Chapter 43: Chapter 41: Qi Refining Level 7 With the Stone Turtle to rely on, along with his decent comprehension, Ji An’s cultivation speed for Water, Earth, and Wood magic techniques is bound to be swift. Magical combat is not merely about mastering techniques; it also requires mindset, reaction, and decision-making, as well as a sufficient understanding of the enemy. Without real combat experience, it’s just theoretical talk. Wei Songnian mentioned that the sects Yuanhe Mountain and Luofeng Valley are also establishing strongholds in the depths of the mountain range, fighting over spiritual veins. Ji An believes that these strongholds serve the same purpose for the sects as the sects do for the Central Continent Major Sects, acting as buffer zones in war. He’s considering that if the sect continues frequent actions of slaughtering Demon Beast tribes and establishing strongholds, it is likely that a new round of war between humans and Demon Beasts is about to erupt, rather than just his speculation. The sect is preparing ahead of time, and he must follow suit. "Junior Brother’s planting technique is so exquisite, wouldn’t it be more stable to cultivate within the sect?" Junior Brother Chu was puzzled. He refused to be a Spirit Farmer because he knew he could not rely on planting to meet his cultivation needs. His family’s support is bound to decrease, and he knows he must fight for the Foundation Establishment Pill himself. However, Ji An can meet his cultivation needs through planting, accumulating enough contribution points and crystal stones to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill. Hunting Demon Beasts in the mountains for spirit medicine may seem free and easy, but it’s essentially risking one’s life for crystal stones. Sometimes, it can indeed earn a lot, but the expenses are also high, with magical artifacts getting damaged and talismans being consumed, all requiring crystal stones. If one gets injured, it becomes even more unbearable. "What Junior Brother Chu says makes sense. It seems Junior Brother Ji hasn’t purchased the jade slip of attack magic techniques summarized by the sect yet? Practicing attack techniques requires time, and one must also purchase a variety of magical artifacts. Why not focus on enhancing your cultivation first? Once you advance to Foundation Establishment, you can take your time to hone your attack techniques and have more means to deal with Demon Beasts." Zhao Mengyao advised, also puzzled as to why Ji An, who could cultivate peacefully, still wanted to take risks. Ji An smiled faintly and explained: 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺 "I just want to hone my combat ability, not to adventure every day. Most of the time, I’ll stay in the sect. Moreover, Senior Brother Chu’s team doesn’t necessarily need more people, and I might not have spare time. I’m just giving a heads-up. Besides, I won’t go out unless I’ve broken through to late-stage Qi Refining, acquired a set of magical artifacts, and mastered one attack technique to great success." He silently added in his heart, along with refining one defense magic and one escape technique to great success. "What Junior Brother says is right. We cultivators must also have combat abilities; otherwise, we lack the power to protect our path." Zhang Yuanshan echoed: "My clan uncle told me that after I reach Foundation Establishment, I must enhance my combat abilities. The main ingredients for refining pills that boost cultivation during the Foundation Establishment Stage often need to be a hundred years old. Although the sect’s medicinal garden has a continuous output, it’s far from enough for the many Foundation Establishment cultivators. We can’t stay in the sect forever; we must go out to seek opportunities to obtain enough resources to quickly enhance our cultivation." The higher-grade the pill, the greater the pill poison, but as a cultivator’s realm improves, they can dissolve pill poison faster. The frequency of Foundation Establishment cultivators consuming pills is not much different from that during the Qi Refining Stage, but the herbs are harder to obtain, and there’s some waste in refining elixirs, resulting in fewer formed pills. Among the sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivators, those who can obtain a full supply of pills are less than can be counted on one hand. "It’s not just the Foundation Establishment pills; late-stage Qi Refining consumption of Ginseng Essence Pills and Jade Mushroom Pills requires a significant premium to acquire sufficient quantities." Zhao Mengyao gently shook her head, noting that transactions between cultivators above the Foundation Establishment Stage often involve barter. If one wants to purchase with crystal stones, they need to pay a high premium. Using pills as an example, while the sect’s medicinal garden can’t meet everyone’s needs, it at least supplies a batch of pills to the sect’s cultivators periodically. For loose cultivators and Great Cultivators from small families, obtaining even a single pill is extremely challenging, more so the higher the level. Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly, as this was a situation he hadn’t heard of before. The main herb for Ginseng Essence Pills is Fire Cloud Ginseng, requiring at least twenty years of age; the main herb for Jade Mushroom Pills is Wood Ganoderma, requiring over thirty years of age. "The Cultivation Realm has been prosperous for so many years, with the number of cultivators at all levels increasing. There’s no way around it; this situation has persisted for many years. I heard that one reason the sect moved from the Central Continent to the Western Continent was that the spiritual veins of the original mountain gate couldn’t satisfy the ancestor’s cultivation needs." Zhang Yuanshan paused and turned to say: "Junior Brother Chu, when you hunt demons outside in the future, you’ll inevitably encounter loose cultivator teams. Be wary of them. In the eyes of loose cultivators, the belongings of a sect cultivator are more valuable than those of a Demon Beast." The group chatted about their cultivation insights, each gaining something. As the setting sun cast slanted light through the window frame, the table laid in disarray, they exchanged wishes of ’Immortal Dao Evergreen’, and then parted ways. ... A month later. Under the dim moonlight with sparse stars, cicadas chirped incessantly in the mountain valley. A gentle beam of light filtered through the open window, illuminating the figure seated cross-legged inside the bamboo house. Ji An felt a surge of heat rising from the tailbone, passing through his spine, reaching the neck. Suddenly, his vision brightened, and a clear and lively magical power erupted from his dantian, circulating through the circulating immortal veins. The immortal veins seemed to grow stronger, and a few more small branches appeared. He opened his eyes, feeling his senses sharpening a bit more, and the insect chirping hidden beneath the cicadas’ song outside the bamboo house became clearly audible. "Late-stage Qi Refining, accomplished today." Ji An lifted his head, moonlight hitting his face, reflecting a crystalline shimmer, his deep eyes sparkling like celestial stars. He thought to himself, ’What a pity,’ since the triennial apprenticeship period had passed fifteen days ago. Missing this time means he would have to wait another three years. Ji An stood up from the pudun, mind linking to the Stone Turtle. [Master: Ji An] [Dao Rhyme: 0] [Spiritual Mechanism: Kan Spirit 378.8, Kun Spirit 164.9, Xun Spirit 132.2] [Magic Technique: Small Cloud Rain Technique (Perfection 34%) Thick Earth Technique (Perfection 25%) Life and Death Technique (Great Success 65%) Flame Fire Spell (Great Success 16%) Sharp Gold Technique (Great Success 75%)] Three years of effort, bearing abundant results. The Thick Earth Technique advanced to perfection a year ago, boosting the Spirit Grain harvest under the assistance of two perfected magic techniques to a yield of 350 pounds of Yellow Sprout Rice per acre. The spiritual energy contained in the vegetables in the courtyard is not far from those planted in a Tier One Spirit Field. Thanks to the Sharp Gold Technique, his Divine Sense strength increased by half a fraction from before learning magic techniques. His spiritual sense, already much stronger than others due to soul fusion, gained an additional half, a very rare feat. Now, his released ’Six Meridian Divine Sword’ could pierce through pine wood as thick as a bucket. Through experiments, he found that such an attack could penetrate the defense provided by ordinary quality Golden Armor Talismans. Ji An smiled as he walked out of the bamboo house, ready for his daily compulsory lessons. He performed a spell, and earthy yellow spirit light covered the small courtyard. As the spirit light gradually dissipated, he felt a rich spiritual energy rising from the ground.