Chapter 42: Chapter 40: Reunion Breaking through to the late-stage Qi Refining, I wish I could! Ji An lowered his head, hiding the helplessness in his eyes. Amidst his relentless cultivation, he had hit a bottleneck at the Sixth-Layer Qi Refining stage a year ago. Rising early and staying up late without slack, he only recently felt the bottleneck loosen slightly. To break through to the late-stage Qi Refining, it will take at least a few more months of cultivation. Thinking about how Liu Yu had completed the breakthrough in just a few months, he once again lamented the impact of one’s aptitude on cultivation progress. Poor aptitude results in slow spiritual power refinement, and some spiritual Qi in pills and Spirit Capturing Arrays dissipates before it can be fully refined. The improvement in small realms is tolerable, at most wasting some pills and crystal stones, but encountering a bottleneck is always painful. The fortunate part is that his struggle is due to not using pills to break through the bottleneck. However, it was not without any gains; this year, his immortal vein received more nourishment and expanded significantly, developing several branches while extending the original ones slightly. At this moment, Zhang Fan was in a particularly good mood with the success of two disciples rated as A Class, earning him a reward. He warmly engaged Ji An in conversation, encouraging him to cultivate diligently. A Sixth-Layer Qi Refining disciple capable of planting ten acres of spirit fields would have ample harvest to support his cultivation needs. Fighting for a Foundation Establishment Pill in the future wouldn’t be difficult; the likelihood of reaching Foundation Establishment is high, deserving of establishing ties for future networking benefits. As for Liu Yu, such a person will likely achieve greater heights in the future and may not be interested in associating with a mere Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, making it harder to interact. Zhang Fan decided to occasionally visit this spirit field to guide Ji An’s cultivation, a minor task that wouldn’t waste much time. Old Huang, noticing Zhang Fan’s intention to leave, stepped forward and said, "Junior Martial Uncle, I turn sixty next year, no longer eligible to stay in the sect. The position of disciple caretaker for Spirit Field numbered Guiwei needs a new candidate." Caretaker disciples have the responsibility of mentoring new spirit farmers, and with excellent new disciple performance, the caretaker also receives contribution point rewards. He had exceptional luck, with two new disciples both achieving A Class assessment, guaranteeing a reward of over a hundred contribution points. He could pass on the position early, enabling his successor to enjoy benefits. According to sect rules, after he leaves, priority will be given to selecting a caretaker from the original area, meaning that Liu Yu must leave the spirit field, leaving only one choice for a caretaker disciple. "Time flies so fast..." Zhang Fan sighed lightly and turned around, saying, "Since Little Huang is willing to retire early to let a worthy successor take over, Ji An will take on the role of caretaker for the Guiwei Spirit Field. Ji An, your research in planting techniques is quite insightful. When new disciples enter, you should support the juniors. The sect will reward such mentorship." "Thank you, Junior Martial Uncle." "Alright, I’m off to another place to assess disciples." Zhang Fan cupped his hand towards Liu Yu and smiled, "Nephew Liu, please wait here for the good news." "Farewell to Junior Martial Uncle." The three Qi Refining disciples spoke in unison, watching as Zhang Fan flew away without any magical artifact. Once Zhang Fan was gone, Old Huang smiled and said, "I need to leave the sect for a few days to head to Yellow Bud Daoist School, brothers, please excuse me." ... Jade Water Marketplace, Hundred Flavors Pavilion, Celestial Character No. 4 Private Room. Zhao Mengyao, holding a cup, smiled gracefully and said, "Congratulations to Senior Brother Zhang for breaking through to the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining. Perhaps in a few years, we’ll be calling you Junior Martial Uncle Zhang." "Haha, talking about Foundation Establishment now is premature, as I just broke through a few months ago, and reaching Qi Refining Perfection is still uncertain as to how long it will take. Junior Sister, your Qi mechanism is smooth; perhaps you’ll soon break through to the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining too." Zhang Yuanshan drank his spirit wine and shook his head slightly, "I didn’t expect that after I went to Mo Ya Mountain, Daoist School disciples couldn’t gather again." Due to showing considerable talent in Artifact Refining and cultivating in an Upper Grade Tier One spiritual vein, his cultivation advanced swiftly, surpassing his initial expectations. He paused, looking at Chu River, "Have you made up your mind, Junior Brother? Becoming a disciple who primarily relies on taking demon beast hunting tasks from the sect is a tough road. There are many instances where Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators have fallen deep in the mountains, and countless Qi Refining disciples perish each year." Since their acquaintance, this junior brother had always followed him, fostering a strong relationship between them both. Chu River smiled and said, "I have no aptitude for Artifact Refining, and if I want to stay in the sect and cultivate steadily, I’d have to take the path of Beast Taming or Alchemy, or just be an honest spirit farmer. These options are not what I want. I’ve been preparing for today for two years, diligently practicing magic techniques, accumulating spirit stones to buy magical artifacts, just waiting to join a reliable squad." The paths of Beast Taming and Alchemy were immediately ruled out since his family wouldn’t give him considerable support anymore. Being a spirit farmer toasting spirit fields and painstakingly saving spirit stones for cultivation wasn’t his desire either. Zhang Yuanshan nodded slightly, "Mo Ya Mountain has now become a stronghold for the sect, with many demon hunting squads active, for which the sect specially designated an area and established a small marketplace for transactions. I can now take on tasks for repairing magical artifacts and have met some people from the demon hunting squads. I can help inquire whether they need additional members; now that you’re at the Seventh-Layer Qi Refining, you should be readily accepted. Until then, do not venture alone deep into the mountains." Demon hunting typically required venturing deep into the mountains; going solo as a newcomer was akin to courting death, hence joining a squad was necessary for mutual support. "Thank you very much, Senior Brother." Chu River beamed and expressed a smile, knowing reliable assistance made things much easier. His initial plan was to gather a few familiar people to form a squad, as a novice could never join an established squad without recommendations. Seeing Zhang Yuanshan looking towards him, Ji An took out five spirit stones from his bosom and piled them in front of him, "These are spirit stones for Senior Brother; to thank the senior brothers for their help, I’ll treat this meal." "Junior Brother is quite affluent now? This spiritual food meal is not inexpensive, perhaps it’d be better to split the cost among everyone." Zhang Yuanshan was surprised, having ordered several types of high-grade spiritual foods, estimating the meal to be at least four spirit stones. With the repayment of the spirit stones, Ji An had spent nine spirit stones, even he would have felt the pinch. Zhao Mengyao covered her mouth and laughed, "Senior Brother does not know, though Junior Brother Ji is only at the Sixth-Layer Qi Refining, his Small Cloud Rain Technique has reached Perfection Level, managing ten acres of spirit fields. If we talk about financial standing, he may not be inferior to Senior Brother." She had seriously assessed his earnings, estimating him to save around 30 spirit stones per season, enough to sustain a late-stage Qi Refining disciple’s cultivation. The reward she received from the sect combined with her family support amounted to the same, though she was already at the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining. "Junior Brother indeed achieved Perfection in the Small Cloud Rain Technique, splendid!" Zhang Yuanshan raised his cup, smiling, "With such ability, Junior Brother has prospects for Foundation Establishment, and we should communicate more in the future." Ji An raised his cup, feeling he finally truly entered the circle of these family disciples. After drinking the spirit wine, Ji An said, "After planting the spirit grain, I’ll have about a month of free time. I plan to break through to the Seventh-Layer Qi Refining and then join a demon hunting squad during the spare time. In the future, should Senior Brother Chu’s squad temporarily need manpower, you can call on me."