Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 1000: A Great Harvest - A Spirit Treasure-Level Flying Object!
Lu Jingxuan was greatly shocked by this sudden change!

He instinctively wanted to retreat and dodge, but the spiritual light around him had just begun to shine, and it was already too late.

Zhou Xun was at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and he had also comprehended the intents of both Thunder Grass Sword and Tribulation Thunder. His physique had also reached the fifth level.

Such strength was naturally beyond the ability of Lu Jingxuan, a mere early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, to avoid.

Zhou Xun's large hand gripped his neck like an iron clamp, and streaks of lightning shot out.

These lightning bolts contained the power of Yin lightning. As soon as they entered his body, Lu Jingxuan felt his soul go numb and his consciousness become blurred.

Immediately afterwards, the remaining lightning transformed into chains, precisely sealing his nascent soul.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself unable to move at all, and his spiritual energy was frozen and unusable.

"Hai... Brother Haiping, why have you come to this? We've never had any disagreements!"

Lu Jingxuan stammered, his voice filled with shock and confusion.

Zhou Xun merely glanced at him indifferently upon hearing this, without replying.

He stretched out his large hand and placed it directly on the top of his head, beginning the soul search.

"what--!"

A piercing scream echoed within the cave.

Lu Jingxuan's nascent soul trembled violently under the soul search, his face contorted, clearly enduring immense pain.

Before long, the nascent soul withered and collapsed, and there was no sound from it anymore.

Zhou Xun withdrew his hand, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, Lu Jingxuan was actually a genius.

His Heavenly Spiritual Root has 94 points, which is two points higher than that of the Heavenly Gift True Monarch back then.

If placed in a place like the Immortal Realm, there's a good chance they'll be able to break through to the Void Refinement Realm in the future.

"I didn't expect that I'd acquire so many geniuses in such a short time!"

Zhou Xun muttered to himself.

First there were Lu Hanqing and Lu Hanzhong, both seeded cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage, and now there is Lu Jingxuan, a seeded cultivator of the Void Refinement stage.

"To be honest, the Lu family is truly blessed with good fortune these days, with geniuses emerging one after another."

"It's just a pity that I ran into myself."

He sneered, waved his hand, took out Lu Jingxuan's storage ring, and began to inspect his spoils.

The ring is light gold in color, with cloud patterns engraved on the surface, and has a simple and antique style.

Zhou Xun released his divine sense and began to break the restrictions on the ring.

With Zhou Xun's divine sense, which was comparable to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, it was not difficult to break the seal. In a quarter of an hour, the restriction on the surface of the ring was broken.

Zhou Xun's divine sense successfully probed into it.

The interior space is about 100 feet square, with all kinds of items neatly arranged.

He began to carefully count the items.

The first thing to focus on is naturally the spirit crystal.

In the corner of the storage ring, a pile of spirit crystals was neatly stacked.

Upon careful counting, there were only one hundred and twenty-three.

"There aren't many spirit crystals, only a little over a hundred."

Zhou Xun frowned slightly.

Continue to examine other treasures.

Lu Jingxuan's natal spiritual treasure is a cyan flying sword with a slender blade and flowing cloud patterns on its surface.

However, upon closer inspection, it was discovered that its quality was only at the level of a semi-spiritual treasure.

Considering that Lu Jingxuan had only broken through to the Nascent Soul stage a little over two hundred years ago, Zhou Xun could understand.

After all, crafting a true spiritual treasure requires not only rare materials but also a great deal of time and effort.

But this made Lu Jingxuan's ring less of a prospect for him.

"It seems the harvest this time will be smaller than before!" Zhou Xun said helplessly, but this was something he couldn't control.

Sometimes, an inconspicuous monk can bring you immeasurable wealth.
However, sometimes, a powerful cultivator might bring you very little loot; this is entirely possible.
Zhou Xun had encountered this several times before and was already used to it.

Continue counting.
"what?"

Suddenly, Zhou Xun's gaze was drawn to an object.

This is a white shuttle with a streamlined design and a smooth, mirror-like surface that emits a faint spatial ripple.

"No way"

Zhou Xun took it out.

"This is actually a flying magical artifact!"

The shuttle is light and easy to hold, with silver runes flowing on its surface, radiating a powerful spatial force.

"This is even rarer than defensive magical treasures."

Zhou Xun carefully examined the flying shuttle, feeling the power it contained.

"With this, unless you encounter a cultivator at the Void Refinement stage, ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivators will definitely be no match for it."

However, he already possessed the Crimson Cloak, which was also a flying magical artifact and even rarer than this flying shuttle, making this item seem somewhat superfluous.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Xun decided to give the shuttle to his main body.

Although his true form has a higher cultivation level, he usually stays in the human realm to oversee things, and thus has fewer treasures in his possession.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Soul-Eating Beast, Xiao Qing.

Then he pointed to the silver-white shuttle in front of him.
"Master, there's something good to eat again!"

Xiaoqing was extremely excited. He had done this countless times and was already very familiar with it.

He slammed the hammer into the nose, and a gray light spread out, enveloping the flying shuttle.
Before long, a gray shadow was pulled into his stomach and swallowed, letting out a burp.

Without the remnant soul, the shuttle became completely ownerless. Zhou Xun played with it for a while before sending it to the human realm, where it fell into the hands of the original body and was successfully refined.

After completing these steps, continue with the inventory.
Zhou Xun discovered a large number of spiritual materials, mostly spiritual minerals.

Among them are several types of low-grade fifth-order spirit ores.
"Crimson Iron", "Cold Jade Stone", "Gengjin Sand", "Void Stone"...

"Truly a wealthy man!"

Zhou Xun nodded in satisfaction.

Each of these spirit ores is quite valuable, and together they are worth at least a hundred spirit crystals.

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a fist-sized crystal in the corner.

The crystal was entirely green, with liquid flowing inside, emitting an extremely rich wood-attribute spiritual energy.

"This is... a fifth-grade superior source wood crystal!"

Zhou Xun was overjoyed and took it out to examine it carefully.

"To think they even possess such a treasure, it seems we can't underestimate any cultivator; they might be hiding some hidden gems."

The Origin Wood Crystal feels warm to the touch and contains pure wood-attribute primordial power.

"This item is a sacred object of the wood element."

A burning desire flashed in Zhou Xun's eyes.

"If given to the original body, it might be possible to upgrade the 'Azure Emperor Seal' of one's natal magic weapon to the level of a spirit treasure!"

It should be noted that because the Azure Emperor Seal has only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, it is still at the level of a top-grade magic weapon.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Xun changed his mind.

He decided not to use it to enhance the Azure Emperor Seal, since his true form resided in the human realm year-round, unlike his avatar.

They attack from all directions, so even if their natal magic weapon is promoted a little later, it doesn't matter much.

However, if this "Source Wood Crystal" is given to the spirit insect "Purple Jade Poison Toad" for refinement, it can help it restore its cultivation.

It should be noted that this Purple Jade Poison Toad has an extraordinary origin; it is a descendant of the "Ancient Poison Toad," ranked ninety-third on the ancient True Spirit List.

Originally the spirit insect of the Old Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, it was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator at its peak.
Its innate venom is so potent that even cultivators at the Void Refinement stage would avoid it at all costs.

However, he had stayed in the human realm for too long, and his cultivation level had dropped to the Nascent Soul level, which is why Zhou Xun was able to take advantage of him and recruit him.

However, with ample spiritual resources and the favorable environment of the Immortal Realm, cultivation would naturally recover extremely quickly. Zhou Xun secretly calculated in his heart,

"If it recovers to the Nascent Soul stage, with the venom it has accumulated, it might pose a great threat to the two Void Refinement cultivators of the Lu family."

The temptation was simply too great; it was definitely enough to become his trump card.

After quickly taking stock of the remaining treasures, Zhou Xun focused all his attention on this "Source Wood Crystal".

He patted the spirit insect pouch at his waist.
A flash of purple light appeared, and a small toad, its entire body resembling purple jade, appeared before us.

The toad is small, only about the size of a palm, and is dark purple all over. Its surface is covered with a layer of fine scales that shimmer with a cold, eerie light.

Judging from its appearance, it looks very much like a toad.

As soon as it appeared, it sensed the pure wood spiritual energy contained in the source wood crystal and immediately started to croak excitedly.

Zhou Xun handed the Origin Wood Crystal to it:
"Swallow it and recover your cultivation as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, the Purple Jade Poison Toad eagerly opened its small mouth.

A suction force emanated from its mouth, and the Origin Wood Crystal instantly disappeared into its mouth.

Zhou Xun could clearly sense that the insect's cultivation was rapidly recovering. After glancing at it a few times, he put it back into his spirit insect bag.

After doing all this, Zhou Xun went to the inner vault of the mining island.
As a transit point for the entire mineral vein, many spirit mines send their produced spirit ore to the island for storage every year, and then distribute it to various parts of the Lu clan.

Zhou Xun then transformed into Lu Jingxuan's face and easily bypassed the guards, sweeping away the spirit ore from more than a dozen large warehouses. This was the entire year's output of this mine.

Having done all this, he quickly left the mining island and flew towards his next target.
First there was Lu Haiping, then Lu Jingxuan, the four targets for the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and two more remain.

……

Inside a sixth-tier cave dwelling on Star Origin Island,

A ruddy-faced man was sitting upright on a futon, cultivating.

This man was Lu Chihong.

Currently, the First Elder, Lu Xinghai, has traveled far away, seeking an opportunity for a breakthrough, while the Second Elder, Lu Xinghe, has entered seclusion to attempt to reach the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm.

Therefore, the management of the entire Lu family fell to Lu Chihong, who is now at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

Slowly concluding his practice, Lu Chihong sighed and muttered to himself:
"This path of artistic conception is indeed difficult to master!"

Back then, in his battle against the Heavenly Lord of the Forgotten River, Lu Chihong fought with extreme difficulty and nearly lost his life.

But it also turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

This life-or-death battle unexpectedly gave him profound insights.

Upon his return, he immediately went into seclusion, where he remained for a full ten years.

For ten years, he remained motionless like a withered tree, with only the spiritual energy flowing around him proving that he was still alive.

However, subsequent events proved that this ten-year retreat was absolutely the right decision.

In the last year of his seclusion,
His mind seemed to enter a world of fire, a world of fire that stretched for billions of miles around him.
After he woke up,
The originally calm spiritual energy began to stir, and faint flames flickered across the body's surface.

He successfully reached the 'atmosphere of fire'.

You should know that this is the ticket to the Void Refinement stage.

Once you reach that level of understanding, breaking through to the Void Refinement realm will essentially be just a matter of time.

In order to advance his career as soon as possible, he began to meditate and cultivate, repeatedly recalling the battle with Zhou Xun that day.

Now, looking back, he can recall every detail of that battle perfectly.

Every move his opponent made, every strike, and even every glance was deeply imprinted in his mind.

"pity."

Lu Chihong sighed.

"The artistic conception has not improved at all."

He slowly got up and walked out of the secluded room where he had been in seclusion.

As he entered the courtyard, the sunlight streamed in, causing him to squint.

At this moment, a middle-aged cultivator was already waiting in the courtyard.

This man had a refined appearance and wore a blue robe. He was Lu Yuanping, the person in charge of the annual spiritual root investigation of the Lu clan children.

"Yuanping is here, have a seat!"

Lu Chihong sat down on the stone bench and pointed to the seat opposite him.

"Greetings, Elder Chi Hong."

Lu Yuanping bowed respectfully.

How is the situation this year?

Lu Chihong didn't exchange many pleasantries and went straight to the question.

Lu Yuanping bowed slightly and then began to report:
"This year, there are a total of 80 million school-age children in my Lu County."

"The vast majority of them have inferior spiritual roots,"

"There are 320,000 people with low-grade spiritual roots."

"There are eight thousand people with medium-grade spiritual roots or above."

"One hundred and ninety-two people with superior spiritual roots."

He paused here, his voice tinged with excitement:
"However, this time we discovered two individuals with earth elemental roots, one with a wood elemental root and a sensitivity level of sixty-two points,"

"The other one is a wind spirit root, with 68 points!"

"Besides that, there is another piece of incredibly joyous news!"

"Among them is a child with a Golden Spiritual Root and a Sensing Ability of 83 points, definitely a Heavenly Spiritual Root!"

Upon hearing that there were two people with Earth Spiritual Roots and one with Heaven Spiritual Roots, Lu Chihong clapped his hands in praise:

"Okay!"

His eyes gleamed:
"These are all seeds for Nascent Soul Transformation, and they will have the opportunity to break through to Nascent Soul Transformation in the future."

He then took out a bottle of pills and gave it to Lu Yuanping as a reward:
"Here's a bottle of 'Spirit Nourishing Pill' for you. Thank you for your hard work."

He then solemnly instructed:

"Immediately summon Nascent Soul cultivators from the secret guards to protect these three, especially the one with the Heavenly Spirit Root. Arrange for a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator from my Lu Clan to guard him closely and ensure his safety."

"Yes!"

Lu Yuanping nodded in agreement, carefully put away the pills, and then bowed and withdrew.

After he left, Lu Chihong could no longer contain his joy and burst into laughter.

Laughter echoed in the courtyard.

"If the Supreme Elder knew this, he would surely laugh heartily!"

He gazed at the distant sky, his eyes filled with longing.

"Over the years, the Lu family has been blessed with extraordinary fortune and has produced many geniuses. We are truly favored by heaven and earth."

He carefully reviewed:
"Not to mention the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Root Child prodigies that have appeared in recent years!"

"Among contemporary Nascent Soul cultivators, there are such potential Divine Transformation cultivators as Lu Hanqing and Lu Hanzhong."

"Among the Nascent Soul cultivators, there are also geniuses like Jing Xuan who have reached the Void Refinement stage."

"Even I have successfully reached the realm of artistic conception, and the future of refining the void is in sight."

Thinking of the two Void Refinement Ancestors in his clan, he was even more confident:

"The two Supreme Elders at the Refinement stage, the Star Sea Supreme Elder is seeking an opportunity to break through to the later stage, while the Star River Supreme Elder has already obtained the opportunity and is currently in seclusion to break through the bottleneck."

"Once we emerge from seclusion, our Lu clan might gain another mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator."

He became more and more excited as he thought about it:
"When I successfully break through to the next level, my Lu clan will have three Nascent Soul cultivators, two of whom will be at the mid-stage."

"With such strength, they might rank among the top 100 families in the entire Wandao Lake region."

The forces in Wandao Lake are complex and intertwined, and those that manage to rank among the top 100 can be considered regional hegemons.

By then, the Lu family will truly be among the top powers!
Thinking of this, Lu Chihong felt a surge of heroic spirit in his chest.

He seemed to already see the Lu family heading towards unprecedented glory.
"Our Lu family shall prosper greatly..."

(End of this chapter)