Chapter 681: Unimaginable Cultivation Speed, Late Bloomer

Sang Jinghe left and soon returned.

He also brought back Fu Chaosheng's recent situation.

The day of return is near, but the specific date is still unknown; Fu Chaosheng still has many loose ends in his business in the North Sea that need to be resolved one by one.

Especially on the side of the righteous and demonic paths, he acted as a mediator for the war before, which was not as simple as eating and visiting; it also involved a large amount of cooperation between the Tianyuan Merchant Alliance and the righteous and demonic paths.

In fact, it can be seen from here that the Merchant Alliance of the Tianyuan Dao Sect in the North Sea is nominally governed by four Elders, but the Great Elder Shen Wandou obviously has a higher status.

Shen Wandou does not need to run around outside, just stay in the base camp, Shenyuan City, to manage the overall situation.

Unlike Fu Chaosheng and the other two, who are rarely idle and walk outside all day.

The reason for this situation is not just as simple as realm, but also related to the "family background" behind them.

The Fu family has been declining for a long time, and only Fu Chaosheng and the newly promoted Nascent Soul Fu Qinglan are supporting the facade.

Even if the Shen family is not at the forefront of the so-called thirty-six Noble Families, there are other clansmen in the clan who have been promoted to Nascent Soul for many years, and the family itself is powerful.

Because of this gap, it is reflected in the two people, Shen and Fu, who are outside: one is idle and the other is busy.

This is not that the capable do more work, but that the weak do more work.

Luo Chen did not want to investigate the real situation, and after learning that Fu Chaosheng's return still required a period of time, he suppressed the urgency in his heart and put all his energy into his own cultivation.

Using the power of tribulation lightning to temper the soul is too dangerous; if one is not careful, it is easy to damage the spirit and exhaust the soul, so he needs to control the degree.

The Great Soul Pill is still taken monthly, and the main energy is placed on the current cultivation.

According to the progress bar on the attribute panel, he roughly judged the current cultivation speed.

The result obtained, however, surprised him extremely.

Even if the full-level "Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Sutra" is only usable, as long as there is normal fourth-grade spiritual vein support, he can completely promote to the next realm, which is the second level of Nascent Soul, within ten years!

If there is the assistance of the Hongyuan Pill with huge medicinal power, taking one every half month and refining it slowly, this speed has a chance to be improved to seven years, six years, or even half!

Such a result completely subverted the common sense of those realms before Nascent Soul.

Nascent Soul realm, shouldn't cultivation be more difficult?

Isn't the doubled lifespan limit just for preparing for long cultivation?

Regarding this, Luo Chen was extremely confused.

"Could it be caused by my Fire Spirit Body constitution?"

"But those who can achieve Nascent Soul in the world, which one is not outstanding in aptitude and firm in heart? They want to improve a realm, but the time is calculated in decades and hundreds of years."

"Especially those who are older when breaking through to Nascent Soul, they cannot touch the threshold of late Nascent Soul in their whole life."

For this problem, Luo Chen still couldn't find the answer after reading a large number of classics.

This made him understand that without a famous teacher's guidance, without sect inheritance, and without fellow Daoist communication, even if he cultivates hard behind closed doors, he only knows that it is so, but does not know why it is so.

Therefore, Luo Chen had the idea of communicating with cultivators of the same realm.

Now there are quite a few Nascent Soul True Persons staying in Shenyuan City, many of whom want to join the Tianyuan Dao Sect and take the opportunity to leave the North Sea.

However, Luo Chen had no intention of making deep friends with these people; he set his goal on Zhou Yunshen.

It was not to bully the honest; among those who can achieve the Nascent Soul realm and start a big family, there is no such thing as "honest."

It was mainly because they had an "origin."

Because of this intricate origin, Luo Chen took the initiative to ask for advice, which would not only not annoy people but also bring the relationship closer.

Human relationships are like this; sometimes others really want you to ask them to do things.

After Zhou Yunshen simply settled his clansmen, he also began to frequently visit Nascent Soul cultivators in Shenyuan City, and facing Luo Chen's invitation, he went happily.

"Daily cultivation of Nascent Soul cultivators?"

Facing the question Luo Chen raised, Zhou Yunshen was quite surprised.

Luo Chen did not avoid it and said frankly: "I am a loose cultivator, without sect inheritance. I know very little about these common-sense things. I didn't feel it before, but the more I cultivate frequently, the more confused I feel, so I ask Fellow Daoist to give me some pointers."

Zhou Yunshen hesitated, but looking at Luo Chen's eager-to-learn gaze, he smiled freely.

"Alright, it can't be considered core secret transmission, just some experience."

After a smile, his face became serious.

"Before this, please release your Nascent Soul domain and try to contact me."

Luo Chen nodded, his mind stirred, and the Nascent Soul within his body opened its eyes slightly, letting its aura permeate his Purple Mansion to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

He did not add the means of melting the void, but simply fully stimulated the Nascent Soul domain.

Suddenly, a large amount of fire-attribute heaven and earth spiritual energy gathered, forming a crimson cloud on Little Qiong Mountain, as if it were a fire cloud.

At the same time, another two strands of blue and green spiritual energy surged rapidly, forming another Nascent Soul domain.

The two collided, and in an instant, the fire cloud was pushed back continuously.

From here, one could also see the huge gap between the two.

The two major domains touched and retracted, and Luo Chen exclaimed: "Fellow Daoist has profound Dao practice, I am far from being an opponent!"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yunshen was even more shocked in his heart.

In that direct collision, he could feel how solid the other party's domain was and how vast the heaven and earth spiritual energy pulled was.

Even if not as good as himself, it was far from what an ordinary first-level Nascent Soul cultivator could have.

Of course, on the surface, his expression did not show it.

After retracting the Nascent Soul domain, he asked: "Did you notice anything special about it?"

Luo Chen was stunned; what was different? Wasn't it just a simple domain collision?

But immediately, he seemed to realize something.

In the domain collision just now, besides the free spiritual energy attracted between heaven and earth, there was the magic power of both sides.

But in his perception, Zhou Yunshen's magic power was vast, but the gap between him and himself was definitely not the gap between heaven and earth.

The reason why his domain was defeated was actually the result of the combination of the cultivator's magic power and heaven and earth spiritual energy.

Luo Chen hesitated: "The simple comparison of magic power between you and me doesn't seem to be that big?"

Zhou Yunshen smiled: "It is worthy of being Loose Cultivator Huang, who can break through to the Nascent Soul stage as a loose cultivator; your comprehension is high, and you see the subtle."

"I ask Fellow Daoist to speak clearly!"

Zhou Yunshen put away his smile and said seriously: "For us cultivators, the simple comparison of magic power, unless it is a Great Cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage, the gap between each other is not big. The reason why there will be significant differences in combat when realms are different is because the gap between magic powers is multiplied in the process of using magic power to pry heaven and earth spiritual energy."

"The battle between Nascent Soul cultivators is no longer a simple magic treasure bombardment or fist and foot exchange, but is focused on prying heaven and earth spiritual energy."

"Whether it is the Nascent Soul domain or the true treasure that can communicate with heaven and earth spiritual energy, it is the embodiment of this means."

Luo Chen frowned, thinking carefully about what the other party said.

If understood in the quantitative thinking he is used to, it should be roughly one, two, three, four, five, six, to deal with the magic power quantity of each level of Nascent Soul.

The gap between one and two is indeed not big, even if it is one and five, one and six, they are all within the normal range.

But once it involves combat, it cannot be compared with simple addition and subtraction.

The magic power quantity of one, the heaven and earth spiritual energy pried, is basically only one.

But the magic power quantity of two, the heaven and earth spiritual energy pried, is at least two, or even three, four, or more.

In this comprehensive situation, it will form one times one, which is smaller than two times two, two times three.

If the realm span is increased, it will form one times one, which is far smaller than five times five, five times six, seven, eight, etc.

This is also the reason why his domain collision was completely not Zhou Yunshen's opponent just now without using the means of melting the void.

Following this train of thought, Luo Chen asked a few more questions.

"There is no absolute magic power gap before late Nascent Soul, and the real gap is reflected in prying heaven and earth spiritual energy?"

"Yes."

"Is there a way to reduce this gap?"

"Naturally, there are. High-level spells, innate supernatural powers, even secret techniques, constitutions, and the true treasures we often use, all can! As for the specific situation, it varies from person to person."

"May I ask, was that your full strength just now?"

"Hehe, I am old, and using full strength will hurt my muscles and bones. Besides, didn't you also hold back, Loose Cultivator?"

The extended topic ended here.

Luo Chen returned to the original topic, but was even more confused.

"For us cultivators, the most basic thing to improve the realm is the increase of magic power. Since the magic power gap between each realm is not big, why is the cultivation time of Nascent Soul cultivators counted in hundreds of years for a small realm?"

Zhou Yunshen pointed to the sky and said as a matter of course: "The higher the realm, the stronger the magic power, and the more heaven and earth spiritual energy pried. But the more spiritual energy pried, the greater the backlash, and the easier it is for the cultivator's Nascent Soul to lose itself and be assimilated by heaven and earth. Therefore, the more we advance bravely, the more we must be cautious, often combing our own magic power, and cannot tolerate the slightest negligence."

"But isn't there still the purple mansion barrier?"

"Haha, does Fellow Daoist not know that the purple mansion barrier originates from the evolution of spiritual roots?"

Luo Chen was stunned, and then suddenly realized.

Human cultivation requires spiritual roots, but spiritual roots are just a general term, and they are divided into three parts.

One is at the tip of the tongue, one is in the dantian, and one is in the essence house.

The former affects the sensitivity to perceive external spiritual energy, as well as absorption efficiency, etc. There are people in the world with lame legs and broken feet, but there are few high-realm cultivators with broken tongue roots.

The latter is not so critical, as long as the original yang/original yin is not lost before Foundation Establishment.

The most important thing is the dantian.

As the realm gets higher and higher, the dantian will constantly change, from the initial development of the dantian, to the dantian becoming a sea, and finally deriving the purple mansion.

Therefore, if you calculate it carefully, the purple mansion is indeed a product of spiritual root evolution!

Zhou Yunshen said the most basic things, and the truth was simple and plain.

"The fewer the spiritual roots, the easier it is to accurately perceive the corresponding spiritual energy attributes, the easier it is to absorb, and the cultivation speed is naturally faster."

"Therefore, single-spiritual-root Heaven Spiritual Root cultivators are known as the darlings of heaven."

"But that is only limited to before the Nascent Soul realm!"

"After Nascent Soul, spiritual roots evolve into the purple mansion, the fewer the number, the smaller the purple mansion, and the thinner the barrier. It seems more affinity with heaven and earth, but how dare we completely merge with heaven and earth?"

Zhou Yunshen looked at Luo Chen with a smile and asked: "You should have heard the most widely circulated rumor in the cultivation world, the cultivation speed of Heaven Spiritual Root cultivators."

Luo Chen said without hesitation: "Ten years for Foundation Establishment, one hundred years for Core Formation, two hundred years for Nascent Soul, five hundred years... Soul Transformation."

Speaking to the end, his tone gradually hesitated, but in his brain, there was a feeling of enlightenment.

Combined with the simple communication during the few days he traveled with True Person Langya, the problem that had confused him for many days was instantly solved.

Zhou Yunshen did not know that Luo Chen had already realized it, and was still giving a simple explanation.

"Single-spiritual-root cultivators occupied a huge advantage in the early stage. Even if their cultivation path has some waves, counting it fully, the age at Core Formation is only about three hundred years old."

"So young, distance to the thousand-year lifespan limit, can be called time-abundant."

"However, from the Nascent Soul stage to the Soul Transformation stage, it takes a full five hundred years!"

"The obstacle lies in the purple mansion barrier derived from Heaven Spiritual Root cultivators, which is too thin, and they dare not do anything brave and diligent!"

"Even at this realm, they dare not take too many cultivation elixirs. Because elixir poison will destroy the purple mansion barrier, making the already unstable thatched cottage leak everywhere, and the Nascent Soul will have no place to hide."

Speaking of this, Zhou Yunshen couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion.

Heaven and earth are fair, and the Dao is also treated equally.

How much convenience was given to you in the early stage, how much obstacle will be given to you later.

And if the cultivation is full of difficulties from the beginning, then after the realm is high and deep, it will be seeing the clouds and seeing the moon, and the road will be smooth.

His own aptitude is not bad, in terms of spiritual roots, it counts as double spiritual roots, so he could form the Nascent Soul at four hundred years old.

But in the next four hundred years, he was like walking on thin ice, once Nascent Soul sank, lost himself, and was trapped at the fourth level of Nascent Soul for many years.

This is also one of the reasons why the outside world thinks he is only at the fourth level of Nascent Soul.

Even if he broke the barrier later, he only improved two small realms.

Now at the age of eight hundred, wanting to rely on the remaining two or three hundred years to break through to late Nascent Soul and impact Soul Transformation...

Zhou Yunshen looked at Luo Chen with a bitter smile. He could feel the other party's youth, and also knew that when the other party was in the Wan Xian Society, he was only at the middle stage of Core Formation.

So young, and breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage so quickly, he thought it was a sect genius and family pillar.

Put in the past, he would think it was a sect genius and family pillar.

But now, he could only feel a trace of sadness for the other party.

Crossing the most difficult pass, only to find that there are still high mountains ahead, the heart must be extremely confused and desperate.

Taking the initiative to seek him for answers today, the reason lies here!

Feeling Zhou Yunshen's pitying gaze, Luo Chen blinked, but did not explain anything, but communicated other problems.

"Detaining spirits and sending generals, enslaving spiritual souls?"

"In this regard, I really know a thing or two."

"True Person Yuling of Wuzhong Valley is my good friend; his Dao name Yuling is enough to explain everything."

"Before, he told me some small tips, and after I explored them, I integrated them into the Blood Coral Array of the Coral Sea, and the effect was extraordinary."

"I can tell you a thing or two, but these tips vary from person to person. If you want to use them, you need to consider them."

Luo Chen did not expect that he asked casually, and the other party really gave him a little surprise.

Recently studying puppet art, how to control the powerful spiritual souls in puppets made him a bit at a loss.

The small tips shared by True Person Yuling, which Zhou Yunshen shared, gave him great inspiration.

After the communication ended, Luo Chen personally sent the other party away.

The two walked down the mountain road along Little Qiong Mountain.

At the time of parting, Luo Chen suddenly asked: "Fellow Daoist Zhou, where will you go in the future?"

"Future?"

Zhou Yunshen's aged face had a trace of confusion, and then he said firmly: "I must find a way out for my Zhou family descendants. I plan to go far to the Central Plains and join the Heaven-Earth Peak of the Dao Sect. You should also have this plan, right? At that time, we can support each other. After all, that place in the Central Plains seems to absorb powerful figures from the world, but it is also very exclusive. If we don't hold together for warmth, we might become consumables."

Luo Chen smiled; no wonder the other party knew everything before.

Repaying Black King's rescue grace is one thing, the superficial experience passed on is the second, and the real intention is to make friends with him to facilitate cooperation in the future.

Although he has no intention of staying in the Central Plains for a long time, having people he knows well to work together at that time should be safer.

Since that is the case, he should also return the favor.

Luo Chen shook his wrist, and a storage bag was handed over.

"This is?"

Zhou Yunshen was puzzled and did not take the storage bag.

Luo Chen smiled: "Inside are three low-grade defensive magic treasures, some made by my own hands, and some obtained by accident. I heard that the Zhou family's talents suffered heavy losses in the Coral Sea battle, so these things are given to those juniors as self-defense."

Zhou Yunshen hesitated: "No merit, no reward; this gift from Fellow Daoist is a bit..."

"How can you say no merit? The communication just now is enough to let me take fewer detours. These three low-grade magic treasures that are useless to me, I feel are still a bit shabby. Moreover..."

Luo Chen smiled slightly: "Back then, your Zhou family sent a batch of medicinal herbs to help me refine elixirs. At that time, I promised to tailor defensive magic treasures for the newly promoted Core Formation of your Zhou family, but later I fled to the Demon Sea, and this promise has never been fulfilled. Now, it is just a slight compensation. I hope Fellow Daoist will not dislike it."

Since it has been said to this point, Zhou Yunshen no longer twisted.

Just three magic treasures, really not very precious.

But defensive magic treasures are indeed what his Zhou family descendants are currently lacking.

There are really not many people left, and if they are damaged, he can't bear it at his age.

"Since that is the case, then I will be disrespectful."

Zhou Yunshen smiled and took the storage bag, then bowed and said goodbye.

After he left, Luo Chen's smile did not fade, and he did not use magic power, just walking slowly along the mountain road.

His confusion was very simple, and the answer was actually given by True Person Langya long ago, but it was too general, causing him to be blinded by a leaf.

With the combing of Zhou Yunshen, a veteran Nascent Soul, it was instantly solved.

"My purple mansion barrier, seemingly derived from a single fire spiritual root, is actually derived from five-element spiritual roots."

"No!"

"My spiritual root was also improved by the Plastic Spirit Holy Spring in the Mingzhaotian Alchemy Hall, which is extremely excellent."

"The purple mansion derived from this is unparalleled in the world."

"With this purple mansion's protection, when cultivating, I don't need to care about the influence of heaven and earth on me. At the same time, the Fire Spirit Body guarantees my perfect absorption of fire-attribute spiritual energy, so I can have such a fast cultivation speed."

"When the proficiency of the Hongyuan Pill is improved, and I refine medium-grade, or even high-grade Hongyuan Pills, my cultivation speed can skyrocket again!"

"Haha, I have been trapped by low aptitude all my life and spent countless resources. But I didn't expect that after achieving Nascent Soul, I would leap to become a so-called genius aptitude, which is really wonderful."

Luo Chen was in a very good mood.

Along with returning to the mountain, the progress of researching puppet art also greatly improved.

A month later, Luo Chen, whose state had improved to the peak, took out the Hunyuan Tripod.

His heart moved, and his spiritual sense locked onto the object in the tripod! ===== CHAPTER 682 =====

With a thought, his spiritual sense locked onto the object inside the cauldron!