Chapter 349 Evergreen
Looking at the brows of his disciple, Master Zhengyang felt as if he had been transported back to the past.
After he broke through to the Golden Core stage, he also felt that the sect could no longer provide him with any assistance. At that time, the sect did not yet have the Five Elements Revolving Scripture.
Later, in search of an opportunity, he declined the position of sect leader and insisted on following the merchant alliance's flying ship to the Central Continent.
Before leaving, the sect leader said the same thing he had just said.
He spent nearly two hundred years in the Central Continent before finally returning to his sect.
He would not stop his disciples from pursuing higher realms, because he could not stop them anyway.
Are monks a noble group?
He pondered this question for many years, and the answer was 'no'.
Cultivators are even more selfish than mortals; many cultivators are willing to abandon everything for the possibility of advancing further.
The cultivation world has experienced several demonic calamities for many reasons, but the most important reason is that some cultivators, in their struggle for survival, have fallen into the demonic path.
Ironically, the great demons who can unleash demonic calamities are often those powerful cultivators.
Some Nascent Soul stage monsters are willing to sacrifice their entire sect in order to advance further.
The flesh and blood of many fellow disciples were used to refine them into resources for their further advancement.
The most recent demonic calamity in the cultivation world was caused by a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Tianshui Sect falling into demonic ways.
A cultivator's power originates from himself. If a disciple sees the sect as a constraint, forcing him to stay is not good for anyone.
Ji An bowed and said solemnly:
"I will keep this in mind."
Since joining the sect, his life had been very peaceful.
When he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his master gifted him a high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill; when he broke through to the Yuan Stage, the sect provided him with a Yuan Nourishing Pill; after the breakthrough, he could start practicing his cultivation techniques.
He was grateful for all of this, and it left him with simple, honest memories.
Master Zhengyang waved his hand and said:
"Come on, come with me for a walk."
"You've always flown in the air; you've probably never measured Chaoyang Peak on foot."
"Please, Ancestor."
The two walked out of the main hall, and Master Zhengyang waved his right arm as if to embrace the entire mountain range:
"The reason this mountain was named Chaoyang Peak is twofold: firstly, because it is the first place to be bathed in sunlight, and secondly, because the sect's founder hoped that future generations would be as vibrant and energetic as the rising sun."
Three days later.
Ji An teleported to Ningcui Cliff, rode a cloud, and arrived at Xuanhua Peak with his master, where he saw that many cultivators had already gathered.
Ye Changqing worked at the Qin Gong Hall for many years before his death.
It can be said that most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect recognize him.
At this moment, he lay quietly on a wooden platform made of Xuan Yang wood, with a large amount of charcoal placed beneath it.
On the platform, there was a picture of a dragon being ridden.
The image depicts a tall, crowned man with a long sword at his waist, spiritedly holding the reins and riding a giant dragon.
The dragon is shaped like a boat, with a white egret standing at its tail and a carp below its head.
The man's appearance was about 80% similar to Ye Changqing's.
The fiery cloud descended over the open space, and Ji An followed behind his master, offering a stick of incense.
Zhang Zizhao stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:
"I never expected my junior brother to come too. Changqing will surely be smiling in his grave."
Ye Changqing worked diligently under him, and he always trusted him with the tasks he was given.
Ji An returned the greeting, sighed softly, and said:
"Fellow Daoist Ye and I have known each other for many years. For both public and private reasons, we should come to see him off on his final journey."
Half an hour later, Zhang Zizhao stepped forward, paid tribute to Ye Changqing's life, and then waved his hand, sending out a ball of blue flame that ignited the spirit charcoal.
The Xuan Yang wood was quickly ignited, and flames shot up more than five feet high.
The raging fire consumed the remains, and the spiritual energy within the flesh and blood dissipated into the heavens and earth.
Finally, the ashes were mixed with wood ash and scattered in a deep pit.
Zhang Zizhao placed a five-foot-tall cloud cypress in the ground, and each of the arriving cultivators added a shovelful of soil to plant the cypress.
"Nephew Ye could not fulfill his wish before his death, but he hopes that this cypress tree will live forever."
"Junior Brother Ji, please help me cast a spell on the spirit tree."
Ji An nodded slightly, activated the Yellow Dragon Enhancing Yuan Technique, and a warm yellow spiritual light spread out, causing the earth to pulsate and the earth's energy to rise.
The nourishing and inclusive Dharma spread, bringing peace to the spirits of all practitioners, and fish-scale-like patterns appeared on the surface of the land.
Various expressions flashed across the faces of the spirit farmers. This intense earth magic was many times stronger than when they were casting spells.
In the crowd, Lin Mao closed his eyes and sighed softly.
'Is this the power of a spell at the Chaoyuan stage?'
Ji An changed the hand seals in his hands, releasing the Azure Dragon Awakening Technique.
He went all out this time when casting the spell.
A six-zhang-long azure dragon emerged from the void, its arm-thick, dark golden horns curving and forked, its dark green, jade-like scales dense and firm.
The Azure Dragon gracefully swayed its tail, its several-foot-long whiskers fluttering in the wind.
Like the first thunder of spring, the ancient dragon's roar resounded, echoing through the mountains.
A shower of emerald light fell from the void, and glistening 'jade beads' rained down, even tinging the sunlight with emerald hues.
The air was filled with the vibrant energy of budding growth, and the grass on the ground was so tall that it reached above everyone's knees.
The flowers are in full bloom, a riot of colors, as if you are in a sea of flowers, with a subtle fragrance wafting in the air.
"A blue dragon is hidden within the speck of light!"
A monk noticed this detail and exclaimed in a low voice.
Zhang Zizhao's eyes flickered, the intensity of the wood elemental intent making him feel slightly suffocated.
'If our sect possessed wood-elemental spells at the Chaoyuan stage, I wonder what kind of brilliance they would unleash in Junior Brother Ji's hands!'
The practitioners were immersed in the vibrant and growing Dharma teachings, and the cool breath filled their lungs, making them feel as if their bodies had become lighter.
As the Azure Dragon gradually faded into nothingness, its echoes dissipated, and its radiance vanished, countless fragrant grasses sprouted across the mountains and fields.
Ji An's hand seals changed again, releasing the Spring Breeze and Rain Technique.
The image of Yunlong spreading clouds and rain is that of rolling dark clouds, which is too inappropriate for the occasion.
White clouds rolled and swirled, just as they enveloped the green pines.
Under the sunlight, the crystalline brilliance shimmered in the clouds.
Then, the rain, as smooth as white jade, fell, and a light mist spread, blurring the view.
The cypress tree grew half a foot taller at a visible rate, and its branches and leaves became more lush.
This means that the spirit tree has taken deep root and has survived the most difficult period during the transplantation.
Everything was over, and Ji An cupped his hands in greeting:
"Senior Brother Zhang, I'll go first."
Zhang Zizhao waved his hand: "Junior brother, goodbye."
Red clouds rose from beneath their feet, resembling a rosy glow, and Ji An and his master rode away on the clouds.
"Who is this senior uncle? I've never seen him before."
A cultivator said proudly:
"Hehe, this is our Uncle Ji An, the Palace Master of the Ministry of Agriculture!"
After the establishment of the Department of Agriculture, its presence within the sect was not strong, because most disciples did not have direct interaction with the Department of Agriculture.
Now, Uncle Ji is displaying his superb magical skills here, adding much splendor to the Hall of Agriculture.
One cultivator exclaimed, "Uncle Ji's magical skills are unparalleled in my life."
Some cultivators secretly shook their heads, thinking to themselves:
'What a pity, such powerful magic can only be used for planting.'
The following day, Ji An arrived at the Sinong Hall and summoned the two deputy hall masters and many stewards.
"Gentlemen, I have been in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture for more than ten years. Now I will report on the situation of the Ministry of Agriculture."
When he spoke with Lin Mao, he mentioned his requirement: "Within thirty years, the sect should have two hundred Spirit Farmers at the Foundation Establishment stage."
Half the time has passed, and there's not much time left to complete the task.
Lin Mao began by saying:
"Reporting to the Palace Master, the Palace of Agriculture currently has eighty-seven Foundation Establishment cultivators, eleven more than when it was first established."
There are fifty-six disciples at the ninth level of Qi Refining, of whom twenty-three have the potential to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
If the sect has a sufficient supply of Foundation Establishment Pills, the Department of Agriculture will grow even stronger.
Ji An said in a deep voice:
"There's no need to worry too much about the Foundation Building Pill. It's estimated that in another ten years, the medicinal herbs in my herb garden will gradually mature."
By then, we will have enough materials to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, and it is estimated that we can start the furnace ten times.
Obtaining thirty or forty Foundation Establishment Pills should not be a problem.
By the way, how many disciples are in the late stage of Qi Refining?
Generally speaking, each batch of Foundation Building Pills can produce a maximum of five pills.
Those alchemists who frequently refine Foundation Establishment Pills have a success rate of 90%, producing three to five pills each time, with four pills most of the time.
Lin Mao answered without hesitation:
"There are a total of 398 people, of whom 150 are disciples at the eighth level of Qi Refining."
Ji An nodded slightly. Only by having enough late-stage Qi Refining disciples could the wish of breaking through to two hundred Foundation Establishment stage spiritual farmers be realized.
Kong Yunyi's eyes narrowed suddenly. He was the one who was originally in charge of that medicinal herb garden, and he knew the situation there very well.
The herbs will mature in another ten years, which means that the other party only needs about twenty years to cultivate all the herbs for the Foundation Building Pill to a sufficient age.
He coughed lightly and said:
"Since adopting the Hall Master's grouping method, the number of Lingnong disciples has been declining year by year, and is currently only 80% of what it was when the Si Nong Hall was established."
Not only can it grow enough spirit grains for the sect's disciples to eat, but the quality of the spirit rice has also been greatly improved.
If these disciples break through to the Foundation Establishment stage one after another, the number of disciples needed for spirit farming can be further reduced, but the quality of spirit plant production will be further improved.
Furthermore, the cultivation time for spiritual herbs will also increase to some extent.
Shortening the growth time of a medicinal herb that is several hundred years old by ten years is not noticeable, but extending the time to several thousand years is equivalent to harvesting an extra round of medicinal herbs.
This is just a conservative estimate; as cultivators' spells become more and more sophisticated, the time reduction will increase further.
The decrease in the total number of Lingnong disciples means a decrease in the amount of pills consumed, which indirectly increases the sect's resources.
Ji An said with satisfaction:
"This policy must be firmly and persistently promoted. The higher the disciples' level, the more they will discover the benefits of doing so."
The other stewards reported on the situation in their respective areas of responsibility. Overall, everything was improving, showing significant progress compared to when the Hall of Agriculture was first established.
Everyone was in a good mood and looked forward to a bright future.
After a moment, Ji An stood up and said solemnly:
"In the next few years, I will spend much less time in the Ministry of Agriculture."
When faced with urgent situations where decisions are difficult to make, Palace Master Lin and Palace Master Kong discuss and resolve them.
I'll come back every few days to address everyone's issues collectively.
He needs to go out and collect the Qi of Wu Earth and Ji Earth to gather enough materials for the Wu Ji Apricot Yellow Banner as soon as possible.
(End of this chapter)
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