Chapter 7: You Have Overdrawn Everything

"calamity of heaven."

"Spiritual Root."

"Spiritual Qi."

"So that's how it is, so that's why…"

Within the territory of the Heavenly Sword Sect, at a Cultivation Market.

Xu Xi flipped through the ancient book in his hand, reading every word. He closed his eyes, a trace of bitterness appearing on his face after a long while.

He had never imagined that bringing the girl to the Heavenly Sword Sect would endanger her life.

Even though the ancient records stated that Spiritual Qi was everywhere, and even in places with the lowest concentration, the calamity of heaven would not allow one to live past forty.

Even though from the beginning, Xu Xi knew nothing of the calamity of heaven and had brought her to the Heavenly Sword Sect out of a desire to protect her.

Even though with Mo Li's personality, she would certainly not blame her elder brother, Xu Xi.

But.

"A mistake is still a mistake."

Xu Xi sighed inwardly. His face, which already looked exceptionally haggard from years of rushing about, now appeared even more despondent.

Unease…

Guilt…

Remorse…

If one only knew how to shirk responsibility after making a mistake, then who could Xu Xi even shift the blame to?

His younger sister, who had trusted him since childhood?

Or the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, which operated without self-awareness?

Wouldn't that be too ridiculous?

"I really am not a competent brother…" Xu Xi's mood was poor as he mounted his Flying Sword and flew into the sky, heading straight for the Heavenly Sword Sect.

The mistake had been made; his sister's calamity of heaven had arrived.

Fortunately, there was a way to save her in the ancient book.

The so-called calamity of heaven was essentially when someone was born naturally close to Spiritual Qi but lacked a Spiritual Root in their body, causing this talent to become a nightmare.

Thus, the solution was simple.

One just had to give the person suffering from the calamity of heaven a Spiritual Root and have them begin to Cultivate.

"Giving a Mortal a Spiritual Root… I've never heard of such a thing. I hope Master has a way." Soaring through the sky on his Flying Sword, clouds swirling around him, Xu Xi frowned.

Although the method of Possession existed in the Cultivation World, its essence was merely changing into another body that already possessed a Spiritual Root.

If one could truly create something from nothing.

Allowing a Mortal to give birth to a Spiritual Root or transplanting one.

The number of Cultivators wouldn't be so scarce.

…

[Learning the cause of your sister's illness, you rush back to Senjian Peak at top speed. But you do not return to your own Immortal Cave; instead, you fly directly into the Senjian Hall at the mountain's summit.]

[This is the place where your Master, Li Wanshou, Cultivates in seclusion.]

[At the same time, this is the second time you have visited Senjian Hall for personal matters.]

[The last time was to ask Master Li Wanshou about your sister's illness. This time, you want to ask how to forge a Spiritual Root to help your sister truly recover her health.]

[You enter Senjian Hall and meet Li Wanshou. You directly state the purpose of your visit and seek a method to forge a Spiritual Root.]

[Your Master regards you as his successor and grants your every request, but this time, even as a great Cultivator of the Nascent Soul Stage, he cannot give you the answer you desire.]

"I have lived for over a millennium, yet I have never heard of a method to forge an Acquired Spiritual Root. Spiritual Roots are born of heaven; human effort can hardly change them."

"Perhaps only the legendary Immortals could achieve such a thing."

Senjian Peak.

Within the hall at the mountain's summit.

The elderly man, exuding an air of Immortal Qi, stroked his beard and sighed, "Disciple, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you. Even if a Soul Transformation Cultivator intervened, there would still be no solution to this matter."

Xu Xi remained silent, only continuing to bow.

The old man spoke again, "Your temperament… *Sigh*. I have heard that in ancient times, there was a method of External Spiritual Roots."

"Using treasures of the essence of heaven and earth to replace a natural Spiritual Root and assist the human body in cultivation. However, this method is almost impossible to achieve."

Why was it impossible?

Simply because it was too difficult!

How rare were the Heaven And Earth Treasures in this world? They weren't even enough for those with great Divine Abilities themselves, so how could there be any left over to forge a Spiritual Root for a Mortal?

Even a Nascent Soul Sect like the Heavenly Sword Sect did not possess such a treasure.

Xu Xi understood the difficulty involved.

It was hard, but it was a way out after all.

"Thank you, Master," Xu Xi thanked him sincerely and left, leaving the old man alone to look at his back and let out a long sigh, as if lamenting or reminiscing about something.

…

[Learning of the existence of the External Spiritual Root method, you are very excited.]

[After returning to your Immortal Cave, you set up a Spirit-Locking Formation for your sister. Doing so greatly alleviates her pain and extends her life.]

[She still looks at you with warm and trusting eyes, believing in you and relying on you.]

[You begin to search for Heaven And Earth Treasures.]

[Your search process is incredibly difficult.]

[Low-grade Heaven And Earth Treasures cannot serve as an External Spiritual Root, and high-grade ones are simply not something a quasi-Golden Core Cultivator like you can touch.]

[You begin to seek self-salvation through continuous research and exploration, wanting to find other possibilities for an External Spiritual Root, such as using Formations or artifacts as substitutes.]

[You overdraw your energy, triggering a Sudden Inspiration, and your Four Arts of Cultivation improve.]

[You overdraw your Origin Qi, triggering a Sudden Inspiration, and your Four Arts of Cultivation improve.]

[You overdraw your Divine Soul, triggering a Sudden Inspiration, and your Four Arts of Cultivation improve.]

[You overdraw…]

[Overdraw…]

Failure after failure, restart after restart.

Countless hardships and obstacles made Xu Xi think of giving up, but every time he remembered that trusting gaze, he would gain the motivation to keep going.

But reality was too cruel.

The method of the External Spiritual Root was like a piece of driftwood for a drowning person.

Just as it gave a glimmer of hope for survival, the next moment a massive wave would surge, heartlessly pulling the person down to the bottom of the sea.

With Xu Xi's current Quasi-Golden Core cultivation, he simply didn't have the strength to touch or possess a Heaven And Earth Treasure of this level, let alone forge it into an External Spiritual Root.

If one had to say.

Whether there were any Heaven And Earth Treasures near Xu Xi.

It was himself.

A Wood-Attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root. Contrary to the calamity of heaven, a Heavenly Spiritual Root was practically the favor of the Heavenly Dao. Even though he had neglected his cultivation over these years, Xu Xi was about to enter the Golden Core Stage without any hindrance.

As for the Four Arts of Cultivation… Xu Xi had clearly overestimated the upper limit of the Blue Trait. Even if he continuously triggered Sudden Inspiration, his level could not possibly reach the point of creating an External Spiritual Root.

"Perhaps I should change my way of thinking and first improve my own strength."

After many failures.

Such a thought arose in Xu Xi's mind.

He no longer obsessed over creating an External Spiritual Root. Instead, he first focused on his own cultivation, secluding himself to Cultivate and consuming Medicinal Pills frantically. Even though he had only reached the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment less than two years ago, he directly broke through to the Golden Core Stage.

At less than thirty years of age, he became the youngest Golden Core Immortal Master since the founding of the Sect.

And he awakened a Natal Divine Ability.

[Wood Regeneration]

This was a Divine Ability with extremely strong survival capabilities. It could consume Golden Core mana to release incredibly vigorous vitality, making the restoration of severed limbs a simple matter.

When the vitality became dense to a certain degree, it would even become more miraculous, having a nourishing effect on Golden Core and Nascent Soul Cultivators, capable of healing the Divine Soul and curing internal injuries.

To be honest.

This was a Divine Ability that could allow one to roam the Cultivation World without fear.

Combined with the cultivation speed of a Heavenly Spiritual Root, anyone would surely become a top-tier great Cultivator in the Cultivation World in the future.

But within it, Xu Xi saw even more things—the possibility of saving Xu Moli.