SPMT : Chapter 170

After walking in the Fire Path for two months, Xiao Jingting’s group finally emerged.

As soon as Xiao Jingting’s group came out, the originally boundless desert disappeared without a trace.

After walking out of the desert, Xiao Jingting saw an ancient city. Many buildings in the city had already fallen into disrepair, but some structures remained majestic and imposing, inspiring awe.

“Where should we start looking!” Xiao Jingting muttered.

Chen Xu said nervously, “I don’t know either.” Chen Lifeng hadn’t given Chen Xu much information about the inner city. Chen Xu couldn’t help feeling somewhat troubled.

Xiao Xiaodong grabbed Chen Xu’s hand and said, “Don’t be nervous. We’ll take it slowly.”

Chen Xu glanced at Xiao Xiaodong, smiled faintly, and his mood calmed down somewhat.

After reaching the inner city, Xiao Jingting was somewhat at a loss. The inner city had extremely many buildings. Most places had already been searched by people. Some places still needed restrictions broken to enter, but unfortunately, after breaking through, they often found the insides had been swept clean.

With more people entering the inner city, Xiao Jingting used his vast soul power to steal some information.

“There are twelve passages entering the inner city in total. Although they change, they remain fundamentally the same. The Fire Path is the most difficult path to walk.”

Xiao Jingting rubbed his nose. When they initially chose the Fire Path, it was because Xiao Jingting felt the fewest people would take it, allowing them to avoid some people’s surveillance. But after eavesdropping on other sect cultivators’ conversations, Xiao Jingting learned that the Fire Path had few people precisely because it was the most dangerous among the twelve passages.

Xiao Jingting suddenly understood why some cultivators’ eyes were full of pity and mockery when they chose the Fire Path.

“Logically, your grandfather should have been able to find out this information!” Xiao Jingting said somewhat strangely.

Chen Xu pondered for a moment and said, “Maybe… grandfather doesn’t want me to enter the inner city and doesn’t believe I can enter it. He probably thought I would retreat when faced with difficulties while still outside.”

Chen Xu was very clear that Xiao Jingting had secrets. Following Xiao Jingting’s group, everything had gone smoothly for him to enter the inner city. If he had really followed the people grandfather arranged for him, he would have died countless times already. It wasn’t that grandfather didn’t care enough about his affairs, but this secret realm was too dangerous, and his probability of entering the inner city was extremely low.

Xiao Jingting: “……” That really was a possibility.

“Doesn’t your grandfather approve of you coming in?” Xiao Xiaodong asked.

Chen Xu nodded and said, “Yes. I insisted, so grandfather let me come in.”

……

After Xiao Jingting’s group entered the inner city, they wandered around for two months with meager results.

There were many abandoned courtyards in the inner city. Xiao Jingting’s group casually found one, cleaned it up a bit, and rested inside.

“This inner city is too big,” Xiao Jingting said with distress. There were many courtyards in the inner city. Searching them one by one was really troublesome. Many courtyards, after great effort to open, turned out to have nothing worthwhile.

Xiao Xiaodong thought for a moment and said, “Father, I have an idea.”

Xiao Jingting looked at Xiao Xiaodong and said, “What?”

“Release the Golden Bees,” Xiao Xiaodong said.

Xiao Jingting thought to himself that Golden Bees were best at finding medicine gardens. Moreover, releasing those Golden Bees would automatically make them his eyes. It was indeed a good idea.

After entering the inner city, it depended on individual opportunities. Xiao Jingting heard that three senior brothers discovered a Hualong pill in a pill pavilion. It was refined from dragon essence blood. After eating it, one would have dragon bloodline, improving the hope of forming a Nascent Soul by twenty percent.

As a result, the pill immediately caused the three good friends to fight to the death. One died, one was injured, and one successfully won the pill. The injured one, unwilling to accept defeat, spread the news. In the end, all three died violent deaths, and the pill’s whereabouts became unknown.

It was said that two genius cultivators from Tianshen Sect and several geniuses from the demonic path broke into the inner city’s nine-story tower and fought fiercely. Nobody knew what they were fighting over, but without thinking, it was definitely something good.

……

After Xiao Jingting’s Golden Bees were released for over ten days, he lost more than ten of them, which pained Xiao Jingting considerably.

However, to Xiao Jingting’s delight, news really did come back. In a small courtyard, there was Xiling grass, but the few stalks of Xiling grass in that medicine garden had just sprouted, only about ten years old.

According to Chen Xu, Xiling grass needed fifty years to mature. Xiling grass below the required age was useless. Moreover, Xiling grass would wither within twenty-four hours after harvesting, making transplantation ineffective.

Although many people said transplantation was ineffective, with the jade pendant space in hand, Xiao Jingting still hoped to take a gamble.

Xiling grass existed in extremely small quantities. Having finally discovered a few seedlings, Xiao Jingting didn’t want to give up the opportunity.

The medicine garden where the Xiling grass was located wasn’t conspicuous. Xiao Jingting went around the medicine garden and transplanted the Xiling grass into his jade pendant space.

After the Xiling grass was transplanted into the jade pendant space, it successfully survived.

Not only that, but a pill formula for Xiling pills appeared in the jade pendant space.

Xiao Jingting then learned that consuming raw Xiling grass could cleanse one spiritual root, while if refined into Xiling pills, it could cleanse people with multiple spiritual roots into single spiritual root.

Knowing this, Xiao Jingting was overjoyed. Xiao Jingting had originally thought becoming dual spiritual root would be good enough, but since there was hope of becoming single spiritual root, no one would be satisfied with just dual spiritual root.

Xiao Jingting didn’t tell Chen Xu about obtaining the Xiling grass because he wasn’t sure if the transplanted Xiling grass was truly effective and feared disappointing Chen Xu.

Everyone said the inner city was full of treasures, but after arriving, Xiao Jingting discovered the rumors were somewhat exaggerated. The inner city might once have had supreme treasures, but after being scraped clean by generations of cultivators, not much remained. Or perhaps there were some, but they had no connection with Xiao Jingting’s group.

However, the Xiling grass in the jade pendant space was growing well. Xiao Jingting felt that once it grew more, he could refine pills.

……

As time passed, news of various cultivators obtaining supreme treasures reached Xiao Jingting’s ears. Quite a few people obtained opportunities, but Xiao Jingting’s luck seemed exhausted after obtaining the Xiling grass. He never got anything particularly useful, but even so, Xiao Jingting was still satisfied.

After staying in the inner city for a while, Xiao Jingting finally understood why some people could find treasures with perfect accuracy.

Some major sects had predecessors who had also participated in Tianxia Secret Realm trials. Those predecessors had entered the inner city. Some opportunities they encountered but couldn’t take away due to various reasons. After adequate preparation, they sent sect disciples to find the opportunities.

These predecessors’ disciples were well-prepared, had clear objectives, and possessed first-hand information, so their success rate was naturally higher than theirs.

Xiao Jingting heard that recently someone in the secret realm obtained Yingyuan pills. These could help Nascent Soul stage cultivators improve their cultivation and were items Nascent Soul ancestors would compete for, making hearts race and triggering countless killings.

Chen Xu sat on the bedside, swinging his feet, feeling somewhat gloomy.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Xiaodong asked.

Chen Xu shook his head and said, “Nothing.”

In the blink of an eye, they had been in the inner city for more than half a year. Chen Xu had been counting days on his fingers. Although Chen Xu hadn’t held much hope for Xiling grass from the beginning, seeing time was almost up, Chen Xu was still somewhat anxious.

“Thinking about Xiling grass?” Xiao Xiaodong asked.

Chen Xu shook his head and said, “No. Xiling grass is too precious. If we can’t find it, so be it. I didn’t hold much hope originally.”

Xiao Xiaodong snorted lightly and said, “Still saying no – your disappointment is written all over your face.”

Chen Xu lowered his head somewhat dejectedly. Having gone through great hardships to enter the inner city, but the harvest was far less than imagined, Chen Xu couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

“Here, this is for you,” Xiao Xiaodong extended his hand.

“What is this?” Chen Xu asked.

“Xiling pill,” Xiao Xiaodong said.

Chen Xu raised his head and said with surprise, “Xiling pill? Where did it come from?”

Xiao Xiaodong smiled and said, “Found it earlier. Thought it was an ordinary pill and put it away. Just found it now.”

Chen Xu looked at Xiao Xiaodong with suspicion. Xiao Xiaodong smiled and said, “Don’t worry, it’s not poisonous. Take it.”

Although Chen Xu found the pill’s origin somewhat strange, since the pill was given by Xiao Xiaodong, Chen Xu didn’t doubt its efficacy.

After taking the pill, Chen Xu began heating up. After a long time, he gradually recovered. Xiao Xiaodong had anticipated this situation and stayed beside him to watch over him.

“Passed out?” Xiao Jingting asked.

Xiao Xiaodong nodded and said, “Yes!”

Xiling pills really weren’t meant for human consumption. Taking them was worse than death. When Xiao Jingting took the Xiling pill, he was initially delighted, but soon couldn’t be delighted anymore, feeling life was worse than death. According to Xiao Jingting’s observation, the more spiritual roots a person had, the greater the pain when taking Xiling pills.

When Xiao Xiaodong and Xu Mu’an took Xiling pills, they didn’t suffer as much as he did.

After taking Xiling pills, people would fall into coma, but consciousness was actually clear – they just couldn’t sense the outside situation.

Chen Xu lay on the bed with sweat streaming down. Xiao Xiaodong fed Chen Xu water several times and watched over him carefully.

Chen Xu closed his eyes, his face somewhat twisted from pain, but the corners of his mouth were cheerfully upturned.

Xiao Xiaodong remembered seeing Chen Xu’s dream in the mine cave before. In the dream, Chen Xu thought about becoming single spiritual root, and Chen Lifeng was very satisfied. Looking at Chen Xu, Xiao Xiaodong thought: When Chen Xu wakes up, his dream will be realized. (At the end of chapter 131)

……

There actually weren’t many treasures in the inner city, but whatever appeared was top quality. With the secret realm’s closure imminent, the killings in the inner city became more intense.

Xiao Jingting took Xiao Xiaodong and Chen Xu to find a place and hid.

The heaven and earth spiritual energy in the inner city was very dense, perfect for cultivation. In Xiao Jingting’s view, those spirit pills and spirit herbs that others fought over weren’t particularly important. After all, he had the jade pendant space. As long as he was willing to spend, he could cultivate large batches of spirit herbs.

So while others pursued various high-aged spirit herbs, he pursued various spirit herb seeds and seedlings. Comparatively, seeds and seedlings were naturally much easier to obtain.

Xiao Jingting released the Golden Bees and his subordinate scorpions. Once they discovered any cultivator in the secret realm killed by restrictions, they would see if there were bargains to be had. Although somewhat unethical, for the sake of Spirit Stones, he had to be unethical.

When Chen Xu woke up, he discovered he had become single spiritual root and was immediately overjoyed.

Having become single spiritual root, Chen Xu was immediately satisfied and no longer thought about other treasures, following Xiao Jingting’s group in cultivating within the secret realm.

After becoming single spiritual root, Xiao Jingting’s cultivation speed improved rapidly. Before long, he reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. Xiao Jingting felt that after leaving the secret realm, he could attempt Core Formation.

Xu Mu’an’s cultivation also rose to late Foundation Establishment. Xiao Xiaodong and Chen Xu, relying on the dense spiritual energy in the secret realm, successively broke through to middle Foundation Establishment.

R notes : 

Reminder, Xiling grass ( “Spirit Cleansing Grass”) made into Xiling pill ( “Spirit Cleansing Pill”) helps multi-spiritual root people into single spiritual root

The cultivation system works on a “fewer roots = faster cultivation” principle

Spiritual Root Hierarchy:

Single Spiritual Root (Best)

• Fastest cultivation speed
• Easiest breakthroughs
• Highly sought after by sects
• Example: Xiao Fan (pure fire) – became sect prodigy

Dual Spiritual Roots (Good)

• Acceptable cultivation speed
• Still recruited by major sects

Triple Spiritual Roots (Difficult)

• Slow cultivation progress
• Very difficult to reach Foundation Establishment
• Example: Chen Xu struggles despite his grandfather’s resources

Four+ Spiritual Roots (Nearly Impossible)

• Four roots: “very slim chance of Foundation Establishment”
• Five roots: “basically no possibility of Foundation Establishment”