In the distance, smoke curled up from cooking fires, adding a touch of human warmth to the Immortal Mountain Spirit Lake.
From a bird's-eye view, bamboo pavilions dotted the valley, with smoke rising from these buildings.
Wei Songnian turned back and advised, "Slow down, follow me and descend slowly."
Ji An, not very skillful, controlled the Talisman Bird to slow down. When the three landed on a path in front of a bamboo pavilion, Wei Songnian exclaimed:
"Old Huang, your luck has arrived. New disciples are here to report, and you're in charge."
The bamboo pavilion was encircled by a fence, with various vegetables planted inside, along with some herbs Ji An couldn't name. Every bit of space in the small courtyard was utilized.
A cultivator with graying hair, a slightly dark complexion, and a wrinkled face came out, smiling and cupping his hands:
"Senior Brother Wei, thank you for bringing the two junior brothers to fill the vacancies."
Wei Songnian waved his hand:
"Old Huang, these two junior brothers are talented; you can secretly laugh to yourself.
I'm not leaving tonight. I'll take advantage of the two junior brothers' presence and have a cup of Spirit Wine."
The cultivator surnamed Huang quickly glanced at Ji An and Liu Yu, and when he saw Liu Yu put away the Talisman Bird into his Storage Bag, his eyes lit up, and his slightly worried face blossomed like a chrysanthemum.
"Haha, it is only right to welcome and refresh the two junior brothers."
Wei Songnian turned his head and, without avoiding, said:
"According to the rules, new disciples will follow a senior disciple to learn.
After a year, the sect will assess the new disciples.
If the new disciple performs excellently, the senior disciple will reward them with corresponding Contribution Points.
Realm improvement and Magic Level advancement are all part of the assessment."
Ji An glanced at Liu Yu without leaving a trace, knowing that enjoying the welcome and refreshment was thanks to his presence.
It is said that even the most ordinary Storage Bag costs over a dozen Spirit Stones in the Immortal City, while a crudely made Talisman Bird requires a Spirit Stone.
The Talisman Bird is a rapidly consumable item; once its flight time reaches a certain double hour, it basically has to be discarded, or it risks flight accidents.
No one from the Cyan Pine Daoist School possesses a Storage Bag.
For cultivators with such financial resources, reaching Great Perfection in the Qi Refining Stage is a piece of cake.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Liu Yu smiled gently:
"Thank you for your kindness, senior brothers. It would be impolite to decline."
Old Huang started arranging the meal, and Ji An volunteered to help, while the other two set up tables and chairs under a tree outside the courtyard, chatting leisurely.
Once the meal was ready, Old Huang lit a fire on his palm and took out a wine jar slightly smaller than a newborn's head.
Breaking open the clay seal, a refreshing fragrance wafted out.
With a flair for socializing, Wei Songnian quickly made everyone feel at ease, and they enjoyed each other's company.
The amber-colored Spirit Wine went down their throats, and Ji An immediately felt refreshed, as strands of Spiritual Power dissolved and merged into his Qi Sea Acupoint.
Suddenly, his expression changed slightly but quickly calmed down.
Wei Songnian put down his wine cup, sighed, and said:
"Cultivation is not easy. Even if you join the sect, it is like walking on thin ice. Junior brothers will feel more of this in the future.
I am not skilled in the hundred skills of cultivation, so I can only engage in some buy low, sell high business, scraping by.
If there is anything you need that is difficult to purchase through the sect, I can run errands for you."
Old Huang added:
"Around Jade Water Lake, everyone knows that Senior Brother Wei's business is fair. Junior brothers can compare and will know the conduct of Senior Brother."
"I will have to trouble senior brother a lot in the future," Ji An said, raising his half-glass of wine in a distant toast.
Liu Yu also raised his cup, and the four drank another cup, the atmosphere becoming increasingly harmonious.
The bright moon rose, moonlight filtering through the treetops, casting a light pattern on the table amidst the leftover plates and cups.
Liu Yu looked up at the night sky, stood up, and said:
"Today, I cultivate a family-inherited cultivation technique, which has better effects on refining Spiritual Energy at this time.
Senior brother and junior brother, I must excuse myself.
Senior Brother Huang, I wonder where my residence is?"
"Head due south, approximately half a mile, to Guiwei No. 12 Bamboo Pavilion.
The Dharma Prohibition on the bamboo pavilion needs the junior brother to restart it. The operational details are all in the Jade Slip."
Wei Songnian pulled out two half-full cloth bags from his Storage Bag:
"Junior brothers, inside these bags are items the sect distributes for free to new Spirit Farmer disciples.
They contain Yellow Sprout Rice seeds, medicinal powder to remove Spirit Field pests, and three months' worth of rations.
I thought it would be inconvenient for you to carry them, so I kept them in my Storage Bag and didn't take them out."
Ji An's eyes narrowed, and he reevaluated this senior brother anew.
The larger the Storage Bag's space, the more expensive it is. A regular Storage Bag can hold half a bag of grain at best, and yet this senior brother's bag was so spacious.
Moreover, there must be even more valuable items inside, making it difficult to estimate how large the space in the Storage Bag actually was.
This senior brother, he was also a wealthy person.
"I understand the rules of the Spirit Farmer Pavilion. I won't be cultivating Spirit Fields, so senior brother can handle these items as you see fit."
Liu Yu cupped his hands and bowed slightly, then took out the Talisman Bird, infused it with Spiritual Power, and gracefully left.
In the night sky, the Paper Crane emitted a gentle Spirit Light, illuminating the path ahead.
"Comparisons can be deadly. A cultivation technique that enhances Magical Power with Celestial Time must have special attributes.
Such cultivation techniques in the sect's Scripture Pavilion cannot be acquired without over a thousand Contribution Points."
Wei Songnian sighed and turned his head, saying:
"Junior Brother Liu doesn't need these Spirit Grain Seeds and grain. I have no use for them either, so why not split them between you two junior brothers?"
Old Huang, being very familiar with him, quickly agreed:
"Alright, Junior Brother Ji and I will split them evenly."
Ji An quickly said:
"I'm only at the First-Layer Qi Refining, not familiar with cultivating Spirit Fields. The sect's seed allocation is enough for me, so I'll just take the grain for filling the belly."