When the banquet ended and the guests dispersed, Zhang Yuanshan stood before the Hundred Flavors Pavilion and let out a leisurely sigh:
"When we meet again… who knows how many will still be here."
Among this group of disciples from Green Pine Dao Academy, only he and Zhao Mengyao possessed superior spiritual roots. The rest were all mid-grade.
Yet in just half a year, their cultivation had already begun to diverge significantly.
His own progress was the greatest; he had reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement. Seven others had advanced to the fourth level, while the rest remained at the third.
With time, this gap would only widen, and some would inevitably be left behind.
By the time they gathered again, the same faces might not all be present.
Chu He barked a laugh:
"Senior Brother worries too much! Only those who can still walk the path together after many years are true Dao-companions."
Zhang Yuanshan chuckled at that:
"Junior Brother does have a clear perspective."
He turned his head and pulled out a talisman bird, holding it in his palm:
"Junior Brother Ji, while paying the bill earlier, I bought a few bottles of spirit wine. Shall we set off now?"
Ji An's expression froze for a moment:
"Uh… Senior Brother, I don't have a talisman bird.
All the spirit stones I borrowed went into cultivation and spell practice."
"I still have an old paper crane," Zhao Mengyao said, producing one. "It should last for thirty or forty hours at most. If you don't mind, take it."
Ji An reached out and accepted it gratefully:
"Many thanks, Senior Sister."
Why refuse when offered? Besides, he couldn't very well make his guests arrive before him and wait around.
The talisman bird's craftsmanship was better than the one Wei Songnian had given him, carrying a faint fragrance.
Infusing it with spiritual power, a delicate paper crane unfurled into a graceful spirit bird. Ji An mounted it.
Hmm. Not as comfortable as sitting on the broad-backed paper goose, but serviceable.
The four of them took to the air, crossing Bihai Lake with the setting sun at their backs, flying eastward.
"Junior Brother, you really haven't wasted an inch of your courtyard's soil," Zhao Mengyao said with a bright smile, pointing at the lush greenery of vegetables and vines inside his fence.
"Waste is shameful," Ji An replied.
"If one doesn't have the means to enjoy spiritual fruits and rare greens, then it's better to plant common vegetables by hand.
Water them with Minor Rain, nourish the soil with Thick Earth. These crops carry far more spiritual energy than wild herbs."
"Please, Senior Brother, Senior Sister, this way!"
Ji An pushed open the bamboo gate and led them through the front yard, quietly forming a seal to disengage the bamboo lodge's protective wards.
As they entered the small building, a faint fragrance of Yellow Sprout Rice drifted into their noses.
Chu He spotted three sacks of spirit grain leaning against the wall and laughed as he strode over:
"My clan once considered having me train as a body cultivator because of my innate strength. Let me show you what this physique can do!"
With both arms outstretched, he effortlessly hoisted two sacks, one in each hand, holding them level as though they weighed no more than empty bags.
"Truly divine strength, Senior Brother!" Ji An laughed.
"Please, all of you, sit and make yourselves comfortable. I'll steam the spirit rice and prepare some fresh vegetables."
At noon, they had feasted richly at the Hundred Flavors Pavilion; naturally, the meal here needed to be light.
Ji An scooped half a basin of Yellow Sprout Rice into a wooden bowl and carried it to the small kitchen to prepare.
Chu He hefted the grain sacks, then weighed another with his hands. He gave Zhang Yuanshan a subtle nod and muttered under his breath:
"Even if it isn't exactly five hundred and eighty jin, it can't be far off."
Zhao Mengyao spoke softly:
"When we leave later, I'll have Junior Brother Ji demonstrate his spells. That'll show his level clearly enough."
Zhang Yuanshan considered for a moment:
"No need to press. Junior Brother Ji is a clever man. I imagine he'll volunteer to display his skills for us.
After all, inviting us here in itself implies a desire to prove himself."
Chu He asked, "And the matter of using beast-control techniques as repayment?"
"If his spells have really reached the Great Accomplishment stage, best not mention it again," Zhang Yuanshan replied.
To have achieved Great Accomplishment in half a year, such comprehension was no small feat.
Chu He gave a reluctant nod, then kicked at a chair with a scowl.
"Damn it, only one chair! Where are the rest of us supposed to sit?"
Ji An soon had the rice steaming and the vegetables prepared. He hurried over to Old Huang's place, borrowed three more chairs, and even dragged a table outside the bamboo lodge.
The little room was too cramped for four; outside, beneath the trees, with spirit wine on the table, they finally sat comfortably.
Shadows lengthened as sunlight filtered through the leaves. The fragrance of freshly steamed Yellow Sprout Rice drifted on the breeze.
Ji An smiled:
"Brothers, sisters, try a taste of the spirit grain I've grown."
He brought the rice over and served each of them a bowl.
Zhao Mengyao blew gently on a mouthful, tasted, and chewed slowly. Then she picked up a slice of cucumber and nodded:
"The flavor's better than the spirit rice I usually eat. As for the vegetables, they don't match true spirit produce, but the energy inside… perhaps a quarter as much. Impressive."
The meal was plain: a bowl of steamed rice, a few cold dishes. Even with conversation flowing, it was soon gone.
Ji An walked to the fence gate, smiling:
"Every day now, I cast spells over these vegetables and fruits.
The Great Accomplishment level of the Thick Earth Technique can nourish the soil itself. With time, this patch will grow into a true first-grade spirit field."
Forming seals with his hands, he channeled earthen-yellow light deep into the ground.
Then, with another change of mudra, clouds rose swiftly overhead, covering the small courtyard.
Pearl-like raindrops fell in sheets, mist spreading outward, wrapping the bamboo lodge in a hazy veil of rain.
Zhao Mengyao stepped closer, eyes bright.
"Eh? Junior Brother, shouldn't the range of the Great Accomplishment Minor Rain Technique be larger than this?"
"Yes," Ji An said. "At full strength, it can cover an entire acre of spirit field. But narrowing the scope saves energy, and the condensed rain actually holds more spiritual power."
Zhao Mengyao turned her head toward the others:
"My own Minor Rain Technique has only reached Small Accomplishment. Judging from the concentration of aura, he is far superior.
To achieve Great Accomplishment in cultivation arts, he must be the first among our batch.
And to control the range so precisely… his divine sense must also be stronger than most of his peers. Truly enviable."
Ji An's eyes gleamed, his voice carrying a trace of proud laughter:
"Once I've raised this land into a true spirit field, I'll plant spirit peaches and apricots.
When I break through to Foundation Establishment, I'll already have spirit fruits waiting for me to enjoy."
Zhang Yuanshan rose with admiration:
"Such ambition, Junior Brother!
Here I am still worrying about how to reach the late stages of Qi Refinement, while your eyes are already set so far ahead. I cannot compare."
Of course, he dreamed of Foundation Establishment, but he would never dare proclaim it so openly.
This junior… since awakening his spiritual veins, he hadn't only grasped spell intent, he seemed to have realized much more.
Chu He muttered coolly:
"Foundation Establishment isn't so easy."
It was said the sect had over ten thousand disciples at the Qi Refinement stage, yet fewer than a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators, and that number had held steady for centuries.
If Foundation Establishment were truly easy, its ranks should have grown far larger by now.
Ji An ignored him, gaze lifted to the evening sky where crimson clouds drifted and wild geese flew past.
"Just wait," he said softly. "At the three-year assessment, you'll see my Minor Rain perfected to Completion."