Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 928 Seek kindness and gain kindness
In truth, Liu Yu knew that his mindset was the problem. Seeing his former peers soar to great heights while he was still crawling on the ground, the psychological gap was indescribable.

He had comforted himself many times, but deep down he had never truly let go.

Spiritual practice is a personal matter; everyone has their own rhythm. Getting caught up in someone else's rhythm severely impacts one's mindset.

Ji An nodded slightly and asked:

"Is there a planned destination?"

Liu Yu pondered for a moment and said:
"When I was a child, I first saw cultivators flying through the sky and disappearing into the earth, and I was filled with envy. Now I am going to do the opposite and find a mountain with little spiritual energy to measure the land as a mortal."

"Live an ordinary life, relying solely on the strength of your physical body, without using any internal magical power, and experience what a new life would be like."

"A different perspective on life might bring surprises. How long do you plan to live this way, senior?"

"Ten years. If you still can't let go after ten years, then try another approach."

When do you plan to leave?

"There's no time like the present, so I'll go to Chaoyang Peak right now to meet the sect leader and then find someone to hand over the reins."

Actually, I had this idea before and had thought of someone to hand over the reins, but I hadn't made up my mind until now.

Now that the decision has been made, let's go for it decisively.

Liu Yu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling inexplicably much lighter.

Ji An smiled faintly, "When you return here later, I'll give you a farewell dinner."

"Haha, no need. I'll ask you for a drink after I've resolved my inner conflict and returned to the sect."

Liu Yu's laughter was hearty and cheerful. Although he hadn't traveled far yet, the pressure in his heart had eased a little, and the air was filled with a sense of freedom.

Ji An clapped his hands and smiled:

"This is the state. Senior brother, please wait a moment. I'll go get some spirit wine to take with me on the way."

He channeled his magical power and stepped out of the pavilion, walking lightly on the water, creating ripples that spread outwards. When he reached the entrance of the wine cellar, he released a beam of golden light that pierced through the magical barriers.

The wine cellar was twenty feet high, and its walls were inlaid with countless luminous pearls, like stars in the night sky.

He searched through the Void Stone and found a second-grade top-quality Azure Flame Purple Spirit Gourd, a spiritual artifact that could only hold wine.

He had already cultivated a mid-grade third-tier gourd, and he once planned to use this magic weapon to nourish the spiritual fire and cultivate a fire-elemental magic weapon.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. After his cultivation level rapidly improved, this idea became impractical. He rented out all his gourd magic treasures to the weapon refining hall to refine thunder pearls, and later simply sold them to the sect.

Overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing the object, Ji An opened the wine jar and poured in the gourd magic weapon, filling it with 500 jin of top-grade third-level pine nut and mulberry wine.

He activated the golden light once more, and in the next moment appeared in the pavilion, handing out the gourd with both hands:
"Senior brother, have a safe journey."

Liu Yu did not refuse, saying, "I'll gladly accept it. I'm afraid I'll have to spend the rest of my life repaying my junior brother's help."

Ji An joked, "Then you'd better live long enough, senior brother, otherwise I won't be able to recoup my costs."

"Haha, that depends on whether the ancestor will give us face."

Liu Yu put away the gourd, solemnly cupped his hands, and then, without looking back, rode away on a cloud, his sleeves fluttering.

The familiar figure disappeared from sight. Ji An withdrew his gaze, sat down, and drank and ate.

He began to calculate the lifespans of those around him. When he reached the third level of the Chaoyuan realm, he took in two disciples, Lin Lan and Han Shan. At that time, he was about two hundred years old.

By that calculation, the two disciples must be eight hundred years old; time waits for no one.

He sighed inwardly, perhaps he would have to witness his disciples and juniors' lifespans run out and they pass away peacefully.

Cultivation is by no means easy, and with his help, the resources his disciples obtained were actually not much less than those of the core disciples of the major sects in the Central Continent.

Even so, the disciples' cultivation speed was not fast, far behind his own.

If this were in the era when he first joined the sect, it would have been a question whether the disciples could even form their cores.

Half a month later, the Golden Spirit Sect's mountain gate array was fully activated, and the wind and clouds surged on Chaoyang Peak, where spiritual energy gathered to form a huge vortex that reached the heavens and the earth.

The disciples watching were all very excited. This kind of phenomenon meant that another senior expert was trying to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, and the sect was about to welcome its fifth Nascent Soul True Monarch.

In the sect, True Monarch Xuanqing is already a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. With the assistance of several other True Monarchs, even the top Nascent Soul cultivators in the Central Continent are no more than this.

One disciple scratched his head and said with 'worry':

"Our sect's spiritual veins are only of the fourth-grade low level. With so many seniors breaking through to the True Monarch level, do you think the spiritual veins can support it?"

Nascent Soul cultivators require a massive amount of spiritual energy for daily cultivation, and even maintaining their cultivation level requires absorbing and exhaling a great deal of spiritual energy.

A knowledgeable disciple explained:
"The spiritual vein is a fourth-grade low-level spiritual vein, but there are many spiritual vein nodes. As long as the spiritual vein node reaches the fourth-grade low-level spiritual vein, it is still possible to maintain the cultivation of a Nascent Soul early-stage True Monarch with just one node."

The cave atop Mount Chitong has been emptied and is now exclusively for the use of True Lord Chiyan, while True Lord Haoran has exclusive access to Reflecting Moon Peak.

What I can't understand is how True Monarch Xuanqing was able to cultivate to the late Nascent Soul stage within a low-grade fourth-order spiritual vein. The nodes in the spiritual vein were simply insufficient to sustain the daily cultivation of a cultivator at his level.

The disciple who spoke was a spirit farmer who sometimes received missions to pick mulberries and spirit fruits on Crimson Flame Peak. He was very familiar with the situation there, and the spirit fields had not deteriorated due to the excessive consumption of spiritual energy by cultivators.

One disciple scoffed, "Who says that improving one's cultivation level must rely on absorbing spiritual energy and practicing diligently? Let me tell you, judging from the speed at which True Monarch Xuanqing's cultivation level has improved, he must have consumed a large number of fourth-tier pills."

He lowered his voice and continued boastfully:
"The Five Elements Revolving Scripture is the core cultivation method of our sect. It was the core cultivation method of the Five Elements Sect, a top sect in the Central Continent, more than 100,000 years ago. It is said that the earliest cultivation method our sect obtained could only be cultivated to the Golden Core level. It was True Monarch Xuanqing who obtained the complete cultivation method."

"Hehe, it makes perfect sense that the True Lord obtained a lot of pills along with the cultivation technique."

The disciples listened with great eagerness, and one of them exclaimed:
"We still need to go out and explore. Maybe one day we'll discover a site with abundant resources, and then we'll be rich."

"Go out? Heh, maybe one day we'll never have to worry about improving our cultivation again. It's reasonable for a few people to die while exploring ruins."

Leaving aside the disciples gathered together, Lin Qiubai stood ramrod straight, his eyes filled with solemnity. He knew his old friend's situation, and a sense of tragic grandeur filled his heart.

Breaking through is inherently dangerous, especially since my old friend wasn't fully prepared; it was a helpless situation of being forced into it.

The chance of a cultivator whose lifespan is beginning to run out successfully breaking through is less than one in a hundred.

He felt a sense of relief; he had lost the qualification to break through to a higher realm, but his old friend had taken this step, and no matter the outcome, it was worthy of respect.

Looking back on the past, he realized that of the two of his former fellow disciples who had traveled with him, only the two of them remained, and a sense of desolation crept into his heart.

Several days later, purple lightning struck, and the tribulation clouds slowly dissipated. The disciples who were watching the breakthrough did not experience what they had hoped for; the momentous appearance of the Nascent Soul, which would astound even the gods and spirits, did not occur.

A somber mood permeated the air; the path of cultivation is not always smooth sailing, and it is also fraught with ruthless cruelty.

Everyone knew that the person who broke through had perished under the final lightning tribulation.

Lin Qiubai seemed to lose control of his body and suddenly staggered forward and fell, but was quickly caught by his grand-disciple who was guarding him.

High in the sky, Ji An shook his head and sighed. The stone tortoise silently returned to his side and into his dantian.

He saw the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning fall, destroying several of Lin Jiuxiao's magical treasures and finally destroying his body.

Qin Yan remained silent for a moment, then said:

"He sought benevolence in the heavens and attained it; he died a worthy death."

The Five Sacred Mountains True Lord scratched his head and remained silent; he too felt the sorrow.

When the tribulation clouds completely dissipated, Lin Lan and the others flew to Crimson Flame Peak. Ji An saw this scene and said:

"Let's go down too and see what they'll do next."

In the Wuji Hall, the air seemed to be filled with lead, and the oppressive atmosphere prevented the lit incense from rising smoothly.

Lin Lan's tone was tinged with sadness, "Senior Brother Lin's funeral is scheduled to be held at Yingri Peak in three days from now at Shenshi (3-5 PM). In accordance with his instructions, his ashes will be scattered next to the Soul-Nourishing Wood on Yunhe Mountain."

Lin Jiuxiao's body had been shattered by the lightning, and the collected fragments were not enough to piece together a complete body.

The Soul-Nourishing Wood of Yunhe Mountain is currently only of the third-grade top quality. If it could be nourished by the ashes of a cultivator who is close to the Nascent Soul level, it would surely reach the fourth grade much faster.

If the Soul-Nourishing Wood reaches the fourth rank, it's good news for high-level cultivators, but for disciples in the Chaoyuan stage, it means losing a channel to nourish their souls.

Fortunately, the sect has planted several hundred Nether Moon Jade Trees, which the disciples can use as a substitute with Spirit Tea.

Qin Yan nodded slightly. He knew that Lin Jiuxiao had served in the Enforcement Hall for many years and had the deepest feelings for the place.

"Let's do as he left will. I will go to see him off on the day of the funeral."

Ji An slowly exhaled and said:

"I will also go to offer incense, but I will leave immediately after the funeral and head to the Spirit-Severing Land at the border of the Western Continent and the Central Continent."

He had to attend this event no matter what, especially since his relationship with Lin Jiuxiao, while not particularly close, was still quite good.

A moment later, Ji An and several other Nascent Soul True Monarchs left, and the other Golden Core True Monarchs began to speak freely and discuss the details of the funeral.

It's amazing that when a person is born, there's no need to hold a full-moon celebration, and when they pass away, there's no need to hold a funeral. People close to them are busy with these things, and in exchange, they take care of these matters for others while they are alive.

After the specific rules and regulations were presented, everyone left.

Lin Qiubai stayed behind last and said softly:

"Sect Leader, the position of Hall Master of the Five Elements Hall will be vacant after Jiuxiao leaves. I am not very talented, but I am willing to do my best to contribute my last bit of strength to the sect."

He no longer has the motivation to continue improving his cultivation, so spending his remaining years in the Five Elements Hall is a good choice.

"Great! Senior brother's decision has been a great help to the sect."

Lin Lan was somewhat pleased. The Five Elements Hall must be managed by a Golden Core cultivator with sufficient cultivation, after all, it is the place where the sect's cultivation techniques are passed down.

However, the cultivators who manage this hall do not have much access to resources, which makes others uninterested in it and only attracts fellow disciples who are looking to retire.

Ji An returned to Crimson Flame Peak, entered the small world, and focused his mind on his dantian to connect with the stone tortoise.

[Tao Yun: Gold 484.2, Water 463.6, Wood 512.8, Fire 548.7, Earth 506.4]

This was the only bumper harvest in recent years, and he was filled with emotion.

Whether a cultivator succeeds in breaking through or not, as long as they can persevere until the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning takes shape, it makes no difference to the stone turtle.

After pondering for a moment, he flew to the center of the white spiritual field, landed beside the Seven Luminaries Golden Branch, and gave the order:

"Refine all the Dao essence to improve the grade of the spirit wood until it reaches the fourth grade of the highest quality."

Previously, I used the few dozen points of Daoist essence I obtained sporadically to upgrade the grade of my spiritual veins. Now that I've reaped a great harvest, perhaps prioritizing the upgrade of my Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots would be more cost-effective.

He wasn't sure if these Daoist principles could upgrade the spirit wood to the highest grade of the fourth rank, but he figured it probably wouldn't be enough. However, the sooner he upgraded its grade, the more this golden spirit field would benefit from it.

At that time, with the combined efforts of the three spiritual roots, the improvement of the spiritual veins will be accelerated.

The stone tortoise appeared above the spirit tree, and the silver light composed of spiritual energy was manipulated by an invisible hand, quickly forming a cocoon of light, resembling a huge white egg.

Ji An did not stay where he was to wait for the result. He flew to the foot of the Gathering Yuan Tree and looked at the five-colored flower that had just bloomed its third layer of petals, with a slight disappointment on his face.

More than seventy years have passed since the Five-Colored Flower budded. At this rate, he would have to wait another hundred years to obtain the spiritual flower needed to refine the Five-Colored Pill.

For someone like him who was used to rapid progress, it was indeed a bit hard to accept. However, when he thought of Lin Jiuxiao, who had died on Chaoyang Peak today, he immediately rejected this idea of ​​taking shortcuts.

Ayun handed over the spiritual tea, which Ji An drank in one gulp. He then sat down cross-legged and began to diligently practice his cultivation technique.

At the same time, the nascent soul in the Moon Palace made the same movement, and the veins on the surface of the Five Elements Divine Mansion shone brightly at the same moment.

The spiritual energy from the small world, along with the five elements' spiritual potential hidden in the spiritual fields and plants, flew out and converged above the Gathering Yuan Tree. Before it could condense into a larger vortex, it was absorbed into his body.

After reaching the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage, the Nascent Soul has been cultivated. When True Monarchs cultivate, it is equivalent to the Nascent Soul and the main body casting spells simultaneously, and the spells are perfectly and harmoniously superimposed, which is why such a huge commotion is caused.

About an hour later, the stone tortoise flew back to Ji An's side and entered Ji An's dantian.

Once the current cycle of cultivation ended, he stopped cultivating and flew away on a cloud to the white spiritual field.

Although I thought it was impossible for the Seven Luminaries Golden Branch to advance, I still had to go and take a look.

From afar, he saw the Heavenly Spirit Root, which had risen several feet, suddenly open its eyes wide, releasing a golden light that seemed to pierce the earth. Its body merged with the five-colored spiritual light, like a long rainbow tearing through the sky.

Immediately afterwards, Ji An appeared beside the Seven Luminaries Golden Branch.

The leaves of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Root are like metal, radiating a dull yet lustrous glow.

He extended his divine sense into the interior of the spirit tree, feeling the surging life force and the metal element energy. He forcefully clenched his fist, and crackling sounds echoed in the air.

(End of this chapter)