Back in his little courtyard, Wei Zhong flicked a Spirit Feeding Pill to Nine Colors on the branch as a reward for guarding the home.
Looking at the Motley Parrot perched among the branches, Wei Zhong shook his head.
After spending these years together, Wei Zhong had come to understand this beast's habits.
It was not stupid—it was lazy.
So lazy that it could not be bothered to mimic speech, and it did not even offer a greeting when its master came home. Even when asking for Spirit Feeding Pills, it merely stared at Wei Zhong without saying a word.
It made Wei Zhong feel as though he had somehow offended it.
Somewhat sulkily, Wei Zhong tossed a Spirit Feeding Pill at it, and it caught the pill precisely in its beak.
During these years at the Azurewood Sect, the Motley Parrot had advanced from the middle stage of the first order to the late stage of the first order. Its current realm was even a few notches higher than Wei Zhong's.
Wei Zhong had once suspected that it had undergone an ancestral bloodline reversion. Otherwise, how could its cultivation progress be so terrifying?
"You stay here and guard the house properly."
Though this parrot was hardly likable, it was a first-rate hand at guarding the home and courtyard.
Several times, petty thieves had sneaked into the little courtyard, only to be driven away by it.
Thanks to its help, Wei Zhong had even saved the spirit stones needed to buy a warning formation.
Waving at Nine Colors, Wei Zhong entered the room. With a flash of his figure, he arrived in the grotto-heaven.
Feeling the dense spiritual energy, he immediately let out a comfortable hum.
This grotto-heaven is still the most comfortable place.
Based on the information he had gathered, Wei Zhong guessed that it contained at least a third-order spirit vein—and a high-grade one among third-order spirit veins.
Comparable to a Core Formation Cultivator, the spiritual energy was so dense that even Nascent Soul True Lords could slowly improve their cultivation within such spirit land.
Such a grotto-heaven was simply perfect for a cautious immortal cultivator like Wei Zhong.
At the very least, he could rely on it to cultivate to Core Formation or even Nascent Soul in the future. If he could move a few spirit veins inside, it might not be impossible for this grotto-heaven spirit land to break through to the fourth order.
After making a round of inspection through the grotto-heaven, Wei Zhong felt rather pleased. The Spirit Rice in the Spirit Fields was growing well. Though it was ordinary first-order Spirit Rice, nourished by the dense spiritual energy, it had become somewhat different from the Spirit Rice outside.
The husked Spirit Rice was jade-colored and brimming with spiritual energy, surpassing ordinary Spirit Rice by who knew how much. It had already become Wei Zhong's staple food.
If he had the chance, he could seek out second-order or even third-order Spirit Rice seeds and cultivate them properly.
Between several mu of Spirit Fields lay a large pond that Wei Zhong had dug out.
Nine Colors was indifferent toward Wei Zhong, but Big Gold clung to him fiercely.
During his spare time a few years ago, Wei Zhong had specifically dug a pond for Big Gold in the fields near the courtyard. He had also planted several White Jade Lotuses and other aquatic spirit plants within it.
Within the grotto-heaven, where spiritual energy was abundant, lotuses bloomed all year round. In the center of their white blossoms grew tender lotus seeds wrapped within lotus pods, a small dish Wei Zhong often ate with wine.
He had also planted Big Gold's two treasured spirit herbs in the pond, specially spreading a layer of fertile spirit soil around them.
As if sensing Wei Zhong's arrival, great waves rolled up from the pond, and a plump golden fish head emerged from the water.
It made gurgling sounds of unclear meaning.
"Nine Colors has such a fine beak but refuses to mimic speech. Your big mouth leaks from all sides, yet you gurgle so happily. Unfortunately, I can only understand the general idea."
What would happen if I put these two together?
Wei Zhong glanced at Big Gold's enormous body, a full two zhang long, and dismissed the thought of raising it outside.
Bring Nine Colors into the grotto-heaven?
No, no. It still needs to guard the place outside.
He would consider it after it respectfully called him "Master."
Grabbing a handful of Spirit Feeding Pills, Wei Zhong tossed them into Big Gold's huge mouth.
A rough count showed there were a full five pills.
Well, Big Gold's realm is higher, so it should eat more.
Wei Zhong swore that he was absolutely not playing favorites.
Looking at the two spirit herbs swaying at the bottom of the pond, Wei Zhong patted Big Gold's fish head.
"Big Gold, Big Gold, I wonder when you will advance."
Now that Wei Zhong had enough Jade Marrow Mushrooms, he no longer had any thought of killing fish for their inner cores.
He hoped for its advancement only because he wanted a second-order spirit beast mount in the future. Golden and dazzling, its might shaking the eight directions—would that not be far more imposing than some second-order flying sword?
But if the spirit beast was nearly second-order, then he, its master, could not lag behind either.
Returning to the cultivation room, Wei Zhong sat cross-legged. His body began absorbing the drifting spiritual energy around him and refining it into his own spiritual power.
Spring Autumn Water Refining Art · Beginner (43%)
Perhaps because water-attribute cultivation arts had something in common, merely switching cultivation arts for that one month had pushed the proficiency of the Spring Autumn Water Refining Art to 43%.
He was only about halfway away from the proficient level.
Moreover, this cultivation art truly deserved the praise of Bai He, a Spirit Transformation cultivator. Not only was the spiritual power it condensed stronger than that of ordinary cultivation arts, its cultivation speed was not slow in the slightest.
Whenever he circulated the art, it was as though a suction machine had appeared within Wei Zhong's body, madly drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy.
Its efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy was more than twice as fast as before.
The late-stage Qi Refining bottleneck was not worth mentioning before Wei Zhong. After circulating his cultivation art for less than half a month, he smashed through it with a bang. Three years later, he reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining, while the Spring Autumn Water Refining Art simultaneously entered the proficient realm.
Three and a half years later, he reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining. After another three years, Qi Refining was completely perfected.
At that point, his cultivation could rise no further. With only one Foundation Establishment Pill, he could attempt Foundation Establishment.
With third-order spirit land, an endless supply of High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills, and the boost of the Status Panel, Wei Zhong had climbed from the sixth layer of Qi Refining to the peak of Qi Refining in less than ten years.
If such speed were spoken of, it would surely frighten a whole swath of fellow cultivators senseless.
Of course, what was more likely was that high-level cultivators would come knocking, forcing Wei Zhong to reveal the secret behind his rapid cultivation.
After slightly reining in his thoughts, Wei Zhong focused his attention on the Status Panel.
Name: Wei Zhong Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 9 (99%) Cultivation Arts: Spring Autumn Water Refining Art · Proficient (89%); Nourishing Body Art · Mastery (51%) Lifespan: 115/150
The Spring Autumn Water Refining Art was already close to the mastery level. He estimated that it would break through after cultivating for a while longer.
His lifespan, on the other hand, was running short. Thirty-five years was only enough for him to use the Years Dao Method twice.
Furthermore, Chu Zhong's current identity was not suitable for revealing cultivation at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
In ten years, going from the seventh layer of Qi Refining to the ninth—especially for an ordinary spirit farmer with poor aptitude—was truly rather shocking.
Then he would "buy levels."
With a single thought, Wei Zhong's cultivation dropped another level, instantly restoring those ten years of cultivation time.
He then immersed himself in cultivation once more. Three years later, Wei Zhong returned to the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and the Spring Autumn Water Refining Art reached the mastery realm.
He "bought levels" again. This time, it took only two years for him to return to the peak once more.
The mastery-level Spring Autumn Water Refining Art was terrifying indeed.
Wei Zhong understood that this was not merely the power of a mastery-level cultivation art. It was also the result of having all the resources he could want.
Within the Azurewood Sect, what Qi Refining cultivator could indulge so extravagantly in third-order spirit land? At most, they could cultivate on a second-order branch vein.
And those High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills that cost one hundred and sixty spirit stones per bottle—who could gobble them down like candy beans as Wei Zhong did?
Only all these conditions together had produced the result of Wei Zhong's cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds.
At this point,
Name: Wei Zhong Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 9 (99%) Cultivation Arts: Spring Autumn Water Refining Art · Mastery (18%); Nourishing Body Art · Mastery (68%) Lifespan: 100/150
It is time for Foundation Establishment!
Wei Zhong left the grotto-heaven, intending to find Shen Yuqi. As a mere spirit farmer, he needed a reasonable source for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Yet after making inquiries, he learned that Shen Yuqi had already left the sect and headed for the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.
Over these fifteen years, the abundant resources of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range had attracted a great number of cultivators, causing Bright Moon Market to decline even further.
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