Chapter 152 Red Cloud Pine
"Please sit down, let's talk slowly."
Ji An called out, and if he wasn't mistaken, the battle at Mingfeng Mountain was about to begin.
The two sat down, but before they could even speak, shouts came from outside again.
"Senior Brother Ji... Ah, Senior Brother Wei is here too?"
Zeng Rui rushed in, cupped his hands and said:
"Have either of you received the sect's golden communication sword?"
Wei Songnian sighed:
“We were just talking about this. Senior Brother Ji and I both received it. We’ll be setting off for the Ten Thousand Mountains in a month to establish a new base.”
Zeng Rui pulled up a chair, scratching her head and asking:
"Isn't the task of establishing strongholds and waging external battles always handled by the Enforcement Hall?"
Why is there such a big commotion this time? Do my two senior brothers have any other information?
He stretched out his finger and poked it upwards twice, revealing an inquiring look.
At this moment, he was inwardly lamenting his predicament. He was just an ordinary spirit farmer, and most of his assets had been invested in planting. He only had one high-grade defensive magic artifact at hand.
He was pessimistic about fighting the monsters in his current state.
The sect's external expansion operations have been ongoing for over a decade, always spearheaded by the Enforcement Hall, which then gathers cultivators who frequently go out to hunt demons.
The other cultivators do logistical support work or are assigned to guard outposts; they don't fight on the front lines against the monsters.
The sect suddenly issued a conscription order, catching him completely off guard.
Ji An said in a deep voice:
"I think both of you junior brothers are being too pessimistic. The sect has always been very cautious about battles in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Even when attacking those powerful demon beast groups, we have never suffered any major casualties."
None of us are skilled in combat, and the sect likely has other missions for us when they summon us; we won't have many opportunities to be on the front lines.
The sect's higher-ups aren't fools; they wouldn't assign their disciples tasks that would cause massive casualties, as that would shake the sect's foundation.
At least for now, we won't do that. Losing troops and soldiers before the demon calamity has even officially broken out would greatly shake the morale of the cultivators.
He turned and asked:
"Junior Brother Wei, how many Bloodthirsty Vine seeds have Green Bamboo Valley harvested so far?"
"The seeds have been harvested twice, yielding about 40,000 jin (20,000 kg)."
In another two weeks, there will be another harvest, with the estimated yield reaching around 24,000 to 25,000 jin (12,000 to 12,500 kg).
Ji An smiled and calmly said:
"As far as I know, the sect assigned seven spirit farmers to do this task. There shouldn't be any problem harvesting more than 300,000 catties of Bloodthirsty Vine seeds, right?"
Without the nourishment of fresh blood, this spiritual seed is difficult to preserve for a long time and must be planted as soon as possible.
How many barons will it take to plant this? And where will it be planted?
Hearing his analysis, Zeng Rui's expression softened, and he smiled:
"Yes, if it's a planting task, I have no problem."
In combat, one cultivator from the Law Enforcement Hall could take on ten of them without breaking a sweat, but when it comes to planting, these cultivators are completely clueless.
Everyone has their own area of expertise. The Spirit Farmer might learn a few offensive spells, but the people in the Enforcement Hall would never learn planting spells.
Wei Songnian's expression remained solemn:
"Why would the sect summon me? As far as I know, Junior Sister Jiang Wanrong did not receive a summons."
He himself has no special skills, while Junior Sister Jiang has beast taming to assist in battle, and should be more effective than him in combat.
Zeng Rui comforted him, saying:
"Senior Brother Wei, there's no use thinking about this now. Why don't we go out and buy some magical artifacts and talismans?"
If the sect's recruitment area is large, arriving late will mean missing out on usable magical artifacts.
"Alright, let's go to the weapon-refining hall and find out what's going on."
Wei Songnian stood up and asked:
"Senior Brother Ji, are you coming with us?"
Ji An waved his hand gently and said:
"I have a top-grade defensive magic artifact with me, which is enough for now."
He possessed magical artifacts and had a month to craft talismans, so he was not afraid of this conscription mission.
Above the territory of the Golden Spirit Sect, countless communication talisman swords, like silver fish, darted back and forth.
Yingri Peak is the location of the sect's Law Enforcement Hall. Hall Master Lin Jiuxiao watched expressionlessly as communication talisman swords flew by in the distance.
His face was angular and sharp, as if carved by a knife and axe, with a straight nose like a towering, steep mountain peak, making him look like a serious and unapproachable person.
Mussund stood respectfully behind him, looking as if he were listening attentively to instruction.
Lin Jiuxiao said calmly:
"The sect has been peaceful for over two thousand years, but too many disciples have a weak fighting spirit, which is not good."
Before the demonic calamity fully erupts, let everyone experience war firsthand so they won't be caught off guard in future battles.
"What my senior master says is absolutely right. There are over a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect, and this time we recruited 70% of them. At the same time, we also recruited over 4,000 disciples at the eighth and ninth levels of Qi Refining."
After so many people have undergone the test, most sect cultivators will become genuinely nervous.
Lin Jiuxiao nodded slightly:
"Well done. When assigning tasks, you should also take into account those who are not good at combat."
We're going there to train our troops, not to send these people to their deaths.
Some cultivators are not born with the talent for combat. It would be too difficult for them to engage in direct combat. Even if a full-scale war breaks out, tasks should be assigned according to the actual situation.
"Don't worry, Uncle Master, I have been in close communication with the Qin Gong Hall."
Those who specialize in production receive extra care.
Musongde replied that the weapon refiners, formation masters, puppeteers, spirit farmers, and some beast tamers were not assigned any challenging missions.
The sect was in an uproar. Among the people Ji An knew, Zhang Yuanshan and Chu He were both on the conscription list, while Zhao Mengyao was not conscripted this time because she had just completed an overseas mission.
Li Lingyu and Mu Qingwan also received conscription orders. Liu Yu is a cultivator from the Law Enforcement Hall and is said to be assigned to the main attack force.
Du Huaiyuan was lucky; he escaped this mission.
Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, Ji An stayed on Crimson Flame Peak as if nothing was wrong, cultivating methodically, extracting the essence of metal and fire elements, and casting spells on the spirit wood.
In his storage bag lay two Explosion Talisman Plates and two Explosion Flame Talisman Plates, forty top-grade Explosion Talismans, twelve hundred high-grade Explosion Flame Talismans, and one hundred high-grade Golden Armor Talismans.
If he had access to the relevant materials, he would have even wanted to draw some top-grade Rock Mountain Talismans and Golden Light Talismans.
In addition, he also had twelve high-grade bronze armor talismans, which possessed the combat power of a Foundation Establishment early-stage Body Refinement cultivator.
Because it's a group operation, all the supplies we've prepared are more than enough.
Even if he encountered two or three late-stage Foundation Establishment level demonic beasts alone, and the demonic beasts did not flee, he felt that he could blast the demonic beasts into dust by himself.
As the setting sun cast its rays, the sky was ablaze with golden blossoms, gilding Crimson Flame Peak with a golden hue.
The golden fire spirit on the mountaintop has gradually faded, and the fire-toothed rabbits in the Xuan Yang wood and Zi Yang wood forests have come out to forage for food, while a group of red-tailed squirrels are happily hopping around a red cloud pine.
Returning birds skimmed across the cold pool, their wings beating the water's surface, creating ripples.
Ji An sat at the stone table, enjoying his meal.
A jar of spirit wine, a spirit fish, four dishes made from it, plus a plate of pickled bamboo shoots and a bowl of jade marrow rice.
If you were to consume at a spirit food shop, this meal alone would cost at least ten spirit stones.
Xia Yuhan and her sister stood by, their eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and hope, and asked:
"Uncle-Master, is the taste to your liking?"
They learned the skill of cooking a fish in four ways from Liangqiu, and the time has come to put it to the test.
Ji An picked up the golden-yellow pancake, chewed it slowly, and the aroma spread on his taste buds.
He nodded in satisfaction and smiled:
“Very good, already at eight or nine points of Fellow Daoist Liang’s level.”
The two sisters are quite talented in cooking, and they will surely be able to take over each other's positions after Liang Qiu leaves.
"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle-Master."
The two sisters bowed slightly, their faces beaming with joy.
The golden talisman sword swooped down and hovered beside the stone table. Ji An caught it and discovered that it was his master's magical imprint.
He probed into his consciousness to read the information.
"Meet at Ningcui Cliff at noon tomorrow. Remember that."
Ji An took out a communication talisman sword and wrote that he would definitely arrive on time.
The activated rune sword drew a silver line in the air and disappeared from his sight.
"You all go ahead with your work, I'm going to patrol the mountains and forests."
Ji An summoned his flying shuttle and began patrolling counter-clockwise.
This was a routine activity after dinner, which he never missed while staying at Crimson Flame Peak.
The Jade Leaf Mulberry and the Green Ivy Tree need rain or the release of the Green Wood Transformation Technique, while the Crimson Cloud Pine needs to be irrigated with the Flaming Fire Spell. Every few days, all the mountains and forests need to be tamed with the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Spell to restore the earth's energy and increase the soil's spiritual power.
His nightlife is just beginning; he usually stays busy until close to midnight before he can finally settle down.
As he rose and fell, clouds rose and rain fell, emerald galaxies surged, and earthy yellow or orange-red spiritual light flickered.
The moon rises in the eastern sky, witnessing the ever-changing light and shadow, and the branches and leaves of the sacred tree sway in this enchanting dream.
When the wind rises, the trees rustle in the breeze.
Under the serene moonlight, Ji An looked down at the Crimson Cloud Pine Forest and saw a hazy red glow in the distance, which greatly surprised him.
He spurred the shuttle forward, leaving a clear trail of wind in the pine forest.
As the shuttle landed, the red-tailed squirrels that had been hopping around the pine trees scattered in all directions, peeking out from the shadows to spy on the uninvited guests.
Ji An looked up at the sacred pine tree before him, its needles like sparkling fire jade, emitting a radiant glow, and took a deep breath.
When pine needles emit a spiritual light without any external interference, it is a sign that one has reached the second-tier lower grade.
Ji An stepped forward, his figure like a ghost, and appeared next to the Red Cloud Pine in the next instant.
His hand touched the rough bark of the pine tree, and as he channeled his magic power, he immediately felt the surge of fire elemental energy.
The entire pine tree resembled a burning torch, its intense spiritual energy radiating outwards, causing his Taoist robe to flutter in the wind.
If someone happens to be nearby at this moment, they will see a red light shooting into the sky, its radiance covering the nearby sacred pines.
These pine trees, illuminated by the red light, swayed gently, as if dancing in a breeze.
"good!"
Ji An clenched his fist with all his might; all his efforts had been rewarded, and he felt incredibly happy at that moment.
This is the first second-tier spirit tree he has cultivated, but it is by no means the last; the best days are yet to come.
(End of this chapter)
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