Mysterious mirror hanging high

Jing Yu doesn't think that a person with a high destiny grade must also have high spiritual root qualifications.

However, Ye Xingyun, who had an immortal destiny, could manifest the image of the strange beast Fei Lian through his spiritual roots. Li Jiangmei and Yun Xuance, who were only spiritual, at least had an image of a short sword and a stone tablet. When Lu Ying was testing his spiritual roots, he cut off the image monitored by the magic mirror. Jing Yu didn't know what the image was, but judging from her terrifying speed of cultivation, even if her spiritual root qualifications were not of the highest level, they should not be far off.

This shows that there is a certain correlation between destiny grade and spiritual root qualification.

How come Jing Yu, who has a divine destiny [longevity], has such ordinary spiritual roots and aptitude?

For immortality cultivators, spiritual root qualifications are not very necessary...

Jing Yu thought about it and felt that maybe this unremarkable qualification was more suitable for him. After all, mediocrity was also a kind of protective color for him.

Since that’s the case, Jing Yu simply decided to act more naturally.

So Jing Yu asked a question that a middle-aged man who had just encountered an immortal at the age of forty-five would definitely ask.

"Fellow Daoist Mu, with my spiritual roots, is it possible for me to reach the ninth level of Qi training before I turn eighty?"

"Oh, it's difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"

Mu Shan said three difficult words in a row.

"To be honest, uncle, I, Mu Shan, encountered an immortal fate at the age of sixteen and was able to draw Qi into my body. My spiritual root aptitude is still inferior to that of my uncle and this little brother with the fire spiritual root, but not by much... After forty years of diligent cultivation, I have only just reached the perfection of the sixth level of Qi training."

"I'm fifty-six now, and I don't know how many years I'll be stuck in this bottleneck of transitioning from the middle stage of Qi training to the late stage. Can I perfect the ninth stage of Qi training at the age of eighty? I don't even dare to think about it!"

Jing Yu only then realized that his nephew's husband was actually eleven years older than him. He couldn't help but stammer, "Fellow Daoist Mu was already drawing Qi into his body at sixteen. The path to immortality is so difficult. I, Zhao, was forty-five when I finally got a glimpse of the world of immortal cultivation. What's the difference between this and a broken path?"

"That's not the case." Mu Shan said with a smile: "Although the hope is slim, it is not impossible."

"Firstly, my uncle does have a spiritual root phenomenon after all. Even if it's the lowest level one, his spiritual root aptitude is not comparable to that of an ordinary cultivator like me. He naturally has some advantages in absorbing spiritual energy."

"Don't underestimate this advantage. Over time, the gap will gradually become apparent."

"Secondly, although the path to immortality is difficult, there are still some shortcuts... It's said that cultivating immortality is about wealth, companions, and the Dharma. If you have a special talent in some of the hundreds of immortal arts, relying on your strengths in one skill, you will never lack the resources for cultivation. 'Wealth' is in your grasp."

"Thirdly, my uncle is a body cultivator after all, and his combat power is stronger than that of cultivators of the same level. If he is willing to risk his life, whether it is a loose cultivator alliance like our Xiaoyao Alliance, or a family or sect, they all need a large number of combat cultivators with good combat skills to open up wild areas. Although it is a desperate job, the remuneration is also very generous."

"Brother Mu, are you here specifically to recruit new blood for your faction?"

Jing Yu asked doubtfully, "To be honest with you, Fellow Daoist Mu, after I got that book on body-refining techniques, I did have the idea of ​​seeking immortality, just like my third sister. However, I've sent people to explore several neighboring countries over the years, but I didn't find any useful information, so I gradually gave up the idea."

"I wonder how far away Fellow Daoist Mu came from?"

"Most of the mortal world is not visited by immortal cultivators. After all, there are only so many of them. The nearest immortal cultivation market in your Zhao State is over 200,000 miles away! It's normal that my uncle can't find any trace of the cultivators."

"As for recruiting new blood, that's true, but I'm just a mere cultivator at the sixth level of Qi training. How can I possibly travel hundreds of thousands of miles to recruit new talent? My escape light is fast, but it can't last long. If I were to use my flying boat, it wouldn't consume much mana, but it would be too slow."

"A Qi-cultivating cultivator only has a lifespan of a hundred years. Time is extremely precious. Even the time spent on cultivation and earning resources is insufficient. How can we afford to waste it like this..."

Mu Shan smiled and said, "We are here with a Foundation Establishment senior leading the team. We have stopped at a neighboring country of Zhao State and are letting our group of Qi-cultivating cultivators search for spiritual roots. Three days from now, I will take a few of you to find that Foundation Establishment senior. We will then take a faster spiritual boat back to the market! However, even a spiritual boat designed for long-distance flights will still take eight or nine days to get back to the market from here!"

"Has your alliance always recruited talents in this way?" Jing Yu asked tentatively.

"Of course not, it's only happened in the last hundred years or so." Mu Shan stroked his beard and said meaningfully:

"Things are different now, uncle. We cultivators are facing a major change that has not happened in the world of cultivation for thousands of years. We must seize the opportunity."

----

A day later, Mu Shan took Jing Yu, the little beggar and the scholar on a flying boat to the neighboring country to look for the Foundation Establishment cultivator who was leading the team.

Originally, Jing Yu was considering staying alive for another few dozen or even a hundred years, first raising his body cultivation to the foundation-building stage, and then going to the world of cultivation to see what the situation was like.

However, after hearing that the Foundation Establishment cultivator leading the team was only at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment and was also a water-type cultivator, Jing Yu decided to go and find out.

He has now perfected the sixth level of the Body Forging Sutra. After all, it is the Daoist Sovereign's method for achieving enlightenment. It is estimated that his combat power is not inferior to that of a cultivator in the late stage of Qi training. In addition, his earth escape is becoming more and more magical. Jing Yu is confident that although he is far inferior to a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment in a head-on battle, he can still compete with non-earth-based cultivators in terms of escape speed underground.

As they chatted along the way, Jing Yu also learned about the origins of the other two spiritual root children.

The little beggar was named Li Sheng. His family suffered a disaster and his parents died. He begged for food all the way to the imperial capital of Zhao State. He usually slept in a dilapidated temple in the north of the city. He begged outside during the day and did some petty thefts to make a living at night.

The scholar came to Beijing to take the imperial examination. He was from Qinghe County and his name was Hu Yiming. He was originally preparing for the Spring Examination in an inn, hoping to gain fame and honor. Unexpectedly, his spiritual roots were detected. When he heard that there was a chance to cultivate immortality, he no longer cared about fame and honor. He simply asked someone to deliver a message to his home and happily accepted Mu Shan's invitation.

Mu Shan's flying boat was not very fast. After flying in the sky for two days, they arrived at the agreed location just in time.

Jing Yu and the others saw from afar a huge ship floating in the air. In terms of size, it was probably as big as two Supreme Harmony Palaces, which was far superior to the shabby flying boat the four people were riding.

"Fellow Daoist Mu, the Spiritual Boat Sutra you mentioned is so magnificent!" Jing Yu exclaimed in amazement. "Flying a ship this large in the sky must consume a lot of spiritual energy!"

"Hehe, this spiritual boat is specially built for long-distance travel. It doesn't use much spiritual energy. Generally, three cultivators with a cultivation level above the seventh level of Qi training will form a group and take turns to transport it. The main consumption is spiritual stones. Flying from here back to our Wushan Market will cost more than ten spiritual stones one way!"