Chương 66: Chapter 67: Spirit Swallowing

As the cream of the crop among the four lineages of the Xuanxiao Sect, these disciples were well aware of Senior Brother Duan Zhonghua's persistent, almost desperate pursuit of Ji Yueli. Rumors even suggested that the Sect Master himself had given a silent nod of approval to the match. Yet, the icy fairy had remained utterly indifferent, never granting him so much as a stray glance.

To see her treat Reyn with such distinct favor today was nothing short of a resounding, public slap to Duan Zhonghua's pride, leaving him reeling in silent fury.

"Heh, this junior brother also has matters to attend to. I shall take my leave first," Li Zidu said, a cold sneer dancing in his heart. Since the Sect Master had implicitly paired Duan Zhonghua with Ji Yueli, and Li Zidu himself was barred from the competition, he took a perverse pleasure in watching the former lose face so spectacularly in front of the peers. In an instant, the crowd began to disperse, offering various hollow excuses to depart.

As they walked away, the glances they cast back at Duan Zhonghua were filled with a strange, mocking pity that stung worse than open insults.

"Reyn... on the day of the Sect Grand Tournament, even if I must endure the harshest punishment from the elders, I will make sure you pay a price in blood!" Once the clearing was empty, Duan Zhonghua's expression collapsed into a mask of pure, unadulterated malice. A murderous glint flashed through his eyes, dark and predatory.

Within the hidden medicine garden in the hollow of the mountain, Reyn sat cross-legged in a meditative trance. His face was flushed a deep, sickly purple-red, and the spiritual energy within his meridians was surging like a torrential river. He was desperately compressing and corralling the residual sword-qi left by Guan Tianma, wrapping it in layers of his own Qi to force it out of his system.

"Pfft!" Suddenly, a streak of black light erupted from Reyn's fingertip. It struck the stone floor with a sharp crack, boring a thumb-sized hole that seemed to descend into bottomless depths. Reyn slowly opened his eyes, a shadow of gloom passing through them before settling into a cold, hard sneer.

"What a venomous scheme. Had I not purged this sword-qi immediately, it would have eventually shredded my Dantian from the inside out, leaving me a broken cripple for the rest of my days."

"Guan Tianma, for the humiliation of today, I, Reyn, swear that I shall one day step onto the main hall of your Ziyun Sect and collect every debt you owe me!" Reyn stood up abruptly, and a powerful, oppressive aura erupted from his body, sweeping through the cavern like a physical gale before he reined it back in. After a long moment, his heart regained its calm, and a look of deep contemplation settled on his features.

"Though this journey outside yielded much, I still haven't found a definitive path to Foundation Establishment. That remains the most critical hurdle." He knew that once he succeeded, his immense foundation of mana would likely catapult him directly into the Mid-Foundation Establishment realm or higher. Coupled with his heaven-defying alchemy, his cultivation would soar at an unprecedented rate.

"Wait... Yu Meiren is shrouded in mystery; perhaps she knows a way," Reyn thought. With a flicker of intent, his Divine Sense plunged into his sea of consciousness.

"Fellow Daoist, are you there?" A long silence followed, but Reyn showed no sign of impatience. Finally, Yu Meiren's voice drifted out—lazy, melodic, and thick with a seductive charm.

"I was just having a nap... Well now, little brother, what could you possibly want from me?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Reyn remained stoic, ignoring her playful teasing. After a brief hesitation, he asked solemnly, "I need to know... do you know of any method that allows someone without spiritual roots to reach Foundation Establishment?"

"No spiritual roots?" Yu Meiren's voice carried a hint of confusion, but then her tone suddenly spiked in realization.

"You aren't talking about yourself, are you? No wonder... your cultivation is already at the 15th level of Qi Condensation... wait, no, it's the 16th level! I thought you were holding back for the legendary Heavenly Dao Rewards, but it turns out you simply have no roots!" Her voice was now laced with genuine shock.

"Little brother, tell sister... how on earth did you cultivate to such a height? And your True Essence is so incredibly pure!" Reyn paused, then spoke calmly.

"I will not hide it. I indeed lack any talent in spiritual roots. My entry into the sect was purely due to my Master's mercy. As for how I reached this level... I suspect you would have discovered it sooner or later anyway." Since Yu Meiren resided within him, the secret of the Golden Seal could not be kept forever. He then gave a brief account of how he had obtained the Golden Seal and the heaven-defying alchemical abilities it bestowed upon him.

"There exists such a treasure in this world? Fellow Daoist Reyn, could you perhaps bring it out for me to see?" Yu Meiren's voice was trembling with awe. Even with her vast experience, she had never heard of an artifact so potent. Her tone had lost its flirtatious edge, becoming remarkably serious. Reyn gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"The Golden Seal is fused with my very soul. I can feel its presence, but I cannot move or summon it at will. I'm afraid I cannot satisfy your curiosity." Though disappointed, Yu Meiren believed him. She had been dwelling within his sea of consciousness and had never sensed any external interference from his soul, which lent weight to his words.

"Heehee, little brother, I never imagined you held such a grand destiny. I was worried no one in the mortal realm could help me refine that specific pill, but it seems there is no alchemist more capable than you." Her giggle was soft and sweet, like honeyed wine. Reyn's heart stirred slightly, but he quickly suppressed the feeling. Yu Meiren's charm was dangerously potent. He quickly steered the conversation back.

"Now that you know my situation, do you have a way for me to successfully establish my foundation?" There was a long pause before Yu Meiren's voice returned, slow and deliberate.

"A person without spiritual roots, even relying on the power of pills and spirit items, can cultivate, but they can never—absolutely never—reach the Foundation Establishment realm through normal means." Reyn's face darkened instantly. If that were true, his path ended here. How could he ever accept such a fate?

"A spiritual root is like a seed," Yu Meiren explained, her voice sounding like a distant memory.

"A cultivator's meditation and gathering of Qi is like accumulating nutrients. When those nutrients reach a certain threshold, the spiritual root undergoes a qualitative evolution, which manifests as a breakthrough in cultivation. But if there is no seed in the body, no matter how much nourishment you pile up, nothing will ever sprout."

"Is there truly no other way?" Reyn asked, his voice tight with desperation.

"Another way?" Yu Meiren seemed to daze for a moment. It took nearly fifteen minutes of silence—just as Reyn was about to prompt her again—before she finally spoke.

"Throughout the ages, millions have sought the Dao. There are always great ancestors and eccentrics who hack a path through the thorns. To reach Foundation Establishment without roots... there is indeed a way. Tens of thousands of years ago, a certain Great Demon of the Path of Darkness created a technique for this very purpose. It is called—Spirit Swallowing."

"If you can find a blood relative of the same origin—someone who shares your direct lineage—and if they happen to possess a spiritual root, you can set up an array according to my instructions. By consuming their entire flesh and blood essence, there is an eighty percent chance you can seize their spiritual root for yourself. Once you have a root, with your current cultivation, Foundation Establishment would be as easy as flipping your palm." Same origin, blood relative... consuming their flesh and blood essence.

Reyn froze for a moment, then slowly shook his head. Even putting aside the fact that he was an only child with no siblings, even if he had them, he could never bring himself to commit such a heinous, subhuman atrocity.