Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System

Guo Wei continued.

"What?"

Chu Lingguang was caught completely off guard.

He had thought that Yuanchu Mountain's actions over the years were aimed at controlling the Great Yuan or obtaining the Immortal Vine. He never expected that they were collecting the fusible vines simply to let their own people gain Spirit Root Attributes.

'No wonder.' Even though Kou Han and the others were shocked that he possessed a Spirit Root Constitution, they hadn't taken him that seriously. Zhang Xuan, in particular, had provoked him without restraint.

'It turned out they had already fused with those strange things and also possessed Spirit Root Attributes. Their innate talent was no different from mine.'

"Master, what about the people who snatched those bizarre things from Demon Beasts, fused with them, and took on a half-human, half-demon form? Do they also gain Spirit Root Attributes?"

Chu Lingguang asked.

"Of course."

Guo Wei nodded noncommittally.

"However, their attributes are inferior. Take Qin Yu, for example. After he became a Wolf Demon, the power he mastered was Fire Spiritual Power. But his control over this Spiritual Power is far weaker than that of someone born with a Fire Spirit Root, or someone who can resonate with pure Fire Spiritual Power," Guo Wei added.

'It seems the Seventh Prince told Master everything.'

'Guo Wei even knew that Qin Yu was the Wolf Demon. He must know about the Qi Refining Art as well.'

"Be wary of the Seventh Prince and the imperial family. Their goal isn't simply to overthrow Yuanchu Mountain so the whole world can share their Martial Arts."

"Even if everyone had the Qi Refining Art to cultivate, without a Spirit Root Attribute, their cultivation would be stuck in the Qi Refining Realm."

"Since my return, I've already seen several overseas factions associating with the Yun Family. Yuanchu Mountain must have noticed this too, which is why they're being lenient with those who have acquired Spirit Roots from the Immortal Vine."

Guo Wei was shrewd and worldly, unlike the naive Chu Lingguang. After just one meeting with the Seventh Prince, he could tell the prince's motives were far from pure.

"Then what should we do?"

Chu Lingguang asked.

"The imperial family has joined forces with overseas powers, so a battle with Yuanchu Mountain is inevitable. As for us common folk, we should just wait and see how things unfold."

"But to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, we should find a few more Immortal Vines and get out of here before the war breaks out," Guo Wei said.

"Okay, I have another one here."

Chu Lingguang tore off the vine wrapped around his arm inside his sleeve. This vine had not fused with a Demon Beast; it was one he had found with great difficulty using the Void Technique.

It was a relatively pure Immortal Vine.

Now, after Guo Wei's explanation, Chu Lingguang understood. The so-called "bizarre things" were all Immortal Vines. The only difference was whether or not a Demon Beast had gotten to them first.

'Of course, it's also possible that the overseas sects, Yuanchu Mountain, and the Great Yuan's imperial family aren't interested in the vine in my hand, but in the main body of the Immortal Vine underground.'

'But that wasn't something he and Guo Wei could hope to claim.'

Now that he had a clear goal and understood the purpose of the Immortal Vine, Chu Lingguang found it much easier to handle matters.

Over the next few days, Chu Lingguang tried to find Yang Shaorong, Yan Zhen, and even Qin Yu, to tell them everything he knew.

Unfortunately, they were in Yuanchu Mountain's camp.

Chu Lingguang never had a chance to approach them.

「Five days later.」

Yuan Shanhe summoned all the disciples of Yuanchu Mountain, both Inner Sect and Outer Sect, to appear in Qiling Prefecture. Even Yan Zhen and the others were among them.

In front of him was a huge box.

The box was enveloped in Spiritual Power.

Inside were writhing vines—roots of the Immortal Vine.

The Immortal Vines were all different colors, squirming around inside the box like a nest of Spiritual Snakes.

Yuan Shanhe announced, "The bizarre things inside this box were collected by all of you. I have now purified these strange vines using an Immortal Technique and my Spiritual Power. Their bizarre aura has vanished completely. Each of you will be given one, and I will watch as you fuse with it. These vines will grant you Spirit Root Attributes, making your future cultivation twice as fruitful with half the effort."

A clamor arose.

The moment Yuan Shanhe finished speaking.

The Inner Sect Disciples remained calm, as if they already knew what was happening. The Outer Disciples, however, were all whispering to each other; some even thought they were hallucinating and had misheard him.

"I repeat: The strange vines have been purified by my Immortal Technique and Spiritual Power. Their bizarre aura is gone. After you fuse with them, you will not turn into demons or monsters. On the contrary, you will gain Spirit Root Attributes, and your cultivation will become twice as effective with half the effort. This is a great fortune I am bestowing upon you," Yuan Shanhe declared.

"We pledge our lives to Yuanchu Mountain!"

"We pledge our lives to Yuanchu Mountain!"

"We pledge our lives to Yuanchu Mountain!"

...

Someone shouted first, and soon all the Outer Disciples of Yuanchu Mountain were chanting in unison.

"Distribute the vines to everyone."

Yuan Shanhe gave the order, and the Inner Sect Disciples, including Zhang Xuan, began to personally hand out the vines.

Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, Yun Hong, and even Yang Shaorong all received their own vines.

The three of them—Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, and Yun Hong—had already fused with vines before. But more could be absorbed; the more vines one absorbed, the stronger their Spirit Root Attribute became.

The three knew what this meant.

They quickly absorbed the vines.

Yang Shaorong, for his part, fused with the vine as instructed.

"Master, we mobilized everyone and worked for days to gather these," Kou Han said, pained by the loss.

He had been hoping to absorb most of the vines to strengthen his own Spirit Root Attribute, break through in his cultivation, and successfully enter the Foundation Establishment Realm. But now, Yuan Shanhe and the other leaders of Yuanchu Mountain were giving them all away to the Outer Disciples, allowing each one to gain a Spirit Root Attribute.

"The Cyan Cloud Sect has made contact with the Yun Family. If we don't help our disciples acquire Spirit Root Attributes and start practicing Magic Techniques immediately, Yuanchu Mountain might not exist by the time the Cyan Cloud Sect arrives," Yuan Shanhe said furiously.

He looked at his palm.

On it was a scar that refused to heal.

He had received it when he went to the Imperial City to confront the Yun Family.

"I never thought the Yun Family was so cunning. To think they deceived us all," Kou Han lamented.

"They contacted the Cyan Cloud Sect through the Court's trade missions. The Seventh Prince, Yun Shu, has a dual Water and Fire Spirit Root, which caught the eye of one of their Elders. The Cyan Cloud Sect intends to use his dual-attribute constitution to locate the main body of the Immortal Vine. We must act quickly, or we'll be too late," Yuan Shanhe said helplessly.

"Once you and the Grand Elder fuse with the main body of the Immortal Vine, Master, we'll make the Cyan Cloud Sect pay a terrible price," Kou Han said, his anger boiling.

"We will certainly settle that score."

Yuan Shanhe nodded.

"Master, is the main body of the Immortal Vine really here in Qiling Prefecture?"

Kou Han asked again.

"I have already used the Purple Gold Technique to make a calculation. I'm almost certain. Moreover, the Spiritual Power is densest here, and according to the sect's records, the Immortal Vine should be beneath the riverbed."

Yuan Shanhe pointed to the canal that cut through Qiling Prefecture.

The canal was choked with a dense mat of vines, spreading across the surface like water hyacinths. From a bird's-eye view, it looked as if a gigantic, sprawling vine was lying across the land of Qiling Prefecture.

It looked incredibly menacing.

A storm of orange Spiritual Qi gathered around the vines.

"Teach them a few of the most basic defensive Magic Techniques. Have them spread out on both banks of the canal and ensure that no one from outside the sect can get close," Yuan Shanhe ordered.

"Yes!"

Kou Han quickly went to carry out the order.

"Master, Yuanchu Mountain gave all the vines they collected to the Outer Disciples for fusion. You were right—fusing with a vine is the same as gaining a Spirit Root Attribute."

Chu Lingguang quickly noticed the commotion outside.

Qiling Prefecture was vast.

The canal was also long.

Although Yuan Shanhe and his followers were powerful, they couldn't possibly keep an eye on every corner of the prefecture. In addition, many powerful strangers had recently entered Qiling Prefecture, so the actions of Chu Lingguang and his master did not draw Yuan Shanhe's attention.

It seemed that in the eyes of Yuan Shanhe and the other Yuanchu Mountain leaders, the only thing that mattered now was finding the main body of the Immortal Vine and quickly fusing with it. The number of overseas cultivators entering Great Yuan was no longer of any concern. Finding and fusing with the main body of the Immortal Vine was their top priority.

In the days that followed, the Spiritual Power in Qiling Prefecture reached its peak.

The complexions and spirits of the mortals improved daily. In the mornings, a layer of orange light would hang in the sky, leaving many people in awe.