Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 927: The New Generation Replaces the Old
As Ji An left the small world, he saw countless seven-colored rays of light piercing through the earth and rocks, falling overhead and disappearing into the Guanghan Palace. This was the Xuanhuang Merit Qi.

The purification of the spiritual vein is nearing its end. He did not know the original grade of this unclaimed spiritual vein, but now it is only a mid-grade first-level vein.

He stepped out of the cave, where the sun was shining brightly.

Zhang Zeye stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:
"True Lord, the rift leading to the True Demon Realm has been sealed, and we can evacuate at any time."

It's called a seal, but it's actually just a house built outside the crack, filled with purification arrays that can purify the surging demonic energy immediately.

The spirit stones in the magic circle can last for a little over two hundred years, at which point it will be necessary to send someone back to check the condition of the magic circle and replace the spirit stones with new ones.

Although the formation is not large in area, it used a total of 60,000 high-grade spirit stones, which is a considerable expense.

Thinking of this, his face showed sorrow, and his heart was bleeding.

If all these spirit stones were used in the sect, countless outstanding disciples could have been cultivated, but instead they are buried in this desolate wilderness.

Even more tragically, no one knows about this achievement; all the good intentions were wasted on a blind man.

Ji An observed the other person's expression, understood their thoughts, and smiled:
"All your efforts will yield unexpected results. You'll understand when your cultivation reaches my level in the future."

The cultivation world is governed by the will of heaven and earth. Although sects that seal the source of demonic energy will not receive any merit, they will be protected by a mysterious fortune.

The concept of destiny is very mysterious, yet it truly exists.

The major sects in Zhongzhou possess treasures of merit that suppress the sect's fortune, preventing it from rapidly dissipating.

Unless a catastrophe like the True Demon Tribulation sweeps across the entire cultivation world, major sects will inevitably prosper, while smaller forces will find it difficult to rise to prominence.

Zhang Zeye scratched his head and gave a wry smile:

"Let alone cultivating to the True Monarch realm, I would die without regret even if I could break through to the Nascent Soul stage. It's a pity that my cultivation hasn't made any breakthroughs for many years."

He let out a long sigh, his tone filled with the vicissitudes of life.

Since breaking through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, his cultivation growth has slowed down considerably. He could tolerate that, but his cultivation has been stuck on the edge of breaking through to the fifth level of the Golden Core realm for many years.

His patience was running out, but the sects simply didn't have any pills that would help him break through to the Golden Core stage, or rather, the Pill Refining Academy was unwilling to refine them.

Ji An had never experienced stagnation in his cultivation, so it would be easy for him to offer advice without understanding the situation.

He changed the subject, saying:
"You can go back now. The spiritual veins will be completely purified soon. I will only depart when there is no more Xuanhuang merit energy falling on them."

He has spent most of his time here these years, only returning when a disciple breaks through to the Golden Core stage.

The sect's prosperity was fully revealed, with twenty-seven Golden Core cultivators now, something he couldn't have imagined when he first joined the sect.

"As you command, I will gather my disciples and depart. Farewell, True Lord."

Zhang Zeye knew that the Nascent Soul cultivators could fly much faster than the spirit boat, so he accepted the order without any formalities.

Half a month later, Ji An returned to the sect on a cloud, where Crimson Flame Peak was bustling with activity.

A large number of low-ranking disciples were picking mulberries, and blue smoke was billowing from the chimney of the winery.

The monks would light charcoal and use a special magic array to greatly accelerate the fermentation process. After the wine was brewed, it would be stored in cellars for further sedimentation.

Third-grade spirit wine requires at least twenty years of aging in cellars to achieve the desired taste; the higher the grade, the longer the aging time.

On the open ground by the cold pond, there were rows of wooden racks about ten feet high, with three layers of bamboo trays on each rack, where mulberries were drying.

Han Shan, the supervisor, caught a glimpse of the auspicious five-colored clouds hovering above the cold pool. He instructed his disciple to ride the clouds and fly up.

His eyes gleamed with joy as he solemnly cupped his hands in greeting:
"Greetings, Master. As you can see, your disciple is organizing the harvest of mulberries. After brewing the wine, the mulberries will either sink to the bottom of the pool or be placed in the wine cellar."

Over the years, he has been the one who has helped manage Crimson Flame Peak most of the time, and the profits are recorded in the jade slip after the prescribed portion is handed over to the sect.

Fire-element spirit wine, made primarily from Crimson Cloud Pine Nuts, tastes even better when aged in the Cold Pool Cellar. Pure mulberry wine is stored in a wine cellar, while the highest quality Fire-element spirit wine is infused into the Clear Spirit Bamboo.

Ji An nodded with approval in his eyes:
"No need for formalities, you've worked hard these past few days."

Once you're done, you can take away ten jars of ten-jin (5 kg) high-grade third-level pine nut wine, as well as two bamboo tubes of top-grade third-level pine nut wine.

"Yes, also send ten jars of top-grade pine nut wine to your senior and junior sisters."

Since the small world reached the fourth rank, he has paid much less attention to Crimson Flame Peak.

When he was not in the sect, the Five Mountains True Lord was in charge of the Soul Nourishing Wood and Phoenix Wood, while the other areas were handled by a few disciples.

The Nascent Soul True Monarch owns a thousand acres of free spiritual land. Crimson Flame Peak has more than eight thousand acres of spiritual land. The sect discussed with him and decided that all the spiritual land would be subject to taxation.

Because everything produced here is needed by the sect, it can be said to be directly related to the sect's lifeline.

In exchange, the sect will directly reduce the tax amount, which is actually more cost-effective than paying less tax on a thousand acres of spirit fields.

"Thank you, Master. It is my duty to serve you when needed."

Han Shan smiled broadly. His cultivation had broken through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, and these spirit wines were coming in handy.

Ji An pointed to the bamboo plaques and asked:
What should we do with the mulberries in the bamboo tray?

"That's the quota that needs to be handed over to the sect. The Pill Refining Academy needs mulberries for alchemy, so they need to be dried before being handed over."

He scratched his head and said:
"Actually, the Dan Ding Academy needs a lot of mulberries, and I wanted to discuss with you whether we could take more, but since Master is not in the sect, I didn't dare to make the decision."

Perhaps they felt it unnecessary to travel all the way to the Ten Thousand Mountains to report this to their master, because the Dan Ding Academy didn't send anyone to contact you.

"Give them as much as they want, and we can accept brewing less wine."

Ji An spoke up, saying that third-tier spiritual items were of little use to him. Since the Pill Cauldron Academy could use mulberries to refine pills, it would be good to hand over more.

As for brewing wine, the spirit wine he prefers is made primarily from fourth-grade superior Azure Moon Purple Spirit Fir seeds or similar grade lightning-struck Red Cloud Pine nuts in the small world.

"Yes, sir. I will give the order to dry all the mulberries that have been picked. I will send a message to Senior Uncle Li now."

Han Shan took out the communication golden sword, entered the information, and activated it to Li Lingyu.

An enigmatic look appeared in Ji An's eyes. Now that he was a thousand years old, he had few opportunities left for Senior Sister Li Lingyu and Senior Brother Liu Yu to break through.

Both of them consumed longevity pills made from fourth-grade high-quality longevity peaches, but it is estimated that they only have about four hundred years left to use.

Senior Brother Liu's cultivation has long reached the late stage of Golden Core, and he will have the opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul realm in the future. However, if Senior Sister Li does not have a heaven-defying opportunity, she will probably die young.

As he continues to ascend higher, how many of his old friends will still know about each other?
He let out a barely perceptible sigh, looking down at the shimmering pool.

"Han Shan, I will be staying in the sect for a while. Please tell my senior sister and junior brother that they can come to me anytime if they have any questions about cultivation. I will be staying at Crimson Flame Peak during the day."

During his years in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, he would cast spells on the land during the day and cultivate in his small world at night. Finally, he could have a few days of peace. Han Shan was overjoyed, "This disciple will certainly convey the message."

His cultivation has reached the seventh level of the Golden Core stage and he is working hard to break through to the eighth level.

The next day at dawn, a gentle breeze rippled the water of the pool, and two people sat facing each other in the pavilion.

The table was laden with fine wine and delicacies, but no one touched the chopsticks.

Lin Jiuxiao said in a deep voice:
"I've been preparing for a breakthrough for half a month. Although I'm not fully prepared yet, I can't afford to delay any longer. I can already feel my body starting to decline. If I don't seize this opportunity now, I'll have no chance at all."

He was originally going to inform the sect leader and ask him to notify the True Lord to return.

Most of the sect members knew that whenever a breakthrough occurred, there would be a tribulation of lightning, and unless he was unable to return in time, True Monarch Xuanqing would definitely be there to watch.

Ji An remained silent. He sensed that the other party's aura was still some distance from being perfectly harmonious, but his lifespan forced him to embark on the path of breakthrough as soon as possible.

The chances of a breakthrough achieved through such a rushed approach are slim, but he couldn't bring himself to offer any words of advice.

Taking a step forward opens up boundless possibilities, while taking a step back leads to utter ruin. At critical moments, cultivators are on the path of defying fate and fighting against destiny.

He nodded. "Best wishes! Have you completed the necessary preparations before making that breakthrough?"

At this point, the only thing to do is to offer blessings and give them confidence. If they cannot bravely move forward after reaching this stage, destruction awaits them.

"Everything is ready."

Ji An picked up his wine cup. "I happen to be staying at the sect for a while. I'll treat you to fourth-grade spirit wine after you break through."

"Haha, I am very much looking forward to the True Lord's spirit wine, please!"

Lin Jiuxiao tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, then boldly wiped the wine that had spilled on his beard.

Ji An suddenly thought of Lin Qiubai and asked:
"How is Qiu Bai doing?"

Lin Qiubai and the other party are of similar age, and now that the other party's lifespan is about to run out, Lin Qiubai's situation is not optimistic either.

Unbeknownst to him, the elders of the sect passed away one after another, and now, he wondered how many people had joined the sect before him; they were probably few and far between.

Lin Jiuxiao lowered his eyes and gently shook his head:
"This is not good. Qiu Bai's cultivation level just broke through to the eighth level of the Golden Core stage two years ago, but the phenomenon of his lifespan being exhausted has already occurred to him."

"Now that True Lord Haoran is traveling, it is unknown when he will return. If True Lord Haoran does not return in time..."

He didn't continue. He had met with Lin Qiubai yesterday, who frankly said that it would be a good thing if True Monarch Haoran failed to return to the sect in time, so that the disciple would not witness the death of his master.

For sword cultivators, as long as they remember what their master looked like when he was powerful, their lives will not have been in vain.

Ji An exhaled, feeling a surge of emotion:
'A new generation replaces the old.'

Around noon, Ji An saw Lin Jiuxiao off, and not long after, Crimson Flame Peak welcomed another guest.

Liu Yu's smile was somewhat forced as he greeted her:

"Junior brother, you still look as dashing as ever after all these years. It's truly enviable."

The corners of his eyes had noticeably developed more crow's feet, and his tone had lost some of its sharpness.

Since breaking through to the eighth level of the Golden Core stage, my cultivation speed has slowed down considerably, almost like a snail's pace.

Judging from the current situation, he faces significant obstacles in breaking through to the ninth level of the Golden Core stage.

"Thank you for your praise, senior brother."

Ji An said politely that only three disciples of Master Ge Ying remain today.

"I happened to run into Senior Brother Lin Jiuxiao when I arrived. You know he's about to break through, right?"

"Yes, he told me that."

Liu Yu gave a bitter smile. "I talked to him privately before, and he said that if he didn't succeed in this breakthrough, he would die trying. I don't want to be like him, only able to break through when my lifespan is almost over."

What's truly regrettable is that improving one's cultivation level isn't something a cultivator can achieve simply by being willing to put in the effort.

For some reason, he always felt that he would follow in that footsteps in the future.

Sensing his senior brother's low spirits, Ji An comforted him:
"I will fully support my senior brother's breakthrough. The small world has produced a large amount of third-grade high-quality Xuan Frost Crystal Rice. I will take some out for you later."

"Use it freely, senior brother. Come back to me if you need more."

He now has the resources and doesn't mind helping his former partners out.

Liu Yu sat up straight and said sincerely:
"Thank you, junior brother. I'm having some trouble improving my cultivation. I've asked True Monarch Chiyan before, but he couldn't give me an answer. He just told me to cultivate slowly. Today, I'm asking you for guidance."

He began to recount the problems he encountered during his spiritual practice, and upon learning of the other party's return yesterday, he conceived the idea of ​​seeking help.

If he cannot accelerate his cultivation, his future will become bleak, and he is unwilling to accept that his thousand years of cultivation will be in vain.

After listening to the other party's explanation, Ji An understood the crux of the problem and, after a moment's thought, said:
"In fact, True Monarch Chiyan has already given the answer. Senior Brother now needs to cultivate slowly."

As I have said before, what you need to do is to use water to generate wood, wood to generate fire, and water and fire to complement each other to form a stable small cycle of the three elements.

"Senior brother, you are currently feeling anxious and have lost the true meaning of flowing water in your practice. Therefore, you are unable to achieve a state of harmony between water and fire, which is why your practice has stagnated."

The other party was too impatient, and haste makes waste, which greatly affected the efficiency of cultivation.

He dared to say that the other party's cultivation speed was now much slower than before, and the efficiency was probably only 20% or 30% of what it used to be.

These words were like a wake-up call, and a slight smile appeared on Liu Yu's face:
"Now that we know where the problem lies, things are much easier to handle."

Ji An was not so optimistic and offered his advice:
"Senior brother, you have developed an obsession with rapidly improving your cultivation level. This is not something you can simply let go of immediately."

If you cannot completely let go of your attachments, they will still trouble you as long as you practice.

I suggest you simply stop your spiritual practice and immerse yourself in nature to completely relax.

You reach a state of true composure and calmness when you achieve complete fulfillment. This may take one or two years, or even longer, but it's worth it.

If the other person's mindset cannot return to what it was before, then the efficiency of their spiritual practice will still be severely limited.

Liu Yu understood the importance and urgency of the matter, nodded solemnly, and smiled:

“Junior brother is absolutely right. I will report the situation to the sect and temporarily relinquish my position as head of the Enforcement Hall.”

(End of this chapter)