Chapter 362 Departure

Zhu Xiangrong weighed the golden leaves of the sword bamboo and immediately beamed with joy, saying:

"Five catties of top-grade gold leaves, junior brother is really generous!"

If you exchange top-grade gold leaves from a sect, it costs 1,250 minor merits per pound, but if you get them directly from the other party, it only costs 1,200 minor merits.

He was very pleased that the proportion of high-quality products offered this time far exceeded that of the last time.

Junior Brother Lin Qiubai in the sect is currently a fifth-stage cultivator in the Chaoyuan stage, and he will inevitably attempt to reach the Golden Core stage in the future.

When a cultivator breaks through to the Golden Core stage, not only must they be fully prepared, but they also need to subject a top-grade spiritual artifact that has undergone blood sacrifice to the Golden Core tribulation to refine it into their natal magic weapon.

Junior Brother Lin's flying sword needs to be reforged with top-grade materials to be upgraded into a top-grade spiritual weapon. Please ask him for help.

At that time, a large amount of spiritual liquid extracted from the golden leaves of sword bamboo will be needed. With high-grade spiritual leaves, the amount of medium-grade sword bamboo leaves needed will be much less.

Otherwise, if the quality of the elixir is poor, the quantity can only be compensated for, resulting in a lot of waste.

Zhu Xiangrong gathered up the sword bamboo leaves and sighed:

"I wonder when my junior brother will be able to cultivate a top-grade Xuan Ye Sword Bamboo. The younger generation of weapon refiners are truly fortunate."

Decades ago, the sect did not cultivate Xuan Ye Sword Bamboo at all. When the weapon refiners tempered the golden leaves, they counted the leaves one by one, which was very stingy.

Back then, ordinary Foundation Establishment stage weapon refiners didn't even qualify to exchange for gold leaves. Now, however, gold leaves are available in everything from top-grade first tier to high-grade second tier.

However, he is already four hundred years old and is still stuck at the fourth stage of the Chaoyuan realm. In a few decades, his qi and blood will begin to decline, and he will have no hope of achieving the Golden Core in this lifetime.

His greatest wish is to forge more top-grade spiritual artifacts so that his fellow disciples can use them as their natal magic weapons.

In this way, his spirit can be considered to have survived in another form.

It would be even better if my fellow disciples could go further on the path to immortality.

What is true death? It is not physical death, but when no one in this world remembers a person's past anymore. That is what it means to vanish into thin air.

Ji An smiled and said:

"It won't be too far off. I estimate that as long as the spiritual veins of Crimson Flame Peak are upgraded to the second-tier high-grade, there is a high probability that they will be able to cultivate top-grade sword bamboo."

Upgrading the main spiritual vein node to superior grade necessitates cultivating the current second-tier mid-grade spiritual field to superior grade.

With the addition of the Yellow Dragon Enhancing Yuan Technique and Azure Dragon Awakening Insect Technique at the Great Perfection level, cultivating the Sword Bamboo into a second-tier top-grade item only requires sufficient time to accumulate.

If Luofeng Valley can cultivate Xuan Ye Sword Bamboo into a second-tier top-grade variety, then he can do it even better.

Not only that, he also has the ambition to cultivate third-tier sword bamboo.

The potential of this spiritual wood is very high. Although the Western Continent has not cultivated any third-tier trees, the Divine Wood Sect in the Central Continent has cultivated a large number of third-tier Xuan Ye Sword Bamboo.

A look of reminiscence crossed Zhu Xiangrong's eyes as he laughed loudly:

"Speaking of spiritual vein enhancement, I recall that when the sect master's spiritual vein was enhanced, it triggered the eruption of Crimson Flame Peak."

With the Crimson Flame Peak's spiritual veins now upgraded, it should erupt again. If the fog in the mountain pass doesn't dissipate at night, then an eruption is not far off.

Junior brother, be sure to let me know in advance!

The last time Crimson Flame Peak erupted, it spewed forth top-grade spiritual treasures. If it erupts again, the harvest should be no less than last time.

Although merits are required to redeem them, many times there isn't even the opportunity to redeem them.

“Okay,” Ji An agreed with a smile. Compared to the spiritual item he received in one go, he cared more about the long-term benefits he would gain from Crimson Flame Peak.

The spirit field can support more second-tier spirit plants, so he won't need to cut down the existing spirit trees.

The stone turtle can absorb more spiritual energy, and the earth's veins tremble violently, allowing it to gain another stroke of Daoist essence.

He always felt that Daoist principles, besides cultivating Daoist seeds, should have many other uses that had not yet been developed.

Ji An returned to his cave on Crimson Flame Peak. With a flick of his wrist, the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner flew out from his dantian, roughly the size of a book.

His consciousness sank into the Void Stone and retrieved a yellow jade bottle from the Void Realm.

The jade bottle was only the size of a palm and as thick as an arm, covered with fine runes and tiny characters the size of rice grains.

Ji An opened the magical seal on the jade bottle, and wisps of yellow spiritual light overflowed from it, revealing that it contained the essence of earth element.

In his mind, he heard the magical artifact roar with joy.

A yellow cloud swirled around the Wuji Apricot Yellow Flag, blocking the mouth of the jade bottle. After a while, seemingly not satisfied, it changed its shape and burrowed into the jade bottle.

Ji An hurriedly made a hand seal to stop the magical artifact's reckless and foolish move.

The jade bottle is a specially designed storage space that can only be used to store fluids such as the essence of the five elements or spiritual water.

It's impossible for the Wuji Apricot Yellow Flag to penetrate it; forcibly entering would only cause the jade bottle to explode, and the tens of thousands of strands of earth element essence inside would be wasted.

Ji An made a hand seal, drawing out the essence of earth element. Strands of yellow spiritual light gathered into a "flow of water" that gushed out continuously.

The magical artifact hovered vertically in the air, and the golden Qilin pattern on the flag brightened, devouring all the essence.

About 15 minutes later, the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner refused to be fed and returned to Ji An's dantian.

"It has devoured approximately two thousand four hundred strands; its appetite is far greater than that of the Flame Banner that is off the ground!"

Ji An quickly considered the matter in his mind for a moment, his brows furrowing into a frown.

Earth element essence is the rarest of the five element essences. He currently has a little over 500,000 strands of it, but it's not enough for a year's supply.

After a moment's thought, he took out two communication talisman swords, sending one to Wei Songnian to invite him to the banquet.

Another message was sent to Zhang Cuihua, informing her of her decision to host a banquet.

He broke the magical barrier and activated the two talisman swords, their silver light flying out of the cave one after the other.

Ji An went to the quiet room, boiled a pot of water, brewed the Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea, and drank it all.

Then he lit the soul incense in the bronze beast-ear furnace, took out the treasured black soul-soothing grass futon from the void, sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the magic to open the Golden Palace.

Including the Soul-Nourishing Pendant, he now possesses four methods for restoring his divine consciousness.

Now that he has opened up his divine palace, he can maintain it for an hour and a half, which is incomparable to the half hour and a half he could do at the beginning.

Silver veins appeared in the lungs, resembling tiny flying swords pieced together, and the entire lungs shone with a silvery-white radiance.

Every time Ji An opened the Jin Mansion, he wondered what the doctors would think if he returned to Earth and had an X-ray of his shiny white lungs.

At this moment, he would always sigh in his heart. The world is different now. Many underlying laws, which seem similar, should have fundamental differences.

His liver is currently emerald green, his heart is fiery red, and his spleen is a normal color. However, once the Earth Element Divine Palace is perfected, it will turn into a warm, lustrous yellow jade color, which would have been considered a disease in his previous life.

The magical power in his dantian surged out, flowing along the immortal meridians into his lungs, making the meridian patterns even brighter.

Ji An felt waves of exhaustion washing over his soul, so he stopped practicing the technique.

He brewed a pot of Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea, closed his eyes to rest for a moment, and then walked out of the cave.

The setting sun cast its orange glow overhead, but it couldn't reach the cave entrance.

Clouds, like rosy clouds and wisps of smoke, rose from beneath his feet, and Ji An rode the fiery auspicious clouds down to the cold pool at the foot of the mountain.

Wei Songnian stood up, cupped his hands, and said:

"Fellow Daoist, you ride the clouds and your robes flutter in the wind, truly like a celestial being descending to earth!"

Ji An collected the auspicious clouds, shook his head, and chuckled:

"Fellow Daoist is praising me to the skies. In truth, it was my rudeness not to go and sit in the living room."

He invited others over, and it was one thing not to greet them, but to make the guests wait was ultimately a bit unseemly.

"A gentle breeze blows by the pool, and as you quietly watch the sunset illuminate the blue water, the shimmering waves always inspire your thoughts to soar. You can't see such a view in your living room."

Wei Songnian smiled amicably. His cultivation had stagnated, but his mindset had become more at ease.

"Fellow Daoist, you have a refined taste. Today, let's enjoy a boat ride and drink wine under the moon. It's a pity that this pool is not wide enough to see the vast and misty scenery."

"Excellent!"

The two sat down and reminisced about the past and their humble beginnings, which greatly reduced the awkwardness caused by the difference in their cultivation levels.

Wei Songnian picked up a dried mulberry and put it in his mouth, the fragrance spreading between his lips and teeth.

For cultivators in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, the spiritual energy of second-grade mid-level mulberries is excessively concentrated. Although it cannot compare to elixirs, long-term consumption can be more effective.

Natural mulberries do not contain erysipelas.

"Fellow Daoist, the sect has lifted the ban, allowing disciples from eligible families to leave. I have been notified that I can leave next month."

"Once I leave, I will no longer be a disciple of the sect."

Wei Songsang sighed. If Fellow Daoist Ji hadn't invited him today, he would have chosen an opportunity to visit.

The Wei clan of Xiaozhushan is in dire straits. The old clan leader is nearing the end of his life, and several rogue cultivators have risen up in the surrounding area, forcing the Xiaozhushan and Dazhushan clans, who have a history of conflict, to unite.

His return can stabilize the situation.

Although his cultivation has stagnated, his Daoist partner has already reached the third level of Foundation Establishment, and with the addition of several top-grade magic artifacts, he can contend with a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator without being at a disadvantage.

As long as he maintains contact with his friends in the sect, he can keep control of the family.

Ji An replied:

"On the day you left, I went to see you off and also visited Xiaozhushan."

The sect strictly forbids its disciples from participating in external disputes, so he certainly wouldn't invite trouble for himself. However, he could still step down to stand up for his old friend.

Wei Songnian was overjoyed and quickly stood up, bowed, and said:

"Thank you, fellow Daoist."

In this way, the news that Xiaozhushan has connections in the Chaoyuan stage will spread, which can at least deter some cultivators from taking extreme actions.

If he can get through the most difficult two or three decades, he is confident that he can restore Xiaozhushan to its former glory, and even go further.

Ji An used his magic to support the other person, preventing him from bending over:

"It was just a small favor, but that's all I could do."

"When the Soul-Nourishing Wood is cultivated to the highest grade of the first rank, I can commission the sect's weapon refiners to craft it into magical artifacts that nourish the soul, and sell some to fellow cultivators."

The reason for selling is to inform the other party that while friends are friends, there are still boundaries to some things.

He planned to train the Wei family to be resource gatherers, as a supplement to the sect, and perhaps the Wei family would obtain unexpected good things.

Of course, this is just a side move; it's not expected to yield any reward, but it's fine if it does, or not.

"I won't say any more words of thanks. If you ever need my help in the future, the Wei family will do our best."

Wei Songnian solemnly stated that with the magical artifacts crafted from Soul-Nourishing Wood, the spiritual barrier for the family disciples to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage would be greatly reduced.

"There is indeed something I need your help with, fellow Daoist. I need a large amount of Earth Element Essence, and I would appreciate it if you could help me purchase it in the future. The more the better."

"By the way, do you have enough spirit stones?"

The essence of earth element is scarce in the sect, and there is no need to ask other fellow disciples for help in acquiring it, because it is not worth owing favors for such a small matter.

“That’s enough. Once the situation at Xiaozhushan is stabilized, I will send someone to deliver it to you once a month.”

Wei Songnian was very curious. He had already helped acquire a lot of Earth Element Essence, but there was still a large shortage. He wondered what the other party intended to do with it.

After the demonic calamity broke out, he controlled all the family's assets in Mingfeng Mountain, and he was still able to come up with tens of thousands of spirit stones as working capital.

Since the other party had made the offer, he planned to rent shops in the market town near Xiaozhushan and Qingyun Immortal City to open up the market more quickly.

Ji An nodded, "Yes, there's no limit to my acquisitions. It will take at least twenty or thirty years. Go ahead and do it with confidence."

The two chatted happily, and before they knew it, the sun had set in the west and the moon had risen in the east, and the serene moonlight draped the earth in a white veil.

They moved tables and chairs onto the boat, laid out wine and dishes, and then the two of them rowed on the cold pond.

The boat rocked gently, shattering the moonlight that filled the pond.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Ji An did not go out to absorb Qi. He spent most of his time opening up the Metal Element Divine Palace or practicing spells, and opened up another inner layer vein of the Metal Palace.

He only used his cultivation technique to refine spiritual energy when his magical power was almost exhausted, so his cultivation level did not improve significantly.

At dawn, as the sun rose, a flying boat entered Crimson Flame Peak.

Ji An flew up on a cloud and saw a group of people lined up on the deck to welcome him. They were all people from the Wei family who had been entrusted to the sect and were now returning to Xiaozhushan with him.

At this moment, Wei Songnian had already taken off the sect's standard Daoist robe and put on a black Dharma robe. He wore a kind smile and cupped his hands, saying:

"It is my honor to be able to address Fellow Daoist Ji as 'fellow Daoist'."

When his old friends in the sect learned of his departure, they all held farewell banquets, but only Ji An went with them to visit Xiaozhushan.

Yin Qiuyun bowed to her Daoist partner, a smile appearing on her lips.

Ji An returned the greeting with clasped hands:

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. It was my honor to receive your help back then."

The first few years after he entered the sect were the most difficult period for him, and every spirit stone he received was of great help.

Regardless of the other party's considerations, it is true that he had owed a lot of spirit stones on credit, and later received Soul-Nourishing Wood as a gift, all of which were acts of kindness.

After exchanging a few polite words, Wei Songnian turned his head and said:

"Bai Qi and Bai Lin, come up and pay your respects to Uncle Ji."

The two boys stepped forward to greet him, and Ji An presented them with two top-grade spiritual fruits as gifts.

Wei Songnian scratched his head, looking rather embarrassed, and said:

"The meditation room has been cleaned. Please come in and rest, fellow Daoist. The flying boat is not fast and we will not arrive at Xiaozhushan until noon tomorrow."

Large spirit boats are very expensive to build, and the Wei family does not have the financial resources to purchase a flying boat that can also carry passengers.

(End of this chapter)