Chapter 113 Planting Trees
The flying boat Ye Changqing was riding grew smaller and smaller in his eyes. Ji An patted his spirit beast pouch and released two tamed beasts.
Sensing the intense, unrestrained energy in the air, the grey-feathered sand geese cried out a few times and leaped into the icy pool.
Ji An took out the Beast Taming Token and had a simple mental communication with it, asking it to find the location of the spring in the pool.
He had never practiced water control techniques, nor could he dive.
Sha Yan happily accepted the task and plunged down.
Ji An led the spirit-seeking rats to survey the terrain. Although he was not a formation master, choosing a suitable location to place a formation was a task that anyone could do.
His main purpose was to find out if there were any hidden dangers left here.
The autumn wind was fierce, and the spirit-seeking rat was not in high spirits. The environment here was too harsh for it. Ji An also felt uncomfortable. The environment was much harsher than what he had experienced outside the magic array a few days ago.
When you have your skin rubbed with Bian stone, you feel a burning, stinging sensation.
After the spiritual energy entered my body, I felt as if my immortal meridians were being burned, and there was no comfortable place inside or outside my body.
They arrived at a cave inside the mountain, where the environment was somewhat better, but the heat inside was so intense it felt like being steamed or boiled. After a short while, the spirit-seeking rat couldn't stand it anymore.
It squeaked and howled, conveying its desire to leave as soon as possible.
Ji An looked around and discovered that the reason the cave was like this was because several underground fire holes had been dug out and not sealed.
The Chen clan removed the magic array before leaving, causing the intense spiritual energy to continuously surge from the earth's fire veins.
"You bastards, you dug this hole and you're not going to fill it in when you leave?!"
Ji An cursed under his breath and left with the spirit-seeking rat, as he was also struggling to withstand the overwhelming spiritual energy.
Returning to the cold pool at the foot of the mountain, I immediately felt much more comfortable.
Seven or eight days later, Ji An finally surveyed the terrain and laid down the array plates.
The Reversed Five Elements Formation is primarily for defense, concealment, and trapping enemies. It can generate a faint mist to obscure the view from the outside.
Because it lacks offensive capabilities, it possesses extremely strong defensive power, making it ideal for guarding one's lair.
The convergence of the five elements here further enhances the defensive capabilities of the formation.
Ji An doesn't need to use formations to kill enemies, at least not now. If someone attacks, he just calls for reinforcements.
The mountain-protecting formation draws energy from the earth's veins. To break through it, it would require at least several late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to launch a fierce attack for several days. Its safety is still quite guaranteed.
Although located on the outskirts, attacking Crimson Flame Peak is tantamount to slapping the sect in the face.
After finishing all this, Ji An took the flying shuttle back to the heart of the sect at dawn.
He purchased several small arrays to seal the earth fire and then flew back to Ningcui Cliff to pay respects to his master.
Ge Ying smiled and nodded when she heard that her disciple was leaving.
“You are my disciple with the shortest teaching period, and you haven’t learned much from me.”
I have compiled my experience in planting and alchemy, and I hope you can make some progress in these two areas.
I won't force you to learn alchemy. You can study it when you have free time. Consider it a different way to relax; focus on improving your cultivation.
As she spoke, she took out seven or eight jade slips and used a telekinesis technique to send them to her disciples.
"so much?"
Ji An exclaimed in surprise, then rose and bowed deeply:
"I cannot refuse the teacher's gift. I am deeply grateful for the teacher's kindness and will definitely study it diligently."
This is equivalent to handing him two inheritances, which can be described as a profound act of affection and loyalty.
"You have a deep understanding of planting spells. You can make a name for yourself in the Qi Refining stage with powerful spells, but there are many more tricks to planting spiritual herbs of the first-grade level or above."
If we rely solely on the power of magic, it will be difficult to achieve the best planting results.
Ge Ying spoke gently. She was quite fond of this disciple, who had achieved Foundation Establishment with almost no trouble from her.
The other party entered the sect with no one to rely on, and to have come this far, their strength and Dao heart must be top-notch. If they can maintain their current momentum, they have a chance to break through to the Chaoyuan stage.
Although she failed to break through to the Chaoyuan stage, it would be an honor if she could train a few disciples to become Chaoyuan stage cultivators.
After bidding farewell to his master, Ji An arrived at the medicine garden and found Xiang Yong.
"Old Xiang, I have a job casting spells on elixirs. Do you want to take it?"
He recounted the story of the Fire Cloud Ginseng in the small courtyard, and then said:
"If it's inconvenient for you, you can recommend a suitable candidate."
The requirements are that the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique and the Flame Fire Spell reach mastery, and the Thick Earth Technique reach perfection. A Wood Element Bead must be activated every few days.
Xiang Yong's eyes darted around a few times before he asked:
"Uncle-Master, how is the reward?"
The job was simple; he lived nearby and could do it anytime.
"One spirit stone per month, and five spirit stones as a reward after the spirit herb matures."
"Uncle-Master, I'll do it."
Ji An smiled, took out six spirit stones, and said:
“I send someone back to check on it every six months. If it’s growing well, there’s a reward.”
The two knew each other well, and he felt at ease entrusting the courtyard to the other party. At most, the Fire Cloud Ginseng would mature in three or four years.
"Thank you for the reward, Uncle-Master."
Xiang Yong happily accepted the spirit stone; it was like getting it for free, he thought it was really great.
"Come on, let's go and get acquainted with the place."
Ji An handed over the jade tablet that controlled the magic array, and then summoned a flying shuttle to carry people to the spirit field.
After arranging things at the courtyard, Ji An took Huang Feihu and flew to the fishpond at Biyue Lake to find Liang Qiu.
“Fellow Daoist Liang, I have contracted the entire Crimson Flame Peak. There is a cold pool there, but we need someone to raise the spirit fish. I would like to invite you to go there.”
I'll cover the cost of raising the spirit fish, and you'll get 10% of the profits. In addition, I'll pay you two spirit stones every month to prepare meals for everyone.
"You only need to focus on raising the spirit fish; you don't need to worry about anything else. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"
Ji An's conditions weren't particularly good, but his ability to absorb spiritual energy from a second-tier spiritual vein was the biggest attraction for late-stage Qi Refining disciples.
You can save a lot of spirit stones by buying pills every month; not spending them is earning them.
"I am honored by your kind offer and I am willing to go."
"But please give me two months. My fishpond will soon be ready for harvest. Once things are settled here, I will definitely go to Crimson Flame Peak to find you, fellow Daoist."
"Okay, it's settled then."
Liangqiu prepared a fish feast, and the group ate heartily and with great enjoyment.
After a hearty meal, Ji An explained the location of Crimson Flame Peak in detail and led Huang Feihu back to the courtyard by the Azure Lake.
The two carefully dug out the spirit fruit tree. Ji An used a spirit-sealing technique to lock the tree's life force, and then quickly returned to Crimson Flame Peak in a flying shuttle.
During his flight, he cast the spirit-sealing spell several more times.
As the sun sets, birds chirp and chatter as they return to their nests, making the area around Crimson Flame Peak even more serene and tranquil.
In the valley outside the spiritual vein, wisps of smoke could be faintly seen rising from several bamboo houses. These were the residences of Qi Refining disciples who had rented spiritual fields from the sect.
Unlike other places, the spiritual veins of Crimson Flame Peak are deeply buried underground, and there is a long distance between it and other spiritual vein nodes, as if it were cut off from the sect's sacred mountains and scenic spots.
The shuttle landed beside the cold pool at the foot of the mountain. Huang Feihu stepped out, spread his arms, looked up at the sky, and laughed loudly:
"It is truly a blessing to be able to follow my fellow Daoist to cultivate in such a spiritually vibrant region."
He felt very lucky. At the beginning of his cultivation, he had his grandfather's help, and now he had met a benefactor who could ask him questions about cultivation from time to time. This treatment was no different from becoming a disciple.
"You wouldn't think that way during the day."
Ji An smiled and went directly to the nearby houses, then said:
"Choose your own room. Tomorrow, go outside the mountain-protecting formation and see which wastelands are suitable for cultivating spiritual fields."
The spiritual energy here is too intense during the day, making it difficult for talisman grass to grow; it can only be planted outside the magic array.
In addition, we need to replant the saplings, and you can hire the disciples in the valley to do this work.
Now, quickly tidy up the room, then come with me to prepare the saplings we'll need tomorrow.
The sect has already cut down all the mature spirit trees, so there's no hope of making any money in the short term. He can only go back to his old profession.
Various medicinal herbs also need to be planted, and he will be very busy in the coming days.
"Okay," Huang Feihu replied and quickly went to clean the room.
Ji An replanted the spirit fruit tree at the pre-planned location, and then successively cast the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Spell, the Azure Wood Transformation Technique, and the Spring Breeze Transforming Rain Technique.
A myriad of lights shimmered, and gentle raindrops fell; what was planted was not just a tree, but also hope.
Then, he summoned the gray-feathered sand geese that were playing in the cold pool, and they flew to the cave halfway up the mountain to seal the holes in the fire chamber with a sealing array.
The two set off from the cold pool and cut branches suitable for cuttings in a clockwise direction.
Bamboo stalks do not require cuttings, so we will skip this step.
By the moonlight, they cut more than 20,000 forearm-length branches of Xuan Yang wood, enough to fill the open space in the Xuan Yang wood forest.
This is a first-grade high-quality spirit wood. After five years, a small amount of spirit materials and a large amount of spirit charcoal will be required as payment.
Huang Feihu dug a large pit, and the two of them used their object manipulation skills to gather the branches inside.
Ji An unleashed the Azure Wood Transformation Technique and the Spring Breeze and Rain Technique to enhance the vitality of the wood. After the clouds and mist cleared, they covered the branches with a thick layer of soil.
"Tomorrow morning, we will continue preparing the cuttings at the beginning of the Yin hour (3-5 AM), stop working before sunrise, and take the cuttings after sunset."
These days will be tough, so be prepared.
"Think about the rewards in the future, and it won't be hard work!"
Huang Feihu laughed, explaining that he had learned the area was scorching hot during the day and understood that planting trees could only be done at night and in the early morning.
Even so, the survival rate cannot be guaranteed to be high.
What intrigued him was the spell Ji An used. The other party had only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for a few months, so his advanced planting spells were probably just beginning to be learned. However, judging from the gathered spiritual energy, it was several times stronger than spells like the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique.
Ji An smiled kindly and said:
"We'll hire some disciples to help us with the work tomorrow; that will make things easier for us."
He looked up at the bright moon hanging high above and nodded slightly:
"It's already midnight. Let's go back and rest."
He summoned a flying shuttle, and the two took off under the moonlight.
The night wind blows, and the leaves rustle, as if reluctant to part.
After returning to his cave halfway up the mountain, Ji An used the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique to gather water and cleanse himself, then lit a censer of calming incense.
A wisp of smoke rose, hazy as mist, carrying a delicate fragrance.
He sat cross-legged on the futon in the stone chamber, activating the Everlasting Spring Technique. If he didn't practice for a day, he felt that something was missing from his life.
This is the time when the earth's fire veins are least active, making it an excellent opportunity for cultivation.
After cultivating, one can still sleep for more than half an hour. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, enduring this for ten days or half a month is not a problem.
(End of this chapter)
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