"In just a short while, it's roughly equivalent to two days of progress without pills, maybe even more."
Ji An was thrilled. If he had enough spirit stones, he could cultivate around the clock like Senior Brother Liu Yu.
The mere thought made his breath quicken. One day's worth of cultivation equaling someone else's month's spending stones to buy time was the best bargain of all.
Wei Songnian blinked in mild surprise. That wasn't quite right. At only the fourth level of Qi Refinement, the refining effect should have been even stronger.
Could it be that this junior's aptitude was actually terrible, barely low-grade?
No, that couldn't be. The sect wouldn't even admit low-grade talents. There was only one possibility: his aptitude was barely middle-grade.
"Ahem, ahem," Wei Songnian coughed twice, then smiled.
"As your cultivation improves, the formation's effect will naturally taper off. But for qi refinement disciples, it's more than enough."
He put the array plates away and took out a jade slip from his pouch, handing it over.
"Junior Brother, here's the formation.
This jade slip records the controlling incantations, nothing but a simple application of spiritual power. Once you look it over, you'll understand immediately."
Ji An accepted it, pressing the slip to his forehead.
Moments later, he set it down and grinned.
"It really is simple. Thanks, Senior Brother. Now, let's settle the accounts."
He placed his bundle on the table, untied it, and pushed the spirit stones and talismans across.
Wei Songnian rubbed his hands together, his favorite part. The feeling of tallying goods was just as satisfying as closing a sale.
Before long, he finished counting, eyes crinkling in a smile.
"Two hundred fifty-six low-grade talisman papers, one hundred twelve mid-grade talisman papers, ten bottles of low-grade talisman ink. Hmm…"
He did a quick mental calculation, then gave the figure:
"That comes to one thousand five hundred sixty-six spirit crystals. Even veteran spirit farmers would envy such a haul."
"Envy what? That I never hold on to any crystals?"
Ji An chuckled, pushing the spirit stones toward him.
"That's seventeen spirit stones and eighty-five crystals. Senior Brother, check them.
Same deal as always, ten sets of materials for talisman ink, and twenty-four Jadegrain Pills.
Wait, hold on, that's not right."
He fished out another five spirit stones, looking a bit embarrassed.
"If I hand over all the stones, then buying this formation was pointless. These five I'm keeping. At least enough for ten hours of use."
"Junior Brother makes an excellent point."
Wei Songnian's face showed no displeasure. After all, every stone Ji An earned from him came right back through his hands. A perfect customer well worth nurturing.
"After deducting the cost of materials, you still have one thousand nine hundred one spirit crystals left."
"All nineteen stones go to Senior Brother. Counting the three I already put down as a deposit, that means I still owe you twenty-three stones.
I'll pay it back gradually over half a year. As for the odd crystal, forget it."
For once, Ji An allowed himself some swagger, waving his hand generously.
He marveled at how far his credit had come. He could now run a tab of more than twenty stones. Clearly, he had to keep working at this.
"I'm not worried. Pay me back slowly, but don't let it interfere with your cultivation."
Wei Songnian gathered up the stones with a smile.
"I'll go downstairs and ask Liang Qiu to prepare us a spirit fish.
Heh, one fish, four dishes. Not a scrap wasted."
As he stepped out of the room, his mind was already working:
Twenty-three spirit stones are no small sum. That'll pinch my own cash flow. I'll have to borrow some from Old Huang and the others…
Time flowed differently in the world of cultivation. Three years slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Ji An had quietly cultivated by the shores of Bihai Lake in the Golden Spirit Sect. Now, the time for the sect's three-year assessment had arrived.
"Three-Year Minor Examination. Liu Yu, age seventeen, zero mu cultivated, ninth level of Qi Refinement. Evaluation: Grade A, mid-tier."
The elderly cultivator presiding over the test smiled warmly and cupped his hands.
"Congratulations, Nephew Liu. Once this assessment is over, it will be time for the senior brothers to select disciples. For you to reach this stage after only three years, our senior brothers will surely compete to take you in.
It won't be long before I'll have to call you Junior Brother instead."
Inwardly, the elder sighed. *This youth must be a direct heir of the Liu clan of Qíngpíng Mountain. Three years of closed-door cultivation under the family's support, and they've no doubt secured a Foundation Establishment Pill for him as well.
Disciples like him are treasures. The Foundation Establishment elders will fight to take him as a disciple. After all, when a disciple breaks through, the master receives sect rewards too. It's a win-win.*
Liu Yu smiled gently and returned the salute.
"Your praise is undeserved, Master-Uncle. I must only strive to cultivate diligently and contribute what little strength I have to the sect.
Might I ask your honorable surname?"
"No need for honorifics. My surname is Zhang, given name Fan."
The old man stroked his snow-white hair, chuckling self-deprecatingly.
"My name suits me well, ordinary, plain. I've already wasted most of my life."
He had cultivated arduously for one hundred and fifty years, yet his cultivation was still only at the third stage of Foundation Establishment. If he could one day break through to mid-stage Foundation, it would be nothing short of his ancestors' blessing.
Liu Yu, by contrast, would likely establish his foundation before the age of twenty. He might not compare to those rare geniuses born with naturally unobstructed immortal meridians, but advancing to late-stage Foundation was nearly certain for him. With some fortune, he might even have a chance at Origin Ascension.
Liu Yu felt awkward and chose not to respond.
Zhang Fan quickly buried his complex emotions after so many years; he had long accepted reality. All he wished now was to remain in the sect, build connections, gather spirit stones, and pave a better starting path for the younger generations of his clan.
He cleared his throat and called out:
"Next!"
Ji An stepped forward and gave a respectful bow.
"Disciple Ji An, greets Master."
He gestured to the spirit fields at his side with a smile.
"These are the fields I cultivated."
Zhang Fan raised his brows in suspicion.
"All of them, by yourself?!
From your aura, you're only at the sixth level of Qi Refinement. Ten mu of spirit fields, how could you possibly manage them alone?
If you're deceiving the sect, heh, then a trip to the mines may be in order."
He cast a subtle glance toward Old Huang. The man was soon to be expelled from the sect due to age, and Zhang Fan suspected he might have been secretly helping Ji An.
To his mind, spirit farmer disciples usually had poor aptitude. For Ji An to reach the sixth level of Qi Refinement in only three years suggested decent talent, but perhaps he'd offended someone and was sent to toil by Bihai Lake.
Ji An did not argue. He simply formed the seals for the Minor Rain Technique. His hands blurred, leaving afterimages as white mist surged forth, condensing in moments into a cloud that spanned five mu.
Threads of silver rain fell like silk, a hazy mist rising to veil the fields, transforming them into a fairyland.
"The Minor Rain Technique at Perfection! Such comprehension, Junior Brother!"
Liu Yu exclaimed softly. Though it was only a basic farming spell, to reach perfection in just three years showed extraordinary talent for water-element arts. Could it be… some special physique?
Zhang Fan stretched his hand into the rain, quietly feeling the unique aura. A smile crept across his face.
"The Minor Rain Technique at perfection. No wonder.
Ji An, three-year minor examination, sixth level of Qi Refinement, ten mu cultivated. Evaluation: Grade A, low-tier.
A pity. If you had broken through to late-stage Qi Refinement, a mid-tier A evaluation would've been assured."