Chapter 675 - 533: When Fortune Smiles, Heaven and Earth Lend a Hand

Perhaps it’s because the Golden Spirit Sect did not exhibit aggression, or perhaps other forces have no intention of confronting them, the Western Continent remains peaceful, at least on the surface.

The higher-ups of various small powers all breathed a sigh of relief, especially those in the forces bordering the major sects.

When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the pond suffer. If the Western Continent descends into chaos, these small powers will be the first affected.

Small boats fear storms, while big ships find it hard to turn.

Time flies, the seasons change, and five years have dissipated into the dusts of time like clouds and smoke.

In the morning, Red Flame Peak was still shrouded in a veil-like mist.

Ji An walked out of the grotto mansion, glanced down unintentionally, and saw a sparkling radiance rising at the foot of the mountain.

He was momentarily stunned, immediately summoned the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, and flew down swiftly towards the flickering radiance.

It was the center of the Fire Element Spirit Plant Garden, and he hadn’t even reached above the fruit clusters when his gaze was drawn to a Spiritual Peach Tree inside.

He suddenly activated the spiritual artifact, and his speed surged once more, arriving beside the Spiritual Peach Tree in the next moment.

The gray bark of the peach tree cracked open, revealing a layer of dark fire-red inside, which was the new bark.

Its leaves were as crystalline as jade, emitting gentle radiance that blended perfectly into the mist.

The color of the leaf veins seemed like frostbitten maple leaves or burning flames.

The red against green was strikingly eye-catching and exceptionally charming.

Below the spirit tree, some walnut-sized green fruits had fallen, which were still hanging steadily on the tree branches yesterday.

"Dong!"

Accompanied by a soft sound, a small peach dropped to the ground, its skin somewhat wrinkled, as if dehydrated, similar to other fruits lying on the ground.

Ji An couldn’t afford to feel distressed over the fallen spirit fruits; he dashed to the Spiritual Peach Tree and placed his hand on its trunk.

Sensing the abundant Fire Spirit Power coursing through the trunk, Ji An clenched his fist tightly.

"Yay!"

An active transformation was underway inside the Spiritual Peach Tree, and when this transformation completed, it would signify that this Spirit Wood had broken through to Tier Three!

The first Tier Three spirit plant at Red Flame Peak had appeared, but it would certainly not be the last.

Happiness is just that sudden, or perhaps it is the fruit of one’s efforts leading to success; at this moment, Ji An’s excitement was boundless.

He took out several Communication Golden Swords and recorded the scene within them, adding a message.

"At Red Flame Peak, come quickly!"

...

Two double hours later.

The Teleportation Array lit up with brilliance, as if distorting time and space, and in the next moment, Daoist Master Zhengyang and Master Yuxiao appeared within the array.

Ji An saluted, "Senior Brother, when did you return?"

"Returned to the sect at midnight last night."

Master Yuxiao responded, originally stationed at Red Rock Immortal City in the Far North.

Daoist Master Zhengyang waved his hand and said eagerly:

"Save the catch-up for later, Junior Brother, quickly take us to see it."

From the pattern on the Communication Golden Sword, he recognized it was a Spiritual Peach, but had never seen such a splendid Spiritual Peach.

Although the other party had not revealed more information, he knew he was about to witness history.

Ji An did not hold back, lest he might be reprimanded, and turned around with an extended arm, "Senior Brother, please follow me."

Three red clouds rose and then settled, Daoist Master Zhengyang placed his hand on the trunk of the Spiritual Peach Tree, and the smile never left his face.

Master Yuxiao similarly inspected the situation of the Spirit Wood, furrowing his eyebrows and rubbing his hands, saying:

"I have a question, given that this Spiritual Peach can be cultivated to Tier Three, why hasn’t the Canglan Mist Pine on Yunhe Mountain reached Tier Three? Is it merely because it’s a Treasure Plant that it grows so slowly?"

He had many doubts in his heart, considering the Purple Gold Phoenix Wood and Star Tree had both reached Tier Three, while only the Canglan Mist Pine remained at Tier Two Top Grade.

Daoist Master Zhengyang nodded, "Actually, I have this doubt too; could it be an inherent deficiency of the Canglan Mist Pine?"

The Canglan Mist Pine had been growing on Yunhe Mountain for over a thousand years, logically its accumulated foundation should be sufficient, at least deeper than that of this Spiritual Peach.

Ji An pondered for a moment and said:

"In fact, I had this hypothesis a long time ago, but now that the Spiritual Peach Tree has reached Tier Three, I believe this hypothesis should be correct.

Everyone knows that the success rate of transplanting a spirit plant decreases once it reaches Tier Two.

There are recorded cases of successful transplantation of Tier Two Low-grade Spirit Plants, but beyond Tier Two Middle Grade, the only outcome of transplantation is the spirit plant’s death."

"This is very abnormal. Logically, the higher the tier of a spirit plant, the more tenacious its life should be.

The current explanation in the Cultivation Realm for this phenomenon is that Tier Two and above spirit plants form a peculiar symbiotic relationship with the land they grow on.

This causes the spirit plants to lack a certain mysterious substance essential for survival after changing their growing region, leading to easy death. I believe this explanation is reasonable."

Ji An earnestly looked into the eyes of the two and continued:

"Based on the previous argument, I think that an unobservable mysterious energy exists in Tier Three Spirit Fields.

And the presence of this energy is crucial for a spirit plant’s growth to Tier Three."

Daoist Master Zhengyang chimed in:

"An interesting hypothesis, quite internally consistent."

The Purple Gold Phoenix Wood grows on Sunrise Peak, the Star Tree grows on Red Copper Mountain, both thriving on the Tier Three node of the southern main spiritual vein.

The Star Tree is located on Yunhe Mountain, which sits on the northern main spiritual vein of the sect, but none of this vein’s nodes are Tier Three.

Daoist Master Yuxiao nodded slightly and said:

"So, as long as Yunhe Mountain becomes a Tier Three spiritual vein node, it won’t take many years for the Canglan Mist Pine to be promoted to Tier Three."

Ji An nodded solemnly, "Theoretically, that’s the case."

Daoist Master Yuxiao’s lips curved into a smile, "There are signs of the spiritual mechanism on Yunhe Mountain gradually stirring. Based on past experiences, the tier can be improved in less than half a year. Let’s wait and see."

Daoist Master Zhengyang was equally smiling, expressing:

"It feels like since the Demon Calamity ended, the sect’s fortune has surged to the heavens, with good things arriving one after another, resembling a time when heaven and earth united in power."

The establishment of the Agricultural Hall shortened the cultivation cycle of spiritual medicine and spirit plants while improving their quality, promoting the development of the Dan Ding Institute.

Subsequently, the sect underwent reforms, with halls like the Artifact Refining Hall, Puppet Hall, and Array Hall entering a fast track of development.

Currently, the sect already owns three Tier Three spirit plants, and there will be a continuous cultivation of Tier Three spirit plants.

On Red Flame Peak, there is a Phoenix Wood, a Tier Four spirit plant, accompanied by Cyan Leaf Red Lotus, capable of nurturing the Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire.

The sect possesses two Soul Nourishing Woods, and the Cloud-Top Jade Tree is being planted widely. In the future, the number of Ghost Moon Cyan Jade Trees will also gradually increase.

Given time, these will form the foundation for the sect’s Nascent Soul!

However, many challenges lie ahead, with solving the cultivation technique inheritance being a top priority. Without a cultivation technique that directly points to the Nascent Soul Great Dao, it’s impossible to give birth to a Nascent Soul Daoist Master.

Such secret techniques are precisely what top forces strive to lock down, so we must find an alternate path.

Moreover, as Foundation Establishment cultivators increase, it won’t be long before the sect’s spirit fields are insufficiently distributed.

Expansion is a must, whether internally among the Human Race or externally by attacking demon beast territories, and plans should be made early.

Daoist Master Zhengyang is more inclined to attack the Ten Thousand Mountains, as internal power struggles within the Human Race would cause many adverse effects, and more importantly, what can be gained is not worth the risk.

After visiting the Spiritual Peach Tree, Ji An said:

"Senior Brother, you rarely come to Red Flame Peak, let’s go to the living room to sample the rich tea and fine wine here."

Daoist Master Zhengyang waved his hand and enthusiastically said:

"No, let’s go to Red Flame Peak together; I want to explore the Earth Lung Fire Vein again."

"With our strength, it’s not enough to delve deep into the magma lake."

"Hehe, I’m prepared for this; Junior Brother Yuxiao, bring out our treasure."

Daoist Master Yuxiao took out a fist-sized crimson treasure bead and said:

"Three years ago, when I went to Red Rock Immortal City, Senior Brother issued an order to seek an artifact refiner to create a Tier Three middle-grade fireproof bead."

Ji An suddenly widened his eyes, unable to comprehend the purpose of refining a Tier Three middle-grade supporting magical treasure.

However, since the Sect Leader is not senile, there must be a reason.

Daoist Master Zhengyang didn’t keep them in suspense, revealing his guess:

"Red Flame Peak erupts repeatedly, and the sprayed spiritual objects are of increasingly higher levels, surpassing the tier of the spiritual vein itself. I believe a dried-up high-tier spiritual vein is buried deep within the earth vein.

If this speculation is correct, that dried-up spiritual vein is at least at the Tier Three lower-grade level."

"I see, I never imagined this!"

Ji An said, if the guess is wrong, the sect can still obtain a supporting magical treasure as a consolation prize.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!"

...

By the deepest part of Red Flame Peak’s magma lake, Daoist Master Zhengyang took out a dark jade bottle and solemnly instructed:

"Junior Brother, this is five thousand years old stone milk, capable of rapidly replenishing magical power.

As you delve deeper into the magma lake, the consumption of spiritual power will increase sharply. Ensure that your body has sufficient magical power.

Stone milk is scarce; only a dozen drops remain, so please use it sparingly."

Initially, he planned to go down to explore because he had the highest cultivation and the most abundant magical power, but Daoist Master Yuxiao insisted on going down to scout.

He knew Junior Brother worried about his physical condition.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, his condition had indeed started declining over the years, and his qi and blood power was no longer abundant.

Daoist Master Yuxiao accepted the jade bottle and said with a smile:

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother, I know my limits. If my magical power is insufficient to complete the exploration task, I won’t push myself.

Then, senior brother, it’ll be your turn."

He input magical power into the fireproof bead, causing the treasure bead to shine brilliantly, revealing crimson-gold symbol patterns.

A semi-transparent crimson magical power shield appeared centered on his body, with dark red stripes composing a turtle shell-like design.

The moment the shield appeared, the magma was pushed aside at the pond’s edge.

Ji An spoke deeply:

"Senior Brother, be careful."

His cultivation is at the first-layer Golden Core, making him the one with the least amount of magical power among the three, otherwise he would be doing this task.

Daoist Master Yuxiao smiled, "The artifact refiner did a great job; this magical treasure has two extra layers of treasure prohibition compared to a normal Tier Three middle-grade fireproof bead. I can handle the exploration task!"

After speaking, his body sank into the magma lake and disappeared from sight.