Chapter 845: Immortal Land Spiritual Root

Seven full days passed before Zhuo Ming finally awoke from her state of enlightenment.

She slowly opened her eyes; her gaze was clearer, yet it held a maturity she hadn't possessed before. As she gently spread her palm, the apricot-yellow Earth Mother Seal on her brow flickered, emitting a faint ripple. The surrounding sand grains began to move on their own, without any wind. With her breathing, the sand sea began to undulate, rising, swirling, and drifting to form patterns of abundant harvests. This was Zhuo Ming testing her Earth Primordial Magnetic Force.

Soon, a nearby sand dune began to shift at her will, as if a colossal creature were slowly moving beneath the surface. Then, the entire dune rose, and under her control, it rearranged and transformed into an exquisite sand pagoda. Seeing this, Zhuo Ming smiled with satisfaction. She felt that her Spiritual Perception of All Things had also advanced. Under its wondrous influence, the grains of the boundless sand sea began to emit a faint glow, as if celebrating her core formation.

Surrounded by sand, Zhuo Ming's body floated effortlessly into the air, light as the wind. Chen Mobai could naturally tell that she wasn't using a flight spell or similar technique; it was the Earth's magnetic field that lifted her.

All things possess a magnetic field. The Yin and Yang sections of the Immortal Gate's Six Imperial Sutras control the Yin and Yang primordial magnetic forces of all phenomena. When cultivated to the highest level, anything with a magnetic field can be controlled and manipulated. Although Zhuo Ming could only manipulate the Earth's primordial magnetic force, this force is the largest magnetic field in the world; all phenomena evolved and developed under its influence.

This was also the highest realm envisioned by the Earth Mother Technique, but according to Chen Mobai's knowledge, he had never heard of anyone successfully cultivating it. After all, the Earth Mother Technique could only be cultivated up to the Core Formation stage, and it didn't significantly enhance combat power. It was specifically for cultivators specializing in spiritual plant cultivation. Those with excellent earth spiritual roots in environments like the Heavenly River Realm wouldn't waste time cultivating such a technique.

Chen Mobai felt that if it weren't for Zhuo Ming, even if someone else cultivated the Earth Mother Technique to its highest realm, they still wouldn't be able to condense the Earth Mother Seal. For instance, his Crown of Heaven and Earth's Beings was achieved through an alternative enlightenment, powered by his grand vow to unify the Eastern Desolation. Both his introspection and his perception of the external world were unique abilities belonging solely to him. Or perhaps, it was precisely because Zhuo Ming attained enlightenment that Heaven and Earth naturally allowed her to condense the Earth Mother Seal!

"Thank you, Master, for imparting the Dao!" After testing the Earth Primordial Magnetic Force she had just acquired, Zhuo Ming gently landed on the sand dune and beamed a bright, joyful smile at Chen Mobai.

"No need for formalities. All this is merely the fruit of your own diligent efforts," Chen Mobai said, shaking his head with a smile. At this moment, Zhuo Ming also thanked Luo Yixuan. The two master-sisters held hands, and Zhuo Ming, the former, used her Earth Primordial Magnetic Force to let Luo Yixuan experience the sensation of her feet being lifted off the ground by the magnetic force.

"If Master hadn't taken me across the Eastern Desolation Plateau, I wouldn't have been able to hear so many voices of the earth, or experience its joy, pain, hope, and other emotions..." Zhuo Ming's voice was filled with excitement and emotion.

"Besides the Earth Mother Seal, did you gain anything else from this enlightenment and core formation?" Chen Mobai asked, somewhat curious. His Crown of Heaven and Earth's Beings had two abilities, and he wondered if Zhuo Ming had a second.

"Probably not," Zhuo Ming shook her head, uncertain. At least, as far as she could tell, she had only condensed one Earth Mother Seal.

"Transfer a stream of spiritual energy to me." Chen Mobai took out his spirit testing device and said to Zhuo Ming. She nodded, skillfully transferring the Primordial Qi of All Things she had cultivated after forming her core.

Zhuo Ming: Metal 3, Wood 22, Water 23, Fire 9, Earth 100.

Chen Mobai's mouth slightly agape as he saw "Earth 100" displayed on the screen. If he hadn't reminded himself of his role as a teacher, he would probably have been unable to suppress his shock. She had actually become an Immortal Earth Spiritual Root!

Then, her previous enlightenment and core formation process had actually been superimposed with the process of an Immortal Spiritual Root attaining enlightenment, which was why she could condense the Earth Mother Seal. Or was it that because she became an Immortal Earth Spiritual Root, she then experienced this enlightenment and core formation? Chen Mobai was somewhat perplexed by this. However, he quickly dismissed the thought. After all, no matter how one looked at it, this was a good thing for Zhuo Ming.

Previously, this disciple had consumed the Earth Vein Pill refined by Qing Nü. Although she didn't receive the same auspicious blessings as Chen Mobai, her earth spiritual root had already increased to 93 points. This time, the enlightenment and core formation directly brought it to a perfect 100, meaning an increase of only 7 points, which wasn't overly exaggerated.

However, despite his thoughts, Chen Mobai's cautious nature still prompted him to personally check Zhuo Ming's pulse and listen to her current state of essence, qi, and spirit using the "Sound of the Empty Valley" technique. Upon listening, he immediately discovered something unusual. The previously incomplete innate earth element essence in Zhuo Ming's spleen and stomach, which had condensed from refining the Qi of Creation, was now completely filled, forming a whole and perfect strand.

It was unclear whether this was a fortunate opportunity from her enlightenment and core formation, or a blessing from an Immortal Spiritual Root attaining enlightenment. For Zhuo Ming, this was an immense stroke of luck. Although she had previously traveled all over the Eastern Desolation Plateau, the Qi of Creation she found only allowed her to refine one or two tenths of the innate earth element essence. This time, the earth had completed the remaining eight or nine tenths for her. With this, her cultivation of the "Huangdi Thick Earth Sutra" would face no obstacles. Moreover, she could even simultaneously cultivate the "Primordial Dao Fruit." Zhuo Ming's current talent was even more extraordinary than Zhou Ye, who possessed a Heavenly Earth Spiritual Root. If the One Yuan Dao Palace knew, they would undoubtedly vie to recruit her.

Indeed, only Ming'er can inherit my mantle! The more Chen Mobai looked at Zhuo Ming, the more satisfied he became. This disciple's future was destined to be extraordinary. However, if it weren't for him, the great virtuous master with an discerning eye for spiritual roots, Zhuo Ming would probably still be struggling at the bottom of the Five Elements Sect, perhaps even finding Foundation Establishment difficult. Indeed, a good education system and strong teaching staff are key to a sect's growth and strength. Upon realizing this, Chen Mobai gained even greater motivation to establish academies throughout the Eastern Desolation.

After Zhuo Ming's core formation, the journey of their master-disciple trio came to a perfect conclusion.

"Ming'er, do you have any plans for what's next?" Chen Mobai asked on their way back. Zhuo Ming had already completed several large, transformative projects on the Eastern Desolation Plateau.

"Master, I plan to continue leading the cultivators in Hong County to manage and restore this boundless sand sea," Zhuo Ming replied. During her enlightenment and core formation, she had sensed the earth here wailing. Although it was gravely ill, she still wanted to try and save it.

"Excellent. However, this endless sand sea is almost boundless. Even if you had all the disciples of the Five Elements Sect at your disposal, it would probably take over a thousand years to have any hope of managing it. If you wish to accomplish this, I advise you to prioritize increasing your cultivation while you work on the sand sea. If you can form a Nascent Soul or even transform into a Spirit, managing this area will be much more effective." Chen Mobai naturally nodded at his disciple's ambition, but he also hoped Zhuo Ming would consider the practicalities.

"Then, Master, what should I do next?" Zhuo Ming's cultivation journey had always been meticulously planned by Chen Mobai, and this time was no exception, as she respectfully sought his guidance.

"After the Snowfall Palace's submission, the entire Eastern Desolation now belongs to our Five Elements Sect. Although this region has been developed for thousands of years since True Monarch One Yuan, many soil resources are still being wasted or even damaged."

"I have a dream, which is to cultivate all the barren lands in the Eastern Desolation with crops like rice and fruit trees. During every autumn harvest, the scent of rice will permeate the air, and fruits will ripen. I want everyone, whether cultivators or mortals, to eat their fill and eat well."

"This is also one of the new policies I wish to implement in the Eastern Desolation, called the 'Eastern Desolation Agricultural Reform Plan.' Its aim is to develop all idle barren fields and mountains within the Eastern Desolation in preparation for the upcoming population explosion."

"I had Jiang Zongheng map out all nineteen counties of the Eastern Desolation. Based on his estimates, if all arable land were developed, there could be approximately 400 million mu of fertile ordinary land. This would be enough to feed a population of 100 to 200 million people."

"If the Eastern Desolation has a base population of 200 million, the probability of children with spiritual roots appearing will naturally be higher. At that time, our Five Elements Sect will have many more potential disciples to choose from."

According to the projection model Chen Mobai developed using the "Square Inch Book," he should have a million cultivators under his command by then. However, this number was truly exaggerated. Even the sacred lands of the Eastern Lands didn't have a million cultivators, primarily because sacred lands generally selected only the best. Yet, combining the Eastern Yi, Eastern Desolation, and Eastern Wu regions, the total number of cultivators—including those from sects, cultivation families, rogue cultivators, and rogue plunderers—was only around 200,000.

If the Five Elements Sect truly had a million disciples, with this as a base and ample resources, the number of Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators would surely skyrocket. Even Nascent Soul cultivators, with Qing Nü refining Nascent Soul elixirs, would likely not be fewer than those in the Star Heaven Dao Sect.

Chen Mobai had long harbored this idea, but it was far too advanced for this world, so he had kept it to himself. However, his aspiration to transform the Eastern Desolation into a minor immortal sect had never wavered. And he had consistently moved step by step toward this goal. Unifying the Eastern Desolation, ending external threats like the Profound Azure Dao Palace, and creating a peaceful environment were all for this purpose. Now, with Zhuo Ming's core formation, it was time to proceed to the next step.

Because in this peaceful environment, the Eastern Desolation's population had experienced a massive boom. Twenty years ago, when Jiang Zongheng conducted his census, the population was less than ten million. Now, it was almost breaking twenty million. A unified government, a peaceful environment, ample fertile land, coupled with Zhuo Ming's hybridized triple-harvest rice, provided all the favorable conditions for the Eastern Desolation's population explosion. It was precisely for this reason that the Five Elements Sect, after its unification, saw its disciple numbers surge to 30,000 within just a few decades. If academies were established in all nineteen counties of the Eastern Desolation, Chen Mobai estimated that the number could very well surge to 100,000 in a short period. And five squares of ten thousand cultivators could unleash the Five Elements Dao Soldiers' power to its fullest. At that time, Chen Mobai estimated he could experience the power of the perfect Nascent Soul realm. To achieve all of this, besides a unified and stable environment for both mortals and cultivators in the Eastern Desolation, sufficient food was also necessary. Being well-fed was the foundation upon which his grand ambition could be realized.

"Yes, Master!" Zhuo Ming didn't quite grasp the unspoken principles Chen Mobai alluded to, but she remained as obedient as ever. When Chen Mobai told her to reform the entire Eastern Desolation's agriculture, she nodded without hesitation.

"Then, I shall tell you the outline of this agricultural reform plan..." Chen Mobai thoroughly explained his plan, which addressed the Eastern Desolation's characteristic of having many mountains and few large plains. Zhuo Ming, in turn, used her extensive experience to offer some insights. Luo Yixuan, beside them, also listened intently, nodding and murmuring in agreement.

When they returned to Hong County, Zhuo Ming still hadn't had enough and continued to seek Chen Mobai's guidance.

"By the way, Ming'er, how many ores has your Myriad Virtue Cauldron refined so far?" Chen Mobai suddenly remembered this as they arrived at Mount Liujia, where Zhuo Ming usually cultivated.

"Reporting to Master, over the years, using my free time to collect and refine, I have gathered 267 types," Zhuo Ming replied truthfully. Chen Mobai nodded gently upon hearing this, then handed her a storage bag. "Inside are 165 types I collected from the Eastern Yi region. After you remove any duplicates, refine the rest into the Myriad Virtue Cauldron. Now that you've achieved enlightenment and formed your core, you meet all the requirements to cultivate the Longevity Sect's Immortal Earth Scripture. You can now switch your main cultivation technique to this."

The Earth Mother Technique reached its peak after core formation. Zhuo Ming had been wondering which earth element cultivation technique to switch to. Hearing Chen Mobai, she thought it was because her Nine-Fold Dharma Body had advanced to the sixth stage and nodded happily.

"Thank you, Master!"

Seeing Zhuo Ming accept the storage bag filled with ores, Chen Mobai smiled, stating it was his core formation gift to her. However, Chen Mobai was thinking to himself: given his current status, how many of the 4236 types of ores in the Immortal Gate could he purchase and collect? Some extremely rare ones might be impossible to obtain, but two to three thousand types would certainly be no problem. He just wondered what grade the Myriad Virtue Cauldron could reach after refining all of them. This Natal Artifact, which came with the Huangdi Thick Earth Sutra, if it fully refined ten thousand types of ores, could be called the "Myriad Fortune Cauldron," equivalent to a peak fifth-grade artifact. Chen Mobai estimated with his artifact refining skills that a fourth-grade artifact should be achievable. Luo Yixuan had a fourth-grade Moon Splendor Blade, and now that Zhuo Ming had formed her core, as his favorite disciple, she too deserved a fourth-grade protective artifact.

Thinking of this, Chen Mobai grew eager to return to the Immortal Gate and order those ores from online shops.