Chapter 5 is a sure thing.
In the distance, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys, adding a touch of everyday life to the sacred mountain and lake.
From the sky, bamboo houses are scattered throughout the valley, and wisps of smoke rise from these buildings.
Wei Songnian turned around and instructed, "Slow down, follow me and land slowly."
Ji An somewhat clumsily controlled the talisman bird to slow it down. Once the three landed on a path in front of a bamboo house, Wei Songnian shouted:
"Old Huang, your luck has arrived! A new disciple has come to report for duty, and you're in charge."
The bamboo house was surrounded by a fence, inside which various vegetables were planted, as well as several kinds of herbs that Ji An couldn't name. Every bit of space in the small courtyard was utilized.
A cultivator with graying hair, a slightly dark complexion, and a face crisscrossed with wrinkles stepped forward, smiling and cupping his hands in greeting:
"Senior Brother Wei, please trouble you to send your two junior brothers to fill the vacancies."
Wei Songnian waved his hand:
"Old Huang, both of your junior brothers are outstanding talents, so you should be secretly happy."
"I'm not leaving tonight. I'll take advantage of my two junior brothers and get a free cup of spiritual wine."
The cultivator surnamed Huang quickly looked over at Ji An and the other person. When he saw Liu Yu put away the talisman bird and put it into his storage bag, his eyes lit up. His slightly worried face resembled a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Haha, it's only right to host a welcome dinner for my two junior brothers."
Wei Songnian turned his head and said without hesitation:
"According to the rules, when a new disciple joins the sect, he will learn from an experienced disciple."
One year later, the sect will conduct an assessment of the new disciples.
If a new disciple performs well, the senior disciples will reward them with corresponding contribution points.
Advancement in cultivation level and improvement in spell level are both within the scope of the assessment.
Ji An glanced at Liu Yu discreetly, knowing full well that the welcoming hospitality he was enjoying was all thanks to Liu Yu.
It is said that even the most ordinary storage bag can be bought for more than ten spirit stones in the Immortal City, and a crudely made talisman bird also costs one spirit stone.
The talisman bird is a fast-moving consumable. Once it has flown for a certain number of hours, it is basically scrapped, otherwise it is prone to flight accidents.
No one from the Qingsong Academy possesses a storage bag.
For a cultivator with such wealth, reaching the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining stage is a piece of cake.
When Liu Yu saw that everyone was looking at him, he smiled gently:
"Thank you for your kind offer, senior brothers. I will gladly accept."
Old Huang started preparing the meal, and Ji An volunteered to help. The other two set up tables and chairs under the trees outside the courtyard and chatted.
After the meal was prepared, Old Huang lit a lamp and took out a wine jar that was slightly smaller than the head of a newborn baby.
The mud seal was broken, and a delicate fragrance wafted out.
Wei Songnian was adept at social interaction, and the group quickly relaxed and got along very well.
As the amber-colored spirit wine entered his throat, Ji An immediately felt refreshed, and strands of spiritual energy dissolved and flowed into his Qi Sea acupoint.
Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
Wei Songnian put down his wine glass, sighed, and said:
“Cultivating immortality is not easy. Even if you join a sect, it is like walking on thin ice. Junior brothers will feel this more in the future.”
I'm not proficient in any of the various arts of cultivation, so I can only do some low-buy, high-sell business and make a living by petty scheming.
"If any of my fellow disciples need something that's difficult to buy within the sect, I can run errands for them."
Old Huang chimed in:
“Everyone around Biyue Lake knows that Senior Brother Wei is fair in business. Junior brothers can compare the two and they will know his character.”
"I'll be troubling you a lot in the future, Senior Brother," Ji An raised a half-empty cup of wine and offered a toast from afar.
Liu Yu also raised his glass, and the four of them drank another glass, making the atmosphere even more harmonious.
The bright moon rises, and its light shines through the treetops, casting patches of light on the table, where cups and plates are scattered about.
Liu Yu looked up at the night sky, stood up and said:
"Our family is currently practicing a family-inherited cultivation technique, and refining spiritual energy at this time of day is more effective."
Senior brother, junior brother, excuse me.
"Senior Brother Huang, do you know where I live?"
"Go due south, about half a mile away, to the bamboo building at No. 12, Guiwei year."
The bamboo pavilion's protective spells need to be reactivated by the junior brother; the specific instructions are in the jade slip.
Wei Songnian pulled out two half-full cloth bags from his storage bag:
"Junior brothers, the bag contains items that the sect is distributing free of charge to the new disciples of Lingnong."
It contains yellow rice seeds, pesticide powder to repel pests in the sacred field, and three months' worth of rations.
I thought it would be inconvenient for you to carry this, so I put it in my storage bag and didn't take it out.
Ji An's eyes narrowed as he took another look at his senior brother.
The larger the storage bag, the more expensive it is. An ordinary storage bag can only hold half a bag of grain at best, but I didn't expect this person's storage bag to be so large.
Moreover, there must be even more valuable items inside the storage bag, so it's difficult to estimate just how much space the other person has in their storage bag.
This senior brother is also a wealthy man.
“I know all the rules of Lingnong Pavilion. I don’t cultivate spirit fields. Senior brother, you can handle these things yourself.”
Liu Yu bowed slightly, took out the talisman bird, infused it with spiritual power, and gracefully departed.
In the night sky, the paper cranes emit a soft, ethereal light that illuminates the path ahead.
"Comparisons are odious. A technique that can enhance magical power by taking advantage of the timing of the heavens must have something special about it."
In the sect's scripture library, such a cultivation technique would cost at least a thousand contribution points.
Wei Songnian sighed and turned his head to say:
“Junior Brother Liu doesn’t need these spirit grain seeds and food, so it’s useless for me to keep them. Why don’t you two junior brothers share them?”
Old Huang was very familiar with the other party and readily agreed:
“Okay, Junior Brother Ji and I will split it equally.”
Ji An quickly said:
"I'm only at the first level of Qi Refining, and I'm not familiar with planting spirit fields yet. The seeds allocated by the sect are enough. I might as well just use grain to fill my stomach."
"Alright, junior brother, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Old Huang happily accepted the spirit grain seeds.
"My two senior brothers, I have a question and would appreciate your clarification."
During our conversation earlier, you mentioned that planting spirit grains is the worst job in the sect. Why is Senior Brother Liu Yu willing to come here?
Ji An didn't understand. Given the family background the other party had shown, entering the Weapon Refining Hall and the Beast Taming Hall should have been no problem at all.
Old Huang pondered for a moment and said:
“I speak frankly, junior brother, please don’t take it to heart.”
For you and me, joining the sect and becoming a spirit farmer is indeed the worst possible outcome.
The new disciple has a low cultivation level and shallow magical abilities, so he can only cultivate first-tier spirit grains.
Natural disasters and pests plagued the area, and when the spirit grain ripened, birds and beasts would come to eat it. Due to my lack of magical skills, the harvest was barely enough to make ends meet.
Two or three years later, when the planting techniques become more refined, life will get a little easier.
However, becoming a Spirit Farmer has one advantage: new disciples have no sect missions in their first year, and their time is entirely up to them.
Those scions of powerful and influential families will surely be able to advance to the late stage of Qi Refining within this year.
Through family connections, finding a good master can immediately free one from the jurisdiction of the General Affairs Department.
This place is just a stepping stone.
The air grew quiet, and all three of them seemed somewhat disheartened.
After a while, Ji An thanked him and left.
He declined Wei's offer to see him off and walked along the path to his residence—No. 13, Guiwei year.
A Qi Refining stage cultivator has the strength of two hundred jin in his arms, so carrying two half-bags of grain on his back is quite easy.
The bamboo house has two rooms: a bedroom and a kitchen. Ji An lit a candle and inspected the house.
The bedroom was simply furnished with a table, a chair, a futon, and a bed.
There was only a water vat and an empty rice container in the kitchen.
The previous owner seemed to have moved out only a few days ago; there wasn't even a speck of dust on the table.
When you pour rice into the rice bin, it's just ordinary rice, practically devoid of any spiritual energy.
He took out clothes from his bundle and placed them on the bed, then took out a palm-sized wooden carving and placed it on the windowsill.
This is a creature resembling a bamboo rat, carved by my father based on the image of a spirit-seeking rat, and it features golden burl patterns.
The toy has been with its owner for ten years, and some parts have become smooth and shiny from being handled so much.
Ji An took out the jade slip, placed it on his forehead, and used his divine sense to read its contents.
Skipping over the rules of the sect, he carefully studied the Qingyuan Sutra.
After opening his meridians and entering the Qi Refining stage, he had no corresponding cultivation techniques and relied solely on his body's instincts to absorb and refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. As a result, he did not have much magical power in his Qi Sea acupoint at this time.
Without magical power, there's no way to practice spells.
Having studied at the Taoist academy for many years, understanding this technique was not difficult for him. Moreover, having undergone soul fusion, his comprehension and spiritual strength were much higher than those of the original body.
In less than an hour, he had figured out most of the technique.
The cultivation method is the most authentic way of the immortal sect. It explains clearly how spiritual energy circulates in the immortal meridians after entering the body and how to coordinate breathing.
The Qingyuan Scripture and the Kaimai Method are similar, the difference being that one circulates internal energy in ordinary meridians, while the other draws in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to circulate in the immortal meridians.
Once he had memorized the technique, Ji An opened the window. The room was filled with moonlight, and the wooden carvings on the windowsill were also bathed in its gentle glow.
He sat cross-legged on the futon and began to actively absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for the first time.
Concentrate your mind, clear your thoughts, adjust your breathing, and let spiritual energy enter your body through your mouth and nose, circulating in your meridians.
Everything went smoothly, and the spiritual energy was eventually refined into magical power and stored in the Qi Hai acupoint.
An hour later, Ji An slowly withdrew from his cultivation. He felt refreshed and relaxed, clearly indicating that his cultivation had improved.
However, there was no joy on his face; instead, his brows were furrowed.
He drank the spiritual wine at dusk, and as the spiritual energy was absorbed and refined by his body and entered his Qi Sea acupoint, he felt a portion of it being devoured by the stone turtle.
Just as I circulated my cultivation technique and the refined magical power entered my Qi Sea acupoint, the same thing happened.
He sensed that half of his magical power had been devoured by the stone turtle.
Ji An's face showed bitterness, and he was so angry that he gritted his teeth.
Before he could even rely on his cheat ability to gain benefits and dominate the world, his hard-earned magical power was plundered.
This means half of his magical power was withheld. It's a pity he only has a mid-grade aptitude, so his efficiency in absorbing spiritual power was already low.
At this moment, he began to worry that he would not be able to advance to the fourth level of Qi Refining on time.
If you can't reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining within three years, you'll be fired.
When a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage has just opened their Immortal Meridians, they cannot cultivate continuously. It is generally best to cultivate for one hour at a time, and then they must rest for one or two hours before they can continue cultivating.
If cultivation takes too long, the burden on the immortal meridians increases, and the efficiency is greatly reduced.
The practice of secluded cultivation for several days at a time is exclusive to high-level cultivators; even Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot do it.
Calming himself, Ji An took out the jade slip again and placed it on his forehead, beginning to read the information about the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique.
Now that I have magical powers, I can test the mysteries of the stone turtle after learning the spell.
If the harvest is large enough, having half of one's magic power withheld is not unacceptable.
The Lesser Cloud Rain Technique is merely a planting spell, not a particularly profound technique. It is mainly used to bring rain to spiritual fields and is intended for use by cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.
Rainwater contains spiritual energy that can promote the growth of spiritual grains and herbs.
If the spiritual grains and medicinal herbs are not properly cared for during the season when abundant rainfall is needed, the yield will be greatly reduced.
The first and second levels of the technique are relatively simple and do not require any special skill level. You will naturally reach them after releasing them a sufficient number of times.
In fact, most spells are like this: easy to learn but difficult to master.
When a spell is cultivated to the third level, which is the minor success stage, one needs to comprehend the divine intent and spiritual essence contained within the spell.
If one is dull-witted, progress will be extremely slow if one relies solely on diligent study and practice. However, over time, one can still reach the fourth level and enter the advanced stage.
At this point, a certain level of comprehension is required.
If one lacks comprehension, attempting to perfect one's magical skills is like trying to draw water with a bamboo basket or scoop the moon's reflection from a well—ultimately futile.
Releasing a spell requires mana to circulate within the celestial veins in a specific way, and then to activate it in conjunction with hand seals.
Both aspects need to work together well, otherwise the spell cannot be cast and may even damage the meridians.
Fortunately, the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique is just a planting spell for the Qi Refining stage, and it is very easy to learn.
After repeatedly pondering the essence of the Little Cloud Rain Book in his mind, Ji An did not immediately practice the spells, but instead practiced the hand seals.
Once he had mastered the practice and the changes in the hand seals were no longer awkward, he got up and walked out of the bamboo house.
A night breeze swept in, bringing a damp, slightly chilly feeling.
Taking a deep breath, Ji An calmed his somewhat excited emotions and mobilized his magic power to travel through the immortal veins along a specific route.
With years of experience in circulating internal energy and practicing the Qingyuan Scripture, the spell was executed flawlessly.
Under the bright moonlight, Ji An saw a fog enveloping the entire courtyard, and a light drizzle was falling.
Spell! The first spell I ever learned!
Even after living two lives, Ji An still felt his heart pounding rapidly.
He came down into the fog, closed his eyes, opened his arms, and let the raindrops hit his face, wetting his hair and clothes.
He didn't know how far he was from ascending to immortality, but he knew he had taken a solid first step.
Though the road is long, we will surely reach our destination.
The spell only lasted for a quarter of an hour. After feeling the rain stop, Ji An squatted down and dug at the ground with his hand. He found that the ground was only half a finger wet, and couldn't help but laugh.
Okay, don't expect too much from spells you're just starting out.
However, when he felt the depletion of his magical power, his expression suddenly froze.
He discovered that even when his Qi Sea acupoints were filled with magic power, he could only cast the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique five or six times.
However, after cultivating the Qingyuan Scripture for an hour, he had barely filled one-third of his Qihai acupoint.
The total amount of mana at the first level of Qi Refining is far too little.
The magical power refined through cultivation techniques is far too little!
Suppressing the irritation rising in his heart, he closed his eyes and sensed the stone tortoise.
[Master: Ji An]
[Taoist Rhyme: 0]
[Spiritual Interpretation: Kan Spirit 1.1, Kun Spirit 0.8, Xun Spirit 0.4]
[Spell: Minor Cloud Rain (Beginner 1%)]
Now, the moment to witness a miracle has arrived. Whether we can embark on the road to success depends on this moment.
Ji An's breathing quickened involuntarily; the matter concerned future developments, and he couldn't help but feel nervous.
He focused his attention on the spell, and a notification appeared.
[Can consume Kanling to upgrade Lesser Cloud Rain Technique? Refine?]
Refine! Is there even a question?!
May our ancestors protect us!
As Ji An made his decision, his consciousness was drawn into a mysterious space.
A hazy light shone from the stone tortoise's body, and he stood on the ridge of its back, repeatedly casting the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique, countless insights flowing through his mind.
The number following Kanling kept decreasing until it became '0'.
[Spell: Minor Cloud Rain Spell (Beginner 1% → 66%)]
Ji An laughed loudly: "Old turtle, awesome!"
The cultivation of immortality is a sure thing!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com