Chapter 19: Apple of Lu Qing’s Eye
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Lu Qing had witnessed his youngest daughter’s growth when she went to capture the herd of Water-Spirit Horses.
Around 50 years ago, when her father was a Golden Core Patriarch, she was the princess of the Lu Clan.
However, after the clan became down and out, not only did she have the elegance of a little princess, but also she had traces of her struggle over the years.
These incidents might be bitter and arduous, but objectively speaking, she could only have grown to become who she was now after she experienced all of the hardship.
She had only been 22 years old and a fifth-tier Qi Refining cultivator when Lu Qing closed himself in. Now that 50 years had passed, she was 72 and had become a fourth-tier Foundation Building cultivator.
Her father had closed himself in because of his severe injuries. Her mother, Ye Xincheng, passed away shortly after. Then, her third sister, Lu Xiachao, and eighth brother, Lu Chaozhao, died in the battle with the Zhao Clan. Around 15 years ago, two young Foundation Building cultivators from the “Ting” generation also died during the demon uprising...
Back then, the family only had two Foundation Building cultivators left. They were Lu Chaoxi and Lu Chaohe. Lu Chaoxi had been severely injured and had his Core Lifespan greatly reduced. Lu Mingchao had also participated in the battle and witnessed how tragic it was.
After the demon uprising, Lu Mingchao prepared herself to try out the Foundation Building process without the Foundation Building Elixir within the next year when she returned to the clan.
She had done everything secretly. She did not tell anyone.
It was too late when the members of the clan found out. Lu Chaoxi and Lu Chaohe could only witness their youngest sister engage in closed-door training as she attempted the risky process of Foundation Building.
The riskiness of the process was not overstated. The actual process might even be more exaggerated. Out of 10 cultivators who attempted the process without the Foundation Building Elixir, all ten could possibly lose their lives. Only a small minority of cultivators could succeed.
The two brothers lived in fear for the next month. The Foundation Building process required around a month to complete. The earlier a cultivator managed to complete the process, the more likely the cultivator would advance to the Foundation Building Stage.
The two brothers had slipped into despair when the final day came.
However, in the end, a powerful ripple of spiritual energy spread from the room Lu Mingchao had closed herself in. The ripple of spiritual energy lasted a day before it suddenly disappeared.
She had made it out alive as a Foundation Building cultivator.
Lu Qing’s heart had become extremely wound up when he heard Lu Chaoxi tell him about the incident. He did not witness the scene, but he felt fear just hearing about it.
Fortunately, his youngest daughter succeeded.
While it was risky to attempt to advance to the Foundation Building Stage without a Foundation Building Elixir, there were also benefits.
Out of the first three levels in the cultivation process, the Qi Refining Stage was an entry to the journey. It allowed cultivators to draw spiritual energy into their bodies and convert it into spiritual strength, which they could then control. The Foundation Building Stage was targeted at breaking through the limits of a human body. It allowed the cultivator to develop a body that was more suitable for training and could hold more spiritual energy. The Initial Enlightenment Stage involved the mind and soul.
The most treacherous of the stages was the Foundation Building Stage. How difficult was it to go against nature and modify a person’s body to be suited for spiritual energy?
There were two general effects of the Foundation Building Elixir. First, it could protect the physical body. Second, it tamed a person’s spiritual strength and made it less violent.
Most cultivators failed because of the first point. Their bodies could not withstand the modification and broke down before it could be enhanced.
Under the protection of the Foundation Building Elixir, along with a situation where the violent spiritual strength was tamed, not only would a cultivator’s success rate be improved dramatically, but also their bodies would not break down and lose their lives if they failed.
However, if a person were able to advance to the Foundation Building Stage without a Foundation Building Elixir despite the risk, they would have a spiritual strength that was more suitable for them as it had not been tampered with by the elixir. Their bodies had been enhanced without the protection from the elixir. They would obtain even more powerful bodies after their bodies got thoroughly cleansed.
All of these factors would make the future journey on the path of cultivation of the cultivator who advanced to the Foundation Building Stage without the Foundation Building Elixir much smoother.
Compared to the cultivators of the same level, they would have a spiritual strength that was thicker and more robust. Their cultivation speed would also be faster, and it would be easier for them to break through certain bottlenecks.
Lu Mingchao managed to complete her enhancement without a Foundation Building Elixir, which meant that she should be able to improve her abilities up a tier once every three to four years for the next 13 years even if she was not given enough resources. She had already become a fourth-tier Foundation Building cultivator.
Comparatively, her seventh brother who also had three Spiritual Roots was only a second-tier Foundation Building cultivator even though he reached the Foundation Building Stage ten years before she did.
Lu Qing felt that his daughter could have an even greater future.
He no longer had to worry about her mindset. He could not do much regarding the issue of resources given the current situation of the clan. He could only make it up to her in the future.
However, her Spiritual Roots were still a limiting factor.
In the cultivation world, a person with three Spiritual Roots was considered average and much better than people with four or five Spiritual Roots. However, on the whole, this talent was not the greatest. This was especially so for cultivators who managed to reach the Foundation Building Stage. People with four or five Spiritual Roots were practically nonexistent at this stage, which meant that people with three Spiritual Roots made up the weakest group.
Talent was not the most important thing in cultivation. Out of the four Golden Core cultivators in the Feiyun State, including Lu Qing, there was one with Strange Spiritual Roots, two people with Double Spiritual Roots, and one with three Spiritual Roots. Other than talent, cultivators also had to work hard and have perceptive abilities, opportunities, and resources... All of these factors had to be present.
However, on the occasion that all of the factors were present, a stronger talent was naturally going to be better.
Lu Qing decided to use this timed exchange, a Spiritual Root Enhancement with no age limit, on his youngest daughter, Lu Mingchao.
Spiritual Root Enhancement could only be used on a person with Double Spiritual Roots or lower. It could optimize the Spiritual Roots of someone with Double Spiritual Roots.
For Lu Mingchao, Spiritual Root Enhancement could only improve, but not optimize, her Spiritual Roots.
Lu Qing hoped that he would be lucky. He hoped that Lu Mingchao would not develop conflicting Double Spiritual Roots after the enhancement. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the enhancement would be limited.
[Exchange Complete!]
Lu Qing immediately opened up Lu Mingchao’s individual tab after he saw the prompt.
The panel that listed her Spiritual Roots had already changed.
[Talent: Double Spiritual Roots (Water, Metal)]
Lu Qing’s spirit form let out a wide smile.
He had guessed previously that the Spiritual Root Enhancement modified and improved the user’s Spiritual Roots based on their existing talents. Originally, Lu Mingchao’s Spiritual Roots were that of water, metal, and fire. There was a chance that it would be enhanced to Water-Fire or Water-Metal. While it might have been a little better than her three Spiritual Roots if it had turned into Water-Fire, there was a conflict between water and fire. The improvement would not be drastic, and the effects would be limited.
However, it was great that it got enhanced to become Water-Metal. Lu Mingchao mainly cultivated Water Elemental Technique. Metal can boost water, which meant that her Metal Spiritual Root could aid in her cultivation.
******
At this moment, Lu Mingchao was recuperating in her room at Yuyan Mountain.
She had exhausted all of her strength to drag the uncontrollable Horse King back to Yuyan Mountain when she went to capture the herd of Water-Spirit Horses a few days ago. She could only fully recover after a month.
Suddenly, she felt a few changes to her body.
This was a sensation that she had never felt. She was flustered at first, worried that something had gone wrong with her cultivation.
However, she quickly realized that that was not the case.
Her speed at refining spiritual energy and converting it into spiritual strength had become smoother. At the same time, she felt as though a limiter that had been placed within her body had been unlocked.
...
This was definitely a good thing.
But why did it happen?
She stopped her training and raised her brows as she started to deliberate.
Suddenly, she remembered something her elder brother said. Her father adjusted his body and helped him recover from his old injuries using an unexplainable, miraculous technique.
Could the changes to her body also be due to her father?
Her thoughts became chaotic. She immediately stood up, grabbed her sword, and left her room.
She wanted to see her father. She was fine with talking to her father outside the chamber even if she could not meet him.