Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Chapter 103: Chapter 101: Red Flame Peak

Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

Ji An came to issue a recruitment task. This kind of task is lucrative, and it won’t take long to find a satisfactory candidate.

The disciple on duty saw that a Foundation Establishment Stage Junior Martial Uncle had arrived and didn’t dare to neglect, inviting him to the second floor.

The room was filled with the fragrance of tea, and Tian Qingbai laughed and said:

“Since it’s Senior Sister Ge’s medicinal garden recruiting disciples for daily management, I’ll help keep an eye out and select the most suitable ones from the best.”

“Thanks for the trouble, Senior Brother.”

Ji An nodded slightly and took a sip of tea from his cup.

“Good tea, its color is like leaves dipped in autumn hues, gently shimmering with amber light, with a mellow taste that goes down smoothly, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste.”

Feeling the spiritual Qi inside him becoming more active, Ji An began contemplating cultivating several tea trees with different flavors once he’d chosen a suitable grotto mansion.

Imagine brewing a pot of spirit tea after cultivation, lying on a chair, letting his thoughts drift with the tea fragrance, quietly watching the evening light transform the mountains and fields into two worlds of light and shadow, listening to birds chirping as they flit across the sky above; it’s certainly an enjoyable thing.

“Junior Brother is also someone who appreciates tea. Take some with you when you leave.

Haha, let’s get closer in the future.”

Tian Qingbai’s smile squinted his eyes to the size of soybeans, pitch-black without any white, twirling like a field mouse.

“As long as Senior Brother doesn’t mind me disturbing.”

Ji An responded warmly, thinking it wouldn’t be right not to visit a few more times after paying five spirit stones before.

The two chatted about everything from the South Sea to the Heavenly Mountains. Tian Qingbai was at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment, and his knowledge was quite extensive.

After two quarters of an hour, Ji An subtly exhaled a breath. The conversation had been fruitful and broadened his horizons, realizing one should never underestimate anyone.

“Senior Brother, I must take my leave now. I have some matters to attend to.”

“I greatly enjoyed our conversation today, Junior Brother. Do visit me when you have time.”

Tian Qingbai no longer hoped to advance further on the Immortal Path and had plenty of free time.

As he spoke, he took a celadon jar painted with a landscape from the wooden shelf behind him and stuffed it into Ji An’s hand:

“This tea is called ’New Rain on the Empty Mountain,’ a top-grade spirit tea of Tier One, a gift for Junior Brother.”

“How can I accept this, Senior Brother? It wouldn’t be right.”

Ji An held the porcelain jar, waving his hand.

“No need to be polite; you and I feel like old friends upon our first meeting. Let’s interact more in the future and support each other.”

“It’s better to accept than to decline, Senior Brother. Farewell.”

“Walk slowly, Junior Brother,” Tian Qingbai murmured, rubbing his chin, his eyes slightly narrowed.

’His Foundation Establishment Pill still has five years before it’s released, yet he’s already achieved Foundation Establishment. It seems Senior Sister Ge holds him in high regard.

Another Foundation Establishment cultivator under thirty, the sect indeed has a trend of flourishing in recent years.’

The cry of a grey-feathered sand goose sounded, and he walked to the window to watch its distant silhouette, smiling wryly:

“Just bought spirit tea for more than thirty spirit stones, and I’ve made a loss!”

…

The mount slowed down, gently descending to the mountainside. This was Lingxiao Mountain, located in the inner circle of the sect, near the core area.

Ji An stepped into the Diligence Hall, bowing to an elder cultivator resting with closed eyes:

“Senior Brother, I am Ji An, fortunate to have successfully established a Foundation and am here to exchange for a sect Jade Token.”

The Diligence Hall, as the name implies, is for diligent work; it’s the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Once disciples attain Foundation Establishment, they become the backbone of the sect, truly starting to enjoy sect benefits.

Of course, they also have obligations to fulfill.

The good thing is that, unlike during the Qi Refining Stage, where there were mostly obligations, they have more benefits.

“Strange, isn’t it not yet time to distribute the Foundation Establishment Pills? How did you achieve Foundation Establishment?”

The elder cultivator opened his cloudy eyes, took a look at the person standing in front, and extended his hand:

“Hand it over.”

Ji An handed over his jade token.

“Age twenty-eight, under the tutelage of Ge Ying… My surname is Ye, and my name is Changqing—just call me Old Ye.

Junior Brother, you’re impressive. Achieving Foundation Establishment under thirty grants you second-class treatment; your future is limitless.”

“Senior Brother Ye!”

Ji An cupped his fists, thinking there’s no way he should call him ’Old Ye’—that’s just trying to take advantage of him.

Ye Changqing took out a palm-sized cyan jade token, within which lines were faintly visible, indicating it was densely inscribed with Dharma prohibitions.

“Junior Brother, force out a drop of essence blood onto it.”

Saying this, Ye Changqing handed over a silver needle magical artifact.

Ji An received the jade token and the silver needle, pricked his finger, then, under the other’s guidance, forced out a droplet of essence blood.

The essence blood was like lead and mercury, its luster gleaming brightly. It quickly seeped into the jade token upon contact.

“Each Foundation Establishment cultivator’s jade token is unique and connected to the sect’s Map of Mountains and Rivers.

Within a radius of five thousand miles centered on the sect’s Sunrise Peak, the position of each jade token can be displayed on the Map of Mountains and Rivers.

The jade token must be kept close to your person and not stored in a storage bag; otherwise, it affects positioning.”

“Through the jade token, you can also send an emergency transmission. If you encounter irresistible danger, immediately request rescue from the sect, and the Law Enforcement Hall will quickly respond to aid.

The Law Enforcement Hall is equipped with Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, which is two points faster than a sword cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection.

But, junior martial brother, you must remember that communication can only be effective within the sect’s jurisdiction.”

Under the guidance of the other party, Ji An learned how to activate the communication, finally feeling the sense of security brought by joining the sect.

If I encountered a tribulation cultivator with such a jade token at that time, would I have needed to expend so many talismans?

Or not, having such a jade token means I already reached Foundation Establishment and would not need to call for help from the sect to accomplish the feat of tearing apart a tribulation cultivator.

“Please follow me, hehe, we’ve arrived at the most exciting part, choosing a cultivation cave mansion.”

Ye Changqing walked up to the second floor, with Ji An closely following, discovering a round table with a diameter of about ten feet and a few chairs scattered around it.

On the tabletop lay a round piece of white jade, within which various images could be seen, including towering mountain peaks and secluded valleys, and even flowing streams and deep pools.

“This is the Mountain and River Map magical artifact, the sect supposedly has several of these, all capable of locating Foundation Establishment cultivators.

I know there’s one in the Law Enforcement Hall, with disciples watching over it day and night, and if a cultivator calls for help, the Mountain and River Map can even emit a sound alert.”

“Junior martial brother, look, the differently colored light points in the Mountain and River Map represent individual spirit vein nodes, that is, the locations of the cultivation cave mansions.

Green light points indicate the cave mansions are empty, red light points show someone has already occupied them.

And those yellow light points scattered at the edge suggest they have been rented out to cultivators or families outside the sect.”

Within the Mountain and River Map, red light points made up the majority, with only about a hundred green light points, and seven or eight yellow light points.

Ji An exclaimed, “The sect is also engaged in a rental business?”

Ye Changqing grinned and said:

“Junior martial brother, you may not know, although these cave mansion’s spirit vein nodes aren’t bad, they have various issues and aren’t the best places for cultivation.

Foundation Establishment cultivators are unwilling to use them, and Qi Refining disciples cannot withstand the Spiritual Mechanism there.

Besides, these spirit vein nodes are all branches, located at the sect’s periphery. Renting them out can fetch some spirit stones, otherwise, they’d just be ornamental.”

“Tell me, junior martial brother, what are your requirements, I’ll help you advise.”

Having a targeted purpose makes selecting much quicker, otherwise, one needs to compare them one by one, delaying his rest.

Ji An thought for a while and jokingly said:

“Is there such a place where Earth Fire erupts, Golden Wind is fierce, mountains are spiritual and clear, and streams gather into lakes.”

If a place manifests the Power of the Five Elements, then the Stone Turtle can absorb eight types of Spiritual Mechanism.

Ye Changqing’s eyes drooped, seemingly in contemplation.

After a while, he suddenly looked up:

“Believe it or not, such a cave mansion does exist.”

Really exists? This time it was Ji An’s turn to be astonished.

Ye Changqing pointed to a yellow point in the northwest on the Mountain and River Map and said solemnly:

“This place is called Red Flame Peak, completely meeting junior martial brother’s requirements, and it’s a Tier Two Lower Grade spirit vein.

However, when the sun rises daily, the fierce Golden Wind and blazing Fire Element are too dominant, making nature’s spiritual energy infected with this explosive and sharp Qi Mechanism too domineering, not suitable for cultivation.

Forced cultivation there can inevitable harm the Immortal Vein and damage the foundation; only waiting for nighttime after the Golden Crow sets or early morning is suitable for cultivation.”

Ji An’s eyes lit up, if the Stone Turtle can truly absorb multiple Spiritual Mechanisms, it would not matter to continue using a Spirit Capturing Array for cultivation during the day.

Spending some spirit stones is nothing; quickly comprehending Magic Intent and assisting in understanding cultivation techniques is the proper course.

“Senior brother, since the sect has already rented it out, how long must I wait to settle in?”

“Since it’s needed by our own people, the sect will naturally favor us, at most waiting three months.

There was an agreement at the time of rental; if a sect cultivator chooses these cave mansions, the spirit stones will be refunded to the tenant according to the agreement, but the tenant must move out within three months.

Those able to rent these Dao Fields usually have some intricate network of connections; the sect prefers not directly evicting them.”

Ji An pondered slightly, then said:

“Senior brother, please recommend a few places rich in Wood Element Spiritual Energy, and I’ll personally inspect them, choosing the one that best meets my needs.”

“Certainly, the procedure is that cultivators choose their cave mansion and then personally go inspect it; once moved in, they can’t back out.”

Ye Changqing pointed out two places with green light points, provided detailed locations, and said with a smile:

“Junior martial brother, go inspect them yourself; let me know a few days later. Now, let’s go to the Soul Hall to light the Soul Lamp.”

The Soul Lamp can monitor a cultivator’s condition, with bright flames indicating all is well, dim flames suggesting severe injuries or life is withered, extinguished flames signifying death.

The two exited the Diligence Hall through the back door, and Ji An immediately saw a majestic and solemn hall in front.

On a plaque with gold characters on a black background were the words “Soul Hall,” with the calligraphy having a subtle sense of softness.

Stepping into the grand hall, Ji An immediately felt a faint circulating cold Qi Mechanism.

On the principal hall’s table stood numerous tablets, representing the ancestral masters and Golden Core Ancestors.

On both sides of the hall, a series of identical blue bronze oil lamps burned brightly, their surfaces mottled, surely having gone through an extended history.

Ye Changqing took out three sticks of Golden Incense, handing them to Ji An:

“Pay your respects to the ancestral masters.”

Ji An lit the incense and performed the ritual bows, his expression solemn.

With incense wafting like mist, the flickering flame felt as though being watched by numerous cultivators, naturally engendering a sense of reverence.

Ye Changqing retrieved an identical blue bronze lamp, activating the Dharma Prohibition on it by employing a spell, the lamp was indeed a magical artifact.

Following the other’s guidance, Ji An forced out a drop of Essence Blood and captured some Qi Mechanism, sending it into the blue bronze lamp.

After a moment, the lamp wick self-ignited, and a bright flame about an inch long flickered gently, immediately making Ji An feel an indescribable sense of familiarity emanating from within the blue bronze lamp.