Chapter 132 - 131: Deep Roots and Strong Trunk
Over at Princess Guoyun’s residence, the commotion had yet to cease even after a full day and night.
She had locked herself in a secret chamber, staring blankly at the spot where the Monkey Wine used to be, letting out a few sobs from time to time.
Upon discovering traces of the Enchanting Heart Technique in the secret chamber, her hatred for Xia Wunian intensified until she was grinding her teeth. She swore to get brutal revenge at the first opportunity and make sure Xia Wunian would not have an easy time.
When Xia Wunian learned he had been framed yet again, he quickly sent people to profess his innocence. However, it was common knowledge that the Enchanting Heart Technique was a Secret Technique from the True Yin Sect’s most prized Treasure Manual.
Of all the Princes and Princesses, Xia Wunian had the closest ties to the True Yin Sect. So, even if he wasn’t the culprit, he was surely connected to it. Naturally, they wouldn’t let him off the hook easily.
Becoming a eunuch had been agonizing enough, but now, with several more accusations piled on his head, Xia Wunian’s misery deepened.
He, too, began to suspect that the True Yin Sect might be involved and repeatedly sent messengers to question them.
Unfortunately, ever since learning he had become a eunuch, the True Yin Sect had grown cold and dismissive. They largely ignored his inquiries, at most offering a curt denial without any evidence to back it up.
This only served to heighten Xia Wunian’s suspicions. ’Could the True Yin Sect really be involved in this?’
The situation in the palace grew increasingly chaotic. Meanwhile, Xia Wuyang continued to cultivate in peace. Before he knew it, several days had passed.
As a new day dawned, his Spiritual Power increased by another point, and Xia Wuyang’s total Spiritual Power officially reached a new threshold.
points!
It hadn’t been two hundred days since his Supreme Talent Seven-Aperture Exquisite awakened, but with the help of the Enchanting Heart Technique and some Elixirs, Xia Wuyang had cultivated a few points of Spiritual Power on his own, allowing him to reach the two-hundred-point mark ahead of schedule.
In the Practice Room of Wenhua Hall, Xia Wuyang sat cross-legged. The two hundred points of Spiritual Power in his Sea of Consciousness churned without rest, like a boiling Star River.
A new talent slowly began to surface, and flashes of insight flickered within his Sea of Consciousness.
The essential mysteries of Spiritual Power... the foundational structure of Cultivation Power... the intrinsic connection between Essence, Qi, and Spirit... the deeper secrets of a Supreme Talent... the importance of a Cultivation Foundation for a Martial Artist...
These myriad insights and glimmers of inspiration intertwined, forming a brilliant pillar of light in his Sea of Consciousness. In that instant, a brand-new Companion Talent awakened—one related to his Cultivation Foundation.
Deep Roots and Strong Trunk!
As the name suggested, it would allow his Cultivation Foundation to become like a great tree, sinking its roots deep to support all of Xia Wuyang’s future Cultivation.
As the Companion Talent awakened, Xia Wuyang clearly felt his Cultivation Foundation begin to undergo a heaven-and-earth-shattering transformation.
The Foundation of his Refining God Cultivation tripled in size. This meant that in his future Cultivation of Spiritual Power, he would possess potential and reserves far surpassing those of Martial Artists at the same level, along with a corresponding boost in power.
A tripled Cultivation Foundation also meant triple the comprehensive strength. The quantity and might of his Spiritual Power would be three times that of a Martial Artist at the same level.
What was even more pleasantly surprising was that this enhancement to his Cultivation Foundation was not limited to his Refining God Cultivation. It also extended to his Body Refining Cultivation, and even his future Qi Refining Cultivation.
After all, for him to bear such immense Spiritual Power after his Refining God Foundation had tripled, the other two aspects of his cultivation would naturally have to be forcibly enhanced. Otherwise, how could his body possibly contain such a vast and astonishing amount of Spiritual Power?
Essence, Qi, and Spirit were complementary, forming an integrated whole. If one underwent a major change, the other two were bound to be affected.
Xia Wuyang simply hadn’t expected Deep Roots and Strong Trunk to be so potent that it would also triple the foundations for his Body Refining and Qi Refining Cultivation.
’So this is the power of Deep Roots and Strong Trunk!’
He was utterly stunned. ’No wonder there was such a huge commotion before it awakened. This Companion Talent is incredibly powerful, and it’s also extremely practical for me.’
It would be a great help to him not just now, but for a long, long time to come. It might even determine his ultimate potential.
However, this enhancement to his Foundation was not without a cost. As his Cultivation Foundation expanded, Xia Wuyang clearly felt his actual Cultivation Realm rapidly regressing.
His Enchanting Heart Technique fell from the peak of the Twelfth Floor, where it had been on the verge of breaking through to the Thirteenth Floor, all the way down to the Eleventh Layer Initial Stage.
If his Spirit had not already become Extraordinary, it might have fallen to the Tenth Floor, only a third of its original level.
His Body Refining Cultivation also dropped to a level equivalent to when he had just broken through to the First Grade Initial Stage. It had nearly fallen back to the Second Grade Realm.
However, his Qi Blood had already undergone a metamorphosis and he had begun the Blood Exchange process, so it was difficult for him to drop all the way back to the Second Grade Realm.
His Body Refining and Refining God Cultivation felt vaguely weaker, as if some force had compressed them down by half.
This drop in Cultivation was not permanent. It was simply that as his Foundation expanded, his existing Cultivation was "diluted." It was like a pond being expanded into a lake; though the volume of water remained the same, the water level had dropped.
Despite this, Xia Wuyang’s comprehensive strength hadn’t decreased. In fact, it had even increased slightly.
Although his Refining God Cultivation had dropped by nearly two realms, it had become far more condensed. His Sea of Consciousness had tripled in size, growing much tougher and more resilient than before, which would allow Xia Wuyang to better execute various Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques.
His Body Refining Cultivation had seemingly dropped as well, but his Qi Blood had also grown more solid. The robust Foundation would allow him to unleash his Cultivation Techniques, Combat Techniques, and Secret Techniques with far fewer restraints.
After some careful examination, Xia Wuyang discovered that although his realm had dropped, his true combat power had increased by at least ten percent.
Once his Cultivation Realm returned to its previous level, his comprehensive strength would give him an overwhelming advantage among Martial Artists of the same rank.
Among Martial Artists of the same rank, his Spiritual Power would be three times greater, his Qi Blood three times greater, and in the future, his True Qi would be three times greater. The power he could unleash in battle would be roughly triple that of his peers, and his stamina would far surpass theirs.
His recovery speed for Essence, Qi, and Spirit would also far surpass that of ordinary people. Breaking through bottlenecks would become much easier, allowing him to effortlessly become invincible among those at his level. Even fighting opponents in higher realms would no longer be a difficult feat.
The awakening of this Companion Talent had a profound impact on Xia Wuyang. He would need to re-evaluate his cultivation path moving forward.
Such a robust Cultivation Foundation meant he could choose more arduous breakthrough paths in order to obtain even greater strength.
He needed to start preparing for his future Cultivation now in order to make the best use of Deep Roots and Strong Trunk and reap the greatest benefits.
It took him a full several days to adapt to his "plummeting" Cultivation Realm. By then, his Cultivation Foundation had also stabilized, and he could finally begin consuming Miracle Treasures to raise his Cultivation Realm again.