Steady Now

Wisps of cooking smoke curled up in the distance, adding a touch of worldly warmth to the immortal mountains and spirit lake.

Viewed from the sky, bamboo towers lay scattered throughout the valley, and the cooking smoke rose from those buildings.

Wei Songnian turned back and reminded them, "Slow down. Follow me and descend gradually."

Ji An somewhat awkwardly controlled the Talisman Bird to slow down. Once the three of them landed on the path before a bamboo tower, Wei Songnian called out:

"Old Huang, your luck has arrived. New disciples have come to register, and you'll be responsible for them."

A fence enclosed the bamboo tower. Inside grew all manner of vegetables, along with several medicinal herbs Ji An could not name. Every inch of the small courtyard had been put to use.

A cultivator with graying hair, a dark complexion, and a face crisscrossed with wrinkles walked out. Smiling cheerfully, he cupped his hands and said:

"Senior Brother Wei, thank you for bringing these two junior brothers to fill the vacancy."

Wei Songnian waved a hand.

"Old Huang, these two junior brothers are both outstanding talents. You should be laughing to yourself.

I won't be leaving tonight. I'll bask in these two junior brothers' light and mooch a cup of spirit wine."

The cultivator surnamed Huang swiftly looked Ji An and Liu Yu over. When he saw Liu Yu put away the Talisman Bird and place it into a Storage Bag, his eyes lit up at once, and his slightly worried face blossomed like a chrysanthemum.

"Haha, it is only proper to hold a welcoming feast for the two junior brothers."

Wei Songnian turned his head and said openly, without any attempt at concealment:

"By the rules, when new disciples enter the sect, they study under an older disciple.

A year later, the sect will assess the new disciples.

If a new disciple performs well, the older disciple will receive corresponding Contribution Points as a reward.

Advancement in cultivation and improvement in spell proficiency are both included in the assessment."

Ji An discreetly glanced at Liu Yu, fully aware that the welcoming treatment he was enjoying now was all borrowed from the other man's light.

It was said that even the most ordinary Storage Bag cost more than a dozen Spirit Stones in an immortal city, while a crudely made Talisman Bird cost one Spirit Stone.

Talisman Birds were quickly consumed. Once their flying time reached a certain limit, they were basically scrapped; otherwise, accidents were likely to happen in the air.

No one from Green Pine Dao Academy possessed something like a Storage Bag.

For a cultivator with such wealth, reaching Grand Perfection in the Qi Condensation Stage would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Liu Yu smiled gently.

"Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Brothers. Respectfully declining would be worse than accepting."

Old Huang began arranging the meal, and Ji An took the initiative to help. The other two set out tables and chairs beneath a tree outside the courtyard and began chatting.

Once the food was ready, Old Huang conjured a flame in his palm and brought out a wine jar slightly smaller than a newborn infant's head.

When he broke open the clay seal, a fragrant aroma wafted forth.

Wei Songnian was a master of social graces, and before long, the few of them had shed their restraint and gotten along harmoniously.

The amber-colored spirit wine slid down Ji An's throat, leaving him refreshed and invigorated. Threads of spiritual power dissolved and flowed into his Qi Sea Acupoint.

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, only to swiftly return to calm.

Wei Songnian set down his wine cup, sighed, and said:

"The path of cultivation is not easy. Even after entering a sect, one must tread as if walking on thin ice. Junior Brothers, you will feel this even more deeply in the future.

I am mediocre in all the hundred arts of cultivation. I can only make a living by buying low and selling high, scrambling about like flies and dogs.

If there is anything you need in the future that is difficult to buy within the sect, I can run an errand for you."

Old Huang added:

"Everyone around Azure Water Lake knows that Senior Brother Wei conducts business fairly. Junior Brothers, you may compare for yourselves in the future, and you will naturally learn of Senior Brother's character."

"I'll have to trouble Senior Brother often in the future," Ji An said, raising his half-finished cup of wine in a distant toast.

Liu Yu raised his cup as well. The four of them drank another round, and the atmosphere grew even warmer.

The bright moon rose, Moon Essence filtering through the treetops and scattering patches of light across the table. Cups and plates lay in disarray.

Liu Yu looked up at the night sky, rose to his feet, and said:

"I am currently cultivating a family-inherited technique. Refining spiritual energy at this hour yields better results.

Senior Brothers, Junior Brother, please excuse me.

Senior Brother Huang, may I ask where my residence is?"

"Head due south for about half a li. It is Bamboo Tower Guiwei Number Twelve.

Junior Brother will need to reactivate the bamboo tower's Dharma Restriction. The specific instructions are all in the jade slip."

Wei Songnian took two half-filled cloth sacks from his Storage Bag.

"Two Junior Brothers, these bags contain the items the sect provides free of charge to new Spirit Farmer disciples.

There are Yellow Bud Rice seeds, medicinal powder for driving pests from Spirit Fields, and provisions for three months.

I thought they would be inconvenient for you to carry on the way here, so I stored them in my Storage Bag and did not take them out."

Ji An's eyes narrowed as he gave this senior brother another look.

The larger a Storage Bag's space, the more expensive it was. An ordinary Storage Bag would be impressive if it could hold half a sack of grain, yet this man's Storage Bag had such vast capacity.

Moreover, there must have been even more valuable items within it, so its true capacity was impossible to estimate.

This senior brother was a wealthy man too.

"I understand the rules of the Spirit Farmer Pavilion. I will not be planting Spirit Fields, so Senior Brother may handle these items as he sees fit."

Liu Yu cupped his hands in a slight bow, took out his Talisman Bird and poured spiritual power into it, then drifted away.

In the night sky, soft spiritual light radiated from the paper crane, illuminating the road ahead.

"Comparing people can drive one to death. A technique that can increase one's cultivation further by following the timing of heaven must possess something extraordinary.

In the sect's Scripture Pavilion, a technique like that cannot be obtained without at least a thousand Contribution Points."

Wei Songnian gave a long sigh, then turned and said:

"Junior Brother Liu has no need for these Spirit Grain seeds or provisions. They are useless if I keep them, so why not let the two Junior Brothers divide them?"

Old Huang was clearly familiar with him and readily agreed.

"Certainly. Junior Brother Ji and I will split them evenly."

Ji An hurriedly said:

"I have only reached the First Layer of Qi Condensation and am still unfamiliar with planting Spirit Fields. The seeds allocated by the sect are enough for me. I should simply take the provisions to fill my stomach."

"Very well. If there is anything you do not understand, Junior Brother, feel free to ask me."

Old Huang happily accepted the Spirit Grain seeds.

"Two Senior Brothers, there is something I do not understand. Please enlighten me.

When we were chatting earlier, you said that planting Spirit Grain was the worst assignment in the sect. Why, then, was Senior Brother Liu Yu willing to come here?"

Ji An did not understand. Given the family circumstances Liu Yu had displayed, entering the Artifact Refining Hall or Beast Taming Hall should not have been a problem at all.

Old Huang pondered for a moment.

"I speak bluntly, Junior Brother, so do not take offense.

For people like you and me, entering the sect and becoming Spirit Farmers truly is the worst outcome.

New disciples have low cultivation and shallow mastery of spells, so they can only plant First-tier Spirit Grain.

Natural disasters, insect pests, and birds and beasts that come to feed when the Spirit Grain ripens—if one's spells are not proficient, the harvest barely suffices to keep one fed.

After two or three years, once one's Farming Spells gradually deepen, life will become somewhat easier.

But becoming a Spirit Farmer has one advantage: new disciples have no sect assignments during their first year, and their time is entirely their own to arrange.

Those disciples from great aristocratic lineages can certainly use that year to advance into Late Qi Condensation.

With their families pulling strings, they can take a good master as teacher and immediately escape the jurisdiction of the General Affairs Hall.

This place is merely a stepping stone."

The air fell silent, and all three of them lost interest.

After a while, Ji An offered his thanks and departed.

Declining Senior Brother Wei's offer to see him off, he walked along the path to his own residence—Guiwei Number Thirteen.

A Qi Condensation Stage cultivator had two hundred jin of strength in his arms. Carrying two half-sacks of grain on his back was easy enough.

The bamboo tower had two rooms, a bedroom and a kitchen. Ji An lit a lamp and inspected them.

The bedroom was simply furnished: one table, one chair, one meditation cushion, and one bed.

The kitchen contained only a water vat and an empty rice jar.

The former resident seemed to have moved away only a few days ago; there was not even a layer of dust on the table.

He poured the rice into the rice jar. It was all ordinary mortal rice, containing almost no spiritual energy.

He took clothes from his bundle and placed them on the bed, then took out a palm-sized wooden carving and set it on the windowsill.

It was a beast shaped like a Bamboo Rat, carved by his father after the likeness of a Spirit Seeking Rat, its surface bearing Golden Nodule Patterns.

The toy had accompanied the original owner for ten years, and some parts had been handled until they were smooth and gleaming.

Ji An took out the jade slip, pressed it to his forehead, and read its contents with his divine sense.

Skipping over the sect rules, he carefully studied the Clear Origin Scripture.

After opening his meridians and entering the Qi Condensation Stage, he had lacked a corresponding technique. Relying only on his body's instincts to absorb and refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, there was not much mana in his Qi Sea Acupoint at present.

Without mana, practicing spells was out of the question.

Having studied at the Dao Academy for many years, understanding this technique was not difficult. Moreover, after the fusion of souls, his comprehension and divine sense were both considerably stronger than the original owner's.

In less than an hour, he had grasped seventy to eighty percent of the technique.

The technique was the most orthodox path of an immortal sect. It explained every step with complete clarity: how spiritual energy moved through the Immortal Meridian after entering the body, and how one should coordinate one's breathing.

The Clear Origin Scripture was similar to the meridian-opening method. The difference was that one circulated inner energy through ordinary meridians, while the other drew the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body and circulated it through the Immortal Meridian.

Once he had memorized the technique, Ji An pushed open the window. Moonlight filled the room, and the wooden carving on the sill bathed in the clear radiance as well.

He sat cross-legged upon the meditation cushion and began actively drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for the first time.

Calming his mind and emptying his thoughts, he adjusted his breathing. Spiritual energy entered through his mouth and nose and began circulating through his Immortal Meridian.

Everything went smoothly. In the end, the spiritual energy was refined into mana and stored within his Qi Sea Acupoint.

An hour later, Ji An slowly emerged from cultivation. He felt refreshed and comfortable throughout his body, clearly having made some progress in his cultivation.

Yet there was no joy on his face. Instead, his brows knitted tightly together.

That evening, when he drank the spirit wine and its spiritual power was absorbed and refined into his Qi Sea Acupoint, he had felt part of it swallowed by the Stone Turtle.

Just now, when the mana refined through circulating the technique entered his Qi Sea Acupoint, the same thing happened.

When he sensed it carefully, fully half of his mana had been devoured by the Stone Turtle.

Bitterness appeared on Ji An's face, and his teeth itched with hatred.

Before he could rely on his cheat to reap benefits and slaughter enemies in all directions, the mana he had painstakingly refined was already being skimmed off like a goose plucked as it flew overhead.

It had taken half his mana. His aptitude was only Mid-Grade to begin with, and his efficiency at drawing in spiritual energy was already low.

At that moment, he began to worry that he would not be able to advance to Qi Condensation Layer 4 on time.

If he could not enter Mid Qi Condensation within three years, he would have to roll up his bedding and get out.

The Immortal Meridians of Qi Condensation Stage cultivators had only just opened, so they could not cultivate continuously. Generally, one hour was best, after which they had to rest for one or two hours before continuing.

If they cultivated for too long, the burden on their Immortal Meridians would increase and their efficiency would be greatly reduced.

Secluding oneself to cultivate for days on end was the privilege of high-level cultivators. Even Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators could not do it.

Steadying himself, Ji An again placed the jade slip against his forehead and began reading the information on the Minor Cloud and Rain Art.

Now that he had mana, he could test the Stone Turtle's mysteries once he learned a spell.

If the gains were great enough, losing half his mana would not be impossible to accept.

The Minor Cloud and Rain Art was merely a Farming Spell, not some profound art formula. It was mainly used to bring rain to Spirit Fields and was intended for Qi Condensation Stage cultivators.

The rain contained spiritual energy and could promote the growth of Spirit Grain and spirit herbs.

If Spirit Grain and spirit herbs were not properly tended during seasons when they required heavy rainfall, their yield would be drastically reduced.

The first and second layers of the art formula were relatively simple and required no threshold. Once one cast it enough times, one would naturally reach them.

In truth, most spells were like this: easy to learn, difficult to master.

Once a spell reached the third layer, the Minor Accomplishment stage, one needed to comprehend the divine intent and spiritual charm contained within the art formula.

If one's aptitude was dull, progress would be exceedingly slow through diligent practice alone. Still, given enough time, one could grind one's way to the fourth layer and enter the Great Accomplishment stage.

At that point, one's comprehension faced certain requirements.

If one's comprehension was insufficient, trying to cultivate a spell to Perfection was like scooping water with a bamboo basket or fishing for the moon in a well—after all was said and done, it would come to nothing.

Casting a spell required guiding mana through the Immortal Meridians in a specific pattern, then triggering it in coordination with hand seals.

The two aspects had to work together. Otherwise, the spell could not be cast, and one might even injure one's meridians.

Fortunately, the Minor Cloud and Rain Art was only a Qi Condensation Stage Farming Spell, making it extremely easy to learn.

After repeatedly considering the essentials of the Minor Cloud and Rain Art in his mind, Ji An did not immediately practice the spell. Instead, he practiced the hand seals.

Once his practice became proficient and the changes between hand seals were no longer stiff, he rose and walked out of the bamboo tower.

The night wind swept over him, carrying waves of dampness and a slight chill.

Taking a deep breath, Ji An steadied his somewhat excited emotions and directed his mana through his Immortal Meridians along the specified route.

With the foundation of years spent circulating inner energy, coupled with his experience cultivating the Clear Origin Scripture, the spell flowed forth in one seamless motion.

By the light of the moon above, Ji An saw a mass of mist shroud the entire courtyard, and a fine drizzle like ox hair began to fall.

A spell! The first spell I had learned!

Even after living two lives, Ji An still felt his heart pound wildly in his chest.

He walked beneath the mist, closed his eyes, and spread his arms, allowing the rain to strike his face and soak his hair and clothes.

He did not know how far he still was from ascending in feathered form and becoming immortal, but he knew that he had taken a solid first step.

Though the road was long, if one walked, one would surely arrive.

The spell lasted only a quarter of an hour. After the rain stopped, Ji An crouched down and scraped at the ground with his hand. Finding that the earth was wet only half a finger deep, he could not help but laugh.

All right, he should not expect too much from a spell he had only just learned.

But when he sensed the mana consumption, his expression suddenly froze.

He discovered that even with his Qi Sea Acupoint filled to the brim with mana, he could cast the Minor Cloud and Rain Art only five or six times.

Yet after cultivating the Clear Origin Scripture for an hour, he had barely filled one-third of his Qi Sea Acupoint.

The total amount of mana at the First Layer of Qi Condensation was truly too little.

The mana refined through cultivation techniques was also truly too little!

He suppressed the irritation rising in his heart, closed his eyes, and sensed the Stone Turtle.

Master: Ji An

Dao Rhyme: 0

Spiritual Inspiration: Kan Spirit 1.1, Kun Spirit 0.8, Xun Spirit 0.4

Spell: Minor Cloud and Rain Art (Beginner 1%)

Now had come the moment to witness a miracle. Whether he could step onto the broad road ahead depended on this very moment.

Ji An's breathing quickened involuntarily. It concerned his future development; he could not help but feel nervous.

He focused his attention on the spell, and a prompt appeared.

Kan Spirit could be consumed to enhance the Minor Cloud and Rain Art. Refine it?

Refine! Did that even need asking?!

Ancestors, bless me!

As Ji An made his decision, his divine sense was pulled into a mysterious space.

A hazy glow lit up on the Stone Turtle's body. He stood at the Kan position on its back, casting the Minor Cloud and Rain Art over and over as countless realizations flowed through his heart.

The number after Kan Spirit steadily decreased until it became "0."

Spell: Minor Cloud and Rain Art (Beginner 1% → 66%)

Ji An burst out laughing. "Old turtle, six-six-six!"

This whole cultivation business was in the bag!