At dawn, Ji An lifted his head to see the rising sun stretch across the heavens. The mountain peak was bathed in golden light, while the bamboo lodges at the foot of the cliff still lay in shadow, as if the world had been split into two halves.
The three of them had stood guard outside all night, unwilling to miss the birth of a new Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Heaven and earth's spiritual qi continued to surge toward Mu Qingwan's bamboo lodge, condensing into a faint mist.
Suddenly, the mist poured swiftly into the lodge. A spiritual pressure far beyond that of the Qi Refining stage burst forth, followed by a clear, joyous voice:
"Thank you for standing guard. Let me stabilize my realm before I come out to greet you."
"Haha, congratulations on your successful Foundation Establishment, Junior Sister!
Wait until I've adjusted my state today, tomorrow night I'll undergo my own Foundation Establishment. I can't let you steal all the glory."
Du Huaiyuan pulled out his wine gourd, took a sip, then laughed as he turned back toward his bamboo lodge.
"Time for sleep!"
"Congratulations, Senior Sister, on your breakthrough," Ji An called. Then, turning, he said,
"Senior Sister Li, I need to head to Master's medicine garden. We'll talk later."
"Go on, Junior Brother. With your grasp of spell techniques, you'll soon adapt to the work in the fields," Li Lingyu replied warmly.
Ji An summoned his sand goose and flew toward the mountainside.
...
Three days later, at dusk, golden-edged crimson clouds piled up across the sky like a mountain range hanging in the firmament.
At the foot of Verdant Cliff, on the same open ground and at the same table as a few days ago, the disciples gathered again.
"Congratulations to Senior Brother and Senior Sister on their Foundation Establishment. When will you report to Master?" Ji An asked.
Li Lingyu's heart stirred with excitement. The smooth breakthroughs of the other two had boosted her own confidence. If she polished her divine sense for another year or two, she too could request Master to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill for her.
"Tomorrow morning we'll pay respects to Master," Mu Qingwan said softly, her gaze sweeping over the familiar grounds. A subtle reluctance welled in her chest. She had spent nearly ten years here, so many memories, both sweet and bitter, lingered in this place.
"Afterward, we'll report to the sect, choose our Foundation Establishment cultivation methods, and be assigned caves for cultivation."
"Have you decided which path you'll take, Senior Sister?" Ji An asked.
"I'm preparing to study either a wood-element or fire-element technique, both of which would help with alchemy. I'll ask Master which one suits me better," she answered.
From the Foundation Establishment stage onward, cultivation methods were divided according to the Five Elements, and the spiritual power refined carried those elemental properties.
Those who aspired to the sword path chose metal; skilled craftsmen chose fire.
That was why sects considered Foundation Establishment the true start of cultivation because only then did one begin to touch the true profundities of the Dao.
Changing one's cultivation method was possible, but it caused a loss of spiritual power. Switching to a method of a different element led to even greater losses. Unless one encountered a far superior technique, cultivators rarely chose to change paths.
"I'll definitely take a water-element method," Du Huaiyuan declared loudly. "It'll help with brewing wine!"
He had no family backing. When he first entered the sect, he had relied entirely on his brewing skills to earn enough spirit stones for cultivation. Even after becoming Master's disciple, he still pursued alchemy through water-refining techniques.
"Junior Brother Ji," he added, "since we'll soon be leaving, you and Senior Sister Li will be the only ones left at Verdant Cliff. The trading markets are far from here, so it's not worth the trip just to eat. And living on fasting pills every day gets unbearable.
We used to rotate cooking duty, three days each. With just the two of you now, should we keep the old system?"
"Let's keep it," Ji An nodded. "It works well."
Li Lingyu smiled and agreed.
"There are spirit vegetables planted behind the bamboo lodges. As for spirit rice and beast meat, we'll split the cost of spirit stones equally."
"Fine by me. I'll keep tending the spirit fields by Bihai Lake and grow more Jadegrain Rice to share," Ji An said.
Ji An nodded. The spirit rice he grew was of higher quality than what could be bought on the market. Whenever Li Changqing happened to see him, he would sigh that there was now one fewer spirit farmer capable of cultivating such quality grain.
The group talked about their future cultivation plans. As the sky dimmed, the brilliance of the sunset quickly faded into gray and finally sank into the embrace of night.
Ji An settled into steady cultivation at Verdant Cliff. The concentration of spiritual qi at the mountain's base rivaled what he could achieve using a Spirit-Draining Array, saving him a great many spirit stones.
Advancing his cultivation, nourishing his immortal meridians, and refining his spell techniques, his strength improved step by step.
In addition, he still managed fifteen mu of spirit fields back at Bihai Lake, all nurtured into first-rank lower-grade spirit fields.
Three mu were planted with Jadegrain Rice, while the rest were all sown with talisman grass. By drawing talismans daily, he steadily accumulated a large reserve of spirit stones.
Half a year passed. The stone turtle absorbed more spiritual qi, and with Ji An's diligent practice, all of his techniques improved to varying degrees.
He sank his mind into his dantian, linking with the stone turtle:
[Master: Ji An]
[Dao Resonance: 0]
[Spiritual Qi: Kan 353.5, Gen 72.6, Zhen 8.6, Xun 502.6, Kun 885.2, Qian 0.2]
"Refine Kun essence and advance the Thick Earth Formula."
As the words echoed in his heart, his consciousness was drawn into the turtle's inner world. Standing on the turtle's back at the Kun position, he practiced the spell again and again, his insights steadily deepening.
When the Kun essence was finally depleted, Ji An felt as though he himself had become a seed buried in the earth.
The world turned dark, yet gentle spiritual qi wrapped around him. He could faintly hear the pulse of the earth's veins. Nourished, the seed sprouted and began to grow, his vision filling with light.
In his list of spells, the Thick Earth Formula vanished, replaced by a new Dao Seed.
[Dao Seed · Thick Earth Essence Augmentation (Unranked). Housed in the Chongmen acupoint. Grants comprehension of the true intent of "Earth's Nurturing Clarity," a technique of the Yin Earth Dao, and slightly enhances perception of Yin Earth Dao spells.]
Ji An's mind withdrew from the stone turtle, but he kept his eyes closed, savoring the lingering resonance of the insight.
The earth corresponds to Kun, embodying vastness and the virtue of bearing all things. The Yin Earth Dao enhanced his ability to regulate the earth's qi and amplify the vitality of spirit veins.
With the formation of a new Dao Seed, it was time to test its effects.
The current crop of Jadegrain Rice had already reached the tasseling stage. By comparing their growth time and yield, he would soon see just how many surprises the Yin Earth Dao's true intent could bring.
...
The next morning.
In the medicine garden, Xiang Yong finished the day's chores and glanced toward the central thatched hut.
After half a year of working side by side, his respect for Ji An had only grown deeper.
The man could complete tasks in less than two quarters of an hour, far more deftly than Xiang Yong, who had spent most of his life in the fields.
Every two months, when they switched sections, Xiang Yong could clearly see the subtle differences in the growth of the spirit herbs between the two plots. Any seasoned spirit farmer could tell the gap.
He admired the strength of Dao Intent with envy, yet sighed at his own dullness. Years ago, he had faintly felt himself close to grasping the Dao Intent of the minor Rain Spell, but even after months of following this senior brother's example, he had still failed to cross that threshold.
Walking to the thatched hut, Xiang Yong stood respectfully outside and called:
"Senior Brother, may I come in?"
Ever since Ji An had taken over, there had never once been a shortage of Wood Essence Beads.
The Beads condensed from the Ziyang Wood brimmed with vitality; in the hands of a high-ranking spirit farmer, they could even circulate as currency like spirit stones.
Inside, Ji An was practicing the Sharp Gold Art. He stopped, formed a hand seal, and opened the door.
"Senior Brother," Xiang Yong said, producing a pouch of spirit stones, "from selling the Wood Essence Beads we've stockpiled over the past half-year, we earned a total of sixteen spirit stones."
Demand for the Beads had surged during the sect's collection cycle for the medicine gardens, driving their price a little higher.
Back when Old Zhang was still around, the two of them had rarely enjoyed such windfalls. The Beads they condensed barely sufficed for use.
The Ziyang Woods belonged to the sect. If an overseer ever discovered they had overdrawn the trees' vitality, the punishment would be severe.
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