Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

While Ji An was making his breakthrough, Jia Yu and others sat around a stone table beside the cold pool at the foot of the mountain, with Wei Songtao and three other disciples attending to them.

When they arrived together around dusk, they learned that their host had returned to the grotto mansion to cultivate and was best not disturbed.

Everyone nibbled on pine nuts and drank spirit wine and tea, occasionally looking up at Red Flame Peak.

Zhuu Xiangrong scratched his head and said:

”Even Senior Brother Chu can’t predict exactly when this volcano will erupt; he only mentioned within three to four days. In my opinion, we need to wait at least two more days.

Sitting here and waiting like this seems a bit silly.”

Before the volcanic eruption, black smoke will completely cover the gold and fire spiritual mist, which is the true sign.

Jia Yu drank a cup of crimson fine wine and grinned:

”Senior Brother can temporarily return to Red Copper Mountain to rest. Before Red Flame Peak erupts, I’ll inform you.”

He really enjoyed the current atmosphere, with fine wine opened up freely.

Before coming, he left a message outside the Treasure Pavilion’s main hall, announcing a few days’ absence and hung several Communication Golden Swords, marked with his magical power seal, to be activated in case of urgency.

Zhuu Xiangrong hurriedly shook his head and raised the tea cup in his hand:

”It’s nice here too. I’ve never spared drinking such rich Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea.”

The eruption of a Tier Two top-grade volcano could stir up spiritual objects deeper within the Earth Lung Fire Vein. With good luck, Tier Three spiritual objects might be encountered.

Although Tier Three resources can’t be used personally and must be submitted to the sect for storage in the Secret Vault, gaining knowledge is also beneficial.

The others chuckled softly. When the volcano erupts violently, the highest-value spiritual objects will be thrown out with it.

If one waits for news at Red Copper Mountain and then comes rushing after receiving the Communication Golden Sword, they might not see any of the good things.

Deeply buried spiritual objects are not easy to find, but unless blind, the bright spirit light of high-tier spiritual objects exposed at the surface is hard to ignore.

Liu Yu stopped laughing and said:

”When I was traveling in the Southern Continent, I passed by an erupting volcano and acquired some Fire Phoenix Soul-Burning Fiend. If Red Flame Peak could also produce Spiritual Fiend, it would be great.”

The experience at Fire Feather Mountain remained fresh in his memory. Even now, recalling the battle with the Golden Core cultivator, his heart couldn’t help but race.

”The conditions for the formation of Spiritual Fiend are more stringent than for spiritual objects. Here at Red Flame Peak, while the Five Elements Spiritual Veins are present and conflict intensely, they transform through mutual generation and suppression, lacking the extreme conditions needed for Spiritual Fiend.”

The formation of Spiritual Fiend requires one of the Five Elements forces to be absolutely dominant, with an intense conflict of opposing Spiritual Mechanism, followed by a series of transformations.

Zhuu Xiangrong stroked his gray-white goatee and gently shook his head:

”If Red Flame Peak could erupt periodically and the fire vein’s power could take the lead, I think forming multiple Spiritual Fiends would be feasible.

But the Earth Lung Fire Vein under Red Flame Peak isn’t active. Its frequent eruptions over the years are due to the enhancement of its Spirit Vein grade.”

Liu Yu and other cultivators focused on combat were unaware of such theories, listening eagerly.

Suddenly, a long howl from the mountainside resounded, giving a sense of a waterfall plunging into a deep pool, flowers scattering onto jade with an overwhelming impact.

Jia Yu turned his head, astonished, and said:

”Only Junior Brother Ji is there, returning to his grotto to refine pills. The howl is generous and fierce—could it be his cultivation has further advanced?”

Everyone present was aware that Ji An had reached the Fifth Transformation of the Chao Origin Stage, and further progress implied the perfection of the Five Elements Divine Mansion.

Li Haoran’s eyes flashed sharply and then calmed. He was opening the Earth Element Divine Mansion, still striving to enter the Fifth Transformation of the Chao Origin Stage.

Having cultivated for many years, he had never been surpassed in progress by peers of the same level, giving him a solitude atop a mountain peak.

Now with a peer to chase after was a brand new experience.

Possessing a Metal Element Dao Body, he had profound attainment in both Metal and Water Elements but was merely ordinarily talented in Wood and Fire Elements.

The cultivation in the Chao Origin Stage couldn’t fully showcase his advantages; only by breaking through to the Golden Core Stage did he believe his specialization in Sword Dao would gradually bridge the gap.

Ge Luoying opened her mouth slightly, letting out an almost inaudible sigh, memories of the past surfacing in her mind. Her grand-aunt had encouraged her to befriend this junior brother, though she had been reluctant at the time.

In hindsight, how laughable.

She had just recently stepped into the Third Transition of the Chao Origin Stage, a gap that filled her with shame.

Zhuu Xiangrong’s eyes brightened as he laughed:

”If as Junior Brother Jia said, and Junior Brother Ji’s cultivation speed is indeed as fast, it would rank among the top in sect history.”

Jia Yu nodded slightly, speaking earnestly:

”From the start of the Qi Refining Stage to reaching the Five-Turned Perfection of the Chao Origin Stage, that’s indeed the case.”

The ancestor once searched the records at the Treasure Pavilion for Ji An’s entry into the sect, and he happened to be there at the time.

His performance during the Qi Refining Stage was not outstanding, lagging behind many with exceptional talent, but gradually surged ahead after reaching Foundation Establishment, especially after breaking through to the mid-stage.

Now, he even surpassed fellow disciples of Celestial-Grade talent; to him, it was a miracle, sure to be accompanied by an unknown fortune.

Jia Yu blinked and told the others:

”Apart from the two of us elders, you all have prospects of reaching the Golden Core, a fortune for the sect indeed.”

The eldest among them was Ge Luoying, over a hundred and ninety years old, in the Third Transition of the Chao Origin Stage, with three hundred years still available.

As long as their cultivation didn’t stagnate, while breaking through to the Golden Core couldn’t be guaranteed, reaching the perfection of the Five Mansions was certainly achievable.

The fear was of getting delayed when opening a particular Divine Mansion, which would make comprehending the Five Elements Mutual Generation very difficult.

Liu Yu waved his hand, ”Compared to Senior Brother Li and Junior Brother Ji, I’m far behind.

But I will follow my own pace and move forward steadfastly step by step.”

He realized early on that everyone’s talents and dispositions are different, and that the most important thing is to make consistent progress every day.

Accompanied by the sound of flowing water, a black auspicious cloud descended, and Ji An cupped his hands and smiled:

”I apologize for any shortcomings in hospitality, Senior Brother and Senior Sister, please forgive me.”

When he left the grotto, he found a communication talisman sword outside and learned of the arrival of several people, so he rode a cloud down the mountain.

Jia Yu raised his glass, ”We came up with the idea spontaneously and when we arrived at Red Flame Peak in the evening, we learned that you, Junior Brother, had already returned to your grotto, so we didn’t disturb you. I hope you don’t mind our uninvited visit.”

The main reason was because Senior Brother Zhuu was anxious and worried that the volcano would erupt early, so he dragged him along, and along the way, they met Liu Yu and the other three.

”Your visit is much desired; it’s a perfect opportunity to taste spirit wine and delicious food.”

Ji An ordered the disciple serving by his side, ”Retrieve a few jars of top-grade spirit wine from the bottom of the pool, and also fetch some top-grade spirit tea from the warehouse.”

Without his permission, these disciples could only use Tier Two lower-grade spiritual objects to entertain guests.

”As you wish,” Wei Songtao and the others answered and went about their tasks.

Jia Yu asked quietly:

”Just now, I heard you shouting boldly, full of pride and satisfaction. Have you made some progress in your cultivation?”

”Thanks to fortune, my Water Element Divine Mansion has reached perfection.”

Ji An’s face was full of smiles, and at this moment, the Five Elements Divine Mansion within his chest and abdomen was circulating spontaneously, drawing power from his dantian for refinement.

The cultivation technique was operating without his control, albeit extremely slowly, but constantly.

Everyone cupped their hands and offered their congratulations:

”Congratulations, Junior Brother!”

Ji An cupped his hands in return, ”Thank you, everyone!”

Zhuu Xiangrong beamed with joy. The greater the achievements, the better, as he had refined two top-grade spiritual artifacts for him, and the power of these artifacts would witness his past experiences.

He transmitted his voice:

”Junior Brother, I wonder if you’ve decided what to use for your Lifebound Magical Treasure. Will you choose the spiritual artifact I crafted for you?”

If it were someone else, their choices would be limited, but the other party had ample resources and could always replace them with a fitting top-grade spiritual artifact as the embryo for their Lifebound Magical Treasure.

Ji An replied through voice transmission:

”I’ve already decided; if I have the chance to break through to the Golden Core stage, I’ll use the Wuji Xinghuang Banner as my Lifebound Magical Treasure.”

Regarding the choice of Lifebound Magical Treasure, he had only discussed it with the ancestor.

He thought for a moment and said:

”Senior Brother Zhuu, please come with me; I have something good to give you.”

The two of them left one after the other, and Jia Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, ”What can it be, so mysterious.”

They arrived at the stone house where Ji An often painted talismans before, and he took out a skull as white as jade, solemnly saying:

”I happened to come across a magical treasure and am giving it to you for research, but I need you to swear a Daoist Oath not to expose it to other cultivators.”

This magical treasure was acquired from a Golden Core cultivator of the Earth Evil Sect, originally radiant, but now lacking much luster.

After a cultivator’s death, their Lifebound Magical Treasure would gradually lose its spirituality, eventually decaying like a dead tree.

This magical treasure had been with Ji An for several years; he feared giving it away too early might have made others make connections, though the likelihood was nearly zero.

Zhuu Xiangrong’s eyes widened suddenly, and he lowered his voice:

”Such magical treasures are not easy to acquire by chance.”

He swiftly swore a Daoist Oath and shook his head slightly. For a cultivator like him, who had no hope of further advancement, the constraint of a Daoist Oath was indeed weak.

He took the skull-shaped magical treasure in his hand and quickly determined it was the Lifebound Magical Treasure of a Golden Core Daoist Master, the only valuable aspect being the forbidden dharma within.

Zhuu Xiangrong’s eyes were deep, pondering over the magical treasure refined from white bones. The original owner must not have been a kind person; with their Lifebound Magical Treasure in someone else’s hands, the owner’s fate was probably death with soul annihilation.

’Could it be that Junior Brother Ji encountered a deceased Golden Core cultivator during his journeys? That could be the only explanation.’

He coughed lightly and said in a deep voice:

”If I can research usable forbidden dharma, can I hand it over to the sect?”

The forbidden dharma in a magical treasure, called treasure prohibition, was rare within the sects with a weak Golden Core foundation.

Therefore, every magical treasure was incredibly precious, holding great research value.

Ji An nodded, ”I’m giving this treasure to Senior Brother in the hope that you can use the treasure prohibition to benefit the sect.”

The treasure prohibitions from a Nascent Soul Sect had unique aspects, and even though most didn’t align with the sect’s approach, they could serve as valuable references for artifact refiners and enrich the sect’s foundation.

Neither of the ancestors was an artifact refiner; otherwise, he would have turned it over long ago.

By personally gifting the magical treasure to Senior Brother Zhuu, he could also gain a favor, which might be useful in the future.

Zhuu Xiangrong carefully put away the magical treasure and said, ”Junior Brother, if we earn merits from submitting the treasure prohibition in the future, we will share the credit equally.”