Chapter 380 Tea Seeds
Ji An nodded in satisfaction. Having a reliable apprentice would save him a lot of trouble. Perhaps the upper limit wouldn't be very high, but it would ensure a stable lower limit.
My own disciple has top-grade aptitude; he should at least aim to break through to the Chaoyuan stage!
Leaving aside exceptionally gifted individuals, the differences between cultivators with similar aptitudes are not significant.
At this time, cultivators who can calm down and specialize in one path are more likely to stand out.
The entire sect's model is quietly changing. After the Refining Hall and Puppet Hall adopted "assembly line" production, both efficiency and quality have improved significantly.
Production-oriented cultivators focus on logistics to earn more profits, while disciples more suited to cultivation concentrate on improving their cultivation level.
By sacrificing some disciples to achieve more comprehensive development, the sect's strength will steadily increase.
He pondered for a moment and said:
"Both of you are already mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators. During your cultivation, you need to spend more time and effort pondering the divine intent within the cultivation techniques."
This will be very beneficial to your future cultivation, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of the techniques, improve your cultivation efficiency, and enhance the effectiveness of your spells.
If I talk too much about understanding the essence of the practice, it will only affect your judgment. I will only emphasize the most basic and easily overlooked aspects.
The Five Elements are a property, a kind of energy that can constantly change forms, rather than a tangible substance.
The spiritual plant is wood, that's its appearance, but it's not actually 'wood.' You should often ponder and understand this statement."
The five elements have different properties. Even Ji An was often misled by appearances about this. Cultivation is a process of constantly correcting one's perceptions.
"Your disciple will remember this."
The two disciples responded respectfully, recounting their questions from their cultivation practice, which Ji An answered patiently.
Half an hour later, Ji An spoke again:
"Once the Ministry of Agriculture is fully on track, I will leave the sect to travel for a few years. If you have any questions during your cultivation, you can always come to me."
I hope you'll give me a surprise when I return from my travels.
The two disciples were slightly taken aback. Lin Lan clenched her fist slightly, expressing her determination:
"This disciple will strive to reach the late Foundation Establishment stage!"
At dusk, Lin Mao and Kong Yunyi returned to the Si Nong Hall in their flying shuttle, both beaming with joy.
"Greetings, Hall Master. Several late-stage Foundation Establishment alchemists from the Pill Cauldron Academy, along with Senior Uncle Han, personally refined a total of forty-four Foundation Establishment Pills, including eight high-quality pills."
Lin Mao took out a letter and several jade bottles, and said:
"The Foundation Establishment Pill is here. Please take a look."
He originally estimated that he would be lucky to get thirty-five or thirty-six pills, with a maximum of five high-quality ones. However, the quantity and quality of the pills he obtained were both improved, which was an unexpected surprise.
This way, at least three or four more Foundation Establishment cultivators can be added.
Ji An took the jade bottle and examined it one by one. He then opened the envelope. Senior Sister Han told him that a total of forty-five Foundation Establishment Pills had been refined this time, one of which was to be given to Tian Jin and was therefore left in the Pill Cauldron Academy.
A smile appeared on his lips as he handed over the jade bottle:
"Distribute the Foundation Establishment Pills to the disciples according to the confirmed list."
He now really wants to know what the probability is of these disciples who regularly drink Jade Dew Golden Tooth Tea breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
"Yes, ma'am, we'll get on it right away."
Lin Mao took the jade bottle and carefully put it away.
Kong Yunyi smiled and said:
"In a few days, our disciples will break through one after another. We will then come to report the good news to the Palace Master."
The new method promoted by the Palace Master has already shown initial results, with fewer Qi Refining stage spirit farmers cultivating higher quality spirit plants, and the cultivation time has been significantly shortened.
The Qi Refining stage disciples of the sect have already benefited. As more Foundation Establishment stage spiritual farmers are cultivated, Foundation Establishment stage and even Chaoyuan stage cultivators will gradually feel the changes brought about by the Department of Agriculture.
As the Palace of Agriculture grows stronger, his status as the deputy palace master will rise accordingly, and the overall status of the spirit farmers will also improve accordingly.
The two left, and by the end of the 5-7 PM, Ji An received a message talisman sword.
"Disciple Tian Jin bows in gratitude; I have already received the Foundation Establishment Pill."
He smiled and nodded, a ghostly blue flame igniting in his hand, and the talisman sword instantly turned to ashes.
Three days later, the area in front of and inside the Si Nong Hall was packed with people.
Lin Mao couldn't suppress his smile and said excitedly:
"Reporting to the Palace Master, including the disciples who exchanged for Foundation Establishment Pills in the past, a total of 66 people have taken the pills recently."
A total of 48 disciples successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, bringing the total number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Department of Agriculture to 167.
Seventy percent of the disciples have broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, far exceeding the previous fifty percent. In the next ten years, some more disciples will exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills, and it is expected that more than a dozen more Foundation Establishment cultivators will be added.
"Greetings, Palace Master!" The disciples who had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage shouted in unison, each one looking spirited and triumphant.
When these disciples entered the sect, they were assigned to be spirit farmers, and most of them were very disappointed. But they were lucky enough to catch up with the sect's reforms.
The cultivation environment is even better than that of the disciples in the Refining Hall, Beast Taming Hall, and other halls. Now that he has become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he suddenly feels that being a spirit farmer is not so bad!
After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one will have twenty acres of spiritual land of their own, from which they can grow spiritual herbs or spiritual fruit trees, generating a considerable income.
Life is comfortable and safe. You can complete sect tasks by spending three or four hours each day, and the rest of the time is at your own disposal.
For many disciples, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is a lifelong dream.
Ji An laughed a few times and said happily:
“Very good. Foundation Establishment cultivators are the backbone of the sect. In the future, the Department of Agriculture will become the most solid foundation of the sect.”
With our support, all other temples will benefit directly or indirectly.
According to sect rules, after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, you are exempt from accepting missions for three years. Your task is to familiarize yourself with the cultivation techniques and practice planting spells.
He paused, raised his hand, and said:
"Of course, we also need to think carefully about what to plant in the allocated spirit fields."
"Haha," the disciples laughed heartily.
One of the bolder disciples shouted:
"Palace Master, I've heard that your temple has many rare spiritual fruit trees. I wonder if we could obtain some seeds?"
The hall fell silent instantly, and all the disciples stared intently ahead.
Ji An raised an eyebrow and said gently:
"Of course, I can send a batch of seeds and seedlings tomorrow."
The seeds include second-tier mid-grade spirit peaches, spirit apricots, dragon blood fruits, heavenly pears, bodhi trees, azure dragon wood, earth spirit fruits, green ivy fruits, and red cloud pines. The seedlings include bamboo shoots of clear spirit bamboo and mysterious leaf sword bamboo.
In a few years, we will also send some seeds of the second-tier Blood Soul Profound Origin Tree, Cloud Top Jade Tree, and Nether Moon Azure Jade Tree.
You can redeem it using contribution points. If you don't have many contribution points, that's okay; you can buy it on credit.
He was willing to share all the seeds that Crimson Flame Peak had and that could be released, as it could be considered a new source of income.
It would take these disciples countless years to cultivate second-tier spiritual plants, and it wouldn't affect the status of Crimson Flame Peak at all.
On the contrary, the large-scale cultivation of these spiritual plants throughout the sect can form an industrial cluster.
In an instant, the disciples cheered. It was the first time they had ever heard of the many kinds of spiritual plants in the temple master's dojo, many of which they had never heard of before.
Lin Mao and Kong Yunyi looked at each other and both saw the shock in each other's eyes. What a grand gesture!
The Xuan Ye Sword Bamboo, Cloud Top Jade Tree, and Dark Moon Azure Jade Tree are several spiritual plants that can generate good returns once they are cultivated to the first-tier superior grade.
Ji An pressed his hand down, and after everyone quieted down again, he said:
"Disciples who need seedlings can sign up with the warehouse steward later. The quantity is limited, and each person is limited to five of each type."
These bamboo shoots will grow more as time goes on, so there's no need to buy more.
"Now, I will explain the issues related to Foundation Establishment stage cultivation to everyone."
After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, the magical power cultivated through techniques will possess certain characteristics of the Five Elements. I suggest you choose the type of technique that best suits your magical abilities.
In that case, the spells cast will have a stronger effect.
Foundation Establishment cultivators need to comprehend the divine intent within their cultivation techniques, ultimately igniting their Primordial Flame to advance to the Origin Rejuvenation stage.
The disciples listened attentively, and Lin Mao and his companion also felt they had gained something from the conversation.
After Ji An finished speaking, he carefully answered the disciples' questions and gave the following instructions:
"Two Palace Masters, once they have chosen their cultivation methods and main spells, reorganize all Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Sinong Palace and assign them to manage the herb gardens in a reasonable manner three years later."
"Yes, sir!" Lin Mao and the other man replied in unison.
"Then let's call it a day."
All the divine palaces had been opened up, and Ji An preferred to improve his cultivation at night, so he rode a cloud to a secluded corner of the back mountain and began to practice his spells.
When his spiritual energy is depleted, he will practice body-refining techniques.
Body-refining techniques emphasize transforming the body into a precious artifact, which can enhance resistance to various spells and poisons, and is effective at all times.
Time flies, and before he knew it, fiery clouds filled the sky in the distance. He finished his cultivation and rode the clouds to the warehouse.
The deacon stepped forward, took out a piece of paper, and said:
"Lord, this is the number of people who need bamboo shoots. I have saved the detailed list."
Ji An took the paper and glanced at it. "Why are there so many?"
The number of Qingling Bamboo is normal, but the number of Xuanye Sword Bamboo is over seven hundred, far exceeding the needs of the new disciples.
The butler chuckled and explained:
"Many deacons also want to obtain the seedlings grown on Crimson Flame Peak. Please rest assured, Lord, each person will not purchase more than five seedlings."
Ji An chuckled, "Since you want to give me contribution points, I'll gladly accept them."
The area planted with black-leaved sword bamboo is more than 50 mu, and it is easy to dig up more than 700 bamboo shoots.
He rode a cloud to the top of Ningcui Cliff and left via a teleportation array.
After returning to Crimson Flame Peak, he took out the paper and handed it over:
"Songtao, go to the warehouse and take out 70% of the second-grade mid-level spiritual seeds, then dig up enough bamboo shoots and send them to the Ministry of Agriculture by flying boat tomorrow."
“Yes, sir,” Wei Songnian said, taking the paper and glancing at it.
"Tomorrow morning would be a better time to dig. There are so many spiritual plants that Lao Tian and I can't handle them all. We need to hire a few disciples to help."
"You can handle it as you see fit."
Ji An absorbed qi in the spirit field, then returned to sit down cross-legged to cultivate his technique.
Once his magical power was sufficient, he began to practice the Wood Release technique, his figure weaving through the spiritual plants.
Time flies, and a year has passed.
Inside the stone house, Ji An put away his talisman brush, picked up a red talisman, and flicked it twice with satisfaction.
This is the twentieth Fire Dragon Talisman he has successfully drawn, reaching the second-tier superior quality, and his current talisman-making success rate has reached 40%.
"Not bad, steady progress."
He put the talisman into the cave stone and sat down to rest.
Drawing high-level talismans consumes a great deal of spiritual energy, much more tiring than casting spells.
He can draw all three types of talismans passed down in the sect: Earth Escape Talisman, Mystic Armor Talisman, and Fire Dragon Talisman.
However, the success rate of the Earth Escape Talisman is the lowest, currently only 10%, and he only has two in his possession.
The success rate of the Xuanjia Talisman is the highest, reaching nearly 60%, and its quality is second-tier top-grade. He has six of them.
With this skill in hand, you won't have to worry about running out of money when you travel.
Zhang Cuihua brought over a cup of Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea, saying:
"Grandmaster, the spiritual tea can only be drunk once more. Would you like another cup?"
"No need, I will no longer draw talismans."
"Then the disciple took the talisman brush out to clean it," Zhang Cuihua said, picking up the talisman brush and brush washer and walking out.
Ji An closed his eyes to rest, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he heard a "thump" followed by hurried footsteps.
Wei Songtao slowed his pace as he entered the room, his tone barely concealing his joy:
“Grandmaster, I was just patrolling the mountains and forests when I discovered that the tea trees have started to produce tea seeds, which are covered by leaves. The largest ones are already the size of broad beans.”
He knew very well that his master had been eyeing the tea tree seeds for many years.
Ji An opened his eyes and smiled:
"Which tea tree has seeds?"
He performed a spell on the spiritual field every four days, always at night, and for a long time he did not pay serious attention to the condition of the spiritual plants.
Occasionally, I would conduct a daytime inspection, traveling on clouds to take a quick look around. Unless the spiritual plants showed signs of disease or pests, I would not land to check them.
"I have carefully examined them all. All three trees have produced seeds. The seeds of the Youyue Cangyu Tree are smaller, only the size of soybeans."
"That's good, but it's a pity I have to leave before the seeds mature."
Ji An sighed. It takes at least five or six years for a tea tree of medium grade two or above to produce seeds.
Based on the timeline, the merchant ships from Zhongzhou should arrive within a year. He will then visit them before heading to Nanzhou.
"Songtao, go and withdraw thirty spirit stones to distribute to everyone, so that they can all share in the joy. Go now."
"Okay," Wei Songtao said cheerfully as he left.
Ji An watched the cheerful figure disappear from sight and a faint smile appeared on his face.
He stood up, walked out of the stone house, and called out loudly:
"long!"
An echo came from the distant mountains, and a moment later, a blue deer emerged from the woods and gracefully ran to its owner, "Yo-yo!"
Several mulberry leaves, shimmering with emerald light, were still hanging on its antlers.
"You little rascal, you've stolen some top-grade mulberry leaves again!"
Ji An chuckled and patted the back of his beast. The Azure Deer had the most abundant resources and pure bloodline, and was now a ninth-level Foundation Establishment demon beast.
"Yo yo!"
Qinglu understood the meaning behind his words, but pretended not to know, blinking her big eyes and feigning ignorance.
Ji An slapped it hard and said:
"You're a male deer!"
He mounted the blue deer and gently grasped its antlers.
"Let's go take a look at the tea trees."
The green deer raised its hooves and galloped smoothly toward the mulberry fields.
Ji An stroked his chin, thinking that he should ask someone to make a few bells, otherwise riding the deer would lack a melodious feel.
(End of this chapter)
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