The seals in Ji An's hands shifted, weak spiritual light flickering as white mist spread over the courtyard, resembling a sea of rolling clouds beneath the moonlight.
Crystal-clear raindrops, strung together like beads of white jade, pattered against the bamboo loft with a melodic ding-dong. Falling onto the leaves of the spirit plants, they rustled softly, weaving a gentle symphony.
When the mist finally dispersed and moonlight shone silently over all, Ji An felt as if he stood upon the surface of a vast lake, ripples spreading out for a fleeting instant.
The sensation vanished in a blink, as though it were an illusion.
The aura feels more nourishing. Mana consumption is reduced by about twenty percent. Duration remains the same, but the area covered has expanded.
Ji An nodded faintly, moonlight catching the faint smile at the corner of his lips.
Tomorrow, he would fully test the spell to see how wide an area it could reach.
At perfection, the Minor Rain technique could already shorten the maturation time of spiritual crops. Now, with its enhanced effect, the results would surely be even greater.
After reaching great perfection, a spell could generate a Dao Seed, deepening one's grasp of its true intent and increasing one's comprehension. Both its practical benefits and its long-term impact on cultivation were immeasurable.
His thoughts spread outward. Ren-water and Gui-water represented the yin and yang aspects of the water element, Gui-water being yin, symbolizing the nourishing rain that sustains all living things.
Ren and Gui Water, Jia and Yi Wood, Bing and Ding Fire, Wu and Ji Earth, Geng and Xin Metal… by that logic, at the very least, he could one day condense ten different Dao Seeds.
A vast future unfolded before him, parting the mists to reveal the faint outline of a grand Dao path.
The bright moon shone wordlessly, silver radiance washing over the mountains. The valley night was cool, but Ji An's heart burned hot.
He closed his eyes, spread his arms wide, and let the surging heat within his chest soar freely.
At dawn, I see the blue seas, at dusk, the mists of Cangwu. I behold the heavens, I climb toward the sun. This world, here I come.
Moonlight carved sharp lines across his face, highlighting the firmness of his features.
When the shadows slanted westward, Ji An returned to his bamboo loft.
Looking inward, he saw two tiny gray seeds, no larger than sesame grains, quietly floating within his Yongquan acupoint.
Circulating the Clear Source Sutra, he noticed that when his spiritual power flowed past the Yongquan point, there was now a subtle difference.
The night passed without incident. At dawn, Ji An ended his cultivation and pushed open the bamboo door, immediately greeted by the fresh fragrance of rain lingering in the mountain air.
But… it hadn't rained last night. He frowned slightly.
His courtyard was filled with fire-aligned spirit plants. After a night of rainfall, the next day's air should have been dry, not moist like this.
Walking outside, he saw the morning mist had already lifted. He kicked at the ground, and dust rose from beneath his feet.
Startled, he rushed back into his courtyard. Breathing deeply of its unusual aura, he clenched his fists tight.
The power of the Dao Seed was already beginning to reveal itself.
Stepping out again, Ji An cast the spell with all his strength over an open space.
What he didn't realize was that as the spell unfolded, the Dao Seed within his Yongquan point shone faintly, an imperceptible aura merging into the flow of his mana.
A billowing white mist formed and expanded rapidly. In just a few breaths, it filled his entire field of vision, covering an area of ten mu!
Compared to last night, he could feel the difference more clearly now. The mist was denser, livelier, almost brimming with vitality.
Previously, raindrops hitting the ground would splash up water and dirt. But today, they seeped straight into the soil, not a speck of mud stirred.
Ji An knew he had opened a window onto something new.
Harvest and planting his spirit fields now covered fifteen mu.
That season, he sowed just one mu of Jadegrain Rice for his own consumption. The rest he filled with talisman grass.
He had discovered another change in the spell: the nourishing effect of the rain lingered for much longer.
This meant fewer castings of the rain spell would be needed over a crop cycle. How much less, exactly, would require careful experiments.
He sent a letter to Mo Cliff Mountain, informing Chen Moxuan and the others that he had important matters to attend to and could not join their hunting expeditions for the time being.
If the number of rain castings decreased, he could free up more mana each day for drawing talismans.
With talisman grass of his own, he could produce more medium-grade talisman paper. Combined with purchases from Wei Songnian, his talisman-making income would soar.
Unless Chen Moxuan's team undertook a major operation, the cost-effectiveness of joining their hunts was now far too low.
He had enough spirit stones. His priority was to reach Qi Refining Ninth Layer as quickly as possible.
When that time came, with greater mana reserves, he could balance both cultivation and wealth accumulation perfectly.
The dawn of the future was already in sight. Ji An was full of drive. His next goal was to hone the Thick Earth Formula and Sharp Gold Art to the stage of great perfection.
The Thick Earth Formula nourished the land; with it, his spirit fields would become more fertile. Higher grain yields were only a small part of the benefit; his courtyard's spirit herbs would also gain years more quickly, and the fruit trees would reach harvest seasons earlier.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
The courtyard basked in warm sunlight. After casting the Thick Earth Formula, Ji An reclined on a chair and practiced the Sharp Gold Art.
Golden light pulsed at his fingertips, a chilling aura of lethal sharpness spreading outward. The spirit-seeking rat, which had been playing nearby, felt the surge of danger; its fur bristled, and it immediately grabbed its wooden toy and scurried far away.
"Junior Brother Ji, are you in?"
A familiar voice called from outside. Ji An was taken aback; it sounded like Chu He.
Strange. Shouldn't he still be out hunting beasts at Mo Cliff Mountain? Why is he back?
He formed a seal, opened the gate's restriction, and strode quickly outside.
"Your courtyard's changed so much, I almost thought you'd moved!"
Chu He laughed. Stepping inside, his expression shifted through surprise, admiration, and amazement.
"When these spirit herbs mature in a few years, you'll make a fortune, Junior Brother."
"That's for the future," Ji An replied with a smile. "Truth be told, if you do the math, planting these Firecloud Ginsengs doesn't earn much more than spirit grain. The only real advantage is that they don't need constant tending."
Daily care could speed up the herbs' aging, but even if ignored for a month, they wouldn't suffer. Spirit grain, however, would lose a large portion of its yield if neglected for that long.
He led his guest into the bamboo loft and asked:
"Did something happen with the squad?"
"The squad's doing fine. If I had to say anything, it's that ever since you left, our income's dropped. Everyone misses having you around."
Ji An chuckled at that.
Chu He raised two fingers and continued:
"This time I'll be staying in the sect for seven or eight days, mainly for two things.
First, to buy ten Geng Metal Talismans and ten Water Curtain Talismans from you.
Second, to deliver a letter to Senior Brother Zhang."
As he spoke, he produced an envelope.
Ji An opened it, and a smile spread across his face.
With the support of his clan's many cultivation resources, Zhang Yuanshan had broken through and successfully formed his Foundation after taking a pill.
The letter was an invitation to attend his Foundation Establishment celebration in five days, to be held at Red Copper Mountain.
"Since Senior Brother Zhang has succeeded, I'll definitely be there for the celebration.
As for the talismans, I happen to have just enough in reserve. I'll give them to you now."
Ji An's mood lifted further. The fact that Zhang Yuanshan had invited him showed that their relationship still held; his senior brother had no intention of distancing himself because of their difference in cultivation realms, at least, not for now.
After they concluded the trade, Chu He cupped his hands and said:
"Remember the date, Junior Brother. We'll go see Senior Brother Zhang together.
I still need to deliver a letter to Senior Sister Zhao, so I'll take my leave here."
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