Sect Master’s Immortal Journey

Chapter 259: Grand Evolving Fortune

After Yang Xueyi's closed-door cultivation, Meng Zhang devoted most of his time and energy to his own cultivation. Besides his regular training, he spent a considerable amount of effort studying the book "Grand Evolving Fortune." Following the impulsive incident when he was almost assassinated by Liu Dajin, Meng Zhang seemed to have gained some insights upon revisiting "Grand Evolving Fortune."

With further in-depth study, he gradually began to make progress. Additionally, during the last expedition into the sand monster's lair, Meng Zhang obtained two intact spirit source beads. Such treasures could not be left idle in the storage; they needed to be used promptly.

Using a single intact spirit source bead, one could generate a new spirit vein from scratch, but it would be of the First Rank, Low Grade. Each time a First Rank spirit vein was upgraded, it only required one spirit source bead. Of course, depending on the quality of the spirit source bead and the techniques used, the time required would vary significantly.

The upgrade from a First Rank, High Grade spirit vein to a Second Rank, Low Grade spirit vein required two intact spirit source beads. For each upgrade of a Second Rank spirit vein, it required three spirit source beads.

Within the territory of Taiyi Sect, there was no shortage of First Rank spirit veins, and upgrading them to a higher grade held little significance. Currently, the main mountain gate of Taiyi Sect, Fuzhao Valley, possessed a Second Rank, Low Grade spirit vein. Meng Zhang did have the intention to improve its grade, but he lacked sufficient spirit source beads.

Finally, after some consideration, Meng Zhang decided to upgrade Taiyi Sect's original old mountain gate to a Second Rank, Low Grade spirit vein. There, an originally First Rank, High Grade spirit vein existed, and it would only require two spirit source beads to achieve his goal.

Furthermore, Meng Zhang didn't forget that the spiritual eye at the old mountain gate had a special nourishing effect. The precious pearl containing the remnants of the Guardian Spirit General and the spiritual weapon Spiritsnake Spear were still placed there to be nurtured. Even after the relocation of Taiyi Sect's main mountain gate, these two items remained undisturbed.

Generally, after upgrading the spirit vein's grade, the spiritual eye would exhibit some positive changes. Meng Zhang hoped that the nourishing effect of the spiritual eye would become stronger and help these two items recover sooner.

As for Deep EarthSpirit General's secondary occupation as a Geomancer, an important aspect was that it could assist in upgrading spirit veins. Carrying two spirit source beads with him, Deep EarthSpirit General infiltrated the underground spirit vein.

He had long since studied the terrain and was very familiar with the direction of the spirit vein. Originally, even with two spirit source beads, upgrading the spirit vein would take several years. However, with the special techniques inherited from the Geomancer, Deep EarthSpirit General significantly enhanced the efficiency of the spirit vein absorbing the spirit source beads.

Spending just over half a year, the First Rank, High Grade spirit vein successfully upgraded to a Second Rank, Low Grade spirit vein.

Before Deep EarthSpirit General took action, Meng Zhang had spread rumors that the old mountain gate of Taiyi Sect had experienced a Flood Spirit phenomenon. After each Flood Spirit event, there would generally be new spirit veins born or existing ones upgraded. The earliest territory of Taiyi Sect, Sweetwater Oasis, obtained a complete First Rank spirit vein due to a past Flood Spirit occurrence. Although such events were rare, they occasionally happened in the Cultivation World.

At the moment the spirit vein at the old mountain gate of Taiyi Sect was upgraded, the ground trembled violently, and a powerful spiritual energy spread in all directions uncontrollably. Then, Deep EarthSpirit General employed his Geomancer skills to gradually converge the dispersed spiritual energy.

The grade of Taiyi Sect's old mountain gate's spirit vein was elevated due to encountering the Flood Spirit, and this news quickly spread in the vicinity. People who heard the news marveled at Taiyi Sect's good fortune but didn't think much more about it.

After another half year passed, the spirit vein finally stabilized completely.

Afterward, Taiyi Sect gained another Second Rank Inferior Spirit Vein. Initially, Meng Zhang purchased two sets of Second Rank Formations from Great Wind City. Fuzhao Valley utilized one, while the other set was kept as a backup. Once this Second Rank Spirit Vein stabilized, Meng Zhang enlisted the help of Wen Qiansun and the Deep Earth Spirit General to deploy this set of Second Rank Formations. With the protection of the Second Rank Formation, there was a sense of security in the area. Moreover, this Spirit Vein didn't disappoint Meng Zhang, as it significantly enhanced the nourishing effects of his Lingyan.

Whether it was the lingering souls within the precious beads or the spiritual weapon, Spiritsnake Spear, the recovery speed improved noticeably. Following this, in addition to arranging disciples to guard the area, Meng Zhang and the Deep Earth Spirit General, both Foundation Building cultivators, took turns overseeing the place.

Time flew by, and it had been four years since Taiyi Sect's last expedition to subdue the sand monsters. Meng Zhang's cultivation during the early Foundation Building stage had already been completed, and he could begin practicing in the mid Foundation Building stage whenever he chose.

Furthermore, after years of relentless effort, he finally gained some entry-level understanding of the Grand Evolving Fortune technique, which could be considered as having grasped the basics of divination. Meng Zhang could now successfully employ the Grand Evolving Fortune technique. Each day, he meditated for an hour using a special method to accumulate a unique "calculation tally," which was stored within his body. When he used the Grand Evolving Fortune to make calculations, he could expend these calculation tallies to obtain the desired results. The number of calculation tallies consumed varied depending on the complexity of the matter being divined.

For trivial matters, like predicting what meal the kitchen would prepare for him, only one or two calculation tallies were needed. However, for forecasting weather patterns, more than ten calculation tallies might be required. As for divining more crucial matters, such as the whereabouts of a certain magic tool or a specific Foundation Building cultivator, the cost would be even higher, reaching dozens or even hundreds of calculation tallies.

Of course, if all the calculation tallies were exhausted and still insufficient, he could even consume his own lifespan. However, Meng Zhang was reluctant to do so, as depleting too much lifespan would also cause a substantial loss of spiritual energy. If he wasn't careful, it could shake the foundation of his cultivation and hinder his progress towards reaching the Gold Core realm or higher.

Moreover, Meng Zhang couldn't use the Grand Evolving Fortune technique to divine matters beyond his current Cultivation Base level. For instance, he could only divine the whereabouts of a Second Rank magic tool but not anything more advanced. Similarly, when divining a cultivator's whereabouts, he could only target those at the Foundation Building level and not Daoist Masters at the Gold Core level or higher.

If Meng Zhang insisted on forcibly divining beyond his limits, there was still a way, albeit at the cost of a considerable amount of his lifespan, which was limited to four Jiazi cycles for a Foundation Building cultivator. However, most Foundation Building cultivators found it challenging to live past two hundred years, which might seem long but was insufficient for their cultivation journey.

Slowly but surely, by consuming lifespan bit by bit here and there, the two hundred years would pass before they knew it. Considering the value of lifespan, Meng Zhang was cautious about casually depleting it. Not to mention, excessive loss of lifespan would also deplete a significant amount of vital energy, and in the worst-case scenario, it could jeopardize his path to the Gold Core realm, making it unattainable for a lifetime.

After gaining some entry-level understanding of the Grand Evolving Fortune technique, Meng Zhang began accumulating calculation tallies while continuing to study the knowledge of divination. Presently, Meng Zhang successfully mastered the art of divination and could barely be considered a Diviner.

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