Sect Leader Is Under Great Pressure CH 109 Spiritual Roots And Seeds, Immortal Lands And Fields
After bargaining with the Yuntian spirit demon clans for a long time, Elders Yan Zhao and Bai Shuixian finally obtained the most crucial item they came to Yuntian Domain for—Earth Essence.
Feng Qingxiu, as the head disciple, had the fortune of laying his eyes on this extremely precious item, which had nearly exhausted all the resources of an entire flying peak. The grains of sand placed in the jade box were deep black and non-reflective, with only about enough to fill an average boy’s handful. They looked almost identical to ordinary sand, but the difference was that this handful of soil was as heavy as a mountain. Even with Feng Qingxiu’s Golden Core strength, he couldn't lift it.
This single handful of soil would be enough for Kun-Lai to use for a hundred years. It was simply miraculous. Feng Qingxiu carefully pinched a single grain and observed it at his fingertips.
Regrettably, he couldn’t discern any difference.
Beside him, his master chuckled lightly, picking up the grain of sand and examining it closely before nodding, “You can't see it like that.”
With a wave of his hand, a waterfall-like image suddenly appeared in the void, showing the grain of sand magnified thousands of times. When magnified, it resembled an irregular rock, but its surface remained incredibly smooth.
His master waved his hand again, and the image magnified further.
The surface was still pitch black and extremely smooth.
His master laughed softly and magnified the image once more.
Finally, faint holes appeared on the black surface, and those different holes naturally formed a pattern that resembled a ward, filled with mysterious profundity. Just looking at it made Feng Qingxiu’s mind spin rapidly, as though he had touched upon some profound truth of the Dao. An overwhelming amount of information assaulted his soul, and he instinctively shut his eyes to block it out, barely avoiding fainting.
Ji Yunlai withdrew the image and flicked the grain of sand back into the jade box, then patted his apprentice's head.
“So, Xiao Qing, you need to train hard. Otherwise, just looking at the remnants of a great Dao seal will be too much for you to handle.” Ji Yunlai smiled.
Just now, he had magnified that single grain of Earth Essence nearly ten thousand times to glimpse a fraction of its pattern. He’d used a self-created technique, something only a Synthesis cultivator could manage. Only he could create the Cloud Talisman True Seed because using the Dao warding seals on this Earth Essence required cultivation. Without it, even looking at the seals would be unbearable, let alone modifying and utilizing it.
This world is truly fascinating.
“No, it wasn’t that I couldn’t handle it,” Feng Qingxiu shook his head slightly, his expression dazed. “It felt more like something was warning me not to look.”
Oh?
Ji Yunlai was puzzled and placed a finger on his apprentice’s brow, sending in a sliver of divine consciousness.
In an instant, he withdrew.
Feng Qingxiu’s mind was clear, his spiritual roots strong—nothing seemed amiss.
“Master, how exactly does the Cloud Talisman True Seed purify spiritual roots?” Feng Qingxiu asked curiously.
“Spiritual roots are in the spiritual platform. You can think of it as a seed. The moment it comes into contact with external energy at birth, the seed sprouts, and what grows is your spiritual root. It’s like... an antenna—no, like a tentacle that helps you sense the elemental energies of the five elements,” Ji Yunlai, who had suffered from the limitations of having four spiritual roots back in the day, had studied this deeply and explained it to his apprentice. “Actually, everyone has spiritual roots. Some are large, some are small. Some people have many; others have few.”
“So, if someone has fewer roots, they have single or dual spiritual roots, and if they have more, they have mixed spiritual roots? Those with large roots are said to have spiritual roots, while those with small ones are considered to have none?” His apprentice quickly grasped the concept.
“Exactly. The Cloud Talisman True Seed merges into your being, giving your spiritual roots a patch of land to grow in, providing it with an innate foundation so it can thrive,” Ji Yunlai casually revealed Kun-Lai’s most guarded secret to his apprentice. “The Cloud Talisman Dao Seed is a lesser form of Earth Essence. It can’t grow spiritual roots, so it’s only good for growing vegetables, herbs, and grains.”
According to the records he’d left behind, when he first created the True Seed and passed the technique to the Synthesis elders, he had practically taught them all hand by hand. However, their skills were lacking, and the things they made couldn’t meet the standards of the True Seed. When placed in the spiritual platform, the spiritual roots either ignored this foundation or the seed, influenced by the cultivator's pure spiritual energy, began to self-germinate and transform into land.
And that was how the Cloud Talisman Dao Seed came to be.
In truth, the Cloud Talisman Dao Seed was nothing more than a failed product of the True Seed, a way to make use of waste.
But Ji Yunlai figured that his pre-amnesia self would never have expected that the greatest boon to Kun-Lai would not be the precious True Seed, but rather the so-called failed product, the spiritual fields that could only grow herbs and crops. These, in turn, had laid the foundation for Kun-Lai and become something countless external sects coveted.
It was a classic case of losing on one end and gaining on another.
Feng Qingxiu listened with a racing heart, unable to help but imagine himself one day casually creating such a heavenly treasure and being praised by his master.
Yan Zhao, who had been listening on the side, grumbled, “Senior Brother, it’s because your standards for the True Seed were too high. It’s definitely not our fault.”
Back then, being taught by their senior brother to make True Seeds was simply a nightmare for them. Even though they had achieved Synthesis and their divine consciousness could connect with the spiritual world, transforming something as small as a grain of sand into a seed using the inherent Dao intent of the Earth Essence took incredible effort. They worked so hard, day and night, unable to sleep. Even Shui Xian, who loved her beauty so much, ended up pulling out a lot of her hair.
Who knows how terrified they felt every time their senior brother checked their work; they wanted nothing more than to split open the grain of sand and hide inside.
As the eldest among the junior brothers and sisters, he was the first to undergo inspection. Afterward, he developed a heart demon that made him shudder whenever he heard the words "do it again."
Ji Yunlai casted him a faint glance, saying nothing.
Yan Zhao instantly stiffened, taking a step back and putting his junior sister Bai Shuixian in the most visible spot.
Bai Shuixian shot him a disdainful glance before gently addressing their senior brother, "Eldest Senior Brother, tomorrow Second Senior Brother and I will be heading to the Black Witchlands to explore. You can watch over things on the flying peaks."
After several expeditions, they had already grasped the rough layout of the Yuntian Domain. The only area lacking information was the land below the Nine Abyss, which they now needed to explore. Originally, one of them was supposed to remain on the flying peaks as a guardian, but since their Sect Leader was present, there was no longer any concern.
Ji Yunlai also knew of that place and nodded, "I will go. One of you stays behind."
Yan Zhao and Bai Shuixian exchanged glances, seeing the determination in each other's eyes, understanding that they would need to duel to decide who would go and who would stay.
Feng Qingxiu had heard a little about the Black Witchlands and looked at his master with hopeful eyes.
Ji Yunlai smiled as he patted his apprentice’s head and said, "No."
Feng Qingxiu lowered his head in disappointment and retreated to the side, becoming a silent backdrop as his master conversed with the two elders.
After they finished talking, they returned to Zhuiyun Peak in silence.
Ji Yunlai clearly wasn’t going to compromise on this matter. He vaguely sensed something about the Black Witchlands, an undeniable call that he had to answer. Any place that could give him such a feeling would certainly not be simple, and as for Xiao Qing, it was safer for him to remain on the flying peak.
Feng Qingxiu, seeing that his master was adamant, stopped dwelling on it and turned his attention to managing affairs on the flying peak.
Then he received an invitation from Qingnu.
Also present were Peak Master An, Peak Master You, Senior Brother Yang, Qiao Long, and the two elders he had just seen earlier.
“It’s been confirmed, they are indeed three shaman cultivators,” An Xian said, her eyes gleaming as she took a swig of wine. “I saw them myself and even exchanged a few blows, tested their curse poisons. Qingnu just cured me, so it’s treatable, nothing major.”
Qiao Long glanced at her silently, saying nothing.
"Three cultivators at the Synthesis stage aren’t something you come across easily,” Qingnu said excitedly, spreading out a map and pointing to a spot in the Nine Abyss. “They’re right here, on the path leading to that remnant branch of the Wu clan. We can ambush them there. Then I’ll have three Synthesis cultivators to, uh, treat. Success is the only option. Do any of you have any issues?”
Bai Shuixian and Yan Zhao sighed and exchanged glances, "Alright, let’s help you first."
They didn’t dare say no. If they did, these reckless troublemakers would just go ahead without them. If they didn’t follow, these daring young ones would venture on their own.
“I can bring my flying peak,” Peak Master Yang said, his expression mild as a gentleman, “Temporarily containing one Synthesis cultivator won’t be a problem. You handle the other two.”
“I, along with Wugou, can handle one,” Peak Master You also nodded, “No objections, right?”
Though phrased as a question, it was stated like a fact. Qingnu glanced at the transparent jellyfish on Peak Master You’s neck and knew Poison Peak was here to snatch a share of the spoils, but she had no way to refuse them.
Sigh, when would she finally reach the Synthesis stage?
But for this ambush, her cultivation wasn’t enough to participate, and she wouldn’t be able to stop it even if she tried.
Still, having two Synthesis cultivators to experiment on… that would keep her entertained for quite a while.
“By the way, one more thing.” Qingnu took out a talisman stone and handed it to Feng Qingxiu, “This item seems to be something that Luo Chi is quite anxious about. It’s probably not ordinary. Please help me take a look.”
She knew very well that Feng Qingxiu couldn’t identify what it was. The item was meant for the Sect Leader, but with her current status and cultivation, she wasn’t at the level to casually approach the Sect Leader.
However, giving it to Feng Qingxiu was practically the same as giving it to the Sect Leader.
Feng Qingxiu nodded and accepted it.
After discussing the plan, everyone went their separate ways.
Feng Qingxiu sent them off, noticing that a gentle breeze had begun to blow. Before he knew it, it was already evening.
He took out the talisman stone given to him by Qingnu and handed it to Ji Yunlai. “Master, what do you think this is?”
Ji Yunlai took it casually. The stone looked completely ordinary, but as soon as he touched it, he felt a strange connection, as if it was a part of his very essence.
Almost immediately, he knew what it was.
A trace of his true essence entered the stone, causing it to emit a faint glow. A weak force was faintly drawn toward a distant place.
He smiled slightly, with a hint of amusement in his voice, “This is my Dao seed.”
Feng Qingxiu’s expression changed dramatically. How could his master’s Dao seed end up in someone else’s hands? What had happened?
Ji Yunlai noticed his apprentice’s worried expression and, still smiling, added calmly, “Rather, it's just a stone that fell from it.”
“...”
Unable to hold back, Feng Qingxiu scolded his master once again.