Chapter 48: Spiritual Root

The Mortal Realm

The stout man seemed to relish the reverent gazes around him. He smiled and said, "Not at all, not at all…"

Princess Dongyang led the way, with the stout man following behind. Just as they were about to enter the back hall, he suddenly stopped and turned around. His small eyes, squeezed into slits by his fat, swept over everyone. He said blandly, "Who is Qin Sang?"

Instantly, everyone's gaze in the Pilgrimage Palace fixed unanimously on Qin Sang.

Princess Dongyang merely raised her eyes.

Qin Sang had thought the young man named Han had broken his promise and was filled with disappointment. He quickly bowed and said, "Reporting to the Immortal Master, I am Qin Sang."

The young man appraised Qin Sang, grunted, and pointed a finger at him. He said, "Come find me after the coronation ceremony."

With that, he turned and walked into the back hall.

The hall was silent.

Qin Sang could feel the surprise and envy in those gazes, as well as the jealousy from the Prince. Even King Dongyang, who was about to become the ruler, was staring intently at Qin Sang.

Commander Mu leaned closer and whispered, "The rumor that you saved an immortal master's life—is it really true?"

Commander Feng knew a bit more. "I remember, he seemed thinner than this one, right?"

Qin Sang was still immersed in joy and paid no attention to the two men. Since the young man named Han hadn't forgotten him and had specifically sent someone over, didn't that mean there was a high probability he would grant his request?

After a period of silence, the Master of the Pilgrimage Palace quietly reminded King Dongyang, "Your Majesty, the auspicious time is almost over."

"Oh? Oh!"

Only then did the monarch and his officials in the great hall come to their senses. King Dongyang hastily held the imperial seal, stepped forward, and carefully placed it between the jade tablet and jade scroll. The coronation ceremony began.

The ceremony's rituals were complicated. Later, they moved outside the hall, where officials received their titles. It lasted for almost three hours. Fortunately, the mountain wind was not strong, and the winter sun was warm, allowing everyone to endure.

Finally, King Dongyang ascended the throne as Emperor and established "Wude" as his reign title.

Qin Sang was granted the titles of General Protector of the State and Marquis of Jiangzhou.

Qin Sang received his titles calmly. He waited until the coronation ceremony ended. The new Emperor led his officials down the mountain back to Yuyu Palace, while Qin Sang remained at the Pilgrimage Palace, led by the Master of the Pilgrimage Palace toward the back hall.

Princess Dongyang, now likely known as the Elder Princess, was nowhere to be seen.

In the great hall, only the stout young man remained. He sat in a grand armchair with his eyes closed, unmoving. Seemingly asleep, he was actually cultivating.

As they stepped into the hall, the stout young man opened his eyes. He waved his hand, dismissing the Master of the Pilgritage Palace, and lazily addressed Qin Sang. "To make a long story short, Senior Brother Han asked me to tell you something. The path to immortality is hard to achieve. It's not just about the countless dangers after cultivating immortality. To cultivate immortality, one must possess a spiritual root. Among mortals, those with spiritual roots are one in ten thousand. In other words, if you choose to cultivate immortality, your chances are extremely slim. However, if you remain in the mortal world, the Pilgrimage Palace will protect three generations of your descendants, ensuring their prosperity. You can choose for yourself."

Qin Sang was slightly startled, only then realizing that cultivating immortality required a spiritual root.

Immediately, he thought that he had already cultivated the *Netherworld Scripture* to the fifth level. He must possess a spiritual root, so there was naturally nothing to worry about.

However, Qin Sang still asked a few more questions. "What exactly is a spiritual root?"

"How should I know what it is?"

The stout young man pursed his lips. He wondered why Senior Brother Han cared so much about a mere mortal and even required him to explain it clearly. "Spiritual roots belong to the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. They align with the five-element spiritual energy between heaven and earth. Only by possessing a spiritual root can one comprehend the Dao of Heaven and cultivate spiritual energy and true essence within the body. In short, without a spiritual root, one cannot even sense the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, let alone cultivate. Furthermore, just because you possess a spiritual root doesn't mean our Han family will accept you. If you have a pure Heavenly Spiritual Root, let alone the Han family, even the major immortal cultivation sects would vie for you. But if your spiritual root is impure, a four-element or even five-element spiritual root, you won't be able to achieve Foundation Establishment even by death. Even with Senior Brother Han's recommendation, it would be impossible to enter the Han family's inner sect."

Hearing this, Qin Sang, who had originally felt certain of success, grew anxious again. He asked many detailed questions until the stout young man looked impatient, only then gaining a shallow understanding of immortal cultivators.

It turned out that the initial cultivation stage for immortal cultivators was called the Qi Refining Stage, a process of refining essence into Qi. During this stage, one nourishes the primordial spirit and transforms the physical body, extending one's lifespan by several decades compared to mortals.

The Qi Refining Stage had thirteen levels. Upon reaching the tenth level, one could prepare for Foundation Establishment.

Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage possessed strong combat power. Only then could one be considered a true immortal cultivator in the cultivation world. Those unable to achieve Foundation Establishment were of little use to a sect.

Whether one could achieve Foundation Establishment was related to one's destiny, but more importantly, to one's talent, which meant their spiritual root.

With a single spiritual root, or true spiritual roots like dual or triple spiritual roots, the possibility of Foundation Establishment was considerable. But for pseudo spiritual roots like four-element or five-element roots, the hope of Foundation Establishment was very slim.

The stout young man made it very clear to Qin Sang that spiritual roots were one in ten thousand, true spiritual roots were even rarer, and a single spiritual root was seldom seen in decades. He told him not to fantasize.

If Qin Sang possessed a pseudo spiritual root, he could still go to the Han family, but would only be an ordinary person in the Han family's outer sect, perhaps living a few years longer than mortals and having no worries about food and clothing—which was not as good as being a prince or marquis in the mortal world, protected by the Pilgrimage Palace, and enjoying a lifetime of wealth.

But how could Qin Sang be willing to give up now?

Qin Sang didn't know if the *Netherworld Scripture* corresponded to the Qi Refining Stage levels one-to-one. He had only taken five years to cultivate to the fifth level. This speed shouldn't be considered slow, right?

Didn't this indicate that his talent was not bad?

"Immortal Master, I have made my decision," Qin Sang said gravely. "Please test my spiritual root."

The stout young man had long grown impatient with Qin Sang. Hearing this, he huffed, "Is the immortal path so easy to achieve? It seems you won't give up until you hit a wall. Hold out your hand."

Qin Sang nervously extended his hand. He feared his talent might not be good enough, and also feared the stout young man would discover his demonic cultivation.

Unexpectedly, while Qin Sang was still secretly worrying, he suddenly heard the stout young man say coldly, "You have no spiritual root; you are not fated for the immortal path. Alright, you can go back now."

Qin Sang was stunned. He had thought detecting a spiritual root would require some mystical immortal technique.

The stout young man simply touched his arm and immediately withdrew his hand, concluding that Qin Sang had no spiritual root.

"Impossible!" Qin Sang cried out in surprise. "Without a spiritual root, how could I have cultivated the *Netherworld Scripture*? How could I have cultivated spiritual energy? How could I have wielded the Purple Soul Bell and the Ice Silkworm Armor?"

"Why not impossible?" the stout young man roared. "I already warned you that those with spiritual roots are one in ten thousand in this world! Even in immortal cultivation families, only a tiny minority possess spiritual roots. If you don't have a spiritual root, you just don't have one! Stop making a fuss here!"

Qin Sang's eyes grew slightly cold. He didn't know how he had offended this immortal master; the other party seemed to dislike him immensely.

Seeing the stout young man turn and walk out, pushing the door open, Qin Sang quickly darted forward, blocking the doorway. "I want to see Immortal Master Han!"