Unwilling

Ji An still had 11 Spirit Stones on hand, which he planned to use to activate the Spirit Absorption Array for cultivation.

No matter when, improving one's cultivation was always the top priority.

If he endured for another three months, he would reap a considerable sum of spirit crystals. By then, he could purchase a Jade Slip for Spells, perhaps even a low-tier magic artifact.

He gently shook his head again. There was no need to rush over magic artifacts. With the income he now earned from cultivating Spirit Fields, participating in demon hunting seemed somewhat not worth the cost.

Better to focus all his efforts on raising his cultivation and make further plans after reaching the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation.

By then, the Spirit Field where he farmed Spirit Grain should have risen to Grade 1 Low-tier, allowing him to plant Azure Corn.

Azure Corn required little management during the first two months after planting, giving him more ample time to go out.

He hoped that demon hunting, this high-risk investment, would bring sufficient returns and let him gather enough Contribution Points for a Foundation Establishment Pill as soon as possible, joining the "queue to purchase pills."

According to martial uncle Qin Yan's theory, he needed to open up more Immortal Meridian branches at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation, then use the power of body and soul rising to a higher plane during Foundation Establishment to nourish the Immortal Meridians and extend their length, thereby improving his aptitude even further.

The Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation could be polished away slowly; it was also the perfect time to practice combat Arts.

Ji An sighed inwardly. His fused twin souls gave him extraordinary divine sense, and with the Stone Turtle's help, his progress in practicing spells far surpassed that of others. Even so, he still found the path of immortality beset by difficulties on every side.

Those cultivators born into great clans had the support of their Lineages, and the road ahead of them was far easier.

Wei Songnian put away the spirit crystals and said with a cheerful smile:

"Don't worry about it, Junior Brother. You can owe me for now."

I'm not afraid that you'll owe me money. I'm afraid that you won't.

He felt that as his junior brother continued to grow, he would sooner or later become his greatest customer.

The two began discussing their respective cultivation and exchanging insights, and before they knew it, the day had grown dim.

Ji An rose and lit the candle in his palm. Liang Qiu brought out a pot of fish head soup.

"Let's go help," Wei Songnian said as he headed outside. The three went to the kitchen and brought out fish bone cakes, braised fish tail, and steamed fish.

Liang Qiu took out several porcelain cups. Once they were seated, he filled them with spiritual wine.

After draining a cup, Liang Qiu said leisurely:

"I entered the sect twenty years ago. This year, I am thirty-six, yet I have barely reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation. I wonder whether, in my lifetime, I will have a chance to attempt Foundation Establishment."

The candlelight flickered, making the deep furrows on his forehead alternately bright and dim.

Why did the sect drive away disciples who had not achieved Foundation Establishment by the age of sixty? Because after sixty, the bodies of Qi Condensation Stage cultivators began to decline. Without some great fortuitous opportunity, the odds of achieving Foundation Establishment thereafter were already slim.

He still had twenty-four years. He needed to break through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation, then cultivate to perfection.

None of that was particularly difficult. The problem was that exchanging for a Foundation Establishment Pill required sixty thousand Contribution Points—equivalent to a full three thousand spirit crystals.

The price of a single Foundation Establishment Pill was far higher than the pills Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators took for their daily cultivation.

"With the income from Junior Brother's fish pond, you will surely save enough Contribution Points to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill early on."

Wei Songnian raised his cup and said with a smile:

"Let us drink to that."

After swallowing the spiritual wine, Liang Qiu softly exhaled.

"Senior Brother need not comfort me. I cannot compare to Senior Brother, who has a Lineage to support him. My father is merely a Rogue Cultivator at Mid Qi Condensation, and there are younger brothers and sisters at home for him to raise.

The only person I can rely on is myself.

I have actually calculated it carefully. Unless I manage to raise some evolved spirit fish, it will be difficult to gather enough Contribution Points within the limited time I have.

And even if I have enough Contribution Points, I will still need to wait in line."

The hand beneath the table clenched into a fist. He had already thought it through—if time truly ran out in the end, he would buy magic artifacts and talismans, then make a trip into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

He would gamble his life for a future. If he failed, then let his bones be buried beneath the green hills.

Liang Qiu knew very well that if he could not obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill within the sect, he would have even less chance of getting one outside.

In the immortal cities, it was nothing unusual for a Foundation Establishment Pill to sell for four or five thousand Spirit Stones.

Having entered the sect and seen a broader world, he was unwilling to remain merely a Qi Condensation Stage cultivator.

The sect elders always taught that Foundation Establishment was the beginning of cultivation. To live a lifetime wandering outside the gates of immortality—how could he simply accept his fate?

Wei Songnian was slightly embarrassed. Indeed, it was easy for him to speak while standing.

As long as he could reach perfection at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation, his Lineage would naturally provide him with a sum of spirit crystals. Furthermore, his Lineage would pull strings so that he could obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill sooner.

Ji An frowned slightly, then picked up a fish bone cake and said with a smile:

"Senior Brothers, spirit fish only taste their best while hot.

Only after our fill of food and drink will we have the strength to fight for our lives ahead."

"Junior Brother is right. We can talk about fighting for our lives after eating and drinking our fill. Our circumstances are far better than those of Rogue Cultivators."

Liang Qiu picked up a piece of fish tail and placed it in the porcelain bowl before him.

Outside, the moon shone bright, casting its gentle light over a lake of azure water.

Spirit fish leaped and dived in the fish pond, their ripples forming patterns and shattering the moonlight across the water.

At dawn, early-rising birds were already chirping noisily among the branches.

Ji An formed a hand seal. A crimson halo of spiritual light spread outward, and wisps of green smoke rose from the barren fields.

The seals in his hands shifted as he released the Thick Earth Art.

Before long, five mu of Spirit Fields had been reclaimed.

At this moment, morning light rose over the quiet valley, shining upon the Spirit Fields and reflecting a warm, lustrous spiritual glow.

Old Huang and Little Huang hurried back from the direction of Azure Water Lake. Seeing that several more mu of Spirit Fields had been reclaimed here, Old Huang smiled enviously.

"If I had Little Brother An's skills, I could cling to the sect for another twenty years."

He had farmed for an entire lifetime, yet could not match what others achieved in three years. Though he had long passed the age of competing with others, whenever he thought of it, an inexplicable bitterness still rose in his heart.

Ji An replied gently:

"It was only because Senior Brother lent me a hand back then that I was able to make it this far smoothly."

Old Huang hurriedly waved his hands.

"Even without me, Junior Brother would have had a bright future."

Outstanding people found it easier to receive help.

He pondered for a while, then suddenly raised his head.

"Little Brother An, once this season's Spirit Grain is harvested, I'll let you farm my one mu of graded Spirit Field.

Planting Azure Corn differs somewhat from planting Yellow Bud Rice. While I can still remain in the sect for half a year, I can explain the crucial points to you."

Wei Songnian's words during their drinking session that day had thoroughly awakened him. Giving up the Spirit Field early would only cost him a few Spirit Stones in income. There would be many times in the future when he needed to ask others for help.

If he could not bear to part with it now, he might have to give up even more later.

There was no kindness without cause. Giving more now was all a matter of favor and obligation.

They had spent several years together, and he had come to understand Ji An's temperament. These favors would be repaid.

He had merely lent out one Spirit Stone, yet the wine and food from one drinking session were probably worth dozens of Spirit Crystals.

Ji An fell silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said:

"To be honest with Senior Brother, I am indeed short of spirit crystals. Since Senior Brother is offering so generously, I would be disrespectful to refuse.

If Fei Hu encounters any difficulty in the future, I will not decline so long as it lies within my abilities."

He believed that if there were benefits to take, he should take them. Once his cultivation was higher in the future, repaying today's favor would be easy enough.

It was like when he had first entered the sect and borrowed Spirit Stones for cultivation—he rapidly improved his cultivation before repaying the debt.

At the time, he had borrowed nine Spirit Stones. To him at the First Layer of Qi Condensation, it had been an enormous sum, but by the time he was at Qi Condensation Layer 4, repaying it had become far easier.