The Communication Golden Sword and Communication Talisman Sword are only effective within the sect’s Mountain Protection Array range. They rely on the Map of Mountains and Rivers and Identity Jade Token to locate the cultivator’s position.

The Communication Golden Sword flickers with light, vibrating at a special frequency, transmitting its aura into the grotto mansion.

Choosing it to deliver a message indicates urgency, possessing special means to awaken the cultivator inside the grotto mansion.

Ye Changqing felt the aura fluctuations of the Communication Golden Sword, and his heart sank suddenly.

Normally, while on duty at the Diligence Hall, he rarely receives such Golden Swords, and even when he does, it is during the day.

He used the Object Control Technique to take the jade-like magical artifact from the stone table into his hand.

The magical artifact resembles a compass, a timing magical artifact, called ’Time Track.’

The drip clock is inconvenient to carry, and the water naturally depletes, needing frequent calibration.

The Time Track has no such troubles, exquisitely made, and although a lower-grade magical artifact, it’s expensive, comparable to a top-grade magical artifact.

"It’s only 5:40 AM, what could be so urgent!"

Ye Changqing muttered, placed the magical artifact back in its place, and strode out of the grotto mansion.

He paused for a moment after receiving the Communication Golden Sword, his eyes narrowing slightly.

’It’s Junior Brother Ji’s transmission. Did something happen at Red Flame Peak?’

Immediately releasing his Divine Sense to read the information in the Golden Sword, he then breathed a long sigh of relief, jokingly cursed:

"That Ji An, gave me quite a scare. Such good news, couldn’t you choose a more auspicious double hour! In the early morning, disrupting my sweet dreams."

He paced back and forth a few circles, nodded slightly, and took out a blank Communication Golden Sword.

After pondering for a moment, he replaced it with a silver Talisman Sword.

’Report to Hall Master Zhang, now there is Ji An from Red Flame Peak, cultivating a Tier Two Middle-grade Spiritual Peach Tree.’

The Talisman Sword glowed with silver light and disappeared into the mountains.

...

Ningcui Cliff.

Ge Ying finished alchemy, tiredly rubbing her temples.

Nowadays, prolonged alchemy sessions always leave her mentally fatigued.

Exiting the Alchemy Room, she instructed the waiting maidservant:

"Brew a cup of Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea."

The tea leaves in her possession are merely top-grade; the top-grade leaves were all given to Ge Luoying.

For her, top-grade tea leaves cannot nourish the Spirit Soul, but they can help restore exhausted Divine Sense.

"Yes, Junior Martial Uncle, please wait a moment. I’ve already boiled the Spirit Spring Water."

The maidservant stepped forward, presenting a long rectangular Talisman:

"There is a Communication Talisman Sword arrival today, please review it, Junior Martial Uncle."

Reaching out to accept the Talisman Sword, Ge Ying probed it with her Divine Sense, and a smile gradually emerged.

"The Ningcui Cliff lineage has successors. The disciples are much stronger than I was back then, very good!"

She thought for a moment, taking out several Communication Golden Swords.

With the demon calamity fully exploding, the front lines are tense, and the sect will inevitably recruit more cultivators to participate in the war.

The disciple has an excellent Spiritual Farmer talent. If possible, it would be best to delay their involvement at the warfront.

She plans to present the disciple’s talent to several Martial Uncles, seeking better prospects for the disciple.

...

Sunrise Peak, Treasure Pavilion.

"Ancestor has granted favor. Disciples summoned to Mingfeng Mountain can exchange for lower-grade Spiritual Artifact Flame Light Banner for only twelve hundred lesser merits."

Jia Yu spoke softly, explaining that the Flame Light Banner has been a sect inheritance, modeled after the innate Spiritual Treasure Earth-Departing Flame Banner.

However, much of the inheritance has been lost, leaving only the ability to release flame, lacking the supreme power of the innate Spiritual Treasure to invert the Five Elements.

It’s suitable as an attack Spiritual Artifact, especially for cultivators practicing Fire Element Techniques, reasonably useful for those practicing Wood Element Techniques, but not worthwhile for those practicing other Five Elements Techniques.

"Thank you, ancestor, thank you, Junior Martial Uncle. The lesser merits I possess are just enough!"

The cultivator handed over the Jade Token, his face beaming with joy.

Just days ago, exchanging for the Flame Light Banner required sixteen hundred lesser merits, now saving four hundred merits was a bargain for him.

Jia Yu accepted the Jade Token, deducted the appropriate lesser merits, entered the Secret Vault, and retrieved the Spiritual Artifact.

The Spiritual Artifact had a red flagpole, etched with light golden patterns, triangular in shape, the surface gleaming like fiery coal, light flickering like jumping flames.

Upon the flag surface, woven was a light golden Phoenix Bird, its long feathers vividly clear, with golden flames flickering, explosive aura rising and falling.

"Nephew, take care when heading to Mingfeng Mountain."

The cultivator respectfully accepted the Flame Light Banner with both hands, solemnly saying:

"Thank you, Junior Martial Uncle, for your concern."

As they spoke, a silver Communication Talisman Sword flew over. Jia Yu reached out to catch it, flicked his sleeve:

"Nephew, go back and prepare. We depart in two days."

After reading the information in the Talisman Sword, he beamed with joy.

"Good, the sect has gained another high-tier Spirit Farmer."

His previously heavy heart lightened slightly. The sect’s few high-tier Spirit Farmers: Ge Ying has about twenty years of life left, Lin Mao roughly thirty years, while Kong Yunyi is in the best state at one hundred forty years old, currently Sixth Layer Foundation Establishment.

With the high-tier Spirit Farmers facing a gap in succession, gaining a sixty-something Seventh Layer Foundation Establishment high-tier Spirit Farmer would alleviate the sect’s dilemma significantly.

Jia Yu fell into thought. The Spirit Fields at Red Flame Peak were only Tier Two Middle-grade, yet nurturing Spirit Plants of the same tier under such circumstances attests to Ji An’s undeniable ability in the art of cultivation.

More satisfactorily, he showed potential as a disciple who could break through to the Chao Origin Stage.

In a few years, the sect might indeed see the emergence of a Chao Origin Stage Spirit Farmer.

He took out the Communication Golden Sword and seriously recorded the information before raising his hand to activate it.

The golden light swept out, flying straight towards the mountain top.

Jia Yu clapped his hands and nodded in satisfaction.

The sect’s Tier Two Top-grade Spiritual Peaches were gradually dying, cultivating new Top-grade Spirit Fruit Trees was imperative; this concerned the sect’s inheritance.

A quarter hour later, the Golden Talisman Sword flew into the Treasure Pavilion.

Jia Yu immediately explored with his Divine Sense, ’Understood, if the disciple has further results, report to me immediately.’

...

Red Flame Peak, Earth Fire Chamber of the Grotto Mansion.

The smell of burning permeated the air, Ji An touched his nose, trying hard to squeeze out a smile.

The main ingredient of the Cyan Lotus Pill is the Jade Water Spirit Lotus, a water-wood dual-born spirit plant with very stringent temperature requirements during Spirit Medicine refinement.

If the temperature is slightly low, the lotus seeds cannot be refined; if it’s slightly high, then they’ll burn and you’ll see the result.

The stage of refining the Spirit Medicine Divine Essence was something Ji An couldn’t overcome, let alone pill making.

"This is troubling."

Ji An activated the Spring Breeze and Rain Skill, beginning to clean the pill furnace while pondering the steps he messed up earlier.

His Three Yang Pill Fire Technique was already at the Great Perfection Level, and his ability to control flames wouldn’t be weaker than his master’s. The failure was undoubtedly due to a lack of experience.

At certain moments, it’s necessary to preemptively raise or lower the temperature. These details require him to practice repeatedly, slowly honing, without any shortcuts.

Once he’s made all the mistakes, things will surely become smoother in the future.

Having washed the pill furnace, Ji An reopened the furnace.

For him, refining the Cyan Lotus was additionally challenging.

The lotus seed’s skin and fruit are tightly fused, unable to be removed by other means, only through flame refinement, or by soaking with Water Technique Alchemy for days to peel off.

He didn’t have the conditions for Water Technique Alchemy, so this plan was immediately discarded.

The lotus seed skin is a layer of firm shell, requiring powerful flame refinement, needing to use the earth fire, and simultaneously control the temperature, lest the fruit is damaged, which would affect the medicinal power.

The earth fire within Red Flame Peak contains Gold Element Evil Qi, which requires manipulation of the Pill Fire Technique to strip it away, consuming Divine Sense at more than double the rate compared to pill making with charcoal fire.

Hand gestures changed, his palms like blooming flowers, seamlessly executing techniques such as Warm Fire, Fire Manipulation, Nurturing Fire in combination and alternation.

Firstly, using Fire Manipulation to strip away Gold Element Evil Qi, while being of two minds and constantly paying attention to the pill furnace’s temperature.

Despite the self-inflicted hardship of pill making under such conditions, and the rapid depletion of Divine Sense, it slightly contributes to exercising Divine Sense.

Hardships are not in vain, all can be endured.

Time flew by quickly in focused labor, Ji An opened the furnace five times, finally extracting the Divine Essence of the Jade Water Spirit Lotus.

Looking at the sparkling emerald crystal in his hand, his mouth corner continually lifted.

"Not easy!"

He couldn’t help but exclaim, extracting the Lotus Seed Divine Essence was one of the two most difficult steps in refining the Cyan Lotus Pill, and now he had succeeded in half.

Due to excessive consumption of Divine Sense, he was feeling slightly dizzy, deciding to undertake the formal refining of the Cyan Lotus Pill the following day.

Lucky it was him, for another alchemist would find it difficult to make so many attempts within a double hour.

His Spirit Soul itself was stronger than most cultivators, coupled with nightly cultivation that could absorb Moonlight Power to nourish the Spirit Soul, and usually being able to drink Top-grade Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea.

With multiple factors combined, the strength of his Spirit Soul far exceeded what was typical for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Ji An carefully put the Divine Essence into a Jade Bottle, pressing his temples with both hands as he walked out of the grotto.

The setting sun was sinking to the west, already half sunk.

The evening glow was like fire, tempering the clouds into crimson and furnace red hues, resembling waves traversing the heavens.

Faint golden rays spilled down, the two Spirit Pines near the cave entrance wavering gently like steaming fire clouds.

The soaring Spiritual Mechanism atop Red Flame Peak had already receded.

At the mountain’s base, the Jade Leaf Mulberry Field undulated in green waves, the Copper Patterned Mulberry Field shimmering in silver, along with a group glowing in gold brilliance.

Ji An felt refreshed, his headache seemed slightly alleviated.

He raised his head and let out a clear call, which immediately brought a response from the celestial vault.

The Golden Feathered Eagle cried out and swooped down.

"Haha, your response speed is much quicker than the sand goose."

The grand eagle crooned with its head held high, as if saying ’naturally.’

Ji An mounted the beast, flying to the cold pool at the mountain’s base, and shouted:

"Yu Lian, brew a pot of Cloud Peak Silver Needle."

In this situation, drinking Jade Dew Golden Bud would be more effective, but the tea leaves he could keep each year were only eight ounces, so he had to save them, always discarding the leaves only after fully extracting their flavor.

Xia Yu Lian popped her head out from the kitchen, smiling:

"Junior Martial Uncle, please wait, I’m preparing dinner, it’ll take about a quarter hour more."

"Quickly get a couple of disciples to help you!"

Ji An patted the neck of the Golden Feathered Eagle, "Come on, let’s take a stroll around the Spirit Field."

The beast spread its wings for smooth flight, deliberately circling above the Ghost Moon Cyan Jade Tree.

It clearly understood that its master greatly admired this huge tree with white leaves.

Gliding over the tea trees, Ji An’s mouth corner showed a proud smile, gently stroking the creature’s tactile feathers.

Among the three tea trees, two were Top-grade, and the Cloud-Top Jade Tree reached Tier Two Lower Grade.

Annually, yielding around ten pounds of Tier Two tea leaves, achieving full freedom to drink tea.

Ji An could confidently declare that no disciple at the Foundation Establishment Stage within the sect had a more materially rich life than him.