baiyuyi 38: Mutated Spirit Root

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Chapter 38: Mutated Spirit Root

Fusheng, Daoist name Sixty-Four Trigrams, broke out of his meditation with a jolt.

Although it caused him to break into a sweat, the jolt was purely physiological so Fusheng was able to treat this oddity with curiosity instead of terror.

“Hmmmm~? It feels like something has shifted in the expanse,” he muttered, stroking his chin in amusement.

Waving a hand, Fusheng brought his fortune sticks up to spin in the air, but he was merely playing with them as he performed geomancy purely through instinct.

“So a flame under Jupiter has mingled with water from under the grave,” he muttered, “Changing the threads of reality.”

For one person to change his fate, it will naturally act like a stone thrown into a pond, disturbing more and more people’s fates.

It can’t be helped that Fusheng, a cultivator who was closely affected by the truth of the world, would have physically felt the change in fate as the strings of fate snapped and reformed.

Fusheng was very curious, and very excited.

This wasn’t a very common occurrence, after all.

With another wave of his hand, Fusheng finally engaged the fortune sticks in order to divine the change in the universe.

Now who could it be~? Who could have gone through a cataclysm of life and death to change fate~?

—

When Laoban Song returned, he found Yuan Chenglei and Zhao Jinjing waiting for him in the store.

For some reason, Yuan Chenglei looked fully chastised.

Laoban didn’t think Zhao Jinjing had let her emotions loose enough to have scolded Little Cheng at this point, but it was clear that Yuan Chenglei was feeling quite guilty for worrying her one way or another.

Well, he deserved it.

Even Laoban could only frown, looking at the scorch marks on Little Cheng’s hands, running almost all the way up his arms to just past his elbows. Little Jing’s heart probably stopped when she saw him in such a state.

“What are you stopping for? Hurry up and go in.”

Oh, right.

Laoban’s elegant brow twitched a bit as he entered the store, allowing Gaojie to follow him inside.

With these two bigshots sharing a territory, it’s not like Laoban could NOT tell the Immortal Chef about the Flesh and Blood Devouring Array that had been placed on their land by opportunistic idiots.

With an emphasis on the word idiots.

The fact that Laoban felt that it wasn’t fair for him to be the only one who had to deal with the troublesome affair had nothing to do with it whatsoever.

To be honest, once you reached Laoban and Gaojie’s level, this sort of mischief was an annoyance at worst. Any problems that cropped up afterwards could probably be solved with a flick of either of their fingers, but they had to move because of honor or respect or something like that.

It’s truly the luxury of the top echelons of cultivation, for threats to humanity and the righteous path were mere annoyances compared to cultivator politics.

As the two bigshots walked further into the store, towards the alcove in the back, Yuan Chenglei seemed to shrink even smaller.

There’s no doubt in Laoban’s mind that Little Cheng still had no idea regarding the situation, but at least he felt guilty about it.

With a sigh, Laoban held out his hand.

“Show me your arms,” he said, with a voice filled with exasperation.

The arms Yuan Chenglei obediently held out were mottled and blackened from the inside, as if something had burned his veins and arteries.

Normally, such an occurrence should have destroyed Yuan Chenglei’s meridians, but they were actually fine, if still repairing themselves. It was the very visible scorch marks that were more concerning.

Laoban gently took Yuan Chenglei’s right arm and began taking his pulse.

Unlike many cultivators that specialized in medicine, Laoban was more than capable of measuring many things just by spreading his awareness through the beating of Yuan Chenglei’s heart.

Without irritating Yuan Chenglei’s meridians, he was able to ascertain the changes and fluctuations in Yuan Chenglei’s cultivation purely by the flow of his blood and the beating of his heart.

Only amateurs would risk sending investigative qi into the meridians of someone who has clearly had some sort of explosive reaction in his dantian; once Laoban had confirmed the stability of Yuan Chenglei’s dantian did he dare to send his own qi probing through Yuan Chenglei’s meridians.

Meanwhile, Gaojie had raided Laoban’s herbal stores and, with minimal direction from Laoban, was beginning to mix a concoction to ease the marks on Yuan Chenglei’s arms.

Food and medicine were two sides of the same coin. One could even say they were the same side of the same coin.

Although forming actual pills was somewhat outside of Gaojie’s expertise, there was no problem with him forming a medicinal paste that could be as effective as Laoban Song’s medicine.

Laoban was investigating his health, Senior Gaojie was grinding herbs, and Jing-mei was watching closely nearby.

Even though it should have been a calm silence, broken only by the sounds of the mortar and pestle, Yuan Chenglei felt very, very oppressed.

Finally, Laoban released his arm and Yuan Chenglei flinched as he gave him an unreadable look, expression twisted a little into a grimace, before sighing.

What? What did that sigh mean?

“L-Laoban…?”

Laoban Song just gave him another long look, before turning away and sighing again, much deeper this time.

What!? Is he going to die!?!

“Congratulations, your spirit root has mutated,” Laoban said, but the tone of his voice didn’t make that sound like a good thing…

“Spirit root… is that related to my elemental attribute?” Yuan Chenglei felt like he’d read it in a novel somewhere.

“Yes, that’s right. You remember that Fusheng divined your attribute to be lightning?”

“Yeah…” Yuan Chenglei suddenly thought of something and began to panic, “Wait, you don’t mean-!”

“No, you didn’t lose your lightning attribute.”

Whew! Yuan Chenglei might not have learned how to use it yet, but he would have been devastated to lose it.

Watching Yuan Chenglei breathe a sigh of relief, Laoban’s mouth twisted a bit as he tried not to smile.

“Then, your disciple grew another spirit root during the Heavenly Tribulation?” Gaojie asked, measuring the current efficacy of the paste by eye.

“Is it that common to grow another one?” Zhao Jinjing asked in surprise.

She had the water attribute, but she remembered her mother had an ice attribute. Although she was happy to be similar to her father, the desire for a little more power made her wish she had inherited the higher ranked ice attribute as well.

“It’s not really common, but it’s possible. There are various ways, like through medicine or rare treasures, but they’re usually quite painful and require quite a bit of luck. Growing a new spirit root during a Heavenly Tribulation is certainly possible, but that one is purely luck based,” Laoban explained.

“If the kid is lightning attributed, then did he gain a fire attribute?” Gaojie asked, curious about White Jade Wing’s oddity disciple.

It was far easier to gain a lower ranked attribute than a higher ranked attribute, not to mention the kid’s innate attribute was the higher ranked lightning, which was of the same branch as the fire attribute. Gaining a new attribute during a Heavenly Tribulation almost always followed the law of natural spirit root growth, after all.

But … Laoban just smirked, giving Gaojie a look that clearly said, ‘Did you really think things would be that simple? You clearly lack creativity,’ which was rather impressive considering only Laoban’s eyes were visible above the face mask.

“To think a living person could develop … no, to think ghost fire was an attribute…”

Gaojie: … (・–・。)

Zhao Jinjing: Σ(ﾟωﾟ;)

Yuan Chenglei: (◯Δ◯∥)

Now, Yuan Chenglei was a new-bee in cultivation like you wouldn’t believe, and he fully understood that he might not be aware of all the elemental attributes there are, but ghost fire? … Ghost fire!?

That’s not an attribute!!!!

…Right? He’s right, right?

“… Ghost fire might be considered an attribute ghosts could have, but there’s no way that’s the same as an elemental attribute for cultivators. In the first place, ghosts don’t have spirit roots.” Gaojie’s disbelief caused him to spout facts like an elementary schooler reciting his times tables.

“I think the more objectionable thing is that a living person is capable of producing ghost fire without an intermediaries,” Laoban said dryly.

It’s not he could believe it either, okay?

In the first place, one normally needs to be able to manipulate ghost qi to be able to use ghost fire, and to use ghost qi, one must be inherently ghost yin in nature.

While Zhao Jinjing had a maiden yin body and was inherently yin in nature, she lacked the taint of death to be able to handle ghost qi.

Living people just weren’t supposed to handle ghost qi! It was supposed to be like poison to the living!

And yet…

Laoban had no answers.

No, he had one answer, as unsatisfactory as it was.

Gaojie also had the same thought.

“His constitution, then…?”

After the ghost pot attacked this little disciple, then this little disciple had a breakthrough, and then he gained a mutated spirit root and the ghost fire attribute?

If anyone says it’s a coincidence, both bigshots would spit in your face! Theoretically.

Gaojie rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Laoban began to explain exactly what ghost fire was to his little disciple.

“Ghost fire has a lot of similarities to fire, but it burns without heat and can burn even incorporeal entities. It can’t be extinguished with water, but living qi can be used to put it out.”

“Burning incorporeal entities… so that means it’s really good against ghosts?” Yuan Chenglei asked.

“Ghosts, spirits, bodyless demons… things of that nature. Of course it can also be used against things with physical bodies, as the ghost qi in ghost fire is poisonous to living beings, but physical entities have some natural resistance to the ghost fire itself.”

Yuan Chenglei turned pale.

“That… if ghost qi is poisonous to living beings, then doesn’t that mean it would be poisonous to me, too?”

A valid concern. But…

“It seems that it’s not a problem for you.”

“… How?”

“How indeed…”

Well, that’s why Laoban said it was a mutated spirit root.

It seems like his little disciple would be … somewhat impervious to ghost qi in the future?

Furthermore… Laoban looked down at Yuan Chenglei’s hands and arms as he plastered them in Gaojie’s medicinal paste, circulating his own qi through the paste.

When the ghost pot attacked, it had torn through Yuan Chenglei’s meridians and corrupted them, but the True Qi that was unleashed shortly after had devoured the ghost qi and repaired Yuan Chenglei’s meridians, and … made them resistant to ghost qi?

It seems like… Yuan Chenglei might even be able to touch a ghost with no problems?

It wasn’t the same as the Ghost Hands that were developed by some cultivators that used qi manipulation as a barrier to allow them to touch the incorporeal fleetingly.

Literally, simply by circulating qi through his hands, Yuan Chenglei would be able to touch ghosts as if they were physical entities.

Laoban wasn’t sure if he was happy to have an oddity disciple like Yuan Chenglei, or if he was still upset about the scare Yuan Chenglei gave him.

He decided to settle his dissatisfaction by saying, “Ghost fire and being resistant to ghost qi. Congratulations, Little Cheng, you’re well on your way to being a powerful ghost hunter.”

“…! But I don’t want anything to do with ghosts-!!!”

Yuan Chenglei’s wail was from the depths of his heart.

Zhao Jinjing watched Yuan Chenglei with a bit of pity as Laoban wrapped his paste-covered arms in bandages.

“Um… although Cheng-ge put himself in danger again, we should still congratulate him for becoming a Third Stage Battle Warrior?” Zhao Jinjing cautiously said, trying to cheer up her pitiful Chen-ge.

She was a little disappointed that Cheng-ge had surpassed her and become a Third Stage cultivator, but she also knew he had been working much harder than she had, although it was mostly just because Yuan Chenglei had that ridiculous stamina.

Not to mention, his breakthrough had a lot to do with near-death experiences.

Well, Zhao Jinjing could only work harder if she wanted to catch up.

At her words, Yuan Chenglei could only blink blankly.

“That… even if it happened, I can’t really understand it…” he said.

It’s true that he felt the qi coursing through his now open meridians, and it was true that he felt much stronger than before, but going from nothing to something didn’t really help him understand what it meant to be a Third Stage cultivator versus a First or Second Stage one.

“I suppose that really can’t be helped,” Laoban sighed, “Since you didn’t even fully enter the First Stage before suddenly undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation.”

Having pity on Yuan Chenglei and finally feeling less spiteful about the scare Little Cheng had given him, Laoban finally explained exactly what the First and Second Stages actually entailed.

First Stage was reached after tempering the body and becoming able to sense and manipulate qi. Once you were able to begin opening your meridians, you would be considered a First Stage cultivator.

The First Stage focuses on unlocking the six fundamental meridians that allow a full cycle of qi throughout the body, as well as refining the dantian.

Only then could one move onto the Second Stage, which focuses on opening the twelve primary meridians. This cleanses the six major organs, as well as unlocking the eye, tongue, mouth, nose, ear acupoints, as well as the Triple Burner. The prenatal qi from birth is contained within the Triple Burner, and once the cultivator cleanses it, he is able to grasp the ability to turn qi into True Qi within his dantian.

Accumulating enough True Qi before the Third Stage will attract a Heavenly Lightning Tribulation, which is a confirmation that the cultivator is now able to undergo the harsh physical transformations of the Third Stage.

… Yuan Chenglei experienced none of it!

Except the Lightning Tribulation, and technically he was only really awake for half of that.

Gaojie raised his eyebrow and asked, “Did you awaken any abilities from unlocking your sensory acupoints?”

“Heh?” Did he what now?

Although normally Gaojie would assume that reaction meant the little disciple had not woken any abilities, right now he decided to look at his old friend Song for answers instead.

This poor little disciple was so in over his head…

“No, he hasn’t,” Laoban replied. He had definitely made sure to investigate any and all changes made to Little Cheng’s cultivation and spirit roots, so he was already certain.

As much of a shame as it is.

“How unfortunate,” Gaojie said.

“It’s stranger for him to have gained an ability when he essentially skipped from pre-foundation stage to Third Stage Battle Warrior,” Laoban corrected, “Anyway, abilities can also be gained through other means, so I’d hardly call a lack of innate ability that much of a loss.”

While the bigshots were discussing his lack of abilities, Yuan Chenglei had decided not to feel insulted and asked Zhao Jinjing about them instead.

Apparently unlocking the eye acupoint had the chance of unlocking an innate ability related to the eyes? The same with the tongue, nose, mouth, and ear acupoints with their respective abilities?

Frick, so what Laoban was saying was that Yuan Chenglei had rolled a 0/5 for abilities?

Yuan Chenglei couldn’t help but sulk a little.

He may not be the Heaven’s child or whatever, but he can still dream, right? Of course he was disappointed! His inner little kid was insanely disappointed!

Noticing his sulking, the two bigshots exchanged amused looks before Laoban patted Yuan Chenglei on the head.

“You may not have unlocked any innate abilities, but instead you’ve gained an attribute that was long thought impossible for living beings to possess. It’s far rare than any ability,” Laoban said soothingly, but Yuan Chenglei wasn’t soothed at all.

He didn’t want to be a ghost buster, ah!

After that, Laoban shooed his little disciple into his secret realm, preparing a medicinal bath to help him fully integrate the leftover effects of the Heavenly Lightning as well as nourish his meridians after they had been roughly and rudely blasted open.

Any further training to help him get used to his new meridians and True Qi would have to wait for tomorrow – besides, both of Yuan Chenglei’s arms had been bandaged into mummy arms, so there wasn’t much cultivation he could do.

Gaojie, who had been thinking deeply ever since Laoban had explained Yuan Chenglei’s new ghost fire attribute to him, prepared to return to his sect.

He had to inform them of what had happened with the Phantom Raisers, and also…

Gaojie paused at the door, his eyes glancing quickly at Laoban.

After so many centuries, how could Laoban Song not know what that look meant?

“…You’ve thought of something,” he said.

“Of course. I was listening to your diagnosis, after all,” Gaojie returned, “And I was reminded of an old journal Fangrou found in an ancestor’s hidden realm. It’s been a long while since I’ve read it, but I remember that this ancestor also raised a disciple who had a strange constitution he couldn’t decipher. This disciple also experienced a harsh bottleneck, only breaking through when he was poisoned nearly to death.”

Laoban’s eyes narrowed.

That did sound suspiciously similar.

“I haven’t studied the text thoroughly, and I don’t know if that disciple’s situation is truly as similar as I suspect it to be, but I will have one of my disciples send the journal over tomorrow morning,” Gaojie said.

“Did this esteemed ancestor ever find out what his disciple’s constitution was?” Laoban asked.

Gaojie shook his head.

“The ancestor gave up on finding out what it was and decided to name it himself. I remember thinking the ancestor’s naming convention was strange, but if your little disciple does indeed have the same constitution, I think I can understand the naming method after all.”

Laoban narrowed his eyes.

“What did the esteemed ancestor call this unique constitution?”

Gaojie smiled his thin, barely there smile.

“The Devouring Mirror.”

---

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<a/n: A bit talky but I had to, because there’s no way we’re experiencing a normal cultivator’s growth with Chenglei as our MC.

Anyway … I thought it would be hilarious if someone who’s terrified of ghosts was able to actually punch them in the face. Yup. That’s all I was thinking.

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