Chapter 31: Comprehension and Talent

Xiao Zhangqing naturally doesn't know how the Lin family sisters will talk about him, and he doesn't want to know either.

He hurried back home, didn't even have time to drink water, and as soon as a thought occurred, the Enlightenment Mat in his hand already appeared in the equipment slot of the inventory.

"First test what effect a +1 spiritual root aptitude has."

Except when he needs to divinate, Xiao Zhangqing's two usual pieces of equipment are the Talisman Master's Handbook and the Longevity Technique Jade Tablet.

Now testing spiritual root aptitude, he takes off the Talisman Master's Handbook and equips the mat and the Jade Tablet.

Buzz! Xiao Zhangqing shivered, feeling as if his body were stretched wide, becoming a perforated sack full of holes, his internal magical energy seemed about to pour out. But immediately, invisible energy repaired all the gaps in his body, like irrigation channels in a field being cleared and repaired, completing an upgrade that more than doubled the "veins" within his body.

But this enhancement is not an increase in cultivation realm, nor a boost of magical power.

Xiao Zhangqing could clearly sense that his internal magical power had not increased; his cultivation was still Qi Refining Fourth Level.

What increased was his compatibility with the world's spiritual energy! Perception! His internal magical power became easier to mobilize; intuitively he sensed that if he runs his technique to absorb surrounding spiritual energy into his body, the efficiency would be several tens of percent higher than before! For a cultivator, cultivation essentially means absorbing the chaotic, unordered spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body, then using techniques to extract, transform, and convert that spiritual energy into magical power.

And the speed of this process depends on two factors.

One is the proficiency of the technique, the other is the strength of one's spiritual root talent.

Technique proficiency accounts for a small part; spiritual root talent accounts for the bulk.

Under equal conditions, the higher the quality of the spiritual root, the easier and more efficient the absorption and conversion of spiritual energy into magical power.

"Is this what a mid‑grade spiritual root feels like?"

After adapting to his own change, Xiao Zhangqing felt a much higher 'affinity' toward spiritual energy than before, and without even trying he knew that converting spiritual energy into magical power would be far easier now.

"It feels… really great!"

It felt like an evolution.

No wonder even among low‑level Scattered Cultivators, those with a mid‑grade spiritual root are looked upon more highly.

Without personal experience, it's hard to feel the gap between the two.

It's also no surprise that the Cultivation World has a universally acknowledged iron rule: low‑grade spiritual root foundation establishment is almost hopeless; among countless Da Yu cultivators, only one appears every few hundred years.

While foundation establishment with a mid‑grade spiritual root is also fraught with difficulty, even at the final step before breakthrough, ten out of nine attempts will fail, but at least it's not rare.

"Let's test and see exactly how much the efficiency has improved!"

Xiao Zhangqing activated the Longevity Technique and began absorbing surrounding spiritual energy into his body.

After a while, Xiao Zhangqing opened his eyes, finely sensing the slight changes in his internal magical power.

"Efficiency has increased by nearly forty percent!"

That is, the cultivation effect that previously took him ten months now only requires six months! "And this is merely the upgrade from low‑grade to mid‑grade spiritual root!"

"What about a high‑grade spiritual root? Or even an earth spiritual root?"

"No wonder in the Cultivation World, spiritual root aptitude is the most important, surpassing everything! The cultivation speed of a high‑grade spiritual root is probably more than twice that of a low‑grade one! As for an earth spiritual root, who knows how many times stronger it is."

"Foundation establishment must be completed before age sixty; this condition is virtually nonexistent for cultivators with high‑grade spiritual root aptitude or above!"

"High‑grade spiritual root cultivators, as long as their early cultivation environment isn't terrible and they have ample spiritual energy supply, can achieve Qi Refining Great Perfection before thirty and strike the Foundation Establishment Realm."

Having experienced it himself, Xiao Zhangqing increasingly felt the cruelty of the Cultivation World. The so‑called class rigidity of his previous life, lacking an upward path, is far better compared to the Cultivation World.

No matter how rigid the class system, as long as one studies hard enough, chooses the right major and track, one can change one's tier.

In the Cultivation World, if one's spiritual root is inadequate, the path is truly blocked.

Not to mention the Mortal World of this realm, where over 99% have no spiritual root and lack cultivation aptitude.

"The Enlightenment Mat will be my core equipment from now on! Even if I later discover a way to improve spiritual root quality, or other gear that can boost spiritual root quality, until I reach an earth spiritual root, the +1 spiritual root quality function remains useful!"

Xiao Zhangqing calculated this in his mind.

Next is to test the second equipment effect of the Enlightenment Mat… comprehension boost.

"Let's try drawing a Cleanse Talisman and see if anything changes."

Comprehension is different from spiritual root quality.

Although spiritual roots are also unseen and intangible to cultivators, belonging to the deepest mysteries of the flesh, even powerful cultivators cannot explore them concretely.

But the limits, concepts, and grade divisions of spiritual roots are very clear.

Comprehension has no concrete divisions; Xiao Zhangqing even thought comprehension cannot be sensed specifically, lacking a scale to measure…

But soon, Xiao Zhangqing realized he was wrong.

Comprehension can not only be measured, it even manifests more clearly and plainly than spiritual root quality! "This feeling… it's like… growing a brain?"

His Cleanse Talisman proficiency had long surpassed the effect built into the Talisman Master's Handbook, but because his Symbol Path talent was very weak, improvement was arduous.

Even the simplest, lowest‑difficulty Cleanse Talisman progressed slowly.

Each time he drew a talisman, there was a vague, muddled feeling, like a poor student doing math homework, quickly becoming bored.

But today, under the empowerment of the Enlightenment Mat, drawing a Cleanse Talisman, Xiao Zhangqing instantly felt most of the previous confusion vanish!

His mind became unusually clear, as if the things that had trapped his brain were gone! Previously unable to find a direction for improvement, now he has ideas and thoughts.

In this current state, Xiao Zhangqing feels he can, in not too long a time, raise the Cleanse Talisman to the Great Completion level! It originally still required at least two years.

Now, it might even take a year not to finish.

"Why does comprehension feel a bit like talent?"

Xiao Zhangqing was delighted.

The double‑winged tiger brush that the Symbol Master Lu gave him, which he hasn't equipped yet, has an effect that boosts Symbol Path talent.

Then, when comprehension boost + Symbol Path talent boost stack, wouldn't he instantly become a Symbol Path Genius? Afterwards.

Xiao Zhangqing also removed the Longevity Technique Jade Tablet, tried to figure out how to improve Longevity Technique proficiency on his own, and found it much better than before! The Divination Technique is the same!

Xiao Zhangqing was stunned.

Comprehension boost turns out to be all‑round! Not just improving one aspect, but all cultivation arts; as long as Xiao Zhangqing can get the basics, future improvements will all have a certain bonus! Good, good, comprehension boost is basically +IQ, right?

(End of chapter)