Slightly tipsy, Ji An returned to the cave-dwelling and quickly sat cross-legged, refining the spiritual power contained within the spirit food.
The spiritual energy, hazy like mist and smoke, circulated through his immortal meridians in a specific pattern. After completing one full cycle, it was refined into mana and deposited into his dantian's qi sea.
The stone turtle happily devoured half of the share, its shell faintly shimmering with spiritual light.
The effects of the wine soon faded, and Ji An's muddled mind quickly cleared.
The spiritual energy nourished his meridians, his whole body comfortable and at ease. A sweet jade-like fluid naturally welled up in his mouth, flowing gently down his throat.
Compared to the rushed absorption of spiritual stones during monster hunts, this feeling was infinitely more pleasant.
At some point, the moonlight spilling across the cave entrance had shifted away. When Ji An finally felt a faint pricking sensation in his meridians and ended his cultivation, an hour and a quarter had already passed.
Sensing the mana filling his body, a faint smile touched his lips.
Out in the wilds, his mana had never felt full. Forget progress in cultivation, circulating his techniques there had been purely for replenishment, always preparing for the next fight.
This hunt had been profitable, but in terms of cultivation, his progress had nearly stalled.
According to Chu He, the only time they could improve their realm was during the few days they rested back in the market town.
Then, they would use pills and spirit-gathering arrays to maximize every external aid, grinding out a surge of progress. Usually, out of a whole month, they could only squeeze in seven or eight true days of cultivation.
Rising, Ji An formed a seal and cast Windriding Technique, pacing slowly through the cave as he reviewed his strengths and shortcomings from the hunt.
First was his spellwork. The Geng Metal Finger had more than enough killing power, but its effective range was only about two zhang. That forced him to fight monsters at close quarters.
At such distances, his reaction time mattered all the more. Against agile beasts or large groups, he would inevitably fall into a passive position.
Here, speed became vital. Although his Windriding Technique had reached the great accomplishment level, against the ape king at the peak of Qi Refining, its inadequacy had been laid bare.
To overcome this weakness, he needed to both elevate his Windriding Technique further and choose a new spell capable of restraining foes.
From his jade slips, two techniques were available: the wood-element Vine Bind Technique and the Cold Wind Technique.
Ji An stilled his mind and drew upon the stone turtle.
[Spiritual Qi: Kan 637.2, Kun 601.8, Xun 354.4, Zhen 6.5]
These past days roaming the mountains, the turtle had absorbed very little Kan qi. But Xun's qi here was far richer than around Bihai Lake, and it had even taken in a trace of Zhen.
The Vine Bind Technique was strongest in areas thick with vegetation. In sparse terrain, its power dropped significantly.
With his current stored qi, he could at most raise it to the great accomplishment level, which was not satisfactory in his eyes.
Besides, Jiang Qiuyue in their squad already specialized in wood- and water-element spells. As long as she remained in the team, there was little urgency for him to learn Vine Bind.
The Cold Wind Technique, however, belonged to the wind element. Unless cast in a blazing-hot environment, its power would not diminish.
According to the Five Elements, wind was a mutation born of water and wood. Its cold aspect likewise stemmed from water.
And since Xun's qi symbolized wind, by that logic, studying the Cold Wind Technique would let him leverage his current reserves to improve quickly, with a wider range of applications.
Decision made, Ji An no longer hesitated. He placed the jade slip to his forehead and began studying the Cold Wind Technique.
At the very least, he needed to grasp its basics and test whether he could advance it quickly.
The Cold Wind Technique was a hybrid spell, more difficult than most. It demanded far finer control of mana.
Because one had to split their power into both wood and water spiritual energy, then merge them before casting. Compared to single-element spells, it required an extra step, and that first step was already twice as hard.
Wind and lightning techniques especially test a cultivator's comprehension and the fineness of their divine sense control. Generally, only Qi Refining ninth-layer disciples even begin to dabble in them.
After grasping the theoretical essentials, Ji An started practicing.
People often make the same mistake: after learning the theory, they assume they've mastered it, only to stumble repeatedly in real application.
What they imagine is elegant poetry; what they get is a mess of broken feathers.
By the time half the night had passed, Ji An had only just managed to seize the rhythm of the first step in spellcasting.
The night passed without incident. Even in his dreams, he was still turning over the profound principles of the Cold Wind Technique.
When he awoke the next morning at the hour of Mao, Ji An activated the Spirit-Gathering Array and began his daily cultivation.
Perhaps because the cycle of exertion and rest aligned with the Dao, his practice felt smoother than back in the sect. He even opened up a small new branch of meridians.
When his immortal veins began to show strain, he stopped cultivating and resumed practicing the Cold Wind Technique.
His hard work in both waking and dreaming bore fruit; his hands moved with uncanny intuition. Compared to yesterday, the first step of spellcasting came far more easily.
Forming a series of seals, he guided his mana swiftly through his meridians. With a gentle push of his palm, a gust of chill-laden wind swept outward.
Ji An sank his mind into the stone turtle, where lines of information appeared before his inner eye:
[Spell: Cold Wind Technique (Initiate 1%)]
When he focused on the technique, a new line surfaced:
[Kan and Xun qi can be consumed to advance. Refine spiritual qi?]
This settled it. Refine!
Ji An's consciousness was drawn into the turtle's mysterious space. Unlike before, he did not stand upon the shell but hovered above it in midair.
Streams of Kan and Xun qi diminished steadily, while his Cold Wind Technique climbed. Traces of comprehension flowed into his heart.
When he emerged from the refining, his divine sense returned to his body.
[Spell: Cold Wind Technique (Initiate 1% → Small Accomplishment 2%)]
Casting again, a blast of icy wind over eight feet across howled forth, carrying a biting chill. White frost coated the cave walls, and the enamel cup on the table froze solid with ice.
"Not bad. Even leaving aside raw damage, it's more than enough to slow an enemy."
Ji An silently noted, then checked the consumption: Kan and Xun qi were depleted in equal measure.
At only a Small Accomplishment, the cost was still modest, just six points of each qi.
Other than half a day spent buying supplies with the group, Ji An scarcely stepped outside. He devoted himself wholly to cultivation.
With plenty of spirit stones at hand, he spared no expense keeping the Spirit-Gathering Array running day and night to make up for the progress lost while hunting beasts.
When his meridians could no longer bear cultivation, he calmed his mind to replay past battles, analyzing where his spellcasting techniques could improve.
The squad rested in the market town for three days before setting out again.
This time, their target was a herd of Firehorn Rhinos, a group of fire-element beasts. For the mission, they had purchased fifty Cold Wind Talismans.
"Junior Brother, your Water Curtain Talismans are perfect for this battle. How many do you have left? The squad will buy them, and we'll settle accounts when we return."
Chen Moxuan smiled, increasingly convinced Ji An's arrival had boosted their fortune.
Last time, his Geng Metal Talismans had been devastating against ape demons. Now, Water Curtain Talismans would counter Firehorn Rhinos' flawless timing!
Ji An thought for a moment, then took out twelve talismans shimmering with azure light.
"Three for each of you. If that's not enough, I still have more."
He had told them he'd only brought twenty talismans, but it was perfectly reasonable for a talisman crafter to keep a few extra tucked away as insurance.
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