Spirit Root Attributes

"Brother Lin Chuan, you... are you alright?" Bu Lianshi gazed at Lin Chuan with her large eyes, seemingly still struggling to shake off the haze of her recent slumber.

"I am fine now. How about you? I just treated your external wounds, though I am powerless against internal injuries. How is it? Do you feel any better?" Lin Chuan asked in a low voice.

Bu Lianshi examined her body and discovered that the various wounds, large and small, had mostly vanished, leaving behind only faint scars; a full recovery was merely a matter of time.

"Brother Lin Chuan, you even know healing spells?" Bu Lianshi looked at Lin Chuan in astonishment.

"Only the simplest ones. They work for minor injuries, but I am helpless against anything too severe!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

Even with Lin Chuan's modest disclaimer, Bu Lianshi continued to gaze at him with a mix of shock and admiration, as if there were nothing in this world that Lin Chuan could not do.

The scene from outside that cave, where he had used a single fire-type spell to instantly kill nine men, remained vivid in her mind; that wild, scorching flame seemed to transcend time, burning from that moment until now.

"Brother Lin Chuan, why are you able to use spells while still in the Qi Refining Stage? Isn't that something only cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage can do?" Bu Lianshi asked curiously.

Although such a defiance of common sense no longer shocked her when it came to Lin Chuan—for she had long since grown numb to it—a sliver of curiosity remained.

"My spiritual energy is a bit more abundant than others, which allows me to use them during the Qi Refining Stage, but I can only manage it once!" Lin Chuan explained vaguely.

"Oh!" Bu Lianshi nodded. "So that means you have a fire-attribute Spirit Root, Brother Lin Chuan? That's not bad at all. Among the five elements, the fire attribute is known for having the strongest explosive power."

The five-element Spirit Roots—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—are the most common in this world of cultivation. Among them, metal possesses great attack power, fire has astonishing explosive potential, water and wood are more supportive, and earth leans toward defense.

These five roots exist in a cycle of mutual generation and restriction. Two roots that generate each other can produce an amplifying effect, while in a battle between two cultivators of equal strength, the one whose root is restricted by the other will find themselves at a disadvantage.

For example, metal restricts wood. If two cultivators of equal strength were to fight, one with a metal root and one with a wood root, the metal-attribute cultivator would certainly have the advantage, though it would not directly decide the outcome. One's combat experience, cultivated techniques, spells, and the magic treasures used would all influence the final result.

These are common truths in the cultivation world, all of which Lin Chuan could find in his past memories. During the gaps in his cultivation, he would review these memories to better understand the power system of this world.

"By the way, what is your Spirit Root attribute, Bu Lianshi?" Lin Chuan looked at her with curiosity.

Spirit Root attributes only truly come into play during the Foundation Establishment Stage, as that is when one begins to cultivate spells of various elements.

"The attribute I tested for earlier was a dual water-wood attribute, but the Lin Clan does not know this. They only recorded my attribute as a mortal-grade low-tier wood attribute!" Bu Lianshi revealed her greatest secret without a moment's hesitation.

"You..." Lin Chuan looked at her in surprise. A dual-attribute Spirit Root is absolutely the mark of a genius; even without considering the quality of the roots, such a person is a prodigy.

Lin Chuan's previous assessment was indeed correct; the backgrounds of both Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang were far from simple.

This could be seen from the fact that both possessed protective magic treasures. However, seeing that Bu Lianshi seemed unwilling to discuss these matters further, Lin Chuan did not press her. Some things are best left until the other person is ready to speak; this was a matter of respect for his companions.

"Since Brother Lin Chuan has a fire-attribute Spirit Root, do you possess any other attributes?" Bu Lianshi smiled, blinking her eyes as she looked at him with anticipation, waiting for his answer.

"Uh... I have water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning-attribute Spirit Roots..." Lin Chuan rubbed his head and smiled sheepishly. As for the yin and yang attributes, he did not mention them directly, as he did not yet know what they signified in the cultivation world.

The next moment, Bu Lianshi's mouth dropped into an 'O' shape.

Clatter!

Qin Lang, who had just woken up, collapsed back onto the ground. "I must be dreaming; I haven't fully woken up yet! Yes! I need to sleep a while longer!"

Smack!

Lin Chuan slapped Qin Lang. "Since you're awake, stop pretending to be asleep. Get up and check if there's anything wrong with your body. If there is, hurry up and cultivate to recover; dragging it out is bad for you!"

Lin Chuan treated Qin Lang with none of the gentleness he showed Bu Lianshi, his tone filled with playful banter and teasing.

Whoosh! Qin Lang sat bolt upright, staring at Lin Chuan with a look of utter confusion and resentment. "Everything I just heard is true? I didn't hallucinate?"

Lin Chuan shook his head helplessly and explained it to the two of them once more.

What a monster! How are others supposed to live with talent like that? Someone who once prided themselves on being a genius felt like nothing but trash in front of Lin Chuan!

Not only did he have five attributes, but he also possessed the wind and lightning variant attributes. Qin Lang suddenly felt his entire life had turned dark—the kind of darkness that would never see the light of day.

Seeing that both were fine, Lin Chuan turned and went back to his own cultivation. He saw no reason to hide his attributes; since he had decided to trust them, they would find out sooner or later. Since Bu Lianshi had asked, he had simply told the truth.

Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi hid in a small corner, drawing circles on the ground for a long time before finally returning to Lin Chuan's side with resentful expressions.

"I always thought my fire-lightning dual attribute was already monstrous enough, but I never expected there to be someone even more monstrous than me!" Qin Lang said helplessly. He finally understood what it meant to be driven to despair by comparing oneself to others.

Lin Chuan was not particularly surprised that both of them possessed dual attributes; he had long since sensed their extraordinary nature through many things. The only thing that puzzled him was why two such people had been assigned to the same group as him; there must be something going on that he was unaware of.

The three chatted while recovering their cultivation, and Qin Lang gave a rough account of what had happened after Lin Chuan fainted.

"What? Han Qing stepped in to save you?" Lin Chuan asked in surprise. He had no idea he possessed such charm that a single encounter would make Han Qing submit to him.

Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Chuan, and his expression shifted instantly. "Oh no! Before you two woke up, I saw Han Qing being hunted down, looking quite battered. At the time, I didn't know he had helped us. I hope he hasn't been killed yet!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chuan activated his Byakugan. However, Han Qing was nowhere to be seen within his visual range. He immediately shifted his Byakugan into the Tenseigan. As those sky-blue eyes emerged, the sight of Han Qing and his two companions fighting through a bloodbath finally appeared in Lin Chuan's vision.

"Stay here and recover your cultivation; I'm going to save them!" With those words, Lin Chuan dashed out, flashing out of the cave.