Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 528 Second-Tier Mid-Grade Gathering Yuan Tree

half year later.

Amidst the turbulent winds and clouds atop Chaoyang Peak, Lin Qiubai broke through to become a Golden Core cultivator.

Once this news is released, it will inevitably cause a huge uproar in the Western Continent. The fact that a sect has five Golden Elixir Pills will have a tremendous impact on the minds of cultivators in the Western Continent.

Moreover, it will have a huge impact on the current stable situation.

Not everyone likes having a powerful neighbor; at least, Maple Valley doesn't.

Falling Maple Valley borders the Golden Spirit Sect, and the Golden Spirit Sect, being even more powerful, is bound to radiate even greater energy outwards.

There may be no friction in the short term, but in the long run, conflicts are bound to arise, and they will become increasingly acute.

However, all of this had little to do with Ji An. The sect's future strategy had always been the responsibility of Senior Brother Zheng Yang; he only needed to execute the plan.

After congratulating Lin Qiubai, Ji An took his leave. Lin Qiubai had just broken through and needed to consolidate his realm.

Back in his cave on Crimson Flame Peak, he couldn't wait to immerse his mind in his dantian and connect with the stone tortoise.

The words in his mind quickly became clear, and the corners of his lips kept turning up.

[Master: Ji An]

[Tao Yun: Gold 18.2, Water 14.5, Wood 13.7, Fire 14.6, Earth 17.4]

Judging from the Daoist aura obtained, among the Five Elements Thunder Tribulations encountered by Lin Qiubai, the Metal and Earth elements were stronger.

It's easy to understand that the other party is a sword cultivator; Ji An is already looking forward to what kind of surprise Li Haoran's breakthrough will bring.

He took off the gourd-shaped stone pendant and, with great excitement, gave the order:
"Refine all the Dao essence and elevate the gourd world!"

Refining all these Daoist essences took about 150 points of Daoist essence to upgrade the small world.

With so much Daoist essence invested, coupled with the cultivation using Golden Core level planting techniques over the past few years, there is a high probability that the grade of the spiritual vein will be improved.

The shadow of the stone tortoise appeared in his palm, quickly materialized, and then swallowed the gourd flute in one gulp.

Its carapace is covered with dark, intricately colored Bagua (Eight Trigrams) patterns, exuding an aura of mystery.

Ji An vaguely sensed the ebb and flow of Yin and Yang forces, but it was as if he were looking through a veil, and he couldn't really feel it.

About two hours later, the stone turtle spat out the gourd stone, and a hint of fatigue seemed to flash in its eyes.

It transformed back into a phantom and merged into Ji An's body, returning to his dantian, where it lay down beside the flickering flames of his primordial life and closed its eyes to rest.

The appearance of the gourd-shaped stone is different from before; it has increased slightly in size and feels more delicate to the touch.

Now, the surface of the gourd stone can display more details, with light flashing across the sun, moon and stars patterns from time to time, and the textures of flowers, birds, insects and fish are more delicate.

Ji An probed his divine sense and found that the light from the silver spots deep in the darkness was slightly brighter and larger than before.

His consciousness touched the silver spots, and his body entered the gourd world.

As soon as his feet touched the yellow earth, Ji An immediately sensed a change in the density of spiritual energy. It was slightly less dense than that of Crimson Flame Peak, but the spiritual energy was purer and had a unique sense of clarity.

The Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner flew out, transformed into a Qilin, and flew to the side of the Gathering Yuan Tree at a speed far exceeding its usual speed, letting out an excited roar.

Ji An's eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the Heavenly Spirit Tree with its branches and leaves becoming even more lush.

'Is it another breakthrough for both of them?'

With these thoughts in mind, he arrived next to the Gathering Yuan Tree, reached out and placed his hand on the trunk, feeling the life force surging within it.

"A mid-grade second-tier spirit wood, no doubt about it!"

Ji An smiled, his eyes full of tenderness.

Through years of tracking and comparison, he discovered the pattern by which the stone turtle draws inspiration from its small world.

Upgrading the quality of a spiritual vein increases the amount of spiritual energy absorbed, and upgrading the quality of the Gathering Yuan Tree also increases this amount; the two effects are cumulative.

Now that the spiritual veins and the Gathering Yuan Tree have both been upgraded, based on past experience, the grades of various spiritual plants will also be rapidly upgraded within a few years.

As the spiritual energy absorbed by the stone turtle increases daily, its magical level will improve more rapidly.

The small world has now become a region on par with Crimson Flame Peak, so if Ji An goes out to travel, he will have no worries at all.

With yellow spiritual clouds swirling beneath his feet, Ji An surveyed the edge of the small world. He roughly calculated that the area of ​​the small world had increased to about 150 acres.

He landed on the red land and took out the seeds of pearl blood rice to sow.

After the rice is harvested, burning the straw and returning it to the field also helps improve the soil.

He manipulated his object control technique, evenly scattering rice grains into the newly added spiritual field, and released the Earth Vein Ascension Spell.

A warm, yellow light spread out, a deep, resonant sound emanated from the depths of the earth, and golden lotus phantoms surged across the ground, the nourishing Dharma permeating the land.

Under the influence of an invisible force, the rice grains were buried in the soil, and Ji An released the Azure Dragon Water Moon Technique.

A cool, full moon appeared above the spirit field. The Azure Dragon gracefully swayed its body, its horns scattering fine, powdery azure light that rippled through the void and quickly disappeared.

Fine, hair-like raindrops fell gently, like silver threads dropping from the sky.

The moistening effect of water and the vigorous growth of wood intertwine, inseparable, creating a feeling of clear water and lush wood.

The rice seedlings took root and sprouted in the rain, waving their graceful figures, and were soon submerged in the rising mist.

For any seed to quickly take root and sprout from its seed stage, it must be accompanied by water-based planting magic, and even fire-based spiritual plants are no exception.

Ji An squinted and extended his divine sense deep into the soil, feeling the fusion of water and fire.

There is a deeper connection between the two opposing forces of the Five Elements.

He fell into deep thought, losing track of time. The rain gradually stopped, and the mist disappeared.

After a long while, Ji An came to his senses and released the Azure Sky Yangming Technique.

As the crimson sun appeared, countless emerald leaves, shimmering with crystalline light, fell to the ground.

"These two spells are really interesting."

He chuckled. The Azure Dragon Water Moon Technique is a dual water and wood spell, while the Azure Sky Yangming Technique is a dual wood and fire spell, but neither of them is dominated by the wood element.

The Azure Dragon Water Moon Technique condenses a illusory image of the moon, while the Azure Sky Yang Brightness Technique condenses a illusory image of the sun. Both techniques contain profound Yin-Yang transformations.

The two spells were cast in succession, like the moon setting and the sun rising, creating a mysterious collision in the void, but without affecting the growth of the spiritual plant.

The red patterns on the green rice seedlings shimmered with light, and the water droplets gathered at the tips of the leaves emitted five-colored light before falling to the ground.

The water droplets immediately dissolved into the red soil, and the watermarks quickly disappeared.

The rice seedlings have grown to two feet tall, above knee height.

Now, the time from planting to maturity of Pearl Blood Rice has been shortened to seven or eight months a year, and the effect of the Golden Core level planting spell is still very good.

Ji An strolled over to the nest of the fire crystal ants, these demonic insects were even stronger than the kind from Crimson Flame Peak.

The red sand they produce has an exceptionally glossy appearance, likely due to their long-term consumption of the crystals on the surface of fire coral.

After so many years of cultivation, the soil here is indeed more fertile than that of Crimson Flame Peak.

Before the spiritual veins were upgraded, a second-grade superior Crimson Cloud Pine had already been cultivated in the small world.

The pine nuts from these sacred pines taste better after roasting and contain purer spiritual energy, making the spirit wine brewed from them more popular. Moreover, the yield of pine nuts here is higher than that of the same grade of sacred pines on Crimson Flame Peak, with each pine producing approximately twenty jin more—no small amount.

Ji An put the red sand into a storage bag and then scattered it in the spirit field.

These things ultimately come from the land and return to the land.

He then cast spells on the other spiritual fields and planted some Emerald Mulberry trees, making full use of the extra blue soil.

In the future, Bai Yufeng will be able to collect more second-grade high-quality honey, which will be perfect for grilling fish.

After doing all this, Ji An retrieved the Wuji Apricot Yellow Flag into his body and left the small world.

Fallen Maple Valley, Myriad Splendor Palace.

The bells under the eaves played ethereal melodies in the wind, and white smoke rose gently from the incense burner inside the hall.

Master Huoyun sat solemnly on the main seat in the hall and said in a deep voice:

"News came yesterday that Lin Qiubai of the Golden Spirit Sect has successfully broken through to become a Golden Core cultivator. What are your thoughts on this, Junior Brothers?"

He was quite jealous. Over the years, the Golden Spirit Sect had produced three Golden Core cultivators, but Falling Maple Valley had only produced one.

Another disciple with the potential to break through perished under the chaotic lightning tribulation, and everything he had gained through years of arduous cultivation vanished into thin air.

The power dynamics between the two sects' leadership have now reversed, with Fallen Maple Valley completely at a disadvantage.

The lifespan of the Golden Spirit Sect's leader, True Man Zhengyang, is not long, but it will be less than a hundred years.

If the Golden Spirit Sect is allowed to grow stronger, Fallen Maple Valley may become a vassal of the Golden Spirit Sect.

The sect's millennia-old foundation cannot be allowed to decline in his hands; he must do something.

Master Huayang stroked his goatee and said:

"Senior brother, although the Golden Spirit Sect is powerful, it also has some hidden dangers. Their spiritual veins may not be able to supply the spiritual energy of so many Golden Core cultivators."

This situation is not obvious now, but given time, the contradictions will inevitably become apparent.

"At that time, they only had two paths before them. The first was to do what they had done before: several Golden Core cultivators would take turns to oversee things while other cultivators went out to seek opportunities."

If their choice is beneficial to all parties, at least it won't cause direct conflict with us.

Back when the Golden Spirit Sect's spiritual veins hadn't yet been upgraded to the third-tier lower grade, that's exactly what True Person Zhengyang and True Person Yuxiao did.

Otherwise, it will inevitably affect the cultivation of the earth's veins.

He paused for a moment, then continued:
"As for the second path, it is to occupy a new third-tier spiritual vein."

I suspect they wouldn't dare venture deep into the Ten Thousand Mountains to expand their territory; if they did, they would inevitably turn their attention to us, or rather, to Yuanhe Mountain.

If the tacit understanding between the three of us is broken, then our relationship can never go back to what it was before.

In recent years, the number of Golden Core cultivators in the Golden Spirit Sect has been increasing like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, something no one could have predicted.

True Man Huoyun pondered and said:
“Junior brother’s analysis makes sense; that’s what I think too.”

However, I believe that the Western Continent will maintain a superficial peace in the short term and there will be no major conflicts. But who knows what will happen a hundred years from now? How should we plan ahead for the future?

He is a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. As long as he is alive, he is the only Golden Core cultivator in the Western Continent. If he fights desperately, he is confident that he can kill any other Golden Core cultivator.

Other forces will inevitably be wary, fearing his retaliation, since his lifespan is not long.

In this way, the conflict will not break out in the open, and peace will be maintained at least until his death.

Master Chongxuan is a cultivator who has broken through to the Golden Core stage in recent years. He has a sharply defined face and a cold gaze.

"Senior brother, I think we should form a secret alliance with Yuanhe Mountain to jointly resist the rise of Jinling Sect."

Never hope for the mercy of your competitors, or you will find your life and death in their hands.

Master Huoyun smiled and said, "Junior brother, do you have a plan? If so, please explain in detail."

If he passes away, power will fall into the hands of his two junior brothers, and he hopes that his successor will be a proactive person.

Master Chongxuan coughed lightly and said:

“Intense conflict is not good for anyone. What I mean is to curb the development of the Golden Spirit Sect within the rules.”

Qingyun Immortal City is the cash cow of our three sects. We can join forces with Yuanhe Mountain to suppress the disciples of the Golden Spirit Sect.

"That's just one aspect. Next, we will reduce the external sales of elixirs, especially those at the Chaoyuan stage."

Then, they could leave the pills in their sect or use them to support Yuanhe Mountain, which would both strengthen themselves and indirectly weaken their competitors.

The rapid development of the Golden Spirit Sect had long aroused his vigilance, and he had been thinking about countermeasures for a long time.

If possible, he even wanted to facilitate a direct alliance with Yuanheshan.

Master Huoyun maintained his smile. Regardless of the effectiveness of these countermeasures, the fact that he could talk about so much showed that he had been pondering these matters concerning the rise and fall of the sect.

He's willing to spend time and energy on this, so he'll feel at ease handing over power later.

The three discussed and initially determined a plan.

Master Huoyun nodded slightly and said:

"Lin Jiuxiao has broken through, and the Golden Core Ceremony will be held soon."

We will take the opportunity of attending the ceremony to have an in-depth private conversation with Master Beichen.

Compared to us, he would probably be even less willing to see a behemoth emerge in the Western Continent.

No new Golden Core cultivators have yet been born at Yuanhe Mountain, so True Person Beichen should be able to sense the approaching crisis.

Master Chongxuan sighed and said:
"Suppression is only a temporary solution; I think the sect needs to reform."

Since the Jinling Sect established the Department of Agriculture, the gap between them and us in terms of spiritual agriculture has been getting smaller and smaller.

Now, they have produced spiritual farmers at the Golden Core level, and the longer time goes by, the more unstoppable their rise will become.

Being strong yourself is always the most important thing.

I believe it is necessary to launch a program to focus on cultivating disciples with the potential to reach the Golden Core stage, regardless of cost.

Hitting down competitors can have long-term consequences and could very well become the trigger for open conflict.

Only when strength is equal can the situation maintain balance.

Master Huoyun nodded in deep agreement. After a moment's thought, he said:

"The content of the reforms of the Golden Spirit Sect was not a secret, but no one could have predicted that such great results could be achieved simply by changing the methods."

I've recently been considering the feasibility of implementing this reform within the sect. What obstacles do you think we would face if we did?

Master Huayang stroked his beard and said, "It's nothing more than a matter of interests. Everyone needs to redistribute the results, and some disciples will feel that their interests have been infringed upon."

The reforms of the Golden Spirit Sect were carried out from the bottom up, and they did not affect the interests of disciples above the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, we want to implement bottom-up reforms like this, because doing so is too slow to yield results.

(End of this chapter)