit stones. This must be beyond the debt repayment limit of an early-stage Qi Refining cultivator!

Chu He clenched his fist and said angrily:

"I need to be frugal with spirit stones to maintain my cultivation, but this guy is so carefree!"

Zhang Yuanshan pondered for a moment and said:

"A true Lingnong is one who has mastered one of the following techniques: Minor Cloud Rain Technique, Thick Earth Technique, or Withering and Flourishing Technique."

Ji An has a high aptitude for water-based magic, but it's unclear how long it will take him to master the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique.

He promised to return a batch of spirit stones to us in six months; we'll see how he performs then.

However, we can't lend him spirit stones anymore. We need to give him a warning today.

Also, we need to mention the matter of using the beast-taming secret technique to settle the debt.

The real test of magical talent is the leap from minor mastery to mastery, the two levels of beginner and expert. As long as you practice enough times, you can quickly improve to the minor mastery level.

However, simply practicing more is not enough to quickly elevate a minor spell to a major one. Without sufficient comprehension, it will inevitably take a long time to achieve this, or it may never be possible to achieve it at all.

A promising spirit farmer is worth befriending, but it would be a losing proposition to keep using spirit stones to maintain that relationship.

The other party's debts are simply too heavy.

He had never realized before that he could cultivate by borrowing spirit stones.

Damn, it's all that guy's fault for being too talkative. He's such a contrast to his dull self before he opened his meridians.

Ji An took in the expressions of the others, sat up straight, and said gently:

"What you say is absolutely right, senior brother."

The sect has a three-year assessment period for new disciples. It's absolutely impossible for someone with only a minor level of planting magic to pay off their debts within a few years.

"You knew about this too?!"

Chu He slammed his fist on the table, pulling back his strength. "That's not what you said when you borrowed the spirit stones!"

"Relying on minor spells is impossible, but major spells might be feasible?"

My junior brother is not very talented, but he has mastered the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique and the Thick Earth Technique a few days ago.

I planted two acres of Linggu rice, and the day before yesterday I harvested a total of 580 jin of yellow sprout rice.

This year I don't need to pay land rent or taxes to the sect. If I sell all of it, I can get 580 spirit crystals.

Ji An cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his words sincere:

"The small banquet is over for today. Please come to my residence for half a day to enjoy the bountiful harvest of wine and meat."

Zhang Yuanshan's gaze sharpened. Two mastered spells in less than half a year?!

Zhao Mengyao's eyes also showed horror. If this was true, they would have to reassess the other party's magical potential!

Zhang Yuanshan hummed in agreement and smiled:

"I am honored by your achievement, junior brother."

"I'll trouble you tonight, junior brother, let's enjoy a drink and have some fun."

Knocking? What a load of rubbish!

One by one, disciples arrived. Zhang Yuanshan glanced around and saw that all 16 disciples of the same period had arrived. He then ordered the restaurant to serve the dishes.

The atmosphere was lively and joyful, with toasts and laughter filling the air.

As the wine flowed freely, Zhang Yuanshan gently put down his cup and sighed:

"It's a pity I don't know if I'll be able to return here and drink with you all again in six months."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

Zhao Mengyao was surprised:

"What do you mean by that, Senior Brother? Have you received a mission from the sect that requires you to go out?"

Sometimes, sects will assign guard duties to disciples at the fourth level of Qi Refining or above, but these are usually for disciples with poor production capabilities. Moreover, disciples are not assigned any duties by the sect during their first three years in the sect.

At this time, the disciple had just entered the sect, his magic skills were not proficient, and his safety was not guaranteed.

Everyone asked questions, their voices filled with worry.

The fact that newly initiated disciples are all being sent out means something big is about to happen.

The sect is not without enemies. Not to mention the internal conflicts among humans, the demon race deep in the mountains of the northwest often fights with the sect.

"I suppose so, but it's a good thing," Zhang Yuanshan said with a smile.

"Yesterday, my uncle told me that a few days ago, the sect had a major battle with the Azure-Eyed Demon Ape clan of Moya Mountain and killed the Ape King."

The sect has now occupied Mount Moya, which is a first-grade high-quality spiritual vein. They are just waiting to set up a protective formation for the mountain before sending cultivators to guard it.

My uncle was chosen, so I benefited from the opportunity and went along with him.

The official announcement should be released in a few days. If any of you junior colleagues have connections, you might want to try and pull some strings.

“With cultivation in a first-grade high-level spiritual vein, Senior Brother’s cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds. Mengyao wishes Senior Brother a speedy breakthrough to the late stage of Qi Refining.”

"Congratulations, senior brother."

Everyone offered their congratulations, and Ji An secretly envied them. He wondered how much spiritual energy the stone tortoise could absorb in a day if he could also enter the spiritual vein to cultivate.

However, he only thought about it; such a good thing could not possibly fall into the lap of someone as helpless as him.

This incident also made him want to advance to the late stage of Qi Refining as soon as possible and find a good master to rely on.

Sects place great importance on the master-disciple lineage, and only cultivators at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage or above are qualified to accept disciples.

In order for the master to teach the disciple with dedication, the master will receive contribution points after the disciple becomes the disciple.

If a disciple is at the seventh level of Qi Refining, the master will receive 700 contribution points annually. If the disciple advances one level to the eighth level of Qi Refining, the master will receive 800 contribution points annually, plus an additional 700 points.

Each Foundation Establishment cultivator has only four slots for non-Foundation Establishment disciples. When a disciple advances to Foundation Establishment, the master receives more rewards.

Another benefit of becoming an apprentice is that you can enter the Foundation Establishment cultivator circle in advance, gain more inside information, and suffer less loss in resource allocation.

(End of this chapter)