Chapter 21: Chapter 19: Sharp Gold Technique The night was not suitable for flying, so Ji An decided to camp out on the open ground outside the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall for the night. The bright moon hung in the sky, its clear light spilling over his face. He sat down to cultivate the Cultivation Method, unwilling to delay his cultivation for even a moment. The night was cool as water, and after finishing cultivation, Ji An began to practice his magic techniques. The two new magics he acquired were somewhat harder than the Small Cloud Rain Technique; it took three or four attempts to even reach the Entry level for the Flame Fire Spell. The Sharp Gold Technique took half an hour, yet he couldn’t even reach Entry, which was his first real challenge. Darn it, I don’t believe it, how difficult could an entry-level Planting Technique be! Instead of feeling defeated, Ji An’s pride was roused. He meticulously studied the spell, casting and learning through trial and error, gradually understanding its complexity. The other four magics had low requirements for controlling magical power output. The Sharp Gold Technique demanded meticulous control over magical power, requiring the power to be split into strands of Gold Element Spiritual Qi to be released, along with a strong Divine Sense. The difficulty simply wasn’t in the same league. Even though there were detailed descriptions in the spell, the gap between knowing and doing was as vast as heaven and earth. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖 Failure after failure did not discourage Ji An. In a past life, as a certain An salesperson, visiting hundreds of strangers without closing a deal wasn’t unheard of. The Stone Turtle was his reliance, capable of saving him immense time to grow rapidly. However, he couldn’t allow himself to be useless without his Golden Finger, absolutely not. He clearly remembered unlocking his Immortal Vein through his own power before acquiring the Stone Turtle. Perhaps his mentality now resonated with the Divine Intent of the gold element technique, as he became increasingly proficient in casting. Gold, sharpness. In the dark, the young man continually summarized his experiences, making fewer and fewer mistakes. Exhausted of magical power, Ji An unhesitatingly took out a Yellow Bud Pill and circulated the Qingyuan Scripture to refine the pill’s spiritual power into magical power. The setting moon tilted westward, obscured by a drifting black cloud, casting deep shadows over the world. At that moment, strands of golden light rippled from Ji An’s fingers, piercing the darkness and illuminating his profound gaze. "I, the Daoist, have made it!" Ji An laughed wildly; is anything in the world truly difficult? The black cloud drifted away unnoticed, the moonlight sprinkled through the leaves, casting patches of light before Ji An like reflections of celestial stars. Too excited to sleep, Ji An decided against it, taking out the jade slip for the third layer of the Small Cloud Rain Technique and placing it on his forehead. A quarter of an hour later, he pondered the differences between the inherited third-layer spell and his own understanding, summarizing where his thought process needed improvement... The sky gradually lightened, sunlight swept from the mountain’s peak to its waist, gilding Ji An’s face. He squinted slightly, his mind linking with the Stone Turtle, and clear characters emerged in his mind. [Master: Ji An] [Dao Rhyme: 0] [Spiritual Mechanism: Kan Spirit 18.5, Kun Spirit 11.7, Xun Spirit 3.7] [Magic: Small Cloud Rain Technique (Minor Achievement 2%) Thick Earth Technique (Minor Achievement 1%) Life and Death Technique (Minor Achievement 1%) Flame Fire Spell (Entry 1%) Sharp Gold Technique (Entry 2%)] He had grasped about fifty to sixty percent of the essence of the third layer of the Small Cloud Rain Technique, but deeper understanding required practical application. Refine 10 points of Kan Spirit! The reason I don’t go all in is because if the Small Cloud Rain Technique reaches the fourth layer, the magical power in my body might not meet the requirements for the Spirit Grain’s elongation stage. With his thoughts moving, his Divine Sense was drawn into the Stone Turtle Space, endlessly practicing the Small Cloud Rain Technique at the Kan Position. Inspiration flowed through his heart, giving him a deeper understanding of the third-layer spell. The Kan Spirit numbers dwindled like water in a drip clock, and his understanding of the Small Cloud Rain Technique increased continuously. When the 10 points of Kan Spirit were exhausted, Ji An’s Divine Sense exited the Stone Turtle Space. [Magic: Small Cloud Rain Technique (Minor Achievement 2→31%)] Refining 10 points of Kan Spirit took merely an instant, and in the eyes of others, Ji An just blinked. He twitched the corner of his mouth: What a fool I am, thinking that so much Kan Spirit would nearly push the Small Cloud Rain Technique to the fourth layer, how wrong I was. He wasn’t disheartened; with the Spirit Grain in the elongation stage requiring daily rain, and the daily acquisition of Kan Spirit, if he wished, he could soon elevate the magic to Great Success. Great Success Small Cloud Rain Technique could increase yield by thirty percent. Great Success Thick Earth Technique could increase yield by twenty percent. Great Success Life and Death Technique would increase yield by thirty percent. ... Ji An rode a Talisman Bird, leaving the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, heading straight to the Jade Water Marketplace to find Wei Songnian. "Senior Brother Wei, give me twenty Yellow Bud Pills!" He was now financially robust, and converting spirit stones into strength was the optimal choice. "Haha, Junior Brother is here to support my business again, good." Wei Songnian was quite surprised inside, puzzled about where his junior got the spirit stones from. However, he showed none of it in his expression, handing over two porcelain bottles with a smile. Ji An counted the pills and pocketed them, taking out two spirit stones and saying: "I’m planning to learn the craft of a Talisman Maker soon, do you have any advice, Senior Brother?" With his decent comprehension and the Stone Turtle as his reliance, Talisman Maker was a career tailor-made for him. Wei Songnian accepted the spirit stones, looking a bit troubled: "If you’re thinking of selling Planting Techniques, the market would be tricky." A Talisman Maker can only create talismans for techniques he knows, and if he wants to sell, he could only sell talismans for Planting Techniques. Take the Small Cloud Rain Technique, for example, Spirit Grain in the elongation stage requires rain daily, and Spirit Medicine every few days. Planting Techniques aren’t suitable for talisman creation; if sold high, no one buys; sold low, and the cost can’t be recovered. "Senior Brother, I meant in the future, the future!" Ji An was speechless; if planting techniques needed to buy talismans, Spirit Farmers wouldn’t earn a single Crystal Stone. "Haha," Wei Songnian chuckled, "Junior Brother thinks long-term." He stopped laughing, speaking earnestly: "If Junior Brother has a knack for Attack Techniques as well, preparing early isn’t a bad idea. In my view, you might first learn to make Talisman Paper and concoct Talisman Ink. This way, even without the talent for a Talisman Maker, you’ve learned an additional craft. Spirit Farmers can grow Talisman Grass themselves, reducing the cost of making Talisman Paper." Wei Songnian paused and then added: "The contribution points needed for Talisman Maker inheritance are numerous, but learning Basic Level Talisman Paper making and Talisman Ink concocting requires far fewer, I remember it’s twenty contribution points." "Thank you, Senior Brother," Ji An expressed his heartfelt gratitude. "We’re family, no need for thanks. If you make Talisman Paper and Talisman Ink, you can find me for sales assistance. Ordinary Talisman Paper has thin margins, but top-tier Talisman Paper is in high demand and quite profitable." Ji An thanked him again, bid goodbye, and rode the Talisman Bird back to the bamboo house in the valley. Once home, he emptied his belongings to take stock of his assets. After two days out, he had borrowed seven spirit stones. Exchanging for contribution points and buying pills cost him three spirit stones and sixty Spirit Crystals. Including previously saved Spirit Crystals and pills, he had four spirit stones, twenty Spirit Crystals, and twenty-one Yellow Bud Pills left. Of course, there was also a debt of eighteen spirit stones. Setting aside the debt, Ji An wondered whether he could reach the Qi Refining Fourth Level with the resources at hand. It was a bit iffy, but with a year’s harvest of Spirit Grain added, who knows. He stowed away his assets, swallowed a Yellow Bud Pill, and began cultivating the Cultivation Method.