Chapter 35: Spiritual Root Blood Calamity, Attaining the Dao Through the Physical Body

Seeing that everyone had taken his words to heart, Qingweizi smiled and stroked his beard, preparing to continue his lecture, when he suddenly heard a voice.

"May I ask the Perfected One, since spiritual roots possess myriad wondrous uses, is there a way for us mortals to grow spiritual roots within our own bodies?"

As soon as these words were spoken, before Qingweizi could respond, several sighs broke out.

"The one asking this must be a newly admitted disciple from this year. Since you are a mortal, how could there possibly be a way to grow a spiritual root?"

"Indeed, spiritual roots are born of heaven and earth; they are innate. How could they be artificially stimulated later in life?"

"If such a miraculous method truly existed, we wouldn't need to waste our years like this..."

Amidst the murmurs, Qingweizi suddenly spoke in a gentle tone, "There was once someone who extracted a spiritual root from the body of a deceased cultivator and transplanted it into a mortal."

The Hall of Listening to the Dao fell silent for a moment, after which many disciples pressed further, "And then?"

Qingweizi shook his head. "Naturally, it failed. Since that cultivator had already passed away, the life force within the spiritual root was entirely gone; it could not be sustained."

Then... what if one extracted a spiritual root from a living cultivator?

This question surged simultaneously in the hearts of all the disciples, yet no one dared to voice it.

As if seeing through their confusion, Qingweizi smiled indifferently. "Extracting a spiritual root from a living cultivator is also impossible, of course. People tried that long ago."

Recalling a certain period of history, Qingweizi's gaze darkened, and his expression became solemn.

"Thirteen hundred years ago, in the Southern Border, there was a Golden Core evil cultivator known as the 'Blood Marrow Perfected One.' His only son lacked a spiritual root, so this demon set up a great formation to slaughter hundreds of spiritual root disciples from our Daoist Sect, taking the spiritual roots of living people to graft onto his son."

The atmosphere in the Hall of Listening to the Dao grew heavy due to Qingweizi's narration.

A disciple could not help but ask about the aftermath, "And then?"

"And then? Those spiritual roots rotted the moment they entered the body, regardless of their attribute or purity. In the end, his son died after his meridians were completely severed. As for that demon, because of his countless atrocities, he met his end by being attacked by the masses, his soul utterly dissipated."

The disciples in the hall felt chills running down their spines; to support one person's cultivation, hundreds of lives had to be sacrificed.

Qingweizi knew full well that the truth was not exactly as he had described.

Transplanting another's spiritual root into a mortal's body could indeed allow that mortal to sense spiritual qi and use it for cultivation.

However, once a spiritual root is separated from its original owner, it is like a tree separated from its roots, withering day by day.

In just over a month, it would rot completely.

The reason that demon killed so many disciples was simply because he treated spiritual roots as consumables, much like spirit stones, implanting them into his son's body and replacing them every month.

Yet, the method of grafting spiritual roots ultimately had its flaws; his son eventually died from a body explosion caused by the clashing of meridian pulses.

And the beginning of this calamity was merely because the demon's son was unwilling to test the Dao through his own life.

Furthermore, there were other methods of transplanting spiritual roots, but they either required extremely rare heavenly treasures or had conditions so harsh they were nearly impossible to meet, making them unnecessary to detail to these disciples.

Sighing inwardly, Qingweizi instructed the disciples.

"Cultivating by borrowing external objects is, after all, a minor path. If you feel your progress is slow, it is better to first practice tempering your skin and bones, then use your blood and qi to nourish your meridians. Once the day comes when your physical body is perfected, you can cultivate both internally and externally; your progress will then be rapid, and spiritual qi will come naturally."

Many disciples showed looks of pleasant surprise upon hearing this, but those who had tasted the bitterness of external body tempering sighed inwardly.

The term "body tempering" sounded easy, but the daily refinement involved untold hardships and bitterness. One wrong move could even injure oneself. Not only did it delay other tasks, but it also required spending spirit stones to purchase spiritual medicines and concoct medicinal soups.

Its difficulty was even greater than that of meditative cultivation.

At the very least, when visualizing the Heart Lamp, one did not have to endure the pain of flesh and bone.

Seeing the expressions of the disciples, Qingweizi remained noncommittal and continued to explain the method of dividing the two breaths of Guarding and Defense.

Though Fuyao City appeared peaceful, it was only because the Taixuan Immortal Sect was stationed here to guard it, preventing demons from easily invading.

In the cities outside, demons eating humans was a common occurrence. In certain counties with weak defensive forces, even massacres of entire cities occurred occasionally. Human lands were being lost inch by inch, standing in grave peril.

With demons running rampant now, many disciples lost their lives to them every month. The resources of the Immortal Sect were limited and must be prioritized for defending the land and protecting the people. Spiritual root disciples still required intensive cultivation; how much more so for the common folk?

Though the Perfected Ones harbored the desire to save the world, they were limited by their strength. Even if there were oversights, they were unavoidable.

They could only hope that those with mortal bones would strive unceasingly and cultivate diligently, perhaps carving out their own path through the thorns.

After the lecture ended, everyone felt they had gained much. Many disciples even decided to head to the Scripture Pavilion to find a suitable external martial art.

Shen Yingshu was also somewhat tempted. "When I left home, my family gave me some spirit stones. Recently, my cultivation has felt somewhat unsmooth; I suspect it is because I have failed to 'cultivate both internally and externally.' After we finish dinner, why don't we also go to the Scripture Pavilion to see if there are any external martial arts suitable for us?"

Jiang Youling thought for a moment. "I'll go with you, but I don't have any spirit stones, so I won't go inside. I'll wait until I've accumulated enough spirit stones to buy a technique later."

"Alright, then when I enter the Scripture Pavilion this time, I can take a look for you to see which techniques are most worth buying."

After their meal, the two went to the Scripture Pavilion together. They saw upturned eaves hanging under the moon and azure tiles connecting like clouds.

The ten-丈 vermilion gates were engraved with ancient true runes, faintly shimmering with golden light; the nine layers of jade steps were covered in moss and Daoist patterns, with spiritual qi misting around every step.

"Wow, this Scripture Pavilion is so grand!"

Shen Yingshu's eyes were full of wonder as she gazed at the pavilion before her.

"Back home, I heard my elders mention that this Scripture Pavilion houses thousands of racks and ten thousand volumes of books. Today, I must truly open my eyes."

Jiang Youling stood at the bottom of the steps, looked around, and found a quiet corner suitable for meditation.

"Go ahead, I'll wait for you here."

Shen Yingshu gave Jiang Youling a grateful smile and stepped into the Scripture Pavilion.

After watching her figure disappear, Jiang Youling sat cross-legged in the corner.

The human body has twelve primary meridians. After completing the Hand Taiyin Meridian, following the order of the Ziwu Flow, the next should be the Hand Yangming Meridian.

The Taiyin Meridian starts from the Shanzhong point, passes through Yunmen, Tianfu, Chize, and Lieque, and ends at the Shaoshang point on the thumb.

The Hand Yangming Meridian starts from the Shangyang point on the index finger, passes through Yangxi, Shou Sanli, Quchi, and Jianyu, and finally reaches the Yingxiang point near the nostril.

Jiang Youling closed her eyes to visualize. Before long, the flame of the Shanzhong lamp split into two from her chest, turning into two currents of warmth that flowed through the entire Hand Taiyin Meridian and finally settled at the thumb.

She had originally thought that visualizing the flame from the Shaoshang point to the Shangyang point would be difficult to advance.

However, the moment she entered a meditative state and this thought arose, the flame moved to the Shangyang point quite naturally, without any sense of obstruction.

Jiang Youling remained in deep meditation, losing track of time, until a voice calling her name broke the silence, prompting her to finish her cultivation and open her eyes.

"Youling, was waiting boring?"

Shen Yingshu looked apologetic. "Sorry, it's my first time in the Scripture Pavilion. There are so many books inside that I was momentarily overwhelmed and spent quite a bit of time choosing."

"It's fine. I'm going back to cultivate anyway."

Jiang Youling stood up. "Did you find a technique you like?"