Chapter 63: Heavenly Spirit Root

Chen Mobai recalled that he had a used spiritual stone in his room's drawer. Energized, he immediately ran back to retrieve it.

“If this spiritual stone is crushed into a spiritual essence, it can filter out the elixir toxins from two portions of the raw liquid. However, it will still require a reactive agent.”

Qing Nü didn't ask why Chen Mobai had such an item at home. She had already assumed that her benefactor's ancestors must have included a great cultivator, and that he was now a somewhat diminished young master.

“Can the reactive agent be purchased?”

“It’s quite inexpensive. 100 merit points can buy a large jar, enough to synthesize 50 portions of the spiritual essence.”

Qing Nü’s words made Chen Mobai breathe a sigh of relief. He didn’t have many merit points left. While the three main ingredients for refining the Qi-replenishing spiritual water could be purchased in the Tianhe Realm, the four auxiliary ingredients were only available on Diyuan Star. His current merit points were only sufficient for three portions.

“Won’t we need a flavoring agent?”

Qing Nü inventoried the auxiliary ingredients and noticed the flavoring agent was missing. Chen Mobai shook his head, explaining that he had run out of pocket money and couldn't afford it, so they would have to save a bit there.

“In that case, I’ll first refine one portion of the spiritual water without the flavoring agent. You can try it, and if you can tolerate the taste, we can proceed with the remaining portions in the same way.”

As she spoke, Qing Nü seemed to relive the experience; she had tasted that flavor before, and it was unbearably bitter.

Chen Mobai nodded, his mind already drifting to the idea of acquiring used spiritual stones at the Nanxi Market. He collected the 20 tubes of successfully refined Qi-replenishing spiritual water and prepared to take his leave.

“Oh, by the way,” Chen Mobai asked with a hint of concern, suddenly remembering, “you’re the same age as me. How are your preparations for the college entrance exam progressing?”

“It doesn’t matter whether I take the exam or not; I’ve already been recommended by the school for early admission.”

“Oh, really? Which university were you admitted to?”

“Jumang Daoist Academy!”

“Oh, that’s a good university… Wait, which academy did you say?”

Chen Mobai’s eyes widened. He stared at Qing Nü in disbelief, wanting to confirm that he hadn’t misheard.

“Jumang Daoist Academy, of course. Why else would Precious Vase Pharmacy let me use this alchemy room? I’m essentially using my own school’s facilities.”

After a long silence, Chen Mobai meticulously scrutinized Qing Nü from head to toe. He recalled that when he had previously gone to Immortal Gate First High School to find her, she always had to wear a mask and a hat to conceal herself when leaving the campus.

He had initially assumed it was because of her striking beauty and the numerous admirers she had at school.

Now, it seemed more likely to be due to her widespread fame within the school.

“Now I understand why Gu Changfeng, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, couldn’t resist taking you as his disciple when he came to lecture at the school. A Dao seed with a Heavenly Spiritual Root — even a Golden Core True Person would likely find it irresistible.”

Chen Mobai sighed, lamenting his earlier obliviousness.

“That’s not entirely accurate. While cultivation is indeed rapid for a Heavenly Spiritual Root before forming a Golden Core, it’s precisely because there are no early-stage obstacles or bottlenecks for refinement that the success rate for forming a Nascent Soul is actually lower than for those with ordinary spiritual roots who cultivate step by step. Among the current Nascent Soul Sovereigns in the Immortal Sect, only four initially possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Therefore, if you have sufficient resources, my future achievements might even be surpassed by yours.”

Qing Nü shook her head, but her words left Chen Mobai utterly speechless.

Just a short while ago, Chen Mobai’s lifelong ambition had merely been to successfully establish his Foundation within his lifetime.

“What is your current cultivation level?”

“Qi Refinement, sixth level.”

Hearing this, Chen Mobai felt a slight sense of relief; her level was the same as his.

However, considering that Qing Nü’s single apartment only possessed low-grade, first-tier spiritual energy, she likely only cultivated Qi for two hours a day in the school’s cultivation room.

To reach the sixth level of Qi Refinement under such conditions, a Heavenly Spiritual Root was truly extraordinary.

“Well then, you’re busy. I’ll head back to study.”

“Alright. Come back tomorrow for the Qi-replenishing spiritual water. After filtering the elixir toxins with the spiritual essence, we should be able to make about fifteen more tubes.”

Chen Mobai nodded, silently encouraging himself. With the opportunity presented by the Tianhe Realm, if he truly became a major trader between the two realms in the future, spiritual stone resources would be endless.

Even though he didn’t possess a Heavenly Spiritual Root, his future was certainly promising.

The next day, Chen Mobai first went to the Nanxi Market. At the entrance, he encountered Qi Er, who expressed his profound gratitude, saying that without the Green Arrow Talisman, he would have perished in the Yunmeng Marsh.

As he spoke, Qi Er offered Chen Mobai the two spiritual stones he had earned as payment, but Chen Mobai shook his head and declined.

Afterwards, Chen Mobai asked Qi Er if he could help acquire some used spiritual stones, preferably those whose spiritual energy had been completely depleted.

Although Qi Er found this request peculiar, he readily agreed and, in less than half a day, collected all the used spiritual stones from the minor rogue cultivators in his circle, totaling 17 pieces.

Qi Er informed him that he had paid 10 taels of gold for each spiritual stone. Chen Mobai nodded and gave him a 500-tael gold note.

This quantity of spiritual essence was more than enough for Qing Nü’s refining, so Chen Mobai didn't linger in the market.

Motivated by Qing Nü’s early admission to Jumang Daoist Academy, he began to study and cultivate even more diligently over the next two months.

Once he had secured a sufficient supply of Qi-replenishing spiritual water, he completely abandoned time-consuming activities like setting up stalls, dedicating himself entirely to studying and cultivating. His goal was to achieve excellent results in the college entrance exam.

If he couldn’t get into one of the Four Great Daoist Academies, he at least aimed for one of the Ten Great Academic Palaces.

For now, he’d set a modest goal: Chunyang Academic Palace!

And so, Chen Mobai embarked on the most diligent two months of his life.

Every night, he practiced Qi cultivation in the Water Mansion. During the day, after returning, he would diligently attend classes at school in the mornings while also reviewing the foundational knowledge of the four subjects he had neglected over the past three years.

Cultivating divine consciousness was, as the ancients called it, “opening the aperture,” which meant opening the door to wisdom.

Spells, formulas, talismans, and formations that he had once found obscure and difficult to grasp now slowly became clear after he read and wrote them a few times. Additionally, by frequently visiting his teachers’ offices and receiving guidance from these dedicated educators, his foundational knowledge gradually solidified, and his understanding became increasingly profound.

However, what surprised Chen Mobai the most was his breakthrough in cultivation.

Perhaps because he had consistently practiced the “Nurturing Thought and Forging Spirit Art,” his divine consciousness had developed early, thus eliminating the bottleneck for late-stage Qi Refinement. This, combined with Qing Nü’s continuous supply of Qi-replenishing spiritual water and the second-tier spiritual energy from the Water Mansion, finally led to a breakthrough. A week before the college entrance exam, the spiritual energy vortex in his dantian overflowed, and he naturally advanced to the seventh level of Qi Refinement.

At this point, Chen Mobai finally felt confident enough to attempt the entrance examinations for the Four Great Daoist Academies.

However, after reaching the seventh level of Qi Refinement, a crucial question lay before him.

Should he continue cultivating the “Five Elements Art,” or switch to the “Pure Yang Scroll”?