Chapter Thirteen: First Encounter with the Spirit Stone

Elder Cuiyun waved his hand and said, "Ge Qian, I am not intending to take you as my disciple. I am used to being alone and do not wish to be burdened. What I can teach you is only this much! Everything depends on yourself, do you understand? Rise!"

Ge Qian answered respectfully, "I understand, Elder. My own aptitude would only tarnish your reputation. Thank you for your guidance!"

Cuiyun thought for a moment, then took out a bottle of Marrow Cleansing Pills and said, "Ge Qian, you are clever, so let me tell you: giving someone a fish only fills their belly for a day, but teaching them to fish sustains them for a lifetime. I am teaching you the art of alchemy because I see your potential. The herbs here are not for your use, but you may go up the mountain to gather them yourself and practice refining pills to hone your skills. The more you practice, the deeper your understanding will grow. You may carve out a cave-dwelling beside mine, for alchemy should not be disturbed. That is all I have to say. Go and contemplate it for yourself!"

Ge Qian bowed in gratitude. With this alchemical technique, his resolve to pursue the Dao grew even stronger.

He did not carve out a cave-dwelling, but instead returned to his humble hut. He spat out a Small Return Pill, holding in his palm a faintly blue pill exuding a rich medicinal fragrance. Just holding it in his mouth brought a surge of vitality and comfort to his whole body.

He thought to himself, no wonder those law enforcement disciples dared to venture deep into the mountains to collect spirit herbs; even if injured, they could quickly recover, greatly improving their chances of survival.

He carefully stored the pill away, and just then the little white fox approached, scratching out words on the ground with its paw.

Ge Qian watched curiously as the white fox finished writing, feeling delighted. He thought, this white fox is truly clever—focusing on cultivation and now even able to write. This is certainly no ordinary beast.

Had he stumbled upon a treasure? Perhaps this white fox had some remarkable origin.

Meidie wrote to Ge Qian because her nightly absorption of the moon’s essence was progressing too slowly, and the medicinal garden was protected by an array, making it impossible for her to leave and seek out demon herbs on her own. Even if she could find them, most grew inside or outside demon beast lairs, and with her current strength, it would be suicide.

After observing Ge Qian these days, she knew he was single-minded, diligent, willing to endure hardship, and brave enough to take risks.

She thus wanted to form a partnership with him; although there was some risk, it was better than waiting for death.

She wrote on the ground that she was originally just a common fox. Once, pursued by hunters, she fell into the mountains and ate a strange fruit, awakening her intelligence. Later, she was adopted by a cultivator, but after a few years, the cultivator's enemies came, and the old Daoist never returned. Though she understood some Daoist arts, she lacked mana.

She proposed cooperation: Ge Qian would gather and refine demon herbs into pills for her, and she would provide him with recipes and some techniques.

After reading the words, Ge Qian frowned, his mind racing. The white fox's story was full of holes—what was her true origin? If she regained her strength, would she become a threat?

But he reasoned that she currently lacked the power to harm him, and refining demon pills was something he needed anyway. After much thought, he said, "Very well, you are indeed fortunate. Since you can write, our communication will be much easier!"

The white fox wiped away the writing and scratched out, "Very well, but you must not reveal our secret. It must remain known only to us."

Ge Qian said, "Alright, but I cannot refine pills yet with my current strength. We must wait until I advance to the second level of Qi Accumulation."

The white fox wrote, "Agreed."

Ge Qian put away his things in his storage pouch, for the medicinal garden was very safe.

During the day, Ge Qian tended the garden; at night, he cultivated the Foundation Three Element Technique. After learning the Mountain Shifting Art, his cultivation of the Three Element Technique felt as natural as swimming in water.

Sitting cross-legged, he took a Marrow Cleansing Pill, which was absorbed by a tender sprout, then spat out a drop of wood-attributed spirit liquid.

Ge Qian immediately activated the Foundation Three Element Technique. The first element, vein expansion, made his meridians stronger.

The spirit liquid transformed into threads of spiritual energy, entering his twelve meridians and causing them to tremble.

At first, he felt a warm current flowing through his meridians and returning to his dantian, but the warmth increased until his meridians ached as if they were engulfed in fire.

Had he not practiced the Mountain Shifting Art, he might not have endured.

Thanks to his robust constitution, he completed the first element, vein expansion, in a month.

It took him five months to solidify his pill, stabilizing his dantian and expanding it as much as possible.

Finally, he spent four months condensing Qi, filling his dantian with spiritual energy, and was ready to advance to the next level.

Ten months had passed, and he had cultivated the Foundation Three Element Technique to the peak of the first layer of Qi Accumulation, poised to move to the second.

Standing tall, Ge Qian stretched his limbs and used the Spiritual Eye Technique to observe his dantian, where verdant green spiritual energy spiraled in rings.

He did not know why his spiritual energy was green, but from its density he could tell it was far superior to ordinary cultivators.

Now was not the time to make a breakthrough; he needed to hunt some game and roast it into jerky. The little fox was difficult to please, always wanting to change flavors, but it was worth it—she often advised him in cultivation, and without her, he might not have reached the first layer’s peak in ten months.

He prepared some food for her, then resumed his cultivation.

That day, Ge Qian strapped on his crossbow and arrows, left the medicinal garden, and headed straight for the back mountain. This year, he had finally mastered a spell: the Wooden Vine Art.

It used wood-attributed mana to conjure a vine that could tightly bind an opponent.

A lone wild wolf prowled, sniffing as it walked, its blue eyes warily scanning its surroundings.

Suddenly, a crossbow bolt whistled through the air, striking the wolf’s throat. The wolf thrashed for a moment, then lay still.

Ge Qian leapt down from a large tree, pulled out the bolt, and put it in his quiver.

A tall, stout man with small eyes and a wide mouth descended on a flying sword, landing beside Ge Qian with a smile. "Junior Brother Ge Qian, what's the point of hunting wild beasts? You can't sell them for spirit stones, so what's the use?"

Ge Qian looked up—it was Wang Meng. When they last met at the cold pool, he was at the third layer of Qi Accumulation; now he was at the fourth. Clearly, his aptitude was exceptional. Ge Qian cupped his hands and said, "Ah, it's Senior Brother Wang. I don't have Fasting Pills, so I hunt for food."

"So that's it! If you don't have Fasting Pills, you can buy them with spirit stones in the shops at Five Peaks City," Wang Meng said, puzzled.

Ge Qian smiled awkwardly, "Senior Brother Wang, to be honest, I’ve never seen a spirit stone before!"

Wang Meng nodded, took out a low-grade spirit stone, and handed it to Ge Qian. "Take it. It's just a low-grade stone—ten of these can buy a Marrow Cleansing Pill, and one stone can get a bottle of Fasting Pills. Spirit stones are the hard currency of the cultivation world; holding one lets you quickly absorb spiritual energy and restore your mana. Most people use them to buy magical tools and pills. To put it plainly, they're like money in the mortal world. Understand?"

Ge Qian fondled the spirit stone, reluctant to part with it. "Thank you for enlightening me. Spirit stones have so many uses! It's a pity I have none."

Wang Meng's eyes flashed, and he said, "Junior Brother Ge, now you have one. If you follow my lead, you’ll surely make a fortune in spirit stones!"

The Mortal Path of Immortal Journey, Chapter Thirteen: First Encounter with Spirit Stones—Complete.