Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 677 The Theory of Merit
Li Haoran took out the jade box from the Void Stone. "The sect sent us a lot of supplies, which I will give to my senior brother. I will leave tomorrow and head to those areas shrouded in demonic energy."

While still aboard the merchant airship, he had countless times imagined how he would make a name for himself after arriving in Central Continent.

Now that his trip to the ruins has ended ahead of schedule, he has been able to put all his worries aside.

At this moment, he recalled his master's teachings when he was a child: "We sword cultivators are sincere in our hearts and sincere in our swords. We can break all laws and create all laws with one sword. As your master, I have little chance of reaching this level, but Haoran, you have such potential."

When you reach such a profound level in the future, remember to record your insights in a jade slip and burn it for your master.

At that moment, a full moon shone on his master's profile, and he clearly remembered the other's longing gaze, which shone like stars.

He had just turned 18 and, unaware of his own limitations, said, "Master, if I achieve anything, I will tell you about it."

At this moment, I vaguely recall my dream, and my master's hearty laughter seems to linger in my ears.

Qin Yan also took out various jade boxes, and the table was quickly piled high.

Ji An frowned. "Junior brother, are you in such a hurry? Why don't you rest here for a few days and adjust your condition before leaving?"

"It's alright, I have my own way of adjusting."

If I were to face the true demonic calamity head-on, those enemies wouldn't give me time to adjust. I've been deliberately practicing adjusting during battle; only through high-intensity real combat can I identify my weaknesses.

Li Haoran's smile was gentle, but his eyes revealed a chilling light.

What sword cultivator doesn't love fighting? He had lived peacefully in the Western Continent for so many years, and came to the Central Continent only to do one thing: improve through the tempering of killing. He was eager to progress.

Ji An understood that once the other party had made up their mind, there was no point in trying to persuade them further, so he said:

"We, the brothers, have just met and are about to part ways. Tonight, we'll have a farewell dinner at the best restaurant in the Immortal City for our junior brother."

He turned his head to look in the other direction. "Junior brother, what are your plans?"

Qin Yan smiled kindly, “Tomorrow I will rent a cave dwelling. After I obtain the Five Elements Sect’s secret weapon-refining techniques, I will study them for a while, and then find a certification association to take the weapon-refining certification exam.”

After obtaining the certification, I plan to rent a fire chamber long-term and take on some refining orders to hone my skills.

"When my senior brother leaves, we'll return to the sect together."

More and more demonic caves are spewing out demonic energy, and the situation in the Central Continent is becoming increasingly severe, with all forces preparing for war.

Ji An lived a secluded life, rarely making public appearances, and two years passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, guests arrived at the cave.

Master Huayin subtly surveyed the furnishings in the cave, a smile blooming like a spring breeze:
"If my cousin hadn't passed through Cloud Sea Immortal City a few days ago, I wouldn't have known that you had left."

Zhenyue Zhenjun nodded slightly, "I was quite startled when I learned that you left."

Although it's the other person's prerogative to leave or not, he still felt that the other person should let him know.

Ji An smiled tactfully, "Things were a bit urgent at the time, so I left immediately and ended up staying here."

Fellow Daoists, there is one more thing I need to tell you. I have been away from the sect for a long time and have decided to leave in a few more years.

If you still need to refine the Phoenix Rebirth Pill, you will need to gather as many medicinal materials as possible.

According to my plan, I will leave in a flying boat in seven years.

If you don't come this year, I will find a way to let you know.

It was his freedom to choose whether to stay or leave, but when facing a true lord, he was mindful of the other's feelings.

Hua Yin Zhenren gently replied, "This trip is precisely for the purpose of refining elixirs. We have gathered enough medicinal materials for five more batches, and we will entrust them all to you, fellow Daoist, for refining."

In addition, we also brought enough Purple Cloud Jade Mushroom Pills as a reward.

Fellow Daoist, if you have refined more pills than agreed upon, we are willing to exchange them for Divine Fire Spirit-Nourishing Pills, which are the most effective pills for late-stage Golden Core cultivators.

One ordinary Phoenix Rebirth Pill can be exchanged for two superior Divine Fire Spirit Nourishing Pills and ten superior Purple Cloud Jade Mushroom Pills.

One high-quality Nirvana Pill can be exchanged for four high-quality Divine Fire Spirit-Nourishing Pills.

Judging from the effects of the Phoenix Nirvana Pill, obtaining five or six more high-quality pills would be enough to help her advance to the ninth level of the Golden Core stage.

According to the original agreement and the oath of the Great Dao, the Phoenix Nirvana Pill refined by the other party can only be used by themselves, so the other party will be satisfied with their exchange conditions.

Ji An pondered for a moment and asked:
"If I exchange the Divine Fire Spirit-Nourishing Pill for the Purple Cloud Jade Mushroom Pill, what will the exchange rate be?"

The gourd world has planted the medicinal materials for the Divine Fire Spirit Nourishing Pill. His most urgent task now is to break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, so he needs to obtain more Purple Cloud Jade Mushroom Pills. He wants to exchange a few Divine Fire Spirit Nourishing Pills as appropriate.

Hua Yin Zhenren raised her eyebrows, thinking to herself, "Is there really such a good thing? High-grade pills are even more valuable."

However, considering that the other party was at the sixth level of the Golden Core stage, he understood their intentions.

"One Divine Fire Spirit-Nourishing Pill can be exchanged for twelve Purple Cloud Jade Mushroom Pills. If you want to exchange for a large quantity, I'm afraid I won't have enough pills with me."

"I won't exchange too many. You can come and collect the pills in five days."

"Very well, fellow Daoist is always so straightforward." Zhenyue Zhenjun's expression turned solemn. "I once said that I owed fellow Daoist a favor. In the future, fellow Daoist can ask for help whenever needed."

Ji An nodded humbly, "Haha, if needed, I will certainly ask the True Lord for help."

If he doesn't find anything in the ruins, he might use up the favor quickly, but now he should save it for a more opportune moment.

At that time, he should also be a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

The two bid farewell and left. After they had walked quite a distance from the cave, Master Huayin asked softly:
"I wonder what kind of request this Fellow Daoist Xuanqing will make to use up this favor. The sooner we use it, the better."

Because of my situation, my cousin has had to spend so much time, energy, and favors.

Zhenyue Zhenjun's gaze was so gentle it could melt the person in his eyes. "I think it's not hard to repay the favors that Fellow Daoist Xuanqing owes, but it's hard to repay the favors that several Zhenjuns owe."

But it's all worth it, little sister, your hardships are about to end."

Master Huayin lowered his head, his cheeks, ears, and neck flushed crimson, and transmitted his voice:
"Once I break through to the Nascent Soul stage, we'll become Daoist partners."

How could she not know the other person's feelings? She had been worried about her life being in danger and had never responded to him before.

Zhenyue Zhenjun's lips curled into a smile, his eyes filled with affection.

The world of gourds, near the Gathering Origin Tree.

Ji An controlled the Azure Lotus Burning Heart Flame, the three-colored flames steadily rising and falling, and the aroma of medicine filled the Blazing Sun Furnace.

Lianshan Zhenjun, with his hands behind his back, strolled leisurely to the side and said softly:
"What kind of elixir is being refined? The aura is quite unique."

Ji An multitasked, manipulating the spiritual fire of heaven and earth while answering:

"This is called the Phoenix Rebirth Pill. Have you ever heard of it, True Lord?"

The opponent is mostly in a state of slumber in order to reduce the depletion of the Nascent Soul's power.

According to the other party, even so, it probably wouldn't last more than a hundred years, and that's only because of the special circumstances in the small world.

Otherwise, the limit would be to maintain this state of being half-asleep and half-awake for another forty or fifty years.

"I haven't heard of it. The environment of the cultivation world is slowly changing. Some pills will be lost to time. Even pills with the same name will have their formulas constantly improved."

The world continues to progress, whether slowly or rapidly, unless it begins to decay.

Ji An was startled. "Can the world also decay?"

"Of course, nothing lasts forever. Perhaps only by becoming an immortal can one truly transcend this."

The exhaustion I'm referring to isn't destruction, but rather the cessation of the spiritual veins' ability to generate new life, leading to the depletion of spiritual veins worldwide.

In this case, the cultivator's magical power would not be replenished, causing their cultivation level to regress, and all living beings in the world would never have the chance to embark on the path of cultivation again.

Lian Shan Zhenjun's expression was solemn. "If we want to break through to the Three Flowers Realm, we must leave this world and truly immerse ourselves in the boundless starry sky."

The higher a cultivator's realm, the more spiritual energy they possess. The departure of each high-level cultivator is equivalent to taking away a large amount of resources, which represents a massive outflow of spiritual energy from the world. This situation must be strictly prevented and stopped from happening.

The world also possesses a vague will; it instinctively desires to slow down decay and even more so, to exist forever, thus weaving a web of laws.

It is formless and without appearance, yet it truly exists.

As the laws of the world become increasingly sophisticated, it is no longer possible to escape the net of laws through brute force; other methods must be adopted.

The cultivators discovered that if they could acquire enough 'merit' and reach the perfected ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm, they could 'squeeze' out of the net of laws.

You can simply understand merit as the fee you need to pay when you leave this world.

If our cultivation breaks through to the late Nascent Soul stage, we can reach the Outer Heavens, which is the roof of the world and the limit of height that we can reach, infinitely close to the real starry sky.

Capturing meteorites flying through the sky will bring them to our world. If these meteorites contain special 'qi', one can gain merit.

Another way to gain merit is to condense the essence of the sun and moon and disperse it throughout the world.

If one accumulates enough merit, the cultivator will naturally receive a response.

Both capturing meteorites and condensing the essence of the sun and moon are feats only achievable at the late Nascent Soul stage, and many cultivators need to reach the eighth or ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm to be capable of doing so.

Listening to the secrets that were originally impossible to access, Ji An understood that accumulating merit was like getting an "entry ticket," which could offset the spiritual energy that cultivators obtained from the world. Perhaps the world could even earn a considerable "handling fee."

This rule has an advantage: as long as a cultivator has the ambition to advance further, the world can continuously obtain resources to replenish itself.

At this moment, the cry of a crane came from the furnace. Ji An made a hand seal to open the furnace and used the method of separating the pills to separate the gradually solidifying liquid. Finally, he refined two exquisite Phoenix Nirvana Pills.

He put the pills into a jade bottle and asked curiously:

"When that ancestor who broke through to the Three Flowers Realm returned to the world from the starry sky, was he able to leave smoothly when he went out again?"

(End of this chapter)