Chapter 741 - 582: Half a Year

Ji An waved his hand and instructed:

"Go check the White Jade Bees’ hive and fill up the honey."

He finally found his rhythm at Red Flame Peak; once he gave an order, disciples would handle everything.

Now, puppets could replace several disciples, and the key was confidentiality.

He wasn’t the kind of person who would enslave cultivators to work in a small world; puppets perfectly solved his concern.

The puppet nodded earnestly, picked up the Jade Bottle, and went to the azure land.

From the Grotto Void Stone, Ji An selected the Vajra Bodhi Tree Seed and twelve other seeds.

He rode the clouds in a Flying Escape to the white earth and cleared the Iron Wire Grass to free up some land.

He arranged the spirit seeds neatly, activated the Earth Vein Spirit Ascension Technique, and gentle yellow spirit light spread across the land, permeated with the nourishing breath of the earth element, instantly relaxing Ji An’s Spirit Soul.

The earth element inherently possesses the True Intent of Soul Calming, carrying all living things; it is the birthplace and ultimate resting place of everything.

Ji An quietly sensed the Magic Intent, his thoughts wandering to the innate Spiritual Treasure Wuji Xinghuang Banner.

This Spiritual Treasure, nurtured with the world, possesses incredible power; when unfurled, it gathers ten thousand Golden Lotuses, suitable for attack or defense.

In defense, it can protect both the Dharma Body and the Spirit Soul while nourishing the Spirit Soul.

His magical treasure could only muster Earth Element Qi to protect his body, a far cry from that.

Thinking of this, he suddenly burst out laughing, realizing how overambitious he was.

His Wuji Xinghuang Banner was refined with Tier Two Top-Grade Materials into a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact, advancing to the magical treasure level only after overcoming a Thunder Tribulation, hardly comparable to a Spiritual Treasure.

A Nascent Soul Cultivator’s Lifebound Magical Treasure requires long-term sacrificial refinement to become perfectly in harmony, qualifying it as a Spiritual Treasure, but even then, it’s still inferior to an innate Spiritual Treasure.

Ji An dismissed the vain thought, his hands forming Dharma Seals, his fingers leaving afterimages.

Magical power flowed through the Immortal Vein, nourished by the Water Element Divine Mansion and the Jia Wood Dao Seed, releasing the Green Dragon Water Moon Skill.

The cool radiance of the Moon of Taiyin illuminated the earth, Ji An felt like snowflakes fell into his Sea of Consciousness, creating a comfortable environment for the Spirit Soul.

The spell’s materialized cyan dragon elegantly stretched its long body under the moon, infused with the Magic Intent of Wood Element’s vigorous growth, as its roar burst forth.

At the same time, countless crystalline raindrops sparkled and fell, like countless meteors lighting up the night sky under the moonlight.

Mist rose, obscuring the moonlight, with seedlings sprouting through the earth beneath the veil of fog.

Ji An’s gaze penetrated the mist; witnessing the moment the seed pushed through, an inexplicable emotion surged within.

The power of the Wood Element awakened and sprouted, signifying the arrival of a new cycle.

As the moon set and the mist dispersed, the seedlings stood over two feet tall.

The wind gently sang as it passed, caressing the tender swaying seedling, while the trees’ leaves whispered, as if to cheer on new life.

Ji An, his emotions calmed, returned beside the Gathering Essence Tree to sit cross-legged and began to operate the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture.

The sprouting of seeds signifies the beginning of hope, and he must persist in his cultivation.

He wonders what it feels like to be a Nascent Soul cultivator and wants to experience it firsthand.

It’s not that hope makes one strive; it’s striving that brings hope.

A Spiritual Energy Vortex gathered above him, colorful lights dazzling, with the Gathering Essence Tree shining brilliantly in the glow.

Eight Trigrams patterns surfaced around him, making everything look dreamlike.

At this moment, a different kind of star-studded display played out inside Ji An’s body.

Ten Dao Seeds alternated in flashes, while the vein patterns on the surface of the Five Elements Divine Mansion flowed with radiance.

The outer world and the Little Cosmos within formed a miraculous linkage, with high-frequency vibrations resonating throughout the void.

...

With new puppets managing the Little World, Ji An finally found some free time in daily life, able to lie in a chair and idle for a moment.

Practicing two cultivation techniques, performing magic techniques, tending to spirit fields, and taking on tasks at the Immortal City’s association, life was leisurely and pleasant, temporarily unaffected by the Wulan Mountain incident.

Time flowed like a quietly, gently flowing river; half a year passed before he knew it.

During this time, Ji An capitalized on two Golden Core Thunder Tribulations, gaining a total of eighty-nine points of Dao Rhyme, all used to enhance the tier of the Gathering Essence Tree.

He could feel the life strength of the Gathering Essence Tree reaching a whole new level; perhaps two or three more rounds of Dao Rhyme irrigation would elevate it to a new realm.

In the Little World, one Profound Leaf Sword Bamboo and two Cloud-Top Jade trees ascended to Tier Three Middle Grade; thus, he had six Cloud-Top Jade trees at Tier Three Middle Grade.

Ji An ended his cultivation, smiling as he watched the puppet skillfully prepare Spirit Tea, feeling content.

He returned to the Gathering Essence Tree, lying on the rocking chair, enjoying the leisure time.

A moment later, he left the Little World and came outside the grotto mansion.

At this moment, the moonlight was bright and clear, casting soft, spirit-water-like brilliance on the ground.

Ji An activated a spell to release the Green Dragon Water Moon Skill, the twin moons appeared in the sky, cyan dragon roared, spirit rain fell like threads.

As the magic’s effects faded, the earlier shimmering light seemed dreamlike, leaving the area serene and beautiful.

Ji An stood with his hands behind his back, gazing affectionately at the forest bathed in the gentle, serene glow; this spirit field bore witness to his efforts in Central Continent.

Just then, a majestic dragon’s roar resounded from the spirit field, with the rising Qi Mechanism swirling around.

He followed the sound and saw an Azure Dragon Wood emitting a brilliance far surpassing the surrounding spirit plants.

Ji An naturally understood what was happening here. He strode forward, leaving a trail of afterimages as he moved through the forest.

Arriving beside the spirit wood, he habitually placed his hand on the trunk, feeling its vigorous life force flowing within.

"The first Tier Three Lower Grade Azure Dragon Wood has been born, could the second one be far behind?"

Ji An lightly howled to the moon. Just at that moment, a cloud obscured the moonlight, allowing him to achieve the feat of ’Moon-covering Flower-shaming’.

A golden light descended from afar, reverberating incessantly outside the magic array.

Ji An formed a spell and opened the Dharma Prohibition, leaving a ’S’-shaped trail of the golden light to come to his side.

He raised his hand to catch the Communication Golden Sword, and probed it with his Divine Sense to read the information contained within.

’The first batch of materials for refining Fire Element Pills will arrive at the association by this evening. If you have time, please come to the Immortal City for a meeting tomorrow.

If you are delayed by something urgent, please contact me as soon as possible.’

The owner of the Magic Seal was Feiyun Zhenren, it seemed that there was work to be done.

Ji An’s lips curled slightly into a smile, feeling pleased; it just so happened that he was running low on Fire Element Pills and was thinking of acquiring some spirit medicine to refine a batch.

When drowsiness comes, someone brings a pillow. After submitting enough pills, he could leave some for his own cultivation.

He took out the Communication Golden Sword, entered the information, and then activated it before turning back to his cave mansion with a laugh.

He removed the Gourd Stone Pendant from his neck and held it in his hand, probing with his Divine Sense to touch the ’mechanism’ of the little world. In the next moment, his figure disappeared.

The Gourd Stone floated in the air, its gentle brilliance like the moonlight outside, leaving images of flowers, birds, insects, fish, and stars on the surrounding rock walls.

Sensing the atmosphere in the Gourd World, three magical treasures spontaneously left their owner’s body. The Qilin’s roar was deep and resonant, evoking a vision of majestic mountains.

The Cyan Dragon’s roar was full of vibrant yang energy, carrying an overwhelming vitality that felt like the growth of ten thousand trees.

The Fire Phoenix’s screech was short and explosive, making it feel as if one was amidst a sea of fire.

Ji An ignored these playful magical treasures and sat cross-legged under the Gathering Essence Tree to begin cultivating the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture.

Mastery comes through diligent effort and is lost to indolence. Even with the help of the Stone Turtle and the little world, he dared not slack off.

Fortunately, his cultivation path was smooth without encountering any bottlenecks; otherwise, he would still be fretting in some remote corner.

Seizing the opportunity to advance quickly now would allow him to confront future bottlenecks with ease, given the ample lifespan he had as a foundation.

As the cultivation technique operated, wind and cloud surged in the little world, and brilliance filled the sky.

...

At 7:00 AM the next day, Ji An appeared punctually at the entrance of the Cloud Sea Immortal City Certification Association.

He easily found his way to Feiyun Zhenren’s room and greeted him with a bow, saying:

"There is no change in Zhenren’s elegance despite the time that has passed. Your beauty remains as ever, truly a technique for retaining youth."

Feiyun Zhenren’s eyes curved like crescent moons, dimples appearing on her cheeks:

"You usually don’t flatter people like this. Keep saying such things, it makes me very happy."

As the friendship between the two grew deeper, they spoke to each other more relaxedly.

After a few exchanges, Ji An asked:

"I have been eagerly waiting for this day to come. How many furnaces of materials were shipped this time?"

Refining Fire Element Pills could earn him rewards, and selling each pill could also earn him rewards, doubling his happiness.

Feiyun Zhenren did not keep him in suspense, and said with excitement:

"Four hundred furnaces’ worth of materials, and each furnace can produce five pills."

She had earnestly counted the materials last night. With so many materials, she intended to have only the most trusted alchemists refine them.

If Ji An were not the owner of the Pill Formula and possessed the Cyan Lotus Heart-Burning Fire, he might not have been invited.

Hearing this, a smile also spread across Ji An’s face:

"What is the pricing for the Fire Element Pills, has the association given any information?"

His interests were linked to the price, as he could earn half a profit and ten Contribution Points for each successfully sold Fire Element Pill, so he was very concerned about this issue.

"After discussing at the Alchemist Division of the Association Headquarters, the price of the Fire Element Pill is set at thirty percent of that of the Spirit Rhinoceros Quenching Essence Pill.

Feiyun Zhenren replied:

"The ordinary quality Fire Element Pill is priced at twenty Top-grade Spirit Stones each, while the high-quality pills are twenty-five. This pricing is unified across the Central Continent."

Ji An quickly calculated in his mind: with four hundred furnaces of pills, and assuming a forty percent pill formation success rate, he could produce eight hundred pills.

Calculating all as ordinary quality, he could receive eight hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones and eight thousand Contribution Points. This was the most conservative estimate, and the final benefit would surely far exceed this number.

"How many furnaces can I take back to Black Stone Mountain for refining?"

"Ten furnaces, and after completing the refining, you can apply for more."

Feiyun Zhenren believed that he wouldn’t run away with the pills, so she generously permitted him ten furnaces, while other cultivators could take no more than three or four.

"Then give me ten portions of materials!"