Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 845 Enhancement of Spiritual Treasures
A cold glint flashed in Li Haoran's eyes as he asked:

"If a Nascent Soul level cultivator were to infiltrate the Western Continent, how should we respond?"

He had never fought against the Buddhist monks or experienced their methods firsthand, but he understood that he should be lenient in his assessment of the enemy and strict in his own self-preparation.

He was not afraid of a direct confrontation; what worried him was that if the enemy were like a drop of water merging into the ocean, finding the target would become a problem.

Lin Jiuxiao pondered for a moment and said:

"We cannot monitor all areas; we can only focus on key areas."

Furthermore, I believe we should inform all vassal states of Shi Xiu's threat; this would help consolidate more forces for defense.

If high-level Buddhist cultivators were to secretly enter the Western Continent, things would become very difficult, as they would be unable to effectively defend themselves due to a lack of knowledge about the enemy's methods.

Qin Yan frowned and said:
"While this would certainly encourage more cultivators to participate, it also presents a challenge."

If our minds happen to be controlled by the shaman at a critical juncture, the enemy can easily spread false information to confuse us.

I think we should establish a mechanism to screen cultivators at key junctures, while ensuring these cultivators themselves are unaware of our methods.

He turned his head and asked:
"Senior brother, if someone's mind is distorted by Buddhist cultivation, are there any telltale signs?"

Ji An shook his head and said helplessly:

"The sects in the Central Continent are also troubled by this situation, because the cultivators whose minds have been distorted may not even know that their minds have been distorted and altered."

I believe there must be methods for identification, but we haven't discovered them yet.

The cultivators and Buddhist monks fought a battle thousands of years ago. At that time, the Buddhist monks were very straightforward and openly confronted the cultivators, only to be completely overwhelmed.

Now that they've changed their tactics, they're not so easy to deal with.

Lin Jiuxiao felt quite heavy-hearted. "What I'm worried about is that the Buddhist cultivators won't fight head-on, but will instead target ordinary people."

Xuanqing Zhenjun said that Buddhist cultivators use the wishes of sentient beings as resources for cultivation. If a large number of mortals are misled, the damage to the cultivation world will be fatal.

Should we designate a few low-level spiritual veins to build immortal cities? Closed off from the outside world, to nurture mortals.

After discussing the feasibility, everyone felt that there were many low-level spiritual veins currently unclaimed, so building a celestial city was not out of the question.

Qin Yan sighed softly and said:
“We are still not strong enough. Otherwise, we could have uprooted the power established by the Buddhist monks. Without the leaders, all that’s left is a bunch of chickens and dogs.”

After eliminating the Nascent Soul level monks, the remaining monks are not a threat.

The Five Sacred Mountains True Lord nodded in agreement, "It can only be said that the Buddhist cultivators are too cunning, and the timing they chose was too good."

I'm just wondering, didn't they suffer huge losses in the True Demon Calamity?

Ji An glared at him and said:
"The Buddhist practitioners have unique techniques, and their land is filled with Buddhist light, which is more effective against true demons."

I estimate that most of the humans in the Western Continent have undergone physical mutations due to prolonged exposure to the Buddha's light.

We liken the True Demon Army to wild beasts. The flesh and blood of humans and many other creatures in the Western Continent are not to their liking, and are even disgusting, while the creatures of the Eastern Continent are delicious and palatable.

If you were the decision-maker in the true demon realm, the choice would be easy, wouldn't it?

He had explained this reason before, but the Five-Colored Deer probably didn't listen at all, which is why it asked this foolish question.

Li Haoran chuckled and said:
"It's alright, we'll just deal with whatever comes our way."

The group stopped discussing Buddhist practices and began to discuss the development of their sect.

As the number of Nascent Soul cultivators continues to increase, the salaries of True Monarchs have become a huge burden.

The sect's spiritual veins have only been upgraded to the fourth rank for about a hundred years, and they are still unable to produce fourth-rank resources.

Lin Jiuxiao said with difficulty:

"I asked Junior Sister Lin of the Si Nong Hall, and she said that if we want to cultivate pills that can be stably supplied to the True Monarchs, we will have to wait at least two hundred and fifty years."

After the sect's spiritual veins were upgraded to the fourth rank, the Ministry of Agriculture planted spiritual plants that could be used to refine fourth-rank pills. However, the sect's foundation was still too shallow to meet the demand.

This was even with the participation of the Five Sacred Mountains True Monarchs in casting spells on the spiritual fields; otherwise, the shortage of fourth-order resources would have been even more severe.

Fortunately, the Ministry of Agriculture is powerful enough now; otherwise, the entire sect would face varying degrees of resource shortages.

Ji An glanced at the others and said:
"Let's act according to the sect's actual situation and capabilities, and exchange third-tier resources for fourth-tier resources from other forces."

In my small world, I planted a batch of spiritual herbs that can be used to refine the Jade Dew Essence Pill. I estimate that they will mature in about a hundred years, which will be able to meet some of the demand.

"Once the next batch of fourth-tier spirit fruits ripens, I will give some to the Treasure Pavilion."

As his cultivation level continues to improve, the sect will reap huge benefits.

When his cultivation reaches the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage, he will no longer have much need for elixirs, and he will be able to use most of his resources.

Qin Yan nodded in agreement, "That's the only way. I can refine fourth-tier spiritual treasures and provide customized services for fellow Daoists in other continents."

He was confident in his skills and felt that maintaining his training should not be a problem.

Li Haoran scratched his head and chuckled helplessly.

"I'm in big trouble now. I have to go out and travel to acquire resources with my sword."

He had no skills to make a living, so he could only earn income by hunting down powerful demons or exploring ancient ruins.

The crowd chuckled a few times, and Ji An said:

"Sect Leader, I want to issue a long-term bounty mission to acquire all kinds of rare and unidentifiable items and fourth-tier spirit seeds. Please have the Diligent Work Hall and the Treasure Pavilion help me with the selection."

In addition, if anyone finds a third-tier or higher spiritual plant in the wild that can produce something similar to spiritual rice, I will buy it at a high price.

Spread this message and get everyone in the West Continent involved.

The several spiritual roots he obtained were all acquired by chance, and issuing missions allows his disciples to search the entire Western Continent.

"Okay, I'll send the message to Junior Sister Zhang and the others in a bit."

After talking for a while, Lin Jiuxiao and Li Haoran took their leave, and the Five Mountains True Lord also left.

After seeing the three off, Ji An and Qin Yan returned to their cave.

"Are you confident in upgrading the grade of your spirit treasure now?"

"Of course, I started preparing a plan after my realm stabilized."

Ji An took out the prepared resources and laid them out on the table:

"The resources needed for the four magic treasures have been prepared. Please check the quantity of spiritual items and see how much merit is required. I will transfer it to you directly."

Qin Yan began to take stock of the resources, and smiled enviously:
"Senior brother has more resources and connections. It would be impossible for anyone else to gather so many mid-grade fourth-tier materials without hundreds of years of preparation."

Breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage required the Nascent Soul Pill and the Phoenix Nirvana Pill, along with the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Milk for rapid mana restoration. These items completely depleted his savings, wiped out his accumulated merits over many years, and left him with a debt of over 300,000.

Now, upgrading my senior brother's spirit treasure will help me recover some health.

"It was only with a small world and a few spiritual roots of heaven and earth that I had this confidence. When my master was alive, he often said that I was quite lucky, and now it seems that it is indeed true." "Haha, 'quite lucky' is not enough to describe it. You can only say that my luck is heaven-defying."

"Senior brother, let's make a deal. Once the Seven Luminaries Golden Branch bears fruit, you can give me priority in selling it, okay?"

Qin Yan's eyes showed a hint of eagerness. The reason why the Seven Luminaries Golden Branch is called the spiritual root of heaven and earth is because the spiritual fruits it produces can be fused in different proportions to replace many kinds of metal-element spiritual objects of the same level.

"No problem, there's no point in me keeping those spiritual fruits."

Once the spiritual plants bear fruit, I will send most of the fruits to the Treasure Pavilion, where you can exchange them yourself.

The sects gain some benefits from the trade fair, which is how they maintain their enormous expenses.

"Okay, I'll let Zhang Yi know in advance and have her notify me as soon as possible."

"Hehe, no need for that. If I'm trading with the Treasure Pavilion, I'll notify you first. Let's arrange a time, and you can just wait there."

"That would be perfect, haha."

Ji An thought of a question and said:

"By the time the Seven Luminaries Golden Branch bears fruit, I should have already cultivated it to the middle grade of the fourth rank. At this level, no one can compete with you for spiritual fruit."

Qin Yan's eyes widened suddenly. "How could it be so fast? Aren't there only Tier 3 top-grade items right now?"

He had specifically checked the grade of the spirit wood before leaving the small world, so he was absolutely certain he hadn't misremembered.

"First, the existence of the Gathering Yuan Tree can accelerate the growth of spiritual plants, and its influence extends to the entire Hour World."

Secondly, the ashes of high-level cultivators are the best fertilizer, greatly accelerating the growth of spirit trees, and I happen to have obtained the ashes of several Buddhist cultivators.”

Ji An added in his mind, 'Even if the spirit wood doesn't reach the mid-grade fourth rank by the time it's harvested, I will use Daoist principles to elevate it.'

The stone tortoise was his greatest trump card. Thinking of this, he found it amusing, since the stone tortoise had just obtained a trace of Daoist essence from the lightning tribulation triggered by the opponent.

Qin Yan looked embarrassed, coughed twice, and said:
"In that case, Senior Brother only needs to send the teleportation golden sword to inform me."

There's no competition for mid-grade fourth-tier spiritual items, so there's no need to rush to exchange for them.

After a moment, he inventoried all the spiritual items and pondered:
"The quantity and weight of all resources are correct. Let's give the cost of the four spiritual treasures a total of 600,000 merit points."

Normally he would charge 800,000 for the craftsmanship, and 200,000 for each spirit treasure, since it is being upgraded to a mid-grade fourth rank.

However, his senior brother took good care of him, so he saved 200,000 yuan.

Ji An took out his identity jade token and handed it over. "How long will it take?"

"Each item takes about two months. Are you in a hurry, senior brother?"

"Yes, I still need to rush to Zhongzhou to make an appointment with True Monarch Tianyan to give me a reply within a year. How can we shorten the construction period?"

For the first transaction, he couldn't break his promise, but Ji An wanted to upgrade the quality of all four spiritual treasures before leaving.

"Refining artifacts mainly consumes mana and spiritual sense, with the greatest consumption of spiritual sense. Therefore, spiritual objects that can restore spiritual sense are needed."

"Okay, I'll send a Golden Feather Eagle with some Soul Incense and Tier 4 Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea in a few days. Let me know if it's not enough."

My junior colleague is speeding up as much as possible; I only have seven or eight months left.

Ji An said that his most precious resources were all in the small world, and it was inconvenient to retrieve them here.

Qin Yan used the spirit disk to transfer the great merit to his jade tablet and smiled:
"With my senior's support, compressing the time to two months is no problem at all."

Ji An summoned the Flaming Banner that had risen above the ground and gave the order:

"Stay here obediently and cooperate well, and you'll be able to advance your rank faster."

Ordinary spiritual treasures can only be nurtured in the dantian to gradually enhance their spirituality and improve their tacit understanding with their master; otherwise, he would leave all four spiritual treasures behind.

The fire phoenix let out a few soft cries and nodded to Qin Yan.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye. The snow outside the mountain gate has long since melted, the cold wind has turned into a warm wind, and we have arrived at the end of spring and the beginning of summer.

Inside the weapon-refining room of the Red Copper Mountain cave, a layer of solid ice had formed.

In Ji An's palm, the Xuanwu swung its long neck, looking at its master with arrogance.

Qin Yan rubbed his hands together. "It's so cold! Senior brother, you should put the magic weapon away."

As he spoke, puffs of white breath escaped from his mouth.

This fourth-tier mid-grade spiritual treasure can unleash power equivalent to that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in a short period of time. This magic treasure can manipulate water elemental power to evolve into extreme cold.

He had been here for over a month, and the cold air itself had already shown signs of invading his body. Now that the spiritual treasure's grade had improved, he was finding it difficult to withstand.

With a thought, Ji An sent the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag into his body, and his dantian became even more lively.

After the new balance of the five elements is formed, the speed of the five elements' rotation cycle increases slightly.

A smile spread across his face; these resources were well spent!

The defensive domain composed of five magical artifacts is roughly comparable to a top-tier fourth-order defensive magical artifact.

"Junior brother's skills are superb, haha, with you, the sect can accumulate several spiritual treasures as its foundation!"

Among the major Nascent Soul sects in Zhongzhou, there are spiritual treasures that have not undergone blood sacrifice, which are used as inheritance treasures.

The Five Elements Sect also has methods for refining magical treasures and spiritual artifacts with similar functions. While the sect is thriving now, we must refine a few to leave some capital for future generations in case of a shortage of talent.

Qin Yan's lips curled up in a proud smile as he said:
"Senior brother, you flatter me. I am grateful to you for giving me this opportunity to gain experience."

However, I think there's no need to rush to refine the inheritance treasure right now; what we should be refining most is the tribulation-crossing treasure.

The weapon-refining inheritance records the method of crafting. Although it's a one-time use item, and its value is comparable to a mid-grade fourth-tier spiritual treasure, it can weaken the intensity of the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning, increasing the disciples' success rate in breaking through.

The Purple Heaven Divine Thunder not only possesses the destructive power of thunder, but also has a unique function: it can refine a cultivator's soul, thereby enhancing the potential and strength of their Nascent Soul.

Therefore, cultivators who are truly determined to break through to a higher realm will not use tribulation-crossing treasures, but must accept the baptism of the strongest Purple Heaven Divine Lightning.

The benefit of refining a treasure for transcending tribulations is that it can make the inheritance more stable, so that disciples in each generation can break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Ji An recalled for a moment and said:

"I remember that the crafting of the Tribulation-Crossing Treasure requires a variety of very rare spiritual materials, which are probably not easy to find."

To obtain resources that could affect the inheritance from other forces would require an enormous price to pay.

"So we need to issue a task to search for materials now, as the chances of buying the materials are relatively low."

Qin Yan deactivated the magic array, extinguishing the cold flames it had generated.

"Senior brother, let's go outside to talk."

(End of this chapter)