"Yu Su talked about 'opening the senses', but many people didn't understand."
"What does 'Yu Su, the High Priest' mean?"
"What is meant by 'opening the senses'?"
Yu Su: "Within the human body, there are many acupuncture points and meridians, which I believe most of you Shamans are aware of."
The High Shamans of Lishui City nodded, acknowledging this fact.
Yu Su continued, "However, you may not know that some individuals have something even more extraordinary within their bodies, called 'spiritual roots.' Those with spiritual roots can absorb the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth through opening their acupuncture points. This influx of spiritual energy strengthens the body, typically resulting in increased physical strength."
Many people didn't understand what Yu Su was saying, but the clever High Shamans of Lishui City immediately grasped the concept.
Spiritual roots!
It turns out that there is something so miraculous within the human body.
Wait, according to Yu Su, not everyone possesses it. It's not something that everyone has.
"How can we trust that what you're saying is true?" challenged the Lord of Yicheng persistently.
Yu Su replied, "Spiritual roots are not something I claim that exists; they are bestowed by the heavens. It is a gift possessed by only a few individuals."
With that, Yu Su concluded their statement and nodded to the host.
The host regained their composure and quickly said, "A quarter of an hour has passed, and the winner of this duel is Heng Ying, the Chief of the Heng Family. Heng Ying will become the next Lord of Fengcheng."
Linchuan, being the first to recover, congratulated Chief Heng, "Congratulations."
Others who regained their senses began to offer their congratulations to Chief Heng as well. Chief Heng was overjoyed but didn't forget to express gratitude for everyone's congratulations.
The Lord of Yicheng still wanted to cause trouble, saying, "We do not accept this."
(Note: In the text given, the name for the Chief of the Heng Family is written as 衡英. However, without additional context or further clarification, it is not possible to determine the exact romanized spelling or pronunciation of the name in English.)
Linchuan's attitude hardened as they said, "Lord of Yicheng, I hope you understand that this is Fengcheng's selection of a Lord, not Yicheng's. The position of Lord of Fengcheng has nothing to do with whether you accept it or not."
After Linchuan finished speaking, the Lord of Yicheng's expression turned grim. He stared fiercely at Linchuan, who showed no fear in return.
Once just a small wizard in the Temple of Shamans, Linchuan was now a powerful shaman within the temple. They possessed the magic and power bestowed upon them by the gods, as well as the support of Yucheng. The Lord of Yicheng held no significance in comparison.
The Lord of Yicheng sought to find support from others, but whether it was the lords and shamans of other cities or the leaders of major clans, they were all more concerned about the spiritual roots mentioned by Yu Su, which could make a person incredibly powerful. No one paid any attention to the Lord of Yicheng, so no one responded to him.
The dispute for Lordship had officially come to an end, and Heng Ying became the new Lord of Fengcheng.
"High Shaman, do you know what spiritual roots are?"
As soon as the duel ended, the Lord of Lishui City couldn't wait to ask their own High Shaman.
The High Shaman of Lishui City shook their head. "I've also never heard of it before, but... this isn't the first time I've seen this kind of situation."
The words of the High Shaman of Lishui City not only caught the attention of the people of Lishui City but also the Lord and High Shaman of Yuecheng, as well as the Lord and High Shaman of Quecheng, who were about to leave.
The Lord of Lishui City asked, "When have you seen it before?"
The High Shaman of Lishui City replied, "When I was young, I encountered someone. That person was originally just an ordinary warrior, but one day, during a fight, they were struck in the chest by someone. After that incident, their chest became incredibly strong. Even if a big stone was smashed against their chest, it wouldn't harm them. Now that I think about it, their situation is very similar to Heng Ying's. It should be what Yu Su, the High Priest, referred to as someone with spiritual roots who unintentionally opened their acupuncture points."
Lord of Lishui City: "What happened to that person?"
High Shaman of Lishui City: "Actually, he was just a warrior from our city. But only his chest's acupuncture points opened up; his hands and feet remained unaffected. He got injured while hunting, and later, without proper treatment, he passed away."
The Lord of Lishui City expressed a regretful expression.
The Lord of Yuecheng and others wore thoughtful expressions.
...
After Yu Su spoke about spiritual roots and acupuncture points at the duel, many people came to him seeking information, but Yu Su avoided meeting anyone.
"Brother Yu Su, why did you tell those people about spiritual roots and acupuncture points today?" Yu Meng was confused.
Yu Su replied, "This matter will inevitably spread in the future. I am just laying the groundwork for now."
Lu Yan understood Yu Su. When Yu Su said something like this, it meant that he had a plan in mind. "Are you planning to tell everyone about cultivation?"
Yu Su answered, "I don't have that plan yet. I just want everyone to know about the existence of spiritual roots for now."
After completing all the busy tasks, Yu Su planned to establish a cultivation academy in Yucheng.
Yu Su had previously considered the idea of teaching cultivation methods, but realized it was too hasty and the timing wasn't right, so he didn't take any action.
Establishing an academy was a good approach, essentially serving as a disguised sect.
In the future, they could recruit disciples and impart cultivation methods.
This would not only strengthen Yucheng itself but also enhance the power of the human race.
Therefore, for now, Yu Su decided to introduce some concepts to let everyone know about these things. When the time came to establish the academy, it wouldn't be such a sudden development.
The discussion about spiritual roots and acupuncture points lasted for several days, followed by the inauguration ceremony of the Lord of Fengcheng.
Heng Ying made it quite lively but kept his support from Yucheng discreet. He had been privately in contact with Lu Yan.
Outwardly, no one knew that Yucheng stood behind him.
Because from an outward perspective, it appeared that Linchuan was supporting Heng Ying.
As for whether others would associate Linchuan with Yucheng, that was not Yu Su's concern.
After the inauguration ceremony of the Lord of Fengcheng, the lords of various cities gradually left Fengcheng. Yu Su, on the other hand, had to deal with business matters with different cities and thus temporarily stayed.
However, road construction was urgent and couldn't be delayed any longer. Therefore, Jian Yunchuan had already led a team back to Huangshi City to assist in road construction.
Two months later, the road to Huangshi City was completed.
The journey from Yucheng to Huangshi City was smooth and unobstructed, allowing for fast travel by horse, taking only a few days.
This was something that was unimaginable in the past.
Huangshi City was ecstatic. She Shi, who had been ousted from power, had been replaced by a new High Shaman with close ties to Yucheng. They no longer had to navigate difficult situations in between. Now that there was a road connection to Yucheng, it made trade and communication much more convenient. They could not only engage in commerce with Yucheng but also with the southern Barbarian Forest and the eastern Eastern Plains.
Meanwhile, Yucheng planned to continue building roads further north, all the way to Fengcheng.
"The marshes contain giant crocodiles that can attack people," warned the High Shaman of Huangshi City.
They had already witnessed the formidable power of Yucheng's road construction team, but they still believed that the crocodiles in the marshes were extremely dangerous, making it incredibly difficult for the road construction team to pass through.
Jian Yunchuan thanked him for the reminder, but they had already discussed countermeasures for this situation.
They planned to construct a passage above the marshes, with Yu Su drawing reinforcing formations on each pillar. To deal with the crocodiles' disturbances, they also established a cultivator patrol camp near the marshes, preparing to confront those giant crocodiles.
With the formations, cultivator patrols, and talismans, the crocodiles couldn't casually harass them.
...
After months of busyness, a passage above the marshes was constructed.
Yu Su used ore obtained from the Fox Clan, ground into powder, to draw formations with strong spiritual energy. The formations were not affected by the damp environment of the marshes, and even if the pillars were attacked by the giant crocodiles, they remained stable.
With the presence of the patrol camp, the passage above the marshes quickly gained popularity among the inhabitants of Huangshi City and the Bear Tribe Forest.
With Yu Su mediating, the relationship between the Bear Tribe Forest and the human race eased significantly. They began to venture out of the forest to engage in trade with humans.
The High Priest of the Bear Tribe, Chief Xiong Hui, even took a trip to Yucheng, staying there for a while. Upon returning, he praised Yucheng endlessly.
The people of Yucheng had already witnessed the presence of the Fox Clan and welcomed the arrival of the Bear Tribe.
After learning that Yucheng allowed outsiders to buy land and establish shops, the Bear Tribe quickly followed suit and purchased a piece of land in Yucheng to set up shops. They were prepared to transport the unique produce from the Bear Tribe Forest to sell in Yucheng.
It took less than a month to travel from Fengcheng to the border of Yucheng.
"I can't believe we arrived so quickly, and the journey was smooth without any troubles," the Lord of Yuecheng sighed. "This would have been absolutely impossible in the past."
Who would have thought that such a significant change would occur in just a year?
Now, they no longer regarded Fengcheng as their leader but instead looked up to Yucheng.
The High Shamans of Yuecheng and others looked towards Linchuan, trying to find any signs of discontent on his face. However, Linchuan remained calm, as if he hadn't noticed the scrutiny from the High Shamans of Yuecheng.
Yu Su had shown him great kindness, so how could he be dissatisfied with Yucheng?
Whether Fengcheng was the number one city was irrelevant and not important to him.
"We're almost at the city gates," Linchuan said calmly.