Chapter 40 Reunion

I want to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining too!

Ji An lowered his head, concealing the helplessness in his eyes.

In his relentless cultivation, he encountered a bottleneck in his Qi Refining Level 6 a year ago.

I've been working tirelessly day and night, and only in recent days have I felt the bottleneck loosening.

To break through to the late stage of Qi Refining, one will need to cultivate for at least a few more months.

Thinking that Liu Yu had achieved a breakthrough in just a few months, he once again marveled at the impact of aptitude on improving cultivation.

Those with poor aptitude will have a slow speed of refining spiritual energy, and some of the spiritual energy in the pills and spirit-absorbing array will dissipate before it can be fully refined.

Advancing to a minor realm is fine; at worst, you just waste some pills and crystals. But encountering a bottleneck is really frustrating.

The good thing is that he was having a hard time because he didn't use any breakthrough pills.

However, it wasn't entirely without gains. This year, the immortal veins received more nourishment, widened considerably, and several new branch veins were developed. The original branch veins were also extended slightly.

At this moment, Zhang Fan was in a very good mood. Since two disciples had achieved the highest rating, he would also receive a reward.

He became enthusiastic towards Ji An, chatted with him for a few moments, and encouraged him to cultivate diligently.

A Qi Refining Level 6 disciple who can cultivate ten acres of spiritual fields will have enough to satisfy his cultivation needs.

In the future, it won't be difficult to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill; there's a high probability it will lead to Foundation Establishment. It's worthwhile to humble oneself and offer it as a gift, as it might leave a valuable connection for future generations.

As for Liu Yu, such a person will achieve greater things in the future and may look down on him, a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, making him difficult to associate with.

Zhang Fan decided to occasionally visit this spiritual field in the future to offer some guidance on Ji An's cultivation. It would be a casual gesture and wouldn't waste much of his time.

Seeing that Zhang Fan seemed to be leaving, Old Huang stepped forward and said:

“Uncle-Master, I will be sixty years old next year, and I will no longer meet the requirements to stay in the sect.”

The position of guardian disciple for the sacred field, numbered Guiwei, needs to be filled by someone else.

The caretaker disciple has the responsibility of mentoring new spiritual farmers. If the new disciple performs well, the caretaker disciple can also receive some contribution points as a reward.

He was extremely lucky; both of his new disciples received top marks in the assessment, so earning hundreds of contribution points as a reward was no problem.

His early abdication will also allow his successor to reap the benefits.

According to the sect's rules, after he leaves, the sect will prioritize selecting a guardian disciple from the original area. Since Liu Yu will inevitably leave the spirit field, there is only one candidate to guard the disciple.

Time flies!

Zhang Fan sighed softly, turned his head and said:

"Since Xiao Huang is willing to step down early and give way to a more capable person, then Ji An will take on the role of the guardian disciple of the Guiwei Spirit Field."

"Ji An, you have a good understanding of planting magic. When new disciples join the sect, remember to mentor them; the sect will reward you for it."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master."

"Okay, I'm going to the next place to assess the disciples."

Zhang Fan cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Yu and smiled:

"Nephew Liu, please stay here for a few more days and wait for good news."

"Respectfully seeing off my martial uncle."

The three Qi Refining stage disciples said in unison, and then Zhang Fan flicked his sleeves and flew away without the aid of any magic weapon.

After Zhang Fan walked away, Old Huang said with a smile:

"I need to leave the sect for a few days to go to Huangya Taoist Temple. Farewell, fellow disciples."

Bishui Market, Baiweilou Restaurant, Room No. 4 (Tianzi).

Zhao Mengyao raised her wine glass with both hands and smiled sweetly:

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Zhang, on breaking through to the ninth level of Qi Refining. Perhaps in a few years, we will be calling you Uncle-Master Zhang."

"Haha, it's too early to talk about Foundation Establishment. I've only broken through a few months ago, and I don't know how long it will take to reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage."

"Junior Sister's Qi is so well-developed; it probably won't be long before she breaks through to the ninth level of Qi Refining."

Zhang Yuanshan drank the spirit wine and shook his head slightly:

"I never expected that after I went to Moya Mountain, the disciples of the Taoist academy would not be able to gather together."

Due to his exceptional talent in weapon crafting and his cultivation within a first-grade high-level spiritual vein, his cultivation progressed rapidly, far exceeding his initial expectations.

He paused, then looked at Chu He:

"Has Junior Brother made up his mind?"

Being a disciple who mainly relies on taking on sect missions to hunt monsters for cultivation is not an easy path.

It's not uncommon for Foundation Establishment stage senior disciples to perish deep within the mountains, and countless Qi Refining stage disciples lose their lives every year.

Since they met, this junior brother has followed him closely, and the two have a very close relationship.

Chu He laughed:

"I have no talent for weapon crafting. If I want to stay in the sect and cultivate peacefully, I can only take the path of beast taming and alchemy, or honestly become a spirit farmer."

None of these options are what I want.

I started preparing for today two years ago, diligently practicing spells and saving spirit stones to buy magical artifacts. All I need to do is find a reliable team to join me.

The paths of beast taming and alchemy are directly ruled out, because the family will no longer provide him with such significant support.

It was not his wish to cultivate spiritual fields and painstakingly accumulate spiritual stones for cultivation.

Zhang Yuanshan nodded slightly:

"Moya Mountain has now become a bridgehead for the sect, with many demon-hunting teams active there. The sect has specially designated an area to establish a small market for everyone to trade."

I can now take on jobs repairing damaged magical artifacts and have gotten to know some members of the demon-hunting teams.

Could you help me find out if we need any help? My junior brother is already at the seventh level of Qi Refining, so he should be easy to accept.

Before this, junior brother must absolutely not venture deep into the mountains alone.

Hunting monsters often requires venturing deep into the mountains. For a newcomer to go alone is tantamount to suicide, so it's essential to join a team so that everyone can look out for each other.

"Thank you very much, senior brother."

Chu He smiled broadly; with reliable people helping him, things would be much simpler.

His initial plan was to find a few familiar people to form a small team. Newcomers would never be able to join an established team without someone acting as a guarantor.

Seeing Zhang Yuanshan looking at him, Ji An took out five spirit stones from his pocket and piled them up for him:

"These are the spirit stones returned to my senior brothers. To express my gratitude for their help, this meal is on me."

“Junior brother is so wealthy now? This spiritual meal must have cost a lot, why don’t we split the cost?”

Zhang Yuanshan was surprised and ordered several kinds of high-grade spiritual food, which would cost at least four spirit stones.

Adding the spirit stones he returned to himself, he spent nine spirit stones in one go. Even he would feel the pinch if he were in his shoes.

Zhao Mengyao covered her mouth and laughed:

"Senior brother, you may not know this, but although Junior Brother Ji is only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, his Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique has reached the perfect level, and he has planted ten acres of spiritual fields."

In terms of financial resources, he's probably not much less than his senior.

She carefully estimated the other party's income. The other party could accumulate about 30 spirit stones per quarter, which was enough to support the cultivation of a late-stage Qi Refining disciple.

The rewards she received from the sect, plus the support from her family, amounted to only this much. The key point is that she had already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining.

"Junior Brother has indeed mastered the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique to perfection, good!"

Zhang Yuanshan picked up his wine glass and smiled:

"With your abilities, Junior Brother, you have a good chance of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future. We should exchange ideas more often in the future."

Ji An raised his glass, thinking to himself that he had finally truly squeezed into the circle of these family disciples.

After drinking the spirit wine, Ji An said:

"After planting the spirit grain, you will have about a month of free time."

After I break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, I plan to join a demon-hunting team in my spare time.

If Brother Chuhe's team ever needs more people in the future, they can contact me.

(End of this chapter)