Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Metal and water mutated into lightning, earth and water into ice, and there were also spiritual roots of darkness, wind, yang, soul, and more.
There were many kinds of mutated spiritual roots. Though the Third Immortal Lady was widely knowledgeable, she could not identify the spiritual root from Mo Caihuan's previous life. She could only confirm that it was a mutated spiritual root.
"My knowledge is limited, and I cannot identify which kind of spiritual root you have awakened. I can only confirm that it has mutated," the Third Immortal Lady said calmly. "You will have to explore its cultivation yourself and gradually discover its attributes."
"Thank you, Senior." Though Mo Caihuan was curious, she reminded herself that gaining a mutated spiritual root was already like having a pie fall into her lap from heaven. If she did not know its attributes, so be it.
"There are still two years left before the twenty-year term ends. You may remain on Seven Immortal Island to cultivate," the Third Immortal Lady said.
"Thank you, Senior." She wanted to ask for a cultivation manual, but could not bring herself to do so. She would ask Senior Moon Worshipper later; he should have one. For now, she would cultivate the Heartless Art. Though it was a low-grade cultivation method, it could still refine qi.
With a spiritual root, she could sense spiritual energy, and her body tempering became even more efficient.
Her Diamond Art had already reached the eighth level, and she wanted to cultivate it to full mastery. Once she left Seven Immortal Island, she would no longer have such abundant spiritual energy.
Spiritual energy, spiritual energy, and still more spiritual energy!
With abundant spiritual energy, she achieved twice the results with half the effort.
Mo Caihuan devoted herself to cultivation, and just like that, twenty years slipped by. Her Heartless Art had reached the thirteenth level of Qi Refining. She only needed to take a Foundation Establishment Pill to break through.
Moon Worshipper had yet to arrive, so she seized the time to continue cultivating.
One day, Cui Yi invited their guest to the Seven Immortals Hall. Her master wished to see her.
"Has Senior Moon Worshipper arrived?" she asked curiously.
Cui Yi nodded, as gracefully as an immortal crane dipping its neck. "Indeed."
After twenty years together, Mo Caihuan knew that this senior was already at late Golden Core. She looked thirty, but was actually three hundred years old, and treasured her words like gold.
Inside the hall, the Third Immortal Lady sat in the third chair, looking at Mo Caihuan with gratification. A radiant Moon Worshipper stood beside her, studying Mo Caihuan carefully.
The Third Immortal Lady said, "You have completed the cleansing and awakened your spiritual root, so you can be considered half an heir to Seven Immortal Island. After you leave, you must be cautious in word and deed, safeguard the island's secrets, and avoid stirring up trouble."
"I will remember your instructions." Mo Caihuan knelt respectfully and bowed three times to express her gratitude.
"Moon Worshipper, take her away," the Third Immortal Lady said.
"Thank you, Senior." Moon Worshipper also cupped his hands in thanks.
Mo Caihuan truly hated to leave. Once she departed, all this abundant spiritual energy would be gone.
Unfortunately, the twenty-year term had already expired three months ago. She had gained three extra months for nothing and ought to be satisfied.
The four-wheeled flying carriage stood in the square. They boarded it and took off.
They left the island's protective formation and returned to the boundless sea.
Moon Worshipper smiled. "It seems you have gained a spiritual root and cultivated to the thirteenth level of Qi Refining. Excellent, excellent. With this, your lifespan will be assured, and you will have more energy to cultivate stellar power."
"Thank you for making this possible, Senior. Had you not paid such a great price, I fear I would never have had any chance to cultivate immortality in this life," Mo Caihuan said gratefully.
"I merely gathered some materials. It was hardly a great price," Moon Worshipper said casually. "Now, come to my cave abode and complete Foundation Establishment first. Then I will take you back to the Mo Kingdom."
"I will follow all your arrangements, Senior."
Moon Worshipper's cave abode lay in an unnamed mountain range. He had dug a deep cave into its highest peak and found a spirit eye spring there. Its spiritual energy was fairly strong, though still inferior to Seven Immortal Island's.
It was more than adequate for Foundation Establishment.
Moon Worshipper had also bought the Foundation Establishment Pills. Though Great Jin had more of them than the Heavenly South, each pill still cost around two thousand spirit stones. They were not cheap.
He bought ten in one go. If she could not reach Foundation Establishment with ten pills, she might as well stop cultivating.
A spirit eye was something formed from condensed spiritual energy. Sometimes it was a spring, sometimes a tree, sometimes a stone... It could produce powerful spiritual energy to aid cultivation.
As always, Mo Caihuan first recorded the restrictions' Dao patterns before beginning her breakthrough.
She swallowed a Foundation Establishment Pill and concentrated her magic power to assault the bottleneck.
She broke through with the very first pill, proving that she truly did not have a pseudo-spiritual root. Cultivating both magic and body, she could fight someone at late Foundation Establishment without any difficulty, even though she was only at the early stage.
She immediately stashed away the nine remaining Foundation Establishment Pills to send back to the Mo Kingdom.
After breaking through, she did not leave immediately, instead spending another month consolidating her cultivation.
Beside the spirit eye spring, Mo Caihuan switched between souls. One moment, her magic power surged; the next, her blood and vital energy roared. She changed back and forth as though she were two different people.
A mutated spiritual root... I don't know which cultivation art I should practice. Or should I simply find a sword cultivator's method? Mo Caihuan knew that finding an art suited to her spiritual root's attributes would be best. But without a matching method, she could choose a sword cultivation method instead. Sword cultivation did not require any particular attribute; any attribute could be incorporated into it.
Moreover, sword cultivators could set up sword formations to enhance their strength. After some consideration, Mo Caihuan decided to cultivate sword arts.
Ideally, she would find a complete sword art, not an incomplete method like Han Li's, always divided into beginning, middle, and final sections. He could only find the first three levels at first, then had to search for the middle three, before finally obtaining the last three through a fortunate coincidence.
Mo Caihuan knew that Han Li's encounters were all destined to happen. He was a child of fortune. Her luck certainly could not compare to his. If she practiced an incomplete method, chances were that it would remain incomplete.
It was better to practice a complete cultivation method.
After consolidating her cultivation, Mo Caihuan emerged to thank Moon Worshipper. "To repay your kindness, Senior, I will devote myself fully to cultivating stellar power. Please see this Buddha all the way to the western paradise and grant me a sword cultivation method."
Moon Worshipper said, "Senior Lan has already explained that you possess a special spiritual root, one even she cannot identify. Choosing sword cultivation is a sound decision. If you know your spiritual root's attributes and pair them with a matching method, your spells will be many times more powerful. But even without knowing its attributes, though you cannot enhance your spells, your power with a flying sword will not be much weaker. Unfortunately, I am not a sword cultivator. I practice a method for wood spiritual roots. Here is what we will do: come with me to the Ten Thousand Swords Gate, and we will ask for a sword cultivation method."
"I'm sorry to trouble you again, Senior."
"It is no trouble." Everything Moon Worshipper did was for the future.
The Ten Thousand Swords Gate had enjoyed considerable renown, but that was in the past. It had now declined. The sect had only one Nascent Soul expert, twelve Golden Core cultivators, and just over three hundred disciples.
In Great Jin, it was only a small sect.
Sword Pool City in Sword Commandery was famed for swordsmithing, and most cultivators in the surrounding area were sword cultivators. The largest sect was the Forgetting Sword Sect, which advocated a sword Dao unbound by the sword itself.
Moon Worshipper landed before the Ten Thousand Swords Gate's antiquated entrance. The surrounding buildings all bore the marks of history, weathered and worn after who knew how many tens of thousands of years.
"Sword Old Ghost!" After landing, Moon Worshipper called out without ceremony, disturbing the entire mountain.
"What brings you here, you Moon Worshipper brat?" An aged voice drifted over. Rather than angry, he sounded delighted.
"One does not visit the Three Treasures Hall without a reason," Moon Worshipper said. "Haha, but let us drink three hundred cups first. There is time enough for business afterward. I brought your favorite wine, along with a cook. We can have her prepare a few fine dishes and talk while we eat."
"Then come inside! Do you expect me to come out and welcome you myself?"
"Hehe, here I come." Moon Worshipper wrapped his sleeve around Mo Caihuan's slender waist and flew straight into the palace called the Sword Pavilion.
Inside stood an old man with white robes and a white beard, his gaze as sharp as a sword. He merely looked her over once before withdrawing his gaze and beginning to reminisce.
Moon Worshipper sent Mo Caihuan to cook and took out many ingredients she had never seen before.
Helpless, Mo Caihuan could only use her keen sense of taste to sample their flavors and improvise. Some ingredients contained spiritual energy as well. How should she handle it?
Mo Caihuan recalled the fruits and vegetables she had eaten on Seven Immortal Island. Their spiritual energy varied in both quantity and attribute, yet all followed a certain balance. She therefore decided to preserve the spiritual energy and maintain its balance, just as in those immortal fruits.
It was easy to say, but far from simple to do.
Mo Caihuan experimented carefully. Fortunately, the two Nascent Soul experts were busy exchanging toasts and enjoying themselves even without fine dishes.
Sword Old Ghost occasionally checked on Mo Caihuan with his divine sense and discovered that she had considerable talent. He knew perfectly well that Moon Worshipper must have come for this young woman. Most likely, he wanted him to teach her the sword Dao.
But even if he was willing to teach, she had to be capable of learning. Without sufficient aptitude, there was nothing he could do.
Watching Mo Caihuan's handling of spiritual energy in her cooking go from clumsy to skillful in such a short time proved that her talent was exceptional.