Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 465 Encounter on the road
Ji An put away the jade slip. The insights he had recorded represented his current understanding, which would inevitably change in the future.

However, he will retain this knowledge. The process of changing one's understanding is the most valuable thing. Just like solving a math problem, the problem-solving approach is the knowledge, while the answer is just a result.

He has been away from the sect for about nine years now, and the Five Elements Mutual Generation has been nearly completed. Based on this, he is expected to return to the sect within thirty years.

He began to ponder the path ahead, needing to comprehend the three transformations of the Five Elements: Earth generates Metal, Water generates Wood, and Wood generates Fire.

The conditions for water-generating wood and wood-generating fire are not met in the far north. Although the water veins here are relatively abundant, they do not meet the minimum standard for spiritual transformation, so one must go to the southern continent.

To comprehend the principle of wood generating fire, one needs a place with an extremely abundant wood elemental energy, such as a remote, secluded mountain forest with water features.

Crimson Flame Peak is too small. Although the spiritual plants are of high quality and there are water veins, the surrounding environment is too "human" and will draw away a lot of the burgeoning energy, thus failing to meet the necessary conditions for the formation of a wood-elemental spiritual domain.

As for comprehending the principle of "earth transforms into metal," the far north is also a good choice. It is said that there is a similar area near Red Rock Immortal City.

The land here is covered by ice and snow all year round. Although earth and water are mutually destructive, water can moisten the soil, and the earth element's ability to generate metal and dissipate fire is stronger.

The ice and snow formed another insulating layer, preventing the earth's energy from rising and making it easier to form an earth-elemental spiritual domain.

Ji An habitually stroked his chin, lost in thought. The interaction of the five elements involves many factors and cannot be explained in just a few words.

In fact, each of the five elements is directly or indirectly connected to the other five elements, and the transformation of energy is not limited to appearances.

He couldn't help but wonder, since the five elements can generate and transform each other, is it possible to reverse the five elements and achieve 'reverse generation'?

"Hehe," Ji An chuckled at his own wild idea.

In orthodox thought, the reverse of the five elements refers to the principle of mutual restraint among the five elements, such as wood restraining earth and earth restraining water. Once a seed germinates, it is impossible for it to grow back into a seed.

Not to mention that cultivators in the Chaoyuan stage don't have such an ability, even cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage don't have such an ability.

"I'll ponder this question after I reach the Nascent Soul stage," he gently shook his head, collected his thoughts, and when his mind was as still as water, he began to circulate the Five Elements Revolving Sutra.

Three days later, at Zuixianju.

In Room Number One, Gu Mingyuan raised his glass in a toast:
"Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on taking another step forward on your path to immortality. Let us drink this cup to the brim."

Others may take ten years to comprehend a particular aspect of the Five Elements' mutual generation, but it may take nearly a hundred years to fully comprehend all aspects of the Five Elements' mutual generation.

Ji An clinked glasses with the other person and drank it all in one gulp.

There's a saying in the mortal world: "He who travels a hundred miles is only halfway there at ninety." Only by comprehending the divine meaning of the mutual generation of the five elements can one be considered to have completed this step. I still have a long way to go.

He spoke humbly, saying that now was not the time to slack off, as he had already grasped the concept of the Five Elements generating each other and still needed to cultivate the Five Qi Returning to the Origin.

There are many cultivation practices required for the Chaoyuan stage, and many of these steps cannot be completed simply by accumulating resources.

"Fellow Daoist is too modest. Brother Wei left the Immortal City to travel. I wonder what he would think if he knew that you have already comprehended the principle of Metal generating Water."

Gu Mingyuan was filled with emotion. As cultivation levels continued to improve, the gap between cultivators' aptitudes would become smaller and smaller, making comprehension and luck increasingly important.

For the same stage of cultivation, some people can complete it in a few years, while others have to waste decades, and some are even tormented to the point that their Dao heart is shattered, thus giving up the pursuit of their future.

He hasn't reached the level where he needs to understand the mutual generation of the five elements yet. When he does, understanding the generation of water from metal will allow him to understand the difference in comprehension between the two of them.

Ji An chuckled softly:

"Brother Wei would just smile faintly, because he had already grasped everything I had grasped."

"Haha, based on my understanding of Brother Wei, he won't show anything on his face, but his inner thoughts must be very rich."

The two chatted and laughed, clinking glasses and enjoying themselves immensely.

Ji An put down his wine cup and said:

"If you want to comprehend the principle of Earth giving rise to Metal, you will need to rely on your help, fellow Daoist."

To comprehend the principle that earth gives rise to metal, one must delve deep into the darkest depths of the earth and contemplate its workings in the darkness.

Gu Mingyuan frowned slightly, looking troubled. "I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee anything."

These areas are all located deep within the earth's veins, in places rich in the earth's energy. There is such a secret place in the Immortal City, but that area is jointly owned by several major powers. Although the Gu family has some say, it is not much.

Ji An nodded and smiled, raising his glass and saying:

"No matter what the outcome, I must thank you, fellow Daoist."

The ancestor once told him that there was a secret place under the jurisdiction of Red Rock Immortal City that was an excellent earth element spiritual domain. If he had a way to enter it and comprehend it, he could save the time and effort of searching for a spiritual domain.

If the other party can help, that would be best; if not, he will explore the underground world alone.

He sighed inwardly. No wonder the higher the level of the cultivator, the more they believed in the concept of luck. He finally understood.

To give a simple example, cultivators inevitably need to rely on external aids to improve their cultivation level, among which taking elixirs is the most common method.

To refine pills at the Chaoyuan stage, the main ingredient needs to be about a thousand years old. If a cultivator cultivates them artificially, it will take at least two hundred years.

Refining pills at the Golden Core stage requires spiritual herbs that have been cultivated for over two thousand years. Even with skilled spiritual farmers and high-grade spiritual fields, it still takes five or six hundred years for the herbs to mature.

If a cultivator is unlucky, he/she will not have many chances to take the pill, because the lifespan of a Golden Core cultivator is only a thousand years. Considering the age at which he/she breaks through, he/she may not live to see the pill refined.

By relying on his own gradual absorption of spiritual energy to improve his cultivation, it is absolutely impossible for him to shatter his core and form a nascent soul before his lifespan ends.

Gu Mingyuan pondered for a moment and said:

"In three years, the patriarch of my Gu clan will meet with other True Immortals to discuss the use of the Earth Element Spirit Realm."

I will inform you once things have been resolved. As for whether I will be granted a spot to enter the secret realm, I cannot promise you anything. I apologize.

The Spirit Realm opens once every twelve years, and each time it is open for three months.

Although he is one of the candidates for the next patriarch of the family, he is not the sole heir after all, and he is only a cultivator in the Chaoyuan stage, so his words do not carry enough weight in important matters.

Ji An said hurriedly:

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. With your help, I have saved a lot of energy and time."

I'd like to ask what I need to do to secure a spot?

He knew perfectly well that it was a favor if someone helped him, and it was their right not to.

"This spot is a scarce resource. The forces that have a spot will hold an auction and accept bids for high-grade spirit stones and resources of second-tier high-grade or above."

Before the meeting ended, I couldn't be sure if my family would receive a spot.

The clan owns a certain percentage of the spiritual domain and receives a spot at each meeting, but sometimes the clan leader will make deals with other forces on the spot.

Ji An nodded slightly. The resources he currently possessed included a few spirit fruits, five catties of Xuan Ye Sword Bamboo Golden Leaf, two pieces of top-grade Azure Dragon Wood, several second-tier top-grade talismans, a Soul Nourishing Pendant made from high-grade Soul Nourishing Wood, and more than two hundred high-grade spirit stones.

He is wealthy and fearless of competition; unless someone else's bid is something the auction house desperately needs, he is determined to secure the spot.

"I have two more years to prepare. Fellow Daoist, please remember to invite me to the auction when the time comes."

"must."

After discussing business, the atmosphere at the dinner table became even more harmonious.

Ji An turned to the maid and said:

"Please bring up two audio editors, let's listen to the music."

Gu Mingyuan burst into laughter, "Fellow Daoist, you finally understand the importance of cultivating your character!" Ji An revealed a simple and honest smile; he didn't really need to cultivate his character!

Other monks listen to music to cleanse their minds and remove their depression so they can travel light, but he has no such burden.

Perhaps it was because of his powerful spiritual energy, coupled with the fact that he was just a mortal with a lifespan of only a hundred years in his previous life, that he longed for longevity.

He cultivated diligently, and with the help of the stone tortoise, his cultivation improved rapidly, thus his Dao heart became stable.

He was full of energy and had no worries. He was listening to music today simply to entertain the other person.

Half a year has passed.

The Nulan River flows westward, its white waves surging.

A figure emerged from the vast expanse of misty water; it was Ji An. The moment he appeared, he was pushed forward by the surging river and involuntarily spun around, making him understand what it meant to be powerless.

He had just attended a banquet at Xuanwu Snow Mountain and took the opportunity to practice his magic.

In the past six months, in his spare time from cultivation, he would go out to practice various escape techniques. It should be due to the help of the Dao Seed that he did not feel any effort in practicing the Five Elements Escape Technique, and he could see that the escape technique was constantly improving.

He cast a spell again, and his figure turned into water and disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already 150 feet away.

Even when the Earth Escape Technique reaches its peak, the distance it can travel is only about a hundred feet. Ji An believes this is due to the difference in the "medium".

He would occasionally dive to the bottom of the water to search for the presence of aquatic spiritual herbs, or for spiritual fish, turtles, and clams.

Believe it or not, he actually had some unexpected gains these days, obtaining two second-tier low-grade spiritual herbs and hunting down a late-stage Foundation Establishment clam demon.

He sent the clam demon to Drunken Immortal Abode, where it was directly cooked into a spiritual food, with a delicious flavor.

The water quality in the Nulan River is much better than that in the cold pool of Chiyan Peak, and the fish, shrimp and clams are all very delicious.

After escaping more than twenty times, Ji An landed and flew to a rocky cliff.

The Five Elements Escape Technique consumes more spiritual energy than other spells, so for safety reasons he never depletes his spiritual energy below a safe level.

He sat on the boulder, the biting wind blowing, his Taoist robe billowing like a banner waving in the wind.

Ji An took out the Golden-Winged Bird puppet and released it, ordering it to guard the surroundings. He then focused his mind on his dantian and connected with the stone turtle. Lines of elegant characters appeared in the deep sea.

[Master: Ji An]

【Daoyun: 0】

[Spiritual clues: Kan (坎) spirit 738.4, Gen (艮) spirit 912.8, Zhen (震) spirit 436.7, Xun (巽) spirit 786.9, Kun (坤) spirit 836.6, Qian (乾) spirit 735.8, Dui (兑) spirit 731.4, Li (离) spirit 650.8]

[Spell: Spirit Sealing Technique (Perfect 2%)]

Fire Release Technique (Perfect 14%)

Metal Escape Technique (Perfect 16%)

Water Release Technique (Perfect 79%)

Mental Roar (Minor Success 70%)

[Thread-Pulling Mantra (Perfect 1%)]

After days of diligent practice, he raised his Wood Release technique to the Great Perfection level.

The environment has a significant impact on escape techniques. When his Wood Escape Technique was at its perfect level, he could travel more than 60 zhang at a time on Crimson Flame Peak, but in the coniferous forest of the far north, he could only travel 50 zhang. The difference was quite obvious.

The golden-winged bird let out an urgent cry, and Ji An's mind immediately left the stone tortoise, where he saw two red clouds flying towards him from afar.

Judging by sight, he was about four or five miles away, and his flying speed was quite fast.

Encountering cultivators on the road is a normal thing, and he didn't pay much attention to it, but he did increase his vigilance.

A moment later, he recognized the newcomers as Zhang Le and Yuan Hong.

The crimson cloud changed direction and flew in; Zhang Le's words arrived before he did:
"Haha, we just ran into you while we were hunting demons."

The two landed, and Yuan Hong, with a broad smile, said:

"That's really strange. In my memory, you rarely go out."

The two men were more than three zhang away from Ji An and showed no intention of getting any closer. He appeared relaxed and replied:

"I have received an invitation from Fellow Daoist Gu to attend a banquet at Xuanwu Snow Mountain."

He remained on guard; his relationship with the other party was purely transactional, not one of life-or-death commitment.

Besides, it's an open secret that many demon-hunting cultivators occasionally take on the role of tribulation cultivators.

Few of the demon-hunting cultivators who have experienced countless battles and are accustomed to life and death are kind-hearted.

When he practiced his escape techniques, he did not go beyond a fifty-mile radius of the Immortal City, precisely because he did not want to cause such trouble. Although he was not afraid, he would not 'entrap' anyone.

He possesses a treasure like the Small World, so there's no need for him to go out and seek opportunities.

A wealthy man's son doesn't sit under a dangerous roof; his resources can accumulate slowly, and the accumulation speed will become faster and faster.

With his permission, the golden-winged bird landed on a rock not far away.

Yuan Hong said:

"Fellow Daoist's connections are truly enviable. Over the years, we've been running around, but in the eyes of those shops, we're nothing more than high-level thugs."

Zhang Le gave a wry smile and sighed.
"Sigh, demon hunting is a dangerous profession. I'm now planning to learn talisman making."

"By the way, fellow Daoist, could you please introduce us to a disciple of the Gu family? We haven't even made contact with the mines yet, let alone comprehend the Divine Intent of Metal Generating Water."

Ji An was stunned and asked incredulously:

"Why?"

The two people came to Red Rock Immortal City to comprehend the concept of metal generating water and to obtain the resources of the Five Elements Spiritual Fiends from a ruin. They have probably been in the Immortal City for ten years, so there is no reason why they could not make contact with a family that owns a mining mine.

Zhang Le looked troubled. "Well, it's a long story."

Ji An frowned slightly, wondering what difficulties the other party was facing.

Just then, the golden-winged bird started chirping, and Ji An understood that this was a signal that it had discovered other cultivators.

"Help!"

Shouts came from afar. Ji An was stunned. He thought to himself that he had finally managed to go out to the Immortal City, but he had encountered such a ridiculous thing!
He turned and looked back, only to see a female cultivator flying on a cloud, heading straight towards them, while a cultivator on a crimson flying sword was in hot pursuit.

He looked at Zhang Le and the other person and asked:

"Fellow Daoist, what would you do in this situation?"

Yuan Hong's eyes were icy cold as he said in a harsh voice:

"The cultivator being chased is clearly trying to shift the blame; he's no good. Fellow Daoist, do you have any plans to make a quick buck?"

(End of this chapter)