Something about Chapter 16 feels off.
As Wei Songnian quickly packed up his stall, he said:
"Junior brother, you're only at the first level of Qi Refining, yet you've already reached the minor completion stage of the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique. I've been in the Biyue Market for over ten years, and I've never seen anyone as outstanding as you."
I have a question. You once said that you only opened your immortal meridians a few days before the sect assessment, so your internal mana should not be enough to release the third level of the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique, right?
"Could you please let me see you make rain just once?"
Does this senior have such a good memory?!
Ji An was surprised; he had only said it casually, but he hadn't expected the other party to remember it.
He knew this was a test from the other party; if he was just making things up, he would definitely be exposed.
"sure."
Ji An readily agreed, believing that true gold fears no fire, and that the other party had a wide network of connections who might be able to help him promote his image as a magical genius.
When you're out in the world, you still need to learn how to present yourself well; you never know when you might need it.
The initial accumulation of crystals is too difficult; otherwise, he would not have been willing to show off like this.
A tree that stands out in the forest will surely be felled by the wind.
He had decided that he would only display his three magical talents from now on: Minor Cloud Rain Technique, Thick Earth Technique, and Withering and Flourishing Technique.
The world is a slippery place, and people's hearts are complex; one must always keep something in reserve.
After Wei Songnian finished packing up his stall, the two crossed the square, left the market, and arrived at the shore of Biyue Lake.
This time, Ji An learned his lesson and controlled the output of his magic power when casting the spell. When about 90% of his magic power was consumed, the hand seals changed accordingly, and the spell was activated.
Under the white clouds and mist, the rain poured down, and after a quarter of an hour, the clouds and mist dispersed.
"Life within the sect is not easy. With your abilities, Junior Brother, settling down will not be difficult."
Wei Songnian gave a thumbs-up, his smile now even more sincere:
"Come on, I'll take you to eat some authentic silverfish. I guarantee you'll never forget the taste."
He pointed to the dock in the distance and said:
"Liang Qiu in the fishing village is good at catching spirit fish and also has excellent cooking skills. People usually have to make an order if they want to eat the spirit fish he makes."
I have some connections with him, so I'll just go.
The sect used magic arrays to divide the Azure Lake into many fish ponds, and the Beast Taming Hall has a branch specifically responsible for raising spirit fish.
Of these, about 80% of the water area is public, and many disciples rely on catching spirit fish and collecting aquatic spiritual herbs to supplement their cultivation.
Fishing and medicinal herb gathering are subject to taxes, but any catch must be taken to the fish enclosure; otherwise, the rules will apply.
The two arrived at a tavern near the fishing village and came to the front of a large restaurant.
He passed by the door without entering, and walked several dozen steps forward until he arrived at a small restaurant next door.
The place wasn't big, but it had six wooden square tables, all of which were full of people.
"Ah Qiu, bring me the biggest silver-scaled fish. Junior Brother Ji An and I will have a good drink together."
A kind-looking young man with a slightly flushed face peeked out from the kitchen:
"Senior Brother Wei, please come upstairs and have a seat."
"It's been quite a while since I've seen you. I saved some fish maw gelatin for you."
"After we eat the fish, let me weigh it."
The two greeted each other, and Wei Songnian, familiar with the place, led them to a small room upstairs to sit down.
"You can't enjoy this fish prepared in four ways anywhere else."
The fish head is used to make a clear soup, the fish tail is fried and then used to make a thick soup, and the fish body is steamed. Combined with A Qiu's secret seasoning, the taste is simply amazing!
Wei Songnian swallowed hard. "It's incredibly delicious."
He shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, leaning slightly forward, and said earnestly:
"Junior brother wants to improve his cultivation level quickly. Forgive my bluntness, but using inferior pills is not advisable."
Senior brother, the inferior Huangya Pills I have are still quite effective. The potency of two pills exceeds that of a single genuine pill by a considerable margin.
However, refining the medicinal power to remove the erysipelas takes two to three times longer than using genuine elixirs, making the time cost too high.
“I understand the logic,” Ji An said, looking rather embarrassed.
"But the crystals I have are borrowed, and the quantity doesn't support me continuously using genuine cultivation pills for cultivation."
Wei Songnian placed a spirit stone on the table and pushed it to the opposite side:
"Consider this spirit stone a loan to you, junior brother. You can return it after you harvest the spirit grain in the second season."
Ji An remained silent for a few seconds before pushing the spirit stone back.
Wei Songnian frowned slightly. He never expected that someone would turn away the spirit stones that were offered to them.
The Wei family originated from a group of independent cultivators and merchants. Their rise to prominence was due to an ancestor who supported a promising cultivator from a humble background.
Later, this cultivator soared to the Chaoyuan realm, and the Wei family, having benefited from this, transformed from a small, insignificant family into a large family with hundreds of Qi Refining disciples and nearly ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, possessing a first-tier high-level spiritual vein.
Our ancestors left us the instruction: "Supporting those with potential from humble backgrounds is a more sustainable business than buying and selling goods."
Wei Songnian agreed wholeheartedly and, after arriving at the sect, supported both of them.
Today is about making a good connection; if the other party shows more potential in the future, he will place another bet.
Ji An coughed, took out the inferior pills, pushed them over, and cupped his hands in greeting:
“Senior brother thinks highly of me, I will accept these spirit stones and exchange them all for Yellow Sprout Pills.”
As a transmigrator, Ji An viewed cultivation with the same mindset as playing a competitive game.
Only when all economic resources are spent can they be converted into strength. What he needs to do most now is to quickly improve his cultivation level.
Farming and practicing magic to earn crystals and improve cultivation level. The higher the cultivation level, the more magic power you have, which allows you to farm and practice magic even better, creating a perfect closed loop!
He set a small goal: to advance to the mid-stage of Qi Refining within a year!
Something felt off, Wei Songnian scratched his head.
He took out an unopened white jade porcelain bottle from his storage bag, poured out two Huangya Dan pills, and pushed the bottle over.
"Ten pills, junior brother, count them."
Ji An made no attempt to conceal his actions, poured out the pills, counted them, and then put them back into the jade bottle:
"Exactly ten, thank you, senior brother."
Wei Songnian took out a handful of spirit crystals, counted 80, thought for a moment, and then took out a talisman bird with a dim and lifeless seal:
"This is the change in spirit crystals. Don't refuse the gift from the talisman bird, junior brother. It will be worn out in about twenty or thirty hours."
If the aura of the talisman begins to dissipate, do not continue using it.
Ji An counted the number of spirit crystals and thanked them again.
While the two were talking, the cooked spirit fish was served, its aroma filling the air.
Wei Songnian picked up his chopsticks: "Eat it while it's hot, don't be shy, the fish bones have already been removed."
Ji An picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, the delicate fragrance melting on his taste buds.
As the fish meat entered the stomach, a warm sensation arose, and the immortal veins spontaneously absorbed the spiritual energy contained within the fish meat.
He didn't stand on ceremony, wielding his chopsticks with lightning speed, and devoured the food with great relish.
The fish wasn't big, and the two of them quickly devoured it.
"Quickly circulate your cultivation technique to refine the spiritual energy," Wei Songnian said with a smile.
Ji An readily accepted good advice and implemented the Qingyuan Sutra.
Half a moment later, he withdrew from his cultivation, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
Although half of his mana was devoured by the stone turtle, the increase in mana from refining half a spirit fish was equivalent to three or four days' worth of his usual work.
He couldn't help but sigh that the availability of resources had a tremendous impact on cultivation.
After chatting for a while, Ji An got up to say goodbye.
Wei Songnian brought a golden-brown pancake from the kitchen and said with a smile:
"The fourth way to eat the spirit fish is to fry the fish bones until golden brown and then mix them with flour to make pancakes."
Thus, not a single ounce of spiritual energy within the spirit fish was wasted.
(End of this chapter)
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