Ten Years of Lifespan, Raising Aptitude

The Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique has only three layers. Cultivating the first layer requires sacrificing twenty years of lifespan, enhancing a person's affinity for spiritual energy by twenty to thirty percent, thereby improving their Spiritual Root Potential.

Cultivating the second layer requires sacrificing one hundred and eighty years of lifespan, further increasing spiritual energy affinity by fifty to one hundred and twenty percent.

Cultivating the third layer, it is said, requires sacrificing three hundred years of lifespan, continuing to boost spiritual energy affinity by more than double.

In theory, as long as a person is willing to discard five hundred years of lifespan, they could elevate the worst inferior-grade Spiritual Root to the worst Medium-grade Spiritual Root.

A Low-grade Spiritual Root could also be elevated to the worst High-grade Spiritual Root.

As for whether a High-grade Spiritual Root could be further improved, that remains unknown, for the original creator, Hundred Losses Demonic Path, died abruptly from cultivation failure, and among the disciples he experimented on, none possessed a High-grade Spiritual Root.

This might be a bizarre divine skill for altering low and medium Spiritual Root Potential.

Its bizarreness lies in the fact that for most people with only inferior-grade Spiritual Roots, they could never cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Realm in their lifetime, with a maximum lifespan of merely a hundred years, making it nearly impossible to use this method to elevate to a Low-grade Spiritual Root.

Thus, those with enough lifespan already have strong potential and don't need to practice, while those without enough lifespan simply cannot practice.

However, Chen Dengming's current Lifespan Limit had reached 148 years, leaving him 66 years of lifespan to squander. His Spiritual Root affinity was not even the worst among Low-grade Spiritual Roots, so there was a high probability that he could elevate his Spiritual Root to Medium-grade by sacrificing only a dozen or so years of lifespan.

That very day, Chen Dengming began attempting the Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique inside his room.

Since it was a Dharma Gate, it naturally required spiritual energy to perform.

Yet the creator of this technique might have considered that some people had low potential and could hardly become cultivators, thus also recorded an alternative Dharma Gate that consumed the spiritual energy within Spirit Stones.

Chen Dengming took out two Low-grade Spirit Stones he had dug up from a buried spot outside the Gathering Place. He placed one in his mouth, pressing it with his tongue.

The other he placed on top of his head at the crown, then began using his Xiantian True Qi to draw out the spiritual energy within the Spirit Stones.

Before long, the spiritual energy in both Spirit Stones stirred restlessly, with the strongest sensations at his tongue and crown.

He felt as if ice-cold pure spiritual energy seeped into his tongue tip or trickled through his crown into his brain. His entire head grew cold and clear, and his ability to sense spiritual energy rapidly improved.

At that moment, it was as if countless small cyan and white dots appeared in the dark space, swarming toward his tongue and brain, turning both locations cyan and white as they gathered abundant spiritual energy.

But accompanying this was a sharp depletion of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

After a night passed, Chen Dengming withdrew his technique, feeling utterly exhausted in body and mind, yet vaguely sensing that his ability to perceive the spiritual energy in the surrounding air had grown slightly stronger.

However, this feeling was not very distinct, more like a psychological effect.

He drew out Broken Blade and examined his reflection on the mirror-like blade.

His face remained handsome, with no change at all.

But the fatigue between his brows was obvious, and a few more strands of white hair had appeared at his temples.

The Youth Preserving Pill was no divine medicine; it only preserved one's appearance, not eternal youth. When Essence, Qi, and Spirit were depleted to a certain degree, traces would still show on the face, though such traces would be largely controlled by the Medicinal Power.

"Truly visible lifespan loss," Chen Dengming mused inwardly.

He then focused his mind to observe the information on the panel and found that his Spiritual Root attributes had indeed changed subtly, but his lifespan had also shifted accordingly.

"Xiantian Eighth Layer Martial Artist [Chen Dengming] Lifespan: 84/152 Spiritual Root: Gold, Wood (Low-grade 90/100) Martial Arts: Chen Family Martial Arts General Outline (Mastery 29/100) Dharma Gates: Gu Refining Chapter (Proficiency 0/100), Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique (Beginner 3/100), Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique (Beginner 10/100)"

"My Lifespan Limit has increased by another four years, becoming one hundred and fifty-two years. It seems the effect of extending lifespan through training also applies to learning Dharma Gates.

Learning the Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique also increases my lifespan. This Dharma Gate should not be on the same level as the Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique, otherwise the lifespan extension effects wouldn't stack."

"My own elapsed lifespan has gone from eighty-two years to eighty-four years, and the affinity of my Gold Wood Spirit Root has increased from Low-grade 87 to 90. Sacrificing two years of lifespan can raise my Spiritual Root affinity by three points?"

"Calculating this way, I only need to cultivate for another three or four days, sacrificing another six to eight years of lifespan, and my Low-grade Spiritual Root can be elevated to Medium-grade?"

Chen Dengming's eyes flickered, and he felt quite satisfied with this result.

His Spiritual Root was already the best among Low-grade Spiritual Roots.

Sacrificing nearly ten years of lifespan to elevate it to Medium-grade was a loss he could bear.

But now, exhausted in body and mind, Chen Dengming did not continue grinding the Seedling Pulling Technique.

Instead, he took out the bottle of Pure Spirit Pills he had obtained from the Immortal Master earlier, poured out one pill, and swallowed it.

After a moment, he felt that his ability to sense the spiritual energy in the surrounding air had grown noticeably stronger.

Focusing his mind, panel information appeared.

"Spiritual Root: Gold, Wood (Low-grade 100/100)"

"So the Pure Spirit Pill can indeed enhance spiritual energy affinity and strengthen perception, but it seems unable to break through the bounds of a Low-grade Spiritual Root?"

"I've heard that the cultivation speed of a Medium-grade Spiritual Root is ten times that of a Low-grade one. It seems that once the Spiritual Root grade breaks through, a qualitative leap occurs, something the Pure Spirit Pill cannot achieve..."

Chen Dengming pondered, not wasting the pill. While the Medicinal Power was still active, he practiced the Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique once, but the effect faded before the session ended.

He took a towel from his bundle, wiped the sweat from his body, ate some dry rations, then poured out another Pure Spirit Pill, sat on the bed, and began meditating to continue cultivation.

Masters are forged through diligent practice, enduring solitude. Even with a Golden Finger like extending lifespan through training, one must train diligently every day to grow stronger step by step.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Luo Family.

The sprawling courtyards with red walls, green tiles, and blazing lanterns were arranged in the pattern of a Spirit Gathering Formation, drawing all the spiritual energy from the First-Rank Spirit Vein beneath Lüoshan City into this vast Cultivation Family, leaving the interior of the Luo Family estate thick with qi.

Inside a tastefully decorated and warmly serene room, steam billowed.

Lüo Bing was bathing in a fragrant bath infused with Spirit Spring, breathing and exhaling as she accumulated reserves for her upcoming breakthrough to Qi Cultivation Tenth Level.

Her skin was as white as mutton-fat jade, like the finest ivory, her figure slender and graceful, captivating as a hyacinth. At that moment, her silky hair drifted through the water, brushing over certain curves, her allure especially tempting.

Several maidservants attending nearby were adding water to the fragrant bath. One close maid recounted some recent news.

"They say the young master is about to emerge from seclusion. He's prepared so long for his Foundation Establishment breakthrough this time—it should succeed."

Lüo Bing shook her head calmly. "The Luo Family didn't obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill. Luo Ping only has a Medium-grade Spiritual Root. Without that pill, I'm afraid he'll still find it hard to break through. If I reach Foundation Establishment before he does, then this engagement between us..."

She trailed off, saying no more. The maids and attendants all understood, falling silent and not daring to ask further.

This engagement had originally been a family alliance. To speak of deep affection between the two parties was impossible.

If Luo Ping failed his third attempt at Foundation Establishment, it would prove his future potential was ultimately limited. The Luo Family would naturally make other choices. This wasn't even something Lüo Bing could decide. Even the seemingly glorious daughter of the Luo Family had her own helplessness.

The close maid cleverly changed the subject, smiling. "Miss, do you still remember that mortal you brought back? He showed the Waist Token you gave him, which caught Xu Ning's attention at the Golden Character Workshop. Xu Ning invited him to join the workshop. It seems he wants to use that mortal to build a connection with you."

Lüo Bing turned lazily, revealing a smooth back, and lay prone by the pool's edge. Her impressively ample curves bore the pressure of half her body, making one almost pity the waste of such beauty.

She couldn't be bothered to comment on such a trivial matter.

A mortal with a conflicting Dual Spirit Root potential would likely stop at Qi Cultivation Fourth Level at most.

Without the Youth Preserving Pill and Gu arts, she might not even remember his name. Even Xu Ning was just a small figure.

The maid read her expression and smiled. "That mere mortal has no right to build a connection with you, Miss. Xu Ning really has no sense of judgment.

But I heard that mortal has recently been collecting some of those Gu Creatures you mentioned last time. Perhaps he intends to refine the Golden Silkworm Gu as well."

"Oh?"

Lüo Bing's willow-like brows lifted slightly. Her cheeks, flushed red from the steam, showed a hint of interest.

Since obtaining the Gu arts, she had been studying them in her spare time.

But this path was too obscure, and many Gu Creatures were truly hideous and unappealing. Only the Golden Silkworm Gu had caught her interest. She had recently been searching for refining resources, preparing to give it a try.

Thinking of the flair that mortal had shown with Gu arts during the Ascension Convention, Lüo Bing nodded slightly. "It's a pity he's only a mortal, without spiritual energy. If he became a cultivator, he might be somewhat useful...

Still, since he has the money to gather Golden Silkworm Gu materials, he must have some tricks. Once you've gathered all the materials, sell a set to that mortal and summon him up the mountain. I want to see what refining methods he has."

Even as she said this, she held no expectations.

According to the recorded method for refining the Golden Silkworm Gu, it required delicate manipulation of spiritual energy.

She herself wasn't confident of succeeding on her first try, let alone a mortal without any spiritual energy.

Selling the materials to Chen Dengming to try was merely a casual whim.

As for giving them away for free—that was impossible. Resources were never meant to be wasted.

(Thank you to all readers for your tips and Monthly votes! A 6k update to curry favor! Friends who enjoy this book, remember to pin it and turn on update reminders, and come back often to follow along!)