Crisp footsteps echoed through the narrow passageway. With a cultivator's control, such distinct sounds should not have existed. The visitor's cultivation was far beyond what Luo Chen's spirit consciousness could detect, which made the deliberate nature of the sound all the more apparent. It was not a careless mistake but a deliberate gesture of courtesy and respect, a way to inform him that she had arrived.
Luo Chen opened his eyes and slipped the jade thumb ring onto his left thumb. He then waited quietly for the visitor to appear.
Before long, a graceful figure emerged before him. Although he had seen her more than ten times over the past three years, each encounter still filled him with silent awe. He could not help but marvel that such beauty existed in the world. She seemed like the cold spirit of ice, a presence to be admired from afar and never taken lightly.
Yet the faint smile on her lips softened that cold perfection. It carried a gentle warmth, like that of a spring sprite dancing through the snow, drawing others close before they even realized it. The contrast between cold detachment and quiet tenderness created an allure that was difficult to resist.
However, her solid cultivation poured cold water over his thoughts. The oppressive might of a late-stage Adept pressed against him like an icy wave, quelling any stray thoughts that dared to arise.
Luo Chen clasped his fists and said, "Greeting, Fairy Ice Torrent!"
"There is no need for such formality," Ice Torrent replied with a gentle smile. "You've long been an elder of my Ice Fortress. Like Ruthless and Light Frost, you may simply call me Senior Sister."
Lit up by her smile, even the frigid Ice Prison seemed to warm by a few degrees.
"I..." Luo Chen hesitated briefly, unsure how to respond. The intent behind her words was unmistakable. Referring to him as an "Ice Fortress elder," omitting the word "guest," was a clear gesture of inclusion. Asking him to address her as Senior Sister, crossing boundaries of cultivation and seniority, drew them even closer. If he accepted that address, his bond with the Ice Fortress would become far deeper, nearly equivalent to being born of their lineage. Was that really wise?
But under her calm and gentle gaze, Luo Chen's brief hesitation faded away. He bowed slightly and said, "Senior Sister Ice Torrent."
"Good. Very good," she replied with a smile that grew even more radiant.
She studied him carefully, her gaze lingering for a moment on his gray hair. After a while, she nodded slowly.
She said, "Not bad. It seems you gained greatly this time."
Luo Chen gave a bitter smile and said, "The gains were great, but the losses were great as well."
During that battle, the Blazing Fire Miasma he had cultivated for years had been destroyed. The Lightning Immortal Pearl, a weapon powerful enough to threaten Adepts, had been used up. On top of that, he had lost a full hundred years of lifespan. The first two things were bearable, but the latter was the greatest loss he had ever suffered since embarking on the path of cultivation.
In return, he had gained revenge, a measure of renown, the Withering-Flourishing Fire, and the inheritance of a mid-stage Adept. Yet the first two were intangible; the fire had only just been refined, and its uses were still unknown; as for the inheritance, he still hadn't gotten to it yet, and he could not make immediate use of it.
However, Ice Torrent said softly, "What you lost were external things. You have shattered your Heart Devil and fulfilled your desire for vengeance. With your heart now free of obsession, your thoughts flow unimpeded. Before reaching the Golden Core Realm, you will face no further obstacles in your state of mind. The path toward the Golden Core has opened to you."
Luo Chen tilted his head in surprise. Thoughts flowing unimpeded? That's a thing?
Indeed, when he reflected on the mental obstacles she mentioned, a faint sense of realization stirred within him, though it remained elusive.
Ice Torrent noticed his confusion and spoke in a gentle voice. "When I treated your injuries earlier, I examined your aptitude."
"It's poor, isn't it?" Luo Chen asked without thinking.
However, Ice Torrent immediately shook her head. "Not at all. In fact, it's very good."
Luo Chen was startled, and he asked instinctively, "Does it have to do with the Five Elements Divine Sect's claim that five-element spirit roots also count as a form of genius?"
Ice Torrent gave him a look of surprise. "I did not expect you to know of such secrets. Yes, it is indeed related to that."
Luo Chen frowned slightly. "The five-element spirit root cultivates ridiculously slowly, not just three or five times slower than other roots, but ten or even twenty times slower. How could that possibly be called genius aptitude?"
In truth, this was also something that left many rogue cultivators in the immortal world perplexed. Even the Five Elements Divine Sect, which had long circulated this claim, had never produced any truly powerful five-spirit-root prodigies. The rumor only said that their founding ancestor had possessed five spirit roots and had created secret methods capable of developing such potential.
As Luo Chen struggled to understand, Ice Torrent shook her head with a smile. "In truth, sometimes slowness can be a blessing."
She noticed that the doubt in his eyes had not faded. After thinking for a moment, she said softly, "Let me give you an analogy."
"I will listen carefully," Luo Chen replied with a respectful bow. He steadied his thoughts, determined not to overlook a single detail in her words.
For many years, Luo Chen had cultivated entirely on his own. Wang Yuan was both mentor and friend, yet his advice had been limited to the path of Physique Refinement. When it came to the cultivation of qi, Luo Chen had to rely solely on his own exploration and whatever insights he could get his hands on. Such was the plight of a rogue cultivator without the backing of a sect or family. Without the direction of experienced and far-sighted seniors, every step forward was a matter of trial and error.
Under Luo Chen's attentive gaze, the tall and graceful Adept Ice Torrent began to speak, her voice calm and steady. "Spirit roots are what separate cultivators from mortals. Only with spirit roots can one embark on the path of cultivation. Those blessed with a single spiritual root, also known as the heavenly spirit roots, are like solitary peaks piercing the clouds, touching the heavens themselves.[1] They are favored by heaven itself, so their cultivation naturally proceeds without a hitch. Until they reach the Divine Transformation Realm their path is smooth and unimpeded."
Luo Chen nodded slightly. The description aligned perfectly with his own impression of cultivators who possessed heavenly spirit roots. In principle, it only took them ten years to reach Foundation Establishment, a hundred to form the Golden Core, two hundred to condense the Nascent Soul, and five hundred to ascend to Divine Transformation.
It was fast. Terrifyingly so. Considering that such cultivators required no pills or external aids throughout the process, their speed was nothing short of fearsome. Truly, they were the favored children of the heavens and truly blessed by destiny.
"Beyond the heavenly spirit root," Ice Torrent continued, "the most common are those with dual or triple spirit roots. These people may be like fine trees nourished by rain and dew, blazing flames that burn fiercely, or vast rivers and lakes surging endlessly forward. In any case, their cultivation speed is steady and not slow.
"Yet precisely because these roots are so common, they draw little attention. Their growth and progress are largely similar to one another. It is like... If you see a mountain soaring into the clouds, you would stop to admire it. But if there is merely a fine tree growing well before you, would you linger for long?"
Luo Chen shook his head. The instinct to look toward the grand and lofty was part of human nature. Ordinary trees and flowers rarely drew notice. Perhaps that was proof of the favoritism of the Heavenly Dao. Of course, if those ordinary plants were to evolve into rare and wondrous spirit herbs, they too could capture the world's attention. But whether on the smaller or greater scale, the Heavenly Dao always sought balance; thus, such "ordinary" things abounded.
Ice Torrent smiled faintly and continued, "Beyond the five common elemental roots, there are those born with special affinities. For example, Ruthless, Light Frost, Icesoul, and I all share a natural attunement to ice and snow. Such constitutions are known as variant spirit roots. Those born with such affinities find their cultivation progress remarkable under the right conditions and suitable techniques."
Luo Chen pondered for a moment before voicing his thoughts. "It sounds like your boat has a very specific type of sail. Normally it doesn't do you any good, but as long as you can find the specific favorable wind, you can overtake boats that normally go faster."
"Exactly. With favorable winds, we can move much faster than others. Moreover, those with variant spirit roots not only progress quickly in cultivation but also tend to have good combat ability."
"Then what about someone like me, who possesses all five elemental roots?"
Ice Torrent's expression grew slightly more solemn. "The five-element root, in our eyes, is like a piece of land."
"Land?" Luo Chen frowned in confusion. "What kind of land?"
"A land that can give rise to all things," she replied softly.
The answer left him momentarily stunned.
Ice Torrent continued, "It may sound exaggerated, but it is the truth. Everything in this world is composed of the five elements. And since that is the case, then a cultivator with five elemental roots is, in essence, one who can contain the essence of all creation."
Luo Chen tilted his head, clearly not convinced.
"In the beginning," she went on, "such land is barren and untilled. It's practically useless, unable to nurture growth and bear fruit. Yet if it is carefully cultivated and tended to, it can become fertile soil capable of sustaining life. With continued care, it can even grow vast enough to sustain nations."
Luo Chen fell into thought.
"If nurtured properly, this land will one day grow into a vast continent," Ice Torrent said gently. "Think about it, a foundation as broad and stable as a continent. Would that not be the mark of true genius?"
With that, Luo Chen truly began to take the discussion seriously.