Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 458 Gu Mingyuan

Wei Xianglin coughed lightly, reminding him:
"Master, it's almost noon. Should I go to Zuixianju to reserve a private room?"

Zuixianju is the most upscale restaurant in Hongyan Xiancheng and the top choice for banquets and entertainment.

Wei Chengqian waved his hand, "No need, let's go to the restaurant now, fellow Daoist, please!"

Ji An scratched his head and said:

"Can you trade me the talismans first?"

He came today on the agreed delivery date; otherwise, why would he have come to the shop on his own initiative?

"Haha, of course you can. Xianglin, you should settle accounts with Fellow Daoist Ji right away."

As Ji An handed over the talismans in his hand, Wei Chengqian couldn't help but glance at them; there were so many talismans!
He knew that the other party traded with the shop once a month, and such a huge volume of transactions indicated that the other party's success rate in making talismans was very high; otherwise, it would be impossible to accumulate so many talismans.

Wei Xianglin quickly counted the quantity and said:
"One hundred top-grade Fire Dragon Talismans, each worth three hundred and twenty spirit stones; forty top-grade Mystic Armor Talismans, each worth three hundred and fifty spirit stones; and top-grade Explosion Talismans. The total is sixty-six thousand spirit stones."

"Senior, how many high-grade spirit stones did you exchange this time?"

"Three pieces will do," Ji An replied. In the future, when entering the mine to comprehend the metal element spiritual tide, he can pay with mid-grade spirit stones, so there is no need to waste too much 'handling fee'.

Wei Chengqian quickly calculated in his mind how much profit the other party could gain, which was certainly not a small amount.

Wei Xianglin put the talisman into his storage bag. "Please wait a moment, senior. I'll be right back."

A moment later, Ji An received the spirit stone and walked out of the shop with Wei Chengqian.

Five days later, in room number one on the third floor of Zuixianju.

The room was rectangular and very spacious. Gu Mingyuan took a sip of spiritual tea and smiled:

"It's rare that Brother Wei hasn't been staying in the clan's territory to cultivate these past few days. What's even more rare is that he invited me for drinks, although not just to me alone."

The Wei clan operates a pill shop, a puppet shop, a weapon-refining shop, and more in Red Rock Immortal City. The clan owns tens of thousands of acres of second-tier spiritual fields and has two Golden Core cultivators stationed there. It is a large clan that has been established for thousands of years and its influence extends to all aspects of the Immortal City.

In comparison, the Gu family's foundation was much weaker, with only one Golden Core cultivator in the family, and their business scope limited to mines and weapon-refining shops.

He tapped the table lightly with his finger. "I'm curious, what kind of cultivator could catch your eye, Brother?"

The other party wrote to say they were introducing a client to rent a prime piece of land in a mine, and even personally organized a banquet; such a level of attention is rare.

Actually, they can make arrangements as long as the other party gives a heads-up.

Wei Chengqian revealed a kind smile, "I met a cultivator from the Western Continent a few days ago. After chatting with him, I felt that he was no ordinary person."

If a cultivator comprehends the mutual generation of the five elements, some subtle phenomena will always be revealed. I discovered that Fellow Daoist Ji has already comprehended the generation of earth from fire.

Also, although I didn't ask the other person's age, I could tell that they were close to my age.

"I see. That makes sense."

Gu Mingyuan nodded. "Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes," he said, adding that the other party's social standing was never low.

It should be noted that the other party's cultivation level is among the top tier below the Golden Core stage in the Northern Lands, and any friend they regard must possess extraordinary abilities.

A moment later, Ji An entered the room under the guidance of a maid, and greeted the two people who were already seated with a bow:

"I apologize for keeping you two waiting."

Wei Chengqian rose to greet him, and said with a smile:

"I informed you at the last minute, so why should I forgive you?"
Let me introduce you. This is Gu Mingyuan, and we've been friends for generations.

"This is Fellow Daoist Ji An, from the Golden Spirit Sect of the Western Continent."

"I've met Fellow Daoist Gu," Ji An said, without using any formalities like "I've long admired you," as he wasn't very familiar with the power of Red Rock Immortal City.

Some circles are hard to integrate into without a mentor, and most of the information you get from the general public is misinformation.

"Brother Wei highly admires Fellow Daoist Ji. Today I finally get to meet him, and he is indeed a man of great bearing."

After a round of mutual flattery, Gu Mingyuan spoke:

"We will be able to make arrangements for Fellow Daoist Ji in three months."

However, the burst of spiritual energy in the metal element has a certain degree of randomness; the timing will be announced later. Fellow Daoist, please inform me of the location of your cave.

Ji An's eyes lit up, and he immediately told her the location of the cave.

He didn't expect things to turn around so quickly, and he gained a more intuitive understanding of Wei Chengqian and the power of the Wei family.

The business was settled quickly and easily. Wei Chengqian ordered the dishes to be served and also found a few sound engineers.

And I must say, the sound of the piano and flute produced by the sound engineer can indeed cleanse the mind; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the lingering sound can last for three days.

Overjoyed, Ji An couldn't help but drink a few more cups. By the time the music ended and the crowd dispersed, the sun had already set.

One month later, in the world of gourds.

Ji An stood beside the spirit field. The pearl blood rice plant had turned a bright red and was already withered.

After two years, the spirit rice finally matured, taking longer than he had expected. He originally thought it would only take about a year to mature, which was probably due to the low grade of the spirit field.

He reached out and snapped off a rice stalk, vigorously rubbed it to remove the husk by hand, and then blew on it.

Comparing the Lingmi rice with the Lingmi rice he purchased, he found that the grain size of the two was almost the same.

After chewing each type of spirit rice, Ji An found that there was no significant difference between the two types in terms of taste or the amount of spiritual energy they contained.

"Good, now we need to see how many kilograms the yield can reach."

A smile spread across his face as he quickly harvested and husked the entire acre of land, then weighed it.

"Is 640 jin per mu a lot or a little?"

Ji An was unsure of the yield of this spirit rice and planned to go out and find out.

There were still four acres of land left in the red soil area that could be planted, so he simply planted them all with pearl blood rice.

He sprinkled the spiritual seeds and then released the Yellow Dragon Enhancing Energy Technique and the Cloud Dragon Rainmaking Technique in turn.

As the nourishing spiritual rain fell, the spiritual seedlings sprouted from the soil, their green shoots with red stripes swaying in the rain like flames burning in the water.

Ji An left the gourd world and walked out of the cave. Half an hour later, he arrived at Xuelan Street.

He walked into Sun's Rice Shop and said gently:

"Purchase 1,000 catties of pearl blood rice."

As he spoke, he took out fifteen mid-grade spirit stones and placed them in front of the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper glanced at him and then quickly put away the spirit stones on the table. A thousand catties was just a small business and not worth his attention.

The shop assistant brought out the spirit rice, weighed it, and handed the bag to Ji An, saying, "Please keep this, senior."

Ji An nodded slightly, put the cloth bag into his virtual space, and asked:
"I plan to plant some pearl blood rice in the spirit field. What yield per mu is considered acceptable?"

The shopkeeper next to him gave a meaningful smile, coughed twice, and said:
“Fellow Daoist, if it were planted by our Sun family, the average yield would be close to 500 catties per mu, and those high-quality spiritual fields could yield up to 600 catties per mu.”

However, spirit rice requires special soil to achieve high yields; outside of Hongyun Mountain, a yield of 200 jin per mu is considered quite good.

Many forces have tried to cultivate pearl blood rice, but after so many years, the Sun family still monopolizes the pearl blood rice business.

"I see," Ji An said, relieved. It seemed that the spiritual rice production in the gourd world was quite good!
After he left the shop, the shop assistant lowered his voice and said, "Every few years, a few cultivators come up with the wild idea of ​​planting pearl blood rice. They don't even consider that if other regions can produce high yields, why don't the Zhou and Wei families, these big families, get a share of the pie!"

The shopkeeper feigned seriousness and said:

"Let's keep this to ourselves and not talk about it."

How can you speak ill of the customer!

The waiter grinned, "Okay!"

In the days that followed, Ji An reduced the time spent refining pills by half.

In the past two years, his alchemy skills have improved considerably. He is now proficient in refining Foundation Building Pills and Qi Cultivation Pills, and no longer needs to spend much time honing his skills.

He used the time he saved to draw talismans and practice magic outside the immortal city.

Time flies, and two months have passed in a flash. Ji An arrived at Xuanwu Snow Mountain by riding the clouds.

This mountain range stretches for eight hundred miles and is the property of the Gu family. The mountain range has a gentle slope, and the main peak is shaped like a large tortoise, hence the name.

He landed and introduced himself:
"My name is Ji An, and I have an appointment with Brother Gu Mingyuan."

He was greeted by an elderly man at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles.

"Please wait a moment, senior. I will inform Uncle Liu immediately."

Ji An looked at the other person's aged face and sighed inwardly.

Not long after, Gu Mingyuan arrived on a cloud. "Fellow Daoist, you've been waiting for a long time. Please follow me."

He led Ji Anfei to a cave at the foot of the mountain and said:
“I sent you in yesterday and found that the metal element’s spiritual energy had become restless, so the miners in the cave evacuated and will only return after the spiritual tide has subsided.”

There are two cultivators traveling with you this time, I hope you don't mind.

The mine was quite dark with low visibility.

The metal elemental energy was rampant, and the luminous pearl embedded in the cave had long been shattered into powder.

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. I am grateful for your arrangement and have no reason to mind."

Ji An replied with a smile that this was the other party's family business, and it was already good enough that he could cut in line and enjoy it; how could he have any other desires?

"By the way, I haven't asked you yet, fellow cultivator, how many spirit stones are needed this time, and how did the other cultivators pay?"

Personal favors are personal favors, and business is business; they can't be mixed up. The spirit stones that should be paid must not be less; waiting for the other party to bring it up would make him seem too slow.

“Other cultivators simply deposit a sum of mid-grade spirit stones with us. If they need more, we will replenish them. If they comprehend the divine meaning of the Five Elements before they have used them all, we will return the remaining spirit stones.”

"How many spirit stones should be stored? Are there any specific requirements?"

"Three hundred dollars."

Ji An took out a spirit stone and handed it to the other party, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please accept this."

He understood a principle from his previous life: when getting along with people, you must settle accounts clearly. Although this may make the relationship less personal, it can actually help the relationship last longer.

If someone uses personal relationships as an excuse to avoid settling scores, you shouldn't become close to them.

“Then I’ll accept it,” Gu Mingyuan said without feigning refusal.

The two hurried down the mine shaft, and Ji An quickly sensed the aura of the metal spirit, which grew stronger the further they went.

"Understanding that metal generates water is not an easy thing. When the metal element spiritual tide erupts, it feels like being cut into a thousand pieces. That feeling is not pleasant."

Sometimes I feel that choosing to cultivate through magic was a mistake; body cultivators might find it easier to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Gu Mingyuan sighed. He had witnessed many cultivators comprehend the divine meaning of metal generating water, but he had also witnessed many more cultivators getting stuck at this step and wasting many years.

If the five elements are insufficient and not accumulated enough, one cannot comprehend them.

In contrast, those who cultivate their bodies nourish their qi and blood and refine their bodies day after day and year after year. As long as they persevere with their hearts, they will always reap the rewards.

Ji An smiled and said:

"Since I have chosen the path of comprehending the mutual generation of the five elements, I am well prepared, and these difficulties are nothing to worry about."

When he was refining the Dao essence to cultivate the Gengjin Dao Seed, he experienced far more than just being torn to pieces!

Gu Mingyuan raised his eyebrows and nodded with a smile:

"A friendly attitude is essential."

You won't know how deep the water is until you experience it yourself, and he didn't think highly of the other person's ambition.

How difficult it is to comprehend the divine intent of metal while suffering physical torment—only those who have comprehended it know.

About half an hour later, Gu Mingyuan pointed to the fork in the road:
"It's at the very bottom of this passage, so I won't accompany you inside."

He could no longer bear the pain of the metal elemental energy cutting into his skin. The main reason was that he had not yet reached the stage of understanding the mutual generation of the five elements, so he would only suffer in vain.

"Thank you for seeing me off, fellow Daoist. See you later."

Ji An stepped into the passage. In fact, he could use the Golden Escape Technique to travel, but to keep a low profile, he chose to travel by foot instead.

As he continued downwards, he discovered a light at the deepest point.

Although the light was still very dim, to his eyesight, the light appeared as if the world were at sunset.

The light grew brighter, and when Ji An reached the bottom of the passage, he saw two monks sitting cross-legged, far apart from each other.

The two looked up at the same time, only to find that it was an unfamiliar cultivator, and their interest immediately waned.

The cave shimmered with multicolored light, reflected by various crystals embedded in the rock walls.

Ji An took in the expressions of the two men. He didn't try to greet them or make friends, but instead quietly walked to a corner to carefully sense the changes in the metal elemental energy.

Strands of metal-elemental spiritual energy, like tiny bullets, constantly struck his body, but compared to the suffering he endured while refining the metal-elemental Daoist essence, this pain was insignificant.

A while ago, I felt the mystery of fire generating earth. His understanding of the five elements' mutual generation is that the transformation of yin and yang drives their transformation.

The combination of Yin and Yang forms a stable Five Elements Qi, in which Yang rises and Yin descends, which creates the opportunity for the mutual generation of the Five Elements.

To understand the mutual generation of the five elements, one must discern the yin and yang changes within spiritual energy.

For example, the element of metal is associated with spiritual energy. Geng metal is yang, and Xin metal is yin. Only when yin and yang are combined can the element of metal be considered complete.

The outbreak of spiritual tides should be formed by the separation of yin and yang.

At this time, the internal energy of metal element is unstable, resulting in a stress-induced separation of yin and yang.

The Golden Spirit Tide is still brewing, and it's unknown when it will fully erupt. He can only wait quietly.

Three days later, Ji An left the mine with great excitement.

He truly experienced the situation when the spiritual tide erupted, and his theory was still tenable, though not yet perfect.

When it comes to understanding which of the five elements he possesses the deepest insight into, Ji An would confidently say that he has the deepest understanding of the spiritual energy of the metal element.

Putting everything else aside, the superior Gengjin Dao Seed gave him enough confidence.

(End of this chapter)