Chapter 67: Earth Spirit Root, Soul Transformation Secrets (Subscribe!)

"My perception range has reached twenty‑four zhang! The Soul Transformation strength has indeed doubled!"

In the training room, Xiao Zhangqing kept his eyes closed, yet his perception spread in all directions, and every move of Lin Ziyu, who was tending the spiritual medicinal herbs in the courtyard, was seen by him with crystal clarity.

Yet Lin Ziyu did not sense Xiao Zhangqing observing her at all.

But if Xiao Zhangqing were to "lose his temper," his Soul Transformation would exude a pressure that would instantly make Lin Ziyu feel an overwhelming force, possibly even causing her to faint dead away.

This is one of the advantages of a powerful Soul Transformation!

It's like when a Foundation Establishment cultivator faces a Refining Qi cultivator; without doing anything, simply releasing the so‑called Foundation Establishment aura naturally multiplies the pressure on the Refining Qi cultivator.

Besides enhanced perception that can be used as a mental‑level attack, the Soul Transformation has many other wonders.

The aid it gives to talisman drawing needs no mention.

For example, certain high‑grade artifacts or some magical techniques also impose strict requirements on a cultivator's Soul Transformation!

Especially after reaching Foundation Establishment, both the strength of the Soul Transformation and the level of magical cultivation are equally important.

"Divine Technique!"

Xiao Zhangqing could describe the first equipment effect of the Prison Dragon Bracelet in just two words.

After figuring out the first entry, Xiao Zhangqing immediately tried the second: Superior Water Spirit Root (optional). Once the Prison Dragon Bracelet is equipped in the inventory, Xiao Zhangqing clearly understands each effect's description; the so‑called optional means he can freely toggle whether the Superior Water Spirit Root is needed.

In Xiao Zhangqing's view, this is a very user‑friendly aspect of the inventory system, preventing the host from being forced to take the Superior Water Spirit Root when they only want the other two equipment effects, hence the optional setting.

For instance, if the host already has an Earth Spirit Root, equipping the Prison Dragon Bracelet would turn them into a Superior Spirit Root, which would be the opposite of the Heavenly Gang, making the equipment a drag! Likewise, if the host's cultivation technique is highly incompatible with the Water Spirit Root, even antagonistic, then the Superior Water Spirit Root certainly cannot be taken.

But Xiao Zhangqing clearly has no such problems or worries.

Because he originally possesses a dual Inferior Water‑Wood Spirit Root, and the cultivation technique Longevity Technique pairs well with the Water Spirit Root.

Therefore this second entry's effect is also a "Divine Technique" for Xiao Zhangqing—a perfect match!

The original Inferior Water Spirit Root jumped two grades straight to the Superior Water Spirit Root level! Most importantly, the previous equipment "Enlightened Path Cushion" also granted a "+1 Spirit Root aptitude" effect.

In other words, when Xiao Zhangqing equips both the Enlightened Path Cushion and the Prison Dragon Bracelet, he instantly becomes a genius with an Earth Spirit Root.

"Earth Spirit Root! This really is an Earth Spirit Root!"

Even though Xiao Zhangqing had long anticipated the combination of the cushion and the Prison Dragon Bracelet, his excitement remained the same.

Nanshan Fang has nearly ten thousand cultivators, the vast majority of whom have Inferior Spirit Roots and have no hope of ever achieving Foundation Establishment. Possessing an Intermediate Spirit Root aptitude is considered fairly talented and relatively rare.

As for Superior Spirit Roots, they are even harder to find; the entire Nanshan Fang might have no more than a handful.

Even within Foundation Establishment clans, a Superior Spirit Root appears only once in many years.

The emergence of one means that after twenty or thirty years the clan has a great chance to produce another Foundation Establishment cultivator, ensuring the lineage continues.

And the Earth Spirit Root is already a legend in Nanshan Fang; perhaps only one appears every few hundred years in the whole district…

At least among the current Nanshan Fang, including the two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Cao family and Mu Renjie, none possess an Earth Spirit Root!

"Bzz!"

When Xiao Zhangqing activated his technique and began cultivating, the spiritual energy in the training room was instantly swallowed like by a whale, converging into his body!

In his current residence, the Yishi Cave, the spiritual energy density almost reached the second‑stage threshold; otherwise, it would be unable to keep up with such a rapid absorption rate! At the same time, after the massive influx of heaven and earth spiritual energy, Xiao Zhangqing's speed of converting this chaotic spiritual power into his own magical force increased by an incalculable factor. In just ten minutes, he felt his internal magical power swell by a whole circle, equivalent to more than half an hour of arduous cultivation in the past!

"Is this what being an Earth Spirit Root genius feels like? It feels like the CPU was swapped out!"

Xiao Zhangqing, feeling the rapid progress of his cultivation, became somewhat addicted; if it weren't for the need to test a third skill, he wouldn't want to stop.

No wonder in the Cultivation World, talent surpasses everything.

If talent is lacking, no matter how noble your status, how powerful your background, or how many resource encounters you have… they are all wasted before a true genius.

"At this cultivation speed, within at most two years I should reach a fully rounded Ninth Layer of Refining Qi and be ready to assault Foundation Establishment."

Xiao Zhangqing estimated.

Moreover, most importantly, according to common knowledge in the Cultivation World, even an Inferior Spirit Root that achieves a great Refining Qi completion before age sixty, with the aid of Foundation Establishment Pills and other spiritual items, still has an almost zero success rate for Foundation Establishment; an Intermediate Spirit Root with such items has roughly a thirty‑percent success chance; whereas a Superior Spirit Root taking a Foundation Establishment Pill when assaulting the Foundation Establishment realm enjoys a probability more than double that of the intermediate, about eighty percent!

This is why, when a Foundation Establishment clan produces a Superior Spirit Root disciple, they pour all resources into nurturing them and secure a Foundation Establishment Pill for them.

Because a Superior Spirit Root disciple who successfully assaults Foundation Establishment before age sixty has a high probability of success!

As for the Earth Spirit Root, rumors say that even without a Foundation Establishment Pill, there is a relatively high chance of successful Foundation Establishment.

Moreover, achieving Foundation Establishment without a Pill makes the foundation sturdier, granting a greater advantage when later assaulting the Core Formation Realm.

Of course, Xiao Zhangqing is not certain about this.

Even though he now possesses Earth Spirit Root aptitude, when the time comes for Foundation Establishment he will still find a way to prepare a Foundation Establishment Pill for himself, just in case.

He temporarily restrains his emotions, pulls himself out of the joy of the Earth Spirit Root, and attempts the final skill, "Dragon Chant Technique."

This is the first spell‑type skill among the eight pieces of equipment Xiao Zhangqing owns! Moreover, it is a divine art that starts at the mid‑stage of Foundation Establishment and can rise to the Nascent Soul Initial Stage. "Dragon Chant Technique is not an ordinary attack spell; it is a Soul Transformation attack, a mental secret art!"

Quickly, Xiao Zhangqing grasped all the peculiarities of the Dragon Chant Technique.

Although the Prison Dragon Bracelet had long been shattered, its sealed Third‑rank Flood Dragon Soul had vanished without a trace, leaving no spiritual presence. Yet the inventory system restored a large portion of the Bracelet's inherent skills from the broken equipment! Indeed.

The original full‑version Prison Dragon Bracelet's most valuable aspect was its ability to use the Third‑rank Flood Dragon Soul to launch a Soul Transformation attack.

Its power reached Third‑rank Supreme; when used properly, it could severely wound the Soul Transformation of a late‑stage Golden Core cultivator. Now that the Flood Dragon Soul has disappeared, the Bracelet's innate Soul Transformation attack is naturally gone.

Thus the equipment skill provided by the inventory allows Xiao Zhangqing, via a secret technique, to amplify his own Soul Transformation's power, forming a method akin to the Flood Dragon Soul attack.

And to wield the Dragon Chant Technique, the minimum requirement is that the outward projection strength of one's divine perception exceeds twenty zhang.

"No wonder the Prison Dragon Bracelet's equipment requirement demands the host's Soul Transformation outward projection to exceed ten zhang."

Xiao Zhangqing suddenly understood.

His own ten‑zhang Soul Transformation, after being doubled by the first skill's "Soul Transformation strength increased by one‑fold," would indeed reach twenty zhang outward strength, wouldn't it?

Thus the minimum requirement for the Dragon Chant Technique is satisfied! Of course, Xiao Zhangqing's current Soul Transformation strength has already reached twenty‑four zhang.

"So, this Prison Dragon Bracelet equipment itself is already stacking buffs, huh?"

"But even though my Soul Transformation strength is twenty‑four zhang, it's still shy of the normal Foundation Establishment Initial Stage thirty‑zhang strength; how can I threaten a mid‑stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

Xiao Zhangqing did not doubt the skill description provided by the inventory.

Since even the weakest tier of the Dragon Chant Technique reaches the mid‑stage of the second level, proper use will certainly be able to threaten a mid‑stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The only explanation is that, once Xiao Zhangqing uses the Dragon Chant Technique, his Soul Transformation will likely be completely drained in a short time, directly falling into an Exhaustion state.

Therefore, this technique's lethality is sufficient; its effect when used will certainly not be weak, but it can only be used when absolutely necessary.

"It's equivalent to having a stronger assassin's awl."

Xiao Zhangqing silently thought to himself.

He possesses a second-rank low-grade Talisman Script; if used properly, it is already enough to threaten a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage.

Now he also has the Dragon Chant Technique; even when facing a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage, he has the capability to gain a secret advantage over them.

……

After the exchange meeting, Xiao Zhangqing's life returned to tranquility again.

The Mu family also didn't come to introduce him to a potential partner or cause him trouble; it seems they were angered by Xiao Zhangqing's arrogance and conceit.

As the undisputed first family of Nanshan Fang, with a Family Head seated who has reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage, there's no need to regard a promising first-rank middle-grade Symbol Master too seriously.

However.

Due to the relationship with Lingfu Pavilion and the Luoxia Sect behind it, the Mu family could do nothing against Xiao Zhangqing, but the business of the Lin family's Gathering Beauty was secretly targeted and suppressed by the Mu family.

Very disgustingly, right near the Broad Gathering Tavern opened by the two sisters, another tavern was opened, directly competing for business.

Even though the quality of the spirit liquor at the Mu family's tavern is not as good as that of Broad Gathering Tavern, relying on the Mu family's current prestige, their business easily overwhelms Broad Gathering Tavern.

In less than half a year, Broad Gathering Tavern's business had been taken away more than half, and its monthly profit had become negligible.

If this continues, they might even incur a loss.

Originally, Xiao Zhangqing's idea was to let Lin Zixi close down Broad Gathering Tavern and be done with it.

Such petty tactics from the Mu family pose basically no threat to him.

Without Broad Gathering Tavern's profit, the income from drawing talismans is enough to get by.

Moreover, Xiao Zhangqing already plans to find an opportunity to outwardly reveal his first-rank top-grade symbol skill attainment!

At that time, the monthly income of Spirit Stones can be doubled and more.

But Lin Zixi is unwilling to just give up like that, unwilling to simply surrender and admit defeat; instead, she has locked horns with the Mu family's tavern.

In the end, she actually managed to break through the Mu family's suppression and press down the Mu family's tavern! (End of chapter)