Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 568 Phoenix Perching Tree Spirit Seed

Master Qingfeng shook his head almost imperceptibly and said in a low voice:
"I didn't expect to be interested in physical cultivation methods, but Buddhist cultivation methods emphasize enlightenment, which is quite mysterious."

He felt that if he wanted to cultivate his body as well, he should buy a decent second-rate body-refining technique from the Divine Elephant Sect.

Why buy second-rate martial arts techniques? Because first-rate techniques are the sect's secret methods and are not sold to outsiders.

Wan Jinrong smiled slightly and said:
"I know a little about Buddhist cultivation methods. Their cultivation is mainly divided into two categories. The first type is similar to our Taoist cultivation. They rely on various rules and regulations to restrain their minds and practice visualization step by step. Their realm classification is similar to ours."

What Fellow Daoist Qingfeng is referring to is probably the Chan (Zen) school, which emphasizes enlightenment and spiritual realization. The distinction between different realms is rather vague because the various realms are parallel rather than hierarchical.

If enlightenment can lead to a level that would normally take many years of cultivation, and if monks can reach the Nascent Soul level after three or four hundred years of cultivation, it is indeed very mysterious.

However, when it comes to body tempering, the Buddhist cultivators' techniques are quite good.

The group exchanged a few words and then quietly observed the items the cultivators had brought out for trade.

Wan Jinrong was overjoyed to have exchanged a piece of mid-grade third-tier Geng metal.

A moment later, it was their turn to go up on stage to trade. Master Qingfeng took out two talismans, one as red as fire and the other as warm and smooth as yellow jade.

"I want to exchange the third-grade high-quality Bing Fire Divine Thunder Talisman and Wu Earth Divine Thunder Talisman for animal hides and demon beast essence blood of the mid-stage Golden Core realm or above."

A monk stepped forward and took out a piece of dark red animal hide the size of a millstone. After some haggling, the two completed the transaction.

Wan Jinrong stepped onto the stage and said gently:

"I am a Tier 3, 2-star weapon refiner belonging to Wanbaolou. I undertake custom-made magic weapons, repair magic weapons, and refine ores. In addition, I purchase three or more medium-grade or higher earth, metal, and fire elemental spirit items. The price is guaranteed to satisfy you."

After saying that, he walked downstairs, and any cultivators who needed his help would naturally contact him.

Ji An walked onto the stage and smiled:

"I purchase all kinds of spiritual plant seeds that can grow to the third rank. If any fellow cultivator happens to have them, you can contact me for a trade."

The crowd had various expressions, but no one stepped forward to trade. The value of spirit plant seeds was hard to estimate; even the highest-grade seeds would have almost no value if they were not cultivated to a certain level.

Spirit plant seeds can be sold for at most one or two high-grade spirit stones. Even if someone gets them by chance, they will trade them away as soon as possible and will not keep them for long.

Ji An was not surprised by this; purchasing third-tier spirit fruits might be simpler than purchasing spirit plant seeds.

He was the last monk to go on stage, and when he stepped down, it meant the trade fair had officially ended.

The Three Mountains Immortal stepped forward and said a few polite words, after which everyone left one by one.

Stepping out of the cave, Ji An suggested:

"It's rare for us all to get together like this, how about we go to a restaurant for a few drinks? It's on me."

Wan Jinrong clapped his hands in praise:

“Alright, but Fellow Daoist Ji is a guest from afar, so I should treat you to this drink.”

Qingfeng sighed, "I most want to drink your spiritual tea, fellow Daoist."

Ji An smiled in response, "You can use my tea at the restaurant too. How about we have some third-grade low-level Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea today?"

"Great!"

Dingxiang Pavilion, Room No. 2 (Tianzi).

The light of the setting sun quietly filtered through the window lattice, casting a mottled orange-red hue on the wall, like tiny, blooming flowers.

The round table was filled with various spiritual foods, and the aroma of tea and wine filled the air.

After Wan Jinrong finished his drink, he put down his glass and asked:
"Fellow Daoist, are you buying spirit plant seeds to take back to the Western Continent to plant?"

Ji An gently shook his head. "I rented a cave dwelling in the Red Ridge Mountain area, including ten acres of spiritual fields, and plan to live there long-term."

I will go back to Xizhou in the future, but I will probably come back again.

However, the future is uncertain. If my cultivation stagnates and I have no hope of reaching the Nascent Soul realm, I will choose to return to my roots.

He did not hide his ambition to reach the Nascent Soul realm. Every Golden Core cultivator must have had such ambition, but most people change their appearance over time.

Master Qingfeng put down his teacup and replied:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanqing's planting magic is the strongest I have ever seen in my life. The Azure Dragon Tree he planted at the entrance of his cave is growing very well."

Although I've never entered the Divine Wood Sect's mountain gate, I imagine the Golden Core cultivators there are at most this level.

He carefully sensed the meaning of the spell, and in fact, he felt that many cultivators of the same level in the Divine Wood Sect were not as good as Ji An.

It is nothing short of a miracle that a cultivator from the Western Continent is proficient in planting, alchemy, and talisman making.

It's not that I'm trying to discredit the cultivators of the Western Continent; their foundation is simply too weak. In the eyes of the cultivators of the Central Continent, the Western Continent is just a barbaric land.

Thousands of years ago, the Western Continent might have served as a buffer zone against the outbreak of demonic calamities, but now these calamities have faded from the view of cultivators in the Central Continent.

Wan Jinrong's eyes lit up with interest. "If I have the chance in the future, I must visit Fellow Daoist Ji's cave."

What is friendship? Friendship can be formed through interactions.

Ji An laughed heartily a few times and said:
“My cave is located somewhere in the Red Ridge Mountains, full of black stones. It didn’t even have a name before, so I named it ‘Black Stone Mountain’.”

"There's no better time than now. After you've had your fill of food and drink, you two fellow Daoists are welcome to visit my cave dwelling for a chat."

He has already informed the leasing management office of Xiancheng about the renaming of Black Stone Mountain, and will gradually promote the name of Black Stone Mountain in the future.

Fame is a double-edged sword. He doesn't need fame now, but he will need even more fame in the future.

Once your cultivation reaches the late Golden Core stage, you need to plan for breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. A good reputation will bring more hidden benefits.

Wan Jinrong turned his head to look at the few orange-red stains left on the wall and said regretfully:

"It's getting late today, and besides, it's inappropriate to greet someone with a fist and palm salute on our first visit. Let's visit again tomorrow morning."

Master Qingfeng felt his face burning. He had only brought Qingfeng with him when he first visited, and now he realized that he had been too arrogant at the time.

He coughed lightly and said, feigning regret:
"Unfortunately, I have things to do tomorrow. I'll have to bother you another time."

He will prepare a small gift for his next visit.

The other party is searching for high-level spiritual plant seeds. He can use his connections to find a few, which is both cost-effective and caters to their preferences.

Ji An nodded, "Business is important, but we have plenty of time to chat over tea. Come on, let's continue."

He raised his glass. It's good that one less person is leaving; it saves us some good tea leaves.

There was nothing he could do; his Void Stone contained no tea leaves below grade three.

Everyone continued to toast and drink until the glow of the setting sun had completely faded away.

Wan Jinrong paid the bill, and the group left separately.

As dusk settled, Ji An soared into the air, where the lanterns of the immortal city resembled stars in the night sky.

At the summit of the immortal city, spiritual energy surged, and the sound of waves could be faintly heard.

Ji An laughed heartily, rode away on a cloud, the night breeze ruffled his sleeves, and the starry sky illuminated his return.

Back in his cave, Ji An took out the gourd stone and entered the small world. He loved everything about it. The Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and the Azure Lotus Treasure Banner flew out of his dantian, transforming into a Qilin and an Azure Dragon, frolicking around the Gathering Yuan Tree.

Although this spiritual root of heaven and earth is still at the second-tier top-grade level, it is already sixteen feet tall, standing tall and spreading like a canopy.

Ji An sat cross-legged under the tree, circulating his cultivation technique to refine the spiritual food in his belly. Then he lay down on the rocking chair, took out the jade slip of the Immovable King Technique, stuck it on his forehead, and began to study it slowly.

He first skimmed through it, and then began to study it carefully, starting with the most basic parts.

The exercise is divided into two parts, which are equivalent to a person's two legs.

One group emphasizes meditation and contemplation, enabling cultivators to possess the power of light to exorcise evil spirits and destroy demons; another group focuses on cultivating the physical body, enabling cultivators to possess an indestructible body and be fearless against any force.

This practice is not a meditation method, but a traditional Buddhist practice.

The Buddhist cultivation realms are the same as those of Taoist cultivators; in essence, they are all Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Yuan Transformation, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul, just with different names.

After observing the methods at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment levels, he came to a conclusion.

The original practice of the Golden Jade Bone Body was a simplified version of the Immovable King Technique. Apart from lacking the content on meditation and contemplation, the underlying principles of the techniques were very similar.

The practice of Acala requires upholding precepts and visualizing a guardian deity. When this deity is fully visualized and the physical body reaches the Vajra state, it is equivalent to a Taoist cultivator breaking through to the Nascent Soul state.

The practice includes a statue of Acala (Fudō Myō-ō). Visualize the Buddha statue residing within yourself and worship it daily.

This deity sits cross-legged on a stone seat in the form of a child, with seven topknots on its head and braids hanging down to its left shoulder. Its left eye is slightly closed, and its lower teeth are biting its upper lip, displaying an angry expression.

Bearing a raging fire on his back, holding a sharp sword in his right hand and a rope in his left, he is poised to sever all afflictions.

Ji An felt something was amiss. Cultivation should be something sought internally, not externally.

He decided to abandon the visualization and contemplation part and only cultivate the physical body.

Opening up the upper dantian, shattering the dantian to form an infant, and then having the soul infant reside in the Niwan Palace—this is the rhythm he prefers.

The Daoist learns from the heavens and earth, constructing a microcosm within the human body, which leads to a more profound understanding.

The physical realms in the Fudo Myo-o Kung Fu can be divided into several stages, such as Yi Jin, Cui Gu, Xi Sui, Li Shen Li, and Jingang, which correspond to the stages of Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Chao Yuan, Jin Dan, and Yuan Ying, respectively.

The cultivation method progresses gradually. He couldn't discern the good or bad of the levels beyond the Marrow Cleansing Realm, but the cultivation of the Tendon Changing and Bone Tempering Realms was far superior to the Glazed Gold Jade Bone Body.

Of course, the difficulty of cultivation is also much higher.

The cultivation method uses external aids to assist in cultivation, such as taking Vajra Bodhi fruits of various grades and combining them with a variety of spiritual herbs to make medicinal mud.

From a medicinal and pharmacological perspective, the medicinal mud has a gentler effect and also nourishes the body's qi, blood, and physical constitution.

Ji An is currently a Golden Core cultivator and also a Body Cultivator at the Chaoyuan stage. His own Qi and blood are surging, and he does not need any external assistance to cultivate the Yi Jin and Cui Gu realms.

He carefully studied the exercise several times, stood up, assumed a proper stance, and mobilized his qi and blood to circulate along a specific route within his body.

A moment later, steam rose from the pores of his body.

The Azure Dragon left the Gathering Yuan Tree and flew into the green fields, letting out a high-pitched dragon roar.

From the depths of the spirit field came a melodious deer cry, "Yo-yo!"

The green deer galloped happily. If a demon beast does not have a flying demon beast, it will only be able to ride the demon cloud and fly away when it reaches the Golden Core stage.

The next day, Chenshi.

Ji An prepared pastries, roasted pine nuts, and spirit wine, and heated spirit spring water on the stove.

He looked at the arrangement on the table and subconsciously rubbed his hands together. "We should grow some fennel beans in the small world. At least they can be used as a snack with drinks."

The world of gourds is not lacking in snacks to accompany drinks; just take the spirit fish in the pond, for example, he can make many different kinds of dishes.

However, those spiritual objects cannot be exposed to the light and can only be enjoyed by him alone, but growing some ordinary spiritual vegetables and beans is a good choice.

Otherwise, drinking with only pastries and pine nuts would seem too meager.

The gourd world is still too small. He plans to release monsters into the wild, but it's not big enough for Big Yellow and the others to wreak havoc.

The spirit fields, covering over a hundred acres, could be circled countless times a day by a Chaoyuan-stage demon beast.

Ji An made up his mind to have Zhang Jun buy some seeds in a few days.

With everything prepared, he waited outside the cave, not wanting his guests to arrive and then knock on the door.

A moment later, Wan Jinrong landed beside a large rock outside the cave. The three characters 'Black Stone Mountain' on it were written in bold, sharp strokes, as red as blood, and a sense of piercing sharpness could be faintly sensed.

Ji An went up to greet him and led him into the cave.

He brewed a pot of chilled tea, filled it with spirit wine, and said with a smile:
"Although the variety of spiritual food served is not extensive, the quality is good enough. Fellow Daoist, please try the pastries and pine nuts."

"The aroma is enticing. I couldn't wait to come in. But before you enjoy the food, I have a small gift to offer. I hope you will like it."

As Wan Jinrong spoke, he took out a palm-sized, square, dark red wooden box with delicate textures and a wavy pattern.

"You're too kind, fellow Daoist."

Ji An really liked this kind of polite fellow Daoist; he was very particular about it!
The box was warm to the touch, and in that instant, he could sense that it was made of mid-grade second-tier fire-elemental spirit wood.

Wan Jinrong quickly raised his head. "Open it and take a look."

Ji An readily agreed and opened the box. Inside were several bright red leaves, on which lay two flat seeds the size of pigeon eggs.

Its outer skin is yellowish-brown and covered with reddish bird claw-like patterns, making it exceptionally strange.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he picked up the spirit seed and sensed the strength of its life force, a look of delight spreading across his face.

“This is the best gift for me. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t recognize what kind of spiritual plant it is.”

The two previously unseen, low-grade, third-tier fire elemental spirit seeds were extremely precious to him.

"Haha, seeing how lush and green the Azure Dragon Trees are outside, I know that what Fellow Daoist Qingfeng said is true. Your planting ability must be at an excellent level."

Giving you two spirit seeds you don't recognize shows I have a good eye for gifts.

Wan Jinrong paused, then said:

"Fellow Daoist, do you remember when we shared a spiritual tea in the Western Continent?"

Ji An pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Of course I remember. It was a second-grade Phoenix Dance Danxia Tea. Fellow Daoist also said that the spiritual tea could accelerate the conversion of fire elemental spiritual power and at the same time temporarily increase one's comprehension of fire elemental power."

At that time, I was thinking that if I had the help of this spiritual tea, I could improve my spells to a higher level more quickly when practicing them.

So these two are seeds of the Phoenix Perch Tree!

The spiritual tea was excellent and could also enhance his understanding of fire element, so it left a deep impression on him.

"Fellow Daoist has an excellent memory, I admire it."

Ji An happily put away the box, raised his glass and said:
"Try the third-tier spirit wine I brought from the Western Continent. There are two kinds: pine nut wine and green leaf wine. There's bound to be one you'll like."

(End of this chapter)