Moments later, Ji An calmed his excited heart and ordered again:

"Refine all the Earth Element Dao Rhyme to enhance the Ji Earth Dao Seed."

He wanted to see if he could obtain another top-grade Dao Seed.

Spiritual Mechanism rapidly decreased, and he gained more insight into the Dao of Ji Earth, but the Ji Earth Dao Seed did not improve to top-grade.

"Alas, just a little more!"

Ji An shook his head, speculating that he was just a bit short of the Dao Rhyme. If he obtained a top-grade Ji Earth Dao Seed, it would greatly aid in cultivation.

Unfortunately, luck was not on his side.

He strode out of the grotto mansion, where Dharma Prohibition was dense, making Earth Escape Technique unusable.

He rode the clouds to the summit of Red Flame Peak, intending to test the difference brought by the top-grade Dao Seed.

At this moment, the moon hung like a hook, and the mountain wind was biting.

In Ji An’s hand, the Dharma Seal transformed, releasing the Golden Light Technique.

The Moon Blade reflected a clear radiance, the silvery light silently sinking into the black stone, without emitting a sound or losing a trace of Magic Intent, all the Mental Realm restrained.

The speed was twenty percent faster than before, the original golden glow now as elegantly cold as moonlight in cold water.

"Compared to silver, I still prefer luxurious gold!"

He couldn’t help but grin, feeling the golden light more imposing.

He strolled to where the magic technique penetrated the mountain, probing with his Divine Sense to gauge its depth, his eyes revealing astonishment.

Over seven feet! Moreover, the Magic Intent of all things withering lingered over the entire incision.

The cut seemed smooth, but its internal structure was already damaged.

This level of attack power could deal with Chao Origin Stage demon beasts as easily as slicing melon or cutting vegetables! The same applied to cultivators!

The most important thing was the speed increase, reducing the chance for enemies to dodge.

Ji An stood up energetically, his two fingers pinched together to wield the Geng Metal Spirit-Slaying Sword.

Countless silver flying swords shimmered in the moonlight, glistening like a rippling water surface during their flying escape.

Brilliance flashed in his eyes as the flying swords sunk into the mountain, a thick aura of death spreading out.

He had already accepted that the golden flying swords had turned silver, as in the Five Elements, the Metal Element was also represented by white.

Ji An extended his Divine Sense; feeling the flying swords penetrating a yard into the mountain, he was even more delighted.

At the end of a strong bow, an arrow cannot pierce silk. It seemed like only three extra feet, but the destructive power within was more than doubled!

If he were to fight Li Haoran again, he was confident of victory.

In their last battle, the speed of his Geng Metal Spirit-Slaying Sword was not much different from the opponent’s Sword Escape. Now, his magic technique flying swords could definitely catch up with the opponent.

With the current attack power of his magic technique, a slight touch would cause serious damage; if it didn’t outright kill, it would at least cause crippling injuries.

A biting dog doesn’t bark; the Divine Intent of his magic technique did not leak out. Unless a cultivator’s Spiritual Sense detected the hidden danger, it could become a deadly weapon!

"Good!"

Under the moonlight, Ji An stood with his hands on his hips, laughing wildly at the sky like a night owl, carrying quite a villainous aura.

When going out for Qi Eating, unless encountered by Golden Core Stage cultivators robbing, he feared nothing.

Even if three to five Chao Origin Stage cultivators charged at him, he was unafraid.

’I laugh with pride, laugh with pride, take the wine as the song while in the present moment...’

Ji An hummed a tune from deep memory, riding the Fire Element Cloud, returning to the grotto mansion as if tipsy.

The night wind was icy, yet it could not mask the heat in his heart.

...

The next day at 5:00 AM, Ji An stepped out of the grotto mansion.

The waning moon faded in the sky, and the distant mountains lay like prostrate black beasts.

Excited insomnia had kept him awake all night, but there was not a trace of fatigue on his face.

With a sharp weapon in hand, the intent to kill arose.

He now wanted to travel outside and encounter several tribulation cultivators jumping out for him to display the might of Metal Element Technique!

He suddenly shook his head, muttering:

"No, this mindset is not right, it’s a bit chaotic!"

At this time, he was in a state of false expansion, unable to calm his mind.

Fiery clouds rose from beneath his feet, and he rode them swiftly down the mountain, arriving at a stone house once used for Talisman Painting.

Pushing open the door, he entered, removing the cover from the Luminous Bead on the wall, taking the Autumn Toad and Chinese Parasol Tree Leaf Jade Brush Washer from the cabinet, and using the Small Cloud Rain Technique to fill it with water.

He took out the most ordinary half-bald Talisman Brush, hunching over the table to paint talismans with the water.

Geng Metal Talisman, Water Curtain Talisman, Golden Armor Talisman, Flame Bursting Talisman, Bursting Talisman, etc., he recalled the methods of Talisman Painting, continually sketching on the table...

After more than half an hour, Ji An finally felt his thoughts settle down.

He exhaled, placing the Talisman Brush on the pen washer, only then realizing the water inside was nearly dried up.

’It’s said that Golden Core cultivators seeking to break through to Nascent Soul must temper themselves in the red dust, but I wonder what they refine.’

Ji An pondered as he walked out of the stone house with his hands behind his back.

Zhang Cuihua was waiting at the door. Seeing him come out, she immediately said:

"Ancestor, I saw you were busy and didn’t dare to disturb you. Breakfast is ready; shall I serve it to you?"

This morning, she had gone to the kitchen early, seen light in the room, noticed the ancestor painting talismans inside, and prepared his meal.

"Good, today I haven’t done Qi Eating yet and I’m hungry. Bring breakfast to the stone table by the pool."

...

Ji An pleasantly drank the last sip of his small wine, just in time to spot a flicker of Spirit Light in the sky, as three cultivators descended with billowing sleeves.

"Quickly clean up," he instructed, then hurriedly went forward to salute:

"Greetings, Senior Brothers!"

Jia Yu sniffed, saying:

"Such rich wine aroma! Junior Brother, give me five hundred catties of middle-grade Pine Nut Wine, and just put it on my tab for now!"

As he spoke, he pulled out the stopper from the wine gourd and handed it over.

The two reached an agreement that the tab would be cleared once a year.

"Senior Brother’s nose is really sharp!"

Ji An took the gourd and called a disciple:

"Songtao, five hundred catties of Tier Two Pine Nut Wine, make it quick and return fast."

"Understood," Wei Songtao left quickly.

Zhang Zizhao said with a smile:

"From a bird’s-eye view, the density of Tier Two spirit plants in Red Flame Peak has increased significantly. One day, Junior Brother’s Dao Field will certainly become the Sect’s most prosperous area!"

The ancestor has now shown the intent to raise the spirit vein grade here, and in the future, Junior Brother Ji will certainly be able to cultivate top-grade spirit wood.

This level of spirit plant can be considered the foundation of the Sect.

Jia Yu grinned, "Red Flame Peak is already the most prosperous area, the number of high-tier spirit wood here exceeds that of Sunrise Peak."

After some pleasantries, Chu Huai’ge said:

"Junior Brother, I still need to trouble you to accompany us to inspect the current situation of the spirit vein nodes in this area."

With the host accompanying, a better understanding of future arrangements can be achieved, and he will make targeted arrangements for the magic array.

"As it should be, Senior Brother, please."

Ji An said, then turned and added:

"Senior Brother Jia, excuse me, if you need anything, just instruct the disciples."

"With Spirit Wine in hand, I have no further needs."

...

Six double hours passed, and Ji An and the others returned to the living room by the Cold Pool.

Chu Huai’ge alone found a quiet place to study how to use the magic array to enhance the spirit vein’s grade.

Half an hour later, Chu Huai’ge came to the living room and said solemnly:

"I have two options: the first is to include the newly added Spirit Field into the magic array, but there’s a drawback. As the range expands, raising the spirit vein grade will become several times harder.

The second option is to maintain the previous area size of Red Flame Peak, which will make the enhancement much simpler.

Junior Brother, which one do you plan to choose?"

Ji An thought briefly and said:

"I choose the second option, but after the spirit vein is enhanced, I plan to expand the area to its appropriate size. What does Senior Brother think?"

Only children make choices; he wanted it all.

By swiftly raising the spirit vein to the top-grade level, the Stone Turtle could absorb more Spiritual Mechanism.

Chu Huai’ge shook his head, saying in a muffled voice:

"These two options cannot be balanced. Choosing the first means enduring a long wait, while choosing the second means giving up a larger area.

If Junior Brother chooses the second option, I will use the magic array to confine the Spiritual Qi, cutting off the extension of the spirit vein.

The earth vein of the newly added outer Spirit Field will then slowly wither and eventually disappear."

One cannot have both fish and bear paw; rare are the things that achieve perfection in this world.

Ji An scratched his head in thought, looked at Zhang Zizhao, and said:

"Senior Brother Zhang, what do you think? I’m still more inclined towards the second option."

He couldn’t endure a longer waiting period.

But he also knew that his desires must be endorsed by the Sect to be realized.

The Dao Field indeed belonged to him, but the other Spirit Fields were rented from the Sect, and he did not have the final say. He could only offer his suggestions for the Sect’s consideration.

Zhang Zizhao thought for a moment and asked:

"If the second option is chosen, how long will it take to elevate the spirit vein to the top-grade level?"

Chu Huai’ge silently calculated for a moment before answering:

"If all goes well, I estimate a minimum of thirty-five to thirty-six years.

If the first option is chosen, it will take over two hundred years."

"Why such a big difference?"

Zhang Zizhao was very surprised, and so were the others. The gap was too large.

Chu Huai’ge showed a trace of helplessness and sighed:

"Sometimes, even a seemingly small extension of a few zhang results in the node of the earth vein requiring several times more Spiritual Qi to supply."

"No choice left then, let’s go with the second option."

Zhang Zizhao made the decision. From a standpoint of maximizing the Sect’s benefits, the first option was the best choice.

But if the first option were chosen, Junior Brother Ji would be over three hundred years old by the time two hundred years had passed.

Last night, the ancestor sent him a Communication Golden Sword, revealing the intent to elevate Red Flame Peak to a Tier Three spirit vein due to Junior Brother Ji cultivating Tier Two Top-grade Spiritual Peaches.

If the first option were chosen, the ancestor would not live to see Red Flame Peak grow into a Tier Two Top-grade spirit vein.

If Junior Brother Ji fails to break through to the Golden Core Stage, he too would not see the day when Red Flame Peak becomes a Tier Three spirit vein.

Jia Yu took a sip of wine and agreed:

"The second option is good; cultivating higher-tier spirit plants sooner will also benefit the Sect sooner.

The first method is too greedy. Although it’s better in the long run, one must also consider human factors affecting the plan."

In his view, unless the Sect could produce more Chao Origin Stage Spirit Farmers, choosing the first option would be akin to fetching water with a bamboo basket—futile.

No matter how vast the Spirit Field is, without Junior Brother Ji’s involvement, high-tier spirit plants cannot be cultivated.

Otherwise, the Sect’s accumulation over so many years would not seem so sparse.