Chapter 318 Taking on Disciples

Ji An often heard the name 'Lin Mao' from his master, who was mainly responsible for cultivating the sect's earth and metal element spiritual plants.

He quickly glanced at the other person and saw that his face was slightly dark, his cheeks were faintly red and full of wrinkles.

Gray hair and slightly cloudy eyes—these features all indicate that the person is old.

A cultivator only shows signs of aging when their vital energy begins to decline, so it seems that the other person's lifespan is not particularly long.

"You're too kind, Palace Master. It's our duty to share your burdens and cultivate more high-level spiritual plants for the sect."

Lin Mao lowered his head slightly, a complex expression appearing in his eyes, which he quickly concealed.

He broke through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment when he was over 130 years old. Realizing that he had no hope of breaking through to the Origin Stage, he devoted more energy to cultivating spiritual plants and achieved considerable success.

When the sect established the Department of Agriculture, he thought that with his qualifications, he would undoubtedly become the head of the department. Unexpectedly, the sect had produced a Spirit Farmer in the Chaoyuan stage at some point.

Kong Yunyi had two wispy mustaches, a thin body, and looked somewhat sleazy.

He stared with his tiny, beady eyes and laughed:

"Lord Temple Master, let me introduce you to the other stewards. This is..."

After his introduction, Ji An had a preliminary impression of everyone.

"Gentlemen, starting tomorrow, the Ministry of Agriculture will begin operating."

I am not familiar with how things work, so everyone should just do their jobs for now.

If there are any changes or decisions, I will discuss them with everyone in advance.

You guys go ahead and do the work; I'll observe first.

Lin Mao's face lit up with joy, and he said:

“Palace Master, why don’t we let the others disperse first? Junior Brother Kong and I will show the two Palace Masters around the Sinong Palace.”

He was satisfied with the other party's words, which meant that they would not interfere in specific matters for the time being.

With no hope of improving his personal cultivation, he has recently become obsessed with the feeling of giving orders.

Ji An nodded slightly and said:

"Everyone else, you can leave now."

The Si Nong Hall is divided into four rows, with the front hall serving as the place for receiving disciples and issuing tasks.

The second row of the main hall is where various account books are stored, and it is also the area where the deacons and deputy hall masters reside.

The back row is a warehouse, where the Ministry of Agriculture will need to allocate supplies.

The last main hall is where the temple master practices meditation.

Behind the main hall, there is a grove of dragon trees, and beyond that, there are steep cliffs.

Zhang Zizhao sat in the back hall for a while, then rose to take his leave, saying:

“Junior brother, you have just taken over the Ministry of Agriculture, and you must have a lot to do. I will not disturb you any longer. Farewell.”

If you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.

"Okay, take care, senior brother."

Ji An saw them off and returned to the main hall, where he listened to the two hall masters report on the daily arrangements.

He nodded slightly and said:

"Let's follow this charter. If there's anything inappropriate, we'll adjust it as needed."

There is no precedent for establishing a Department of Agriculture in the sect. The current rules and regulations are pieced together from the rules and regulations of other departments.

Lin Mao and the other man responded in unison:

"What the Palace Master says is very true."

Ji An got up, opened the window, and leaned out.

As the sun set in the west, the mountains resembled a faded ancient painting.

"I will not stay here today; I will come again tomorrow."

"Respectfully seeing off the Palace Master."

Ji An did not leave directly, but went to the woods behind the main hall, as this was the right time to absorb qi.

He faced east, opened his eyes wide as he exhaled, and then inhaled naturally.

A cool breeze entered his throat and was swallowed down. The wood element energy circulated in his immortal meridians and eventually flowed into his wood element divine palace.

The veins in the outer and inner layers of the liver lit up in turn, and the core of the Shenfu (a point on the face) showed signs of strengthening.

He failed to ingest the breath on his third attempt, and tried several more times, but still failed.

Ji An shook his head slightly. This piece of Azure Dragon Wood was only of the second-grade low-level, and many others were only of the first grade.

I'm currently absorbing two strands of Qi; I don't know how long it will be before I can absorb Qi again.

The core spiritual vein node of Ningcui Cliff has reached the top grade level, and the area where the Si Nong Hall is located also has second-tier middle grade, but the spiritual trees are only at this level, which should be due to neglect in daily maintenance.

The number of spirit farmers in the sect seems to be very large, but the vast majority of them are Qi Refining stage disciples.

Frankly speaking, they are not up to much use; the proportion of Spirit Farmers in the Foundation Establishment stage is too small.

In his view, the most urgent thing the Ministry of Agriculture needs to do is to cultivate more Spirit Farmers in the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, this matter needs to be taken slowly; there's no need to rush it.

Ji An made hand seals and released the Yellow Dragon Enhancing Yuan Technique, the Azure Dragon Awakening Insect Technique, and the Cloud Dragon Spreading Rain Technique in sequence, before riding away on a cloud.

After Ji An left, the two deputy hall masters arrived at the woods. Lin Mao gazed at the dark clouds, which were shimmering with lightning, and murmured:

"Is this the power of a spell at the Chaoyuan stage?"

The refreshing scent that wafted towards him filled him with emotion.

Compared to this spell, the Spring Breeze and Rain Technique he released was no different from ordinary rain.

That wasn't the most disheartening part. His prized Thick Earth Returning to Origin Spell was barely stronger than the Palace Master's spell's aftereffects.

Kong Yunyi scratched his hair and sighed:

"The temple master's magical level must have reached a high level, otherwise the magical intent he exudes could not be so strong."

Wasn't it said he only needed three years to break through to the Chaoyuan stage? His speed in comprehending the divine intent of magic is just too fast!

His most proficient spell is water magic, and he has mastered the Spring Breeze and Rain Technique to its fullest extent.

It took him seven years to perfect this Foundation Establishment stage spell, and another twenty years to perfect it.

However, the spiritual rain falling from the ultimate level of magic is far weaker than the nourishing magical intent contained in the temple master's magic.

He couldn't imagine how quickly the other party could cultivate spiritual plants. The difference in the effect of a single spell was so great; the gap would be incalculable over time.

Ji An flew around Ningcui Cliff on a cloud, casting spells on the spiritual fields of each medicinal garden.

Today, I officially take over this place and will shoulder all the responsibilities. I will treat the spiritual plants in the herb garden the same way I treat the spiritual plants of Crimson Flame Peak.

The fruits grown on Crimson Flame Peak are spiritual fruits, which must be paired with spiritual herbs produced in the herb garden to achieve their maximum effect.

After touring the four medicinal gardens, Ji An rode auspicious clouds to the front of the mountaintop cave and stepped inside.

Although her master no longer holds any position, this cave still belongs to her.

Ge Ying asked with a smile:

"Finished with work? Any thoughts?"

"I've just gotten familiar with the situation; I don't have any other thoughts."

"Don't you feel the exhilarating satisfaction of deciding the fate of other cultivators with a single thought?"

Ge Ying pressed further, "Being able to take charge of a hall means that I will be a powerful cultivator in the future, and every decision I make will affect many disciples."

Ji An shook his head slightly and said calmly:

"Judging from the power they wield, high-level cultivators can naturally decide the fate of low-level cultivators, but what is the point of that?"

For us cultivators, the most difficult thing is to control our own destiny.

"Without immortality, even the most magnificent things will eventually fade away."

He has not encountered any bottlenecks in improving his cultivation level, and this is the time for him to make great strides.

They don't have any particular feeling about wielding power, because they have higher aspirations.

"I hope you can always maintain your current mindset, without wavering, and grow vigorously and upward like the spirit of wood."

Ge Ying felt relieved. The path of cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind.

Disciples are not disturbed by external things, and their resolve to follow the Dao is firm. Only in this way can they hope to reach the summit.

Her life ended there, but she hoped that her future disciples could reach even greater heights and see the view from that distant place on her behalf.

"I will keep this in mind."

He paused, then said:

"Master, please excuse me for a moment. I need to perform a spell on the medicinal herbs in the herb garden."

"Yes, don't forget the two spirit peach trees up there."

Ji An smiled, "Of course not."

The next day.

After absorbing the Qi, Ji An sat down cross-legged to cultivate the Five Elements Revolving Scripture.

Although the Si Nong Hall area is built on a second-tier mid-grade spiritual vein, its cultivation effect is definitely not as good as this place.

As the cultivation technique was activated, various colors of the five elements' spiritual light surrounded him, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was poured into his body.

The ten Dao Seeds flickered in turn, absorbing spiritual energy but also giving back a trace of special spiritual energy containing the essence of the Dharma.

His liver shimmered with a vibrant green light, and colorless spiritual energy, tinged with green, flowed toward his heart.

As spiritual energy was channeled, the liver's radiance dimmed.

The pale golden veins on the surface of the heart lit up, throbbed powerfully like a drumbeat, and emitted a clear, bright light like a furnace fire.

The spiritual energy was transformed into a crimson color and gathered towards the spleen, while the light at the heart dimmed.

A yellow aura emanated from the spleen area, and a rich, nourishing energy was released.

Yellow spiritual energy flowed into the lungs, with a silvery-white shimmering light.

Finally, the silver spiritual energy entered the kidneys, turning them deep black, with pale cloud-like patterns rippling across their surface.

If the sect's true masters knew about Ji An's current cultivation state, they would surely be astonished, as this state already carries a hint of the five elements generating each other.

Normally, this phenomenon would only occur after five divine palaces have been established.

This is all thanks to Ji An's ability to open up meridian patterns during the Foundation Establishment stage, including those in the five internal organs. In addition, the ten Dao Seeds also contributed to this.

After three major cycles, crystal-clear emerald green magical power flowed from the liver and into the dantian, where the stone tortoise and the primordial fire each absorbed one-tenth of it.

Ji An estimated the time and finished his cultivation at Chen Shi (7-9 AM), then flew down the cloud to the stone house at the foot of the mountain.

He activated the teleportation array and arrived at Ningcui Cliff in the next instant.

"Disciple Tian Qingbai greets Martial Uncle Ji!"

Tian Qingbai bowed and clasped his hands, quickly glancing at the cultivator in front of him.

A wave of emotion surged within him; he still remembered the name 'Ji An'.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the other party chose a certain place in the far west of the sect as their cave dwelling, and after that, we heard very little about them.

Unexpectedly, when they met again, the other party had become his senior uncle in the Chaoyuan stage, and he felt a mix of emotions.

Ji An was slightly stunned. He felt as if time had intertwined, and a figure from the depths of his memory overlapped with the cultivator in front of him.

"It's Junior Nephew Tian! More than forty years have passed in the blink of an eye. What brings you here?"

He sighed inwardly. He had met the other person when he first came to the sect, and they had interacted several times since.

He even gave away several spirit stones in order to become his disciple.

Later, the other party 'returned the favor' with a can of spiritual tea, and that was the end of it.

Back then, Tian Qingbai's hair was jet black, but now it's snow-white. He has large eye bags, and his face is full of wrinkles, so you can only vaguely make out his outline.

Tian Qingbai felt a throbbing pain in his temple and hurriedly said:

"It is an honor that my master still remembers his disciple."

"His Highness Qin Gong has ordered me to send several disciples with excellent aptitude so that my martial uncle can choose and accept them as disciples."

(End of this chapter)