Chapter 804: From Entry to Great Perfection

Master Lie Yang left the room, then soon returned, handing over a jade bottle with a frost-white luster:

“This is the Gui Water Meridian Cleansing Pill. Fellow Daoist, are you planning to buy it with Spirit Stones or in some other way?”

“Of course with Contribution Points.”

Ji An took out his Alchemist Jade Token. Over these decades he had accepted many tasks from the association and obtained a large number of Contribution Points, but had barely used any, saving them all up to exchange for Pill Formulas of the Late-Stage Golden Core level.

Master Lie Yang knew his situation. He took the Jade Token and said:

“It will cost twenty-six thousand Contribution Points. I think hoarding this many Contribution Points is a bit of a waste. Better to let them show their value now.”

Ji An shook his head. “Don’t try to talk me into it. What I can exchange for right now is actually of little use to me.”

He picked up the jade bottle, poured the Pill into his palm to inspect it for a moment, then put it away.

The very first thing to do once he returned was to raise the Cyan Water Turtle’s Realm; he couldn’t let it keep dragging down the average strength of his Beast Taming team.

Master Lie Yang deducted the Contribution Points and handed the Jade Token back, saying:

“I’ve received word that in a few months there will be a batch of Vajra Pills that need Refining. I can allocate fifty furnaces to you. How about it?”

“If there are Contribution Points to earn, I naturally have no objections.”

The Contribution Points Ji An had saved were still some distance away from being enough to exchange for Pills of the Late-Stage Golden Core level, so he still couldn’t relax.

“How are things now in the Wulan Mountain region? I haven’t been conscripted again in all these years; seems like the situation is looking good.”

The area shrouded in Demon Fog had expanded quite a lot, so in relative terms the concentration had dropped somewhat.

Master Lie Yang lightly waved his hand. “Fellow Daoist, there is something you may not know. The conscription follows certain rules.”

He lowered his voice and continued:

“The Nascent Soul Daoist Monarchs’ goal is to train troops. If you perform well enough in the Wulan Mountain region, you won’t be conscripted again for the time being. The aim is to let as many Cultivators as possible learn how True Demons and demon lords fight, and how to respond to them. That way, once the war breaks out in full, everyone will already be veterans, the casualty rate won’t be too high, and the war won’t end too quickly. We must ensure the Human Race retains enough war potential. By the way, Fellow Daoist, you stayed in Wulan Mountain before—did you ever see how Cultivators who cultivate Demons actually fight?”

Ji An shook his head. “No.”

It was only after leaving Wulan Mountain that he happened to learn from Zhenyue Daoist Master what kind of plan the Daoist Monarchs had set in motion.

He held their decision in very high regard; the Nascent Soul Powers were preparing for the True Demon Tribulation in an orderly fashion, which reassured him greatly.

In the last battle with the True Demon Realm, the Cultivation Realm had held the upper hand. After tens of thousands of years of development, the overall strength of the Cultivation Realm was now even greater, so it had even less reason to suffer a crushing defeat.

Master Lie Yang sighed. “Looks like the secrecy has been handled quite well. The area of the Wulan Mountain region is now much larger, yet the demand for Vajra Pills and other Pills that purify contamination has been decreasing year by year. Chatting with Master Qingfeng, I also learned that demand for resources like Purifying Talismans is showing a downward trend. In the future, even if war fully erupts, the Cultivation Realm as a whole will suffer a much lighter impact.”

This was good news. Once the fighting between the two worlds broke out in full, Golden Core Cultivators would also have to tread carefully.

Now that the most dangerous tasks were being taken on by others, the Cultivation Realm could preserve more of its strength.

Ji An said solemnly:

“That’s as good as it gets. But I worry about one thing: the enemies in the True Demon Realm are not sitting idle either. If that’s the case, we need to prepare even more thoroughly.”

Master Lie Yang laughed. “That’s something for the Daoist Monarchs to consider. We just need to do our part.”

Ji An also smiled. “You worry about matters only as big as your capabilities. That’s not bad either.”

…

Ji An returned to the Black Stone Grotto Mansion and entered the Gourd World.

He had barely stepped into this land of hope when the Wuji Xinghuang Banner and the other two Magical Treasures flew out.

Ji An watched the Cyan Dragon and Fire Phoenix fly off into the distance, and felt it was about time to seek out Wan Jinrong to discuss raising the Magical Treasure Tier.

But when he turned this over in his mind, he suppressed the thought again. If he waited two more years and went to look for Wan Jinrong after his sectmates arrived in the Central Continent aboard the Merchant Flying Ship, that would be better.

Ji An rode a Spirit Cloud, using Flying Escape to the air above the pond, drawing close to the surface. Then he dispelled the clouds and mist, took out the Water-Resistant Bead, and dove to the bottom of the pond.

Several Pure Water Lotus plants swayed their leaves in the water; they had all already reached the Tier Three Middle Grade level.

Ji An felt that using the Lotus Seeds instead of the sap from the Celestial Essence Pear tree could produce Thunder Beads of a higher Tier, but it was destined that he wouldn’t do such a thing—it was too extravagant.

Besides, he possessed powerful Magic Techniques himself, so his need for Thunder Beads was not urgent.

Borrowing the Spirit Light released by the Pure Water Lotus, Ji An searched until he found Lan Bei, which had buried itself in the mud.

He formed the Object Control Technique, hauled his Beast Taming companion out, and took out the Gui Water Meridian Cleansing Pill, waving it before its eyes.

The lazy Spirit Turtle immediately opened its eyes wide, a burning light flowing through its gaze.

It grew excited, because it felt a throb deep in its bloodline, and a sudden inexplicable hunger stirred within its body.

It began communicating with its master mentally, voicing the longing in its heart.

Ji An lightly patted the Cyan Water Turtle’s grotesque head, its blue skin rough under his palm, and spoke gently:

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

The Cyan Water Turtle’s head bobbed rapidly several times, the light in its eyes growing even more fervent. No Demon Beast could remain calm when faced with a chance to elevate its bloodline.

Ji An took out a Tier Two Top-Grade Celestial Essence Pear and warned:

“Don’t finish it. A small bite is enough.”

The Water Turtle’s skin was tough and its flesh thick, but even it could not withstand High-Tier Spirit Fruit Spiritual Qi erupting inside its body; the internal organs are the most fragile place for any living creature.

He stretched out his hand and passed the Spirit Fruit over. The Cyan Water Turtle opened its mouth wide, as if it could swallow his entire palm.

Lan Bei restrained its impatience and only took a small bite. As the fruit slid down into its belly, the Demon Qi it emitted began to slowly climb.

After roughly a little more than half a double hour, the intensity of its Demon Qi lingered within a certain range.

Ji An sliced away half of the Spirit Fruit in his hand and tossed it out together with the Pill.

He used a touch of clever force; the Pill and Spirit Fruit were almost touching, their flight trajectories exactly the same, and the point of impact landed right beside Lan Bei’s mouth.

Lan Bei opened its maw, swallowing both Pill and Spirit Fruit, then casually chewed a few times with its sharp teeth and gulped them down into its stomach.

A short moment later, with this replenishment, Lan Bei’s Demonic Power climbed again. Though the ascent was extremely slow, it was increasing with every passing instant.

Thus it continued for another half an hour. Its stagnant Demonic Power suddenly swelled like a balloon, and its body underwent a change as if being torn apart in that instant.

Its head grew even more ferocious, its sharp claws gleaming with a cold, icy light. Its neck stretched out long, arrogantly looking toward the distant, restless Swimming Fish outside.

The color of the Cyan Water Turtle’s shell became even more deep and shadowy, with mysterious patterns appearing here and there, each resembling drifting snowflakes.

When it noticed the gaze its master cast toward it, it immediately lowered its head humbly, pressing its skull against the mud and sand below.

“Not bad. Your accumulation was very rich; everything has come naturally.”

Ji An tossed out the remaining Spirit Fruit. “Hurry and stabilize your Realm. Tomorrow it’s your turn together with Golden Fur to guard the Grotto Mansion; you can’t be absent.”

The Cyan Water Turtle revealed a hint of grievance, but its master could no longer see it.

…

Ji An broke the surface of the water, rode a black Spirit Cloud up into the air, and happened to hear the distant bleating of deer.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. At present, the Cyan Deer’s Demonic Power growth had fallen into a bottleneck; after accumulating a few more years of foundation, it could use Pills to attempt a breakthrough.

The black Lingyun let out rushing water sounds as it flew in escape, as if applauding.

Ji An landed beneath the Gathering Essence Tree and instructed:

“Brew a pot of Enlightenment Tea.”

The Enlightenment Tree grew very slowly within the Little World, yet it had always flourished, and now it had reached Tier Three Upper Grade level.

This was because he had spent nearly three hundred points of Dao Rhyme to help raise the Spirit Wood’s Tier; otherwise, it would have been impossible for it to advance to Top-grade.

This Spirit Tree absolutely must not be exposed. From now on, he would not take even a single leaf of it out of the Gourd World.

If the cultivators of the Golden Puppet Pavilion found out, who knew what might happen.

Spirit Plants that other forces could hardly cultivate successfully could be nurtured here by him; this would inevitably provoke others’ covetousness.

The Puppet immediately moved into action, lighting the Wind Furnace to boil Spirit Tea.

The charcoal used was cut from a Tier Three Biluo Tree and fired on the crimson land—this was how extravagant he was.

In the Little World, once a Biluo Tree was planted, it needed only a dozen years to advance to Tier Three level; Ji An had plenty of capital.

After spending merely a quarter hour, the Puppet brought over the amber-colored Spirit Tea. The tea soup was crystal-clear and lustrous, faint fragrance wafting in all directions; just smelling it made one’s spirit stir.

Ji An savored a few sips of Spirit Tea, feeling as though his Divine Mansion was drifting upward. Then he began gulping it down, and very soon finished the entire pot.

He personally lit the Purple Sandalwood Soul Nourishing Incense and took out the Magic Technique Jade Slip for Golden Stone Firmness.

This was a Defense Magic, and among them the quantity of Qian and Dui Spirit Mechanisms was the greatest, so of course it had to be placed first for research.

Two double hours later, Ji An formed the Spell with his fingers; Magical Power spurted out from the Golden Core in his Dantian and circulated through his Immortal Veins along a specific route.

Silvery patterns appeared on the surface of his body—on his face, his palms, and likewise upon the skin hidden beneath his Daoist Robe.

The spell was successfully cast on the first attempt; this was the result of his years of accumulation.

Ji An felt his skin become more taut, his complexion as if bathed in bright, clear moonlight.

Calming his mind, he sank his consciousness into his Dantian and linked with the Stone Turtle; characters like silver hooks and iron strokes surfaced within his Sea of Consciousness.

[Magic Technique: Golden Stone Firmness (Entry 1%)…]

‘Heh heh, next comes the time to witness a miracle.’

Ji An laughed a few times inwardly and issued an order:

“Refining Spirit Mechanism, enhance Golden Stone Firmness.”

His Divine Sense was drawn into the Stone Turtle’s Profound Mysterious Space. He found himself standing between the Qian Position and Dui Position, the Spirit Mechanisms rapidly being consumed as comprehension of the Magic Technique surged through his heart.

Ji An focused his entire attention, doing his utmost to digest the insights and understandings.

Time did not flow here; he had no sense of how long had passed. But once he felt he had departed from the Stone Turtle Space, his head seemed to split with pain.

This was caused by stuffing too much knowledge into his head in a short period. Such a situation had occurred before, but it had not happened for many years.

Ji An greedily drew in breaths of Spiritual Qi laden with the Purple Orchid Soul Nourishing Incense. The symptoms of his headache slowly eased, and he immediately linked to the Stone Turtle again.

The Soul Nourishing Wood and Golden Leaf Padauk had likewise been upgraded by him with Dao Rhyme to Tier Three Upper Grade, since Incense was something he used frequently.

[Magic Technique: Golden Stone Firmness (Entry 1% → Perfection 100%)]