Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 431 Stud Rhyme
The moon is silent, and the water in the pool ripples.

The two returned to the stone table. Jia Yu saw the smile on Zhu Shixiong's face and was quite curious, but she didn't ask any further questions.

The fact that Junior Brother Ji spoke privately with Senior Brother suggests that there was a need for confidentiality.

At this moment, Wei Songtao and the others had already served the second-tier spirit wine and spirit tea, and everyone began to chat amiably, with laughter frequently heard.

Li Haoran put down his wine glass and asked:
"Junior brother, now that your cultivation has improved, what are your plans for the next step?"

Once a cultivator in the Chaoyuan stage has perfected all five palaces, they must venture out to seek opportunities to comprehend the Dao of the mutual generation of the five elements.

"After the volcano erupts in a few days, I will go to Chaoyang Peak to meet with the ancestor and listen to his advice."

Ji An replied that the sect's heritage was quite complete before breaking through to the Golden Core stage, and various resources were not scarce. It felt really good to have someone to guide you.

The reason he didn't go directly to meet the patriarch was because he was afraid that Crimson Flame Peak would erupt when he left.

Dao Yun is too important to him, and he cannot afford to make any mistakes, so he has not been to the Si Nong Hall for the past few days.

Jia Yu echoed, "It's best to follow the ancestor's advice. Even if you go on a journey, Junior Brother should wait until the Central Continent merchant ship arrives before you leave. At that time, you can buy some self-defense items."

By the way, do you need help exchanging your small merits for relevant resources?

Every cultivator who reaches the Five Elements Perfection stage in the Chaoyuan era is the future of the sect, and their life safety is of utmost importance.

According to sect custom, they will definitely provide third-tier talismans for self-defense.

"I haven't decided yet, we'll see when the time comes."

Ji An would definitely wait for the cultivators from the Central Continent to arrive before leaving. Purchasing a few third-tier talismans was a necessary preparation for him, and he also needed to obtain the Azure Lotus Treasure Banner.

He drank a cup of spiritual tea and then said:
"I would like to exchange my mid-grade spirit stones for high-grade spirit stones. I will need your help then, senior brother."

He had less than 150 high-grade spirit stones, and too many mid-grade spirit stones were useless to him, so it was better to exchange them.

"Of course, junior brother can find me at the Treasure Pavilion."

However, there are limits on the amount that can be exchanged, and there's a 20% fee. Within ten years, my junior brother can only exchange a maximum of thirty yuan.

High-grade spirit stones are strategic resources. They can be used to activate advanced magic arrays and to quickly restore a cultivator's mana. Various large forces hoard them.

High-grade spirit stones are not many that can be mined from spirit stone veins.

"Thirty yuan will do. Speaking of spirit stones, how are these things formed? Will there ever be a day when they are all mined out?"

Ji An asked, he knew that the sect had spirit stone mines, but he had not paid attention to the specifics.

All that is known is that it is heavily guarded and has been occupied by cultivators from the Law Enforcement Hall for many years. The excavator is a body cultivator trained by the sect.

"Spirit stones are a byproduct of spiritual veins and a renewable resource. As long as spiritual veins exist, spirit stones will not be depleted."

Of course, this is on the premise that there is no over-extraction.

Liu Yu began to explain the origin of the spirit stone veins. Nourished by the spirit veins, soil and rocks would transform into spirit stones, but without human intervention, this was a relatively slow process, taking at least several hundred years.

However, after tens of thousands of years of exploration, the human race created a groundbreaking magic array that can accelerate the formation of spirit stones.

If planned well, the spirit stone veins can be systematically mined and then sealed off, ensuring a continuous supply of resources.

This magic array was rapidly adopted, and with its help, the human cultivators quickly surpassed the demon race in strength, gaining dominance over the continent.

In addition, after a spiritual vein withers, it will leave behind a vein of spiritual stones.

Ji An frowned slightly and said:

"I often practice earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a technique used in martial arts) on Crimson Flame Peak, but I've never encountered a spirit stone vein before?"

Not to mention mineral veins, not even individual spirit stones have been found.

Liu Yu laughed, "Haha, how could it be that all nodes of a spiritual vein generate spirit stone mines? Only a few nodes in a sect meet the conditions for nurturing spirit stone mines."

Spirit stones are scattered throughout Crimson Flame Peak, but the quantity is so small that it's normal not to encounter them.

One more thing: if you want to obtain higher-grade spirit stones, the longer the mine is sealed, the better.

Now that the sect's mines have been upgraded to the third tier, there's a chance they'll produce top-grade spirit stones in a few years.

Jia Yu chuckled, "Spirit stone veins are only formed near the core nodes of a spirit vein, and the core nodes are usually located in the middle of the spirit vein."

Crimson Flame Peak is located at the tail end of a spiritual vein, but it is not destined to give birth to a spiritual stone vein.

Besides, if it had the conditions to nurture a spirit stone vein, you wouldn't be able to settle there during the Foundation Establishment stage.

“Greedy,” Ji An chuckled, raising his wine glass.

"Stop talking, everyone drink to your hearts' content."

After a while, a clear, crisp cry came from afar, "Yo yo!"

As the melodious sound of bells rang out, the blue deer came riding the wind.

It sensed the restlessness of Lingji these past few days and felt very uncomfortable.

Zhu Xiangrong was stunned. He sensed the powerful demonic energy emanating from the green deer and said:
"Rising to the Origin Stage! Junior Brother has such a beast, how come you didn't let anyone know?"

Among his fellow disciples, there were only seven cultivators who possessed beast-taming abilities at the Chaoyuan stage, and he was not one of them.

The others were also surprised, as at their level, a Chaoyuan-stage beast tamer could provide great assistance.

Ji An patted the green deer's head to comfort it and replied:

"This beast's skills are the same as mine. Among the bloodline inheritance it received, there is a spell similar to the Azure Dragon Awakening Technique."

"After I leave the sect, the spiritual plants of Crimson Flame Peak will rely on it for care."

Jia Yu laughed, "Truly worthy of being Junior Brother's tamed beast, this is the sect's second Spirit Farmer in the Origin Stage!"

Everyone smiled. Under the moonlight, the green antlers of the deer shone brightly, swaying with the movement of its head.

Two days later, at noon.

As the earth trembled, a column of magma roared and spewed forth, its height of hundreds of feet visible for miles around.

On Luoyan Mountain, a large number of cultivators gathered around the towering pillar of fire, exclaiming in amazement.

"Why do I feel the spiritual energy getting stronger?"

"Hey, now that you've reminded me, I've noticed it too! I was wondering why it felt so comfortable!"

Within Crimson Flame Peak, various spiritual entities lost their original order.

The austere and resilient nature of the metal element, the warmth and explosiveness of the fire element, and the violent nature of the wood element, which symbolizes the power of growth, all combine to create a tyrannical force.

The gentle water elemental energy also revealed its ferocious side, with water jets shooting out from the icy pool, forming a fountain several meters high.

The four elements of metal, fire, wood, and water collided, like a volatile tornado, causing various spiritual plants to sway and tilt.

Volcanic ash fell in abundance, like black grains of salt.

As Ji An quietly experienced the collision of various inspirations, he gained a deeper understanding of the earth's weight and capacity to bear.

Within his dantian, the stone tortoise swam joyfully, its back bearing the deep, abyss-like Bagua patterns, and the light of the primordial fire seemed to distort.

He connected with the stone tortoise, and the numbers in his sea of ​​consciousness changed rapidly, while the Daoist charm and spiritual energy increased wildly.

Jia Yu walked up to him with her hands behind her back and said:
"Junior brother, do you think a third-tier spiritual creature will emerge?"

Just as Ji An was about to speak, he felt a whooshing sound in the air. He looked up slightly and saw a red light falling rapidly from afar, and the point of impact was his face!

He slightly turned his body and activated his object manipulation technique, firmly grasping the happiness that was delivered to his door!

This is a fire crystal as big as a head, with flowing magma inside, radiating spiritual light and steaming heat, and radiating high temperature outwards.

Jia Yu couldn't help but burst into wild laughter, slapping her thighs frantically as she laughed.

"If Senior Brother Zhu knew about this luck, he'd be spitting blood!"

Judging from its quality, it is easy to see that the Fire Crystal has reached the second-tier top-grade level.

He remembered that when the sect's main spiritual vein was upgraded, one of the most valuable spiritual objects that spewed out from Crimson Flame Peak was a Fire Spirit the size of a goose egg.

When Crimson Flame Peak's grade is upgraded to the second-tier superior grade, you will receive two fist-sized top-grade Fire Crystals.

Senior Brother Zhu went out to search for spiritual objects, but unexpectedly, Heaven delivered a great gift directly to Junior Brother Ji!
"Junior brother, give me the things, so I can show them off properly later."

Ji An smiled and presented the Fire Crystal to the other party.

Jia Yu chuckled and caught it with a hand seal, squinting as she carefully observed the interior of the Fire Crystal.

Half an hour later, the lava column fell, and the most intense eruption stopped, but lava was still flowing out of the crater.

Soon, the entire mountaintop turned crimson, creating a spectacular sight.

The next morning, everyone gathered together and handed over the various spiritual items.

Jia Yu glanced through it and sighed.

"No third-tier spiritual items have appeared."

Although he hadn't held out much hope, he was still somewhat disappointed.

This indirectly shows that the fire veins in the earth's core of Crimson Flame Peak do not have much potential, and it will require more resources to cultivate them into third-tier spiritual veins in the future.

This would be a significant burden for the sect.

Li Haoran slammed his hand heavily on the stone table, causing the spiritual objects placed on it to suddenly jump. He grinned and laughed loudly:

"Third-tier Dragon Blood Essence Gold, Crimson Flame Peak is truly a treasure land!"

As the words fell, a pale golden sphere the size of a pigeon's egg, covered with blood-red spots, was revealed.

"Junior brother, if you have such a treasure, why didn't you bring it out sooner!"

Jia Yu felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through, his heart filled with pride. Crimson Flame Peak did have some real strength after all! Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly. Dragon Blood Essence Gold was extremely tough and was a material for refining defensive magic weapons. It could also be added to flying swords to enhance their toughness.

Li Haoran glanced at the shocked expressions on everyone's faces and smiled:
"If it had been taken out earlier, it wouldn't have had such a good effect."

"If I refine the flying sword later, I can exchange it from the secret vault."

Zhu Xiangrong held the Dragon Blood Essence Gold in his hand, examining it closely, and said with annoyance:

"Why don't I have such good luck? A third-tier spiritual item!"

Jia Yu chuckled and said:
"Senior Brother Zhu, you are indeed unlucky. I was near the Cold Pool when the volcano erupted, yet a spiritual creature came to me!"

As he spoke, he took out the Fire Crystal and held it on his shoulder.

Zhu Xiangrong was stunned. This was the largest Fire Crystal he had ever seen in his life, and it was the spiritual object he needed most.

Sect cultivators can use it whenever they refine fire-elemental spiritual weapons.

Among the many disciples in the Chaoyuan stage, more than half chose to refine fire-elemental spiritual weapons.

He looked at Jia Yu in surprise, while the other party winked at him.

Zhu Xiangrong suddenly stepped forward, snatched the Fire Crystal, and examined it closely, causing everyone to look at each other in surprise.

After a moment, he said proudly:

"Little Jia, you didn't even notice the phoenix stone growing inside here? Your knowledge is too shallow!"

Phoenix Stone is also a third-tier precious material, a companion spiritual object of Fire Crystal, and is extremely rare.

"what?"

Jia Yu was stunned. He stared at the Fire Crystal for a long time after receiving it, but found nothing.

Zhu Xiangrong chuckled and stroked his beard calmly. "Such a large Fire Crystal must be divided. Shall we verify it now?"

Liu Yu immediately agreed:
"Great! A third-tier fire-elemental spirit creature! Let me see it!"

He possesses the Fire Element Body and will undoubtedly be able to forge top-grade spiritual artifacts in the future.

The name Phoenix Stone comes from the phoenix's rebirth from the ashes.

If a small amount of Phoenix Stone powder is added to a fire-elemental artifact, and the artifact is only slightly damaged, it can be repaired on its own by the owner's nurturing.

The others agreed, and Ji An chimed in with interest, having also heard of the Phoenix Stone's fame.

Zhu Xiangrong turned to look at Li Haoran, "Junior brother, is the flying sword sharp?"

"It cuts through gold and jade without making a sound."

"Okay, watch where my fingers are, and cut along them."

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of silver light disappeared, and the Fire Crystal split in two, but the stone table remained intact.

The surface of the Fire Crystal was as smooth as a mirror. Everyone gathered around the stone table to examine it carefully, but they found nothing.

Jia Yu muttered, "I can't see anything else."

His words reflected everyone's sentiments, and Ji An also failed to discover the existence of the Phoenix Stone.

Zhu Xiangrong smiled without saying a word, and lightly touched the center of the smaller half of the fire crystal facet with his finger.

"Don't be impatient. You'll see the difference soon."

As he spoke, he pressed his palm down, channeling his magic power to transform into flames.

An astonishing scene unfolded: it seemed as if a giant maw was inside the Fire Crystal, swallowing all the flames within.

Everyone was able to see the truth behind it all. A spot the size of a fingernail revealed golden patterns, and that was where the flames were being consumed.

Jia Yu grinned and said, "This is a wonderful surprise! I will report our gains here to the Ancestor!"

Dragon Blood Essence Gold and Phoenix Stone, just from these harvests, are worth hundreds of high-grade spirit stones, and are priceless.

He registered all the various spiritual items, and everyone exchanged them for what they needed before leaving.

As he watched the last person disappear from sight, Ji An suppressed his excitement and flew to his cave on a golden auspicious cloud.

He closed the magical restrictions on his cave dwelling to ensure he wouldn't be disturbed, then hurriedly went to the quiet room, sat cross-legged on a futon, and focused his mind on his dantian, connecting with the stone tortoise. Lines of writing appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness.

[Master: Ji An]

[Tao Yun: Gold 24.5, Water 22.6, Wood 21.3, Fire 25.4, Earth 26.8]

Spiritual Ability: Kan Spirit 2139.4, Gen Spirit 1356.8, Zhen Spirit 1015.4, Xun Spirit 1036.7, Kun Spirit 1355.2, Qian Spirit 1238.4, Dui Spirit 1256.1, Li Spirit 2536.4

[Spell: Spirit Sealing Technique (Mastery 36%)]

Wood Release Technique (62% Perfection)

Fire Release Technique (Perfect 9%)

Metal Escape Technique (Perfect 11%)

Water Release Technique (Perfect 31%)

Mental Roar (Minor Success 34%)

[Pulling Silk Spell (89% Complete)]

Ji An smiled silently. He had obtained a large amount of Daoist essence this time, and he was going all in!

He took the gourd-shaped stone pendant off and held it in his hand, then reverently gave the command.

'Refine all the Daoist essence and spiritual energy to cultivate the gourd world!'

The gourd-shaped stone suddenly became hot, and the various patterns on its surface seemed to come alive, constantly twisting and turning.

In the quiet room, the light began to be swallowed by the stone, as if it had turned into a black hole.

Ji An could clearly see the distortion of light, like the spatial distortion felt when riding a teleportation array.

Time seemed to stand still; he could feel the sound of his blood flowing and the pounding of his heart like a drum.

Gradually, he lost his perception of the outside world, only feeling that the world was becoming blurry.

When Ji An regained consciousness, he found himself in the same position as before.

He stretched lazily, rubbing the light gray gourd-shaped stone, feeling its texture become even finer.

The sun, moon, and stars appear brighter on the upper half of the gourd-shaped stone, while the flowers, birds, insects, and fish on the lower half appear more vibrant.

The leaves and vines in the intricate pattern on the background are tinged with a touch of lush green, and the rugged rocks appear even more ancient.

Ji An took a deep breath, feeling slightly uneasy. He had gone all in and didn't know what the outcome would be.

He once again focused his mind on his dantian, connecting with the stone tortoise, and declared, "Enter the gourd world!"

The next instant, he vanished from his spot, leaving the gourd-shaped stone pendant suspended in the air, emitting a faint glow.

The space was thirty zhang in diameter, nearly fifty mu in size. Outside the space, the original gray fog had turned white, which was the edge of the world.

This place is no longer desolate; it has become a world of five colors.

If you consider the space as a large circle, the ground he stands on is a small yellow circle, where the soil is fine and moist.

Along the outer edge of the small circle, there are areas of black, cyan, red, and white soil in sequence.

Ji An closed his eyes to sense the concentration of spiritual energy and found that it was only at the first-grade upper level, which made him somewhat disappointed.

The disappointment lasted only a moment before it was forgotten. This was a newly born little world, and the road ahead was long. He wanted to try to improve the soil and cultivate spiritual veins.

Methods for improving soil are found in the planting traditions of the cultivators of the Middle Continent.

However, this is a long process and there is no need to rush it. What needs to be done now is to inspect this territory that belongs only to him!

In the reddish area, there is a house-sized human-shaped stone sculpture with lava flowing from its mouth and falling downwards.

Ji An flew over on a cloud. When he left the yellow area, he felt as if he had passed through an invisible membrane and immediately felt the intense heat.

"It's amazing!"

Suppressing his excitement, he flew to the stone sculpture and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The face of the stone sculpture is rather blurry, but it bears a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to the real person.

He saw the lava plunge into a deep abyss, several dozen feet deep, below which lay a hidden world—an underground lava lake, and several platforms, each about five feet in diameter, rising from the lava.

As Ji An left the red area and entered the area with white soil, he immediately sensed a difference.

A gentle breeze is blowing here, its origin unknown, yet it feels sharp and piercing, like a knife.

"The place where the Golden Elemental Plants are grown!"

Ji An crossed this area and arrived above the black soil. In the center of the land was a pond, about three acres in diameter.

He took out the water-repelling bead and submerged into the pond, where he could feel wisps of cold air spreading into the space created by the magical artifact.

The pool was ten feet deep, and at the bottom was a spring as thick as a forearm.

"Great, we have a place to raise spirit fish. We'll catch some and release them in a few days."

Ji An emerged from the water and then flew on a cloud to the area of ​​blue soil.

After surveying the area, he returned to the very center of the small world and took out a black "stone" with crisscrossing yellow patterns.

　I should be able to get back to the early hours of the morning tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)