Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Chapter 179: Chapter 176: Merit Perfection

Ji An couldn’t help but recall the brief illusion that appeared when he just made a breakthrough. He stood up and activated the Jade Wood Transformation Skill.

Raining down like a shower, the vibrant green light spots fell like lively sprites descending to the human realm.

At that moment, the morning light had not yet reached the forest, turning this area into a sea of green. The mulberry leaves visibly enlarged, and new buds sprouted from the branches.

Xia Yuhuan and her sister gazed at the sea of light, their eyes seemingly sparkling with starlight.

Although they had witnessed this scene countless times, this time felt different.

At this moment, they seemed to be standing in a remote forest, as if they could hear the sound of trees growing.

Ji An nodded slightly, the range covered by the Jade Wood Transformation Skill expanded, the magic power consumption was reduced, and the enveloping magic intent was enhanced.

Everything aligned with the characteristics of a magic technique reaching the Great Perfection Level.

Along with the cultivation advancement, all the planting techniques he mastered reached the Great Perfection Level.

“Merit Perfection.”

Ji An murmured and suddenly turned around, smiling:

“Prepare wine for lunch, I’m happy today and want to drink till I’m satisfied.”

The two maidservants responded in unison:

“As you command.”

The Junior Martial Uncle’s cultivation has improved, and the magic technique level has also broken through, worthy of celebration.

…

The next day, at Ningcui Cliff.

In the grotto mansion, the maidservant quietly exited the living room after serving two cups of spirit tea.

Ge Ying, sensing the spiritual pressure and vibrant energy from her disciple, had a radiant gleam in her eyes:

“Mid-stage Foundation Establishment? Great! When did you make the breakthrough?”

The youngest disciple surpassed others in cultivation, inadvertently proving her foresight.

As memories flashed in her mind, she recalled the scene of taking this disciple under her wing.

In the medicinal garden of the grotto mansion, the disciple’s use of the Small Cloud Rain Technique contained magic intent, stirring her thoughts of accepting a disciple.

The past was vividly reminiscent, as if it happened just yesterday.

As cosmic light shifted, upon awakening, that Qi Refining Stage disciple had already become a fourth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Ji An cupped his hands, smiling:

“I just made the breakthrough yesterday. I wanted to inform the Master through the Transmission Talisman Sword, but felt it was not solemn enough, so I made a special trip today to express my gratitude for the Master’s kindness.”

After becoming a disciple, it marked a new beginning for him.

“Sit, don’t stand, have you informed Liu Yu and the others?”

Ge Ying said gently, for a cultivator, cultivation is the foundation of everything.

“I am planning to invite them to a small celebration at Red Peak in a few days.”

“Hmm, inform them, Qingwan and the others are lagging behind. Holding a celebration can motivate them.”

Ge Ying nodded, among the youngest five disciples, two had already become mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If this momentum could be maintained, perhaps before her life’s end, Ningcui Cliff’s lineage could have two more late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

She pondered for a moment and said:

“Having advanced to mid-stage Foundation Establishment, focus on refining spiritual objects to enhance your insight into the cultivation technique.

For you, the time spent at mid-stage might not be much longer than during the early stage.

However, don’t let this make you complacent, remain vigilant against arrogance and impetuousness, and be diligent in cultivation.”

If more Divine Intent of the cultivation technique can be comprehended, it can significantly boost cultivation speed.

This disciple only has ordinary aptitude, but their comprehension is commendable.

The further a cultivator advances, the more their aptitude is gradually compensated for, where high comprehension can provide many conveniences.

“Heed the Master’s teachings.”

Ji An humbly nodded, then said:

“Regarding cultivation, I only know that the Qi Refining Stage is just the initial exploration, and the Foundation Establishment Stage is the true entry into cultivation.

After the Foundation Establishment Stage, what is one seeking, can the Master enlighten me?”

He perused the Daoist books in the sect and various miscellaneous records of cultivation, discovering that beyond the Golden Core, there are realms like Nascent Soul and Divinity Transformation, astonishingly similar to many cultivation novels from his previous life.

However, the Daoist books only recorded the names of these realms, without mentioning what is needed to reach them.

The miscellaneous records documented many grand achievements, but clearly seemed to be boasting and imagining.

The Master, being a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, should have access to more secrets.

“Just made a breakthrough to mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and already aiming high?”

Ji An smiled warmly and said:

“Clarifying the road ahead makes one cherish the present moment even more.”

“The path of cultivation is long and arduous, the end even more distant and unattainable.

Beyond a peak, there are always higher mountains, do you not fear confusion and doubt?”

“The ephemeral fungus knows not the waxing and waning, the cicada knows not the seasons.

A cultivator with the body of a cicada glimpses the four seasons, how fortunate!

If the height of the sky and the depth of the earth were not known, it would be fine. Now knowing the vastness of heaven and earth, one aspires, unafraid of the rugged road ahead.”

Ji An’s voice was deep, in a past life, living to a hundred was considered a long life, but now sect’s Golden Core Ancestors live a thousand years, treating it as ordinary.

Above the Golden Core, Nascent Soul cultivators have lifespans reaching three thousand years.

Whenever he thought of this, he couldn’t help but feel fervent.

Ge Ying gazed at her disciple with a gentle yet steadfast look, nodding slightly and smiling:

“I was young once too, and I hope that many years from now, you can still maintain the mindset you have now.”

Her gaze shifted elsewhere, her voice tinged with nostalgia:

“I cannot tell you much, only vaguely describe the scenery of the path ahead.

Because my cultivation is not at that level, this knowledge is only hearsay.

Others’ paths are like stones from a different mountain, not yours; keep this in mind.”

“The ancient immortals divided cultivation into four stages: Refining Essence and Qi, Refining Qi to Divinity, Refining Spirit and Returning to the Void, Refining Void and Merging Dao.

Foundation Establishment and Chao Origin are merely stages within Refining Essence and Qi.

During this phase, we refine the immortal vein, comprehend the power of the five elements, and condense ourselves to reach a state of no leaks.

The Chao Origin Stage involves tempering the five Qi within the chest to form the great medicine of the human body, finally using the primordial life fire to refine the golden core.

The golden core is the endpoint of Refining Essence and Qi and the starting point of Refining Qi to Divinity.

Golden Core Cultivators need to perfect their understanding of the Five Elements Law, enhance the quality of their golden core, and refine the power of the spirit soul.

They nurture their spirit soul within the golden core to birth the soul infant, eventually breaking the golden core’s shackles to achieve Nascent Soul…”

Ji An listened intently, sometimes showing confusion, sometimes having a sudden realization.

The master’s teachings were not detailed, but they outlined the path ahead, with more detailed content left for him to gradually fill in.

Ge Ying shared everything she knew without reservation, observing her disciple’s increasingly bright eyes, nodding silently.

Among the many disciples, this one’s background was the weakest; his father was a loose cultivator, alone upon entering the sect.

His aptitude was also the lowest, only middle grade, but his steadfast Dao Heart and comprehension beyond that of ordinary cultivators made him stand out.

She raised her cup, drinking the chilled spirit tea, and said:

“Within the sect, every two years there will be a Chao Origin Stage junior martial uncle who lectures on the Dao, all late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators can attend, everyone discusses cultivation together.

If lucky, they might even witness the ancestor personally clearing doubts.

If you can break through to late-stage Foundation Establishment before turning a hundred, you can obtain A Class treatment, halve the contribution points needed to redeem cultivation techniques, and have priority in redeeming spiritual objects and spiritual artifacts.”

The tradition of lecturing has continued since the sect migrated west from the Central Continent.

United effort for three thousand years has led to the sect’s current prosperity.

Ji An showed confidence in his eyes:

“Then I must strive for the A Class treatment, however…”

His tone shifted, and he said:

“I don’t have much confidence in the resources stored in the secret vault, the sect’s centuries of accumulation must have been largely consumed in upgrading spiritual veins.

The demon calamity is about to arrive, many resources will likely need to be forcibly reserved to face the war.”

He thought that regarding resources, he was unlikely to receive much assistance from the sect.

Rather than allocating more resources to late-stage Foundation Establishment, the sect should fully cultivate those with hopes of reaching Golden Core.

If another Golden Core Ancestor emerges, that would be the true strategic foundation.

Ge Ying smiled:

“If you perform excellently before the demon calamity fully breaks out, the sect will surely provide adequate support.

After reaching late-stage Foundation Establishment, you’ll encounter the hidden foundation of the sect.”

Ji An raised his eyebrows slightly, pondering what other foundation the sect might have.

The sect has only been a Golden Core power for over a thousand years; if there is more foundation, it should be in Artifact Refining and Beast Taming.

“Since you’ve advanced to mid-stage Foundation Establishment, you need to exchange spiritual objects in the secret vault for refinement to gain a deeper understanding of the cultivation technique divine intent.

Let me ask you, how many types of power of the five elements can you comprehend while cultivating the Evergreen Wood Skill?”

Ge Ying asked, with some legacies not recorded in writing.

For instance, refining spiritual objects is not limited to wood-elemental spiritual objects when cultivating a wood element technique.

Even cultivators without master guidance visiting the secret vault for spiritual objects would be informed by the junior martial uncle overseeing the vault.

“Three types.”

“How many?!”

Ge Ying’s volume suddenly increased, feeling like she was hallucinating.

Many cultivators, when first entering early-stage Foundation Establishment, can only sense one type of power of the five elements; those with high talent only sense two at most.

Ji An extended his right hand, bending two fingers:

“Three types, the exuberance of Wood of Jia, the moisture of Gui Shui, and the nurturing and nourishing of Ji Earth.

Master, is there a problem?”

Ge Ying’s breath quickened, sensing three types of power of the five elements; isn’t that similar to herself now?

She scrutinized her disciple up and down repeatedly, “Follow me.”

The two left the grotto mansion, arriving beside a secluded pool, surrounded by verdant trees.

“Cultivate for a while, let me observe.”

The disciple likely wouldn’t lie about this because there’s no point, she wanted to see to what degree the disciple understood the cultivation technique.

“Okay.”

Ji An nodded slightly, habitually releasing the Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell, then took out a pudun and tossed it in a shaded spot, sitting cross-legged on it.

While cultivating at Red Flame Peak, he needed to change positions daily, and his storage bag carried several puduns with him.

As yellow spirit light filled the air, Ge Ying squinted.

In the magic intent, beyond nourishing and accommodating, there was a deep, obscure aura, something absent in her casting, clearly already mastering the magic technique to the extreme!

Ji An began cultivating the Evergreen Wood Skill; the verdant wood element spirit light flew out from surrounding spirit woods, the yellow spirit light emerged from the earth, nearly transparent water element spirit light from the pool leapt out, surrounding him.