Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 921 The Transformation of the Demon Spirit, Fifth-Order Magic Array!
The next morning.

Zhou Xun sat upright in the pavilion, looking refreshed and in high spirits.

Sun Yuanxuan sat opposite him, serving tea with her delicate hands.

Looking up at the sky, one can see the rising sun casting its golden rays upon the Silent Island, making the entire island appear as if it were bathed in crimson gold.

Last night's dual cultivation not only brought their minds and spirits together, but also made the circulation of spiritual energy within their bodies more harmonious, especially for Sun Yuanxuan.
"It seems that the feng shui of Silent Spirit Island is indeed suitable for us." Zhou Xun smiled slightly, quite satisfied.

"However, there is still one omission!"

"What does the young master mean?" Sun Yuanxuan asked.

"Although we have already bought 'Silent Spirit Island,' how can it be without a protective mountain formation? The formation here is only a top-grade fourth-order formation, which naturally cannot meet our needs!"

"What do you mean, Master?"

“I plan to modify the Nine Palaces Profound Origin Array and use it as the protective array for our Daoist temple!” Zhou Xun replied.

This formation was originally the Sun family's protective mountain formation, and Zhou Xun planned to incorporate the Demon Spirit Transformation to enhance its power.

Zhou Xun took out the array plate of the Nine Palaces Profound Origin Array and his gaze fell on the intricate array patterns.

He closed his eyes slightly, his consciousness sinking into the core of the array plate, and began to deduce the method of improvement.

His idea was to incorporate the transformation of demonic spirits into this magic array.

Back in Wangchuan Lake, he relied on this method to stabilize his Daoist temple and block the attack of the Yun Guang Sect's infiltration team before his cultivation level had risen.

"The Demon Soul of a Fifth-Order Demon Crocodile," Zhou Xun took out a fist-sized, dark green jade bottle from his storage bag.

Sealed within the crystal bead was the ferocious shadow of a crocodile, the very same one obtained from slaying a fifth-tier demonic crocodile years ago. The moment the demonic soul appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy fluctuated violently, and a low, guttural roar could be faintly heard.

In the days that followed, Zhou Xun was completely immersed in the deduction of the formation.

Whenever inspiration strikes, I use my fingers instead of a pen to trace patterns of flowing light in the air.

And just like that, six months passed in the blink of an eye.

One day, Zhou Xun suddenly opened his eyes.

The array diagram floating in front of him suddenly rearranged itself, and spiritual patterns appeared in the center of the original nine-palace layout.

But just as it was about to be completed, the array suddenly trembled violently, and several key nodes collapsed one after another.

"It's still a bit lacking," Zhou Xun shook his head.

However, this progress in six months is already sufficient.
He then got up and went to the training room.

With a wave of his hand, from the storage bag

Zhou Xun sat cross-legged on the ground, waved his hand, and transformed into a being who made hand seals, pointing towards himself.
Immediately afterwards, a purple light illuminated the entire stone chamber, and then a half-foot-long, entirely purple spiritual herb appeared in the air.

Like long purple vines, stretching out in the wind

It was the fourth-grade high-quality spiritual herb, "Iron Wire Yuanzhi," that Zhou Xun had previously nurtured.

Now that I have successfully advanced to the fourth-tier top-grade level, based on past experience, I can improve my spiritual root sensitivity by a little bit.

However, Zhou Xun did not intend to use this item, since it could be upgraded to a fifth-grade low-level item in a few years.

As for the present situation

He planned to advance directly using a fifth-tier spiritual medicine.

Having experienced the grand ceremony of descending to the realm, he had quite a few spiritual herbs of this grade in his possession.

Moreover, he had another plan: before attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, he would first increase his spiritual root's sensitivity to one hundred points.

The success rate will be much higher at that time.
With a wave of his hand, a fifth-grade low-level 'Celestial God Fruit' floated out, its entire body vermilion in color, its surface as smooth as a mirror, and its surroundings swirling with spiritual energy.

Looking at the spiritual herb before him, Zhou Xun no longer hesitated.
With hands forming hand seals, he performed the incantation for the Condensing Spring Scripture.

"The way of heaven is to make up for the deficiency when there is excess damage."

As he circulated the incantation, a profound and mysterious feeling arose. Zhou Xun's mind was immersed in a state of selflessness, merging with heaven and earth, as if he could control everything.

He gently touched the 'Heavenly God Fruit' with his finger.
After an unknown amount of time, a green dot of light appeared on it, emitting a soft glow.

It was about the size of an egg and extremely dazzling.
It is the essence of a fifth-grade spiritual herb!

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Xun carefully manipulated the ball of light to move closer to his body.

Zhou Xun felt enveloped in a familiar warmth, and then he felt refreshed, as if he had been elevated.

then,

Zhou Xun patted the storage bag at his waist, and a beam of spiritual light flew out, landing in front of him and transforming into a disc about one foot in size.

It is indeed the Spirit Tester!
Zhou Xun placed his hands on the spirit-testing plate and then activated it with a magic incantation.

A flash of light appeared, and Zhou Xun looked at the spirit-testing disc, smiling slightly:
"Lightning Spirit Root Sensitivity: 90 points,"

He had previously obtained a number of fifth-grade spiritual herbs in the Ten Thousand Mountains, and he planned to use them to directly improve his spiritual root.

Assuming an upgrade can be achieved once a year,
Give him another four years, and he can reach 100 points.

After finishing these tasks, Zhou Xun rested for a moment before continuing his study of magic arrays.
Before we knew it, two years had passed.
In the past two years, he has successfully raised his spiritual root to ninety-six points.
Furthermore, he finally mastered the array restrictions for the fifth-order demon spirit transformation. Next, he only needed to re-refine the array.
Simply add a new research restriction on the transformation of demon spirits.

On this day, in the cultivation room, Zhou Xun sat cross-legged.

The Nine Palaces Profound Origin Array Plate floats in front of me.

He took a deep breath, and a cluster of dark blue infant fire suddenly burst forth from his fingertips, enveloping the entire array plate.

As the infant fire flickered, the surface of the array plate began to glow with a crimson light.

Zhou Xun narrowed his eyes slightly, and his divine sense surged out like a tide, precisely erasing the original array patterns.

The intricate patterns melted slowly like snow under the burning infant fire. Throughout the process, the array plate emitted a faint "sizzling" sound and occasionally sparked a few flecks.

Once the last old array pattern disappeared, Zhou Xun immediately changed his hand seals.

He brought his right index and middle fingers together, and a wisp of solid divine power condensed at the fingertips, like an invisible carving knife.

As he slightly moved his mind, the first new array pattern slowly emerged on the surface of the array plate.

The pattern was deeper than before, with faint forks visible at the edges, which was the core restriction of the Demon Spirit Transformation.

The process of engraving the array is extremely mentally taxing.

Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Zhou Xun's forehead, but his hands did not falter at all. Every time he completed a section of array patterns, he would pause for a moment to carefully check whether the flow of spiritual energy between the patterns was smooth.

Sometimes, if a slight deviation is found, it is immediately melted down with a hot iron and recarved.

Three days and three nights later, the surface of the array plate was covered with brand new patterns.

These patterns intertwine to form a nine-palace layout at the center, with each palace extending out with demonic restrictions.

Zhou Xun took out the Heavenly Spirit Mithril, which was the key to connecting the array patterns with the guiding spirit.

Zhou Xun melted it into a silvery-white liquid using infant fire.

Guided by divine sense, the liquid was precisely filled into each groove of the array pattern. When the last drop of mithril was filled, all the patterns suddenly lit up with a dazzling silver light, connecting with each other to form a complete spiritual energy circuit.

"It's done!" A glint flashed in Zhou Xun's eyes, and he immediately took out the dark green jade bottle that sealed the demon's soul.

The moment the stopper was opened, a deafening roar of a crocodile echoed throughout the quiet room. He formed hand seals, casting a series of binding spells to slowly guide the struggling demonic soul into the center of the array plate.

The moment the demonic soul entered the array, the entire array plate trembled violently, and a phantom image of a demonic crocodile appeared on its surface.

Half a day later, the array plate finally returned to calm, but a faint layer of blood-red patterns appeared on its surface.

Zhou Xun breathed a sigh of relief. There were still four slots left, which were reserved for adding demon souls in the future.

"After more than two years of hard work, we finally succeeded!"

Zhou Xun put away the array plate and flashed to the outside of the cave. He looked up at the sky and saw that the sky was clear and blue, which was the perfect time to set up the array.

"Young Master!" Upon seeing Zhou Xun, Sun Yuanxuan immediately flew to his side.

I've been in seclusion for a while now, and I've neglected her.

"Young master, could it be that the formation is complete?"

Sun Yuanxuan came running at the sound, and seeing him holding the array plate, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Zhou Xun smiled faintly and said, "That's right, I have fused the 'Nine Palaces Profound Origin Grand Array' with the 'Demon Spirit Transformation.' Now the array's power has greatly increased, even if a Nascent Soul cultivator enters it."

"It might even be in danger of collapse!"

Once he fully integrates the five demon souls, he will likely be able to put up a fight even against someone in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Upon hearing this, Sun Yuanxuan's pretty face lit up with excitement, and she exclaimed, "Young Master's mastery of formations is truly unparalleled among those of the same level! With such a great formation protecting it, Silent Spirit Island will surely become a blessed land in the future!"

Zhou Xun nodded slightly, said no more, and with a swift movement, took to the air. Sun Yuanxuan followed closely behind, standing beside him.

"Today's formation is quite impressive; you should observe it closely."

After Zhou Xun finished speaking, he flicked his sleeve, and in an instant, thousands of array flags shot out like meteors, streaking across the sky and falling in all directions on the island.

Each array flag, once lowered, is precisely embedded into a node of the earth's veins, connecting it to the island's spiritual veins.

As the array flags continued to fall, the entire Silent Spirit Island began to tremble slightly. The spiritual veins on the ground were activated, and spiritual energy surged like a tide, forming visible ripples of spiritual light.

"Rumble--"

The seawater around the island suddenly surged, creating giant waves several meters high, as if the entire sea area was responding to the formation of the array.

In the sky, clouds gathered, and faint flashes of lightning appeared, as if the very heavens were witnessing the birth of this formation.

The other cultivators on the island noticed the change and looked up, their expressions filled with surprise and uncertainty. Some even summoned their magical artifacts and gazed warily at the sky.

Seeing this, Zhou Xun spoke loudly, his voice booming like a great bell, echoing throughout the entire island:

"Please do not be alarmed. I have set up a protective array for the mountain today. The spiritual energy will increase significantly later, which will be beneficial to your cultivation."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt somewhat relieved, but they were still awestruck by the extraordinary phenomenon before them.

At this moment, all the battle flags were in place. Zhou Xun made a hand seal with one hand and shouted in a low voice, "Activate the formation!"

"Om-"

A dazzling nine-colored light curtain shot into the sky from the edge of the island, like an inverted giant glass bowl, enveloping the entire Silent Spirit Island.

On the light screen, runes flowed and spiritual light flickered, and the nine palaces were faintly visible. In each palace, a phantom was entrenched, which was the manifestation of the array patterns of the demon spirit transformation.

At the same time, the concentration of spiritual energy on the island increased at a visible rate. The originally thin spiritual energy quickly became dense, and even condensed into a light spiritual mist that drifted among the mountains and forests.

"This...this concentration of spiritual energy has actually reached the mid-grade of the fifth rank!" Sun Yuanxuan exclaimed in surprise as she sensed the changes around her.

Zhou Xun remained calm, but a hint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes. He raised his hand and waved it, causing the array plate to float in front of him. Then he whispered:
"Next, let's try the Demon Spirit Transformation."

Before he finished speaking, he pointed his finger, and the demon soul mark in the center of the array plate suddenly lit up, and a dark green beam of light shot into the sky!
"Roar--!"

A deafening roar echoed in all directions, and within the pillar of light, a colossal creature slowly materialized—it was the fifth-tier demonic crocodile!

This crocodile is thousands of feet long, with gleaming scales and blood-red eyes. It exudes a fierce aura. Although it is formed by an array, it is lifelike, as if the real thing has descended!

"Young master, be careful!" Sun Yuanxuan warned instinctively.

Zhou Xun smiled calmly, and with a flash, he stepped into the formation, facing the demonic crocodile directly.

"Come!" he shouted, his spiritual power surging around him, and the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator was released without reservation.

Sensing the provocation, the crocodile roared and lashed out with its massive tail, creating a violent gale as it struck Zhou Xun!

"boom!"

Zhou Xun retreated rapidly, caught off guard and suffered a hidden loss.

"You beast!" Zhou Xun's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his spiritual power surged out like a volcanic eruption.

He formed a hand seal, and in an instant, nine golden chains condensed from the void, wrapping around the demon crocodile with a piercing sound.

The crocodile roared to the sky, its scales suddenly standing on end, and countless dark green poison arrows shot out like a torrential rain.

The poisoned arrow collided with the chains, unleashing a deafening roar that distorted the space within a hundred feet radius.

Zhou Xun's figure blurred, and he instantly appeared on the top of the demon crocodile's head.

He made a fist with his right hand, and a bolt of purple lightning appeared out of thin air, slashing down with earth-shattering force.

"Thunder!"

"Boom——"

A bolt of purple lightning, as thick as a water bucket, descended from the sky.

With nowhere to dodge, the crocodile could only raise its front claws to take the hit head-on. In the instant the lightning exploded, its scales, comparable to magical artifacts, were charred black, and its massive body was forcefully pressed into the sea.

Zhou Xun seized the opportunity, appearing like a ghost on the belly of the crocodile and striking its reverse scale with a palm.

"town!"

Zhou Xun unleashed nine consecutive palm strikes, each one landing precisely on a key point.

When the final blow landed, the crocodile finally stopped struggling.

"Collect!" he shouted, and the phantom of the demonic crocodile instantly dissipated, turning back into specks of light and returning to the array plate.

Zhou Xun let out a long sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face: "Not bad, the power of this formation is stronger than expected!"

"As for this demon spirit, its power has retained about 70% of its original form, which is roughly equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator sitting in charge!"

Keep in mind that this is only one statue; if all five were gathered together, their power would be even greater!

Sun Yuanxuan flew forward, her eyes filled with amazement: "Young Master, if this formation is activated at full power, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would find it difficult to break through!"

Zhou Xun nodded: "With this formation protecting it, Silent Spirit Island can be described as impregnable."

In the following period, Zhou Xun's life returned to normal.

I devoted most of my energy to studying the new insights gained from advancing to the Nascent Soul stage.

And so, another two years passed.

On this day, Zhou Xun sat upright in his cultivation room and took out a top-grade fourth-tier spiritual herb.
Previously, his lightning spirit root sensitivity had increased to ninety-nine points.

Today is the day I'll be promoted by 100 points.

(End of this chapter)