Chapter 323 Piercing the Fog
Ji An recorded the news of the attack on Lingtian into the communication golden sword, and then sent it out.
A golden light flew towards the Enforcement Hall on Yingri Peak, requesting that the patrol forces around the sect be strengthened to prevent similar situations from occurring.
Another one flew towards the Diligent Work Hall of Lingxiao Mountain. The lower-level disciples suffered heavy losses, and he reported his decision to the Diligent Work Hall.
Lin Mao, standing beside him, looked somewhat stiff. The Palace Master usually didn't make decisions, but once he did, his word was law.
Fortunately, the other party does not usually participate in the management of daily affairs, otherwise there would have been many disagreements on their ideas.
He lowered his head slightly and said:
"Yes, sir. I will send more people to handle this matter right away."
"Wait a moment, Lord Lin, please have a seat."
Ji An stopped the other person and said seriously:
"There's a question we haven't discussed with you yet, let's talk about it today."
The sect established the Department of Agriculture to cultivate more high-level spirit farmers and build a massive logistical force like that of Fallen Maple Valley.
However, the development of the Ministry of Agriculture over the past three years has been mediocre, far from achieving this goal. Does Palace Master Lin have any brilliant ideas?
He said that being "conventional" was already quite polite, and that the Ministry of Agriculture had not done much in cultivating spiritual farmers.
It is almost impossible to fulfill the sect's requirements by simply giving lectures to the Lingnong disciples once a month.
Lin Mao's face showed bitterness, and he grinned as he said:
"Whether it's a sect or a family, if they want to develop, they need a sufficient number of disciples with excellent qualifications."
The Palace Master is also aware of the situation at the Palace of Agriculture. The disciples we are assigned are all of medium or low grade, with very few having high grade aptitude.
If this situation cannot be resolved, it will be difficult for the Ministry of Agriculture to develop!
Ji An looked directly into the other person's eyes and said calmly:
"Our ancestor won't listen to my complaints. Think about how we can achieve results under the existing conditions."
My requirements are not high: within thirty years, the sect should have two hundred Foundation Establishment stage Spirit Farmers.
Lin Mao shook his head, "That's impossible. After the demon calamity and the monster calamity, the sect has less than seven hundred Foundation Establishment stage cultivators."
Currently, all outstanding disciples are given priority in being selected by the Enforcement Hall and the Beast Taming Hall in order to replenish manpower.
Only when the sect's military strength is guaranteed can we discuss other matters.
There are only about seventy Spirit Farmers in the Foundation Establishment stage, and that's only because there were no losses during the war.
In his view, without the addition of outstanding disciples, it would be a pipe dream to achieve this goal within thirty years.
"The Foundation Establishment Pill is also a big problem. The sect's medicine garden has plans on what kind of pills to plant."
The increased planting of medicinal herbs for refining Foundation Establishment Pills will inevitably affect the planting of other medicinal herbs.
This would affect the supply of elixirs for Foundation Establishment cultivators, which the Diligent Work Hall would not allow.
Cultivating the Foundation Establishment stage is very important, but the cultivation of Foundation Establishment cultivators is also very important.
Another very real problem is that if the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators is not controlled, then there will inevitably be more conflicts among cultivators due to competition for resources.
An increase in Foundation Establishment stage cultivators can enhance a sect's foundation, but the emergence of so many Foundation Establishment cultivators will inevitably bring new problems.
Even if these Foundation Establishment cultivators don't use pills, but simply meditate and absorb spiritual energy every day, the cumulative effect on their spiritual veins is still significant.
Finally, Lin Mao concluded:
"It's not that sects can't quickly increase the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, but this would increase the burden on the sect's spiritual veins, which would be a losing proposition in the long run."
If the spiritual energy in a spiritual vein is insufficient to sustain itself for a long period, it will inevitably cause the spiritual vein's grade to gradually decline, which is the most fatal aspect.
Ji An shook his head and smiled:
“Spirit farmers can regulate the earth’s energy and increase the concentration of spiritual energy in the earth’s veins. A single spirit farmer is not a burden; the real burden on the spiritual veins comes from other cultivators.”
The Thick Earth Technique, the Thick Earth Returning to Origin Mantra, and the Yellow Dragon Enhancing Yuan Technique he is currently using are all techniques that use the cultivator's magical power to nourish the earth's veins.
With the accumulation of time, he was able to cultivate the spiritual veins of Crimson Flame Peak to the second-tier superior grade through his own efforts.
Lin Mao sighed softly and said with a wry smile:
"That makes sense, but a spirit farmer cannot protect the sect's foundation; he can only serve as the sect's cornerstone."
The role of the lingon was significant, but there was no glory to be had. If he had a choice back then, he would not have chosen to become the lingon.
Ji An said solemnly:
"Let me give you a heads-up and tell you my plans."
I plan to report this to the sect and request a reduction in the recruitment of Lingnong disciples.
At the same time, the sect will improve the treatment of disciples, providing them with sufficient medicinal pills upon joining, and any disciple who fails to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining within one year will be dismissed.
In his view, it was completely meaningless for a Qi Refining early stage disciple to start planting spirit fields directly. After casting a few spells, they would run out of mana, so how could they play around with it!
"At the same time, select the most suitable planting spells for the disciples and form groups."
Each group consists of three people, specializing in earth, wood, and water magic, with each person focusing on one type of spell.
While all-around cultivators are extremely rare, most cultivators can specialize in one type of spell based on their talent.
This arrangement can achieve 1+1+1>3, which is basically the same as the division of labor and cooperation from the previous life.
When three cultivators unite, they can create far more value than they could create alone.
Lin Mao's eyes lit up. As a spiritual farmer, he understood the benefits of doing so.
The combined strengths of everyone masked their individual weaknesses.
He had never thought of this approach before.
Ji An continued:
"I will request the sect to change the original rules. As long as a disciple reaches the perfect level in one of the planting techniques, he/she can stay in the sect permanently."
Each group of disciples in the late Qi Refining stage can cultivate far more spiritual fields than those in the early and middle Qi Refining stages, and the value they create is also much higher.
"Within ten years, I will allocate Foundation Establishment stage Spirit Farmers to cultivate Yellow Sprout Rice and Ginseng Essence Pill related medicinal materials for the disciples' cultivation."
"I will personally cultivate the medicinal herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill, achieve results first, and then request the sect to send a certain percentage of disciples with superior aptitude to the Ministry of Agriculture."
Ji An briefly explained his plan and observed the other party's reaction.
Lin Mao nodded repeatedly and said:
“As long as we can get through the difficult period after our disciples break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the order of the Ministry of Agriculture will be established. I think it’s feasible.”
Once order is established, all that's needed is to accumulate knowledge step by step.
The only obstacle was that the Foundation Establishment stage spiritual farmers were unwilling to plant spiritual plants such as yellow sprout rice, but if the Palace Master personally plants the medicinal materials related to Foundation Establishment Pills, everyone's resistance will be much less.
Ji An smiled and said:
“You can find an opportunity to talk to other people about this. I plan to start implementing it next year.”
By the way, where is the closest medicinal garden to Ningcui Cliff that grows the herbs for Foundation Establishment Pills?
"The area around Wohu Mountain, about 20 miles to the northwest, is now under the jurisdiction of Hall Master Kong."
"I will take over this medicinal herb garden next year."
Qin Gong Hall.
After reading the message in the golden sword, Zhang Zizhao's face darkened.
He immediately summoned the deputy hall master and solemnly said:
"The spirit fields in the northern region of the sect have been infested with insects, and the description is similar to what happened to Falling Maple Valley a few years ago."
Go and check it out, collect some samples, and then use the teleportation array to go to Qingyun Immortal City and exchange ideas with the cultivators of Luofeng Valley.
Since several sects withdrew from Mingfeng Mountain, they have set up teleportation arrays in the Immortal City.
The three sects' mountain gates form a triangle, and Qingyun Immortal City is located precisely at the center of the triangle.
In some respects, the Immortal City is the center of the entire Western Continent.
"Yes, ma'am, I'll set off immediately."
Puyun Mountain.
A hawk let out a cry and then swooped down.
The monk raised his arm and let it rest on his arm.
This eagle is just an ordinary wild beast, but precisely because it is ordinary, it will not be noticed by those with ulterior motives, and thus a lot of intelligence can be monitored.
The cultivator communicated with the eagle through a blood pact, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
He pulled a bloody strip of meat, about two fingers wide and half a foot long, from his storage bag and tossed it into the air.
As the eagle took flight to peck at its prey, he hurriedly ran to the cave.
Chen Xingzhou was leisurely drinking wine, the color of which was as red as blood.
He slammed down his wine glass and said coldly:
"What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful!"
He has always instructed his family members to be prudent in their actions.
The clansman who came in was valued by him and was transformed into a demon cultivator, becoming an absolute confidant.
"Speak, what is it?"
"Fourteenth Uncle, all the demonic insects that were released into the Golden Spirit Sect have been killed."
"What did you say?!"
Chen Xingzhou suddenly stood up, his voice filled with panic.
"According to the news brought back by my tamed beast, the demonic insect was killed by the cultivators of the Golden Spirit Sect."
Chen Xingzhou's mind was in turmoil. How could this be! Lord Xiong Ba had clearly said that this kind of demonic insect had caused great damage in Falling Maple Valley last time.
The cultivators had no good way to deal with it and were eventually forced to burn the spiritual plants to end the insect plague.
What methods did they use to solve the problem?
“The eagle is just a wild beast with limited intelligence. It only knows that there was a flash of golden light, and I can’t get any more information from it.”
A violent emotion suddenly rose in Chen Xingzhou's heart, and he had the idea of killing the clansman in front of him with a single palm strike.
He took a few heavy breaths, closed his eyes, and waved his hand:
"You can leave now."
He was worried that he might actually take action, and at that moment he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on, not knowing how to explain it to Xiong Ba.
After a moment of contemplation, Chen Xingzhou left the cave and flew to the back mountain in his flying shuttle.
The situation had spiraled out of his control, and he had to report it immediately, regardless of the consequences.
The shuttle landed at the entrance of what was originally Chen Daochang's cave dwelling, and Chen Xingzhou called out loudly:
"My lord, I have something important to report."
"Come in."
Chen Xingzhou entered the cave and saw Xiong Ba sitting there, his clothes disheveled. He could also faintly hear a woman crying inside the cave.
He quickly lowered his head and recounted the information he had received.
"What?!"
Xiong Ba's beard and hair stood on end, his anger reaching the heavens.
He stretched out his large, fan-like hand and grabbed Chen Xingzhou by the neck, lifting him up.
"You idiot, how did you manage to mess this up!"
Lord Qinglong repeatedly instructed that the matter be handled perfectly, as it concerned the next steps of the Heavenly Demon Alliance and could not be compromised.
Chen Xingzhou's feet left the ground, the other person's large hand was so powerful that it completely choked his throat, making it impossible for him to breathe.
A ruthless glint appeared in Xiong Ba's eyes; he was determined to increase his strength and end the other's life.
But considering that the other party was still useful, and that killing them would be of no use, he ultimately did not take any action.
He let go, and Chen Xingzhou fell to the ground.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Chen Xingzhou coughed violently a few times, then recounted the information he had received, and added:
"We can only confirm that the cultivator used some kind of spell; we don't know any more details."
He was filled with resentment, having just sensed the killing intent emanating from the other party, but he dared not reveal it in the slightest, maintaining a respectful demeanor on his face.
He successfully released the demonic insects, but what happened afterward was beyond his control.
The fact that a cultivator from the Golden Spirit Sect could quickly kill the demonic insects means that the responsibility for the incident cannot be placed on him at all.
Xiong Ba squinted and said viciously:
"Describe that cultivator's appearance. I want to add him to the Heavenly Demon Alliance's kill list. Go now!"
The situation here has changed, and he needs to report it to Lord Qinglong immediately.
"Yes, sir, please wait a moment."
Chen Xingzhou lowered his head, turned and left, a look of resentment flashing in his eyes.
"etc."
The voice from behind startled Chen Xingzhou. He immediately adopted a respectful expression and turned around, saying:
"Is there anything else you need, sir?"
Xiong Ba gently patted his shoulder and said:
"Lord Qinglong's instructions still ring in my ears. You were too anxious after hearing the bad news. Were you injured?"
"No, I completely understand your feelings."
Chen Xingzhou raised his head slightly and forced a smile.
"Yes, go ahead. The responsibility for this is not yours; it's all the fault of the cultivator who dealt with the demonic insects."
Xiong Ba tried his best to put on a friendly smile. He had personally supervised when the other party released the demonic insects.
He couldn't possibly trust the other party to act alone on something so important.
Chen Xingzhou returned to the front mountain, found the eagle in charge of surveillance, directly searched its memories, and then engraved the cultivator's appearance and physique into a jade slip, like a three-dimensional image.
He stared at the image with a cold expression, an unnamed rage burning within him.
The memory of that appearance is so vivid; it was this person who took over Crimson Flame Peak, causing him to be delayed for ten years!
Remembering Xiong Ba's words, a vicious smile appeared on his lips. "Ji An, you're going to die!"
He piloted the flying shuttle into the sky and flew towards the back mountain.
Ji An extended his divine sense and read the information from the golden communication sword in his hand.
Zhang Zizhao and Lin Jiuxiao both responded. The Diligent Work Hall agreed with his decision, while the Enforcement Hall said that it would increase patrols in the near future and send more cultivators to patrol at night.
He put the matter aside and, regardless of who the enemy was, he remained steadfast in his resolve to face any change.
Ji An calmed himself down and began to cultivate his magic to open the Fire Palace.
A heart-shaped light, like that of a furnace, shone brightly, and pale golden veins appeared, exuding warmth.
Two hours passed, the sun set, and Ji An woke up on time to leave work.
He rode a green auspicious cloud to the mountaintop, bid farewell to his master, and then left.
The teleportation array flashed, and he returned to Crimson Flame Peak.
After absorbing the Qi, he began to cast spells on the spiritual field.
The earth trembled, nourishing the profound Dharma essence that rose from the land.
Amidst the roar of the dragon, a sky ablaze with green light, and a variety of wondrous phenomena unfolded.
The dark clouds, flashing with lightning, spread out, and the spiritual rain, full of nourishing Dharma, fell like pearls.
As the mist filled the air, Ji An's vision gradually blurred and then cleared again.
"Um?"
He was suddenly puzzled. At this moment, he could clearly see the spiritual plants stretching out in the rain, and the frosted glass-like hazy feeling that used to appear when the water mist rose was completely gone.
My eyes have gained supernatural powers!
(End of this chapter)
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