Eighty Years of Sleep, All Points Invested in Defense

At first, Chen Changsheng could not figure out how to go about it.

Though Spiritual Roots existed within the human body, no one had ever known what they actually looked like.

In response, Chen Changsheng made a bold assumption.

There was no such thing as a Spiritual Root within the human body at all.

The Spiritual Roots spoken of by countless cultivators were merely a person's sensitivity to a certain attribute.

The higher the sensitivity, the better the quality of the Spiritual Root.

With that assumption in place, Chen Changsheng immediately devised a safe and harmless method.

He would soak himself in the essence of vegetation.

Spirit herbs possessed the wood attribute. Prolonged soaking should increase his sensitivity to wood-attributed spiritual energy, thereby granting him the Wood Spiritual Root everyone spoke of.

Moreover, when he fell into slumber, his body entered a state devoid of life.

That would perfectly avoid the problem of his body actively absorbing the essence of vegetation.

To put it more simply, Chen Changsheng was treating himself as medicinal herbs steeped in medicinal wine.

Boom!

As the coffin lid closed, Chen Changsheng's vitality vanished completely.

Every organ in his body ceased functioning at that instant. At that moment, Chen Changsheng was no different from a dead man.

With his vitality at a standstill, his body naturally no longer absorbed any energy.

Yet the essence of vegetation inside the Jade Coffin continued to seep into Chen Changsheng's body with unwavering persistence.

Though the process was slow, it never stopped.

Time flew like an arrow; the sun and moon raced like a shuttle.

To Chen Changsheng, eighty years might have passed in the span of closing and opening his eyes.

But for all things between heaven and earth, eighty years was no short time.

In the mountain range where Chen Changsheng lay, many plants had already gone through dozens of cycles.

The little sapling once standing at the cave entrance had now grown into a towering tree as thick as a man's waist.

Creak~

A teeth-aching grinding sound echoed through the cave. The fine jade coffin had now lost its luster.

The heavy coffin lid slowly shifted.

Smack!

A hand covered in green hair gripped the edge of the coffin.

Then, a humanoid monster covered from head to toe in green hair sat upright.

Huff~

Pale green Turbid Qi spilled from the Green-Haired Monster's mouth.

That was right. The Green-Haired Monster before them was Chen Changsheng, who had slept for eighty long years.

Having awakened from his slumber, Chen Changsheng did not rush to allocate his attribute points. Instead, he took out the Magical Artifact used to test Spiritual Roots.

His green-haired hand rested atop the Crystal Ball, and it immediately lit up with a rich green glow.

At that sight, Chen Changsheng finally could not stop himself from laughing aloud.

"Hahaha!"

"Artificial Spirit Roots really work! Now I won't have to worry about being captured by those mighty experts and dissected for research."

That was right. Ever since entering the cultivation world, Chen Changsheng had always harbored a concern.

He feared that someone would discover the secret of his longevity.

Though he could obtain attribute points through sleep,

who knew how long it would take before he became powerful enough to contend with those ancient monsters at the Spirit Transformation and Nascent Soul levels?

If anything went wrong during that long stretch of time, he would be finished.

So, during this transitional period, he had to gain the strength to protect himself. Cultivation was an excellent method.

After confirming that he possessed a Superior Wood Spiritual Root, Chen Changsheng looked at the system panel in his mind.

Host: Chen Changsheng

Strength: 1

Speed: 1

Defense: 11

Spiritual Power: 0

Lifespan: 160

Chen Changsheng: ???

Seeing his system panel, Chen Changsheng's face was full of question marks.

"System, what is going on? Why have my attributes regressed?"

"If I remember correctly, I should have been at Qi Refining Level 4 before I went to sleep."

"Though my strength was negligible, all my attributes had improved to some extent. Why have they reverted to those of an ordinary person?"

In response to Chen Changsheng's question, the system's voice immediately rang out in his mind.

"During slumber, the Spiritual Power within the host's body slowly dissipates outward."

"Without the support of Spiritual Power, the host's various attributes naturally return to ordinary human standards."

"However, strength gained through attribute points is exempt."

Chen Changsheng curled his lips at the explanation and quickly accepted it.

Qi Refining Level 4 was all it was. So what if it was gone?

Now that he had the talent of a Superior Wood Spiritual Root, reaching Qi Refining Level 4 again would take only a few days at most.

Then, Chen Changsheng dumped all eighty attribute points into Defense in one go.

Looking at his Defense attribute, now as high as 91, Chen Changsheng said with satisfaction, "System, what level of cultivator can my 91 points of Defense withstand?"

"Replying to the host: with 91 points in Defense, attacks below the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cannot break through your defenses."

"Those at the Foundation Establishment Realm Middle Stage can injure you, while those at the Foundation Establishment Realm Late Stage can inflict severe wounds."

"At Foundation Establishment Completion, there is a risk of death. Against anyone above the Foundation Establishment Realm, the host will certainly die."

Just as it spoke, an explosion suddenly sounded from the cave entrance.

Immediately afterward, a figure leaped inside in excitement.

"Heaven is helping me!"

"This time, I will definitely break through to Qi Refining Level 9!"

The moment the words fell, the figure who had barged into the cave froze.

Because she discovered a jade coffin inside the cave.

Even more terrifyingly, inside that jade coffin was a corpse covered entirely in green hair.

The corpse sat upright, staring straight at her.

"Aah!"

A shriek tore through the sky.

The figure immediately unleashed a Flying Sword at Chen Changsheng.

Faced with the inexplicable attack, Chen Changsheng instinctively raised his hand to block it.

Clang!

The sharp sword was instantly knocked flying.

Seeing that even her strongest technique had failed, the figure immediately imagined ninety-nine different ways she was about to die.

Overwhelmed by fear and despair, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted from fright.

Chen Changsheng scratched his head in confusion, then climbed out of the coffin.

Only when he approached did Chen Changsheng realize that the intruder in his cave was a young girl of the Demon Race.

Two fluffy fox ears stood atop her head. She wore coarse hemp clothing and looked to be around sixteen or seventeen.

"Why would someone from the Demon Race come here? There aren't even any treasures here!"

Chen Changsheng could not make heads or tails of the Demon Race girl's sudden intrusion.

When choosing his sleeping place, he had deliberately avoided areas rich in spiritual energy.

His purpose was to prevent anyone from accidentally finding him while treasure hunting or cultivating.

But judging from what this Fox-Ear Girl had said, she seemed to have deliberately blasted open this place.

However, that confusion did not last long. Chen Changsheng soon discovered the reason.

The Fox-Ear Girl clutched a Returning Spring Grass tightly in her hand. Judging by its growth, it had to be at least eighty years old.

Returning Spring Grass was a common spirit medicine in the cultivation world. Back when he had scattered plant seeds outside the cave entrance, he had casually thrown in a handful of Returning Spring Grass seeds as well.

He had not expected this Returning Spring Grass to break through its own growth limit and survive for a full eighty years.

If he had guessed correctly, this Returning Spring Grass was what had led her here.