Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Ji An’s words were not mere empty boasts; his experiences in the Far North made him realize that with his comprehension and the aid of the Dao Seed, understanding the Five Elements Mutual Generation Divine Intent wasn’t difficult.

As long as he seized the opportunity, the likelihood of successfully comprehending the Divine Intent was high.

This meant that he could quickly complete the accumulation of the Five Elements Mutual Generation stage, far faster than other cultivators.

Completing the accumulation for the growth of Life Light required time and perseverance, and the two disciples might not necessarily breakthrough sooner than him.

Lin Lan and the others were both surprised and overjoyed; becoming a disciple of a Golden Core Cultivator was an honor!

It was said that after the sect’s two ancestors attained the Golden Core Stage, they no longer accepted disciples. Those they had taken in perished due to the span of their lifespans.

If their master broke through to the Golden Core Stage, they would be the only disciples of a Golden Core Cultivator in the sect, undoubtedly gaining numerous hidden benefits.

Han Mountain lauded:

”The brilliance of Master, the disciple cannot attain.”

Lin Lan glanced sideways, wondering when this straightforward junior brother became so natural in his flattery; he was indeed formidable!

She quickly interjected:

”Master’s magical power knows no bounds, the disciple can only strive in vain.”

Ji An grinned, ”You two certainly learned to curry favor. But there’s no need; it would please me more if you broke through to the Chao Origin Stage sooner than I.

Alright, if anyone manages to breakthrough to the Chao Origin Stage before I reach the Golden Core Stage, I’ll remit ten thousand small merits of your debt.”

Giving a little incentive allows the disciples to utilize their subjective initiative, thus preparing more diligently for the breakthrough.

The two disciples exchanged a look, and Lin Lan asked:

”If Master breaks through earlier, will there be a punishment?”

Although she felt confident about breaking through the realm, she was uncertain about the timing, and her master’s confidence left her uneasy.

Ji An waved his hand, ”There’s no punishment, only rewards, if you can achieve them.”

Han Mountain responded confidently:

”Thank you, Master, for remitting the debt!”

He felt he was at a very subtle stage, and if his intuition was correct, he was not far from reaching the Life Light Ever-Present Realm, likely achieving it in three to five years.

Master’s proposal entirely motivated him; he was sure to claim this reward!

Ji An smiled, ”Good, that’s the kind of essence, qi, and spirit state you should have.”

After a brief chat with the disciples, he stood and left, riding a Spirit Cloud to mid-mountain.

Watching the departure of the Red Spirit Cloud, Lin Lan nudged her junior brother:

”How confident are you in winning the reward?”

Han Mountain smiled, his white teeth seemed to flash brilliance:

”Not claiming ten percent, but I’m at least seventy to eighty percent confident.”

Lin Lan: ”...”

You lad have been secretly working hard for how long!

...

Ji An returned to his grotto mansion and entered the Quiet Chamber, his mind sinking into the Dantian, connecting with the Upper Stone Turtle.

”Enter the Gourd World.”

His figure vanished, leaving only the Gourd Stone floating in the air.

The Wuji Xinghuang Banner flew out of the Dantian, transforming into a yellow Spirit Cloud, hovering near the Gathering Essence Tree, emitting a low growl as usual, shaking the four directions.

Ji An took out tea seeds, planting them around the Spirit Tree three meters away from the Heaven and Earth Spirit Root.

Two Ghost Moon Cyan Jade Tree seeds and four Cloud-Top Jade Tree seeds; initially, he planned to plant only one Ghost Moon Cyan Jade Tree here, but realizing that one tree wouldn’t produce enough tea leaves after leaving the sect, he changed his plans.

He released the Yellow Dragon Essence Enhancement Skill, followed by the Cloud Dragon Rain Technique.

Dark clouds rolled, and rain as clear as jade fell down, spreading nourishing energy, causing the tea seeds to root and sprout.

When the clouds dissipated and rain stopped, several Spirit Trees had grown to about a foot tall.

Ji An nodded contentedly, noting that this place was increasingly flourishing, effectively having two bases — one at Red Flame Peak, the other in Gourd World.

He walked to the Insect Tower, captured some Spirit Devouring Insects, then rode a Spirit Cloud over the pond, releasing a portion.

The serene water surface immediately boiled like water in a pot, with numerous Spirit Fish floating to the surface, vying for the insects. This was not only a rare delicacy but also quickened their growth.

As the water surface gradually calmed, Ji An rode a Spirit Cloud away, heading to the Fire Crystal Ants’ nest in the Red Land, dropping the rest of the Spirit Devouring Insects.

Perhaps the insects emitted special pheromones; soon, a plethora of Fire Crystal Ants surged from the nest, and those scattered outside quickly returned, all targeting the Spirit Devouring Insects.

Poor insects were bitten and dragged back to the nest by the Fire Crystal Ants, and the hustle and bustle of the ant nest also calmed down.

Ji An returned to the center of the Little World, retrieved the Wuji Xinghuang Banner, then connected with the Upper Stone Turtle and commanded to exit the Gourd World.

Returning to the Quiet Chamber, he sat cross-legged on the Pudun and began operating the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture.

Diligence leads to mastery, and idleness to backwardness; improving cultivation is the most romantic endeavor for a cultivator.

...

The next day at 7:00 AM, Ji An rode the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, leaving Red Flame Peak and flying eastwards. After more than half an hour, he arrived at Red Copper Mountain.

He visited Zhuu Xiangrong’s grotto mansion, prompting astonishment from the latter.

”Junior Brother Ji, weren’t you traveling, realizing the Five Elements Mutual Generation Divine Intent? When did you return? Did something happen?”

Comprehending the Five Elements Mutual Generation Divine Intent is a lengthy process, and in Zhuu Xiangrong’s eyes, it must have been an unexpected occurrence, probably an unfavorable one.

Facing three consecutive questions, Ji An couldn’t help but smile; these senior brothers were truly concerned.

He explained the reason behind the situation, and Zhuu Xiangrong covered his face, jokingly saying:

”Stop it, comparing with others makes one want to die! I can’t even achieve the Fifth Transformation of the Chao Origin Realm, yet you effortlessly comprehend three kinds of Divine Intents; how can one even live like this!”

How many truths are spoken in the form of jokes?

After some unconventional pleasantries, Ji An took out the Tier Two Top-grade Celestial Soaring Armor seized from the enemy and said solemnly:

”Senior Brother, are you interested in acquiring this Defensive Spiritual Artifact?”

He performed a spell, causing the angular armor plates to disassemble before reassembling together again.

Zhuu Xiangrong’s eyes lit up, and he said:

”It’s a very creative idea, how is the defense power of the Spirit Armor?”

This kind of Spirit Armor inspired his thoughts. He immediately saw its potential; Body Cultivators would eagerly pursue them.

Ji An scratched his head, ”I haven’t tested it. This is a custom Spirit Armor, crafted by an Artifact Refining Grandmaster from Red Rock Immortal City in the Far North.”

He has a set of Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Armor with self-repairing armor plates, and he is sure about its defense power, but as for the Top-grade Spirit Armor, he is not sure.

Zhuu Xiangrong reached out to touch the armor plates and asked:

”Did you customize this, Junior Brother?”

Ji An shook his head, ”If it were my custom piece, I would definitely have tested its defense power thoroughly.

The original owner of the Spirit Armor was a Tribulation Cultivator; it’s my spoils of war.”

Zhuu Xiangrong grinned, ”So it was stolen; is it really okay to say it like this!”

But considering the enemy was a cultivator from the Far North, acquiring and researching this Spiritual Artifact to understand its refining approach and Dharma Prohibition would be a good choice.

He is particularly curious about refining methods he has not seen before. Learning this approach and applying it creatively might lead to a better understanding of the Artifact Refining Dao.

”Junior Brother, please disassemble the Spiritual Artifact into armor plates, I’ll take a closer look.”

Looking at the Spiritual Artifact disassembled into armor plates, Zhuu Xiangrong frowned and said:

”It’s not right; since it’s a custom unique spirit artifact, how do you know its manipulation technique?”

Unique spirit artifacts must have different control techniques, not something you can use immediately upon acquiring.

If Junior Brother Ji were an Artifact Refiner, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to figure out the manipulation technique, but one wouldn’t hire an Artifact Refiner to work on a stolen spirit artifact.

Doing so would be risky, obviously stolen!

Ji An said straightforwardly:

”I customized a set of Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts of the same type, all crafted by the same Artifact Refiner, and their manipulation techniques are quite similar.”

”Truly wealthy!”

Zhuu Xiangrong felt a bit gloomy, having already crafted two Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts for the other party, this one being the third.

As the leading Artifact Refiner in the Sect, he only possesses one Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact, sparking an inexplicable feeling of ”Those clothed in rich brocade are not the ones who rear silkworms.”

He extended his Divine Sense, seeking to carefully examine the structure of the armor plates and the inscription of Dharma Prohibitions, only to find it difficult, as special Dharma Prohibition patterns within impeded entry.

He seemed to have gotten a particularly fascinating toy saying:

”To produce research results will be challenging, but I’m very willing to take it on. Junior Brother, what price do you intend for the sale?”

Ji An did not answer directly but asked in return:

”About the White Bone Treasure, has Senior Brother made any discoveries?”

”Some progress, though there’s still much potential to explore, but the process will be long, as I’m not a Golden Core Cultivator.

Now, the treasure’s spiritualness is diminishing rapidly; I worry I won’t achieve significant results before it becomes decayed.”

Zhuu Xiangrong shamefully answered that researching the Treasure is somewhat beyond his capabilities.

However, researching this all-covering Spirit Armor should be significantly easier, being only a Tier Two Top-grade Spiritual Artifact, allowing his abilities to fully shine.

”Junior Brother, you still haven’t stated the sale price.”

”I don’t know what price to set; Senior Brother can decide.”

This put Zhuu Xiangrong in a bind; offering too much would be painful, too little would make him appear unrighteous.

After pondering for a moment, he tested the Spiritual Artifact’s defense power and said sternly:

”This Spiritual Artifact has very distinct strengths and weaknesses; I’m only willing to offer ten Top-grade Spirit Stones.”

”Deal.”

Ji An agreed cheerfully. If sold to the black market, it certainly won’t fetch such a high price.

After the transaction, he spoke a bit about Guu Hongming and asked:

”Honestly, if the other party wasn’t more interested in Artifact Refining, I would’ve considered personally taking him as a disciple. Disciples with Earth-Grade Talent are scarce; Senior Brother, are you interested in taking him as your disciple?”

Zhuu Xiangrong quickly considered and said:

”Of course, no problem at all, I can accept him as a closed-door disciple.”

The other party has a grandfather who is an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, acquiring the disciple might bring additional benefits.

”My lifespan, however, only has sixty to seventy years left, worrying I can’t teach him much.”

Ji An said:

”Senior Brother, with Earth-Grade Talent, there’s enough time for Guu Hongming to elevate his cultivation to the Chao Origin Stage.”

”Alright then, Junior Brother can inquire about his willingness, if agreeable, he may come for the apprenticeship.”

Ji An nodded, ”I’ll ask when I return; if he agrees, he can come for the apprenticeship tomorrow.”