Chapter 51: Chapter 49: Sharp Gold Technique Perfection Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and it was harvest time again. Inside the bamboo house, it was filled with cloth bags full of Spirit Grain, and the faint fragrance of Yellow Sprout Rice lingered in the room. The tables and chairs had nowhere to be placed and were thrown into the corner of the small courtyard by Ji An, leaving only a Pudun in the room besides the bed. Ten acres of Spirit Field yielded about 3500 pounds of Spirit Rice; after deducting 1000 pounds to pay the field rent and for personal consumption, the rest were all sold. In the small courtyard, two Spirit Fruit Trees were three feet high, and the forty-two Fire Cloud Ginseng plants, which had grown to calf-height, occupied the entire courtyard with the fruit trees as their center. The leaves of the Fire Cloud Ginseng were palm-shaped compound leaves, consisting of five leaflets, dark green in color, and with dark red veins. Under the sunlight, the color of the veins would become as bright as a furnace fire. When the medicinal age of the Fire Cloud Ginseng reaches twenty years, they will produce a cluster of green seeds the size of soybeans, and once the seeds turn crimson, the Fire Cloud Ginseng can be considered fully mature, ready for use in refining pills. Ji An was currently lying on a chair, leisurely swinging. Strands of golden thread entwined his left index finger, changing with his will, like a golden thread. This was his devised method to better train his Divine Sense, where the Gold Element Spiritual Qi released by the Sharp Gold Technique transformed into a soft wrap around his finger, though its sharp intent remained unmitigated. The Five Elements are divided into gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, but the Primordial Qi of each element also has its Yin and Yang sides. He was pondering whether the Gold Element Spiritual Qi triggered by the Sharp Gold Technique belonged to Yin or Yang, or perhaps it integrated both. This knowledge was not something Qi Refining Disciples needed to understand; they only needed to absorb Spiritual Qi and enhance their cultivation, education about it being necessary after Foundation Establishment. Ji An believed there was no harm in learning early, so he always reflected while practicing Magic Techniques, gradually verifying his theories. The sound of footsteps drew nearer, and upon reaching the fence gate, they stopped, followed by a loud voice: "Fellow Daoist Ji, are you in? It’s Li Changqing!" The buyer for Spirit Rice has arrived, Ji An casually condensed the Gold Element Spiritual Qi into a bundle, which shot a golden light into the ground. As the golden light shot out, he felt something prick his eyes, tears unwittingly flowed from the corners and streaked his cheeks, leaving two clear trails of tears. As if something scraped against his skin, it felt hot and painful. Ji An thought of something and focused his mind into his Dantian. [Magic Technique: Sharp Gold Technique (Great Success 99%→Perfection 1%)] Indeed, the Sharp Gold Technique reached perfection through relentless effort. He chuckled lightly, whispering: "It was worth spending so much time and magical power; I can manage even without the Stone Turtle!" Li Changqing stood outside the gate, puzzled—isn’t he home? But having collaborated many times, today is when the other party is certainly home before his arrival. He circled half the small courtyard, internally questioning why the other side fenced the courtyard so tightly. The low picket fence gate was replaced with a wooden gate eight feet high, making it impossible to see what’s happening inside. Li Changqing looked around at reference points to ensure he hadn’t come to the wrong place, then returned to the gate, calling again: "Fellow Daoist Ji, are you in?" "I’m here, please wait a bit while I open the door." Ji An hastily ran to the kitchen, washed his face with clear water, no longer caring what changes had occurred to the Sharp Gold Technique. He used Spirit Rain from the Small Cloud Rain Technique to fill the water tank and cook, then found the Spiritual Qi in Spirit Rain evaporated quickly, leaving very little the next day. Even cooking Yellow Sprout Rice with fresh Spirit Rain had little effect on the Spiritual Qi within the rice, proving less tasty than using spring water, attributing it to the lack of minerals the human body needed in the Spirit Rain. Having washed his face, he grabbed a dry towel hanging by the door and wiped off casually, striding towards the main door and unlatched it. "My goodness, Fellow Daoist Ji, you’ve cultivated your courtyard into a Tier One Spirit Field?!" Under the sunlight, the leaf veins of Spirit Medicine in the courtyard appeared as flames, two fruit trees spreading their branches in the breeze. Elder Spirit Farmer Li Changqing entered through the door, speaking in excitement: "This is Fire Cloud Ginseng, and those are peach and apricot trees." The Li Clan at White Ape Mountain had many Fire Cloud Ginseng plants in their medicinal garden, and had cultivated a Tier Two Lower Grade Spiritual Apricot Tree, yet these possessions didn’t move him. But for a Spirit Farmer entering the sect for three years to achieve all this? He knew hundreds of the finest Spirit Farmers around Jade Water Lake, and only three had cultivated courtyard land into Tier One Spirit Fields. This valley wasn’t founded atop a Spiritual Vein, requiring continuous Thick Earth Technique of Great Success or higher level to nourish the land into a Tier One Spirit Field. "Oh, Fellow Daoist Ji, if you joined Luofeng Valley, your treatment would be much better than now." Li Changqing sighed regretfully, feeling the other side joined the wrong sect. "Don’t let the sect masters hear of this." Ji An laughed, gestured: 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮 "Please, Fellow Daoist Li, let’s discuss transactions." Despite Luofeng Valley valuing Spirit Farmers more, he dared not defect, knowing it’s a taboo within the sect. Already a disciple of the Golden Spirit Sect, only being expelled would exempt him from being investigated by the sect’s Law Enforcement Hall. The two entered the bamboo house, and Li Changqing didn’t bother to inspect, directly proceeding to weigh. "Hmm, in total, it’s 2500 pounds of Yellow Sprout Rice, as per old rules, 100 Spirit Rice for 105 Spirit Crystals, totaling 2625 Spirit Crystals." After loading the Spirit Rice and settling the transaction, he said goodbye and left. Ji An escorted him to the gate, turning to say: "Daoist, now that your courtyard has so much good stuff, aren’t you afraid of thieves?" "I am, but I’m short of Crystal Stones, so I have to wait until the Spirit Rice is sold to buy a set of Array Discs." Ji An nodded; since planting Spirit Fruit Trees and Fire Cloud Ginseng, he dared not leave the bamboo house for more than half a day. "Hmm, yes, it’s best to use a Magic Array to isolate the aura soon." Li Changqing waved goodbye, knowing the other side understood what to do. He planned to meet Li Changfeng tonight for a good chat. Ji An watched him mount a Talisman Bird and depart, quickly shutting the door after the figure vanished from sight. He squinted and released the Sharp Gold Technique, sending a golden light akin to laser, his tears flowing once again. Luckily, this time he was prepared, closing his eyes promptly, avoiding the initial pain, and discerning what now altered in the Sharp Gold Technique. Previously, he perceived the Gold Element Spiritual Qi as strands, but now he discovered it as particles. Numerous densely packed golden beams forming a shaft of light, each particle felt like a sharp sword, possessing a penetrating sharp texture, hence able to pierce the eyes. With the Sharp Gold Technique now so powerful, will it harm Spirit Grain plants when used against aphids? With this question, Ji An released the Sharp Gold Technique towards a bamboo leaf by the wall. This time, he endeavored to spread the golden beams and directed minimal magical power. The golden beams remained sharp, piercing through the bamboo leaf without any visible damage. Although metal subdues wood, the Gold Element Spiritual Qi particles were too few to cause any harm to the bamboo leaf.