After eating and drinking their fill, Liang Qiu was the first to take his leave.
"Senior brothers, junior brother, I'll head out first. Right now is the critical growth stage for the spirit fish; I need to tend to them more closely.
When things settle down in a few days, I'll invite everyone over to my place, and there will be spirit fish aplenty."
Wei Songnian laughed.
"Good, then I'll bring spirit wine, and we'll drink to our hearts' content."
Liang Qiu cupped his hands in farewell and hurried downstairs. Soon after, Ji An saw him outside the window riding a talisman bird, flying off toward the western side of Bihai Lake.
Wei Songnian nodded slightly and said in a low voice:
"Junior Brother Liang is skilled at fishing and raising spirit fish. Life has been treating him well these past two years.
In just a few more years, he should be able to save enough contribution points to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill."
Whenever late-stage Qi Refining disciples gathered, the conversation always drifted toward Foundation Establishment Pills.
Huang Feihu's expression grew more serious. He had also heard about how fierce the competition for such pills had become in recent years.
Even if he used up his grandfather's savings, there was still a large gap to make up. He needed to seriously think about ways to earn more spirit stones and contribution points.
Thinking of this, he cupped his hands and asked:
"Senior brothers, compared to Senior Brother Ji, my gains from being a spirit farmer are far too meager. What other craft should I learn in the future to improve my prospects?"
After all, Senior Brother Ji had joined the sect just three years ago, yet his Minor Rain Technique was already perfected. He had also mastered the Thick Earth Formula, Withering-Bloom Formula, Flamefire Incantation, and Sharp Gold Art. Huang Feihu felt he could never catch up.
On top of that, Ji An was a skilled talisman maker. Even so, he still went out hunting monsters to earn spirit stones for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Huang Feihu felt he had to learn another trade. Otherwise, who knew how many years it would take to gather enough contribution points to exchange for the pill?
Wei Songnian frowned slightly, then, after a moment of thought, replied:
"Alchemy, artifact forging, and formations all require true master-apprentice inheritance. Without extraordinary talent, simply buying some introductory manuals and fumbling on your own will rarely lead to success.
Talisman making is also vast and profound, but it's easier to get started. If you're willing to put in the effort, drawing a few commonly used, high-demand talismans isn't too difficult.
But talisman makers are many, and competition is fierce. Without solid skills, it's hard to earn much."
It was a hard question to answer; everyone had different strengths, and only by trying would one know where their talents lay. But for most disciples, trial and error was costly.
Ji An added:
"Relatively speaking, becoming a talisman maker has the lowest upfront cost."
He had once considered trying alchemy, but quickly set the idea aside.
Even if one had talent, without countless attempts and practice, success was unlikely. What's more, every kind of pill had its own secrets. Unless nurtured by a sect or great clan, very few could stand out.
Most importantly, his true advantage lay in spell mastery.
Ji An was especially curious about what kind of changes great perfection-level spells would bring. The most suitable path for him was to cultivate large spiritual fields, farm, and make talismans while also hunting monsters for balance.
Once he formed his Foundation and had more time, he could always study another craft not for achievement, but as a kind of personal enrichment.
Huang Feihu nodded slightly. He planned to think carefully for a while, then consult his grandfather.
This matter concerned his future Dao path, so he couldn't afford to be careless.
At that point, Ji An took out a mottled, blood-colored ore from his storage bag and handed it over.
"Senior Brother, you're well-traveled and knowledgeable. Do you recognize this material?"
Wei Songnian accepted the ore, examined it closely, then scraped off some reddish powder with a small knife and brought it to his nose.
Weighing it in his palm, he chuckled.
"Junior Brother, you're in luck. This is Scarlet Blood Copper, a rather advanced forging material that can slightly enhance the power of fire-attribute artifacts.
Generally speaking, only when crafting high-grade artifacts would a forger use this.
Even this small piece could easily sell for twenty spirit stones."
"So it's something valuable after all."
Remembering that he still had two more pieces of the ore, Ji An felt his mood lift further.
He put the ore back into his storage bag and smiled.
"Now that Feihu has broken through to late-stage Qi Refining, I wonder how many Shen Yuan Pills Senior Brother still has left?"
"Hah, I knew you'd ask."
Wei Songnian pulled out six light-green jade bottles, smiling as he spoke.
"I've set aside sixty pills, enough for both of you."
"Senior Brother, how many spirit crystals for one pill?"
Huang Feihu asked cautiously. He only knew that pills for improving cultivation in the later stages of Qi Refining were very expensive.
"Two spirit stones per pill. Junior Brother, how many would you like?"
After a brief silence, Huang Feihu gritted his teeth and, in three separate motions, pulled out ten spirit stones.
"I'll take five pills."
Wei Songnian produced an empty jade bottle, dropped six pills into it, and said:
"You've just broken through to late-stage Qi Refining. The extra one is a gift of congratulations."
"Senior Brother, that's too valuable, I"
Wei Songnian waved his hand.
"Just take it. I used to borrow spirit stones from Old Huang often enough."
"Take it," Ji An also urged. "Senior Brother, how many medium-grade talisman papers do you still have?"
"Right now, only a hundred sheets."
"Give me all of them, along with the usual two types of talisman ink. And also, add forty more pills."
These days, Ji An no longer mixed talisman ink himself. To save time, he bought it directly.
With money and goods exchanged, the three went their separate ways.
Ji An's life returned to a simple rhythm: tending his spiritual fields and practicing spells.
With pills and a spirit-gathering array both in place, his cultivation increased by the day.
The sun rose and the moon set; time flowed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, it was once again time to harvest the Jadegrain Rice.
Under the full moon, in his bamboo loft, Ji An finished a session of cultivation. A hint of joy shone in his eyes.
With enough spirit stones burned through, strength naturally followed. After spending lavishly, he now felt the bottleneck of Qi Refining Ninth Layer. He believed it wouldn't take long before he broke through.
He sank his consciousness into the Stone Turtle, and lines of script appeared in his mind:
[Master: Ji An]
[Dao Rhyme: 0]
[Spiritual Qi: Kan 708.4, Kun 658.7, Xun 387.2, Zhen 6.5]
[Spells: Minor Rain (Perfected 83%)
Thick Earth Formula (Perfected 66%)
Withering-Bloom Formula (Perfected 7%)
Flamefire Incantation (Perfected 2%)
Sharp Gold Art (Perfected 34%)
Object Manipulation (Perfected 39%)
Windriding Technique (Great Accomplishment 46%)
Water Curtain (Perfected 21%)
Geng Metal Finger (Perfected 7%)
Cold Wind Technique (Minor Accomplishment 5%)]
He had stored up plenty of spiritual qi; it was time to spend some.
Locking his divine sense onto the Minor Rain Technique, Ji An began refining spiritual qi.
Kan-qi plummeted rapidly, while insights about the spell flowed through his mind.
It was as if he heard the sound of misty rain drifting with the wind, bringing peace to his heart.
In a daze, he saw countless plants and grasses stretching themselves under the fine drizzle. Raindrops rolled off their leaves like crystal beads, slowly seeping into the soil.
When he came back to himself, he saw that the Minor Rain line had vanished, replaced at the very bottom by a new entry:
[Dao Seed: Flowing Clouds, Weaving Rain (Unranked) - Hidden in the Yongquan Acupoint. Comprehended the Dao Truth of "Spiritual Moisture Nourishes All Life" of Gui-water techniques. Slightly improves insight into Gui-water Dao spells.]
Comprehending the true meaning, improving spell insight, it sounded quite promising.
Ji An nodded slightly, stood up, pushed open his door, and stepped into the courtyard. There, he gathered his mana and began casting spells.
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