Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 457 Rejection
Hearing the softening in Ji An's tone, Zhang Le smiled and said:
"Let me slowly tell you the story, fellow Daoist. At the entrance of the ruins, there is a black boulder with huge claw marks and traces of corrosion on it, as well as many marks of being cut by sharp weapons. It must have been the site of a great battle."

I believe a large number of demonic beasts were involved in the attack; it's not uncommon for high-level demonic beasts to drive low-level ones. Now, the core area remains unexplored, where the earth veins are filled with three types of malevolent energy: metal, fire, and earth, which is also the energy source driving the magic array.

Even if there's nothing to be gained within this core area, the three locations where malevolent energy converges alone provide a continuous source of spirit stones.

He wasn't exaggerating, because he knew that openness and honesty were prerequisites for cooperation.

If the other party agrees to go, but upon arrival they find that the description does not match the facts, the team will be divided, which is a major taboo in treasure hunting and exploration.

They were seeking wealth through treasure hunting, not robbing cultivators. The other party was a talisman maker, and who knows how many second-tier top-grade talismans he might have!
A cultivator who travels alone is either a fool or a truly capable and ruthless person.

Ji An stroked his chin, listening intently. After the other person finished speaking, he asked:
"Something's not right. Why would the original owner of the ruins abandon a resource-rich area? Have we found anything suspicious about those corpses?"

Spiritual energy is a second-tier resource. Giving up a continuous source of wealth and sealing it off seems problematic no matter how you look at it.

The death of a cultivator carrying a magical artifact indicates the fall of a Golden Core cultivator; his small frame could not withstand many attacks from a Golden Core level cultivator.

From the other party's description, it can be seen that the ruins were not completely occupied by the demon beasts, which makes the cultivators' motive for voluntarily withdrawing even more intriguing.

Zhang Le gently shook his head, "The body is just a pile of broken bones; we haven't found anything of value."

I estimate that the ruins have stood for thousands of years; any dangers within would have been worn away by time.

Time is the most powerful cultivator; how many lives have been swallowed up by the dust of time? Whether mortal or highly talented cultivator, how many can achieve immortality?

"I can't agree right away; I need to think about it carefully."

Ji An shook his head slightly. Based on the other party's description of the gains, he deduced that the benefits in the ruins were astonishing. He guessed that there must have been unexpected dangers that made the original owner give up.

If he agrees, he probably won't be able to back out halfway.

Zhang Le and his companion exchanged a glance and solemnly said:
"This is only right. If you decide to join us, we are one. If you refuse to join the exploration team, we require that you not reveal this information to others."

A relic containing magical treasures is also attractive to Golden Core cultivators, so they cannot help but be cautious.

The reason the two extended an olive branch to Ji An was because his network of connections was not complicated and he had a certain background, but it was within their acceptable range.

Ji An nodded slightly and immediately made a solemn vow, stating that if he did not join the exploration team, he would not reveal the contents of today's conversation to any other force in any form for the next thirty years.

After he made the vow, Zhang and Le's expressions visibly relaxed.

Everyone has a certain understanding of each other's situation, and the Great Dao Oath still has a relatively strong binding force on cultivators who aspire to climb the path of immortality.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, how long do you need to consider this?"

"I will give you an answer tomorrow morning."

Yuan Hong laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist is straightforward."

The conversation became much more relaxed afterward, and the two guests left half an hour later.

Ji An stayed in the quiet room, carefully considering the pros and cons of the matter.

In his view, exploring ancient sites is like venture capital, facing risks in two aspects.

The first danger is the exploration itself; the area is sealed off by the magic array, and no one knows what's inside.

Zhang Le said that the ruins have a history of thousands of years. If there are demonic beasts or something at the Golden Core level sealed inside, this short period of time would not have a fatal impact on the creatures inside. It would take tens of thousands of years to be considered safe.

The second risk is that if an amazing discovery is found after the exploration is completed, it may be uncertain whether the allocation plan can be implemented.

He himself possesses talisman treasures and third-tier talismans, but judging from Zhang Le and the other two's demon-hunting harvest and demeanor, they seem to come from a powerful force, and their family wealth might even be greater than his.

"Why did I leave my sect and come to the far north?"

Ji An asked himself honestly, his purpose in coming here was, of course, to comprehend the mutual generation of the five elements and lay the foundation for breaking through to the Golden Core stage.

Will the discoveries from the ruins help in understanding the mutual generation of the five elements?

It might help, but I'm not sure.

According to Zhang Le, the source of the magic array includes metal-element evil energy, but the possibility of forming a surge of metal-element spiritual energy is already quite low, as it is necessary to maintain the operation of the magic array.

The risks are considerable, but they won't be of much help to his cultivation. He'll most likely only gain some temporary wealth. Is it worth risking his life for such temporary wealth?

With this in mind, Ji An made a decision.

He gently shook his head, putting the matter out of his mind, and sat down cross-legged to begin circulating the Five Elements Wheel Sutra.

At this stage, there are no suitable elixirs to take, so in order to purify their magical power, cultivators will choose to cultivate bit by bit on their own.

Accumulating magical power is a long-term process, and one cannot relax even for a single day.

As the cultivation technique was activated, the spiritual energy in the cave rushed towards the meditation room.

In a short while, the rich spiritual energy formed a thick fog.

The Five Elements Divine Palace within Ji An's body shimmered with light, and the Dao Seeds within his acupoints glowed brilliantly.

As the spiritual energy passed through the Water Elemental Palace, the sound of flowing water emanated from his body, initially like a babbling brook, and later like a rushing river.

After being refined, the spiritual energy entered the Wood Element Divine Palace, and emerald patterns appeared on his body.

At first, it sprouts like a seed, then grows rapidly, some becoming towering trees, others transforming into twining vines.

Immediately afterwards, flowers bloomed and trees bore fruit, flourishing to their peak before quickly withering away.

At this moment, spiritual energy was channeled into the Fire God's Mansion, and a faint "crackling" sound could be heard in the quiet room, as if firewood was burning in a fire.

Ji An's body temperature rose rapidly, like the heat radiating outward from a furnace. The vine and tree patterns on his body disappeared, replaced by red flame patterns.

The pattern is constantly changing, and at first glance it looks like leaping flames.

Suddenly, the crimson patterns transformed into golden flames, and the empty room was filled with electric light.

A moment later, a heavy aura emanated from Ji An, like a towering mountain or a vast, boundless land.

The spiritual energy was further processed in the Earth God's Palace, and at this point it had been transformed into spiritual liquid.

As the spiritual liquid flowed into the Golden Element Divine Palace, the divine intent became even more concentrated, and streams of light appeared in the quiet room, like the cold moon illuminating the armor.

The spiritual liquid was further compressed, becoming like a viscous paste. It had now transformed into magical power and finally flowed into the dantian.

The dantian is the ancestral aperture of the human body, symbolizing the beginning of cultivation. The tide of magical power pours down, the primordial flame shines brightly, and the stone turtle's mouth moves, frantically devouring the magical power.

When the Water Palace, Wood Palace, and Earth Palace light up, the immortal veins receive nourishment to varying degrees, undergoing extremely subtle changes.

The immortal meridians became wider and more flexible, and traces of immortal meridians could be found in every corner of the body.

Ji An felt that, judging from the efficiency of refining spiritual energy, his aptitude should have reached the Heavenly Rank.

the next day.

Zhang and Le walked along the road, communicating with each other telepathically.

"Old Yuan, do you think Fellow Daoist Ji will agree to explore the ruins?"

"It's hard to say. I've known him for over a year now, and I feel that he's an extremely cautious person who wouldn't easily take risks. Moreover, I have a hunch that he's a very well-hidden cultivator, and his strength might be much greater than we expect."

Yuan Hong sighed softly. He trusted his intuition, and the past years had proven it to be reliable.

Zhang Le remained silent. After a while, they arrived at their destination and found Ji An already waiting at the entrance of the cave.

"Please come in, fellow Daoists," Ji An welcomed them into the cave, subtly indicating his refusal.

"Unfortunately, I feel that my current life is quite good and I don't want to take any risks."

The potential gains from taking risks are uncertain, but the risks are very real and visible.

Zhang Le glanced at his friend and said regretfully:
"It is truly a pity that I cannot cooperate with you, fellow Daoist."

After a brief, pointless chat, the two took their leave; they needed to invite other cultivators.

Ji An shook his head slightly, wondering if his refusal would cost him two excellent hide suppliers.

After thinking for a while, he stood up with a wry smile. There was no point in thinking about things he couldn't control; it would only affect his mood.

He left the cave and strode away.

Wei's Talisman Shop.

As soon as Ji An stepped into the shop, he saw the shopkeeper rushing down from the second floor. He asked in surprise:
"Fellow Daoist, what is it that you need?"

He paused, then said jokingly:
"Could it be that you, fellow Daoist, knew I was coming and came downstairs to greet me?"

Wei Xianglin smiled kindly. "Senior, I was just about to go to your cave to find you."

He stepped forward and lowered his voice, "Our young master has long wanted to meet with you, but something always keeps getting in the way."

I happened to be here today and wanted to meet with you, senior.

So, I was ordered to go and inquire if you were available, and I didn't expect you to come.

The other party is a prolific talisman maker, and the cooperation over the past two years has earned the shop a lot of spirit stones.

The two went to the VIP room on the second floor, where Ji An met the person in question.

A refined and scholarly monk with a square face and a calm demeanor, fair complexion and a beard, who immediately inspires goodwill upon first sight.

"Young Master, this is Senior Ji An."

The pale-faced cultivator stood up and greeted them warmly:
"I have long admired your name, fellow Daoist. My name is Wei Chengqian. Please have a seat."

After the host and guests were seated and exchanged pleasantries, Wei Chengqian said in a humble tone:

"Judging from your accent, you are not a cultivator from the North. May I ask where your immortal home is? I have no intention of probing you. If it is inconvenient for you, you do not need to answer."

The shopkeeper had mentioned the other party's demands before, and as allies with a good working relationship, it wouldn't hurt to give them face.

"There is nothing I cannot say to others; I come from the Western Continent."

"I have traveled to Xizhou before. I wonder what you think of this place compared to Qingyun Immortal City?"

Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly and said with a self-deprecating smile:

"Qingyun Immortal City is not like this place. To be honest, I initially thought that the cultivation world in the north was very desolate, but I did not expect that the prosperity of the Western Continent is far inferior to that of the far north."

"Haha, fellow Daoist is frank."

In my opinion, only a handful of large families and three major sects in the Western Continent's cultivation world can be considered truly powerful.

Wei Chengqian immediately felt a good impression of Ji An. Some cultivators would choose to fabricate stories when faced with the truth.

"So you've heard of my background, fellow Daoist? I am a cultivator from the Golden Spirit Sect."

"Of course I know. Your clan is located in the south of the Western Continent, which is closer to the Southern Continent."

The two chatted more and more pleasantly, and before they knew it, they were talking about cultivation.

Ji An explained his understanding of the metal and earth elements, which greatly impressed the other party. A powerful cultivator will be respected wherever he goes.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and Wei Chengqian smiled gently:
"I feel as if we have known each other for a long time since we last met. I wonder if you would do me the honor of hosting me tonight?"

The Wei family has trade relations with Luofeng Valley and Yuanhe Mountain, but has not traded with Jinling Sect. Befriending them might open up a trade route.

Besides, befriending a promising cultivator is an instinctive behavior for direct descendants of families like his.

Ji An smiled and said, "I am flattered and will gladly accept your offer."

He himself had the idea of ​​befriending the local bigwigs, but there is a skill to it; shamelessly trying to curry favor would lower one's own status.

Wei Chengqian's smile became even more amiable as he said:

"The shopkeeper once mentioned that you wanted to obtain a spot to enter the mine and comprehend the spiritual energy of metal. My friend's family owns several mines, and I will introduce you to them in a few days."

Fellow Daoist, you should prepare spirit stones or high-grade spiritual items. If you are short of money, you can borrow some from the shop.

Actually, it would have seemed more heartfelt if he had acted as a go-between, but that would have been petty and not something he would have preferred.

"Thank you very much, fellow Daoist. You have helped me a great deal. I am deeply grateful."

By the way, I haven't inquired about the fees before. Do you have any information, fellow Daoist?

Ji An was pleased. The manager of Lingdan Pavilion claimed that his family had connections with the mine owner, but there was no further news. The Wei family was the most reliable.

He decided to reduce his pill-making in the future and use the saved time to draw talismans in return for his kindness.

"They will charge based on the strength of the gathered spiritual energy, ranging from ten to hundreds of mid-grade spirit stones each time."

The actual eruption of the spiritual tide lasts for a very short time, perhaps only a few breaths, and at most no more than half a quarter of an hour.

Wei Chengqian said that comprehending the concept of metal generating water is the most difficult of the five elements' mutual generation because the spiritual tide eruption lasts for a very short time, and it ends before one can even begin to understand anything.

He himself has already grasped the concept of metal generating water, having spent over twenty years observing it hundreds of times.

The process of comprehension is extremely painful and highly disruptive. This is considered fast; he has seen some cultivators get stuck for forty or fifty years before giving up in despair.

He described the pain one experiences during enlightenment and even explained tips for avoiding it.

Ji An solemnly cupped his hands and said:

"Thank you for telling me, fellow Daoist."

The ancestor had given all these instructions, but not in such detail, as it had been so long and his memory had become hazy.

"It's just a small suggestion, fellow Daoist, don't take it to heart. Even if I didn't mention it, you would have found a way to deal with it after experiencing it a few times, and it might even be better than my suggestion."

Wei Chengqian waved his hand, indicating that sincerity was essential for better communication.

(End of this chapter)