Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing both smiled. Any cultivator, upon hearing about Spiritual Roots, would want to know the grade of their own.

Huang Zhusong cleared his throat and said, "We are the cultivators stationed here, so of course we know the Magic to inspect Spiritual Roots."

"However, Your Grace is a Martial Cultivator, and with your abundant Primordial Qi, the examination is somewhat different from that of an ordinary person. To avoid any mistakes, it’s more suitable to use a Magical Artifact."

As he spoke, he took out a jade box from within his robes and placed it on the tea table.

The jade box was a flawless, milky white, with a luster like fine jade. A single glance told you it was incredibly valuable, yet it was merely a container. Zhao Lin couldn’t help but grow curious about the Magical Artifact it held.

Huang Zhusong opened the lid, and with a flash of light, a Crystal Staff was revealed inside.

The Crystal Staff was about six inches long and perfectly translucent. Its shaft was engraved with many abstruse, indecipherable runes. Six raised horizontal lines divided the entire staff into seven sections.

Beside it lay a gray, pigeon-egg-sized pearl.

Zhao Lin stared at the Crystal Staff, feeling a sense of familiarity. After another look, he was stunned to realize its shape and texture were identical to the bamboo-like sections he had seen in his own spine during meditative introspection!

"The Spiritual Root resides within the spine, resembling sections of bamboo, which the cultivation world calls Spiritual Nodes. The more Spiritual Nodes one has, the easier it is to perceive Spiritual Qi, and the faster one can absorb it."

"A Celestial Grade Spiritual Root has the most, with seven Spiritual Nodes. An Earth Grade has six... and so on down the line. A Low Grade Spiritual Root has three Spiritual Nodes, while those with only one or two are considered Mortal Spirit Roots."

Huang Zhusong pushed the jade box in front of Zhao Lin as he explained.

"This artifact is called a Spiritual Bamboo Staff. It can reveal the Spiritual Nodes within a cultivator’s body, making the grade of their Spiritual Root clear at a glance."

Zhao Lin had a sudden realization. ’I have four Spiritual Nodes in my spine. By that count, I should have a Mid Grade Spiritual Root.’

Still, talk was cheap, and he had to go through with the official process. He asked, "How is it done?"

Huang Zhusong smiled. "Simply press your finger on the Spiritual Bamboo Staff."

After a brief hesitation, Zhao Lin did as instructed and extended a finger, pressing it to the base of the Spiritual Bamboo Staff.

He was still wary of the two men, but he figured, ’If they can subdue me with just a small stone like that, our power levels are on completely different planes. There’s no point in being on guard.’

VMM!

The instant Zhao Lin’s finger made contact, the Spiritual Bamboo Staff emitted a halo of light that rippled outward like water, washing over the first horizontal line.

It continued past the second line, then the third... finally stopping at the fourth.

Zhao Lin’s eye twitched. The artifact was indeed magical, and his belief in the two men’s identities grew a little stronger.

"Congratulations, Your Grace, it’s a Mid Grade Spiritual Root!"

Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing rose to their feet at the same time to offer their congratulations.

Zhao Lin had already anticipated this result, so he wasn’t surprised. He was, however, a little puzzled. "Spiritual Roots are divided into six grades. Mid Grade is only fourth from the top. What is there to be happy about?"

Huang Zhusong chuckled and explained, "Celestial and Earth Grade Spiritual Roots are so exceedingly rare that they can almost be disregarded."

"The vast majority of cultivators have Spiritual Roots that fall into the High, Mid, or Low grades."

"Moreover, for a Spiritual Root forged through the martial path, Mid Grade is the absolute highest possible. In that light, this result is more than satisfactory!"

Zhao Lin understood. His was a man-made Spiritual Root, and Mid Grade was its limit. He consoled himself, ’Fair enough. At least I’m not starting out as complete trash...’

’Besides, I still have the Spirit Beast Scroll. While it might not give me the overwhelming advantage it did when I was a Martial Cultivator, it can still provide a significant boost.’

’The Xuanyuan Continent is rich in Spiritual Qi, so there must be plenty of powerful and strange beasts. I’ll have to plan things out carefully when the time comes.’

Just then, Huang Zhusong spoke again. "Actually, when the sect evaluates the Spiritual Root of a Martial Cultivator, we generally rate it half a grade higher."

"Half a grade higher?"

Zhao Lin’s curiosity was piqued. "How so?"

Huang Zhusong said, "There are two reasons. First, while having a natural Spiritual Root is fortunate, talent is merely what gets you in the door on the path of cultivation. The ones who truly achieve the Great Dao are always those with tenacious character and an iron will forged through hardship."

"Anyone who can enter the Dao through martial arts and cultivate all the way to the Innate Realm is, without exception, an extraordinary individual of immense perseverance and wisdom!"

"In the long run, for two people with the same grade of Spiritual Root, the Martial Cultivator will often achieve more than the one born with it."

"Second, the combat prowess of a Martial Cultivator is outstanding. Whether in magical duels between cultivators or in hunting Demon Beasts, a Martial Cultivator holds a significant advantage. I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on the reasons why, do I?"

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Of course, being a Martial Cultivator isn’t without its downsides. The biggest problem is that they are typically on the older side. Fortunately, Your Grace is only in your early thirties, so it is not too late to begin cultivating."

Zhao Lin remained impassive, but he was secretly pleased.

’It seems my decade-plus of martial arts experience will still be useful on the path of cultivation. I’m not starting completely from scratch.’

When he finished speaking, Huang Zhusong nonchalantly picked up his teacup and took a sip. Then, pointing to the gray pearl in the jade box, he said, "Now, if you would be so kind, Your Grace, let’s test your Spiritual Root’s attribute."

Zhao Lin was taken aback for a moment. "Didn’t we just test my Spiritual Root?"

Huang Zhusong shook his head with a smile. "We just tested the *grade* of your Spiritual Root. This Spirit Pearl, on the other hand, is for testing its *attribute*. They are not the same thing."

"The grade of a Spiritual Root determines your cultivation aptitude, while its attribute determines what type of elemental Magic you are suited to practice."

"For example, a cultivator with a Metal-attribute Spiritual Root could practice Earth Attribute Magic, but they would only ever reach the level of Minor Achievement. No matter how hard they tried, they could never attain the same mastery as a cultivator with a true Earth-attribute Spiritual Root. That is the importance of the attribute."

Lv Qing added, "The Spirit Pearl will manifest different colors depending on the attribute of the cultivator’s Spiritual Root. Cyan represents the Wind Attribute, silver represents the Ice Attribute, and gold represents the Thunder Attribute."

"White, blue, green, red, and yellow correspond to the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth."

"I see!"

Zhao Lin thought to himself, ’I cultivate the Sea Return Skill, and I’ve absorbed the Essence Souls of five different beasts: the Cold Ice Silkworm, Thunder Catfish, Wind Fox, Gold-devouring Rat, and Fire Cloud Silkworm.’

’I now have six types of True Qi in my body. Does that mean my Spiritual Root has six attributes?’

Eager to see if his guess was correct, Zhao Lin extended his hand and asked, "Do I just place my hand on this one, too?"

Huang Zhusong replied, "It’s best to hold it in your palm."

Zhao Lin nodded and carefully picked up the Spirit Pearl.

While he had never intentionally hoarded riches, after four consecutive victories at the Grand Martial Tournament and with his status as Duke Zhen, the wealth in his residence was vast enough to be measured by the cartload. Yet, no treasure he possessed could compare to the two artifacts before him now.

The moment the Spirit Pearl settled in his hand, a brilliant light began to flow within it. A thick, emerald-green mist rose up inside, swirling like the clouds at dawn and dusk.

"A Water Attribute Spiritual Root!"

Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing blurted out simultaneously.

No sooner had the words left their mouths than the color of the mist inside the Spirit Pearl suddenly shifted, turning to cyan.

Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing exchanged a look, their voices filled with pleasant surprise. "It also has the Wind Attribute!"

A few moments later, the color in the Spirit Pearl changed again, producing mists of gold, silver, red, and yellow...

Now, neither of them could remain calm. Their eyes were fixed intently on the Spirit Pearl.

"Water, fire, earth, wind, ice, and thunder... six attributes!"

"A six-attribute Spiritual Root!"