Chapter 41 Qi Refining Level 7

With the stone tortoise to rely on, and given his decent comprehension, Ji An's cultivation speed in water, earth, and wood magic will definitely be rapid.

A battle of magic is not just about mastering spells; it also requires a good mindset, quick reflexes, decisiveness, and a thorough understanding of the enemy.

Without practical experience, it's just empty talk.

I heard Wei Songnian mention that the Yuanhe Mountain and Luofeng Valley sects had also seized spiritual veins deep within the mountains to establish strongholds.

Ji An believed that these strongholds served the same purpose for the sects as the sects served the major sects of the Central Continent: they were all buffer zones for the war.

He thought that if the sect continued to frequently kill monster clans and establish strongholds, it would likely prove that the next round of war between humans and monsters was about to begin, and it was not just his speculation.

The sect was taking precautions, and he wanted to follow suit.

"Junior Brother's planting techniques are so exquisite, wouldn't it be more secure for him to stay in the sect and cultivate?"

Chu He was puzzled. He refused to become a spiritual farmer because he knew he could not meet his cultivation needs by relying on planting.

His family's support for him would inevitably decrease, and he knew he would have to fight for the Foundation Establishment Pill himself.

But Ji An can satisfy his cultivation needs by planting, and he can also accumulate enough contribution points and crystals to buy Foundation Establishment Pills.

Hunting monsters in the mountains to find medicinal herbs may seem enjoyable, but in reality, it's risking your life for crystals.

Sometimes you can indeed earn a lot, but the consumption is also great. Damage to magical artifacts and the consumption of talismans all cost crystals.

If you get injured, it will be even harder to endure.

“Junior Brother Chu is right. It seems that Junior Brother Ji hasn’t purchased the jade slip containing the sect’s compiled attack spells yet, has he?”

Practicing attack spells also takes time, and you also need to purchase various magical artifacts.

It would be better to focus on improving your cultivation level. Once you advance to the Foundation Establishment stage, you can gradually hone your offensive spells and have more ways to deal with demonic beasts.

Zhao Mengyao tried to persuade him, saying that she also didn't understand why Ji An would go out and take risks when he could cultivate peacefully.

Ji An smiled slightly and explained:

"I just want to improve my combat skills. I don't go out on adventures every day. I spend most of my time in the sect."

Moreover, Senior Brother Chuhe's team may not necessarily need manpower, and I may not happen to have time either. I'm just giving you a heads-up in advance.

Besides, I won't go out until I've broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining, acquired a set of magical artifacts, and mastered an offensive spell.

He silently added to himself, "In addition, I will master a defensive spell and an escape spell."

“Junior brother is right. We cultivators must also have the ability to fight, otherwise we will not have the power to protect the path.”

Zhang Yuanshan echoed:

"My uncle told me that after I reach the Foundation Establishment stage, I must improve my combat abilities."

The main ingredients for refining pills that enhance cultivation in the Foundation Establishment stage often need to be hundreds of years old. Although the sect's medicine garden has a continuous supply, there are so many Foundation Establishment stage cultivators that it is simply not enough to go around.

We can't stay in the sect forever; we must go out and seek opportunities to obtain enough resources to quickly improve our cultivation.

The higher the grade of the elixir, the greater the toxicity, but the faster the cultivator's cultivation level increases, the faster the toxicity can be neutralized.

The frequency of pill consumption for Foundation Establishment cultivators is not much different from that of Qi Refining cultivators, but the medicinal materials are more difficult to obtain, there are certain consumptions during the pill refining process, and the number of pills produced is even smaller.

Among the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the sect, those who can obtain a sufficient supply of pills are fewer than a handful.

"It's not just the pills for the Foundation Establishment stage; the Ginseng Essence Pill and Jade Mushroom Pill, which are taken in the late Qi Refining stage, require a significant premium to buy enough of them."

Zhao Mengyao gently shook her head. It is said that transactions between cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage often involve bartering.

To purchase it using crystals, you need to pay a very high premium.

Taking pills as an example, although the sect's medicine garden cannot meet everyone's needs, it can at least supply a batch of pills to the cultivators in the sect every once in a while.

For independent cultivators and those from small families, the difficulty in obtaining medicinal herbs is extremely pronounced, and this is especially true at higher levels.

Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly; he had never heard of this situation before.

The main ingredient of Shenyuan Dan is Huoyun Shen (Fire Cloud Ginseng), which requires a medicinal age of at least 20 years. The main ingredient of Yuzhi Dan is Mu Lingzhi (Wood Lingzhi), which requires a medicinal age of more than 30 years.

"The cultivation world has been prosperous for so many years, and the number of cultivators at all levels is increasing."

Unfortunately, this situation has been going on for many years.

I heard that one reason the sect moved from the Central Continent to the Western Continent was because the original spiritual veins of the sect could no longer meet the patriarch's cultivation needs.

Zhang Yuanshan paused, then turned and said:

"Junior Brother Chu, when you hunt demons in the future, you will inevitably encounter small groups of rogue cultivators. Be wary of these people."

In the eyes of independent cultivators, the wealth of sect cultivators is more valuable than that of demonic beasts.

The group then chatted about their respective experiences in spiritual practice, and each gained something from it.

The setting sun cast its slanting rays through the windowpane, and the table was littered with cups and plates. Everyone wished each other "longevity in the path of immortality" and then dispersed.

One month later.

The moon was bright and the stars were few; cicadas chirped incessantly in the valley.

A beam of soft light shone through the open window, illuminating the figure sitting cross-legged inside the bamboo house.

Ji An felt a surge of heat rising from his tailbone, passing through his spine, and reaching his cervical spine.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared before his eyes, and a clear and lively magical power emerged from his dantian, flowing along the immortal meridians throughout his body.

The immortal veins seemed to have become stronger, and several smaller branches sprouted.

He opened his eyes and felt that his five senses had become even more acute. The chirping of insects outside the bamboo house, which had been masked by the sound of cicadas, became clearly audible.

"The late stage of Qi Refining has been achieved."

Ji An looked up, the moonlight shining on his face, reflecting a crystalline glow, his deep eyes sparkling like stars in the sky.

He thought to himself, "What a pity," because the once-every-three-years apprenticeship period had already passed half a month ago.

If you miss this opportunity, you'll have to wait another three years.

Ji An stood up from the futon, his mind connected with the stone tortoise.

[Master: Ji An]

[Taoist Rhyme: 0]

[Spiritual clues: Kan (坎) spirit 378.8, Kun (坤) spirit 164.9, Xun (巽) spirit 132.2]

[Spell: Minor Cloud Rain Spell (Perfect 34%)]

Thick Earth Technique (Perfect 25%)

The Secret of Withering and Flourishing (Mastery 65%)

Flame Spell (Mastery 16%)

[Sharp Metal Formula (75% Success)]

Three years of hard work have yielded fruitful results.

The Thick Earth Technique had reached perfection a year ago. With the blessing of two perfection-level spells, the harvest of the Spirit Valley reached 350 catties of yellow sprout rice per mu.

The spiritual energy contained in the vegetables in the courtyard is not much different from that of the spiritual vegetables grown in a first-tier spiritual field.

Thanks to the training in the Sharp Metal Technique, his spiritual strength was half a percent stronger than before he learned the spells.

His divine sense, having undergone soul fusion, was already significantly stronger than others, exceeding them by half a percent, which was extremely rare.

Now, the 'Six Meridian Divine Sword' he unleashes can pierce through pine wood as thick as a water bucket.

He had conducted experiments and found that such attacks could penetrate the defenses provided by ordinary quality Golden Armor Talismans.

Ji An smiled as he stepped out of the bamboo house to begin his daily routine.

He made a hand seal, and a yellowish-brown spiritual light filled the small courtyard.

As the light faded, he felt a rich spiritual energy rising from the ground.

(End of this chapter)