Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 434 The Gathering Yuan Tree Sprouts

Three days later, in the rear hall of the Ministry of Agriculture.

"Master, after careful screening, Junior Brother Han and I have only found one disciple who meets your requirements. He is quite serious about his work, but he is a bit dull."

Lin Lan's tone was somewhat helpless. In recent years, the sect has been recruiting fewer and fewer disciples, and the requirements have become increasingly higher.

Nowadays, cultivators with low-grade aptitude are no longer considered by sects.

Is he honest and upright?

Ji An asked, "As long as they aren't treacherous, I can accept them. The spiritual items produced by Crimson Flame Peak are quite valuable. If it's a 'hamster,' the loss will be considerable."

"According to what I've heard, he's quite honest and kind; he won't cheat or take advantage of others."

"That's good. Arrange for him to enter Crimson Flame Peak. Wei Songtao can serve for at most four or five years, and Tian Tiezhu will also leave in the next few years."

By the time they leave, I should have already left the sect. Please prepare a gift for me then.

Each person will receive two top-grade Tier 1 talismans, two top-grade Tier 1 spirit fruits, and one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

Upon hearing her master's instructions, Lin Lan was both astonished and delighted:

"Are you going on another trip?"

After returning from the Southern Continent, Master spent less than twenty years in the sect. Now, he is traveling again, which means that his cultivation has improved again.

Having become the disciple of such a powerful master, she admired her wise decision back then even more.

Her cultivation level has now reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment. Among those friends who refused to become spirit farmers, the one with the highest cultivation level is still working hard to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

What they gained was not only improved cultivation, but also some of their master's connections, which was an intangible asset.

"Yes, if I want to advance my cultivation further, I must travel abroad. At that time, I will need you and your fellow disciples to stay at Crimson Flame Peak to help take care of the spirit fields."

"Disciples will do their best to help when there is trouble. My junior brother and I will do our utmost to cast spells on the spiritual fields of Crimson Flame Peak."

Lin Lan touched her head and smiled wryly:

"As long as Master doesn't mind that our magic is not very good, that's fine."

During her master's travels in the Southern Continent, the output of spiritual items on Crimson Flame Peak dropped drastically, making her realize how big the gap was between her and her master.

The production of second-tier spirit items has been halved, resulting in a loss of tens of thousands of minor merits every year.

Ji An chuckled softly and said kindly:
"Don't feel pressured. The spells of the Chaoyuan stage are much stronger than those of the Foundation Establishment stage. In addition, the quality of the mana of Chaoyuan stage cultivators is high, so it is normal for the production to decrease."

Now that the spiritual veins of Crimson Flame Peak have been upgraded and the earth veins are more fertile, your cultivation levels have improved, so you will definitely do better than last time.

After decades of painstaking study and his guidance, both disciples mastered a spell to its fullest extent.

With Qinglu able to unleash wood-elemental spells at the Chaoyuan stage, he felt relatively at ease.

"Master, how long will you be gone on this trip?"

Ji An shook his head slightly, "It's hard to say, it depends on luck."

To comprehend the mutual generation of the Five Elements, one must learn from Heaven and Earth and witness the wonders of creation firsthand; otherwise, it is impossible to comprehend them through mere conjecture.

As the two were talking, a beam of light flew in from outside the window, emitting a trembling buzzing sound.

Ji An took the golden sword that transmitted the message, probed it with his divine sense, and smiled:

"We've also received news from Liang Qiu. He's helped us find a suitable candidate. I don't need to come to the Ministry of Agriculture tomorrow, so you can escort the disciple to Crimson Flame Peak."

As he spoke, he took out a golden communication sword, entered the message of their agreed meeting the next day into it, and then activated it.

The golden light flashed and quickly disappeared into the vast mountains.

The next day at chen time.

At the edge of the cold pool, Lin Lan led a simple-minded cultivator forward and said:
“Master, this is Feng Xing. He originally planted near Biyue Lake.”

"Disciple pays respects to Grandmaster," Feng Xing said, bowing his head with his hands clasped, his heart pounding with nervousness.

Due to his aptitude, his cultivation progressed slowly, and he has only just reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.

If I cannot reach the late stage of Qi Refining next year, I will have to leave according to the sect's rules.

His departure was already a foregone conclusion, but unexpectedly he was chosen to serve by the side of the Lord of the Ministry of Agriculture.

At this moment, he was filled with anxiety and fear that the temple master would not approve of him, in which case he would have no choice but to return to his hometown in disappointment next year.

Ji An spoke kindly:
"No need for formalities. As long as you work diligently and are honest, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

He paused, his tone turning cold:

"If they have embezzled and deceived me, then they will have to go to the sect's mines."

If a non-physical cultivator enters a sect's mine, they will be severely damaged, even if they don't die. They will be corroded by the Yin energy underground, and even if they manage to survive, their physical functions will be severely impaired.

Feng Xing was overjoyed; he hadn't expected to enter Crimson Flame Peak so easily.

When he arrived here in the flying shuttle, the dazzling spiritual light that filled the mountains and fields almost blinded him.

"I will certainly live up to my master's expectations. Please watch my performance next."

Ji An nodded slightly and waved his hand, saying:
"Songtao, take him downstairs and let him familiarize himself with the surroundings."

"Yes, sir. This disciple takes his leave!"

Wei Songtao agreed, "Junior Brother Feng, let's go."

He thought to himself, "What a lucky guy!"

After the two left, Lin Lan stood up and said:
"Master, I still have sect missions to attend to, so I will take my leave."

"Wait a minute, how many small achievements have you accumulated so far?"

Ji An lowered his voice and asked, "He left the sect to travel and doesn't know when he will return. His two disciples need the Qi-Nourishing Pill to break through to the Chaoyuan stage."

He had high hopes for his two disciples, believing that one day when he traveled to the Central Continent, they would become the pillars of the sect's Ministry of Agriculture.

"This disciple is incompetent; over the years, I have only accumulated a little over eight thousand minor merits."

Lin Lan was a little embarrassed. She had planted many spirit trees in her dojo, but now she only had six second-grade low-level spirit fruits.

Most of the minor merits accumulated were obtained by completing sect missions.

"I understand. You can go back to your work now."

Ji An knew that, due to his requirements, his two disciples only specialized in planting. If they could not cultivate second-tier spiritual plants on a large scale, it would be difficult for them to obtain minor merits.

Before leaving, he would exchange Qi-Nourishing Pills for his disciples, who could repay the debt gradually with their small merits.

When they reached the edge of the cold pool, Feng Xing, seeing that no one was around, cautiously said:
"Senior brother, I am not very talented, and my planting magic is also mediocre. I don't know why our master has taken a liking to me. I feel apprehensive. I hope you can give me more guidance in the future."

As he spoke, he cupped his hands and bowed deeply.

"Don't dare to take it seriously."

Wei Songtao quickly helped him up, gave him a deep look, and sighed:
"That's exactly what we want. If you had good aptitude, you might have been able to establish your foundation in just over ten years in the environment of Crimson Flame Peak."

Back then, the sect had its own tasks assigned to us, and our master needed someone stable and reliable to help with miscellaneous tasks. He pointed to the streaks of white hair on his head and continued, "I've been here for over fifty years. As long as you work diligently, our master will never send you away."

He looked up at the sky, his gaze distant.

Since the Wei family members failed to take over his position, this new junior brother will be the contact person between Xiaozhushan and Chiyan Peak from now on.

He needs to maintain a good relationship with the other party. Once he returns to the family, he should persuade his brother to send a direct descendant of the family to study under their grandmaster as soon as possible to strengthen their ties.

Otherwise, the relationship will gradually fade. Now that the Wei family needs something from Chiyan Peak, we cannot allow the relationship to become distant.

Liang Qiu arrived in a flying shuttle and landed by the cold pool. Zhang Xuening quickly welcomed him and his entourage into the living room.

Ji An stood up and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Liang, please have a seat!"

"I've kept you waiting, fellow Daoist."

Liang Qiu pulled his disciple to the front and said:

"This is the person I recommend, Liu Ruhai. He has a lot of experience in raising spirit fish and also meets your requirements."

He was quite fond of this disciple, believing that the other party had a great talent for raising spirit fish. If the other party had been even more gifted, he would have already taken him as a disciple.

"Disciple pays respects to Grandmaster!"

Liu Ruhai cupped his hands in greeting, his tone slightly reserved.

"No gift."

Ji An sized the other person up a few times and smiled:

"Since you have received such high praise from Fellow Daoist Liang, you must have something extraordinary about you."

He repeated what he had said to Feng Xing, and then ordered Zhang Xuening to take her men down.

As Ji An and Liang Qiu chatted, a shadow of sadness crossed Liang Qiu's eyes when he learned that he was going on another trip.

"Fellow Daoist's cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, which is quite enviable. I have been cultivating for over 130 years and have only just broken through to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment."

"Once I break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage, I'll have no other desires. I plan to find some disciples to be my concubines, and after a few years, I'll leave the sect to start my own lineage."

Liang Qiu had had this idea in his mind for a long time, but he hadn't made up his mind until today's conversation completely shattered his confidence.

Fellow Daoist Ji is a cultivator in the Chaoyuan stage, yet his cultivation speed far surpasses that of him, leaving him feeling powerless.

Silence fell in the room. Faced with the other party's decision, Ji An knew that it wouldn't be good to offer words of comfort, after all, he was the one who was riding high.

Liang Qiu let out a long breath, feeling a significant relief from the burden that had been weighing on his chest for years. He smiled and changed the subject:
"Fellow Daoist Huang has been doing well these past few years, and is currently seeking to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. In the future, he may be able to glimpse the Chaoyuan realm."

Old Huang has a wonderful grandson, which is enough to bring him comfort in his grave. His descendants have inherited his bloodline; isn't that another kind of continuation of life?

He seemed to be convincing himself, his tone carrying a strange sigh.

Back then, he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage in one go, while Huang Feihu took two attempts to succeed. Who would have thought that the tables would turn now?

Ji An smiled and said:

"Old Huang can indeed rest in peace now."

He felt a pang of sadness. Of the four people who had shared drinks and laughter at Biyue Lake back then, Wei Songnian and Liang Qiu had already given up. He wondered how much longer Huang Feihu could hold on.

He would not hesitate to help if the other party had any hope of breaking through to the Chaoyuan stage.

Thinking of this, he remembered Zhang Yuanshan and Zhao Mengyao. The group of people who had come from Qingsong Taoist Temple in Xiaocang Mountain had not been in contact for a long time.

He thought back carefully and realized that ever since he hadn't agreed to go back to pay his respects with Chu He after his death, Zhang Yuanshan and the other man had become somewhat distant from him.

Ji An let out a soft breath, and a smile bloomed on his lips once more:
"It's a rare treat for you to come, fellow Daoist. Let's have a few drinks at lunch, but who knows when we'll get together again!"

Liang Qiu had now let go of his worries and responded with a hearty laugh:
"Haha, I'd be honored to accept your offer. The delicacies of Crimson Flame Peak are truly mouthwatering."

After lunch, having seen Liang Qiu off, Ji An rode the Flaming Banner off the ground to the Transmission Hall of Lingxiao Mountain.

Sunlight streamed in from the caisson ceiling, revealing swirling dust in the air. Under the radiant light, Mo Feiyu dozed off in a grand chair.

Hearing footsteps, he opened his cloudy eyes, a smile that filled the wrinkles on his face.

"It's been many years since I've seen Junior Brother Ji. What brings you to the Transmission Hall today?"

Ji An walked up slowly, took out a two-ounce bag of top-quality roasted pine nuts, and said:
"I came today to exchange for some jade slips related to formations."

Mo Feiyu's gaze sharpened, and he said earnestly:
"Junior brother, you have a bright future. You should focus on breaking through to the Golden Core stage. It's not the time to study formations."

The art of formations is profound and complex; to achieve mastery requires at least several decades of painstaking research.

The other party is a Golden Core seed of the sect, and it is not advisable to waste our precious time on the path of formations, at least not now.

Ji An smiled and shook his head, explaining:

"I don't plan to study formations right now. I just want to find out how to refine the spirit-binding stakes used to enhance the spirit field so that I can use them in the future."

There are various spirit-binding array inheritances here that can improve the grade of spirit fields, which are exactly what he urgently needs.

In the future, to improve the spiritual vein grade of the gourd world, we cannot rely solely on the stone tortoise and the Gathering Yuan Tree; we must also utilize the power of the magic array.

Because it involves the world of gourds, he didn't trust others to do it, so he wanted to refine it himself.

"So that's how it is. Junior brother was able to find the relevant jade slips in the formation area."

The importance of the Ministry of Agriculture to the sect is growing, and the patriarch has ordered the Array Formation Hall to train disciples proficient in Spirit Binding Arrays for cultivating spirit fields.

Ji An found the jade slip and spent 500 minor merits to exchange for it. With these formations, he could accelerate the cultivation of the spirit field to the second-tier top grade.

After chatting for a while, he took his leave. Mo Feiyu sighed softly and fell back into a dream. In another twenty or thirty years, the sect would have to send someone else to replace him.

A month later.

In the quiet chamber of the cave, Ji An sat cross-legged on a futon, his mind connected with the stone tortoise.

Enter the world of gourds.

The next moment, his figure disappeared from the spot, leaving only the gourd pendant floating in the air, emitting a shimmering light.

The flowers, birds, insects, fish, sun, moon, and stars on its surface seem to come alive, and the light and shadow on the stone wall change.

Ji An stood with his feet firmly on the yellow earth, feeling a sense of peace in his heart.

This is his unique place of hope. When he went to the Central Continent, he couldn't take anything from Crimson Flame Peak with him. He would have to rely on this world to accumulate resources for his cultivation in the future.

He looked around and nodded smugly, then squatted down and extended his divine sense deep into the ground.

His eyebrows shot up suddenly, and he clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground.

"It has finally sprouted! It truly lives up to its reputation as a spiritual root of heaven and earth, making me wait for more than a month!"

He sensed that the seeds of the Gathering Yuan Tree had cracked open, revealing tender sprouts about an inch long and a dozen or so delicate roots.

This was half a month later than he was initially willing to wait. If he hadn't sensed the seeds becoming increasingly active, he would have dug them up long ago.

It's better not to plant at all than to let the seeds fail; they are the very essence of heaven and earth.

(End of this chapter)