Chapter 9 The Capital to Make a Living

Seeing that the Little Cloud Rain Technique had reached the proficiency level, Ji An felt that the moonlight was as gentle as water and the night was exceptionally shy.

He slapped his forehead suddenly and whispered:

"Tsk, I was too excited just now and forgot to light a whole incense stick before refining the spiritual energy!"

He wanted to calculate how long it would take to refine a spirit machine, and whether it was related to the amount of spirit machines being refined.

In the future, he will inevitably learn offensive spells. At that time, he will not refine all the spiritual energy as he does now, but will keep some for future needs.

If refining the spiritual energy takes very little time, he can simply wait until he needs it to refine the spiritual energy to upgrade the spell level.

He sighed again and slapped his cheek in frustration.

At the first level of Qi Refining, one's magical power is scarce; one should go to one's own spiritual field to practice the Thick Earth Technique.

Ji An lit a torch and ran out.

Although the remaining mana can only be used to cast the Earth Spell once, every little bit counts and shouldn't be wasted.

The firelight flickered, casting long shadows on the winding path.

Upon arriving at the Spirit Field, Ji An cast the Thick Earth Spell again and then checked its effects.

The soft soil was only four fingers deep, which was too shallow and did not meet the requirements.

He doesn't know fire spells, so he needs to sprinkle pesticide powder in the spirit field before planting.

Old Huang said that the soft soil must be at least one blade deep enough to pass muster, otherwise the pests in the deeper soil layers cannot be killed and will eat away at the roots of the spirit valley.

From this perspective, planting spells only have practical significance when they reach at least the mastery level.

However, this was not difficult for him; he could simply wait a few more days before planting the spirit grains.

His divine sense once again stirred the stone tortoise.

[Spell: Earth Magic (Beginner 83% → 85%)]

Five days later.

The midday sun was scorching, and Ji An struggled to move along the mountain path, using both hands and feet.

When he saw a corner of the General Affairs Hall, a dry smile appeared on his sweat-drenched face.

The sect's senior cultivators will be giving a sermon to the new disciples tomorrow. He received the notification three days ago and set off immediately.

Biyue Lake is quite far from the Hall of General Affairs, and since he doesn't have a talisman bird for transportation, he can only rely on his own two feet to get around.

After walking for two days and two nights on mountain trails, we finally arrived here.

On the open ground in front of the Hall of General Affairs, a dozen or so people were sitting scattered about; they were probably disciples from other halls who had come from elsewhere.

Ji An found an empty spot with no one around and plopped down on it.

He took a tattered blanket out of his bundle, spread it on the ground, and then lay down on his back.

I'm so tired.

[Master: Ji An]

[Taoist Rhyme: 0]

[Spiritual Insight: Kan Spirit 0.2, Kun Spirit 0.1, Xun Spirit 1.6]

[Spell: Minor Cloud Rain (Mastery 72%)]

Thick Earth Technique (Mastery 48%)

Although he was on the road, he did not neglect his cultivation. The stone turtle's absorption of spiritual energy was not greatly affected. After leaving the Azure Lake, he obtained less spiritual energy than usual.

When he returns to the spirit field of Biyue Lake, his Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique will surely be able to improve to the minor mastery level, which will be his means of survival.

Taking the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique as an example, the second-level spell has no additional effects. The spiritual power contained in the rain is only enough to maintain the growth of the spirit grain, and it cannot increase the yield of the spirit grain by raining multiple times a day.

Old Huang said that if the Linggu grain is continuously irrigated with the Xiaoyunyu technique at a low level during the heading stage, the yield can be increased by about 10%.

Using advanced magic to irrigate with rain can increase yields by 30% to 40%.

Similar to the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique, the Thick Soil Technique can be used every two days to nourish the soil, which can also increase the harvest by about 10%.

The thought of getting extra harvests on his first time as a spirit farmer made Ji An feel as refreshed as drinking a cold drink on a hot summer day!

He felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep, emitting soft snores.

A wave of hunger washed over him, and Ji An groggily opened his eyes and sat up. He saw the sky ablaze with crimson clouds, the mountains like a sea, and the setting sun like blood.

He took out some dry rations and a water bottle, ate a few bites haphazardly, and then went into the General Affairs Hall.

He wanted to take this opportunity to find out what the cost of learning the third level of magic was.

When he mastered the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique, he conducted an experiment for comparison.

After refining the same amount of spiritual energy, he discovered that he could comprehend spells much faster after learning the tricks of the second level of magic than before.

Come to think of it, low-level spells, after being improved by generations, have a much better explanation of cultivation methods than a person can slowly comprehend them.

Ji An politely cupped his hands in greeting and said gently:

"Excuse me, senior brother. I am a new disciple who joined the sect this year and was assigned to the Biyue Lake Spirit Field."

"Excuse me, how many contribution points are needed to learn the third level of the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique?"

The cultivator, who was lost in thought, glanced at him and replied suspiciously:

"You, a mere Qi Refining Level 1 disciple, actually want to learn Level 3 spells?"

Generally speaking, only those who have reached at least the second level of Qi Refining can meet the requirements for learning third-level spells.

At the first level of Qi Refining, one's internal magical power is too low, and one can only practice spells a few times a day.

"Oh, I understand."

In order to make it easier for disciples to progress on the path of cultivation, the sect requires very few contribution points for all production-related spells.

The third level of any planting spell can be learned with just 10 contribution points.

What do you understand? Ji An was now completely bewildered.

He wasn't surprised that the other party could immediately discern his cultivation level.

Cultivators at different levels release different degrees of spiritual pressure, and it is quite normal for a high-level cultivator to see through the cultivation level of a low-level cultivator.

The sect's decision to reduce the contribution points for learning production-related spells demonstrates its foresight, indicating that he has developed a sense of identification with the sect.

Abundant resources are essential for better development, and the cultivation world should be no exception.

He began to recall how he obtained contribution points: completing sect missions would earn him contribution points, as would handing over spiritual items or cultivation techniques not yet collected by the sect.

For example, in addition to paying the rent for the spirit field, he can also pay the spirit grain to gain contribution points.

Alternatively, you can use crystals to purchase contribution points; one spirit stone can be exchanged for twenty contribution points.

At the same time, the sect allows disciples to exchange their contribution points for spirit stones, with 25 contribution points exchanged for one spirit stone.

There is also a strict rule that contribution points can only be used by the individual and cannot be transferred.

Ji An had no spiritual items or rare cultivation techniques, only five spirit crystals, all of which could only be exchanged for one contribution point.

His father's beast-taming technique might have met the requirements, but unfortunately his father said he would only pass it on to him after he opened his immortal meridians. His father never returned, and he never received the technique.

For this, he harbored resentment towards his father for not copying down the incantation for him when he decided to go and collect herbs.

"I am a new disciple and do not have any contribution points yet. I will come back after I harvest my spirit grain in two months."

"Hmm. What if I want to learn the 'Withering and Flourishing Technique'?"

The monk held up one finger:

"The first and second levels of the three spells, namely the Withering and Flourishing Technique, the Blazing Fire Curse, and the Sharp Metal Technique, only require one contribution point each."

Ji arranged five spirit crystals: "Give me a jade slip containing the Withering and Flourishing Technique."

(End of this chapter)