"The spiritual roots are too mixed?" Qin Shouren was stunned, then exclaimed, "You can look inside!"
Lu Li concentrated, and his face lit up. "I... Wow!"
"What's wrong?"
"Nine... nine spiritual roots!" Lu Li looked at his nine-colored meridians, his face twitching. "I have nine spiritual roots..."
Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, and darkness—all present. Lu Li was speechless. No wonder he had to eat over seventy awakening pills. Could there be a more useless spiritual root?
"Congratulations, congratulations," Qin Shouren chuckled, rolling on the ground. "Hey, Fatty, let me tell you something."
Chen Zhong, who was practicing, looked annoyed. Hearing Qin Shouren, he said impatiently, "Just say it!"
"Okay, okay," Qin Shouren said. "Don't tell anyone, but… Mud monkey has nine spiritual roots! Hahahahaha..."
"What?" Chen Zhong was stunned. "I thought my seven spiritual roots were bad enough, but Mud monkey is even worse?"
"You have seven spiritual roots?" Qin Shouren said. "I won't tell you anything; my consciousness isn't fully condensed yet."
Lu Li heard their laughter, thinking they were heartless. But he wasn't too disappointed. Despite his useless spiritual roots, he could still practice, and he had the Time Palace.
No sooner said than done.
Lu Li sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and entered the Hall of Time. His consciousness instantly transformed into a figure identical to himself.
He stepped into the Hall of Time.
It was indeed a hall, but empty. A cushion sat in the center, and a scale stood to the left.
The pointer indicated "ten," representing ten times the time flow. Ten days of practice here equal one day outside. As the medicine garden on the first floor of the pagoda expanded, the flow rate would increase—quite magical.
The drawback was that only his mind could enter, not his body. While his practice would reflect on his body, his body remained outside, preventing him from using the Hall of Time as a hiding place.
Of course, there were advantages. He could practice openly, and no one would know he was using the Hall of Time.
Lu Li sat cross-legged and sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The Hall of Time contained no spiritual energy; he had to sense it from the outside world.
After several breaths, he "saw" a wisp of faint blue breath. It was manic, containing various violent attributes.
Lu Li realized this was the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He could sense it but couldn't absorb or refine it. He withdrew his mind from the Hall of Time.
Now everything was ready except for a cultivation method. Lu Li lay on the hay, wondering how to obtain one.
"If only I could leave… Joining the Qingyang Sect would be ideal," he muttered.
Dawn arrived.
A rice bowl was pushed in.
This time, Fan Zhengping didn't let them out. Lu Li's heart sank. Was his hope about to vanish?
Despite his disappointment, Lu Li ate. Then, he began experimenting with his spiritual consciousness.
Since he couldn't practice, this was his only outlet.
Seven days passed quickly.
During this time, Qin Shouren also condensed his spiritual consciousness and saw his first meridian. Like Chen Zhong, he had seven spiritual roots.
One day, bored, Lu Li remembered the strange plant in the Spirit Hall. He focused, and the scene on the first floor appeared in his mind.
It was the space he'd entered in the water.
The Three Treasures Glazed Tower's spaces couldn't be entered physically. When the Glazed Tower first recognized him, his soul was pulled into the first floor; otherwise, his body would have drowned.
The Spirit Hall's first floor could house living things if they signed a soul contract with him.
The green plant had grown to three feet, with lush branches and ten small green fruits. The fruits glowed and spun, looking otherworldly.
"What is this thing? A fairy fruit? Eat one and become immortal?"
Lu Li wanted to taste one, but it seemed unripe, so he refrained.
"It's been over twenty days. The old monster is probably coming back," Lu Li thought, withdrawing his consciousness. He looked at the window, worried.
His intuition was correct.
That evening, Zhang Song returned, looking weary and solemn.
Fan Zhengping, who had been watching for his master, was relieved. He hurried to greet him. "Master, you're finally back! I was worried."
Zhang Song nodded. "I was going to capture more mortals, but we were targeted by the Qingyang Sect. We must move quickly."
"Targeted?" Fan Zhengping paled. "Master, let's go!"
"No hurry," Zhang Song said. "I used a trick. They won't catch us soon, and they're just juniors. Besides, it's hard to find a place with earth fire. We'll finish refining these elixirs first."
They returned to the hall.
Zhang Song threw several packages onto the altar. A strong medicinal aroma filled the air. "These are from the young cultivators collecting herbs. See what's there."
"Yes, Master," Fan Zhengping said, sorting through the herbs. "Master, there are some I don't recognize," he said.
Zhang Song sat down wearily. "Draw the unknown ones. I didn't have time to check; I'll rest first."
"Yes, Master," Fan Zhengping said, drawing the herbs.
The acupuncture pill was a first-level pill for Qi training cultivators.
Cultivation realms are: Qi training, Foundation building, Golden core, Nascent Soul, Transformation, Division, Fusion, Mahayana, and Tribulation. Each realm (except Qi training) has four stages: early, middle, late, and peak.
Medicinal materials and elixirs are also divided into nine levels.
Elixirs have four qualities: low-grade, medium-grade, high-grade, and top-grade. Higher qualities are rumored to exist, but no one can refine them.