Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

The next day, the cultivators of the Law Enforcement Team no longer prevented Ji An and his companion from leaving.

After bidding farewell, Wey Chengyuan hurriedly left; he had to report the news quickly.

Due to the delay, the Clan Leader would enter the Secret Land several double hours later than the Golden Core Daoist Master of the Law Enforcement Team.

Ji An watched the other walk away, then slowly made his way to Wey’s Treasure Talisman Shop.

Upon seeing him, Shopkeeper Wey Xianglin was taken aback and quickly stepped forward, saying:

”Senior, I remember the time to enter the Secret Land is three months, how come you are out today?”

He had a vague bad feeling in his heart, fearing to hear bad news.

Ji An shook his head, ”I can’t say the exact reason, but Fellow Daoist Wey Chengyuan and I came out together.”

In his previous life, Ji An had learned to be a shrewd person through many experiences. He understood the interests involved in Cold Qilin True Man’s attitude towards Wey Chengyuan just by observing, so he chose to remain silent.

As an outsider, he couldn’t compete for those interests and didn’t want to offend anyone; keeping his mouth shut was the best choice.

Wey Xianglin felt relieved; the fact that the clan’s core disciple was unharmed was good news. He stretched his arms, his tone much more relaxed:

”Senior, please come upstairs.”

The two went to the VIP room, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then Ji An took out all the talismans he had, saying in a deep voice:

”Exchange them all for Spirit Stones.”

With only seventy or so middle-grade Spirit Stones left on him, he was quite poor and needed to speed up earning Spirit Stones.

The talismans were originally meant for certain extreme situations, but now that he had left the Nine Netherworld, there was no need to keep them.

Wey Xianglin began counting the talismans and calculating, saying:

”Senior, they are worth a total of eight thousand six hundred Spirit Stones.”

Ji An took out fifty middle-grade Spirit Stones from the Grotto Void Stone, ”I can’t repay the thirty thousand Spirit Stones debt now; these Spirit Stones are to purchase materials for the Purifying Talisman.”

He wanted to keep more Spirit Stones on hand for emergencies.

Wey Xianglin quickly did the mental math, ”This can get you a hundred and fourteen sets of materials, Senior.”

...

Half a month passed.

During this time, apart from completing his daily cultivation tasks, Ji An spent all his time drawing talismans.

If it weren’t for the limitation of his Divine Sense, he feared he would turn into an unfeeling talisman printing machine, drawing hundreds of talismans a day.

Thanks to his excellent craftsmanship, he paid off his debt, and still accumulated some Spirit Stones, four top-grade ones.

If it weren’t for the shortage of materials at the talisman shop, he could have continued this work.

With talisman crafting no longer an option, Ji An went to the Spirit Pill Pavilion to inquire, asking:

”Shopkeeper Zhu, do you have any complete sets of pill materials lately?”

Zhu Hanshan was quite surprised to see him and asked in return:

”Senior, didn’t you go to the Secret Land?”

As long-term partners, Ji An had informed them of his trip to the Secret Land.

”Came out early, don’t ask me about the Secret Land, it’s confidential now, just answer my question.”

”The senior said you’d be gone for three months, so the high-tier materials were taken by other cultivators. As you know, the faster the resources flow in the store, the more we earn.

Currently, we only have a few types of early-stage Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stage pill materials.”

Ji An slightly frowned; the profit from these pills was too thin, he really wasn’t interested.

”Fellow Daoist, please keep me some high-tier materials in the future, I’ll come by every few days.

Heh, purchasing an entry spot to the Nine Netherworld cost me a lot of Spirit Stones, now I’m very eager to earn more.”

He placed a middle-grade Spirit Stone on the table, then bid farewell and left.

”Safe travels, Senior, leave it to me.”

Zhu Hanshan covered the Spirit Stone with his wide sleeve, quickly grabbing it in hand, watching Ji An’s back and pondering the reason for his early departure from the Secret Land.

...

After leaving the Spirit Pill Pavilion, Ji An was not in high spirits, walking swiftly back to his Grotto Mansion.

Talisman making and alchemy were his crafts for earning Spirit Stones, now with no raw materials, he could only wait.

He saw a figure standing at the entrance of the Grotto Mansion from afar, his eyes lit up, and he quickly advanced, cupping his hands in salute:

”Haha, Fellow Daoist Wey, you’ve been waiting a long time!”

Wey Chengyuan replied with a cupped hand, ”I just arrived.”

Ji An gestured a spell to open the Grotto Mansion’s Dharma Prohibition, warmly inviting:

”Come inside for a chat.”

The two sat down as host and guest, and Ji An brewed some fragrant tea.

The fire in the Wind Furnace burned bright red, and the Grotto Mansion was warm and cozy.

After chatting for a while, Wey Chengyuan took out an agilely glowing Jade Slip, saying:

”Originally, I wanted to give you some top-grade Spirit Stones or other resources, but that seemed too commonplace. Upon hearing of your expertise in talisman making, I specifically brought you a talisman inheritance. Please accept it.”

If he gave Spirit Stones or other riches, giving too little was too stingy, but giving too much was hard to bear.

After much inquiry, he adopted the suggestion of Shopkeeper Wey Xianglin from the talisman store.

Sending out something that can satisfy the other party while gaining face for oneself, essentially had no real cost, except for a high-quality Jade Slip.

Actually, I would love some Spirit Stones too, it’s not tacky at all... Ji An quipped inwardly, suddenly thinking of something, he accepted the Jade Slip without hesitation and placed it on his forehead to quickly check its contents.

Purifying Talisman, Spirit Stabilizing Talisman, Tier Three Talisman Paper and Cinnabar production, everything was included.

”Thank you, Fellow Daoist, exactly what I’ve been thinking about but unable to obtain.”

He cupped his hands, sincerely expressing his gratitude.

The content in the Jade Slip seemed like just a copy, but this inheritance was something he yearned for, and the Wey Clan had it priced at eighty pieces of Top-grade Spirit Stones.

This amount of Spirit Stones was now saved, and as long as he completed the previously signed agreement in three years, it would be time to return to the Sect.

After viewing the inheritance, his heart was both joyful and slightly despondent.

Spirit Stabilizing Talisman being a Tier Three Talisman! It indicated that the talisman was very powerful, but at present, he didn’t have the ability to draw it.

The good news is that the materials needed to make Tier Three Talisman Paper aren’t particularly challenging for his future self; using tree bark from Tier Three Spirit Plants mixed with different Spirit Grass liquids would suffice.

Doing so would harm the Spirit Plants somewhat, but by then he would probably have mastered the Tier Three Planting Technique, fully capable of minimizing the damage.

With the Gourd World and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root Gathering Essence Tree, in due time, would Tier Three Spirit Plants still be rare?!

The materials required for making Cinnabar are associated minerals from various ore veins; although rare, they are not extremely uncommon. Discussing future cooperation with several major powerhouses possessing ore veins shouldn’t be a problem.

At this moment, Ji An decided that in the future, after leaving the Sect, he would present himself as an Alchemist and Talisman Master to minimize the risk of exposing the Gourd World.

Wey Chengyuan gave a subtle smile, ”As long as Fellow Daoist likes it.”

He could sense the other’s genuine emotions, feeling increasingly satisfied with Wey Xianglin’s suggestion and pondering what reward to give this clan member upon his return.

Ji An put away the Jade Slip just as the water kettle on the Wind Furnace began to bubble, emitting a light tea fragrance.

He took out a tea cup, rinsed it a few times with hot water to fill it, ”Fellow Daoist, please!”

”I’ve been eagerly waiting,” Wey Chengyuan used the Object Control Technique to bring the tea cup to his lips, gently blowing over it before sipping.

He closed his eyes, feeling the tea aroma spread between his lips and teeth, as a cool sensation surged in his Sea of Consciousness.

At this moment, his state of mind was different from that in the Nine Netherworld, better appreciating the wondrous taste of Spirit Tea.

After drinking two cups of tea, Ji An asked:

”What’s the current situation in the Nine Netherworld, has Fellow Daoist heard any news?”

So much time has passed, matters in the Secret Land should have settled by now.

”Not good, Daoist Master Chi Yun is injured, a Yin Soul Beast of Golden Core Level has appeared.

Including you and me, only four came back alive; the Immortal City, various families, and Loose Cultivators all lost a batch of elite disciples, and some families have already been affected in terms of their inheritance.”

Wey Chengyuan sighed, entering the Secret Land always involved casualties, but elite disciples’ fatalities were extremely low, otherwise, the many forces wouldn’t feel reassured.

Moreover, there was a very low probability of problems occurring in the Nine Netherworld, so everyone was unprepared.

The only good news is that the Golden Core Daoist Masters harvested a lot of Soul Stones, and Red Rock Immortal City would gradually supply Soul Tempering Pills.

This is beneficial for Chao Origin Stage Cultivators and early-stage Golden Core Cultivators.

Ji An’s eyes showed concern, the injury of a Golden Core Daoist Master was no small matter, he asked:

”Has the Yin Soul Beast of Golden Core Level been slain?”

If such a level of Yin Soul Beast was left unchecked in the Nine Netherworld, no Chao Origin Stage Cultivator would dare to enter.

”No, the Golden Core Daoist Masters are still hunting it down.”

The two chatted about the matters in the Nine Netherworld, and after finishing a pot of tea, Wey Chengyuan stood up and said:

”It’s already noon, let me treat Fellow Daoist to a few drinks at the Drunken Immortal Inn.”

...

Listening to music at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, both parties were intending to establish a deeper relationship, making Ji An and the others more harmonious in their interactions.

Wey Chengyuan raised his wine cup, sincerely said:

”Fellow Daoist’s fortune is truly flourishing, among the surviving few, only Fellow Daoist has comprehended the Divine Intent of Earth-Born Gold, such joyful matters deserve a toast, I toast to Fellow Daoist!”

As long as there is a Spiritual Domain evolving Earth-Born Gold, they would have an opportunity to advance further.

Ji An lifted his wine cup, drank it all, and smiled:

”Indeed, there was a stroke of fortune, at that moment a flash of insight came to me.

In my view, won’t Fellow Daoist have another chance to enter the Nine Netherworld?”

Wey Chengyuan nodded slightly, ”To be honest, Fellow Daoist, once the Golden Core Daoist Masters kill or drive away that most powerful Yin Soul Beast, I and a few others will enter the Secret Land again with the elders for some luck.”

He put down his cup, sighed before continuing:

”With the rise of the Nether River’s water levels, and the Kan Water Essence overly abundant, whether another Spiritual Domain evolving Earth-Born Gold can be generated is uncertain.”

Earth suppresses Water, but if the Water element is too strong, the relationship of generation and suppression is reversed.

Even if there is another opportunity to enter the Nine Netherworld, encountering a developing Spiritual Domain may not be easy.

The Immortal City opens the Nine Netherworld every twelve years to accumulate Qi of Ji Earth to a certain concentration.

The Earth Element Spirit Mechanism being dispersed by the Water Element would ruin everything, so he doesn’t have high hopes, just lamenting the misfortune.

Furthermore, if the Yin Soul Beast of Golden Core Level played a game of hide and seek with the Daoist Masters, it would be hard to track it in the Secret Land’s environment.

”Fellow Daoist is already very fortunate, having a second chance, more cultivators have perished in the Secret Land, making one regretful.”

Ji An refilled his cup, saying:

”Come, let’s drink another, and wish Fellow Daoist that your wishes come true.”