Returning to his small courtyard, Wei Zhong flicked a Spirit Feeding Pill to Nine-Colored, perched on a branch, as a reward for guarding the place.
He shook his head at the motley parrot. Years of living together had taught Wei Zhong the bird's true nature: not stupidity, but sheer laziness.
Too lazy even to mimic speech, it never greeted Wei Zhong upon his return. Even when begging for Spirit Feeding Pills, it would simply stare silently, making Wei Zhong wonder if he had somehow offended it.
Slightly annoyed, Wei Zhong tossed a pill at the parrot, which caught it precisely in its beak.
During Wei Zhong's years at the Azurewood Sect, the motley parrot had advanced from mid-stage First-Tier to late-stage First-Tier, now possessing a cultivation base slightly higher than his own. Wei Zhong sometimes wondered if the bird had undergone bloodline reversion; otherwise, how could it possibly progress so rapidly?
"Just stay here and keep watch," Wei Zhong muttered.
To be fair, though the parrot wasn't exactly endearing, it excelled at guarding the courtyard. Several times, petty thieves had attempted to sneak in, only to be driven off by the bird. Thanks to its vigilance, Wei Zhong had saved the spirit stones he would have needed to purchase a security formation.
Wei Zhong waved goodbye to Chao Jiucai and stepped into the room. With a flicker of movement, he found himself within the Grotto-Heaven.
Sensing the dense spiritual energy, he let out a contented hum.
This Grotto-Heaven is truly the most comfortable place.
Based on his research, Wei Zhong estimated the spirit vein within to be at least Third-Tier, and likely a High-Grade Third-Tier one.
Comparable to the resources available to a Core Formation cultivator, the spiritual energy here was so abundant that even a Nascent Soul True Monarch could slowly advance their cultivation base in this spirit ground.
Such a Grotto-Heaven was perfect for a cautious Immortal Path cultivator like Wei Zhong.
With it, he could cultivate to Core Formation or even Nascent Soul in the future. If he could introduce a few more spirit veins, it might even be possible to upgrade this spirit ground to Fourth-Tier.
After surveying the Grotto-Heaven, Wei Zhong felt a surge of satisfaction. The spirit rice in the Spirit Field was thriving. Though ordinary First-Tier spirit rice, the dense spiritual energy had imbued it with qualities surpassing ordinary varieties.
The harvested Spirit Rice grains gleamed like jade, overflowing with spiritual energy far beyond typical crops. They had already become Wei Zhong's staple food.
Given the opportunity, he resolved to acquire Second-Tier or even Third-Tier spirit rice seeds for careful cultivation.
Between the spirit fields, Wei Zhong had dug a large pond.
Nine-Colored barely acknowledged Wei Zhong, while Big Gold was intensely devoted to him.
Years ago, during his spare time, Wei Zhong had specially dug this pond near the courtyard for Big Gold, planting several White Jade Lotuses and other aquatic spiritual plants within.
Inside the spiritual energy-rich Grotto-Heaven, the lotus flowers bloomed perpetually. Nestled within their white petals were green lotus seeds, wrapped in their pods—a common snack Wei Zhong enjoyed with his wine.
He had also planted Big Gold's two prized spirit medicines in the pond, carefully surrounding them with a layer of fertile spiritual soil.
As if sensing Wei Zhong's arrival, the pond erupted in waves, and Big Gold's plump golden head emerged, letting out an unintelligible gurgling sound.
"Nine-Colored has a refined beak but refuses to mimic speech," Wei Zhong remarked. "Your drafty mouth, on the other hand, gurgles away merrily, though I can only understand bits and pieces."
What would happen if I put these two together?
Wei Zhong glanced at Big Gold's massive six-meter-long body and dismissed the idea of keeping him outside.
Should I bring Nine-Colored into the Grotto-Heaven?
No, no. I still need him to guard the house.
Wei Zhong decided he would consider the matter after Big Gold respectfully called him "Master."
He grabbed a handful of Spirit Feeding Pills and tossed them into Big Gold's gaping maw, roughly counting five.
Hmm, Big Gold's cultivation realm is higher, so he probably needs more to eat.
Wei Zhong assured himself it wasn't favoritism.
Watching the two spiritual herbs sway at the bottom of the lake, Wei Zhong patted Big Gold's fish head. "Big Gold, oh Big Gold, I wonder when you'll finally advance."
Now that Wei Zhong had enough Jade Marrow Mushrooms, he no longer considered killing the fish for its essence. His only desire for its advancement was the prospect of riding a Second-Tier spirit beast in the future—a golden, awe-inspiring mount that would far outshine even a Second-Tier Magic Sword.
But if his spirit beast was about to reach the Second-Tier, its master couldn't lag behind.
Returning to his Cultivation Chamber, Wei Zhong sat cross-legged and began absorbing the ambient spiritual energy, refining it into his own spiritual power.
Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual - Foundation (43%)
Perhaps due to the shared principles among water-attribute cultivation techniques, merely a month after switching to this manual, Wei Zhong had already boosted his proficiency to 43%. He was now less than halfway to achieving proficiency.
This cultivation technique, praised even by Bai He, a Transformation God Stage cultivator, truly lived up to its reputation. Not only did it refine spiritual energy more powerfully than ordinary methods, but it also accelerated cultivation progress significantly.
When Wei Zhong activated the technique, his body seemed to transform into a spiritual vortex, frantically drawing in spiritual energy from his surroundings. His absorption efficiency more than doubled compared to before.
The Late-stage Qi Refining bottleneck proved trivial. Within half a month of focused cultivation, Wei Zhong shattered through it with a resounding breakthrough. Over the next three years, he reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, while his mastery of the Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual simultaneously reached the Proficient level.
Three and a half years later, he advanced to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. After another three years, he completely perfected Qi Refining.
His cultivation base had reached its peak. All he needed now was a Foundation Establishment Pill to attempt Foundation Establishment.
With the advantages of a Third-Tier Spirit Land, an unlimited supply of High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills, and the enhancements from his proficiency panel, Wei Zhong ascended from the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining to its pinnacle in less than a decade.
Such rapid progress would undoubtedly shock his fellow Daoists.
More likely, however, it would attract high-level cultivators to his door, demanding to know the secret behind his astonishing cultivation speed.
Regaining his composure, Wei Zhong focused his attention on the status panel:
Name: Wei Zhong
Cultivation Base: Ninth Layer of Qi Refining (99%)
Cultivation Techniques:
- Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual - Proficient (89%)
- Body Nourishing Art - Mastery (51%)
Lifespan: 115/150
The Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual was nearing the Mastery level; he estimated that with continued practice, he could break through soon.
His remaining lifespan, however, was dwindling—only thirty-five years, barely enough to cast the Dao of Time twice.
Moreover, his current "Chu Zhong" persona couldn't publicly reveal his Ninth Layer of Qi Refining cultivation base.
Achieving such rapid progress—advancing from the Seventh to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining in just ten years as an ordinary Spirit Farmer with poor aptitude—was simply too astonishing.
Time to go Kryptonite-level.
With that thought, Wei Zhong instantly lowered his cultivation base by one level, instantly recouping the decade he had spent cultivating.
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 and Autumn Water Refinement Manual reached the Mastery realm.
Another Kryptonite-level adjustment followed, and this time, it only took two years to return to his peak.
The terrifying power of the Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual at the Proficient level was astonishing.
Wei Zhong understood that this wasn't solely due to the manual's inherent strength, but also a result of his abundant resources.
Within the Azurewood Sect, no other Qi Refining cultivator could afford the luxury of cultivating on a Third-Tier Spirit Land; most were limited to the Second-Tier branch veins.
And who else could recklessly devour High-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills, priced at 160 spirit stones per bottle, as if they were candy?
These extraordinary circumstances had propelled Wei Zhong's rapid cultivation progress.
By now,
Name: Wei Zhong
Cultivation Base: Ninth Layer of Qi Refining (99%)
Cultivation Techniques:
- Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual · Proficient (18%)
- Body Nourishing Art · Proficient (68%)
Lifespan: 100/150
It's time for Foundation Establishment!
Wei Zhong emerged from his Grotto-Heaven, intending to find Shen Yuqi, the Spirit Farmer. He needed a plausible source for his Foundation Establishment Pill.
However, after inquiring around, he learned that Shen Yuqi had already left the sect for the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.
Over the past fifteen years, the abundant resources of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range had drawn countless cultivators, further accelerating the decline of Bright Moon Market.