The door of a bamboo lodge slid open, and Li Lingyu stepped out. Seeing the two chatting, the corners of her lips curved into a smile.
"I see Senior Brother Liu. So it seems Master has already accepted Junior Brother Ji as her disciple. Shouldn't we celebrate this a little?"
Ji An cupped his hands politely.
"That was exactly my thought. I wanted to invite both Senior Sisters, but I worried it might disturb your cultivation, so I didn't dare ask rashly."
"Senior Sister Mu is currently adjusting her state. She may not have time."
"I do," came a faint but cool voice. Mu Qingwan appeared, dressed in a green flowing gown, a jade hairpin fixed in her hair.
"A walk outside will do me good."
"And me as well," said Du Huaiyuan with a hearty laugh as he came over.
"Then let's go," Liu Yu declared. "Today, it's my treat.
First, to wish Qingwan and Huaiyuan success in their Foundation Establishment, and second, to welcome Junior Brother Ji. The spirit wine will flow without limit."
"Senior Brother, you know me well. Soon, I'll have you taste a vintage I've brewed myself!" Du Huaiyuan chuckled. He had once stumbled across a recipe for spirit-fruit wine and had since fallen in love with the craft.
Liu Yu activated his flying artifact, a drifting cloud of spiritual qi. It soared away from Verdant Cliff with a whistle of wind.
They landed in an area Ji An had never visited before. Amidst the endless greenery, red brick, and blue-tiled roofs peeked through.
Li Lingyu spoke softly:
"This market sits at the edge of the sect's inner territory. Those who come here are mostly disciples who have formally taken masters, sometimes even Foundation cultivators.
Every so often, gatherings are held. People exchange resources, trade items, or share cultivation insights."
After all, though every disciple had a teacher, not everyone could meet and seek guidance whenever they wished.
Ji An exhaled slowly, realizing he had just stepped up a small rung in the ladder of status.
Inside Fragrant Pavilion, a grand feast of spirit-infused dishes was laid out. The group ate and drank in a private room, chatting as they went.
Ever since they had learned from their master that a Beast Calamity was looming, Liu Yu and the others had felt a sense of urgency.
They all knew the day would come when they'd be thrust onto the frontlines against demon beasts. Tonight's banquet was as much about strengthening their bonds as it was about enjoyment.
Liu Yu raised his cup, smiling:
"We are Master's youngest disciples, and we rarely interact with the senior brothers and sisters. From now on, we must support one another."
The master's other disciples were already Foundation Establishment cultivators, each busy with their own paths. Encounters were rare; even if they wanted to build camaraderie, there were few chances.
"Well said, Senior Brother."
Du Huaiyuan lifted his cup as well. Everyone clinked their glasses across the table and drained them together.
Their mutual understanding deepened, and the atmosphere in the private room grew warm and lively. The feast lasted until the sun dipped low on the horizon.
The next morning.
At dawn, Ji An awoke from meditation, sinking his mind into his dantian. Dark characters surfaced in his consciousness:
[Master: Ji An]
[Dao Resonance: 0]
[Spiritual qi: Kan 137.4, Gen 0.4, Zhen 6.6, Xun 392.6, Kun 678.4, Qian 0.2]
He sat up abruptly, a grin tugging at his lips.
"Hah… hugging a thigh really does feel good."
By his rough calculation, a full day at Verdant Cliff had doubled the Kan qi he gained compared to Bihai Lake, while the Xun and Kun energies had tripled. On top of that, he had absorbed a new type of qi Gen.
Gen corresponded to Earth, symbolizing stability and stillness.
Gen qi, along with Kun qi, should enhance spells aligned with the properties of Yang Earth (Wu Earth) and Yin Earth (Ji Earth).
Wu Earth was a yang dry, scorching earth infused with fire.
Ji Earth was yin, damp, heavy earth infused with water. The Thick Earth Formula, being strengthened by Kun qi, was proof of this.
Thinking of this, Ji An immediately ran a test.
"Refine Gen qi!"
The stone tortoise in his sea of consciousness gave an immediate reply:
[No applicable spells for enhancement.]
Ji An, having confirmed his suspicions, gave a slight nod. He left the bamboo lodge, mounted his talisman bird, and made his way to the medicine garden.
The spiritual energy in the garden was even denser than outside. Two full hours of cultivation here was not something to waste.
As soon as he stepped inside, the rich aura made him feel as if every pore in his body opened, greedily drinking it in.
The concentration of heaven and earth spiritual energy here was even stronger than when he activated his Spirit-Draining Formation.
Cultivating in this place not only produced better results but, over time, would save him a great many spirit stones.
He fetched a meditation cushion from one of the huts, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating.
As the Clear Source Sutra circulated, the dense aura flowed in through his nose, traveling along his spiritual veins. Refining it into mana here was noticeably easier than usual.
When a faint ache rippled through his veins, Ji An stopped, opening his eyes to find Xiang Yong already waiting nearby.
Seeing him awaken, the older man cupped his hands with a grin.
"Senior Brother's diligence in cultivation is truly admirable."
Ji An chuckled. That had nothing to do with diligence without a Spirit-Draining Formation; Qi Refining disciples could only cultivate during certain times of day, like dawn or dusk.
Xiang Yong, realizing he had just said empty words, gave an awkward laugh and quickly added:
"Yesterday, we only made a quick circuit around the garden. I wonder, Senior Brother, do you have any questions?"
Time to get to work. He didn't know how skilled this newcomer was in planting techniques; if Ji An was worse than Li Lingyu, then he himself would be in real trouble.
"No questions," Ji An said calmly. "I studied the Master's jade slip carefully last night and now have a general understanding of the garden.
Of course, I've only just taken over, so if I make any mistakes, I hope Elder Xiang will correct me."
Seeing the man's age yet only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, Ji An felt calling him Junior Brother would be awkward. He decided to call him Elder Xiang as a show of respect.
"Ah, I'm not worthy of being called Elder Brother. Just call me Old Xiang."
Xiang Yong's mood lightened. No matter Ji An's skill, at least the young man was polite. He didn't seem difficult to get along with.
"How did you split the work before?" Ji An asked.
"When Old Zhang was still here, we used the central axis as a boundary. He managed the eastern fields, and I looked after the western side.
When things got too busy, Senior Sister Lingyu would come and lend a hand."
Ji An nodded slightly.
"Then I'll take over Old Zhang's side, and every two months we'll switch areas. Oh, and where do you usually condense the Wood Essence Beads?"
Since Master had entrusted him with the garden, it was clearly because she valued his talent in spellwork.
Not to brag, but if he only tended the eastern fields, it wouldn't be long before the difference between the two sides became glaringly obvious.
Every single one of his planting spells was at the Perfected stage; that wasn't something to take lightly.
And soon, with enough Kun energy, he could push the Thick Earth Art to the Great Perfection level. The difference would only grow.
He hadn't come here just to go through the motions. He had to do the job beautifully if he wanted to win his master's favor.
She had promised that if he performed well, she would help him when the time came to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. Whether or not that was mere courtesy, he was taking it seriously.
At the very least, he could thicken his skin enough to ask her for a loan of some spirit stones. That much she surely wouldn't refuse.
Switching areas, too?
Xiang Yong's good impression evaporated instantly. He wanted to refuse, but after opening his mouth several times, no words came.
He was, after all, under Ji An's direct supervision now. A blunt refusal would only make life more difficult later.
Besides, the treatment Elder Ge offered here was generous; he couldn't bear to leave.
"I'll follow Senior Brother's arrangements.
The several mu of Ziyang Wood outside the garden are where we use the Withering-Bloom Formula to condense Wood Essence Beads. But if the spell isn't performed at a high enough level, it hinders the growth of the spirit trees. In that case, more beads must be used to make up the difference.
And we can't overdraw the Ziyang Wood's aura. To meet Elder Ge's requirements, sometimes we even have to spend our own spirit stones to buy Wood Essence Beads from outside."
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