Medium-grade Spiritual Root, Trouble on Hutong Street

In the blink of an eye, it was the fifth day since he began cultivating the Life-Draining Seedling Plucking Art.

Deep in the night, inside the hut, Chen Dengming's temples were already streaked with white, faint crow's feet visible at the corners of his eyes. His vitality and spirit had been severely drained.

But now, his spiritual root had formally transitioned from low-grade to mid-grade.

The entire upgrade process had started at dusk and lasted until an hour ago. He could feel his sensitivity to the spiritual energy in the surrounding air growing increasingly sharp.

Though the absorbed metal spiritual energy still clashed with wood spiritual energy on sight, cutting down most of it and drastically reducing cultivation efficiency, it was still ten times better than before. Even his perception of spiritual energy had become much clearer.

If the first improvement had been so subtle that it could be mistaken for a psychological trick, then now, with the spiritual root upgrade, the surge in spiritual perception was unmistakable—like the difference between holding a mouthful of cool water and a chunk of ice.

His spiritual root aptitude had truly improved, but it had cost him ten years of his lifespan.

Chen Dengming stood up from the ground, grabbed a towel to wipe down his lean, firm body—muscles not yet slack—and ended his cultivation of the Tri-Yuan Spirit Gathering Art. He pulled up his panel.

Both his spiritual root attributes and lifespan had changed.

"Martial Artist, Eighth Heaven of Innate Realm [Chen Dengming]

Lifespan: 92/152

Spiritual Root: Metal, Wood (Mid-Grade 1/100)

Martial Arts: Chen Family Martial Arts Compendium (Mastery 32/100)

Dao Arts: Gu Refining Chapter (Proficiency 0/100), Tri-Yuan Spirit Gathering Art (Beginner 6/100), Life-Draining Seedling Plucking Art (Beginner 50/100)"

"I burned ten years of life, but my spiritual root rose to mid-grade. My efficiency with the Tri-Yuan Spirit Gathering Art has skyrocketed—that's the benefit of a stronger root."

Chen Dengming felt a surge of excitement.

Over these five days, aside from going out for an hour each day to gather materials for the Golden Silkworm Gu, he had holed up in his room, waiting for the Gold Character Workshop to assign him a post while frantically cultivating the Life-Draining Seedling Plucking Art to boost his spiritual root quality.

At the same time, he hadn't slacked off on the Tri-Yuan Spirit Gathering Art.

From yesterday to today, he had completed eighteen cycles of the Tri-Yuan Spirit Gathering Art.

Just eighteen cycles, and the proficiency of this Dao art had risen from 5 to 6.

Especially after his spiritual root upgrade, the speed at which he gathered spiritual energy while cultivating this art had become ferocious—nearly ten times faster than five days ago.

"At my current cultivation speed, practicing the Tri-Yuan Spirit Gathering Art ten times a day will raise its proficiency by 1 point. Using a Clarity Pill could speed it up a bit—maybe nine cycles per point. At this rate, in less than three months, I'll break through to the Innate Realm and become a Qi Refining cultivator."

Chen Dengming paced around the room, occasionally stopping to finely sense the flowing spiritual energy in the air, a smile spreading across his face.

Before, sensing the spiritual energy in the air was like looking at flowers through a veil.

Now, that veil had been lifted, and he could 'see' much more clearly.

Of course, the benefits of a higher-grade spiritual root weren't limited to perception alone.

And in the future, as long as he continued cultivating the Life-Draining Seedling Plucking Art, there was still room for his spiritual root quality to improve.

For now, this Dao art hadn't broken through to the first layer yet. Practicing it once a day only cost him two years of life—he could still handle that.

But precisely because it hadn't broken through, and his spiritual root had already reached mid-grade, it was obvious that burning two years of life now yielded less improvement in spiritual affinity.

If he broke through to the first layer, each session might cost six years of life—then he'd have to slow down.

"Mid-grade spiritual root is enough for now. The main priority is still breaking through in strength. Maybe if I cultivate in a place with richer spiritual energy, I'll reach the First Heaven of Qi Refining even faster."

Lost in thought, Chen Dengming put on a pair of gloves, dug into a corner of the room's earthen floor, and unearthed a spirit stone that had been crafted into a Stone Gu. He carefully stowed it away.

This Stone Gu was Chen Dengming's unique twist on the Gu Refining Art—he had fused poison with the spirit stone, so that the spiritual energy within would gradually absorb some toxins. It was far more vicious and deadly than an ordinary Stone Gu, a fine tool for self-defense or ambush. After all, who didn't like spirit stones?

Picking up his broken blade, Chen Dengming threw on a patched cloak and a hood to cover his graying temples, ready to head out and practice his saber techniques.

As the saying goes: to master a skill, practice three hundred and sixty mornings a year. Progress is like a spring silkworm spinning silk; regression is like flowing water gone in an instant.

Even though he was now stumbling along the path of immortality, he couldn't just abandon his martial arts training.

After all, he hadn't yet cultivated enough spiritual energy to learn and cast Dao arts. His survival still depended on his martial skills combined with Gu techniques. Regular practice was key to staying alive in a crisis.

But the moment he stepped out into the deep night, he ran into his neighbor Xu Wei, who usually worked at night. She was avoiding his gaze, looking rather embarrassed.

"Sister Xu, not busy today?"

Chen Dengming greeted her amiably out of habit, then stopped, noticing the swelling on her right cheek and the blood at the corner of her mouth. He frowned.

"What happened?"

"N-nothing."

Xu Wei forced a smile, turned her face away, and fumbled with her door lock, changing the subject. "Young Master Chen, heading out to train again tonight?"

Chen Dengming furrowed his brow, then nodded. "Yeah."

Xu Wei clicked the door open and joked half-heartedly, "Young Master Chen trains so hard every day—your martial skills must be impressive, right? If you have time, you could teach this concubine a few self-defense moves."

"Not at all, just some crude techniques. Not immortal arts, nothing special. But Sister Xu, at your age, learning would be a bit late."

Chen Dengming shook his head with a smile.

"Yes, it's too late."

Xu Wei's gaze was slightly unfocused, her reply perfunctory.

Seeing she didn't want to say more, Chen Dengming stopped asking and turned to leave.

Watching his back, Xu Wei reminded him, "Young Master Chen, the friction between Golden Character Workshop and Hutong Street cultivators has been intense these past two days. You just joined Golden Character Workshop—be careful when you're out."

"Oh?"

Chen Dengming paused, realizing why Golden Character Workshop hadn't sought him out lately—they were likely all busy.

He glanced back at Xu Wei.

Her swollen face marred her beauty, but the sincerity in her eyes was a rare treasure in this chaotic place. He nodded with a smile. "Thanks for the warning."

With that, he gripped his blade and left swiftly, never asking how she'd been injured.

They were merely neighbors, after all—no need to overstep.

Still, what he'd said was true: Xu Wei had indeed started martial arts too late. In fact, many Xiantian cultivators in the Gathering Place were late.

These people, perhaps thanks to living in the spirit-rich Cultivation World, were born with all eight meridians open. By practicing some breathing techniques, they gradually reached the Xiantian realm.

But most had little martial training, or only dabbled in obscure arts without mastery. In real combat, their performance was pitiful—far inferior to what Chen Dengming had seen in the Nanxun Kingdom.

Leaving the shantytown, Chen Dengming entered an alley when his mind suddenly bristled with warning signs. Several deep auras had locked onto him from front and back, sharp and perilous.

His heart sank. Dropping his gaze, he saw a figure ahead, while two more blocked the path behind.

"Chen! Deng! Ming?"

The figure ahead enunciated his name slowly, a mocking smile curling at the lips.

"We're from Hutong Street. Come with us. Our boss wants to see you."

Chen Dengming's brows furrowed. The one in front was likely a cultivator, but the two behind were merely Xiantian.

They'd come prepared.

Trouble, he thought. After a pause, he asked, "Might I ask what your boss wants with me?"

The cultivator's eyes turned cold. "I'm talking to you because I heard you have the waist token personally given by Eldest Miss Lüo. I'm showing you respect, and you still have questions? Coming or not?"

Chen Dengming's face broke into a sudden smile, all seriousness gone. He cupped his hands in salute. "Coming, of course. To be favored by an Immortal Master is this junior's honor. How could I refuse?"

The cultivator raised an eyebrow. "Smart. If you'd said no, you'd be in for a world of pain. Let's go!"

He waved a hand and turned sideways, eyes like cold lightning, a talisman still clutched in his sleeve. He remained alert as the two Xiantian thugs closed in.

Chen Dengming acted as if he hadn't noticed, smiling as he approached, trying to chat. "How could I trouble the Immortal Master? Actually, this junior has a few things to ask you. I've been in seclusion these past few days—why did the conflict between Golden Character Workshop and Hutong Street start?"