Chapter 18: Chapter 16: Something Feels Off Wei Songnian skillfully packed up his stall while saying: "Junior Brother is still at the First-Layer Qi Refining, yet the Small Cloud Rain Technique has reached the Minor Achievement Realm. I’ve been hanging around the Jade Water Marketplace for over a decade, and I’ve never seen anyone as exceptional as you. I have a question for you. You once said that you only opened the Immortal Vein a few days before the sect’s assessment, so your magical power shouldn’t be enough to unleash the Small Cloud Rain Technique at the third layer, right? Could you show me by performing a rain spell once?" Does this Senior Brother have such a good memory?! Ji An was astonished; he had mentioned it casually back then, not expecting the other to remember. He realized the other person was testing him, and if he was just bluffing, he would surely be exposed. "Of course." Ji An agreed pleasantly. True gold fears no fire. The other party has a wide social network, and might help him promote the persona of a magic technique prodigy. In the world, one must learn to package oneself, for there might come a day it proves useful. Accumulating Crystal Stone is very difficult; otherwise, he wouldn’t be eager for this limelight. A tree that stands out in the forest is sure to be blown down by the wind. He decided to only showcase his talents in the Small Cloud Rain Technique, Thick Earth Technique, and Life and Death Technique from now on. The martial world is treacherous, and human hearts are complicated; one must always leave a backup plan. After Wei Songnian packed up his stall, the two walked through the square, exited the marketplace, and reached the edge of Jade Water Lake. This time Ji An was cautious, controlling the output of magical power during spellcasting, and when his magical power was about ninety percent consumed, he transformed the Dharma Seal in his hand, activating the magic technique. Under the white mist, the rain poured down with a patter, and a quarter of an hour later, the clouds dispersed. "Living within the sect is not easy, but with your ability, Junior Brother, it won’t be hard to settle down." Wei Songnian praised, his smile carrying an extra layer of sincerity: "Let’s go, I’ll treat you to some authentic Silver-Scaled Fish, the taste of which you won’t forget once you’ve had it." He pointed towards a distant dock: "Liang Hill at the fish basket excells at fishing Spirit Fish and has great Spirit Chef skills. Generally, people need to reserve to taste his Spirit Fish. I have some connections with him, no need to worry." The sect has used magic arrays to carve out many fish ponds in the Jade Water Lake, and a specialized branch within the Beast Taming Hall is responsible for breeding Spirit Fish. Roughly 80% of the water area is public domain, and many disciples make a living by catching Spirit Fish and collecting water-attribute Spirit Grass to support their cultivation. Fishing and gathering herbs will incur taxes, but if there are catches, they must pass through the fish basket, otherwise sect rules await. The two reached a tavern near the fish basket, stopping before a large tavern’s entrance. They bypassed the entrance and walked several dozen more steps to a small eatery beside it. The inside was not large, with six original wood square tables, all occupied. "Aqiu, bring out the largest Silver-Scaled Fish; I want to drink a good glass with Junior Brother Ji An." A simple-looking young man with a slightly flushed complexion poked his head from the kitchen: "Senior Brother Wei, have a seat upstairs first. Long time no see, I’ve kept some fish swim bladder glue for you." "Let’s weigh it after we eat the fish." They exchanged greetings, and Wei Songnian, familiar with the place, led guests to a small room upstairs to sit: "One fish, four dishes. You won’t find this experience anywhere else. Fish head made into a clear soup, fish tail fried and made into a thick soup, the body steamed, paired with Aqiu’s secret seasoning, the flavor of which....." Wei Songnian swallowed, "is unforgettable." He adjusted to a more comfortable position, leaned slightly forward, and said earnestly: "If Junior Brother wants to boost cultivation quickly, forgive my bluntness, but using low-quality pills isn’t appropriate. The low-quality Yellow Bud Pill I have is quite effective; the medicinal power of two pills exceeds that of one genuine pill considerably. However, refining the medicinal power to remove Pill Poison would take two to three times the period of a genuine pill, so the time cost is quite high." "I understand the reasoning," Ji An said, somewhat troubled: "But the Crystal Stones I have are borrowed, and their quantity doesn’t support me in constantly training with genuine pills." Wei Songnian placed a Spirit Stone on the table and pushed it to the other side: "Consider this Spirit Stone as my loan to you, Junior Brother; you can return it after your second harvest in Jiling Valley." Ji An hesitated for several seconds, then pushed the Spirit Stone back. Wei Songnian slightly frowned his brows, surprised to see someone push away a Spirit Stone offered to them. Coming from a commercial background of loose cultivators, the Wei Family’s rise stems from an ancestor supporting a promising commoner cultivator. That cultivator later soared to new heights, advancing to Chao Origin, allowing the Wei Family to drink the meat soup, thus transforming from a nearly extinct family of two or three members to a large one with hundreds of Qi Refining Disciples and nearly ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators, possessing a Tier One Advanced Spiritual Vein. The ancestors left a maxim: "Supporting promising commoners is a longer-lasting business than trade." Wei Songnian firmly believed this and supported two individuals since he joined the sect. Today was about establishing good relations, and if the other party displayed more potential in the future, he would invest further. Ji An coughed, took out the low-quality pills, and pushed them over too, cupping his hands: "Since Senior Brother values me, I’ll accept this Spirit Stone and exchange it all for Yellow Bud Pills." As someone who transmigrated, Ji An views cultivation much like playing a competitive game. All economy (all resources) spent turns into strength; now, what he most needs is to rapidly enhance his cultivation. Growing crops and practicing techniques to earn Crystal Stones equals improving cultivation, better cultivation results in more magical power, which allows for better farming and practicing techniques, creating a perfect cycle! He set a small goal to advance to Mid-stage Qi Refining within a year! Something didn’t feel quite right; Wei Songnian scratched his head. He rummaged in his storage bag, pulled out a sealed white jade porcelain bottle, poured out two Yellow Bud Pills, and pushed the bottle forward. "Ten pills, count them, Junior Brother." Ji An unhesitatingly poured out the pills to count, before putting them back in the jade bottle: "Exactly ten pills, thank you, Senior Brother." Wei Songnian then pulled out a handful of Spirit Crystals, counted out 80 pieces, then thought for a moment before taking out a dimly lit Talisman Bird: "Here’s the change in Spirit Crystals, and the Talisman Bird is a gift; Junior Brother, don’t refuse it. It’ll only last for another twenty or thirty double hours before it breaks. If the spiritual light of the Talisman Seal begins fading, do cease using it." Ji An verified the number of Spirit Crystals and expressed his gratitude once more. While the two talked, the cooked Spirit Fish was served, exuding an enticing aroma. Wei Songnian picked up his chopsticks: "Eat while it’s hot, don’t be shy; the fish bones have already been removed." Ji An picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, the delicate fragrance melting across his taste buds. As the fish settled in his stomach, ripples of warmth arose, and the Immortal Vein instinctively absorbed the Spiritual Qi contained within the fish meat. Without hesitation, Ji An deftly wielded his chopsticks, enjoying the feast. The fish wasn’t large, and the two quickly finished it. "Hurry, practice refining the Spiritual Qi," Wei Songnian said, smiling. With readiness, Ji An followed advice and began practicing Qingyuan Scripture. A quarter of an hour later, he exited the practice with a flash of keen light in his eyes. Though half of his magical power was consumed by the Stone Turtle, the increase in magical power from refining half of the Spirit Fish was equivalent to what he normally achieved in three to four days. This prompted him to sigh, for resource availability indeed greatly influences cultivation. After some more casual chatting, Ji An stood up to take his leave. Wei Songnian brought out a double-sided golden pancake from the kitchen, smiling: "The fourth eat of the Spirit Fish involves browning the fish bones and making them into pancakes with flour. This way, every bit of Spiritual Qi in a Spirit Fish goes un-wasted."