Losing the East, Gaining the Mulberry

The Immortal Seed rooting is the first and most crucial step into cultivation. Elder Chu spent a full two days explaining all the possible scenarios that could arise during this process.

An Immortal Root consists of one main root and a hundred delicate lateral roots. Rooting the Immortal Root isn't as simple as just embedding it into the Dantian; it's a complex art. The degree of compatibility between each root and the Dantian determines future potential. A poor fit means limited achievements down the line.

If the Dantian is like the earth, then the Immortal Root is like various plants. Some plants thrive in arid conditions, while others prefer moisture. Some seek sunlight, and others shade. Rooting is similar; it requires placing each lateral root in the appropriate Dantian location based on its unique characteristics.

Therefore, during rooting, most people focus on channeling spiritual power into the Immortal Root, guiding it. After repeated guidance, they choose a spot in the Dantian that they believe offers the highest compatibility. The greater the compatibility between the Immortal Root and the Dantian, the higher one's future achievements. However, even disciples with the highest aptitude, like those with the Purple Seed, cannot achieve perfect compatibility for every single root; some deviations are inevitable.

Elder Chu also advised to guide the spiritual power within the body with care and attention during rooting, striving to find the spot with the highest compatibility for the specific Immortal Seed. If the first root doesn't take well, there's no need to despair; one can try again with the second.

When Xu Yu rooted, an astonishing ninety roots achieved perfect compatibility. Murong Chao, on the other hand, had only sixty. Yet, this was considered an excellent result. For ordinary Weak Seed disciples, achieving ten perfectly compatible roots during rooting was already remarkable.

From the moment of rooting, the advantages of Special Immortal Seeds and Weak Seeds began to manifest and widen.

But whether it was a Special Immortal Seed or a Weak Seed, the roots emerged one after another from the Immortal Seed during rooting. Only after one was finished would another appear. How could it be like his situation, with a hundred roots emerging all at once?

Even with spiritual power to guide them, at most one or two Immortal Roots could achieve perfect compatibility with the Dantian. The remaining ninety-odd would inevitably be rooted haphazardly. If that were the case, his cultivation path would end here.

No! He had to find a way. He had finally reached the rooting stage; he couldn't just watch himself be ruined. He absolutely refused to resign himself to being the lowest-ranking Menial Disciple for his entire life!

The method of guiding Immortal Roots taught by Elder Chu quickly flashed through his mind, only to be dismissed just as rapidly. The rooting experiences shared by Xu Yu and Murong Chao were also useless. The situation he faced was something that not only Xu Yu and Murong Chao had never encountered, but no cultivator in the cultivation world, no matter how powerful, had ever seen or heard of.

Wasn't the order of rooting always to anchor the main root first, then the lateral roots? And who ever heard of a hundred lateral roots appearing simultaneously?

Qin Haoxuan was facing an unprecedented problem in the cultivation world. His mind in turmoil, he could only watch as the hundred lateral roots slowly approached, unsure how to guide them. No matter which root he tried to guide, the other ninety-nine would become entangled. But if he didn't guide them, all hundred Immortal Roots would root randomly. What should he do?

Just as he was at a loss, a bold idea surged into his mind.

Spiritual Sense could be used in alchemy, formation arrays, and talismans. It could also be used to attack enemies and find Spirit Springs. So, could it be used to find the optimal rooting location for the Immortal Roots?

He didn't have much time. Qin Haoxuan acted as soon as the thought occurred. He closed his eyes and focused, attempting to use his Spiritual Sense to untangle the chaotic mass of a hundred lateral roots.

Soon, Qin Haoxuan directed his Spiritual Sense to spread across each delicate lateral root, treating it like spiritual power and guiding these roots to find the best compatibility.

A miracle occurred. As Qin Haoxuan used his Spiritual Sense to untangle them, the Immortal Roots, which had been aimlessly heading towards random spots, were illuminated by the Spiritual Sense. The perfectly compatible locations within the Dantian were directly revealed. All he needed to do was guide them with spiritual power to root.

For Qin Haoxuan, who had been desperately trying anything, this was a lifeline. He immediately calmed his mind and swiftly guided each root towards its perfectly compatible spot.

With Qin Haoxuan's Spiritual Sense guiding them, the task of rooting all the lateral roots was completed in such a short time. The moment these hundred lateral roots, guided by Qin Haoxuan's spiritual power, touched the Dantian, they immediately rooted deeply. Qin Haoxuan felt a closer connection between the Immortal Seed and the spiritual power within his body. It was as if each breath was more in sync, his senses became sharper, perfectly matching the post-rooting descriptions given by Xu Yu and Murong Chao.

But something was wrong. These delicate rootlets had rooted into the Dantian, but what about the main root?

Where was the main root that Xu Yu and Murong Chao had spoken of? Wasn't rooting supposed to start with the main root embedding into the Dantian?

The Undying Witch Demon in the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley also sensed Qin Haoxuan's hundred rooted lateral roots. Its cloudy eyes slowly opened, and a weak voice muttered to itself, "How... how is this possible?"

The Undying Witch Demon, having existed in a half-dead state for who knows how many years, was incredibly knowledgeable. This was the first time it had encountered an Immortal Seed rooting process where a hundred lateral roots emerged first, and simultaneously at that. What astonished it even more was that all hundred lateral roots had rooted perfectly!

How could this be? Even the Supreme Purple Seed couldn't root this perfectly, let alone with a hundred lateral roots emerging at the same time. How did he achieve this? With these hundred lateral roots successfully rooted, what about the main root?

Just as the Undying Witch Demon and Qin Haoxuan were worrying, Qin Haoxuan suddenly felt another tremor from the Immortal Seed he had just rooted.

An Immortal Root, much thicker than the hundred lateral roots, emerged from the crack and plunged directly into Qin Haoxuan's Dantian. The rooting of the hundred lateral roots and one main root was complete.

The moment the main root was embedded, the spiritual power in the Dantian no longer needed to be forcefully poured in. It flowed directly from the Immortal Seed through the Immortal Root and Dantian for the most direct exchange of spiritual power. Streams of spiritual power were absorbed by the Immortal Seedling still within the Immortal Seed, a far more effective process than simply watering the seed.

Having completed the rooting without major incident, Qin Haoxuan let out a long sigh of relief. Xu Yu and Murong Chao had both rooted their main root first, and only then did the hundred lateral roots appear. Perhaps it was due to his Immortal Seed's mutation, but his hundred lateral roots rooted first, followed by the main root. Fortunately, the rooting was completed safely and smoothly.

A satisfied smile flickered across the Undying Witch Demon's face. It felt that Qin Haoxuan's rooting was successful. Although the order of root emergence was peculiar, the Immortal Seed part was finally complete. Next would be the Demon Seed!

If he could root the five hundred Demon Seed lateral roots as perfectly as these hundred Immortal Seed lateral roots, then he would truly have struck gold – an unprecedented, peerless treasure!

Just as Qin Haoxuan was about to conclude his practice and return to share the good news with Xu Yu and Murong Chao, the Immortal Seed suddenly vibrated softly again.

What was going on? Had the rooting not finished yet?

To his astonishment, several more slender lateral roots emerged simultaneously from the crack in the Immortal Seed.

Qin Haoxuan didn't have time to think. He quickly used his Spiritual Sense to explore them and then his spiritual power to guide them to their perfectly compatible spots. However, these inexplicably emerging lateral roots numbered five hundred in total. It took Qin Haoxuan a full half-hour to guide them all to root completely.

The Undying Witch Demon in the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley nearly jumped out of its skin!

Six hundred Immortal Roots, and all of them perfectly rooted!

A perfect Immortal-Demon Seed, a perfect Immortal-Demon Seed of his own! When it sprouted, it would be time for his body seizure. After the seizure, with the perfect Immortal-Demon Seed combined with his own, what kind of concept would that be in the current cultivation world?

After these five hundred delicate lateral roots were planted, the Immortal Seed seemed to be still. However, Qin Haoxuan now had one main root and a staggering six hundred lateral roots. The number of lateral roots far exceeded that of others by more than six times. Furthermore, Qin Haoxuan's quick thinking in his moment of crisis, daring to use his Spiritual Sense to guide the Immortal Roots, had resulted in all six hundred lateral roots being perfectly rooted.

In the vast cultivation world, spanning hundreds of thousands of years, there was no record of any genius perfectly rooting a hundred lateral roots. What was even more astonishing was that while others had only a hundred lateral roots, Qin Haoxuan had a total of six hundred, and each one was perfectly compatible with his Dantian!

What was going on? Qin Haoxuan was completely stunned by the sudden turn of events. His mind raced as he recalled Elder Chu's lectures from his notes. But no matter how hard he tried to remember, there was nothing about any cultivator having six hundred Immortal Roots.

"Six hundred Immortal Roots? Six hundred perfectly compatible Immortal Roots?"

Even Qin Haoxuan was amazed by his own six hundred lateral roots, especially since he had thoroughly studied all the foundational knowledge of rooting. He knew that his situation was unprecedented. Setting aside the perfect compatibility, the sheer number of Immortal Roots alone surpassed those of Purple Seed disciples!

"A gain in one area compensates for a loss in another? Heaven didn't give me supreme talent, so it's compensating me through this path?" he thought to himself, yet he felt something was amiss, though he couldn't pinpoint what.

To be safe, Qin Haoxuan sat in the thicket for more than half the night, ensuring the Immortal Seed showed no further abnormalities. Only then did he quietly return to his dormitory and then, possessing the Little Snake, cultivate his Spiritual Sense until dawn.

The next day, everyone who saw Qin Haoxuan noticed an indescribable aura about him compared to the day before. If one had to describe it in words, it would be radiant and refreshed. His eyes, already possessing a righteous glint, were now indescribably pure. His breaths were orderly, steady, and long.

If before he gave people an impression of strength and robustness, now he exuded a combination of robustness and elegance, a balance of yin and yang.

Standing there, he seemed rooted to the ground, blending seamlessly with his surroundings. Despite his large frame, he somehow felt easily overlooked, yet unforgettable – a contradiction.

Could it be that Qin Haoxuan had rooted? The other disciples speculated inwardly, but they couldn't believe their own guesses. It wasn't until Elder Chu saw him that he was so shocked he couldn't speak for a long time, finally managing to say, "You... you actually rooted!"

An uproar immediately ensued. All the Weak Seed disciples looked at Qin Haoxuan with intense envy.

A Weak Seed rooted in twenty days? This matched the rooting speed of the current Sect Master, True Lord Huang Long! Back then, True Lord Huang Long was a Gray Seed, but Qin Haoxuan was a genuine Weak Seed. How was this possible?

Someone commented, "Author, you should read XXX's book. Their book's pacing is so fast, the protagonist has already gone out to gain experience. Your pacing is too slow; you should learn from them." All I want to say is, I am a skyscraper, and this is [Taichu]. Today's first chapter update is a bit late. My apologies, my apologies.