Chapter 126 Response
The spiritual food was plentiful and delicious, but Ge Ying was somewhat distracted.
When she first heard about the eruption of gold and fire attribute spiritual objects from Crimson Flame Peak, she planned to have her disciples hand over second-tier high-grade and top-grade spiritual objects, and she would risk her reputation to negotiate with the sect to save her disciples as much as possible.
No secrets stay hidden forever. If the sect learns of this situation through other channels, it will be even more detrimental to the disciples.
Everyone has greed, and others in Ji An's position might do the same, but this kind of thing can't be discussed openly.
If a disciple is able to take the initiative to admit his or her mistakes and sincerely repent, he or she should be able to earn the opportunity to be forgiven.
However, there are risks involved. She doesn't know what her senior uncles at the Chaoyuan stage will think about this. The second-tier top-grade spiritual items spewed out by Crimson Flame Peak are quite useful to several of the sect's senior uncles.
If they develop prejudices against their disciples, it will affect the disciples' spiritual path.
Sometimes, a high-level cultivator can make his disciples waste many years with just a hint.
After she roughly figured out the reason for the eruption of the fire veins in the earth's lungs beneath Crimson Flame Peak, she decided to help her disciple cover it up, but she hesitated.
After the sect sent the message via the golden sword yesterday, Ge Ying understood that the cultivation of the spiritual veins had reached its final stage.
Seeing her disciple's planting progress on Crimson Flame Peak and her understanding of cultivation techniques and spells today, she is more inclined to help her disciple conceal this disgraceful matter.
Judging from the current situation, the disciple is likely to accumulate a lot of resources through planting, and has a high probability of breaking through to the Chaoyuan stage.
Even without breaking through to the Chaoyuan stage, the other party's expertise in cultivation would surpass hers, perhaps even before she ascended to immortality.
If the sect is suspected by other higher-ups because of its tainted behavior, it would be a loss for the sect. The other party is the most likely to help the sect cultivate second-tier top-grade spirit peaches again.
After making a decision, Ge Ying relaxed and began to enjoy the food.
"The aroma of the rabbit meat infuses the soup, and when paired with these fresh vegetables, it's delicious, fragrant, and not greasy at all."
"It's quite impressive that a single spirit fish can produce so many different flavors."
She ate the fish bone pancake, nodding and smiling.
"On behalf of Fellow Daoist Liang, I thank Master for his praise."
Ji An smiled, saying that he was quite good at reading people's expressions.
When he first saw his master looking preoccupied, he understood that it must be his own behavior that had an effect, and that the other party was probably thinking of a better way to handle the situation.
Seeing Master smile now, things should be turning around.
He raised his glass again and smiled:
"Master, you did not drink a drop of wine just now. Now please taste this cup of pine nut wine."
This is a fine wine brewed by Senior Brother Du using pine nuts and several kinds of spiritual fruits. It has been fermented in the cold pool for five years and can accelerate the recovery of magical power.
Ge Ying drank half a cup, closed her eyes, circulated her internal energy, and carefully sensed it for a while. She then nodded slightly and said:
"The spirit wine has a smooth taste and is also beneficial to cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage. Huaiyuan's understanding of winemaking has improved again."
She looked up and said casually:
"You fellow disciples are doing quite well; I've never even had the chance to drink any of this wine."
“We also stored some spiritual wine in the cold pool. I took some out and gave it to Master before he left.”
Ji An grinned, realizing he could only apologize to Senior Brother Du for now, and would make up for the loss slowly in the future.
The bright moon leaps out from the mountains, casting its clear light everywhere.
At the entrance of the cave, Ge Ying looked up at the moon and whispered:
"During the day, spiritual energy is volatile and burns through the meridians, while at night, spiritual energy is peaceful and soothing. The magical power refined through the constant wear and tear should become increasingly pure."
From this perspective, if one can endure this hardship, the value of Crimson Flame Peak has been underestimated.
A second-tier, low-grade spiritual vein is something many late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators within the sect cannot afford.
“Refining spiritual energy during the day is indeed uncomfortable, but I’ve gotten used to it after persisting for years.”
In the first few years after I settled in Crimson Flame Peak, I could only refine spiritual energy for half an hour during the day, but now I can last almost an hour.
Ji An recounted his experience in a lighthearted manner, stating that the burning of his meridians and the boiling of his veins were true, and that it inevitably caused damage to his immortal veins.
However, after being repaired during nighttime cultivation and tempered day and night, his immortal veins are much more resilient than when he first established his foundation, and can withstand multiple rapid spellcasting sessions in a short period of time.
No road is traveled in vain, and no hardship is endured for nothing.
Ge Ying nodded slightly, feeling gratified that her disciple's Dao heart was so resolute.
Many people understand the principle, but few can endure loneliness, hardship, and pain and persevere in the long run. Ambition often fades with time.
She looked at the sacred pine tree under the moonlight and smiled:
"These two Red Cloud Pines are being taken very good care of. In just a few years, they will be cultivated to the highest grade."
Ji An slowly approached a red cloud pine tree and gently raised his hand. He saw that the tips of the pine needles of the entire tree were radiating a bright red light, like a delicate tower of flames.
"I wonder if Master remembers that there was a message in the jade slip you gave me."
If a cultivator persists in nourishing the spirit tree with their magic power, one day they may cultivate a spirit material that is in harmony with their own aura. In the future, they can use this material to refine a high-level spirit weapon that is in sync with their own aura.
Besides casting spells daily, I have consistently nourished the spirit pines with my own magical power for ten years without fail, and now I am in harmony with the aura of these two spirit trees.
He paused, then said:
"If I have the ability to cultivate it to a level of mid-grade second rank or above, I will use Crimson Cloud Pine as the main material to refine a spiritual weapon."
The pine tree, like a burning torch, illuminated Ge Ying's eyes.
She certainly remembered what her disciple had said, and she had done it herself, so she knew all too well how difficult it was to achieve harmony with the spirit wood's energy.
Not all perseverance leads to success. Back then, she persisted in nurturing five spirit trees at the same time, but after more than ten years, only one of them succeeded.
Ge Ying felt more shocked today than in the past few years. She took a deep breath and changed the subject:
"Regarding the eruption of Crimson Flame Peak, I have thought about it for a long time. Considering your path to enlightenment, I think it would be better not to report it to the sect for the time being."
"Let's see if the Crimson Flame Summit erupts on time, and whether any spiritual beings will still emerge after it erupts, then we'll make a final decision."
She was 80-90% certain that Crimson Flame Peak would not erupt again after the spiritual veins were upgraded.
"I will listen to Master."
Ge Ying's tone turned stern:
"You will rise to higher and higher positions in the future, and many people will be watching what you do. Don't make the same mistake again."
"This disciple will certainly examine himself daily."
"You don't know how many years it will be before you can use the second-tier high-grade and top-grade materials. Give them to me."
Once it's confirmed in the next year or two that Crimson Flame Peak will no longer erupt, I'll find an opportunity to hand it over to the sect.
If the sect can forge a few more high-grade or top-grade second-tier spiritual weapons as a result, it will greatly enhance the combat power of a cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage.
A demonic calamity is about to erupt, and every bit of improvement a high-level cultivator makes may save the lives of many more disciples.
“I’ll give it to my master,” Ji An breathed a sigh of relief; this outcome was much better than he had expected.
The majority of the spiritual items spewed out by the volcanic eruption were second-tier low-grade and mid-grade, which meant that a large amount of materials could still be kept in hand.
He took out a sealed stone box from his storage bag, and then took out two identical boxes from the nursery where the red pine trees were planted, and handed them both over.
"Master, please come in."
Ji An used a magic incantation to break the magical restrictions of the cave and took out two boxes from the soil in the small herb garden.
Ge Ying took the box, a strange expression on her face:
"You're good at hiding. Do you have any more? Are there any in the woods at the foot of the mountain?"
The stone box is made of special material and is sealed with magic, so the spiritual energy inside will not leak out. It is then buried in the ground and covered with spiritual plants, so unless there is a targeted search, it will almost never be discovered by outsiders.
Ji An shook his head repeatedly and said:
“There really isn’t any left. Master also saw that some red-tailed squirrels and fire-toothed rabbits were being raised in the mountains. If they were buried in the mountains, they might dig them up.”
Firetooth rabbits are good at digging holes in the ground, and red-tailed squirrels will not miss any tree holes; the mountains and forests are not good places to hide things.
Besides, he likes to keep good things where he can see them often.
Ge Ying opened and examined the items, and found that there were quite a few good things, such as Star Mark Gold, Dragon Pattern Gold, Heavenly Profound Crimson Gold, and Fire Crystal, which surprised her.
Faced with so many good things, no cultivator could remain unmoved if they could recognize their origins.
She suppressed the greed that was beginning to rise in her heart and slowly said:
"Uncle-Master Lin Qiubai of Yingyue Peak has been in the late stage of the Chaoyuan realm for many years and is currently searching for second-tier top-grade metal element spiritual materials to refine his flying sword."
If he happens to have the materials to transform his flying sword into a top-grade spiritual weapon, it would greatly enhance his strength as a sword cultivator.
Ji An replied, "I only wish for the sect to prosper, which would also be a blessing for the lower-ranking disciples."
High-level cultivators enjoy sustenance, but the meaning of the sect's inheritance lies in their ability to stand up for lower-level disciples in critical moments.
Ge Ying's eyes showed agreement, and she smiled:
"If you hand over these spiritual items to the sect, you will surely receive a huge amount of contribution points and merits. Tell me when you break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and need to exchange for spiritual items and cultivation techniques."
"If you cultivate quickly enough, these sect rewards will still be yours."
The two gradually began to talk about cultivation. Ji An took the opportunity to ask about the accumulation of cultivation techniques and listened to his master's analysis of the situation within the sect and the impending crisis facing the Western Continent.
We talked all night, and before we knew it, dawn was breaking outside.
Ge Ying stood up and said:
"Tomorrow the sect will infuse the most crucial batch of spiritual items into the spiritual veins. Today I need to return to Ningcui Cliff to prevent any disturbances during the spiritual vein enhancement that could damage the spiritual peaches."
“Cultivating immortality is not easy; it is like rowing against the current. If you don’t advance, you will fall behind. I hope that you can maintain the single-minded attitude you have cultivated over the years, and strive to break through to the Chaoyuan stage one day.”
Ji An then stood up, his expression solemn:
"I will follow my master's teachings."
The two walked out of the cave together, and he said again:
"Fellow Daoist Liang should already be preparing breakfast. It's not too late for Master to leave after he has tasted it."
After settling in Crimson Flame Peak, he did not take any fasting pills and ate cooked spiritual food every day.
After Ge Ying finished her breakfast, Liang Qiu had already taken out five jars of each type of spirit wine from the bottom of the pool as instructed and put them into his storage bag.
"Please enjoy these spiritual wines, Master."
Ji An sent his master out of the magic array and returned to his cave to hide some second-tier spiritual items from his storage bag back in the medicine field.
(End of this chapter)
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