Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

"Sister Yan, don't be angry."

Wu Xiaowan grabbed the arm of the pretty woman in front of her, whose face was contorted with anger, and gently comforted her.

"As you know, my cousin's parents passed away nine years ago, making him the only male in the family with spiritual roots. My father has always doted on him, but his spiritual root aptitude is too poor, and he's obsessed with his dream of cultivation. Over the years, his cultivation hasn't improved much, and he's only at the second level of Qi Refining. It's your blessing that you didn't become his Daoist partner, but it's a huge loss for him."

While verbally advising Wang Yan, Wu Xiaowan felt a growing displeasure.

She was really indignant. Her spiritual roots were better than her cousin's, and her cultivation was also stronger than his. However, despite the abundant cultivation resources left by their parents, her cousin had only ended up like this, while her father took care of him in every way.

Thinking of this, Wu Xiaowan's resentment deepened.

"..."

Fifteen minutes ago.

Yunxi Market.

Inside a private room on the second floor of Zuixianlou.

A woman sat gracefully on a wooden chair, a simple jade hairpin tucked into her hair. She had a slender figure, a beautiful face, delicate eyebrows, shrewd eyes, thin lips, and sharp teeth.

She wore a newly made light pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with delicate embroidery on the cuffs. She picked up the teacup on the table, gently blew away the tea foam, and never looked directly at the man opposite her.

Wu Fan looked out the window at the bustling crowd on the street, his expression indifferent.

He had just bought the newly arrived yellow stone and returned to his residence in the Baidantang villa. He was about to absorb its essence and watch the Five Elements Beads transform when his second uncle, Wu Yuanshan, dragged him here.

"Fan'er, as a man, take the initiative and say something." Wu Yuanshan quietly kicked him, his voice low and full of worry.

Upon hearing this, Wu Fan did not respond, but instead turned his gaze from the window to the woman across the street.

The image of my second uncle's introduction outside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion flashed through my mind.

Wang Yan, with a low-grade spiritual root, is twenty-one years old and at the third level of Qi Refining.

Sitting next to his second uncle was Wu Fan's cousin, Wu Xiaowan, who was seventeen years old and had just been diagnosed with a low-grade fire spirit root. She was one year younger than Wu Fan.

Her almond-shaped eyes curiously scanned back and forth between the two men.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Wu once ran a shop in Yunxi Market?" Wang Yan spoke first, her tone indifferent.

Upon hearing this, Wu Fan shook his head and replied, "I no longer run this shop; it has been rented out. I am currently an alchemy apprentice at the Hundred Pill Hall."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan frowned slightly, then relaxed, and asked with a smile, "Alchemy requires both talent and resources, but... I heard your monthly allowance is only three low-grade spirit stones?"

"Yes," Wu Fan replied succinctly.

Wu Yuanshan's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly interjected, "Miss Wang, although my nephew's monthly allowance is small now, his parents left him some savings before they passed away. Now he can refine pills on his own, so his monthly spirit stones will definitely not be small in the future."

Wang Yan nodded, crossed her arms, raised her chin slightly, and asked bluntly, "Fellow Daoist Wu, I heard that your aptitude is a low-grade spiritual root?"

These words were so blunt and abrupt that even Wu Xiaowan, who was standing next to him, found them jarring.

In the cultivation world, it's acceptable to inquire about others' information privately, but directly asking about the grade of one's spiritual root is an extremely presumptuous and impolite act, something that wouldn't be done even among members of the same clan.

Upon hearing this, Wu Fan remained unfazed and calmly replied, "Yes."

Wang Yan sighed slightly, a disdainful smile playing on her lips: "That's really... But my younger brother has a mid-grade spiritual root and has already joined the Spirit Mirror Sect. He's expected to reach Foundation Establishment in the future."

"Congratulations."

Wu Fan picked up the teacup in front of him, took a small sip, and spoke in a calm and indifferent tone.

Seeing the atmosphere turn cold again, Wu Yuanshan quickly tried to smooth things over: "Miss Wang's younger brother is exceptionally talented and will surely achieve great things in the future, successfully establishing his foundation. Although Fan'er's spiritual root is somewhat ordinary, his strength lies in his down-to-earth and diligent character..."

"Senior Wu."

Wang Yan suddenly interrupted, her smile vanishing instantly, her expression turning indifferent, her tone icy, "I won't beat around the bush. My younger brother has a mid-grade spiritual root, and if he wants to establish his foundation before his qi and blood decline to the sixtieth level, he absolutely needs abundant cultivation resources. However, the competition among disciples of the Spirit Mirror Sect is fierce, so support between relatives is crucial."

As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze suddenly turned to Wu Fan's face, her eyes sharp and piercing: "If we are to become Daoist partners in the future, I have already decided on the betrothal gifts. Three hundred low-grade spirit stones, plus a mid-grade defensive magic artifact."

"hiss--"

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaowan couldn't help but gasp.

Three hundred low-grade spirit stones are enough for a Qi Refining cultivator to support their pill expenses for several years. This amount is almost equivalent to the income of a low-level cultivator for nearly ten years.

Wu Yuanshan, standing to the side, also darkened his expression, his tone tinged with difficulty: "Miss Wang, isn't this betrothal gift too extravagant? Could you perhaps make some adjustments and reduce it a bit?"

"Senior Wu."

Wang Yan's voice grew even colder, her tone hardening. "You should know that the chances of dual-spiritual-root cultivators having children with spiritual roots when they become Daoist partners are extremely high. If you think my demands are excessive, Senior Wu is free to seek a mortal woman as his wife."

She paused briefly, then added clearly, "Furthermore, after we get married, I will be in charge of managing the rent from your shop, and you will have to hand over most of your profits from alchemy. From now on, I will be in charge of all household affairs; it is only right that way."

Wu Fan listened in silence until she finished speaking, then spoke calmly, "My annual income from alchemy is only forty low-grade spirit stones, which I'm afraid is not enough to cover the betrothal gifts Miss Wang requires."

"That's why we're touching the inheritance left by your parents."

Wang Yan spoke with conviction, "Your father and mother were both late-stage Qi Refining cultivators before their deaths, and they must have accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge over the years."

Wu Xiaowan's hands under the table were also gripping her skirt tightly.

She stole a glance at Su Mo beside her, only to see that her cousin's expression was indifferent, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"I've used all the belongings my parents left me for cultivation over the years," Wu Fan said slowly.

"Oh?"

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow, her tone full of skepticism and disdain, "All that was spent on cultivation? Isn't that a waste of talent?"

These words were so harsh that even Wu Yuanshan, who had been silent all along, couldn't hold back and his face showed obvious displeasure.

Wang Yan, however, did not take it to heart and said to herself, "Fellow Daoist Wu, with your inferior spiritual root, even if you cultivate for a lifetime, you will probably find it difficult to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining. If you really want to become my Daoist partner, you should know that it is far more valuable to invest your cultivation resources in my younger brother than to waste them on yourself. If he can successfully establish his foundation, our lineage will have a strong backer, and our future offspring will be better nurtured."

As she spoke, she leaned forward and lowered her voice, "To be honest, I wouldn't have come today if I hadn't seen how honest you are. Although I have a low-grade spiritual root, I'm not bad-looking. Finding a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator with a mid-grade spiritual root wouldn't be difficult for me."

Upon hearing this, Wu Fan, who had been silent all along, suddenly smiled.

"Miss Wang is quite straightforward."

He put down his teacup, the porcelain clinking softly against the table. "Then I might as well be frank. You look down on me, and I look down on you just the same. As for your brother, you'd better find someone else to be the 'brother-obsessed demon'."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan's face immediately turned from red to white, then from white to green: "You...what did you say?"

"I said," Wu Fan said, emphasizing each word, "I don't think much of you."

Do you think I wanted to come?

Wang Yan immediately stood up abruptly, the wooden chair behind her overturning to the ground with a loud crash. "If my brother hadn't desperately needed resources, would I have come to see a piece of trash with inferior spiritual roots? Do you know how much face I would lose among my sisters if I were to become a Daoist partner with someone like you!"

Wu Yuanshan hurriedly stood up and tried to mediate: "Miss Wang, please calm down. Fan'er didn't mean that..."

"Second Uncle."

Wu Fan also stood up, his tone resolute, "That's exactly what I mean. Miss Wang, please leave. You'll have to figure out what to do with your brother yourself."

Wang Yan trembled with rage, pointing her finger at Wu Fan's nose: "Fine! Fine! Wu Fan, you just wait here! A piece of trash with inferior spiritual roots, you'll spend your life stuck at the early stage of Qi Refining, waiting to die! I want to see which woman with spiritual roots, besides me, would even look at you!"

Before she could finish speaking, she grabbed the teacup on the table and smashed it on the ground, shards flying everywhere, attracting the attention of the teahouse waiter who rushed over in a panic.

Wu Xiaowan subconsciously stood up: "I'll go check on her."

As soon as he finished speaking, he ran after Wang Yan's retreating figure.

The private room was silent. Wu Yuanshan looked at Wu Fan, his voice hoarse: "Fan'er, why...why did you have to do this? I know she went too far, but you could have refused more tactfully. This whole fuss has ruined your reputation..."

"Second Uncle."

Wu Fan interrupted him, sat back down in his chair, and said, "Reputation is not important to me. What is important is that I will not use what my parents risked their lives for to please someone who treats me like trash."

Wu Yuanshan raised his head, his eyes filled with heartache. "Fan'er, to put it bluntly, your inferior spiritual root... makes the path of cultivation too difficult. Find a Daoist partner, have a child, and properly raise the next generation—that's the right path. But you insist on learning alchemy; that's something only those with talent can achieve..."

Wu Fan did not argue.

He had heard these words far too many times over the past nine years.

From the moment he decided to abandon the spiritual farming that his family excelled at and instead devote himself to alchemy, everyone around him thought he had gone mad.

A cultivator with inferior spiritual roots, instead of content with farming and making a living, dreams of becoming an alchemist.

"Second Uncle, I know you're doing this for my own good."

Wu Fan said softly, "But everyone has their own ambitions."

Wu Yuanshan sighed deeply, shook his head, and ultimately did not try to persuade him any further.

......

One hour later.

Wu Fan returned to the Hundred Pill Hall's villa, greeted Niu Dazhuang, who was also an alchemy apprentice, and went straight back to his residence.

His room was not large, but it was fully equipped, divided into three rooms: a bedroom, a hall, and a medicine-making room.

Wu Fan closed the door tightly with his back hand, walked a few steps to the futon in the bedroom and sat down cross-legged. Then he took out a yellowish-brown stone from his storage bag.

It was the yellow stone he had found at Shifangji today, with some translucent crystal fragments embedded in its surface.

Wu Fan's fingers kept stroking the yellow stone, his eyes filled with determination.

In his previous life, he was bedridden for many years and passed away with many regrets before he turned thirty.

In this life, his parents passed away when he was nine years old. Overwhelmed with grief, he broke through the mystery of his birth and awakened his memories of his past life. Naturally, he became extremely determined to pursue immortality.

Of course, if he only had inferior spiritual root aptitude, he wouldn't be like this.

He enjoys the same treatment as all reborn individuals, possessing his own cheat code—a treasure called the Five Elements Pearl.

He sensed the bead as soon as he awakened his memories, but after many years of exploration, he still hasn't figured out all its uses.

The only certainty is that the Five Elements Bead has an extreme thirst for the power of the five elements in the world. It can advance by absorbing the corresponding source, which is also the reason why his cultivation progress is slow.

He used all the resources left by his parents to buy ores and elixirs containing the power of the five elements, and fed them all to the Five Elements Bead.

Now, the Five Elements Beads are just one step away from breaking through the constraints and entering a new stage.

The benefits that the bead had brought so far were already significant, and Wu Fan couldn't suppress his anticipation just thinking about the possibilities after advancing.

He gripped the yellow stone tightly with one hand and slowly closed his eyes.

A moment later, a white light appeared in his mind. Wu Fan immediately put his other hand together to form a sword finger and pointed it directly at the space between his eyebrows, which is the Yellow Court, also known as the Heavenly Heart and many other names.

The white light then condensed into a talisman between his eyebrows, and he pressed the yellow stone tightly against his brow while it was still warm.

Under the influence of the talisman, the yellow stone rapidly faded, its essence being absorbed in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the yellow stone, which was originally inlaid with crystals, became dull and lifeless, turning into a dark brown, lifeless stone.

The talisman between his eyebrows disappeared, and Wu Fan looked inward into his Yellow Court, where he saw the translucent Five Elements Bead floating quietly.

Inside the pearl is a five-colored flower. The white, green, blue, and red petals are already in full bloom, but the yellow petals, representing the earth element, are half-open.

At this moment, the earth element essence that had just been absorbed from the yellow stone was being slowly absorbed by the half-open yellow flower, and the petals were gradually unfolding.

The moment the yellow petals fully bloomed, the entire five-colored flower suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.

The Five Elements Beads began to rotate slowly in the Yellow Court, increasing in speed, then suddenly slowing down at its peak, until it came to a complete stop.

The five-colored petals inside the bead had dissipated, leaving only five flowing rays of light.

Before Wu Fan could react, the five streams of light, like swallows returning to their nests, all entered his dantian.

A strange power surged through his body instantly, a feeling exactly the same as when he awakened his past life memories at the age of nine.

The next moment, countless black and white light spots intertwined and flashed before his eyes, and then everything went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

Several hours later, as night deepened, Wu Fan slowly opened his eyes.

When he first woke up, he felt sore and tingly all over, as if his body had been completely reshaped.

He suddenly opened his eyes wide, and without thinking, immediately sat cross-legged, held his breath, and focused his mind to investigate.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the petals of the Five Elements Bead had already closed, and the previously lingering five-colored light had completely disappeared, replaced by a translucent round bead.

Wu Fan was shocked. Could it be that after the Five Elements Pearl had absorbed everything, it would continue to absorb more?

This cycle continues endlessly; when will it ever end?

The required power of the five elements will likely only increase in the future.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, stopped thinking, and immediately activated the Crimson Fire Technique, drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to transform it into gushing spiritual power.

The spiritual energy flows upwards from the perineum and coccyx, passes through the spine and reaches the Niwan point, and then slowly descends into the Dantian.

In just over fifteen minutes, a small cycle of Qi circulation was completed.

Wu Fan was shocked. He keenly sensed that the speed at which he absorbed spiritual energy and circulated his cultivation technique this time was almost three times faster than usual!

He quickly examined his own spiritual energy, and upon seeing it, he couldn't help but gasp.

"this......"