Chapter 2: Breakthrough
At the age of eighteen, after five and a half years of struggling and scraping by in the Ruins of the Immortals, Li Guanzhuan dragged his weary body to Mount Joy, standing there as nothing more than a menial disciple. Even so, after rounds of selection, he was ultimately dismissed by the sect due to his inferior spiritual roots. As he was leaving, he caught sight from afar of that enormous velvet-blossom spirit tree...
Could it be that even then, the velvet-blossom spirit tree had already entered my body?
Li Guanzhuan's expression grew grave. Twenty-five years ago, the disappearance of the sect’s treasured tree had caused a stir in Mount Joy. Because of this, the Foundation Establishment patriarch of the mountain had long been unable to advance to the Golden Core stage, and now his life was nearing its end…
This is bad!
Li Guanzhuan’s heart sank. This was, without doubt, a grudge that cut off one's path to Immortality. If anyone discovered that the velvet-blossom spirit tree resided within him, wouldn’t that Foundation Establishment patriarch come to smack him to death on the spot?
But soon, Li Guanzhuan calmed himself.
At this point, there was simply no way to return the velvet-blossom spirit tree. Not in this lifetime.
One must understand, for a bottom-tier rogue cultivator like himself, he would be lucky to ever come near a first-grade spiritual vein, let alone absorb spiritual energy for cultivation. Without some extraordinary good fortune, Foundation Establishment was, for him, little more than an unattainable dream.
Now, with a treasure tree in his body that could produce spiritual energy, how could he possibly give it back? Not a chance!
Moreover, Li Guanzhuan could clearly feel that the pure energy born from the velvet-blossom spirit tree was slowly unblocking his meridians. With just a bit more effort, he could break through to the third layer of Qi Refining at any moment.
About an hour later...
The spiritual energy had expanded his meridians, storing itself throughout his limbs, gathering toward his dantian and sea of qi, transforming into spiritual power that nourished his flesh.
Li Guanzhuan opened his eyes, exhaled a turbid breath, and his face lit up with joy.
The third layer of Qi Refining!
He had been stuck at the second layer for twenty years, and now he had finally broken through to the third! This only strengthened his resolve. Even if it meant jumping off Mount Joy to his death, he would never give back the velvet-blossom spirit tree!
He pondered that he’d lived in Qing’an City for twenty years—if that Foundation Establishment patriarch could sense the tree, he would have come long ago. Evidently, as long as he kept a low profile and didn’t make waves, he would probably be fine.
“Next, I need to focus on refining pills and drawing talismans, cultivate diligently... and be extra attentive, striving to reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible!”
In the darkness, Li Guanzhuan gazed down at his hands.
Although he had lost a craft that was nearly a path unto itself, he had gained a treasure tree capable of producing spiritual energy—and a delicate young wife to boot. Perhaps it was a fair exchange after all?
He also began to suspect that his four-attribute, inferior-grade spiritual roots might be linked to that lost craft of his. After all, anyone who’s studied calculus knows—the more you differentiate, the smaller the integral becomes...
“But what is that pure energy produced by the velvet-blossom spirit tree? It’s like spiritual energy, yet not quite.”
Li Guanzhuan furrowed his brow in thought; the pure energy lingered in his limbs for a while, then began to circulate through his meridians, gradually transforming into spiritual energy, and finally gathering in his dantian and sea of qi.
“Forget it. My current perspective is too limited and my knowledge too shallow. Better not to dwell on matters of Foundation Establishment or Golden Core for now. When I reach those realms, I’ll worry about it then—no need to disturb my Dao heart.”
Li Guanzhuan smiled faintly, then looked over at Wen Rongxin, who was already fast asleep, and felt a surge of emotion.
Perhaps the heavens had shown mercy, granting two struggling souls at the bottom a glimmer of hope for survival, and even the chance to tread the path of immortality they had dreamed of.
Moreover, Wen Rongxin deserved some credit for awakening the velvet-blossom spirit tree. After all, the tree’s other name was “Silk Harmony.” If husband and wife were not of one mind, the pure energy within the tree might never have appeared.
Thinking back to their love at first sight in the teahouse, and the days of intimate companionship since, Li Guanzhuan couldn’t help but marvel at the mysterious workings of fate—truly unfathomable and wondrous beyond words.
Before getting dressed, Li Guanzhuan couldn’t help but sigh again.
How could he have inferior four-attribute spiritual roots? Clearly, he possessed the finest water spiritual root—hmph.
He sat cross-legged and meditated for another hour, feeling his mind clear and bright, before finally falling asleep with his dainty wife in his arms.
...
The next morning.
Perhaps she was still exhausted from the previous night; Wen Rongxin woke in a daze, found a hand resting on her, and gently moved it under the quilt.
She crept to the edge of the bed, glanced at the still-sleeping Li Guanzhuan, and felt a calm contentment. A rosy smile appeared on her delicate face, two adorable dimples forming at her cheeks.
She slipped on her shoes, and as she stood to leave, she gave a soft exclamation and stumbled forward.
At that moment, a warm hand caught her and pulled her into a gentle embrace.
Looking up, Wen Rongxin saw a handsome face grinning at her, and immediately blushed, burying her face shyly in his chest without a word.
Li Guanzhuan knew she was bashful and tender-hearted. If he teased her any further, she might not dare look at him all day.
“Lie in bed a while longer,” he said gently, settling her back under the covers. “I’ll make breakfast. Wait until you feel better before getting up.”
“I—I’m a martial artist, I’ll recover quickly...” Wen Rongxin mumbled from under the quilt, “You go practice, I’ll cook breakfast for you.”
“Just rest. Even half an hour will do. A martial artist’s body can hardly endure a cultivator’s... enthusiasm,” Li Guanzhuan replied.
“Oh.” Wen Rongxin peeked out from under the blanket, her large almond eyes pleading for permission to get up and help.
“Rest well,” he insisted. “Tonight, I’ll need to be extra attentive again, so be good.”
Wen Rongxin blinked in confusion—just what did her husband mean by being attentive?
After Li Guanzhuan left, Wen Rongxin quietly wished for time to pass quickly. The moment half an hour was up, she got up, tidied the bed, and went to the main room, only to find Li Guanzhuan had already made breakfast.
Two bowls of noodles, one big and one small, six boiled eggs, three large steamed buns, and a glass of warm spirit-cow milk.
“Why is there milk?” Wen Rongxin asked, puzzled.
She was sure there hadn’t been any at home.
“I bought some,” he replied.
“It’s expensive...” Wen Rongxin said, her heart aching. She knew he had bought it for her.
Li Guanzhuan smiled. “It’s nothing. Today I’ll be refining pills and drawing talismans. With the recovery pills and protective charms I’ve made these days, I should be able to earn about eight low-grade spirit stones.”
“It’s still a lot...” Wen Rongxin lowered her head, her voice tinged with guilt.
She knew the prices: a cup of this spirit-infused milk cost at least five taels of spirit sand—half a low-grade spirit stone.
“Eat up before it gets cold,” Li Guanzhuan urged, pushing the large bowl of noodles toward her and taking the small one for himself.
With spiritual energy to replenish his strength, he could eat less grain. Once he attained Foundation Establishment, his need for food would diminish even further.
But Wen Rongxin still needed to train her body, and food was not something she could skimp on.
“I’ll eat less in the future, so you won’t have to work so hard,” Wen Rongxin said, looking up at him, her almond eyes earnest.
Li Guanzhuan, eating as he spoke, replied, “Don’t worry. These hard days won’t last long. Once my cultivation improves, we’ll eat whatever we want—no need to scrimp. For now, just be good, eat your fill, and put your energy into your martial training.”
“In short, your body is the foundation of everything. Remember that,” he concluded.
Wen Rongxin seemed to understand, her cheeks flushing as she stammered, “But, but...”
Li Guanzhuan picked up an egg, peeled it, and interrupted with a smile, “No buts. Only if you are healthy and strong will my own fortune improve. Besides, I’m a cultivator—most of my energy comes from spiritual power. Food means little to me. Only when you’ve trained your body to be as tough as bronze or iron will our life together truly get better. Understand?”
He placed the peeled egg in her bowl and said seriously, “My dear, don’t repeat these words to anyone. Not a soul.”
“I—I know,” Wen Rongxin replied with a rosy blush.
“Hurry and eat.”
“Alright.”
...
After breakfast, Li Guanzhuan went to the cultivation room.
It served as his place for cultivation, alchemy, and talisman-making. There was no choice—poverty allowed for nothing more.
He took out a talisman brush, a small bottle of spirit-blood cinnabar, and ten slips of first-grade talisman paper, then stilled his mind and focused his consciousness on the brush.
Magical power flared from the tip as he swiftly traced spiritual patterns onto the paper, his brush moving like a dragon or serpent, never pausing for an instant.
As he neared completion, Li Guanzhuan suddenly felt a lightness within, and, following that feeling, continued to trace the patterns.
A moment later, a faint yellow glow appeared on the paper, then faded away.
“A mid-grade first-rank talisman!”
Li Guanzhuan wiped the sweat from his brow. Though the process consumed much of his magical power, he had genuinely drawn a mid-grade first-rank talisman!
A low-grade first-rank protective charm could fetch a single low-grade spirit stone on the market.
But a mid-grade one could fetch eight!
The same price as a recovery pill.
“Could it be thanks to that pure energy?” Li Guanzhuan wondered if the mysterious energy from the velvet-blossom spirit tree had also enhanced his talisman-crafting skills.
“I’ll rest for a bit, then draw a few more charms. Tomorrow, I’ll see if my alchemy skills have improved...”
He sat down cross-legged, eyes closed, regulating his breath.
After wasting three slips of talisman paper, his second mid-grade first-rank charm succeeded.
By the end of the day, he had made four mid-grade first-rank protective charms.
Night fell, and it began to rain gently.
Li Guanzhuan cultivated, while Wen Rongxin thoughtfully wiped the sweat from his brow.
Outside, the rain pattered down, turning the ground to mud, as if the heavenly streets were bathed in a fine, nourishing drizzle, the spring tide coming in with the evening rain.
And finally...
The rain slipped in quietly through the night, moistening all things in silence.