Chapter Fifty-Three: Increased Spiritual Roots

  The old woman came back to her senses, stared at Ning City and shook her head, saying, "I do have a foundation of alchemy jade slips, but I won't give them to you. It's not that I'm stingy, it's for your own good. Although you look mature, you're probably under twenty years old? Being able to cultivate to the eighth layer of Qi accumulation before the age of twenty is no easy feat, even in Pingzhou."

  "With your current progress, in the future you may be able to leave Pingzhou and with your own efforts and some opportunities, it's not necessarily impossible to achieve the Xuan Dan. If you have a distracted mind and delve into the study of alchemy, perhaps this lifetime will only be about condensing your true self. Alchemy is not something that can be learned just by wanting to, listen to my words."

  Ning Cheng thought of his Xuan Huang Pearl and said with some reluctance, "Senior, I have confidence that I won't delay my cultivation."

  The old woman smiled calmly, "Any cultivator who wants to refine the elixir has this confidence. Alchemy and artifact refinement are ultimately minor paths that serve cultivation. If it weren't for advancing to a higher level, no one would be willing to refine the elixir. But everyone is blinded by these minor paths. Since they're all about cultivation in the end, why not put all your energy into cultivating? What if one day you surpass all others, and alchemists don't dare to refine elixirs for you, nor artifact refiners dare to help you refine artifacts?"

  Ning Cheng's heart suddenly burned with fire upon hearing this. It was the first time he had heard someone say that alchemy was a small path and equipment refinement was also a small path. However, he felt that the old woman seemed to be right, if one day he could see through all the mountains and rivers, which alchemist would dare not refine pills for him?

  But without the magic pill, how can he overlook all the mountains and rivers? The passion that had just risen was chilled once again.

  The old woman seemed to know Ning Cheng's thoughts and said slowly, "In this world, the truly powerful elixirs are not man-made, but born from nature. If one day you can find these naturally grown spiritual objects, they will be countless times stronger than any elixir. Relying solely on man-made elixirs for cultivation will only lead to inability to eliminate the elixir poison and forever remain a second-rate figure. Elixirs are auxiliary tools for cultivation, not the goal."

  "Does senior mean that as long as one is cultivating, there's no need to refine the elixir?" Ning Cheng asked in confusion.

  The old woman shook her head again and said, "No, it's just that you're not suitable for alchemy. You're just a loose cultivator, even if your talent is against the sky, what can you do? The prerequisites for alchemy are having a large amount of spiritual grass to practice with, secondly, having alchemical fire and excellent opportunities. You don't have any of these, if you only want to advance to the Condensing Reality stage by alchemy, then your direction is wrong. If you still want to do alchemy, wait until you feel that your cultivation can no longer be improved, then come find me. However, I believe that at that time, you will have lost interest in alchemy."

  Ning Cheng sighed, knowing that the old woman was right. He had been relying on the Xuan Huang Pearl all along, but even the Xuan Huang Pearl couldn't conjure up countless spiritual herbs out of thin air. It seemed that if he wanted to refine pills, he wouldn't be able to do it through this old woman after all.

  "Come back in ten days and I'll have the Qī Yào Ice Needle ready for you." The old woman saw Ning City lower his head in contemplation, but she didn't care what he was thinking about, directly issuing an order to expel him.

  "Yes, junior takes leave." After Ning City walked out of the old woman's bungalow, he had already put aside the matter of refining the elixir.

  No matter what, even if he starts learning alchemy now, he won't be able to refine the Cong True Pill in time. He must think of another way to advance to Cong True. Among so many cultivators who have reached Cong True, not everyone is an alchemist.

  ……

  Ning City didn't go to Mingpu Square to test his spiritual root, he wanted to wait until he got the Seven Day Ice Needle first. Moreover, after encountering that old crone, Ning City no longer had any confidence in hiding his cultivation.

  He stayed in the inn and cultivated his own hidden art of concealment.

  In the blink of an eye, ten days passed. During these ten days, Ning Cheng not only revised the hiding technique he had learned from Lao Lao, but also completely mastered a new hiding technique.

  On the tenth day, Ning Cheng hurried to the small alley's flat house. However, he found that the door of the flat house was already locked up. Ning Cheng was shocked in his heart, could it be that this old woman who looked like a senior would deceive him out of a little material? This was absolutely impossible!

  "Excuse me, are you here to find Madame Gongsun for something?" A hesitant voice sounded from the doorway of the house across the way, and Ning Cheng turned his head to see a extremely ugly youth with a turned-up lip and small eyes.

  "Yes, I am looking for Mrs. Gongsun. May I ask where Mrs. Gongsun has gone?" Ning Cheng hastily replied. At the same time, he felt that this name of Mrs. Gongsun was really familiar, and on Earth, he had heard of it before, but he also knew that this definitely wouldn't be the same person.

  This extremely ugly youth heard Ning Cheng's words and immediately smiled, then entered the house to take out a not very large wooden box and handed it over to Ning Cheng, saying: "Madam Gongsun gave this to me when she left. She said that everything you want is inside. I hope you will act according to your abilities."

  Ning Cheng accepted the jade box and thanked her, but he was somewhat perplexed in his heart. He had only asked Madame Gongsun to forge a Seven Planets Ice Needle, what did it have to do with being cautious?

  Although eager to know what his seven-day ice needle was like, Ning Cheng still suppressed this excitement and brought the wooden box back to his residence in the first time.

  After returning to his residence, Ning Cheng first set up a shielding array before carefully opening the wooden box.

  Inside the wooden box, there was a small crystal box. Next to this crystal box, there was also a lump of something. Ning Cheng didn't pay attention to the lump next to it and directly took the crystal box in his hand and opened it.

  A fine needle that is almost invisible to the naked eye lies in a crystal box, and it seems to be faintly visible, as if it might disappear at any moment.

  "Good needle." Ning Cheng exclaimed, he immediately understood that this was absolutely a Seven Treasure Glacial Needle treasure that exceeded his expectations.

  Ning Cheng pinched the fine needle in his hand, a desire to refine it surging up in his heart. Ning Cheng didn't hesitate, immediately closing his eyes and starting to refine the fine needle in his hand.

  The next day, Ning Cheng opened his eyes in surprise again, and the thin needle in his hand had disappeared. The thin needle was already stuck on the inside of his sleeve, completely in line with his intentions.

  At this moment, Ning Cheng absolutely did not believe that the old woman was not a Refining Master. The grade of this thin needle was even higher than his Flying Sword, it was simply an extreme-grade magical instrument.

  A person who can refine a top-grade Taoist instrument, isn't he an alchemy master?

  Ning Cheng was overjoyed and had forgotten that there was still something in the wooden box, and he continued to practice the Seven Orbits Ice Needle Technique with the fine needle in his hand.

  Until he was very hungry, he realized that another day had passed. Ning Cheng's heart was even more surprised and delighted with this fine needle. Once against the enemy, he would use the Xuanbing Thirty-six Swords and these seven ice needles in response, even if it were a condensed true cultivator, who would be difficult to dodge under his sneak attack.

  By now, he finally had some self-preservation abilities. Ning City became even more grateful to that old crone, and even if it was Ge Fei, Ning City felt that he wasn't worth just those ten Gathering Stones. Even giving two Spirit Stones would be too little.

  Ning Cheng put away the Seven Day Ice Needle and was about to go out to eat when he suddenly remembered that there was still an item in the wooden box. He hastily picked up the bundle, shook it, and found that it was a very thin inner armor.

  Ning Cheng immediately recognized it as a defensive armor made from the hide of a single-horned crocodile. At the same time, he also understood what was going on - that old woman must have thought there was too much crocodile skin and had helped him refine an inner armor.

  Ning Cheng took off his outer garment and put on the inner armor after refining it, feeling extremely comfortable all over. He was even more grateful to the old woman in his heart.

  The wooden box that was given to Ning Cheng did not go to waste, in his opinion, it was equivalent to owing the old woman a favor. Originally, she didn't have to give him the inner alchemy, but she gave it to him anyway. At the same time, Ning Cheng also felt that what the old woman said earlier, that he shouldn't be learning alchemy now, wasn't entirely unreasonable.

  ……

  Ming Pu Square is located on the outskirts of Ming Xin Academy and belongs to both Ming Xin Academy and Ming Yi Zhen Guo. Not only does it have a huge square, but it is also the most spiritual root testing ground in all of Ming Yi Zhen Guo. Normally, testing one's spiritual roots at Ming Pu Square would require a lot of gold coins, but for these few months, not a single gold coin is needed. Everyone can test for free because these few months are when Ming Xin Academy recruits students.

  These days, the number of people in Myeongpo Square has been increasing, and today is even more crowded. Almost all the monks, as well as many people from Namwon City, have already arrived here. Because today is the day when Myeonghyeon Academy recruits disciples, as long as the spiritual root meets the conditions and passes the test, they can enter Myeonghyeon Academy.

  Ning Cheng followed the crowd into the Linggen Testing Hall of Mingpu Square, and today he had already taken off his hooded monk's hat. However, under his deliberate dressing, he looked even more aged, and even his whiskers had a somewhat melancholic appearance.

  Because today is the day when Ming Xin Academy selects students, there are not many people in the Spiritual Root Testing Hall. Most people have already tested their spiritual roots.

  Ling Gen Testing Device Ning Cheng had seen it before, he walked directly to the testing device and said to the person in charge of the test, "I want to test my spiritual root."

  "Put your hand on the indentation and operate some true energy." The person in charge of testing the spiritual root said weakly.

  Ning Cheng didn't say much, directly placing his hand into the testing recess while also sending some true energy in. Four yellow threads rose up on the crystal pillar, the four threads rising very slowly but not stopping. Ning Cheng withdrew his hand when the four threads had risen to about three or four feet.

  The person testing the spiritual root didn't even notice Ning City's small movements, and lazily threw out a wooden sign saying, "Four-element miscellaneous branch spiritual root, qualified to enter."

  "Thank you, may I ask what my four spiritual roots are?" Ning Cheng's heart was racing as he quickly grabbed the jade card and asked. Only he himself knew that he had originally been a three-series mixed spiritual root, but after more than half a year, it had actually changed to a four-series mixed spiritual root.

  This tester of spiritual roots glanced at Ning City with disdain, "If you're qualified to be selected, these aren't for you to ask. I'm only responsible for testing whether you have the qualifications to enter, and you can barely enter the gates of the academy."

  The implication is that your spiritual root is so trashy, and you still have the face to ask what a spiritual root is?

  Today's first update is here, requesting recommendation tickets and collection support for Canghai Gate!