Chapter 48 Unwilling
Ji An currently has 11 spirit stones, which he plans to use to activate the Spirit Absorption Array for cultivation.
Improving one's cultivation level is always of paramount importance.
If he endures another three months, he will be able to amass a considerable amount of crystals, which will allow him to purchase spell jade slips and even a low-grade magic artifact.
He shook his head slightly again. The matter of magical artifacts was not urgent. With the income he was currently earning from cultivating spiritual fields, participating in demon hunting seemed somewhat unprofitable.
It would be better to focus on improving one's cultivation level and wait until one reaches the ninth level of Qi Refining before making any further plans.
By then, his spiritual fields for planting spiritual grains should have been upgraded to the first-grade low-level, and he could plant green corn.
For the first two months after planting, the corn doesn't require much management, giving him more time to go out.
Hopefully, this high-risk investment of hunting demons will yield sufficient returns, allowing us to accumulate enough contribution points for Foundation Establishment Pills as soon as possible to join the 'Pill Queue' for purchasing pills.
According to Master Qin Yan's theory, he needs to develop more branches of immortal veins at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and then use the power of physical and mental sublimation during the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment to nourish the immortal veins and extend their length, so as to further improve his aptitude.
The ninth level of Qi Refining can be gradually mastered, which is a good opportunity to practice combat techniques.
Ji An sighed inwardly. His dual souls had merged, giving him extraordinary spiritual awareness. With the help of the stone tortoise, his progress in cultivating magic far surpassed that of others. Even so, he still felt that cultivating immortality was fraught with difficulties.
Those cultivators from aristocratic families have the support of their families, making their path much easier.
Wei Songnian put away the crystal and said with a smile:
"No rush, junior brother, it's alright to owe it."
I'm not afraid of you being in debt, I'm afraid of you not being in debt.
He felt that as his junior apprentice continued to grow, he would eventually become his number one client.
The two began to talk about their respective cultivation practices and exchange their experiences, and before they knew it, dusk had fallen.
Ji An got up and lit the candle. Liang Qiu brought over a pot of fish head soup.
“Let’s go help,” Wei Songnian said as he went out. The three of them went to the kitchen and brought up the fish bone cakes, stewed fish tail, and steamed fish.
Liang Qiu took out several porcelain cups, sat down, and filled them with spirit wine.
After downing a cup of wine, Liang Qiu said leisurely:
"After twenty years of training, I am now thirty-six years old and have just reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. I wonder if I will ever have the chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in my lifetime."
The candlelight flickered, casting intermittent light on his face, which bore several deep furrows on his forehead.
Why would a sect expel disciples who haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage by the age of sixty? Because after sixty, the body of a Qi Refining cultivator begins to decline, and the chances of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage are slim without a major opportunity.
He has twenty-four years left to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining and then cultivate to the perfect state.
These are not difficult, but exchanging for Foundation Establishment Pills requires 60,000 contribution points, which is equivalent to 3,000 spirit stones.
The price of a Foundation Establishment Pill is much higher than the pills that Foundation Establishment cultivators take for daily cultivation.
“With the income from the fishpond, Junior Brother will surely be able to accumulate enough contribution points to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills sooner.”
Wei Songnian raised his glass and smiled:
"Let us drink this cup together."
After drinking the spirit wine, Liang Qiu gently exhaled:
"Senior brother, there's no need to comfort me. Unlike you, who have a family to support you, my father is just a rogue cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and I have younger brothers and sisters to support."
I can only rely on myself.
I've actually done the math carefully, and unless you raise some advanced spirit fish, it's very difficult to accumulate enough contribution points in a limited time.
Even if you have enough contribution points, you still have to wait in line.
He clenched his fist under the table. He had thought it over. If there wasn't enough time, he would buy magical artifacts and talismans and also make a trip to the Ten Thousand Mountains.
I'll risk my life for a future; if I can't, then I'll be buried in the mountains.
Liang Qiu knew very well that if he couldn't obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill within the sect, it would be even less likely to be obtained outside.
In the Immortal City, it's not uncommon for a Foundation Establishment Pill to sell for four or five thousand spirit stones.
Having entered the sect and seen a wider world, he was unwilling to remain just a Qi Refining stage cultivator.
The elders of the sect always taught that Foundation Establishment is the beginning of cultivation. How can one accept one's fate if one is merely lingering outside the gate of immortality?
Wei Songnian was slightly embarrassed. Indeed, it was easy for him to talk when he was not in the situation.
As long as he can reach the ninth level of Qi Refining, the family will provide him with a sum of crystals. In addition, the family will also use their connections to help him obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill sooner.
Ji An frowned slightly, then picked up the fishbone cake and smiled:
"Senior brothers, the spirit fish is most delicious when it's hot."
Only when we are well-fed and watered can we have the strength to fight for our lives.
“Junior brother is right. We should eat and drink our fill before we start fighting for our lives. Our situation is much better than that of the independent cultivators.”
Liang Qiu picked up a piece of fish tail and placed it in the porcelain bowl in front of him.
The moon shines brightly outside, its light illuminating the lake's clear waters.
Fish leap and dive in the pond, creating ripples that shatter the moonlight.
Early in the morning, the birds were already chirping on the branches.
Ji An made a hand seal, and crimson spiritual light spread out, with wisps of green smoke rising from the barren fields.
His hand seals shifted, releasing the Thick Earth Technique.
Before long, five acres of spiritual land were cultivated.
As dawn broke, the morning light shone upon the tranquil valley, casting a warm, spiritual glow upon the sacred fields.
Old Huang and Little Huang hurried back from the direction of Biyue Lake. Seeing that several more acres of spiritual fields had been cultivated, they smiled enviously:
"If I had Brother An's skills, I could stay in the sect for another twenty years."
He had been planting all his life, yet he couldn't compare to others who had only planted for three years. Although he was long past the age of being competitive, he always felt a strange bitterness whenever he thought about this.
Ji An responded gently:
"My senior brother helped me back then, which is why I was able to get to where I am today."
Old Huang quickly waved his hand:
"Even without me, my junior brother will still have a bright future."
Excellent people are more likely to get help.
He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly looked up:
"Brother Xiao An, this season's spirit grain has been harvested. You can plant my one acre of high-grade spirit field."
The cultivation of green corn differs slightly from that of yellow sprout rice. While I can still stay in the sect for another six months, I can explain the key points to you.”
Wei Songnian's words during that drinking session thoroughly enlightened him: giving up the spirit field sooner would only mean losing a few spirit stones, but he would need to ask for favors many times in the future.
He's reluctant to part with it now, but he might have to give up even more in the future.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Giving more now is a favor.
They've known each other for several years now, and he's figured out Ji An's temperament and character. Ji An will repay these favors.
He only lent out one spirit stone, but the wine he ate probably cost dozens of spirit crystals.
Ji An paused for a second, then cupped his hands and said:
"To be honest, senior brother, I am in dire need of crystals. I would be impolite to refuse your kind offer."
"If Flying Tiger encounters any difficulties in the future, I will not hesitate to help within my capabilities."
He believed that if there were benefits, he should take them; once he had cultivated himself to a higher level, it would be easy to repay the favors he received today.
Just like when he first entered the sect, he borrowed spirit stones to cultivate, quickly improve his cultivation, and then pay off his debts.
He borrowed nine spirit stones, which was a huge sum for him at the first level of Qi Refining, but it would be much easier to repay the debt when he reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.
(End of this chapter)
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