Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Feiyun Zhenren smiled and nodded, "The Cloud Sea Business Alliance’s auction is held every three years with high standards, targeting Chao Origin Stage and Golden Core Stage cultivators.

In half a year, the auction will take place, and it doesn’t surprise me that the Gold Core Pill you refined will have a spot."

A more potent Gold Core Pill would certainly tempt even the disciples from major forces.

As long as the promotion is well done, it will inevitably attract a group of cultivators at the Fifth Transformation of the Chao Origin Stage.

These people are ’Quasi-Golden Core Cultivators,’ and if the auction makes a deep impression on them, they will be more willing to participate in future auctions held in Cloud Sea Immortal City.

Ji An was slightly delighted, "In that case, I could buy some early-stage Golden Core level pills."

As soon as pills of the Golden Core level are refined, they sell out quickly.

He scoured the large pill medicine shops in the Immortal City and didn’t manage to buy even a single pill. What frustrated him even more was that he couldn’t get a spot even if he reserved with spirit stones.

The land of the Central Continent is indeed more prosperous, but the number of high-tier cultivators is much greater than in the Western Continent.

When he left, the entire Western Continent only had ten Golden Core cultivators, counting himself.

Here, the number of Golden Core cultivators in the Immortal City far exceeds this number.

With so many cultivators, the demand for resources becomes more urgent, after all, everyone wants to progress quickly.

Feiyun Zhenren smiled and nodded, saying:

"Pills are always the most sought-after resources, with pills available for every stage of the Golden Core.

However, I must warn you, the competition at the auction is extremely fierce, you should be mentally prepared."

She is a Tier Three, Five-Star alchemist, and even during her cultivation, the supply of pills is inadequate, one can imagine the plight of other cultivators.

Ji An nodded slightly, asking:

"In past auction events, how many Golden Core cultivators participated approximately?"

"The number is not fixed, if the auction has truly top-notch items, fellow cultivators from other Immortal Cities will arrive."

Feiyun Zhenren slightly furrowed her eyebrows, reminiscing for a while before saying:

"The smallest number I remember was about twenty or so fellow cultivators.

One time, the main item at the auction was the Taiyin Essence, a Tier Three top-grade spiritual object that aids Nascent Soul Formation. Over 120 fellow cultivators came, about half of which were late-stage Golden Core cultivators."

’Over a hundred Golden Core cultivators! This is probably just the number of Golden Core cultivators in the area of several thousand miles nearby.’

Ji An sighed inwardly, the gap between the two continents is too vast.

Judging by combat strength, the Middle Continent cultivators are not at all afraid of the Western Continent’s demon beast attacks.

He suddenly felt that establishing human race bases in the Western Continent could be a conspiracy, a way to justifiably relocate small forces for expansion.

"When will the list of auction items be organized?"

"It will be announced three months in advance. The auction routinely releases the item list to the association.

If the list reaches the association, I will notify you."

Feiyun Zhenren said, with most of the certification association’s cultivators being craftsmen with considerable wealth, they are prime target customers.

"Thank you, fellow cultivator. I mentioned earlier that I would invite you for a drink, but have been delayed by matters.

There’s no better time than now, may I invite you for dinner?"

Feiyun Zhenren covered her mouth with a light laugh, "It’s my honor."

...

Three days later.

The scene of dragons soaring and tigers leaping disappeared, the sounds of dragon roars and tiger growls dissipated.

Ji An looked at the crimson thunderclouds atop the mountain and exhaled deeply, "Finally, it’s about to begin."

The Stone Turtle had long flown to the target area to wait, and now the most exciting moment had finally arrived.

The quality and quantity of Middle Continent cultivators were far superior to those of the Western Continent. This way, he wouldn’t lack opportunities to gain Dao Rhyme in the future.

Standing next to him was Feiyun Zhenren, the female cultivator a bit helplessly said:

"Fellow cultivator, you are already a Golden Core cultivator, what’s there to watch in a realm breakthrough? It’s better to go back and refine pills as soon as possible."

Observing others’ breakthroughs is a very boring thing, merely watching for entertainment.

Ji An gently shook his head, "You are mistaken, fellow cultivator. I believe that watching fellow cultivators undergo Thunder Tribulation can deepen my understanding of Thunder Techniques.

Thunder Techniques are reputed to be the best at attack and demolition. I intend to cultivate a few to enrich my offensive means."

This rhetoric was a pretext he prepared for himself in advance since he would watch every breakthrough in the future.

"Many magic techniques are easy to learn but hard to master, and Thunder Techniques are hard to learn and hard to master.

If you wish to enrich your offensive and defensive means, instead of pouring time and effort into practicing techniques, it would be more direct to purchase two magical treasures.

Magical treasures can be elevated gradually by being nurtured in the Primordial Life Fire, but without sufficient comprehension, practicing Thunder Techniques is a bottomless pit.

Moreover, while Thunder Techniques are powerful and their attacks swift, casting the techniques takes time, making them unsuitable for real combat."

Feiyun Zhenren advised, that using magic techniques isn’t mainstream among Golden Core cultivators; rather, many Nascent Soul Daoist Monarchs opt to practice one or two techniques for self-defense.

The reason Nascent Soul Daoist Monarchs do so is because there’s an essential difference in spellcasting between Golden Core cultivators and Nascent Soul Daoist Monarchs.

The power of spells cast by Golden Core cultivators and those below is based on the magical power invested and the degree of mastery, with the power source stemming from themselves.

However, when a Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch casts spells, they can use their magical power as a medium to leverage the Power of Heaven and Earth.

The power of the spells far exceeds the magical power invested, and some Daoist Monarchs proficient in magic techniques can double the normal power of the spells they cast.

Ji An remained silent, showing a stubborn expression on his face, and after a while, he said:

"Cultivating Thunder Techniques allows me to feel the joy of wielding thunderbolts, acting as heaven’s enforcer."

He silently praised his own acting in his heart; with this excuse, it became reasonable for him to attend and watch cultivators break through.

Feiyun Zhenren was stunned for a moment, stopped trying to persuade, and thought to himself:

’As long as you’re happy.’

This sense of joy was something she couldn’t negate, just like the joy she felt when a pill was successfully condensed.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

She changed the subject and talked about the situation near the Immortal City.

After approximately two double hours, she lightly coughed and said:

"I just remembered there are matters at the association, Daoist friend, farewell for now."

Ji An immediately replied: "Goodbye."

He lifted his head, watching the crimson thunder pour down.

About one double hour passed, the Fire Element Thunder Tribulation was over, and another half an hour later, yellow thunderous clouds began to gather...

The night wind was cold, and the sky started to gather purple radiance.

Ji An’s suspended heart was relieved, as Chaos Divine Thunder being nurtured indicated that the Stone Turtle had absorbed all the Dao Rhyme.

Purple lightning descended from the sky, like a world-destroying giant dragon, with the dull sound of thunder echoing for thousands of miles.

At the mountain peak, a giant yellow umbrella rose, hanging thousands of strands of auspicious energy, protecting the cultivator’s body—likely the cultivator’s Lifebound Magical Treasure.

When the thunder and the treasure collided, it seemed like the most brilliant fireworks bloomed.

Ji An noticed the treasure was submerged by the purple lightning only after a brief delay.

The observing cultivators felt as if an icy giant hand tightly grasped their hearts, involuntarily worrying for the cultivator undergoing breakthrough.

After the splendor, a blurred Moon of Taiyin rose on the horizon. Ji An understood that if the cultivator undergoing breakthrough hadn’t died in the recent violent collision, they had likely succeeded in breaking through.

A moment later, the Stone Turtle silently appeared on the back of his left hand.

Ji An pulled his hand back into his sleeve; the Stone Turtle, like a phantom, merged into his body and soon appeared in his Dantian.

He sank his mind into the Dantian and connected with the Stone Turtle; as the clear words emerged in his Sea of Consciousness, his face blossomed with a smile.

[Master: Ji An]

[Dao Rhyme: Gold 14.2, Water 15.7, Wood 13.8, Fire 15.9, Earth 18.6]

Today is a good day; for the first time outside of the Western Continent, he acquired Dao Rhyme—a cause for celebration.

Ji An summoned the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, fully enveloping his body with crimson clouds.

He exerted all his effort to activate the Spiritual Artifact, leaving a bright fire line in the sky.

...

Returning to the grotto mansion, Ji An quickly entered the Quiet Chamber, seated on the pudun.

He removed the Gourd Stone from around his neck and held it in his hand; after his Divine Sense probed into it, he touched a silver dot.

His body suddenly vanished as he entered the Little World.

The Wuji Xinghuang Banner flew out immediately, transforming into an Earth Qilin and merging into the ground, appearing next to the Gathering Essence Tree in the next instant.

Its feet birthed yellow auspicious clouds, and it flew to the lush branches of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Tree.

Ji An showed a peculiar smile, connected with the Stone Turtle, and commanded:

"Refine all the Spiritual Mechanism, enhance the tier of the Gathering Essence Tree."

As his words fell, the Stone Turtle appeared above the Gathering Essence Tree, and on the ground around the Heaven and Earth Spirit Tree, a giant Eight Trigrams pattern emerged.

The Eight Trigrams glowed with Spirit Light, and powerful forces washed outward, flipping the Wuji Xinghuang Banner against its will.

It let out a resentful low roar, recalling a similar past experience.

Above the Gathering Essence Tree, centered around the Stone Turtle, yellow translucent Spirit Light descended, growing denser until a completely opaque Light Cocoon was formed.

"Roar!"

The Wuji Xinghuang Banner lifted its head and let out a high-pitched roar, surrounded by Earth Element Spirit Light, with golden flowers blossoming around its body.

It suddenly charged towards the Light Cocoon with an indomitable momentum.

"Snap!"

Ji An heard an almost inaudible sound and saw the Wuji Xinghuang Banner pasted onto the Light Cocoon like a painting scroll.

It briefly held this posture before sliding down.

Ji An covered his face because he felt the sound of his Lifebound Magical Treasure’s heartbreak.

’Silly child!’

He shook his head and laughed, the Stone Turtle’s power was unfathomable, and the Wuji Xinghuang Banner was still too young!

The Earth Qilin let out a low whimper, circling the Light Cocoon, unwilling to leave.

About two double hours passed, and the Stone Turtle completed its mission, returning to Ji An’s body.

With its departure, the Light Cocoon could no longer maintain its form and suddenly collapsed, and a rain of light fell in the Little World.

There weren’t evident changes in the Gathering Essence Tree; Ji An was slightly disappointed as the tier of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Tree hadn’t been elevated—it needed more Dao Rhyme.

His disappointment lasted only a moment before he became full of energy again.

Central Continent is a good place, with enough and sufficiently powerful cultivators, providing plenty of Gold Core Pills.

Cultivators will continually strive for breakthroughs, and there will be many good days in the future; the Stone Turtle can continuously absorb Dao Rhyme.

Whether it’s the Gathering Essence Tree or the Gourd World, they will welcome a period of rapid enhancement.