As soon as the terms “physical body achieving sainthood” and “deification” were uttered, Shi Junxi’s heroic eyebrows lifted slightly. “You have quite the audacity, to even disdain mentioning Ascension now?”
Mu Zixiao felt a small thrill of delight in her heart. She hadn’t been entirely without purpose in testing the waters with these words. To think that her assigned mentor… oh no, her master—whose appearance was merely the least noteworthy of his minor virtues—actually had some substance to him.
Little did she know that Shi Junxi, the Immortal Venerable Yuan Ze of the Kunlun Sect, though a Medical Cultivator, was only average in medical skills by the standards of great powers, often relying on Celestial Spiritual Treasures for treatment. Yet, he was exceptionally proficient in all other fields, even capable of trading blows with the world’s foremost Jian Xian in swordsmanship.
As the undisputed number one in the cultivation world, a great power at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, only a step away from Ascension, it was no wonder others wept and clamored to become his disciple.
To arrange for Feng Yue Ying to enter his tutelage, fate had already coincidentally eliminated most of those with a chance to become his disciple. As for Mu Zixiao, whose mind wasn’t particularly sharp, she was simply destined to be a supporting player.
However, Shi Junxi went against the grain, allowing Mu Zixiao to stumble upon a great bargain.
Mu Zixiao cupped her hands respectfully. “Master, Ascension is merely a means to reach the Upper Realm, isn’t it? I’ve searched through ancient texts but found no mention of what Spiritual Roots the ancient great deities or the celestial lords and divine lords of the Upper Realm possessed.”
After all, this was a different world; the immortals and deities here were completely unlike those she was familiar with.
But after half a year of study, she discovered that while they differed, there were also many similarities. The mythological stories she knew from before actually provided her with research inspiration and basis, allowing her to reverse-engineer the cultivation practices of this world.
Laozi, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Eight Immortals—these deities each possessed their own divine powers, but there was little mention of what Spiritual Roots they cultivated before attaining immortality. The divine venerables of this world’s Upper Realm were in a similar situation: their legends and worship traditions were known, yet there was no mention of their Spiritual Roots during their time in the lower realm. Instead, it was the Cultivators of the lower realm who emphasized Spiritual Roots.
“Master, the current cultivation method in the lower realm is like this.”
As she spoke, Mu Zixiao raised her hand and conjured a pen out of thin air. This was not a brush pen but a slender, hard one. She then snapped her fingers, and a blank scroll appeared in the hall.
On the scroll, she wrote the line: “Spiritual Root – Opportunity – Celestial Spiritual Treasures – Magical Instrument – Cultivation Technique – Advancement.”
“Most people nowadays cultivate through their Spiritual Roots, relying on opportunities and inheritance to obtain Celestial Spiritual Treasures, Magical Instruments, and Cultivation Techniques to advance, ultimately reaching the Tribulation Transcendence stage and Ascending.”
Mu Zixiao paused, then wrote another line on the scroll: “Spiritual Root – Merit – Advancement,” explaining, “A more reasonable path to immortality, I believe, is to nourish the Spiritual Root with Merit to achieve Ascension.”
Mu Zixiao began to break down for Shi Junxi the various bases and evidence supporting this conclusion.
Shi Junxi’s expression gradually shifted from indifference to sitting up straight.
By the time Mu Zixiao finished her exposition, her mouth parched, he actually deigned to personally pour a cup of water and hand it to her.
“Thank you.” Mu Zixiao accepted the water, both flattered and overwhelmed, and drank it in one gulp.
Shi Junxi said quietly, “If any great power with an unstable Dao heart were to hear your words, either you would be slain on the spot, or that great power would perish, their Dao extinguished.”
“Cough, cough, cough…” Mu Zixiao hurriedly used her sleeve to wipe the water she had sprayed after choking.
“Your theory is indeed feasible, but those who ascend through Merit often lack self-preservation abilities. In today’s cultivation world, their fates are often tragic—either having their Spiritual Roots extracted or being used as Cauldrons.”
There was a hint of warning in Shi Junxi’s words, but then he shifted his tone. “Indeed, in the lower realm, Cultivators compete for Celestial Spiritual Treasures, turning against each other, seizing opportunities from heaven and earth to cultivate—all for the purpose of defying the heavens and attaining the Dao. However, if one achieves sainthood through Merit, that would be aligning with the will of heaven and earth, fulfilling the hopes of all, aided by the Heavenly Dao, and attaining a saintly body.”
Mu Zixiao’s eyes sparkled as she murmured, “I knew it, I knew it!”
Seeing her delighted expression, Shi Junxi’s lips curved upward. He shook his head helplessly and let out a soft chuckle.
“I knew it—Master is actually an immortal from the Upper Realm!”
The smile that had just appeared on Shi Junxi’s face vanished in an instant.