Chapter 608 - 484: Joining the Sect
After a satisfying meal and drinks, Ji An and his companion parted ways, and he headed to Xuelan Street from the Drunken Immortal Inn.
Now having accumulated some Spirit Stones in hand, it was time for some spending.
Spirit Stones kept in hand are just meaningless numbers; only through use can they generate value.
After comparing prices among several shops, Ji An stepped back into Zhou’s Spiritual Rice Shop.
Shopkeeper Zhou Changji led him to the VIP room and greeted him, saying:
"It’s been years since I’ve seen you, senior."
Ever since the last time he came to purchase Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Soil, he remembered the customer’s face.
Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly and said:
"Fellow Daoist has a good memory. This time, I’m here to purchase Tier Two Middle Grade Spirit Soil. What’s the price?"
After the Gourd World was upgraded to Tier Two, due to the necessity of purchasing entry slots to the Nine Netherworld, he hadn’t immediately bought Spirit Soil to upgrade the Spirit Field’s grade.
Now that he has some savings on hand, he must promptly initiate the cultivation plan.
Zhou Changji’s eyes lit up suddenly; if the other party truly needs Tier Two Middle Grade Spirit Soil, it would be a major business deal.
"Tier Two Middle Grade Black Moisture Soil and White Condensed Soil are thirty Spirit Stones per pound, and Cyan Splendor Soil, Red Flame Sand, Earth Yellow Crystal are thirty-five Spirit Stones per pound.
How much does senior plan to take? The more the quantity, the greater the discount."
Ji An scratched his head; the prices here were indeed not cheap, but the quotes were fairly reasonable.
"Let’s start with two hundred pounds of each."
The Spirit Stones in hand were still too few; Tier Two Middle Grade resources were already considered scarce resources, and two hundred pounds could last for roughly three months.
"Alright, Black Moisture Soil and White Condensed Soil require six thousand Spirit Stones each, and Cyan Splendor Soil, Red Flame Sand, Earth Yellow Crystal require seven thousand Spirit Stones each, totaling thirty-three thousand Spirit Stones.
Senior, do you need anything else?"
Zhou Changji smiled from ear to ear, as the higher the grade of resources, the higher the profit margin.
Ji An nodded slightly and asked:
"Do you have Kun Kun Jade Soil, Danqing Stone, or Yellow Crystal Jade?"
These materials were needed for refining Second-Level Middle Grade Spirit-Binding Stakes, and several main stakes in the Gourd World needed replacement.
"We have them all," Zhou Changji’s mouth was almost stretched to the back of his ears, "How much does senior want?"
Even if the warehouse wasn’t enough, he could quickly stock up from familiar shops.
"Sixty pounds of Kun Kun Jade Soil, five hundred pounds of Danqing Stone, and one hundred and twenty pounds of Yellow Crystal Jade."
"Kun Kun Jade Soil is twenty-five Spirit Stones per pound, Danqing Stone and Yellow Crystal Jade are five Spirit Stones per pound, totaling four thousand six hundred Spirit Stones.
What senior requires isn’t much; it can now be directly retrieved from the warehouse."
"Then calculate the total for me, how much of a discount can you offer?"
"All the Spiritual Objects combined are thirty-seven thousand six hundred Spirit Stones; if senior pays thirty-four thousand Spirit Stones, that will be fine."
"Alright, go get the goods, and I’ll pay the Spirit Stones after inspecting the goods."
Moments later, money and goods have been settled, and Ji An hurriedly left.
Upon returning to the Grotto Mansion, he immediately went to the Quiet Chamber, initiated the Pill Fire, and began refining the Spirit-Binding Stakes. Due to his financial constraints, he didn’t have the economic capacity to replace all the Low Tier Spirit-Binding Stakes at once and could only replace them in batches.
The Low Tier Spirit-Binding Stakes couldn’t bring out the full effect of the Magic Array, making it so that the Spirit Soil’s refinement speed would be slower, requiring more time.
However, in another month or two, he should have accumulated enough Spirit Stones in hand and would then replace the remaining Spirit-Binding Stakes.
Although driving the Magic Array would cost an extra ten or twenty Middle-grade Spirit Stones, saving time was, in Ji An’s view, quite worthwhile.
Red flames spurted from his fingertips, the tips resembling a flamethrower’s nozzle.
The Kun Kun Jade Soil, Danqing Stone, and Yellow Crystal Jade successively melted, and he carefully removed the impurities, using the Object Control Technique to mold them into suitable cylindrical shapes, and also needed to embed the Dharma Prohibition.
In essence, this fell into the category of Artifact Refining, though it was the most basic kind.
He refined a total of twelve Spirit-Binding Stakes and then linked his mind with the Upper Stone Turtle, saying, "Enter the Gourd World."
In the next moment, he vanished, leaving only the Gourd Stone hovering in the room.
Upon entering the Little World, the Wuji Xinghuang Banner flew out from the Dantian and circled around the Gathering Essence Tree, which had become a routine spectacle.
Ji An couldn’t understand why the apricot yellow Banner acted in such a way, as the same Tier Two Top Grade Earth Element Spiritual Artifact, the Celestial Soaring Armor never behaved like this.
He replaced the primary node Spirit-Binding Stakes and reloaded Middle-grade Spirit Stones to drive the Magic Array.
From within, the Spirit-Binding Stakes lit up in sequence, emitting a soft glow.
"One step closer to success."
Ji An nodded with satisfaction, his gaze like that of a lion king surveying his territory.
Once all the Spirit-Binding Stakes were illuminated, he checked on the Magic Array’s operation and then scattered different Tier Two Middle Grade Spirit Soil into their corresponding Spirit Fields.
This was the earnest hope sown, and the next step was to cultivate methodically. All efforts would blossom and bear fruit at a certain time, and that feeling was fantastic.
...
Time flies, and two years passed in the blink of an eye.
In the Grotto Mansion, Ji An and Wey Chengyuan were sitting opposite one another. The past two years, they had been in frequent contact.
Wey Chengyuan looked a bit gloomy, as after the surge of the water from the Nether River in the Nine Netherworld, the Earth Element Aura decreased significantly, failing to nurture and evolve the Spirit Realm of Earth-Born Gold.
Furthermore, the Immortal City recently decided not to open the Secret Land in ten years, as the recession of the Water Element Spirit Mechanism required time, and there would not be enough accumulation of the Qi of Ji Earth in ten years.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, I’m here today to bid you farewell, for I will leave the Immortal City tomorrow."
Staying here bore no chance to comprehend Earth-Born Gold, and he intended to travel outside.
Comprehending Gold Generating Water had taken him twenty-six years, and he was already over two hundred and eighty years old; time waited for no one.
Ji An had expected this; if cultivators couldn’t seize opportunities, they had to quickly search for other opportunities as waiting would not yield good opportunities.
"Where does fellow Daoist plan to go?"
"Cross the Storm Sea to the Central Continent."
Wey Chengyuan showed a peculiar bitter smile, "I and a few other unfortunates who couldn’t comprehend Earth-Born Gold at the Nine Netherworld will travel together for mutual support."
As he spoke, he took out an invitation and continued:
"In three months, there will be a grand auction in the Immortal City, and the Soul Tempering Pill that Fellow Daoist cares about will also appear."
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist," Ji An cupped his hands. He had no Pill Formula on hand and was thinking of buying the pill to verify its efficacy.
If the effect is satisfactory, he planned to pay the price to purchase the Pill Formula.
The Alchemy Inheritance of the Sect did not have this Pill Formula, and he hadn’t sold his Soul Stones so he could study refining the Soul Tempering Pill after returning to the Sect.
Since deciding to travel incognito as a Talisman Maker and Alchemist, his desire for the Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire bred from the Cyan Leaf Red Lotus had grown day by day.
He stood up and added:
"Today’s farewell, who knows when we’ll meet again. Why not let me host a farewell drink at the Drunken Immortal Inn for you, Fellow Daoist?"
In another year, he would return to the Sect, with no certainty of meeting again.
Even if they meet again, who knows how much of the friendship would remain.
"Haha, that treasured fine wine of yours must be brought out for us to share."
Wey Chengyuan had tasted Tier Two Upper Grade Pine Nut Wine and couldn’t forget it. Such strong liquor was most suitable for cultivators in the Far North to consume.
"No problem!"
Ji An agreed readily. He rarely drank, so he had plenty of Spirit Wine saved up.
...
A double hour passed.
After a convivial drink, Wey Chengyuan left first.
Ji An sat cross-legged, operating the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture, quickly refining the Spiritual Food, then stood up to leave the Drunken Immortal Inn.
He strode through the streets, arriving at Divine Fire Street.
The signboard of Divine Brush Spirit Armor Pavilion shone brightly as if new. Ji An stepped inside and found the store’s owner.
Guu Tai had just finished refining a Spiritual Artifact and was sitting down to rest.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, please have a seat. You are a rare guest.
If I hadn’t heard you were still in the Immortal City, I would have thought you’d left."
Both were usually busy and met only two or three times a year at most.
"Haha, when I leave, of course, I must invite Fellow Daoist for a good drink.
To gather enough Spirit Stones to refine the Celestial Soaring Armor, I’ve been tirelessly engaging in Alchemy and Talisman Making."
Guu Tai’s eyes lit up, "Have you decided, Fellow Daoist?"
"Of course, I’m refining both the Leg Armor and Face Armor together.
I’ll first pay a deposit of ten Top-grade Spirit Stones, then pay another hundred when the refinement begins, with the remainder settled after a successful refinement. How about that?"
"Sure, I trust Fellow Daoist’s credibility."
Ji An saw the other party agree and handed over the prepared Spirit Stones.
Guu Tai accepted the Spirit Stones and pondered:
"Fellow Daoist, being a Sect Cultivator of the Golden Spirit Sect in the Western Continent, your Sect excels in Artifact Refining.
If I wish to have Hongming join your Sect to learn Artifact Refining, is there a chance?"
Ji An smiled, "Would Fellow Daoist be willing?"
Guu Hongming was the youngest direct grandson, only twelve years old.
"The Northern Land and Western Continent differ, with the focus here on Immortal Cities and family powers, lacking strong Sects.
My Guu Clan is a small family, making it difficult to cultivate a powerful cultivator, hence my desire to send him to the Western Continent.
Compared to having descendants enjoy life at home, I hope they reach further on the Immortal Path."
Guu Tai’s gaze was deep as he continued:
"I’ve inquired; flying full strength from the Western Continent to Red Rock Immortal City takes only half a year, not too far.
If I miss my grandson, I can visit him."
He didn’t tell the truth; the real situation had other reasons.
Ji An asked, "What is your grandson’s talent, and could you let me know?"
With his influence, recommending a disciple to enter the Sect would be easy, but the cultivator’s talent directly affects the path.
Given the Sect’s current situation, unless the talent reaches a certain level, joining the Sect would mean being just a cog in the machine, without real cultivation opportunities.
If he can’t become a core disciple, joining the Sect holds no value.
Guu Tai straightened his back proudly and said:
"Earth-Grade Talent!"
"With such talent, joining the Sect poses no issue, but the Sect’s nurturing approach is vastly different from that of family powers.
For your grandson to become a core disciple, he must sever ties with his family; would Fellow Daoist be willing?"
"If he can become a Golden Core Cultivator, even if he becomes a Sect Cultivator and cuts family ties, he still carries the blood of my Guu Clan.
My lifelong wish is for the family to produce a Golden Core Daoist Master; if joining the Sect fulfills that wish, why not?"
"With you saying so, I’m relieved. In another year, my cooperation with Wey’s Treasure Talisman Shop will end, and I plan to traverse the Northern Land to the Sect.
You have a year to consider whether to accept the Sect’s rules.
What I can guarantee is, if your grandson joins the Golden Spirit Sect, he will receive the best cultivation."