Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improved Spirit Rice

Chapter 12 Cultivating Immortality is Not Easy; Knowledge is Power

The air was filled with the rich aroma of books and ink.

When Zhao Cheng'an stepped into the room, he almost thought he had entered a huge library.

Books are everywhere you look. Heavy, massive bookshelves stand in the shadows, wall-mounted shelves cover the surrounding walls, and a spiral wooden staircase leads upwards in the center of the room.

Most of the books on the shelves were much thicker than a Xinhua Dictionary. They lay quietly in the shadows, looking down at Zhao Cheng'an as he walked in.

Zhao Cheng'an felt a heavy, oppressive feeling, like a tidal wave, wash over him, making him feel slightly suffocated.

This comes from the power of knowledge.

Most of the room was shrouded in darkness, with only a beam of light shining through the skylight, piercing the darkness like a sharp sword.

Beneath that beam of light stood a large desk.

Shen Yanshan, dressed in a loose gray robe, was sitting at his desk, looking down at an ancient book in his hands.

Hearing footsteps outside, Shen Yanshan put down his book, looked up, and sized Zhao Chengan up and down.

After a moment, he slowly spoke.

"First of all, congratulations on passing the Imperial Academy's examination. I believe you have already guessed some of the hidden truths about the Imperial Academy."

"This is no easy feat. In the hundreds of years I have served as the chief priest, there have only been a handful of students as perceptive as you. This is excellent. Because cultivating immortality tests not only aptitude but also wisdom. You have already proven that you are not lacking in wisdom."

Zhao Chengan took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"teacher……"

Shen Yanshan raised his hand to interrupt him, "I know you have many questions in your mind, and I can answer them one by one."

"The place we are in now is called the East China Sea."

"The area of ​​the seven kingdoms may seem vast to you, with a population of hundreds of millions. But in the entire East Sea region, this land is but a drop in the ocean."

"Within the Eastern Sea region exist various powerful and ancient Daoist traditions, which together form the Daoist Court. The Imperial Academy is one of the organizations under the Daoist Court."

"The purpose of this organization is to collect and cultivate geniuses with spiritual roots in the mortal world. After undergoing basic training at the Imperial Academy, these geniuses will take an examination and be assigned to different lineages based on their performance."

Zhao Cheng'an had some guesses in his mind.

But hearing these words with my own ears was still quite a shock.

Because he knew that the entire Seven Kingdoms region might cover more than ten million square kilometers. Even at full speed, it would take an ordinary person more than half a year to travel from Dayin to the northernmost Northern Wei, not counting any unexpected situations along the way.

In Zhao Cheng'an's mind, such an area was already vast and boundless, but in Shen Yanshan's tone, it seemed to be just an inconspicuous village at the foot of the mountain.

No wonder Lingwei told him earlier that he could only see the real world after pushing open this door.

This statement is absolutely true!

Seeing that Zhao Cheng'an had digested and absorbed the information, Shen Yanshan continued to speak.

"Although the Dao Court is composed of many Daoist lineages, these lineages are also divided into different levels."

"The worst are those second-rate lineages, which may just be Foundation Establishment families in some remote area, and may not even have a single Foundation Establishment cultivator in them."

"Above that are the second-rate, first-rate, and the most prestigious Golden Core lineages."

"If you want to go further on the path of cultivation, then you must seize the next few years to cultivate diligently and strive to enter a lineage above the first level."

"This is because only second-rate or higher lineages possess a complete cultivation and training system. Moreover, the Daoist court will provide these disciples with a certain degree of attention and protection. If a disciple dies unjustly, the Daoist court will even send someone to investigate."

"But if you unfortunately join a third-rate lineage, you will lose the protective shield provided by the Daoist court. At that time, life and death will be determined by fate, and most people will not fare well."

"Of course, there are some personal interests involved as well."

Shen Yanshan spread his hands and explained frankly, "If you can successfully enter a second-rate or higher lineage, then in the Imperial Academy's records, it will be considered my teaching and research achievement. At that time, I will also receive some rewards from the Daoist court."

"That's why I came here."

"Disciple understands, thank you, teacher." Zhao Cheng'an's expression calmed down as he spoke softly. Shen Yanshan's words were somewhat similar to the college entrance examination in his previous life, where grades were paramount and different lineages were clearly defined.

I just don't know what the assessment will actually entail.

Zhao Cheng'an did not immediately follow up with a question.

Because at this moment, Shen Yanshan had already stood up from the chair and led him deeper into the room.

"When a cultivator embarks on the path of cultivation, the first thing they need to understand is their spiritual root attribute. Spiritual root means your affinity for certain specific spiritual energies, and it will further affect the power of your spells."

"Only by choosing the cultivation method that best suits one's spiritual root attribute can one achieve twice the result with half the effort."

As Shen Yanshan walked, he explained, then pushed open a hidden wooden door and led Zhao Chengan to a basement.

As the two entered, the oil lamps embedded in the wall lit up automatically, and the dim light from the disc player dispelled the darkness.

A thin layer of dust covered the ground, suggesting that no one had been here for a long time. In the very center of the room stood a stone tablet about half a person's height, its surface smooth as a mirror, so smooth that one could even see a blurry reflection of themselves.

"This is a spirit-guiding tablet. You only need to place your hand on it and infuse it with your spiritual energy to determine the attributes and aptitude of your spiritual root."

Zhao Cheng'an did as Shen Yanshan asked, placing his palm on it and closing his eyes.

Gradually, specks of green light appeared on the black stone tablet, followed by a red halo.

Two colors of light intertwined and shimmered on the surface of the stone tablet.

Like a constellation of stars.

"A dual-attribute spiritual root of fire and wood, which is generally above average, not bad."

Shen Yanshan stood to the side, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face.

But it disappeared very quickly.

After all, it's already quite lucky to encounter a genius like Chen Heng.

He then explained to Zhao Cheng'an, "Besides the five most common elements of spiritual roots—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—there are three other rarer mutated spiritual roots in the world: ice, thunder, and wind."

"Just now, when you placed your palm on the Spirit Guiding Tablet, the scene that appeared was like a small cluster of stars gathering inside the stone tablet. In the records of the Daoist Court, such a phenomenon is called 'The First Gathering of Stars,' which is a standard sign of medium-level spiritual root aptitude."

"Among spiritual roots of the same quality, the more singular and pure the color, the faster the cultivation speed will be. The stone tablet in front of you only shows two relatively bright colors, so overall, it is considered to be above average."

"And you're really lucky."

"Teacher, why is that?" Zhao Chengan asked subconsciously.

The two returned to the huge study above. "Because I happen to have a cultivation technique here called the 'Yi Wood Rising Sun Scripture'."

"This cultivation method nourishes the body with wood spiritual energy and warms the wood spiritual energy with fire spiritual energy, allowing the spiritual energy within the body to grow continuously like plants facing the sun. Moreover, it allows the use of both wood and fire attribute spiritual roots."

"Cultivating this technique is in no way inferior to cultivating a single-elemental spiritual root of medium quality."

"The only drawback of this technique is that it is much more difficult to learn than ordinary techniques. However, since you were able to discover the hidden secrets of the Imperial Academy on your own, this difficulty should not be a big deal for you."

Shen Yanshan walked to a row of bookshelves, took out a thin booklet, and handed it to Zhao Chengan.

Zhao Chengan glanced down.

This booklet is very thin, and it doesn't seem to contain much content.

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he looked up and asked, "Chancellor Shen, if I learn everything in this booklet, will I be able to smoothly enter the field?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that Shen Yanshan had somehow climbed up the wooden ladder to the top of the bookshelf.

The old man was looking down at him, his expression somewhat strange.

"What are you thinking? Cultivation is not such a simple matter. Having spiritual roots is only the first step. There is still a lot to learn."

Shen Yanshan walked down from the top, holding an ancient book thicker than a Xinhua Dictionary, and placed it in Zhao Chengan's hands.

Then he turned around and picked up a second book.

Then came the third book.

The fourth book.

……

In no time, seven or eight thick ancient books, like a small mountain, were placed in Zhao Cheng'an's arms.

If it weren't for the spiritual energy he absorbed during this period, which strengthened his physical abilities, Zhao Cheng'an probably wouldn't even have the strength to lift these books right now.

Even so, he seemed to be struggling at the moment.

The muscles in his arms were taut, and the stacks of books almost buried his head.

Seeing his appearance, Shen Yanshan patted the dust off his hands with satisfaction.

With a half-smile on his face, he slowly said, "The booklet I just gave you can only be considered the table of contents of this technique at best."

"What you're holding right now is the core content you really need to study and delve into."

"Keep going, kid."

"You have a long road ahead of you. Becoming a qualified cultivator is never an easy thing."