Chapter 10: Elements of Cultivation

Following Chen Zhaohu's directions, the five of them soon reached their destination.

A half-human-tall fence encircled a towering black boulder, its surface as dark as ink. Outside the fence, a man was dozing. As Li Ji'an and his companions approached, the man immediately opened his eyes. However, after giving them a cursory glance, he closed them once more. After all, the main clientele here were children, the oldest rarely exceeding fifteen. The five before him were clearly past that age.

“Excuse me,” Li Ji'an called out. The man seemed surprised.

“Testing for spiritual roots?” he asked.

Li Ji'an nodded.

“Ten taels of spiritual sand per person.”

Li Ji'an weighed out fifty taels and handed them over.

“All of you?” The man was even more astonished, then seemed to realize something. These five were probably from some remote settlement far from the Immortal Market. He said no more, took the sand, and opened the fence for them.

“Just place your palm here. The spiritual root stone will sense your body's spiritual resonance. Each glowing mark signifies a strand of spiritual aura.”

“Thank you,” Li Ji'an said, stepping forward without hesitation. He knew the others were nervous and uneasy; by taking the lead, he could ease their expectations and make it a little less hard on them.

As his palm pressed against the stone, a cool sensation spread from within. In the next moment, a gleaming mark began to appear beneath his hand.

First to light up was a golden sword-shaped mark—just a single strand. Next came a tiny tree, also one strand. Then a water ripple, a flame, a small mountain… Each appeared in turn. Only the flame mark showed two strands; the others had but one.

Li Ji'an accepted the result calmly—it was as expected.

The others, however, wore anxious expressions. Zhao Shuyao, especially, felt the weight; she was the same age as Li Ji'an and had lived longest in the Celestial Dynasty, meaning her spiritual root had been stunted for the longest time. If Li Ji'an’s result was this, how could she hope for better?

“I’ll go next!” Seeing the hesitation in the other three, Zhu Linxian took a deep breath and stepped forward. She and Zhang Tiezhu were the youngest, having only become Immortal seedlings at seventeen, and now just eighteen—she had the greatest hope.

“Eight strands! Linxian, your highest resonance is actually eight strands!” At the sight of the spiritual aura above Zhu Linxian’s palm, Zhang Tiezhu could barely contain his excitement.

For the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—the resonances were two, two, eight, four, and one, respectively.

“Excellent!” Dong Jiangling and Zhao Shuyao clenched their fists and cheered. Li Ji'an raised his brows—this was surprising. According to Chen Zhaohu, living in a land devoid of spiritual energy would erode one's innate spiritual roots, not help them grow. If Zhu Linxian hadn’t been born in such a place, how extraordinary would her gift have been? She would surely be above the median grade—perhaps even possess a superior root? Such talent wasted—it was like an orange turned bitter from growing on the wrong side of the river.

Their cheers drew glances from those outside the fence.

“What’s there to celebrate about a low-grade spiritual root?”

“Maybe they’re just glad to have met the minimum requirement for becoming a son-in-law to the Wu family.”

As the excitement faded, the four realized the truth. After all, these were only the lowest-grade roots—what were they cheering for? Compared to their once-in-a-million genius status in the Celestial Dynasty, this was a blow. Still, it gave them hope—it was not quite the total end that Chen Zhaohu had warned of.

The remaining three took their turns. As expected, each had only a low-grade spiritual root. Zhang Tiezhu’s strongest was earth with six strands. Dong Jiangling’s was metal with four, and Zhao Shuyao’s was wood with three.

Reviewing their results, Li Ji'an was convinced: the longer one lived in the spiritless lands, the weaker the roots became.

“Brother Li, we all have spiritual roots—we can cultivate the Dao!” Zhang Tiezhu said, barely able to contain his excitement.

“That’s right! Anything is possible.” Li Ji'an encouraged them.

Before long, the five returned to Chen Zhaohu’s courtyard. After hearing their results, Chen Zhaohu gave Zhu Linxian a surprised look, but in the end, he could only shake his head in regret.

“What’s wrong? Linxian’s root is nearly of median grade—doesn’t that suffice?” Dong Jiangling asked, anxiety in his voice.

“It’s true,” Chen Zhaohu explained, “nearly a median root is considered moderate talent here on the Fallen Dragon Ridge. However… eighteen and not yet begun cultivation—that’s simply too late.”

“Eighteen is too late? Is it impossible to cultivate past fifteen?” Zhang Tiezhu’s voice trembled.

“Not at all. Age is no true barrier. Even if you start at fifty, there is a chance to ascend. But…”

He sighed. “Do you know why I never began cultivating?”

Li Ji'an was puzzled. “Brother Chen, you’ve said everything has a sliver of hope, and that your roots hold limitless potential. Then—why didn’t you start?”

Chen Zhaohu chuckled. “Did you think having spiritual roots is enough? Do you know the four essentials of cultivation?”

He sighed again. “Place, method, wealth, and companions—none can be lacking.

“The spiritual energy necessary for cultivation is only pure and abundant in places with spirit veins. Outside those places, the energy is thin and scattered, like here—not as dead as the lands you came from, but still too weak for true cultivation. The lands with spirit veins have long since been seized by the sects and immortal clans. Even the lowest-grade first-tier veins are fought over by countless people, all hoping to reserve them for their descendants.

“The second requirement is a suitable cultivation method. Since everyone’s spiritual roots are different, the method must match—and not just the strongest root, but all five affect the choice. The right method is as precious as a spirit-veined land; some families rise to glory on the strength of a single technique.

“As for wealth—you’ve seen spirit stones. Besides being currency, their real value lies in providing spiritual energy. In these barren lands, where the ambient energy is too weak, you can refine spirit stones directly. For minor cultivators, this is unnecessary, since once a stone is refined, it must be absorbed quickly or its energy will disperse and be wasted. Only powerful elders refine stones directly. Still, spirit stones can rent cultivation grounds, trade for methods, or buy spirit rice, pills, and magical tools. With enough stones, almost anything is possible.

“Lastly, companions—masters, fellow Daoists, partners. Cultivation cannot be done in isolation, or you risk getting stuck or going astray. Only through discussion and shared insight can one truly progress.

“And so, why didn’t I cultivate? I lacked all these resources. My only option would be to enter the nearest alliance market, but rents there are steep, and my roots are not good enough for any family or sect to take me in.”

He glanced at Zhang Tiezhu. “That’s why I said it’s a pity for this girl. If she’d been under fifteen, with her near-median roots, she would have had a real chance. Now, she’s lost her value in their eyes.”

———

Over the next month, the five gradually adapted to life in the settlement, and everything Chen Zhaohu had said proved true.

One day, after much silence, Zhu Linxian could finally keep quiet no longer.

“No matter how hard the road, I have to try!”

“That’s right—the longer we wait, the more we waste our lives. If we don’t try, how can we know it’s impossible?” Zhang Tiezhu was already eager to act.

They were the youngest, the most hopeful, and hadn’t yet been beaten down by life.

“If we just grow old and die here, what was the point of coming to the Immortal Realm? Not to mention seeking vengeance on those wretched clans.” Zhao Shuyao was also unwilling to give up.

“Yes! Even if we die, we have to try!” Dong Jiangling’s eyes flashed with determination.

Li Ji'an looked at them, understanding their resolve.

A human life is but a fleeting season, like grass or autumn leaves—too brief.

They had only this one life. They could wait no longer. Most importantly, if they couldn’t cultivate now, what was this life compared to their former glory in the Celestial Dynasty?

“What do you plan to do?”

“The Yan family is recruiting pioneers. I’m going to try my luck. If I can stay, I’ll have access to a first-grade superior spirit-veined ground and their family’s cultivation methods.” Zhang Tiezhu’s voice was resolute.

“I’m going to the Immortal Market to seek opportunity!” Zhu Linxian was the most unwilling to settle.

“There’s a pill shop hiring attendants. I want to give it a try,” Zhao Shuyao said, having made the decision with difficulty.

“I’ll go scout the market as well.”