Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 860 Lin Jiuxiao's Decision
The two auras seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving no trace or sound, as if it were all an illusion.

Ji An frowned. Things couldn't be that simple. It shouldn't be that things were eliminated, but rather that some strange changes had occurred that he couldn't perceive.

Based on the inherited knowledge recorded in the Five Elements Sect, Zhang Zeye once judged that a region of yin and yang interaction would be formed between the two spiritual veins.

If the two auras collide and dissipate, it will be impossible to form a special area.

He began to wait for the next collision. About an hour later, two auras with completely different attributes finally arrived, collided, and then disappeared again.

This time, he was prepared. He used his divine sense to cover a small area beneath his feet, focusing all his spiritual power on the area within that size.

He noticed that the aura from the south was clear and rising with a slight warmth, while the aura from the north was cold and descending with a slight chill.

The energies collided and formed something new that spread outwards; his spiritual senses almost failed to detect this new energy.

Ji An spent the night here with little to show for it, and shook his head with a sigh:

"I'm not capable enough!"

At his level, he was completely unable to perceive the subtle changes that occurred during the collision, which made him marvel at the wonders of creation.

This fully demonstrates that his understanding of Yin and Yang is still superficial. When he can perceive what happens when Yin and Yang energies collide, it will mean that he has gained a basic understanding of Yin and Yang.

He decided not to waste any more time there, releasing a golden light that swept away into the distance, leaving a five-colored radiance that illuminated the morning sky.

A dazzling light traversed half the sect and landed on Crimson Flame Peak. Ji An passed through the restrictions and arrived at the cave halfway up the mountain.

He took out the gourd stone and extended his divine sense; his body vanished in an instant and entered the gourd world.

The Five Banners magic weapon flew out of the dantian, the Blazing Sun Furnace transformed into a fat fire crane and flew towards the lava lake, while the Frost Moon Furnace transformed into an elegant white fox and flew away to the black earth.

Ji An examined his body internally and found that only the Five Elements Divine Mountain remained peacefully within the primordial fire of his dantian.

"You're still the most reliable one."

He sighed, then sat cross-legged under the Gathering Yuan Tree, spreading his divine sense to envelop the spiritual tree and sense the condition of the five-colored flower.

There are currently fifteen flower buds, the largest being the size of a soybean and the smallest only the size of a mung bean.

When the Gathering Yuan Tree was a mid-grade fourth-order tree, it bloomed with eighteen five-colored flowers. Now that its grade has been upgraded to a high-grade fourth-order tree, it blooms with fifteen flowers.

Based on this, it can be deduced that when the Gathering Yuan Tree reaches the fourth-grade superior level, it can only bloom twelve flowers.

Ji An focused his mind on his dantian, connecting with the stone tortoise. Golden characters appeared in the sky above the Guanghan Palace, like stars adorning the night sky.

Next to the character "金" (gold) is a dark yellow cloud, which represents the last remaining trace of his merit.

[Master: Ji An]

[Tao Yun: Gold 231.6, Water 912.4, Wood 756.7, Fire 658.2, Earth 976.9]

Spiritual Ability: Kan Spirit 159163.5, Gen Spirit 154823.2, Zhen Spirit 159526.4, Xun Spirit 170361.5, Kun Spirit 161735.6, Qian Spirit 176324.7, Dui Spirit 158754.2, Li Spirit 160652.9

[Spell: Thread-Binding Spell (53% Success Rate)]

"Not bad, I've obtained about three thousand points of Daoist essence. Now I have the resources."

If the spiritual veins of Crimson Flame Peak are enhanced, the increase in the five elements' Daoist essence will be relatively even. In Cloud Crane Mountain, the increase in water and earth elements' Daoist essence will be the greatest, followed by wood, while metal and fire elements will receive very little, only one or two hundred points.

Ji An had no intention of using Daoist energy to accelerate the ripening of the five-colored flowers and spiritual herbs; it would be too costly and not worthwhile. He would wait until the five-colored flowers were fully ripe before doing so.

Although there are no pills to take for the time being, various mid-grade fourth-tier spiritual fruits will ripen one after another. In addition, the efficiency of refining spiritual energy will be greatly improved, so the speed of cultivation improvement will not be much slower than before.

He is already a cultivator at the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage. It is not easy for him to maintain such rapid progress. If other cultivators knew his situation, they would probably be extremely envious.

After a moment's thought, Ji An summoned the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner back to his dantian, and urged the Xuanhuang merit energy in the Guanghan Palace to flow along the immortal meridian to his lower dantian, merging into his natal spiritual treasure.

The sect's spiritual veins have been upgraded, and his next step is to transform the Spirit-Severing Land to see if he can gain merit.

He thought it was likely, because the essence of this behavior was the same as purifying the demonic veins.

The process of merging merit into one's natal spiritual treasure was exceptionally smooth, much faster than merging into the Blazing Sun Furnace and the Frost Moon Furnace. All the merit was merged into it within a few breaths.

The apricot-yellow flag of the Wuji period transformed into its true form, with the embroidered qilin displaying a lustrous color and its scales gleaming.

Ji An guessed how long it would take to transform the barren land. After his cultivation breakthrough, the quality of his magic power improved, and the effects of all spells were enhanced. Theoretically, it would take less than two years to bring life back to this desolate land.

After a moment, he shook his head a few times to dispel the delusions in his mind, and after calming his mind, he began to cultivate the Five Elements Revolving Scripture.

As the cultivation technique circulated, he himself became like a giant dragon, swallowing the gathered spiritual energy into his body.

The Five Elements Divine Palace became crystal clear, its emanating light merging together, and the entire chest cavity seemed to...
Because his efficiency was so high, the spiritual energy could not be gathered into a vortex at all, and the scene during his cultivation was far less grand than when he was at the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage.

Two hours later, Ji An finished his cultivation and sighed helplessly.

He was like a high-powered engine, but he couldn't fully unleash his potential while cultivating here, and he couldn't experience any sense of exhilaration.

He left the small world, walked out of the cave, rode the clouds to the mountain peak, sat down cross-legged, and waited for the transition between Yin and Yang at midnight.

He made a hand seal and activated a secret technique, causing moonlight to condense into strands of silk, which he swallowed whole and then flowed along the immortal veins into the Guanghan Palace.

The nascent soul manipulated a magic seal, refining the moonlight leaking from the caisson ceiling above the palace into moon dew.

After his cultivation level improved, he was able to absorb moonlight from a wider area, and his efficiency in condensing the essence of the sun and moon was significantly enhanced.

After a certain time had passed, the Nascent Soul refined a drop of moon essence from the moon dew in the jade basin.

This time, he did not swallow it. Instead, he banished the moonlight from the Guanghan Palace. The moonlight then appeared on his forehead, like a drop of moon-white water.

The moonlight appeared and then vanished into thin air. At the same time, several wisps of primordial energy descended from the sky, entered Ji An's head, and went into the Guanghan Palace.

"That's far too little!"

He gave a wry smile. Although the speed of condensing the essence of the sun and moon had increased considerably, it still took more than half a month to condense a single drop of the essence of the sun and moon.

This method won't work if you want to accumulate Xuanhuang merit energy; it can only be used as the most foolish auxiliary means.

Ji An released a golden light that seemed to leap across the earth, traversing through the rocks and returning to his cave to re-enter the small world and continue cultivating his techniques.

The following day at dawn, sunlight shone on Chaoyang Peak. The Wuji Hall, standing atop the mountain, was bathed in golden light, its black plaque bearing gold characters reflecting a halo of light.

Five-colored light rose from the mountainside and arrived behind the main hall in a few breaths, revealing a figure dressed in an ochre Taoist robe.

Ji An took out a golden communication sword, entered the information, activated it, and then stepped into the main hall.

Lin Jiuxiao was deep in thought at the moment, and belatedly stood up, somewhat embarrassed, and said:

"Greetings, True Lord. I was lost in thought for a moment."

Ji An smiled gently and asked with concern:

"Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Lin Jiuxiao sighed, remained silent for a moment, and then said:

"True Lord, as the sect leader, you have been dealing with an increasing number of affairs over the years. Although you have been able to obtain more external resources for cultivation, you still need to spend a lot of time studying and practicing the techniques in order to find a method that suits you better."

I've been at the seventh level of the Golden Core stage for several years now, and my cultivation progress is slow. If I could step down from my position as sect leader and focus on cultivation, I might still have a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime. However, if I continue to be troubled by sect affairs, I'm unlikely to reach that point. I'm wondering who could succeed me.

In the past, he would have accepted his fate if the sect lacked resources and cultivation techniques, but now that he can see hope, he naturally wants to reach for it.

He scratched his head and said:

"How rude of you! Please take a seat, True Lord. What are your orders?"

The two sat down, and Ji An said in a deep voice:

"People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. I support your desire to break through to a higher realm, but you must select a qualified successor to ensure the orderly continuation of the sect's lineage."

If cultivators can achieve immortality on their own, they may not need to band together to build up their power.

The other party wants to make a gamble on breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, so why would he stop him? If he were to stop him, he would be obstructing his path to enlightenment, so of course he couldn't do that.

Lin Jiuxiao smiled and nodded, saying:
"If I can find junior brothers and sisters who are willing to take my place, I will personally guide them for a few years, just like Senior Brother Yuxiao guided me."

As long as True Lord Xuanqing does not object to his resignation, True Lord Haoran will not object either. All that is needed next is to find someone willing to take his place.

Sitting in the position of sect leader allows one to obtain more pills and enjoy more preferential treatment when exchanging resources, which is quite attractive to cultivators in the early and middle stages of the Golden Core realm.

Ji An changed the subject, saying:

"I've come here today to inform you that I intend to search for a sacred land at the border of the Western Continent and the Central Continent, and try to see if I can use magic to transform this land to gain merit."

I plan to depart in three days, choosing a location where the merchant airships enter and exit the continent. This way, I can detect any Buddhist cultivators entering or leaving immediately.

"Tomorrow, send some flying puppets from the Puppet Hall to Crimson Flame Peak. I need them."

After casting the planting spell in the Land of Desolation, he would return to his small world to cultivate. At this time, the flying puppet would come in handy, acting as his eyes and ears.

Lin Jiuxiao was not surprised by Zhenjun's decision; Lin Lan had told him about it two years ago.

"I will inform the Puppet Hall. When would be a suitable time to send them, and how many puppets do you need?"

"I will have time at the beginning of Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow; that should be enough to send fifty flying puppets."

Between the Western Continent and the Central Continent lies a desolate region comprised of many barren lands. There is only one safe passage in and out of the Western Continent, about two hundred miles wide, where fifty puppets can be divided into two groups to monitor it around the clock.

"clear."

The two were talking, and after a moment Zhang Zeye stepped into the main hall:

"Greetings, True Lord; Greetings, Sect Leader."

Upon receiving the message, Jin Jian rushed over immediately, not daring to delay at all.

"No need to be polite, sit down and talk."

Ji An paused for a moment and asked:

"Our sect is about 80,000 li away from the border between the Western Continent and the Central Continent. Is it possible to build a teleportation array capable of such a long distance?"

If feasible, he decided to return every now and then to try to cultivate the spirit fields of Crimson Flame Peak to the middle grade of the fourth rank as soon as possible, and then use them to nourish the spirit veins.

He plans to cultivate lightning-struck wood on Crimson Flame Peak, as the higher the grade of the spirit field, the more efficient it will be.

Zhang Zeye shook his head with a wry smile, "True Lord, I cannot guarantee the safety of teleportation arrays that are more than 50,000 miles away."

Furthermore, teleportation arrays must be built on spiritual veins; an array capable of teleporting 80,000 li (approximately 40,000 kilometers) must be constructed on a high-grade, third-tier spiritual vein node.

The teleportation distance exceeds 50,000 miles, which places extremely high demands on the quality of the teleportation array. His cultivation level is insufficient, and he cannot refine such a high-strength array base.

He took out a jade slip depicting the Western Continent, pressed it to his forehead, carefully examined the eastern region, and said:

"Within ten thousand miles to the west of the Land of Absolute Spirits, there are no third-tier spiritual veins at all."

His eyes darted around a few times, then he said:

"I can build a teleportation array that can travel 40,000 miles, similar to the teleportation array that connects the sect to Yuanhe Mountain."

This way, the True Lord will save a lot of time on his trips, there are many suitable nodes, and communication with those smaller forces will be much easier.

Ji An considered it carefully for a moment, then said:

"let it go."

Even if such a teleportation array were established, he would still need to fly tens of thousands of miles, and a round trip would take several hours, which was not worthwhile.

Ji An left Chaoyang Peak, teleported to Ningcui Cliff, and flew to the Si Nong Hall to find Lin Lan.

He explained Lin Jiuxiao's plan and asked:

Do you have any plans to take over as sect leader?

This eldest apprentice has a strong desire for power and is likely willing to give it a try.

Lin Lan glanced at her master cautiously and asked tentatively:

"Master, what do you think I should do?"

The thought of becoming the head of a Nascent Soul sect, controlling the fate of countless disciples, filled her with excitement.

"Follow your own heart. Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

However, you must remember one thing: every position comes with its own set of obligations along with its power.

The position of sect leader seems glamorous, but it requires spending a lot of time handling affairs every day, significantly reducing the time available for cultivation.

Golden Core cultivators only have a lifespan of a thousand years, and a reduction in cultivation time may mean they will never reach the Nascent Soul realm.

However, how many Golden Core cultivators can achieve the status of True Monarch?

Lin Lan pondered for a moment and said, "This disciple will seriously consider it."

Her heart told her directly, 'To become the sect leader!'

Ji An sighed softly to himself and said:
"I will be heading to the border between the Western Continent and the Central Continent in three days. You three, my fellow disciples, will take good care of the spiritual fields of Crimson Flame Peak."

Since the disciple did not explicitly state that he would not take on the role of sect leader, it is highly likely that he is interested.

Judging from the state of his cultivation over the years, if he slacks off in his cultivation for a hundred years, he can be said to have virtually no chance of reaching the Nascent Soul realm, unless he is lucky enough to obtain a precious treasure.

The cultivator who is the sect leader will not easily leave the sect, and the path to obtaining the secret treasure is also blocked.

Lin Lan replied with a smile:
"Yes, Master. I will lead my two junior brothers to successfully complete the mission. May I ask how many years you plan to be away?"

"It's hard to say. If everything goes well, I'll stay for a long time."

But if things don't go smoothly, I'll come back within two or three years.

(End of this chapter)