Chapter 194 : Spirit Embryo and Spirit Root

Chapter 194: Spirit Embryo and Spirit Root

Chu Huaixu’s expression showed a hint of reverence upon hearing that.

The reason was simple—he didn’t actually possess such lofty awareness…

But he wouldn’t, like some others, mock such people as fools.

What was most amusing was that those who often made such sarcastic remarks were usually mediocre in both ability and perception. Ironically, they were the very weaklings who had been well protected.

If they hadn’t been protected and had taken a few real beatings, they wouldn’t be able to spout such nonsense.

Chu Huaixu deeply respected those who willingly dedicated themselves for the sake of the world and its people.

After all, before he transmigrated, he was just an ordinary person—one of the protected.

So it wasn’t as if he was deliberately managing his expressions in front of the upper echelons of the Dao Gate, trying to win their favor.

Nor did he feel that this senior named Zhong Ming, saying such words, came off as awkward or hypocritical.

“Because he is the leader of the Righteous Path.” That was the most important reason.

From Jiang Zhi’s descriptions, he could tell that his Fifth Senior Brother was likely the leader of Gentleman Temple’s generation.

If even the leader of the Righteous Path didn’t carry himself righteously, wouldn’t it all fall apart?

Why rebel against His Majesty? Has His Majesty already defected?

Precisely because Zhong Ming was this kind of person, he was the leader of the Righteous Path—the true leader.

The Dao Gate, as the legacy left by the Dao Ancestor, was a prestigious sect within the Righteous Path. Those of Gentleman Temple indeed practiced what Zhong Ming said.

An entire generation nearly perished on the fifth level. The only one who survived, Zhong Ming, became the container and seal himself, imprisoning his own Nascent Soul, turning into a madman of the Nine Realms.

Chu Huaixu was very clear that, as he was now, he absolutely couldn’t do such a thing.

He wasn’t that righteous—righteous to the point of being nearly evil!

As a transmigrator, he hadn’t even been in this world for long.

True, he had already formed many bonds. But if asked to die for the Xuanhuang Realm, he simply couldn’t do it.

In a way, Chu Huaixu thought they were all people of faith.

After Jiang Zhi finished speaking, he looked toward the young man standing at the center of the grand hall and asked, “Do you still have any questions?”

Chu Huaixu did indeed have a few doubts.

“Are the evil cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm also seeking immortality?”

Jiang Zhi had spent many years going down the mountains to eliminate demons and was the most qualified to answer this.

“No.”

“We of the Xuanhuang Realm have only the Spirit Embryo, but not the Spirit Root, and thus cannot cultivate the so-called Immortal Arts from the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven.”

“And the Spirit Root and Immortal Arts are the true foundation of their immortality.”

“Evil cultivators merely learned their ‘man-eating’ techniques.”

“Our cultivators rely on the Spirit Embryo to cultivate. In fact, our cultivation speed is much faster than that of the immortals. In the later stages, it can even be ten times faster!”

“Evil cultivators adopted their method of ‘devouring others’. By consuming others’ Spirit Embryos, even those with terrible talent can advance at lightning speed.”

At that moment, Chu Yinyin couldn’t hold back and interjected proudly, “Chu Huaixu, look at me. I reached the Sixth Realm in my twenties, equivalent to the Golden Core Stage of the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven.”

“But what about them?”

“In their twenties, they’re still stuck at the Qi Refining Stage.”

Chu Huaixu nodded at her words but hesitated to speak further.

Xiang Yan, however, seemed to have seen through him and smiled, “I think the reason you're asking is because you want to know whether there are major cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm who, unable to resist the temptation of immortality, have turned to the evil path, right?”

“Yes,” Chu Huaixu answered.

“This disciple was just thinking—since we cultivators already advance faster, if there were also an opportunity for longevity, it would be hard for anyone to resist.”

So it turned out, they simply couldn’t cultivate immortality.

What was truly terrifying was the possibility of combining the cultivation systems of the Xuanhuang Realm and the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven!

Gaining longevity and advancing swiftly—that would be defying the heavens.

As it stood, Spirit Embryo and Spirit Root each had their pros and cons.

This, it seemed, was one of the fundamental differences between the two cultivation systems in Borrowed Sword.

The wandering Nascent Souls in the Xuanhuang Realm had to continually possess new bodies, switching vessels periodically.

The earliest evil cultivators were probably just tools developed by them.

But over time, the evil arts likely spread further.

“Moreover, a lot depends on perspective.”

“No one used to think you could cultivate by consuming others’ Spirit Embryos, but once that idea emerged, the natives of the Xuanhuang Realm themselves began developing new evil arts...” Chu Huaixu thought to himself.

At this moment, this young fellow, clearly only in the First Realm, had already begun pondering long-term problems.

He asked curiously, “Sect Master, Little Martial Uncle Ancestor, and all Elders, may I ask—how many Soul Transformation Stage cultivators are there in the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven?”

From what he knew, Ninth Realm Experts in the Xuanhuang Realm were pitifully few.

Even including reclusive masters, they still wouldn’t add up to much.

What he feared was that the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven might be swarming with Soul Transformation cultivators, Nascent Souls everywhere, Golden Cores as common as dogs.

Xiang Yan looked at the young man, clearly wanting to test him.

“What do you think? Do you think there are many?” he asked.

Chu Huaixu replied without thinking, “Logically speaking, no.”

Given the cutthroat environment over there, Soul Transformation cultivators would surely need to sever the paths of others to reach that height!

Only then could one reign supreme!

It was like the peak of a pyramid—only one person, or a very few, could stand at the top.

The summit was never crowded.

The bottom was where the masses fought for space.

Xiang Yan was very satisfied with Chu Huaixu’s answer. He had also been pleased earlier when the boy spoke of the “Calamity of Immortality”.

“We actually aren’t entirely sure how many Soul Transformation cultivators the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven has.”

“But as you said, considering the chaos over there and their unscrupulous methods of cultivation, there certainly wouldn’t be many.”

Soul Transformation cultivators were powerful—and damn near immortal.

If an emperor could live forever, there would be no need for a crown prince.

Chu Huaixu felt relieved upon hearing that.

From his perspective, the Xuanhuang Realm had a far better cultivation environment overall.

Unfortunately, the path to the Ninth Realm here required the Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin, which greatly restricted advancement.

Otherwise, the number of Ninth Realm Experts in the Xuanhuang Realm could have been much higher.

“This thing is really mysterious.”

“Just like the Sect Master told me before, even though I’m only in the First Realm, I can start refining a Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin now, which would accelerate my cultivation speed.”

“Among the Eighth Realm experts, there’s even a consensus—”

“As long as one can reach the Eighth Realm through self-cultivation, obtaining a Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin afterward would guarantee entry into the Ninth Realm.”

“It’s not just something for those at the peak of the Eighth Realm.”

“For example, Enforcement Elder Lu Pan has been stuck at mid-Eighth Realm for a long time—completely stagnant for years.”

“But if the power of Heavenly Dao Origin arises within him, everything would change.”

“It’d be like sudden enlightenment!”

This made Chu Huaixu even more aware of the importance of this expedition to the Origin Spirit Realm.

But just as that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly realized a problem.

“But I rely on the System for upgrades.”

“So, is the Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin even necessary for me?”