Chapter 10: Changes in the Dao Seed

For these past few days, Lin Donglai’s life had been a straight line between the cafeteria, the lecture hall, and his living quarters. Aside from that, he spent his time devouring books, greedily soaking up knowledge.

He had attended the clan school for two years in the past, so he was literate.

Among the materials provided by the Qingmu Sect to outer disciples, the "Compendium of Cultivation" was comparable to a grand encyclopedia of the cultivation world.

It contained introductions to the various factions in the cultivation world, as well as illustrations of common heavenly treasures and various types of demonic beasts.

In the section on fortuitous encounters and heavenly treasures, Lin Donglai saw an entry for "Heavenly Spirit Roots," and he felt it was related to the mysterious seed he could see whenever he closed his eyes.

The Compendium explained that in the cultivation world, spiritual plants were categorized into unranked, first-tier, second-tier, third-tier, and so on, corresponding to the levels of Embryonic Breath, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Purple Mansion.

If a spiritual plant had a one-in-ten-million chance of receiving the fortune of heaven and earth, it might transform into a Heavenly Spirit Root.

Heavenly Spirit Roots were uniquely gifted, each possessing its own distinct ability.

However, the ability most touted by the cultivation world was the power to transform ordinary land into spiritual land. A Heavenly Spirit Root naturally possessed the effect of a spirit-gathering formation, acting like a miniature spiritual vein.

When planted on land with a spiritual vein, it could even purify spiritual energy and assist the vein in upgrading.

Most importantly, a Heavenly Spirit Root could be refined through secret techniques to replace one's own spirit root, allowing those without spirit roots to embark on the path of immortality.

For those who already possessed spirit roots, obtaining one was like adding flowers to a brocade, effectively doubling their cultivation efficiency.

Heavenly Spirit Roots were extremely rare; once they appeared, they would trigger bloody struggles.

Closing his eyes and focusing his mind, Lin Donglai sensed the changes in the mysterious seed.

He whispered to himself, "Are you a Heavenly Spirit Root?"

This Dao seed breathed in unison with Lin Donglai as he practiced the Peiyuan Breathing Technique.

Every time he practiced the Tendon-Changing and Bone-Forging Stance—when his muscles cramped, strained, or his whole body ached—and then followed it up with the Peiyuan Breathing Technique, Lin Donglai could clearly feel the seed’s breath bring a cool, refreshing breeze from within to without. It soothed and healed the various overt and hidden injuries caused by his training.

It felt as if he had taken specialized healing medicine and had someone help him with a massage.

The Embryonic Breath stage consisted of four levels: Peiyuan (Foundation Nourishing), Tendon-Changing, Marrow-Washing, and Embryonic Breath Nourishing Qi.

Peiyuan was a long-term endeavor, relying on eating, breathing, expelling the turbid, and absorbing the clear. Even those at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages could practice Peiyuan, so there was little to say about it.

Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Washing, however, had clear cultivation benchmarks, which were the Xiantian realm in martial arts: opening the Ren and Du meridians, strengthening the Xiantian embryonic breath, and beginning to use this as a guide to draw Qi into the body.

The effectiveness of Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Washing also depended on one's spirit root aptitude. Those with good spirit roots had an affinity for spiritual energy and progressed quickly, while those with poor aptitude were repelled by it and progressed slowly.

Although he had the Dao seed assisting his cultivation, Lin Donglai still felt his progress was slow.

He thought to himself, "It seems my aptitude is truly poor."

"The top ten on the Road to Immortality are rewarded with Tendon-Changing Pills and Marrow-Washing Pills. Taking just one can complete the process and even increase the width of one's meridians. It’s a pity that someone like me with five spirit roots can’t obtain them."

That day, while practicing, he heard Ding Zhen, Luo Jie, and Yu Jiang talking in the courtyard.

"Xue Hong, who tested his spirit roots with us, has already been explicitly named by a Foundation Establishment elder from the Purple Lightning Peak to be taken as a disciple."

"His father sent over quite a few spirit stones overnight!"

"Xue Hong is aiming for the top three in drawing Qi into the body. People like us can only end up as background characters; if we can pass the hundred-day assessment, it’ll be thanks to our ancestors' blessings."

"After all, the sooner one draws Qi into the body, the more rewards the sect gives. I heard the first place gets one hundred spirit stones, the top three get fifty, and the top ten get ten. With this reward, he might break through to the middle stage of Qi Refining within two years. By then, if he joins an elder's sect, his future will be limitless."

Lin Donglai thought of what the elders had said when they first entered.

The top ten on the Road to Immortality had to be fought for.

He hadn't expected that even drawing Qi into the body would be a competition for precedence.

The monthly stipend for an outer disciple at the first level of Qi Refining was only two spirit stones.

Lin Donglai wasn't as ignorant as he used to be; he naturally understood that one hundred spirit stones was not a small amount.

"I’ve come to terms with it. We can't win the race for cultivation, but we still have to work hard and not give up on ourselves. I need to reach the second level of Qi Refining sooner. When the two-year Immortal Seed period ends, maybe I can get an easier administrative job."

Time flew by. Since arriving at Immortal Seed Peak, Lin Donglai had been cultivating for over two months. Although he clearly felt tiny improvements with every session, he still hadn't successfully completed the Tendon-Changing stage... let alone Marrow-Washing to condense essence and blood to refine the Dao seed.

The first hundred-day assessment was approaching. Although he didn't know the criteria, only those with low-grade four-spirit roots or low-grade five-spirit roots remained on Immortal Seed Peak who hadn't yet completed the process of drawing Qi into the body.

The first person to succeed took only three days, the second took five, and the third took seven. The top ten all finished within ten days.

By the first month, nearly thirty or forty people had already succeeded.

These days, almost every day, a few more Immortal Seeds would succeed and head to Lingxi Peak to learn basic techniques, basic spells, the hundred arts of cultivation, and more in-depth knowledge.

However, Lin Donglai wasn't without gains. After a month of practicing the Peiyuan Breathing Technique in coordination with the seed, it began to develop a sense of spirituality, sending out simple thoughts, such as "longing for sunlight," "longing for water," and "longing for earth energy."

Whenever the seed sent these thoughts, Lin Donglai would need to go sunbathe, drink plenty of water, and walk barefoot on the ground.

"Perhaps the spiritual food I eat in the cafeteria and the results of my Peiyuan Breathing Technique are all being used for this."

...

Three days before the first assessment, the weather was clear.

Lin Donglai still hadn't completed the Tendon-Changing portion of his training.

Those who had already drawn Qi into the body naturally didn't need to be assessed.

Those who had succeeded in Tendon-Changing, or had begun Marrow-Washing and condensing their embryonic breath, presumably had nothing to fear.

But Lin Donglai was the only one who ate spiritual meals and soups every day yet hadn't even achieved minor success in Tendon-Changing, remaining stuck at the Peiyuan stage.

Even Ding Zhen had begun Tendon-Changing; his strength had increased, his movements were lighter, and he already looked a bit like a martial arts master.

"Donglai."

Ding Zhen took out two spirit stones.

The spirit stones looked like jade, with clear cutting marks. Each was about the size of a chicken egg, just right to be held in the palm.

"Look at this, what is it?"

Lin Donglai was surprised: "You haven't even reached the first level of Qi Refining, where did you get spirit stones?"

Ding Zhen said, "I borrowed them from Xue Hong. I'll pay him back after I become an outer disciple. He gave me five, and I plan to give you two."

Lin Donglai hadn't expected Ding Zhen to have the courage to borrow spirit stones, let alone share two with him. For a moment, his feelings were complex, and he was even a little moved.

Ding Zhen continued on his own, "There's a small market between Immortal Seed Peak and Lingxi Peak that opens on the seventh of every month. It's open today!"

"This small market was spontaneously formed by handymen and some outer disciples at the early stage of Qi Refining. We can use these spirit stones to buy some pills from alchemy apprentices to eat."