Beyond the Limit

After bidding Wei Songnian farewell, Ji An changed course and flew toward the General Affairs Hall.

From his conversation with him, he had sorted out two highly useful pieces of information.

First, even some people with exceptional talent in spells, though they could not reach the level he currently displayed, were not far behind.

Second, even if he revealed his talent, there would be no great danger.

But that was only Wei Songnian's side of the story. He would need to slowly verify whether it was true.

On this trip to the General Affairs Hall, he intended, first, to search for records of Companion Spirit Treasures, and second, to exchange for more grain seeds.

After the Minor Cloud and Rain Art reached perfection, its mana consumption increased by half, but the area it could irrigate increased severalfold. Planting only four mu of Spirit Fields was far too wasteful.

He estimated the mana consumption during the Spirit Grain's heading stage and decided to plant two more mu of Spirit Grain.

Although Talisman Grass earned more Spirit Crystals, it took longer to cultivate. He might as well save that time for practicing spells.

The spiritual essence within the Stone Turtle was something he could rely on, but it was not truly his own. Thus, he had never slackened in practicing spells.

Ji An landed at the Library behind the General Affairs Hall and began reading books on all sorts of common knowledge about cultivation.

He flipped through them quickly. About two hours later, he truly found several records that were immensely beneficial to him.

It was a book about Aptitude Dao Bodies, containing the criteria for classifying aptitudes.

It also mentioned that, aside from aptitude, cultivators could possess all kinds of special cultivation physiques.

The Five Elements Spirit Body was a relatively common physique. For instance, cultivators with Fire Spirit Bodies could cultivate fire-element cultivation methods and fire-element spells with twice the result for half the effort.

At this, Ji An's heart finally relaxed. He could simply be a cultivator with a Water Spirit Body!

He read for a while longer, but found no records of Companion Spirit Treasures. He stopped forcing the issue, turned, and left.

Arriving at the main hall of the General Affairs Hall, Ji An looked around. Upon spotting Li Changfeng, he strolled over.

"Senior Brother, I'd like to buy two mu worth of Spiritual Grain seeds."

He handed over his jade token and a Spirit Stone. Touching the ten Spirit Crystals he had left, he gave a slight nod.

He had spent every last crystal again, putting every coin to the blade's edge.

"One Spirit Stone can be exchanged for twenty Contribution Points. Spiritual Grain seeds cost eight Contribution Points, so Junior Brother will have twelve Contribution Points remaining on his jade token."

Li Changfeng swiftly completed the transaction, secretly amused. The Contribution Points on this junior brother's jade token had never exceeded ten before. Today was truly the first time under heaven.

Ji An accepted the grain seeds and said with a smile:

"Senior Brother, may I ask something? I heard Spirit Farmers can also take missions to watch over herb gardens. How does one accept such a mission?"

"Junior Brother wants to take a mission to watch over a herb garden? That mission requires the Minor Cloud and Rain Art, Thick Earth Art, and Wither and Flourish Art to all reach major accomplishment."

A flicker passed through Li Changfeng's eyes, and he lowered his voice.

"Junior Brother has practiced the Wither and Flourish Art to major accomplishment as well?"

"Yes. Once, I came to the General Affairs Hall intending to exchange for the major accomplishment spell formula for the Wither and Flourish Art, only to be told that the sect did not have it."

Ji An spread his hands. "Senior Brother happened to be absent at the time. The senior brother on duty said that among Farming Spells, the Wither and Flourish Art, Sharp Metal Art, and Blazing Fire Spell had no spell formulas at the major accomplishment level."

"Mm, that is true.

Once those three spell formulas are comprehended to the minor accomplishment level, they are sufficient for use. Thus, no one is willing to spend the effort researching them further. Any further progress depends entirely on personal insight."

"Then what is the point of practicing the Wither and Flourish Art to major accomplishment?"

Ji An felt his teeth ache. Had he known, he would have saved the Xun Spirit.

"Because the minor accomplishment Wither and Flourish Art drains the vitality of ranked spirit plants too slowly. If Junior Brother ever takes on a mission to guard a herb garden, you'll understand what I mean."

Li Changfeng nodded. His Lineage was in the planting business, so he understood the ways of cultivation very clearly.

He paused, then added:

"It will be very difficult for Junior Brother to obtain a mission to tend a herb garden. Among the sect's Qi Condensation Stage disciples, Spiritual Farmer Disciples are the most numerous, numbering several thousand.

There are quite a few who meet the requirements. Whenever any herb garden has an opening, it can be filled immediately."

The competition was this fierce?

Ji An was stunned, his brows twisting together. He had still wanted to make his way to a Spirit Vein Node.

"Is there truly not even a sliver of a chance? If one day I practice either the Minor Cloud and Rain Art or the Thick Earth Art to perfection, I should have a chance then, right?"

Li Changfeng pulled Ji An outside the hall and let out a sigh.

"Junior Brother, the benefits of tending a herb garden are generous, and the interests involved are tangled like roots and vines.

Unless you receive support from those above, it will be difficult."

Ji An returned to his Spirit Field, reclaimed two mu right beside it, and scattered the grain seeds.

When night fell, he returned to the Spirit Field and formed hand seals to cast rain.

Spirit Rain containing a special aura poured down in a rushing patter, and his thoughts merged into the rain.

When the clouds parted and the mist dispersed, Ji An exhaled and turned to leave.

Li Changfeng's words had cooled his blazing heart. Sometimes, people were chosen not for their ability, but for their connections and interests.

Human nature—every world was the same.

Cultivation could make people stronger and grant them longer lives, but it could not make them noble.

Ji An completely abandoned the thought of revealing his perfected Minor Cloud and Rain Art. He decided that from then on, he would only cast rain at night.

If there was no benefit to be gained, then he should keep as low a profile as possible.

Unable to obtain a mission tending a herb garden, he most likely would have no chance to cultivate atop a Spirit Vein before reaching Foundation Establishment.

If he could not change the larger environment, then he could only change himself.

Ji An decided to earn as many Spirit Crystals as possible and strive to reach Foundation Establishment as soon as he could.

At the Foundation Establishment Realm, he could choose a Spirit Vein Node as his cave dwelling. Then the Stone Turtle would be able to absorb more spiritual essence each day, and he would also receive twenty mu of first-rank Spirit Fields of his own.

With a relatively practical goal, a person would no longer feel lost.

Ji An cultivated in peace every day, mixed talisman ink, and studied spells. His days were pressing yet fulfilling.

The vegetables in the small courtyard were irrigated with the perfected Minor Cloud and Rain Art. The spiritual energy they contained had already reached half that of true spirit vegetables, an unexpected delight.

Because the Spirit Rain covered too wide an area, even the weeds outside the courtyard flourished.

To conceal the effects of the Spirit Rain, he cast the Blazing Fire Spell over the ground outside the courtyard every day. This rarely used spell also improved rapidly.

Thus, with an ample supply of Azure Jade Pills and an unending stream of Spirit Grain and spirit vegetables, Ji An encountered not the slightest obstacle in advancing his cultivation. It rose steadily.

More than two months passed.

The Spirit Grain and Talisman Grass matured around ten days earlier than before. After harvesting the Spirit Grain, removing the husks, and weighing it, Ji An clenched his fist hard.

He had planted a total of five mu of Spirit Grain. Some had been eaten by birds, so by all reason, the harvest should have been under fifteen hundred jin.

Yet after weighing it, he discovered that he had harvested a full sixteen hundred jin of Yellow Bud Rice. The perfected Minor Cloud and Rain Art had changed the genetic limit of Yellow Bud Rice!

Though it only brought in one additional Spirit Stone, its significance was immense.

Cultivating high-grade spirit medicines often took decades or even centuries. The perfected Minor Cloud and Rain Art could shorten that time. If he learned even stronger spells in the future, could he drastically shorten the maturation time of spirit medicines and enhance their medicinal effects?

The road ahead was bright, and Ji An was brimming with drive.

The early maturation of the Spirit Grain and Talisman Grass gave him even more time to make talisman paper.

He planned to sow ten days later than everyone else in the future and plant two mu of Talisman Grass, allowing him to earn even more.