Six Meridian Divine Sword?

In truth, he was confident he could practice the Minor Cloud and Rain Art to the perfected level within a year. But when dealing with people, it was a good habit to keep something up one's sleeve, so Ji An said three years.

Even so, in everyone else's eyes, this was still something difficult to achieve.

Zhao Mengyao's delicate brows drew together, her gaze deep and unreadable.

Were there Qi Condensation Stage disciples in the sect who had trained a spell to perfection?

There were. She could find one right beside her.

However, all such people had given up hope of Foundation Establishment and spent their time and mana polishing their spells, thereby earning the right to remain in the sect longer.

Those who still hoped for Foundation Establishment wished they could devote every moment to refining mana and raising their cultivation.

Cultivation was the foundation of everything. Especially breakthroughs in major realms, which could significantly extend one's lifespan.

Only by living long enough did one have the time to polish spells and improve one's cultivation at leisure.

Generally speaking, if cultivators could keep advancing their cultivation with fierce momentum, they would not be willing to spend too much time practicing spells and comprehending their mysteries.

But if it only took three years to practice a spell to perfection, no cultivator would refuse.

Chu He raised his brows and opened his mouth as if to say something, only to close it again awkwardly.

It had taken him half a year just to barely practice the three basic artifact-refining spells to minor mastery. He had no confidence to speak at all.

His cultivation realm was higher than the other's, yet his progress in spell techniques lagged behind—and he understood the gap between minor mastery and major mastery!

Zhang Yuanshan watched the blood-red afterglow paint Ji An's side profile, watched the restrained divine light in his eyes, and something stirred within him for no reason.

Setting aside whether the other could achieve this goal, that calm bearing alone was enough to put one at ease.

"Then we shall wait and see." Zhang Yuanshan lifted his eyes to the sky and added, "It is getting late. We must return to our respective halls. Farewell, Junior Brother."

Another hurdle passed.

Ji An let out a breath inwardly. Putting on airs was exhausting!

If he failed to project that aura, it would all have fallen flat.

"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, please wait."

He dashed into the bamboo lodge through the rain, found several small cloth bags, shook them clean, and filled each with more than ten jin of Yellow Bud Rice.

Then he found a piece of oilcloth, wrapped the cloth bags in it, tucked the bundle against his chest, and ran back out with his back bent.

"Junior Brother has no other fine things here. If Senior Brother and Senior Sister do not mind, please accept this little Spirit Rice."

Relationships were built through exchanges, again and again.

Regardless of motives or intentions, these few had genuinely helped him. They were people worth associating with in the future.

Zhang Yuanshan generously took a cloth bag and laughed. "Good. The Spirit Rice from Junior Brother's table has left a lingering fragrance in my mouth. I'll gladly accept it."

The other two also accepted the Spirit Rice, then departed aboard Talisman Birds.

The three figures beneath the setting sun slowly shrank in Ji An's eyes. He immediately turned and returned to the bamboo lodge.

He changed into dry clothes, sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, and cultivated the Clear Origin Scripture. How could he let the spiritual power in the Yellow Bud Rice go to waste?

By the time he opened his eyes again, an hour had passed. The amount of time he could cultivate now was half a quarter-hour longer than when he had first begun cultivating.

Moonlight filled the room, and the polished wooden carving on the windowsill reflected light like shattered glass.

"Tomorrow, I'll sell part of the Spirit Rice. I need to pick up the pace and raise my cultivation."

With the Stone Turtle's devouring, combined with his own poor aptitude, raising his cultivation without pills was far too slow.

Ji An also planned to break through to Mid Qi Condensation as soon as possible. The higher his cultivation, the more mana his body could hold, the more spells he could cast, and the more Spirit Fields he could plant.

If he did not count the debt on his back, the perfect closed cycle for improving his cultivation had already begun to take shape.

Ji An stood and stretched his legs. After maintaining one posture for so long, his body was slightly stiff.

The immortal veins within Qi Condensation Stage cultivators were not particularly robust and could not nourish every inch of the body during cultivation. This was another reason Qi Condensation Stage cultivators could not cultivate for extended periods.

Once he broke through to Foundation Establishment, he would no longer have that concern.

When the tingling numbness in his legs had completely faded, Ji An began practicing the Sharp Metal Art.

Although the second layer of the spell could solve the aphid problem in Spirit Grain, practicing the Sharp Metal Art allowed him to control mana more precisely and also strengthened his divine sense. He devoted more of his time to this spell.

Ji An felt that his condition was exceptionally good today. The fine threads condensed from Metal Element Spiritual Energy shifted freely according to his will.

Whether gathered into a single bundle or spread into a wide sheet, they responded as smoothly as an arm directing its own fingers.

His mind was free of distractions as he immersed himself in this wonderful feeling.

When he gathered the Metal Element Spiritual Energy together once more, he suddenly felt that something was different this time.

A faint golden beam as thick as his little finger shot from his fingertip, flying four or five meters before striking the wooden carving on the windowsill.

Holy shit, did I just master the Six Meridian Divine Sword?

Ji An froze for an instant, ecstasy surging through his heart. He took a fierce step forward, snatched up the wooden carving, and brought it before his eyes.

The Metal Element Spiritual Energy had punched a hole through the carving. The opening was not smooth, and it felt slightly rough to the touch.

Closing one eye, he looked through the tiny hole and saw the bright moon outside the lodge.

As he slowly shifted it, he saw leaves bathed in moonlight and the stars in the vault of heaven.

Who said Farming Spells couldn't hurt people!

Ji An's grin stretched from ear to ear. If he cast this at someone, a Mana Cultivator in Early Qi Condensation probably wouldn't be able to withstand it, right?!

Sharp Metal Art (Mastery 49% → 51%)

What a pity! It wasn't an enlightenment after all.

Though his heart said it was a pity, Ji An's eyes shone brightly.

His fingers rubbed the wound in the wooden carving as his lips moved. "What a pity. It should have been a good thing, yet you were the one injured."

This wooden carving had accompanied him for many years. He had grown attached to it.

He decided that, when he had time, he would find wood of the same kind and fill in the small hole.

Ji An carefully recalled the state he had entered when gathering the threads into a bundle and began recreating the process.

After failing more than ten times, he finally succeeded once again. This time, the victim was a cucumber on the wooden rack.

"Yeah!"

He wanted to cast the spell again, only to realize that the spiritual power within him was nearly exhausted. His head also throbbed faintly, a sign that he had overused his divine sense.

Cultivation was a long journey. In the orthodox inheritance of the mystic sects, it was absolutely impossible to reach the heavens in a single step.

Ji An sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion and began considering why he had been in such phenomenal form while practicing spells today.

After pondering for a long while, he gradually gained some insight.

Ever since entering the sect, even with the Stone Turtle's help, his cultivation had still been difficult. It could be said that he had been cultivating with every step carefully calculated.

His subconscious mind carried too many concerns. It lacked the clean, decisive sharpness that suited the essence of Metal Element Spells.

After talking with Zhang Yuanshan and the others today, he had unconsciously revealed his ambition, and his actions carried a touch of heroic keenness.

By the time he practiced his spells, that sharpness in his heart had yet to fade, making it complement the Sharp Metal Art perfectly.

He recalled the night he had first grasped the Sharp Metal Art. His state of mind had contained a hint of unyielding sharpness, one that would not bend despite a hundred setbacks.

"Realms are born from the heart; things turn with the heart. Where the heart turns, there lies the realm."

Ji An recited the words lightly, feeling as though he had vaguely touched a door.

If he could push open that door, practicing spells would yield twice the result with half the effort.

Thanks to Taibai Yaoyue Jiu Zhong Xian, Changyou Dahai 2, and reader 160808133605010 for the votes. They are far too important for a new book.