Chapter 374 High-Grade Geng Metal Dao Seed

Five thousand great merits can be converted into five hundred thousand minor merits.

When Ge Ying heard about the reward her disciple received, she was overjoyed, even more so than when she herself received a reward.

These small achievements are comparable to the gains of most of her life.

She and Zhong Yuefei smiled at each other, both able to see the joy in each other's eyes.

Ji An was not smug. For other cultivators, this reward was a huge income, but for him, it was only five or six years' worth of income.

He single-handedly boosted the sect's GDP significantly, and in a few decades he will become the sect's 'financial oligarch'.

"That doesn't count."

Master Zhengyang waved his hand and smiled with satisfaction:

"Even if you don't say anything, the sect will search for more rare spiritual seeds and seedlings, which you can exchange for with small merits."

Make another request, as long as it's not unreasonable, I can agree to it.

The disciple has proven his worth; the sect only needs to provide full support and then simply wait for him to blossom.

The more prosperous Crimson Flame Peak is, the more the sect benefits from it.

Ji An scratched his head, revealing a simple and honest smile, and said:

"I hope that the sect can inherit more knowledge about planting and the spells of the Chaoyuan stage from the cultivators of the Central Continent."

I want to study more Five Elements magic; maybe it will help me understand the mutual generation of the Five Elements in the future.

After the spiritual veins of Crimson Flame Peak were upgraded to the second-tier superior grade, the stone turtle was able to absorb 20% to 30% more of the various spiritual energies than before, and the five elements were more evenly distributed.

He can improve his spells much faster than before.

As long as he can elevate a spell to the Great Perfection level, he will inevitably accumulate the foundation of the Dao Seed.

After the Dao Seed is upgraded, the spiritual energy consumed to upgrade spells will decrease accordingly.

This is also the fundamental reason why he tends to push all spells to their limits.

Master Zhengyang smiled and said:

"With your request, the sect also benefits. Do you have any more personal requests?"

Ji An was in a dilemma. He didn't have an urgent need at the moment. After thinking for a while, he said:

"Can the sect help collect the refining methods for other imitations of the Innate Five Elements Flag?"

No need for a crafting method at the level of a magic weapon; as long as you can craft a top-grade spiritual weapon, that will suffice.

A natal magic weapon needs to withstand the tempering of the cultivator's own Golden Core Tribulation. Other top-grade spiritual artifacts can be upgraded to the level of magic weapons simply by being tempered by heavenly lightning.

However, there are drawbacks to attracting heavenly lightning. There is a high probability that top-grade spiritual artifacts will be directly destroyed by heavenly lightning. If conditions permit, Golden Core cultivators will always choose to directly refine magic treasures.

His eyes widened suddenly, and Master Zhengyang said in astonishment:

"You already have two Five Elements Flags, isn't that enough? Let me tell you, more spiritual artifacts and magic treasures aren't necessarily better. The ones you keep in your dantian to nurture will slow down your cultivation speed."

If you have all five elemental flags gathered in your dantian, a portion of your daily mana will be consumed by them.

The energy consumed by a cultivator in nurturing a top-grade spiritual artifact increases dramatically as the number of spiritual artifacts increases.

Master Yuxiao continued:

"The consumption of mana is secondary; once the magical artifact stores enough mana, the mana consumption is greatly reduced."

However, having too many spiritual artifacts puts too much strain on the Yuanming Fire, which will affect all aspects of cultivation. You should carefully consider this matter.

He had the same idea back then. He nurtured three top-grade spiritual artifacts, but his cultivation efficiency dropped directly. Later, he had to reluctantly take them out and only nurture two more.

In the final decades before breaking through to the Golden Core stage, he only kept one top-grade spiritual artifact.

Ji An said in a deep voice:

"It is my dream to obtain more replicas of the Five Elements Spiritual Treasures. I will strive to fulfill this wish in the future, but when breaking through to a higher realm, I will definitely make the corresponding choices."

The few breaths of pure spiritual energy that the stone tortoise exhales each year are his reliance, and his vital life fire, which is much more vigorous than that of other cultivators of the same level, is his source of confidence.

He now possesses two top-grade spiritual artifacts, but feels no pressure in nurturing them. He wants to try increasing the number of spiritual artifacts in his dantian to three.

Master Yuxiao chuckled lightly, neither confirming nor denying. Many cultivators believed themselves to be the chosen ones, and he had thought so too back then.

He turned to the other side and asked:

"Senior brother, what do you think?"

Master Zhengyang's gaze was deep and thoughtful as he pondered:

"The price of this kind of knowledge is quite high for cultivators in the Central Continent. Once the Merchant Alliance's flying ship arrives, I will purchase the corresponding inheritance as appropriate, provided that resources are sufficient."

Knowledge of planting is the top priority, followed by various spells, and the methods for crafting top-grade spiritual artifacts are last.

Planting knowledge can enrich the sect's spiritual agricultural foundation. Now that the Si Nong Hall has been established, the purpose is to create a foundation as rich as Luo Feng Valley.

The increase in the variety of spells can enrich the methods available to all cultivators in the Chaoyuan stage.

Based on his experience, the possibility of obtaining the method for forging top-grade spiritual artifacts is extremely slim.

Forces possessing this kind of knowledge inheritance are only willing to sell finished products. For example, the Golden Spirit Sect would never trade the methods for refining the Flame Light Banner and the Apricot Yellow Banner.

Master Zhengyang looked at Ji An and said solemnly:

"These years have been a very important period. The sect needs to allocate a lot of resources to exchange for Golden Core pills from cultivators in the Central Continent."

Therefore, the allocation of resources in other areas will be reduced. The sect will try its best to obtain the cultivation and inheritance, but it can only do its best to purchase spells and refine top-grade spiritual weapons.

"But the sect will do its utmost to improve upon the points you've raised, I guarantee that."

He made a promise, explaining that the incident stemmed from him asking his disciple if he had any additional requests, but in the end, he couldn't fulfill the disciple's request, which might have affected the disciple's mood.

When the Central Continent Merchant Alliance arrives this time, the sect needs to purchase two Golden Core Pills. In another thirty years, it will likely need to purchase two more.

This is a huge expense that will severely deplete the sect's resource reserves.

Ultimately, the sect was not wealthy; no matter how many resources it acquired, it was still not enough.

Accumulating the foundation of a power is an extremely difficult process, requiring a huge investment in replicable "techniques".

Ji An nodded and smiled:

"Disciple understands."

When it comes to the inheritance of the sect's Golden Core, everything else must give way.

He only needs to do his job, but the patriarch has many more things to consider.

The matter was settled, and Master Yuxiao smiled and said:

"How long after a top-grade spirit peach is cultivated will it begin to bear fruit?"

Only when the results become stable can the spirit tree generate a continuous stream of profits.

Ji An shook his head; he had no experience in this area and didn't know what the situation would be like.

Ge Ying coughed lightly and said in a deep voice:

"According to the sect's records, the last top-grade spirit peach began to bear fruit in the sixteenth year after it was cultivated."

Now that the spiritual veins of Ningcui Cliff have improved in quality, coupled with Ji An's exquisite magic, I believe it will bear fruit within ten years.

She was very dedicated to cultivating the spirit peach and had consulted a lot of information.

"Ten years? Excellent!"

Master Zhengyang nodded. In that case, the top-grade spirit peaches will come in handy when the Central Continent Merchant Alliance arrives next time.

He pointed to another top-grade spirit peach, a smile in his eyes:

"Based on the example of the top-grade spirit peach, this spirit tree can also be cultivated to the top grade within thirty years, right?"

Ji An smiled and nodded, saying:

"Theoretically yes, and I'm confident about it."

He planted the spirit peach tree himself, and he knew very well about the seed. In thirty years, he had most likely cultivated a top-grade spirit plant on Crimson Flame Peak.

He suddenly realized something and changed his mind:

"Perhaps, in a few years, I will prepare to travel and cultivate my qi by consuming wood."

He is confident that he can take care of the child himself, but the possibility of having a fellow disciple take care of the child in his place is much lower.

He now understands that the irrigation spells at the Chaoyuan stage level played a significant role in cultivating high-level spiritual plants.

Only this explanation can account for why, despite thousands of years of accumulation, the sect has cultivated so few second-tier top-grade spiritual plants.

Master Zhengxiao grinned and said:

"I'm increasingly reluctant to let you leave the sect to travel. Every year you're away is a loss."

As everyone left the herb garden, a golden communication sword immediately rushed to Ji An's side. He probed into it with his divine sense and read the information within, nodding secretly.

The message came from Senior Brother Zhang Zizhao of the Diligent Work Hall. He asked him to stay at Crimson Flame Peak tomorrow, and he and Chu Huaige would arrive before Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow.

The other party also said that they had already informed Jia Yu of the Treasure Pavilion and that he did not need to notify them separately.

Ji An returned to Crimson Flame Peak and, as usual, consumed some Wood Qi and Ding Fire Qi within the Wood, refining a small amount of Liver Fluid and Heart Fluid.

These spiritual liquids can nourish the primordial fire, strengthening the earth elemental flames in a roundabout way, and a small amount dissipates into the dantian, transforming into pure magical power.

The last glimmer of light in the sky faded away. The once brilliant clouds quickly darkened and merged into the night.

Ji An's feet rose amidst fiery clouds, and he flew to a cave halfway up the mountain. He went to a quiet room, took out a jade bottle containing the essence of the five elements, and nourished the Li Di Flame Banner and the Wu Ji Apricot Yellow Banner respectively.

Under his tireless nurturing, the spirituality of both artifacts improved to varying degrees, especially the Flame Banner that was lifted off the ground.

When it is "full", it will emit a clear phoenix cry, circle around him three times, and then return to his dantian to nourish itself.

Ji An sat cross-legged on the black calming grass futon, took out a Di Yuan calming pill and swallowed it, then hurriedly circulated the Earth Element chapter of the Five Elements Revolving Scripture to refine it.

The pill had an earthy smell; it was the worst-tasting pill he had ever eaten, bar none.

As the cultivation technique was activated, the spiritual energy and earth element energy in the pills were rapidly refined, and the spiritual energy in the cave also converged towards him frantically.

The surface of the spleen glowed with a yellow light, and the Earth elements in the acupoints shone with spiritual light.

The Earth element (戊土) exudes a profound and sustaining divine aura, while the Earth element (己土) exudes a nourishing and deep divine aura.

The spiritual energy passing through the Wood Elemental Palace took on a touch of emerald green, gaining more vitality. Then, passing through the Fire Elemental Palace, the spiritual energy turned crimson, fiery and unrestrained.

Ji An didn't know how others cultivated, but he already showed some signs of the five elements generating each other during his cultivation.

Strands of earth-elemental energy converge towards the spleen and are absorbed by the core of the Shenfu (spirit palace). The veins on the surface of the spleen undergo subtle movements, much like the earth changing.

An hour later, the medicinal power was completely refined, and Ji An felt the core of his divine palace grow larger, nodding in satisfaction.

He slowly opened his eyes, and his pupils had turned yellow, radiating a warm glow.

The yellow quickly faded, revealing a deep black, like the night sky.

"Unfortunately, we've run out of pills, and it will be two years before we can get more."

With a sigh, Ji An got up and boiled some spiritual spring water, then took out a box from the void space and opened it.

Seeing the situation inside, his face turned bitter, and he shook his head repeatedly:

"There's only one plate of Soul Incense left. The tough times are coming!"

He activated his object manipulation technique, grabbed the beast-eared three-legged furnace in his hand, lit the soul incense, and began to close his eyes to meditate.

The kettle on the stove made a gurgling sound. He brewed a pot of Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea, drank it all, and sat cross-legged on the futon again, circulating his magic to open the Water Element Divine Palace.

The kidneys immediately turned pitch black, while the lively white cloud-like patterns lit up at the same time.

The magical power surged from his dantian and poured into his kidneys. The Ren and Gui water channels in his acupoints were as deep as ink, and the abundant and flowing energy gathered into his immortal meridians.

Time flies, and more than an hour has passed in the blink of an eye. Ji An felt that his spiritual power could no longer be sustained, so he slowly stopped practicing.

Another inner vein was opened up, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He focused his mind on his dantian and connected with the stone tortoise.

[Master: Ji An]

[Tao Yun: Gold 15.2, Water 12.6, Wood 10.4, Fire 14.6, Earth 13.8]

He always believed that Dao Yun had other undeveloped functions, but he never found any other uses for it.

After a moment's thought, he decided to keep a small amount of each Daoist essence in his hand for emergencies, and refine the rest.

As the Dao Seed is upgraded, the spell's effect will also be upgraded accordingly, while the spiritual energy consumed to upgrade the spell will also be reduced.

His consistent philosophy is to transform resources into strength.

"Refine ten points of Water Daoist Rhyme to enhance the Gui Water Dao Seed."

"Refine ten points of Wood element Daoist essence to evenly enhance the Daoist seeds of Jia Wood and Yi Wood."

"Refine the fourteen points of fire-based Daoist essence to evenly enhance the Bing Fire and Ding Fire Daoist seeds."

"Refine twelve points of Earth Element Daoist Rhyme to enhance my Earth Element Daoist Seed."

"Refine fifteen points of the Metal element Daoist essence to enhance the Geng Metal Daoist seed."

As each command was issued, the various Daoist paths shone brightly.

As if some mechanism had been triggered, the pale golden Gengjin Dao Seed in the Taiyuan acupoint turned silvery-white and suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, turning Ji An's sea of ​​consciousness into a blazing white.

He was startled, and when he opened his eyes, he found that reality was also affected, with everything covered in white.

What's going on?!

Just as he was surprised, the Gengjin Dao Seed flew out of the Taiyuan Cave and entered the Metal Element Divine Palace along the Immortal Vein.

The strange phenomena in Ji An's mind disappeared, and the scene before his eyes returned to normal.

At this moment, without him connecting with the stone tortoise, lines of writing appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness.

[Tao Seed - Sharp Edge Revealed (Superior Grade): Hidden in the Metal Palace of the Lungs, it allows one to comprehend the true meaning of the Geng Metal Tao magic technique 'Indestructible, All Things Wither,' enhancing one's comprehension of Geng Metal Tao magic.]

The meaning of extinction has now become the withering of all things, which is essentially the same.

"I've struck it rich!" Ji An was overjoyed. He now had a certain understanding of the grades of Dao Seeds. Dao Seeds in the Qi Refining stage were not graded, those in the Foundation Establishment stage were low-grade, and those in the Chaoyuan stage were middle-grade.

The Gengjin Dao Seed has reached the superior grade, which means it has reached the Golden Core level!

(End of this chapter)