Chapter 397: Spiritual Root Transformation

Chen Mobai had initially believed that his achievement of cultivating the Fiend Slasher Sword was already widely known. He had assumed that Honghe and Zhou Wangshen possessed powerful trump cards, no less formidable than the Fiend Slasher Sword, which was why they dared to challenge him to a duel. To his surprise, it turned out to be a case of the ignorant being fearless.

After dominating the arena, Chen Mobai's words were finally acknowledged by everyone.

"Junior Brother Chen's talent in swordsmanship is indeed extraordinary," Honghe said, thoroughly convinced after his defeat.

"I'm just a little good at dueling," Chen Mobai said modestly to his companions. However, the way everyone looked at him had completely changed. This wasn't just "a little good"; it was unrivaled. If they were to compare cultivation realms and dueling prowess, the future position of sect leader would undoubtedly belong to him.

"Junior Brother Chen, I will definitely catch up to you in the future," Honghe stated with great solemnity. Although he had lost, Honghe believed it was primarily due to the inadequacy of his cultivation method and spellcraft. The Azure Flame Fiend Slasher Sword, at the Foundation Establishment stage, was simply invincible. But at least their cultivation realms were still on par; both were at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Honghe resolved to put more effort into this aspect, striving to be the first disciple of their generation to break through to the late-Foundation Establishment stage, or even to the Core Formation stage.

Chen Mobai nodded and said nothing more.

The celebration continued as planned.

Yin Qingmei ascended the stage to demonstrate her cultivation of the Everlasting Life Scripture. With her Heavenly Wood Spirit Root, cultivating this foundational grand art of the Divine Wood Sect was like adding wings to a tiger. Although she had only recently entered the Foundation Establishment stage, her Heavenly Wood Spiritual Light was as agile as a shapeshifting snake, displaying a level of mastery that left everyone present feeling inferior.

However, Chen Mobai recognized the shadow of the Ever-Changing Spiritual Light Art in Yin Qingmei's demonstration. He had obtained this cultivation method from the Talent Tree and reported it to the two patriarchs. Given Yin Qingmei's identity, it was likely Patriarch Fu who had taught it to her.

Later, when Yin Qingmei came to offer a toast, Chen Mobai exchanged a few words with her, recalling their first meeting in Nanxi Market and expressing his gratitude once more.

"I was merely fulfilling my duty as a Fate-Crossing Envoy," Yin Qingmei said with a faint smile. She clearly remembered the events of eight years ago; in fact, even if she forgot all the other disciples recruited in Yun Country, she would never forget Chen Mobai.

"I noticed Junior Sister seems to have cultivated the Ever-Changing Spiritual Light Art. Actually, there's a complementary art called the Spiritual Light Weapon-Gathering Art, which I also obtained from the Divine Tree Secret Realm." Yin Qingmei had been kind to him, so when Chen Mobai saw her practicing the Ever-Changing Spiritual Light Art, he thought of teaching her the Spiritual Light Weapon-Gathering Art as well.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Chen, for imparting this secret art. Qingmei is also about to enter the Divine Tree Secret Realm to receive the sect's true inheritance. My master told me that Senior Brother Chen is the person who understands the secret realm best within the sect. I wonder if I might visit in a few days to receive your guidance?"

"It's a small matter. I should be in Divine Wood City for the next few days, so Junior Sister can visit whenever you have time."

After Yin Qingmei finished her toast, it signaled that the time was approaching. Chen Mobai was the first to bid farewell. As soon as he left, Honghe also felt a sudden lack of interest, and then newly ascended Foundation Establishment cultivators like Zhou Wangshen and E Yun also began to depart in small groups. Finally, some remaining Qi Condensation true disciples took advantage of this rare opportunity to exchange insights with each other, dispersing only in the dead of night.

Yin Qingmei's Spirit Root: Metal 2, Wood 83, Water 6, Fire 4, Earth 5.

Chen Mobai looked at the data displayed on the spirit-testing device screen in his palm and couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

"Senior Brother Chen, how is it?" Yin Qingmei asked anxiously from across Chen Mobai. She had come to visit today precisely to inquire about the Divine Tree Secret Realm. Chen Mobai first extracted a wisp of her spiritual energy to check her spirit root values.

"With Junior Sister's Heavenly Wood Spirit Root, you will certainly obtain the best opportunities within the secret realm. From the Treasure Tree, 'Jade Wood Spirit Heart' should be most suitable for you, but don't be discouraged if you obtain a 'Longevity Tree Fruit' instead. From the Talent Tree, you will receive a method for refining the spiritual item you acquire from the Treasure Tree. However, it's also possible that Junior Sister, due to your exceptional spirit root, might even obtain the true inherited grand art of the Longevity Sect. As for the Grand Dao Tree at the very end, Junior Sister, simply relax your mind and step forward with all your might."

Chen Mobai shared his extensive experience, but since Yin Qingmei had not cultivated the Two Forms Art, the benefits she could obtain were actually quite predictable.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Chen." Honghe had also told Yin Qingmei about his experiences in the Divine Tree Secret Realm, but he felt he was not as knowledgeable as Chen Mobai, so she specifically came to ask for more information from the latter.

"If I may be so bold, Senior Brother Chen, how many steps did you take before the Grand Dao Tree?" Yin Qingmei finally couldn't help but ask as she was leaving. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Divine Wood Sect did not publicize this matter because their results were generally poor.

"Junior Sister, do not reach too high," Chen Mobai merely said with a smile. He was not one to show off, so he didn't mention that he had recently taken twelve steps, almost completing the challenge before the Grand Dao Tree.

"Senior Brother's lesson is well taken," Yin Qingmei said, lowering her head apologetically, but still feeling a little unconvinced inwardly. She had heard from Honghe that he had taken nine and a half steps, which was already the best record since the founding of the Divine Wood Sect. She believed that as a Heavenly Spirit Root holder, her talent surpassed everyone else's. If the Divine Tree Secret Realm truly judged based on aptitude, she should be able to surpass Honghe and even Chen Mobai, and might even become the first newly ascended Foundation Establishment disciple to touch the Grand Dao Tree's true form.

After seeing Yin Qingmei off, Chen Mobai was about to put the spirit-testing device back into his palm when he suddenly realized he hadn't tested himself in a long time. So, he injected a wisp of spiritual energy.

Spirit Root: Metal 23, Wood 49, Water 20, Fire 72, Earth 14.

Chen Mobai initially thought the device hadn't been cleared properly, so he sent in another wisp of spiritual energy, but found the spirit root numbers displayed on the screen were identical. His eyes widened in surprise.

With his current cultivation, he could already remember everything at a glance. Chen Mobai remembered that at the beginning of the year, when he had just perfected the Five-Yang Physique, his spirit root values were: Metal 23, Wood 45, Water 16, Fire 72, Earth 10. How could his spirit root values have increased after just half a year?

Moreover, the increase was in the Wood, Water, and Earth attributes, each adding exactly 4 points. Was it because he had consumed some rare spiritual treasure that could increase spirit roots? Chen Mobai's mind raced, and he immediately thought of something: Immortal Peach Fruit!

He had only consumed this recently. He hadn't expected this third-tier spiritual fruit to be able to increase spirit root values. He had refined exactly four Immortal Peach Fruits, and the 4-point increase in his Wood, Earth, and Water spirit roots matched perfectly!

"I've lost out again!" Chen Mobai sighed. Every single point of change in spirit root value could prompt the Talent Tree to update a new cultivation method or spell for him. If he had known earlier that consuming the Immortal Peach Fruit could increase spirit roots, he would have touched the Talent Tree after each fruit. But there was nothing he could do about it now; at the time, he was only focused on improving his cultivation, so he wouldn't have paid attention to such details. It wasn't too late to discover it now; at least he could still reap benefits from the Talent Tree again.

And now that he knew the Immortal Peach Fruit could increase spirit roots, next time, when the Immortal Peaches on the mother tree in Black Cloud Mountain ripened again, he could try to get a few more to taste and see if there was an upper limit to this spirit root increase.

In the Divine Tree Secret Realm, Chen Mobai looked at the Sky-Devouring Snake happily munching on grass, tossed it a few spirit stones, and then leisurely headed towards the Talent Tree. This time, he obtained a spell called the "Wood Sowing Art."

This was a spiritual plant cultivation method. It could transform any mature spiritual plant into a seed. For example, if Chen Mobai hadn't consumed the Immortal Peach Fruit, he could have used the "Wood Sowing Art" to turn it into a seed. Seeds created with the Wood Sowing Art, as long as they had sufficient earthly qi energy, were guaranteed to germinate and survive. The significance of this cultivation method lay in the large-scale relocation of precious spiritual plants.

However, this "Wood Sowing Art" required cultivation to be effective on spiritual plants of corresponding tiers. For instance, currently, Chen Mobai could only use the "Wood Sowing Art" to turn first-tier spiritual herbs and plants into seeds. If he could cultivate it to the third tier, he could then transform the Immortal Peach mother tree from Black Cloud Mountain into a seed and transplant it, ensuring its survival.

"These spells from the Longevity Sect are quite interesting," Chen Mobai muttered to himself. Whether it was the Jia Wood Art or the Wood Sowing Art, Chen Mobai felt they were more valuable than the Divine Wood Sect's Everlasting Life Scripture or the Fiery Flame Sword Art. As he mumbled to himself, he took out the treasured roots of the Great Toon Flower from his storage pouch. Chen Mobai had already used grafting to combine the Bai family's third-tier tea branch with it. As for whether it could be cultivated into a new tea species using Wenren Xuewei's method, that remained to be seen.

He brought the root to the Grand Dao Tree. The Grand Dao Tree was covered with numerous traces of attacks. Chen Mobai pinpointed a sword mark he had made himself and inserted the grafted tea branch root into the wound. According to Wenren Xuewei's thesis, powerful spiritual wood would nourish the tea branch to life and then cultivate a new tea species. However, she could continuously experiment with the Great Toon Tree, while Chen Mobai could only treat it as a last resort. He didn't have high hopes for it. Anyway, if the tea leaves were gone, he could just buy more from the Bai family.

Before leaving the Divine Tree Secret Realm, Chen Mobai circled around, wanting to see if he could find an Azure Sun Spirit Tree. However, his luck was clearly not as good as Mu Yuan's; despite being in charge of this secret realm for several years, he hadn't found a single one. Although he could artificially synthesize Azure Sun Spirit Wood using the Jia Wood Art, Chen Mobai felt that the task of searching for spiritual wood resources in this secret realm also needed to be arranged in advance.

"Master, are you making a puppet?"

In the courtyard of Divine Wood City, Chen Mobai assembled the parts he had made, forming an eight-legged spider puppet that Luo Yixuan had never seen before.

"Yes, I hope it will be useful. I need to find some things," Chen Mobai replied. Searching alone in the vast Divine Tree Secret Realm would certainly be time-consuming, so he decided to create a puppet that could automatically search for Azure Sun Spirit Trees. His years under Che Yucheng hadn't been in vain; this palm-sized spider puppet was his imitation. This was a military puppet of the Immortal Sect, which Chen Mobai had modified. The original version could autonomously record patrol targets, scanning every inch within a hundred-mile radius and transmitting the data in real-time to a backend control host.

However, Chen Mobai couldn't afford such a host and chips, so he set up a very simple self-destruct program. The puppet would be extremely sensitive to the aura of Azure Sun Fire; once it touched Azure Sun Fire, it would instantly disintegrate. Chen Mobai used ordinary first-tier Heavenly Calculation Orbs to replace the host, controlling ten small spider puppets to slowly search for Azure Sun Spirit Trees within the Divine Tree Secret Realm. He only needed to visit the secret realm when he had time, retrieve the Heavenly Calculation Orbs stored near the Sky-Devouring Snake, and check the data within to know if there had been any discoveries.

"Master is truly versatile, even understanding puppets," Luo Yixuan praised sincerely. She had been helping him for the past few days, but most of the parts she fashioned had errors; only one or two were actually used by Chen Mobai.

"Yu Lian will be coming tonight, prepare some good wine and dishes," Chen Mobai instructed Luo Yixuan after putting away the spare parts for the spider puppet. Facing his disciple's praise, Chen Mobai simply smiled faintly.

Although Yu Lian was also a newly ascended Foundation Establishment cultivator, his awkward position within the sect had made him a transparent figure. However, Chu Zuoshu had taken Chen Mobai's advice; this time, for Meng Hong's Core Formation opportunity, Yu Lian was surprisingly summoned back, clearly showing impartial treatment and an intention to demonstrate the sect's fairness and justice.

"How are things at Lonely Soul Ridge?"

After reaching Foundation Establishment, Yu Lian had been sent by Chu Zuoshu to the location of the Divine Wood Sect's most valuable Void-Nether Stone mine, as he had followed Shan Hongyi there previously. Furthermore, after the battle with Shake Mountain Peak, this Void-Nether Stone mine had become known to those with interest. So, when Chen Mobai asked, Yu Lian didn't hide anything and spoke about his experiences over the past year.

"Senior Sister Mei from the Spiritual Vein Department returned with me this time. She has applied for a rest next year, so the sect might need to reassign another Foundation Establishment cultivator there." Mei Jingjun was a Divine Wood Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator who had gone to Lonely Soul Ridge with Yan Jinye to seek opportunities. However, later, for the sake of secrecy and due to some suspicions, Patriarch Zhou had sent her to mine there and concurrently monitor the situation. However, since the Void-Nether Stone mine was no longer a secret, and Mei Jingjun had shown no issues while under the Spiritual Vein Department head's supervision for the past year, the sect approved her request to return.

"Oh, right, before I returned to the sect, I received this note. You'll never guess who gave it to me." Yu Lian suddenly handed Chen Mobai a bright yellow talisman paper.

"Who?"

"Madam Guo!"

Chen Mobai's hand, holding the talisman paper, paused upon hearing that name. "I saw her die with my own eyes, at the hands of Daoist Feiming."

"She claimed to be 'Madam Guo'!" Yu Lian was only at the Qi Condensation stage at the time, but he had also heard about Madam Guo.

"What else did she say?" Chen Mobai looked at the talisman paper in his hand, which depicted a colorful lotus lantern, and his expression became strange.

"She told me to give this to you, saying she wanted to make a deal with you."

(End of chapter)