The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall was extraordinarily lively today, thronged with people as numerous Spirit Farmers transported their harvested Spirit Grain to pay the Sect's land rent.
The crowd formed several long queues, with the space filled with the fragrant aroma of Spirit Rice.
The queue moved slowly; after waiting for about a double hour, it was finally Ji An's turn.
"196 pounds of Spirit Grain, hmm.... The quality isn't bad, so let's count it as 200 pounds of Spirit Grain, which earns you 40 Contribution Points."
Ji An heard the cultivator in charge of weighing and frowned slightly.
On his way here, he distinctly weighed 200 pounds of Yellow Sprout Rice and even added two more handfuls, yet it's a few pounds short now.
"Senior Brother, this doesn't match with my weighing."
The cultivator squinted his eyes, smiling insincerely as he said:
"Junior Brother, you're new here? I suppose your scale must be faulty.
Ask these Senior Brothers behind you; how could the scale at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall be wrong!
You there, say something, is there an issue with the scale here?"
Behind Ji An stood an elderly cultivator, as old as Old Huang.
"Of course, there's nothing wrong with the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall's scale," the old man said with a smile, subtly winking at Ji An.
Ji An pressed his lips together and handed over his Jade Token:
"It must be my scale that was wrong.
Please, Senior Brother, exchange the Contribution Points I earned for three acres of Spirit Grain Seeds and one acre of Basic-level Talisman Grass Seeds."
The people at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall definitely knew there was an issue with their scale, and they also knew these Spirit Farmers were aware of it too. Yet, they still did this blatantly—there must be a gray market benefit chain involved.
Being just a Junior Cultivator at the Third-Layer Qi Refining, he couldn't afford to provoke them now.
He didn't want to trouble Li Changfeng either; such a trivial matter wasn't worth owing a favor.
Besides, in such a public setting, Li Changfeng would certainly still have to stand on the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall's side.
The cultivator took the Jade Token, swiped it on the Spirit Disc, and said with a snide look:
"You really are a new disciple.
200 pounds of Spirit Grain exchanges for 40 Contribution Points, three acres of Spirit Grain Seeds cost 12 Contribution Points, and one acre of Talisman Grass Seeds costs 4 Contribution Points.
Your Jade Token originally had no Contribution Points, leaving you with 24 Contribution Points."
Ji An took the Jade Token and left, heading towards the Library.
The disciples on duty at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall were busy collecting the land rent today and didn't have time to exchange Jade Slips for him.
At the Library, he exchanged 20 Contribution Points for Jade Slips on the making of Talisman Paper and Talisman Ink.
Ji An wasn't in a hurry to leave; taking advantage of today's free time, he found some books on Miscellaneous Records of Cultivation to read, hoping to broaden his horizons.
He got so engrossed he didn't realize the time until the sunset.
Ji An left aboard a Talisman Bird, burdened with thoughts.
The book clearly recorded that the Golden Spirit Sect had migrated here from the Central Continent over two thousand years ago, along with more than twenty other sects, large and small.
After thousands of years of change, only the Golden Spirit Sect, Luofeng Valley, and Yuanhe Mountain remain, while the other sects have vanished.
The book subtly suggested that the migration of the sects wasn't entirely voluntary.
It also mentioned that every few millennia, humans always wage a protracted war with the Demon Race from the mountainous heart of the Western Continent.
Ji An, with his broad perspective from years of reading novels in his past life, grasped one piece of information: If war breaks out again, the sects of the Western Continent would be the buffer zone for the Central Continent forces fighting the Demon Race!
After advancing to the mid-stage of the Qi Refining, he needed to quickly gather enough Contribution Points to exchange for the Attack Technique Jade Slip.
He knew that if a war broke out, everyone in the sect would be affected.
The Golden Spirit Sect has been rooted here for over two thousand years; no one can tell when the next war will occur.
Ji An would rather be seen as a worrywart than be caught in a battle without knowing anything.
At any time, the only one you can truly rely on is yourself.
...
Three acres of Spirit Field, planted with two and a half acres of Spirit Grain and half an acre of Talisman Grass.
The Basic-level Talisman Grass also matures in three months, and by then, he could try making Talisman Paper.
Learning an extra skill like this allows him to utilize his time more efficiently.
Relying on crafting Wood Element Beads across the mountains to earn Crystal Stones was not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also not very rewarding.
Ji An performed consecutive spells, enveloping the three acres of Spirit Field with clouds and mist, as Spirit Rain fell continuously, and the enshrouding water vapor spread.
Nodding with satisfaction, he prepared to leave when he suddenly noticed a familiar figure walking along a nearby path.
He stepped forward, clasped his hands, and smiled, speaking up:
"Seeing Senior Brother Liu again today, it seems Senior Brother has broken through to the Late-stage Qi Refining!"
"Haha, I just broke through last night."
Liu Yu was in great spirits, smiling warmly and nodding kindly.
Ji An's eyes flickered slightly. Since the last time the two met, about 5 months had passed.
Over so much time, Senior Brother's cultivation only advanced from the Sixth-Layer to the Seventh-Layer Qi Refining, quite different from his usual rapid progress. Was the mid-stage Qi Refining bottleneck that hard to break through?
Ji An thought for a moment and said:
"Senior Brother, on the day the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator gave a lecture to new disciples, you didn't go, but I heard a perspective that I'd like to share with you."
He meticulously explained the method Qin Yan had recounted about improving aptitude, closely observing the other's expression.
He noted that the other party's expression remained calm throughout, without the slightest change, realizing that this Secret Technique likely wasn't a secret to him.
Liu Yu listened and then simply smiled, "Thank you for letting me know."
After pondering for a few seconds, he continued,
"I'll also share a little tip with you: Qi Refining disciples with less than Earth-Grade Talent, when breaking through to the mid-stage and late-stage Qi Refining, more or less encounter some bottlenecks.
If time permits, it's best not to purchase pills to break through bottlenecks, and slowly push through them.
Otherwise, it can negatively impact your breakthrough to Foundation Establishment."
Using pills during the Qi Refining bottleneck lowers the probability of a successful Foundation Establishment breakthrough by half a percent compared to those who don't use such pills.
Half a percent might not seem significant, but a Foundation Establishment Pill isn't guaranteed to let a cultivator break through; with bad luck, one pill might not suffice!
The information he mentioned about enhancing aptitude was useless to him, as he already knew it, but he could tell from the Small Cloud Rain Technique's range that the spell had been mastered to Great Success.
This Junior Brother's comprehension of spells was astonishing. With this Spiritual Farmer Talent, he would surely fare well in the future.
In theory, as long as one has enough resources, advancing to Foundation Establishment from Qi Refining isn't difficult; the difference is just timing.
For Immortal Cultivators, Foundation Establishment is the beginning, while Qi Refining is merely the foundation of the Cultivation Realm.
This kind of statement?
Ji An was struck with realization, understanding why it took so long for the other to make this breakthrough.
He became more eager about the idea of apprenticing under a teacher, as without mentors imparting knowledge, he might unwittingly stumble into pitfalls.
"Thank you, Senior Brother, for your guidance; Ji An holds it dearly."
Ji An respectfully saluted, having initially planned to buy pills for a quick breakthrough upon reaching the mid-stage Qi Refining bottleneck. Now he needed to think it over carefully.