Chapter 19: Refining the Dao Seed

Waiting for Lin Donglai to wake up, he found his mind clear and his vision sharp.

When he closed his eyes, he could see not only the Spiritual Root Dao Seed but also his internal organs.

He was instantly startled: "Isn't this the 'Internal Vision as One' ability, where one can perceive the body clearly, which only appears at the fourth level of Qi Refinement?"

Internal Vision as One allowed one to know the changes in the body like the back of one's hand, which was essential for knowing the circulation routes of cultivation techniques and transporting spiritual power to better assist in cultivation.

"Where is the Spiritual Root?"

Lin Donglai immediately went to look for it, but after searching for a long time, he found nothing.

His instructors at the academy had once mentioned that after achieving Internal Vision as One, one would be able to see the location of the Spiritual Root.

The human body is separated from Heaven and Earth; the Spiritual Root is analogous to an umbilical cord between an infant and the mother. Only with this cord can one draw nourishment and vital essence from the universe.

This was why it was said that without a Spiritual Root, one could not cultivate.

"Could it be that my Spiritual Root has been replaced by this Dao Seed?"

"Heavenly Spiritual Roots and the Spiritual Roots within the human body are both called Spiritual Roots. The *Essentials of Cultivation* also state that a Heavenly Spiritual Root, after being refined through secret methods, can replace a person's own Spiritual Root, allowing those without one to cultivate."

"Could it be that I actually had no Spiritual Root to begin with, and this Dao Seed bestowed one upon me?"

Lin Donglai could not wrap his head around this question. He only noticed that the essence blood within his body had already reached fifty-four drops, more than enough to soak the Dao Seed for refinement.

"I will begin the refinement of the Dao Seed tonight!"

Lin Donglai maintained his normal daily routine, basking in the sun and absorbing a bit of the earth's energy.

When the appointed hour arrived, he went to see Peng Yue.

In the kitchen of the cafeteria, seeing Lin Donglai, Peng Yue gave a slight nod and pointed to a clay pot simmering on a stove next to some spiritual chicken.

The pot was sealed, yet a faint aroma still drifted out.

"Eat it right here. I used medicinal wood branches and simmered it over a low flame for a day and a night. This spiritual chicken is so tender even the bones are soft. I also used a Spirit-Locking Secret Technique, and even the water used for the soup is top-grade Yanghe Spiritual Spring water. The two Primordial Nourishing Ginseng roots must have already dissolved into the liquid by now."

Lin Donglai opened the pot and saw a faint spiritual light flash, followed by a rich aroma of chicken soup. With just a slight sniff, his lower abdomen felt warm, a sign of great nourishment.

Regardless of whether the soup was hot, he gulped it down in one breath. After finishing the soup, he tore the whole spiritual chicken apart with his hands and stuffed it into his mouth; truly, the bones were as soft as mud.

As the entire chicken entered his stomach, Lin Donglai's face turned bright red, and a gentle, warm current flowed through his meridians.

"What an appetite!"

Lin Donglai felt an inexhaustible amount of energy throughout his body. Looking inward, his Spiritual Marrow was as thirsty as ever, absorbing vital essence.

Lin Donglai immediately hurried back to his residence. He closed the doors and windows tightly and began to circulate the secret method for refining the Dao Seed, moving the forty-nine drops of essence blood stored in his heart bit by bit.

"Thirst for essence blood!"

As Lin Donglai began the secret technique, his hands formed seals, and he synchronized his breathing rhythm, letting out a mantra from his throat: "Approach!"

The Spiritual Root Dao Seed trembled, followed by an intense sensation of longing.

Simultaneously, Lin Donglai's meager spiritual consciousness was swallowed by the Dao Seed like a vortex.

When he could observe again, Lin Donglai found himself in a shroud of darkness, seeing only faint, multicolored auras.

Upon slight contact with these energies, Lin Donglai understood: "These are the essences of the Five Elements."

"Thirst for earth energy." "Thirst for sunlight." "Thirst for vitality." "Thirst for spiritual qi." "Thirst for water!" "Thirst for essence blood!"

In the next moment, many cravings erupted from Lin Donglai's most primal instincts, as if he had become a small sapling about to break through the soil.

No!

Lin Donglai realized instantly: "My consciousness has sunk into that Spiritual Root Dao Seed!"

He then began to attempt to control the movement of the Dao Seed, and this time, he succeeded.

Two tiny roots represented Lin Donglai's two fundamental techniques: the Primordial Nourishing Breathing Technique and the Tendon-Changing Marrow-Washing Stance.

The two roots pierced from the void into his physical body, spreading through his meridians into his heart, greedily absorbing the essence blood.

The forty-nine drops of essence blood dyed the two roots red, creating a red line from within that reached the main body of the Dao Seed, eventually soaking the entire thing.

As a sense of weakness washed over him—a normal reaction to the loss of a large amount of essence blood—a primal sense of bloodline connection emerged, as if an invisible umbilical cord or bridge was being formed.

The essence blood was slowly absorbed and transformed by the Dao Seed. A surging power of germination erupted, and the shell of the seed began to glow with variegated light, mysterious and ancient.

This time, it wasn't just two thin roots; it was truly sprouting.

A pale yellow-green bud appeared.

The vitality of flora he had previously collected was rapidly absorbed, turning the bud from pale yellow-green into a vibrant, jade-like emerald green.

One could even faintly see a drop of dew condensing.

As the seed shell cracked and the seed sprouted, an ancient and powerful inheritance was simultaneously transmitted into the depths of Lin Donglai's sea of consciousness.

The Heaven-Reaching Jianmu.

The Legacy Seed of the Great Dao!

The Earth Immortal Lineage!

It turned out this seed was called the Legacy Seed of the Great Dao of the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu!

The Heaven-Reaching Jianmu, also known as the World Tree, was one of the ten Primordial Spiritual Roots. Legend had it that this divine tree connected all worlds, reaching up to the Immortal and Heavenly Realms, and down to the Netherworld. Anyone could climb this great tree to reach other worlds, even the Heavens!

Later, when the Heavenly Emperor ordered the severance of all contact between Heaven and Earth, he dispatched the Longbo Giants to fell the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu.

However, as the Longbo Giants chopped, the tree grew back instantly; it could never be cut down.

Enraged, the Heavenly Emperor brought forth an axe used during the creation of the world. Only when the Longbo Giants swung this axe was the Jianmu finally felled.

But the Longbo Giants were crushed to death by the falling tree.

Though the Jianmu had long since developed intelligence, its massive form prevented it from taking human shape to defy the Heavenly Emperor's command.

In its final moments, it expended its origin to condense a vast number of seeds, scattering them across the myriad worlds, waiting to return.

To ensure its return, the will of the Jianmu had specifically left an Earth Immortal inheritance within the seeds.

This Earth Immortal inheritance originated from a Great Sect Leader who had already carved out his own path, and whose origins were also a Primordial Spiritual Root.

The will of the Jianmu held great admiration for him and left a final instruction

"Once you attain the Earth Immortal fruit position, you may take this Great Sect Leader as your master. When the time is ripe, you will naturally sense the location of the Primordial Indestructible Spiritual Light Origin and, with the help of the Great Sect Leader, obtain the complete Primordial Jianmu Spiritual Root."

Lin Donglai thought for a moment and then shook his head. According to the inheritance, attaining the Earth Immortal fruit position was already at the level of creating a world; that level was too high.

If he ignored such distant matters, this Jianmu Dao Seed was indeed a world-shaking opportunity!

Setting aside everything else, this Earth Immortal inheritance alone was enough to benefit Lin Donglai endlessly.

Using the Dao Seed as the core, one cultivates the Inner Landscape.

Within the Inner Landscape, one tills the Blessed Field.

With the Blessed Field as a foundation, one forges the Dao Platform.

With the Dao Platform as a base, one constructs the Spiritual Mansion.

With the Spiritual Mansion as the core, one expands into the void to create a Blessed Land.

Once a Blessed Land is refined, one cultivates a Blessed Land Yin Spirit, and subsequently elevates the Blessed Land into a Grotto-Heaven.

The master of a Grotto-Heaven is a Grotto-Heaven Yang Spirit, and the Grotto-Heaven eventually evolves into a Boundary Heaven.

The ruler of a Boundary Heaven is an Earth Immortal, enjoying the fruit of longevity and living as long as Heaven and Earth.

A Boundary Heaven can even continue to expand, swallowing other Boundary Heavens, or hang them upon the branches of the Jianmu to evolve into myriad worlds.

The sheer mystery of these methods and the completeness of the lineage left Lin Donglai breathless and in constant awe.

"The four realms of Inner Landscape, Blessed Field, Dao Platform, and Spiritual Mansion should correspond to the stages of Fetal Breathing, Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and Purple Mansion," Lin Donglai mused.

"The ability I just had to see my internal organs clearly is the power of the Inner Landscape."

"When I reach Qi Refinement, I can open space within the Inner Landscape to create the Blessed Field. The Dao Seed can then take root in the Blessed Field, collecting vital essence from the void to expand it."

"Truly a grand opportunity!"

Lin Donglai suddenly thought of the person in his dream who had been assassinated by a loved one. If that person hadn't died, this opportunity wouldn't have fallen to him.

A death well-spent!

What the immortals were fighting over was likely the Inner Landscape, Spiritual Mansion, or Blessed Land that the previous owner of the Dao Seed had worked so hard to cultivate...

Once an Earth Immortal dies and their cultivation vanishes, they cannot withdraw their Inner Landscape to merge with Heaven and Earth; thus, the Spiritual Mansion they managed would become an immortal mansion, and the Blessed Land or Grotto-Heaven would become ownerless.