Chapter 1351
The Spirit Tree Bears Fruit, Innate Spiritual Root
The Fuyun Mountains, also known as Qingyun Mountain.
Since the "Xiaoyao Sect" moved north, many vacant peaks on Qingyun Mountain have been transformed into pavilions and towers, and nearly 100,000 more sect disciples have appeared.
Countless disciples dressed in the "Xiaoyao Sect" attire were scattered around Qingyun Mountain.
Even the market town at the foot of the mountain is several times more bustling than before.
In a valley in the northwest corner of Qingyun Mountain, a beam of light flew swiftly and stopped directly outside the valley.
Before the newcomer could speak, the mist in front of them swayed, and then a young woman in a green robe flashed out from within.
"Xiao Yue greets Senior Sister Chu!"
"Junior Sister, please don't stand on ceremony. I just came from Master's place and learned that you have been transferred to the Spirit Herb Garden to help out."
I've heard that your ancestors were high-level spirit plant masters, so with your help, things will definitely be much easier for me. Please forgive any shortcomings and offer your guidance.
"Senior Sister Chu, you're too kind. Although our ancestor was a high-level spirit plant master, the family's heritage was left to Lei Yuanhai."
Over the years, I have only found a few relevant books and have inherited some spiritual plant techniques. How dare I talk about giving guidance in front of Senior Sister Chu, a level four spiritual plant master?
Xiao Yue volunteered to come to the Spirit Herb Garden because she wanted to learn more from Senior Sister Chu.
"Hehe, my junior sister and I are from the same sect, so this matter is easy to discuss!"
My master has already instructed me that if my junior sister needs any help in the future, she should just come to me.
The Xiao Yue standing in front of Chu Ling was not a native cultivator of the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.
Instead, he was one of the descendants of Xiao Laogui, who traveled thousands of miles from the cultivation world of "Lei Yuan Hai" to Qingyun Mountain to seek refuge with Song Qingming.
Several hundred years ago, Xiao Yue and a cousin came to Qingyun Mountain with a letter given to them by Xiao Laogui, and received care from the senior Song Qingming.
His cousin, Xiao Zhan, stayed in the "Qingyun Mountain" market, married, had children, and established a Foundation Establishment family.
After hundreds of years of stable development, the clan now has over a hundred cultivators who have successfully established themselves in the "Floating Cloud Mountains".
Xiao Yue, on the other hand, joined the "Free and Unfettered Sect" and successfully formed her Golden Core thanks to her extraordinary talent.
Not long ago, after the Qingyun Mountain Conference, Xiao Yue officially became a disciple of Song Qingyu, the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the sect, and became Chu Ling's junior sister.
When he was young, Xiao Laogui had studied the art of spiritual plants and left a part of the spiritual plant master's legacy to Xiao Yue.
Xiao Yue is now also a mid-level third-grade "spiritual plant master", and was specially transferred by Song Qingyu to the spirit herb garden to help Chu Ling manage the affairs here.
After they met, they walked and talked. Chu Ling then explained to Xiao Yue in detail the relevant details of the "Spirit Herb Garden" and many precautions.
As they walked, Chu Ling and Xiao Yue arrived deep within the "Spirit Herb Garden".
Atop a towering, crimson spirit tree, several meters tall and shrouded in an array, appeared before the two, radiating dazzling and intense spiritual light.
Upon seeing this piece of wood, a look of surprise immediately appeared on Xiao Yue's face.
“Senior Sister Chu, long before I formed my core, I heard that there was a level 5 Crimson Heart Fruit Tree in the sect’s herb garden. Could it be the spirit tree in front of us?”
"Junior Sister is right. This is indeed the Crimson Heart Fruit Tree of our sect, and it is also the highest-grade treasure of our sect in the Spirit Herb Garden."
This Red Heart Fruit Tree was transplanted from the sacred Ten Thousand Fox Valley of the Heavenly Fox Clan when our ancestor marched north to counterattack the Heavenly Fox Clan of the Northern Frontier.
After being carefully nurtured by our Spirit Herb Garden, it successfully advanced to the fifth level.
This place is protected by a barrier personally set up by the ancestor and the sect. Normally, disciples below the Golden Core stage are not allowed to approach it. It is personally looked after by a few Golden Core cultivators who guard the Spirit Herb Garden.
The spiritual fruit above is almost ripe. Master has long instructed that it is to be offered to the Ancestor for consumption, and no mistakes must be made.
Otherwise, if anything goes wrong with the spiritual fruit, neither of us could bear the consequences.
I will give all the information about taking care of the spirit tree to my junior sister later.
After listening to her senior sister Chu Ling's careful guidance, Xiao Yue nodded seriously.
Just as the two were about to turn and leave, Xiao Yue suddenly stopped and looked at a high-level magic array that was in operation in the distance.
He caught a glimpse of an unusual spiritual light within it, and immediately showed a look of surprise.
"Hey! Senior sister, there seems to be a spirit tree over there that's advancing in its cultivation."
"Spirit Wood Advancement?"
Upon hearing Xiao Yue's reminder, Chu Ling turned around and showed a hint of surprise.
As soon as her divine sense covered the magic array, she also sensed an unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy. Immediately, she solemnly instructed the Foundation Establishment disciples accompanying her:
"Except for Junior Sister Xiao, everyone else, please leave. No one may enter without my permission."
".
As soon as she was told to dismiss those around her, Chu Ling quickly walked to the front of the magic array, carefully took out a token from her person, and cast a spell to place it into the array.
The next moment, as the magic array's restrictions were lifted, a burst of spiritual light suddenly shot into the sky.
Immediately afterwards, a five-colored ray of light appeared out of nowhere above the "Spirit Herb Garden," instantly attracting the attention of many cultivators nearby.
Inside the "spiritual herb garden," Chu Ling and Xiao Yue were completely oblivious to the strange phenomena outside, their eyes drawn to a "green spiritual fruit" before them.
At this moment, Chu Ling's face showed an even greater sense of surprise.
"Senior Sister Chu, what kind of spiritual fruit is this?"
".
Several months later, the "Meeting Immortals Pavilion" was built on the mountaintop.
Song Qingyu glanced at the letter in her hand and then handed it directly to Song Shaoyu, who was standing next to her.
"Yuan Hao hasn't come out of seclusion yet, and I'm currently busy and can't get away. I'll trouble you to go to Funiu Mountain for now!"
Yu Shan has done a good job managing the family over the years. Use my token to go to the sect's merit pavilion and get a level three longevity pill to send to him.
With this elixir, he should be able to stay healthy for another ten or twenty years.
For now, let Mingyang and Mingyue take care of the family matters.
As for the choice of the Grand Elder, we'll discuss it further after Seventh Brother and I have made our decision.
Several hundred years have passed since Song Yushan succeeded as the Grand Elder of "Funiu Mountain".
Time flies, and this second-generation elder of the family is nearing the end of his lifespan.
Like Song Yuanfang, Song Yushan was not particularly gifted. He only managed to form his core with the help of Qu Bai.
During the hundreds of years that followed in managing the family, Song Yushan did not demonstrate much potential for cultivation.
When his lifespan was exhausted, his cultivation level had only reached the eighth level of the Golden Core realm, and he did not have the opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
However, Song Yushan, in his later years, became proficient in the art of health preservation and lived longer than most Golden Core cultivators.
Although he has long since surpassed the lifespan limit of six hundred years for a Golden Core cultivator, he still sits in the position of the family's Grand Elder.
However, in his later years, Song Yushan, whose vital energy and blood were declining, was already plagued by illness.
Song Qingyu and others, who were in Qingyun Mountain, had received several letters from him over the years, saying that he was critically ill.
Seeing that Song Yushan's condition seemed to be quite serious, Song Qingyu thought for a while and then asked his disciple Song Shaoyu to personally deliver a high-grade "Longevity Pill" to him.
After all, Song Yushan has managed the family for so many years, he is qualified to enjoy this elixir.
"Master, rest assured, this disciple will go to Funiu Mountain right away!"
Upon hearing Song Qingyu's instructions, Song Shaoyu immediately nodded and then turned and left "Huixian Pavilion".
Only after seeing the other party off did Song Qingyu return to the three-story pavilion.
Bai Yuxian was already sitting in front of a chessboard, waiting for her to return and continue making her move.
"Senior Sister Bai, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"
"Huh, I lost again!"
Song Qingyu, who had just returned, saw that all of her black pieces on the chessboard had fallen into a passive position.
Knowing there was no hope of turning the tide, she immediately chose to concede defeat, a bitter smile on her face.
"I used to be able to last fifty or sixty moves when playing chess with Seventh Brother and Sister-in-law. I never imagined that Senior Sister Bai's chess skills were even better than theirs. If I had known, I wouldn't have come here to humiliate myself."
"I heard that Qingyu often plays chess with Junior Brother Song, so I played a game with you seriously just now. Now it's me, the senior sister, who doesn't know how to be modest and has ruined your good mood."
"Hehe! Senior Sister Bai, please don't be offended. I know my chess skills are not as good as Brother Qi's and the others, so how could I blame you for not letting me win?"
"Qingyu, you invited me here today, it couldn't really be just for playing chess, could it?"
If there's nothing else, I'll go back to my secluded cultivation.
"Senior Sister Bai, wait!"
Seeing a hint of disappointment on Bai Yuxian's face, as if she had lost interest in continuing the game, Song Qingyu quickly reached out to stop her.
"I specially invited you here today, Senior Sister, not just for playing chess, but also because I have prepared some spiritual tea and would like you to try it."
Senior Sister Bai rarely comes to Qingyun Peak, surely she won't refuse me this too!
"No, that won't happen. If we're talking about enjoying tea, it's much easier than playing chess with you."
".
As soon as Song Qingyu finished brewing a pot of spiritual tea and brought it up, Bai Yuxian took a small sip and immediately showed a satisfied expression on her face.
"Qingyu, your tea-brewing skills are really to my liking. It's a pity I don't live on Qingyun Peak often, so I can't enjoy the tea that Junior Brother Song and the others do."
"If Senior Sister Bai likes it, why don't you just move to Qingyun Peak?"
That way you and Seventh Brother can live closer together, saving you the trouble of going out and running around.
Since moving to Qingyun Mountain, Bai Yuxian has always lived alone in a place that is still quite far from Qingyun Peak.
In recent years, she has mostly secluded herself for spiritual practice and rarely visits this place.
Upon hearing Song Qingyu's suggestion, Bai Yuxian's expression faltered slightly, and she immediately put down her teacup.
"You're quite considerate of us, but why don't you think about whether others are willing to accept it? Do you really think everything is as simple as you think?"
As you know, I'm someone who likes peace and quiet, so living further away is actually beneficial for my spiritual practice.
If Junior Brother Song is looking for me, he knows the place, so why does he have to move here?
Okay, stop talking about me.
"Qingyu, how are your preparations going? When do you plan to begin your seclusion to break through to a higher realm?"
Decades ago, Song Qingyu's cultivation had already successfully advanced to the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm, and his own magical power had been honed to a high level.
Now, she is ready to go into seclusion at any time to try to comprehend the primordial energy of heaven and earth.
Upon hearing Bai Yuxian's question, Song Qingyu immediately revealed a hint of confidence.
"Senior Sister Bai, I have almost finished comprehending the cultivation insights you and Brother Qi gave me recently, and I plan to go into seclusion immediately to try to comprehend the primordial energy of heaven and earth."
However, I have a few questions I'd like to ask.
Just as Song Qingyu was speaking, the two seemed to sense something at the same time and immediately got up and looked out the window.
Outside "Qingyun Mountain", a beautiful purple flying car had appeared at some point, with two very familiar figures on it.
"Hey! Senior Sister Bai, look! Seventh Brother and the others are back."
"So that's why you were asking me to drink tea and play chess today. Turns out you had something on your mind and were deliberately hiding it from me!"
"Junior Brother Song's return is such a big deal, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Seeing Song Qingming and Li Xuanyi heading towards the "Meeting Immortals Pavilion" on the mountaintop, Bai Yuxian immediately stood up and tidied her appearance, while criticizing Song Qingyu beside her.
"Senior Sister Bai, I was just thinking of giving you a surprise, why are you still unhappy?"
"It's rare that you happen to be here today. If Seventh Brother sees that you made a special trip up the mountain to wait for him, he'll probably be very happy." "..."
As soon as the two stepped out, two beams of light landed at the entrance of the "Meeting Immortals Pavilion," where Song Qingming and Li Xuanyi, who had been away for more than half a year, were seen.
"Qingyu, Senior Sister Bai, you're both here!"
"This trip to outer space was truly desolate. My husband and I almost got lost, but thankfully we made it back safely!"
"Senior Sister Li, you must be tired from your journey. Please go and have some tea and rest for a while!"
".
Upon seeing the two people who came to greet her, Li Xuanyi quickly smiled and went forward to say hello. The group then returned to the third-floor lobby together.
For a Nascent Soul cultivator like Song Qingming, being away for more than half a year is just a blink of an eye.
The scenery on the mountain remained unchanged. The four of them sat around a table, chatting and laughing as they listened to Li Xuanyi recount the many novel things she had seen in the "Ziyang Heavenly Palace" in the heavens.
Compared to Bai Yuxian, who had already seen the Heavenly Palace, Song Qingyu, who had not yet been there, found it very novel and couldn't help but become interested in the Heavenly Palace.
Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian sat quietly to the side, enjoying their tea.
"Junior Brother Song, I heard from Qingyu that Fellow Daoist Xia's cultivation has also advanced to the Nascent Soul realm. Is this true?"
"Hmm! Xia Mo has already inherited the legacy of Tongtian Sanren, and her cultivation level is now even higher than mine."
Unfortunately, she is now only focused on ascending to the upper realm and has not chosen to return to the Hundred Flowers Palace to cultivate.
Otherwise, our Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent would have another Nascent Soul Ancestor, and the pressure on Senior Chen and me would be lighter.”
Regarding Xia Mo's advancement to the Nascent Soul realm, Bai Yuxian had only heard Song Qingyu mention it once before, and she still found it hard to believe.
Hearing Song Qingming confirm it himself, she nodded, a hint of melancholy creeping onto her face.
Despite both possessing the same Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitude, even with Bai Yuxian's diligent cultivation over the years and Song Qingming's assistance, she still cannot catch up with her opponent.
He had only recently advanced to the half-step Nascent Soul stage, but he learned that Xia Mo's cultivation had already surpassed Song Qingming's.
The gap in cultivation levels between the two seems to be widening.
Although he could see a hint of disappointment on Bai Yuxian's face, Song Qingming didn't know how to comfort her.
Compared to the Nascent Soul realm, where one can rely on external objects and the support of others, breaking through to the Deity Transformation realm is not so simple for a cultivator.
Not only are spiritual objects that can assist in breaking through realms extremely rare in this world, but the ability to break through to the Nascent Soul realm also depends more on the cultivator's personal opportunities and comprehension.
Over the past two thousand years, countless extraordinary talents have emerged from the "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent".
Aside from Xia Mo, who inherited the legacy of Tongtian Sanren from beyond the heavens, only Song Qingming successfully transformed into a deity.
Even though Bai Yuxian has now advanced to the half-step Nascent Soul stage and is only one step away from reaching the top, it is still uncertain whether she will be able to successfully break through to the Nascent Soul stage in the future.
Although Song Qingming is now a high-ranking Nascent Soul Ancestor, he is still unable to help those around him easily break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Whether they can reach the top depends on the opportunities that Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, and others have.
However, although it is difficult to help those around him advance to the Nascent Soul realm, Song Qingming is still somewhat confident in supporting Song Qingyu and the others to break through to the half-step Nascent Soul realm.
When he went to the outer heavens to meet Xia Mo, he found a "Purple Heavenly Jade" in the Heavenly Thunder and Fire he passed by.
Moreover, as a Nascent Soul Ancestor, all the major sects of Donghuang Immortal Continent rely on Song Qingming's protection, and in the future, there will inevitably be people coming to "Qingyun Mountain" to offer treasures.
Searching for these spiritual items that aid in breaking through to higher realms will be easier for Song Qingming than before.
Just as Song Qingming was thinking of saying something to change the subject, Bai Yuxian's expression had already recovered, and she asked again:
"By the way, Junior Brother Song, did you gain anything from your meeting with Fellow Daoist Xia this time? Did you find any methods for ascending to the upper realm?"
"Fellow Daoist Xia did indeed come up with a way to sneak into the upper realm with me, but this method requires advancing to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm to be reliable, and our current cultivation level is not yet sufficient."
Although I have already made a promise with her, I don't know if it will come to fruition in the future!
"Seventh Brother, what agreement did you and Sister Xia make? Tell me quickly!"
As soon as Song Qingming finished speaking, he saw Song Qingyu looking at him with a curious expression.
Seeing this, Song Qingming did not choose to reply to the other party.
"Even I'm not entirely sure about this, so what's the use of you knowing all this?"
Qingyu, you haven't even grasped the primordial energy of heaven and earth yet. You're still a long way from understanding these things. Knowing too much won't do you any good; it will only affect your Dao heart.
"When I break through to the Nascent Soul realm in the future, I will naturally not hide anything from you."
"Hmph! It's just about comprehending the primordial energy of heaven and earth, what's so difficult about that!"
Senior Sister Bai and Senior Sister Li will be my witnesses. When I emerge from seclusion, let's see what you have to say then.
Seeing Song Qingming's deliberately mysterious attitude and unwillingness to tell her about his agreement with Xia Mo, Song Qingyu's competitive spirit was aroused.
".
After making a pact with Song Qingming on the spot, Song Qingyu indeed entered her secluded cultivation cave a few days later.
His serious expression suggested that he was determined not to leave seclusion until he successfully comprehended the primordial energy of heaven and earth.
Song Qingming and the others weren't too worried about Song Qingyu's seclusion this time.
After all, comprehending the primordial energy of heaven and earth is not too difficult for cultivators with high comprehension.
Song Qingyu himself condensed his nascent soul with sword intent and survived seven tribulations of lightning, so his personal comprehension was no worse than that of Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian.
In addition, over the years, she has thoroughly understood the experience of the two men in comprehending the primordial energy of heaven and earth, which gives her a much greater advantage than Song Qingming did at the time.
If Song Qingyu is patient and spends more time, overcoming the hurdle of comprehending the primordial energy of heaven and earth should be a natural outcome for her.
".
After seeing Song Qingyu off into seclusion, Bai Yuxian soon began her own seclusion as well.
Li Xuanyi, who had just returned, took Song Xinyuan and his wife, who had recently advanced to the ninth level of the Golden Core stage, to the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom".
Decades ago, when the "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament" was held, Song Qingming had already made an agreement with the "Demon Suppression Palace" to allow Song Xinyuan and his wife to enter the "Heart Refining Tower" for training.
Liu Yuling and Song Xinyuan are already exceptionally talented.
Having experienced the "Tower of Babel," Song Xinyuan's mind had clearly matured considerably, and not long after returning, he easily broke through the bottleneck of the ninth level of the Golden Core realm.
If this experience in the "Heart Refining Tower" goes smoothly, the probability of successfully forming a Nascent Soul in the future will increase significantly.
With the full support of Song Qingming and Li Xuanyi, their chances of forming their Nascent Soul stage are naturally much higher than those of other Golden Core cultivators.
Even so, the Nascent Soul stage ultimately depends on a bit of personal luck.
Even if his father was a Nascent Soul Grandmaster, it was impossible to guarantee that Song Xinyuan and his wife would succeed 100%.
".
Everyone around him was already busy with their own things, while Song Qingming went to the "Spirit Herb Garden" in the back mountain of the sect.
We found the "avatar" that had been waiting there all along.
"Thank you for your hard work in overseeing this place these past few days."
"Between you and me, there's no need for such polite words."
As soon as the two met, the "avatar" nodded slightly to Song Qingming and led him to a magic array not far away.
As soon as the other party opened the restriction, the scene in front of the two changed, and they appeared in front of a three-foot-tall spirit tree.
Although there were many flower buds hanging on the tree, only one branch had an unripe "green spiritual fruit" hanging on it, which was emitting a dazzling spiritual light.
"This fruit was discovered by Junior Nephew Chu a few months ago."
According to her, in the past six months, she has only used some prepared spirit liquid and the high-grade spirit water that you brought back from Lei Yuanhai.
As I think, it must be related to this object.
"Oh! I didn't expect that bottle of spiritual water to actually work on it. It's just a pity that Master Lü Yang only has half a bottle, otherwise I could have exchanged more with him."
The spirit tree in front of Song Qingming was cultivated from the seed he brought out from the "Qinghe Cave".
However, despite years of careful cultivation, the spirit tree did not grow as quickly as he had expected.
Hundreds of years have passed, and countless methods and spiritual materials have been used, but the spirit tree has only produced a few flower buds and no harvest has been seen.
The high-grade spiritual water mentioned by "the avatar" was the water Song Qingming used when he went to "Lei Yuan Hai" to help Granny Jin Yue and others set up an array.
The "Master Lü Yang" from Wolong Mountain gave it to him as a token of gratitude for Song Qingming's help.
Upon receiving this half-bottle of spiritual water, Song Qingming thought of the spiritual tree he had planted in the "Spiritual Herb Garden" on the back mountain, and asked Chu Ling, who was in charge of taking care of it, to use some to test its effects.
Unexpectedly, when he returned, a green spiritual fruit had actually grown on the tree.
However, although this fruit seems to be emitting bursts of spiritual light, it has only recently formed and is far from being mature enough to be harvested.
Although he did not specialize in spiritual plant cultivation, Song Qingming had seen many high-level spiritual plant diagrams since he had reached the Nascent Soul stage.
But the spiritual fruit before him was a completely unfamiliar spiritual object that he had never seen before.
For a moment, they couldn't figure out who the other party was.
One can only judge that this item is of a high grade by the dense spiritual light emanating from it, at least a high-grade fourth-level or fifth-level spiritual object.
Without knowing its origins, whether it can be nurtured to maturity is also a question.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Qingming immediately took out the "Sacred Star Disc" from his person and brought out "Qu Bai" who was inside.
A moment later, a figure appeared beside him.
"Brother Qu, this spirit tree is a seed I obtained from a secret realm years ago and cultivated. I wonder if you can recognize what kind of spirit it contains?"
However, after seeing the blue spiritual fruit, Qu Bai's expression gradually became somewhat solemn.
"Strange, how come this thing has a trace of primordial power?"
"That's not right! How could this thing appear in a place like the lower realm? Could it be that someone brought it down by accident?"
"I'd never heard of such a thing back then. Who would have it?"
".
"Brother Qu, what do you mean by the power of origin? What exactly is this thing? Do you know how to cultivate it to maturity?"
Seeing that "Qu Bai" kept talking to himself, Song Qingming was a little confused for a moment and couldn't help but ask him another question.
Upon hearing this, Qu Bai finally came to his senses and let out a soft sigh.
"Brother Song, to be honest, this is the first time I've ever seen something like this. I don't know what kind of magical object it is."
However, I could faintly sense a trace of primordial power within it. This thing seemed to be an innate spiritual root, and to cultivate this spiritual fruit, one would need the primordial spiritual power of heaven and earth.
"The primordial spiritual power of heaven and earth, how is that even possible?"
"The Origin of Heaven and Earth" is the core of the interface's origin. Those whose cultivation level is below the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm cannot sense its existence at all, let alone absorb its spiritual power.
Seeing Song Qingming looking at him with surprise, "Qu Bai" immediately shook his head at him.
"Brother Song, don't be anxious. Let me explain it to you, and you'll understand what this thing is all about."
"Innate spiritual roots are special spiritual objects that are born from the origin of heaven and earth when the world was first created. They contain a trace of the power of the origin of heaven and earth."
This kind of magical plant cannot be cultivated later in life; each one is almost unique and cannot be replicated.
To be honest, I've only heard about it in the Upper Realm and have never actually seen it, so I only have a superficial understanding of it.
To cultivate this thing, it is not necessary to extract the essence of the interface.
As long as you can find a spiritual object containing the essence of heaven and earth, or a special space or secret realm that merges with the power of the essence, it is possible.
These things are easy for you to do now!
(I apologize for the few days I missed some updates; I'm making up for it today!) (End of Chapter)