In Qingzhou’s Cultivation World, Nine Serenity Mountain Range, Bifeng Mountain.
A white-bearded old man descended from the mountain peak in a hurry; his steps seemed unhurried, yet with each leisurely stride, he covered over ten meters.
The old man was none other than Gu Wanhao, a Foundation Establishment Stage expert of the Gu Family, a Cultivation Family in this area. With a joyful expression, he reached the foot of the mountain, took out a Flying Sword from a Storage Pouch at his waist, stood on it, and swiftly departed, leaving only a faint red afterglow in the sky.
Gu Wanhao traveled eastward, and a quarter of an hour later, he arrived at his destination—Yuqing Town.
Yuqing Town was where the Gu Family’s Mortal clansmen resided. The Gu Family had a total of seven such towns and villages, with a combined population of over one million people.
The reason Gu Wanhao came to Yuqing Town was that one of his beloved grandsons was about to celebrate his birthday. Gu Wanhao valued Family ties, and since he had no urgent matters to attend to, he naturally wouldn't miss his grandson's birthday.
Gu Wanhao flew directly into the courtyard of a house with black tiles and vermilion eaves. Unexpectedly, a young maid was shirking her duties in the courtyard. After her initial surprise at the sudden appearance of the old man, the young maid immediately knelt down.
“Greetings, Immortal! I apologize for not welcoming you sooner. Please forgive me, Immortal!”
Gu Wanhao stroked his beard.
“No need to panic. Where is my son, Gu Shan?”
The young maid dared not look up and respectfully replied:
“Master is in the study.”
The old man flicked his wide sleeve and vanished from the spot.
In the study, a handsome man in brocade robes sat on a chair, accompanied by a beautiful woman and a young boy of about seven or eight years old.
The young boy’s eyebrows somewhat resembled the man in brocade robes, but his lips and nose were more like the beautiful woman’s, making it easy to see that he was indeed the child of the man in brocade robes and the beautiful woman.
The Family of three seemed to be waiting for someone. The man in brocade robes stood up from his chair, pacing back and forth anxiously in the study for a few rounds, then sat back down with a worried expression.
“Master, there’s no need to worry. Tomorrow is only Huan’er’s birthday.”
The beautiful woman consoled him, but she was clearly more nervous than the man in brocade robes, as the handkerchief in her hand was already almost torn out of shape.
“Father, don’t worry!
Grandpa loves me the most. He will definitely come tomorrow.”
The young boy offered comforting words.
The man in brocade robes, Gu Shan, patted his youngest son’s head and said to him:
“Yes, Father loves our Huan’er the most.”
Gu Huan huffed unhappily:
He was a boy, almost seven years old, yet his father and mother still kept calling him “Huan’er, Huan’er” all the time, which was truly bothersome.
He sighed again and said to the beautiful woman,
“You and I are not blessed. Although we are direct descendants of a Cultivator, we do not have Spiritual Roots and cannot Cultivate. As children, we cannot fulfill our filial duties to our parents, nor can we protect the Family. All we can do is expand the Family’s lineage. Yet, you and I have been married for over ten years, and among our more than ten children, not one has a Spiritual Root. Ultimately, it’s because you and I, as husband and wife, don’t have that kind of luck.”
Spiritual Roots are the foundation of Cultivation. Without Spiritual Roots, Mortals cannot embark on the Grand Dao of Cultivation throughout their entire lives.
“Those Mortals with Spiritual Roots are one in ten thousand. Although you and I are descendants of Cultivators, it is not easy to give birth to a child with Spiritual Roots.”
The beautiful woman sighed. Her maiden name was Fang, and her given name was Yurong. Her maternal ancestors had also produced Cultivators within three generations.
However, like Gu Shan, she did not have the good fortune to embark on the Dao of Longevity. Later, under her parents’ arrangement, she married Gu Shan.
Although Gu Shan took two concubines after she married him, her position was secure, and their marital relationship had been good for many years, already having three sons.
Unfortunately, her first two sons did not have Spiritual Roots.
The young boy, Gu Huan, looked at his parents, his round eyes darting around, wondering what he was thinking.
“Before you conceived Huan’er, your Origin Qi was greatly damaged, but after ten months of pregnancy, your body actually recovered significantly, even achieving the Innate Realm.
You and I speculated that Huan’er might possess Spiritual Roots, but that was just our speculation. If even Huan’er doesn’t have Spiritual Roots, how should we conduct ourselves?!”
Gu Shan sighed again.
Gu Huan would be seven years old after this birthday, and he could already be tested for Spiritual Roots. Gu Shan’s heart, however, was in turmoil, and he became anxious and worried.
His cousin, Gu Song, also a direct descendant of a Cultivator without Spiritual Roots like him, was lucky; his first son had a Spiritual Root.
In contrast, Gu Shan, who had given birth to over ten children without a Spiritual Root, always felt that he lacked confidence even in speaking.
“How to conduct yourselves?!
You are my son, Gu Wanhao!
Your old man isn’t dead yet! Who dares to gossip about you!!!”
The study door opened, and Gu Wanhao strode in, sitting down in the grand armchair.
“Father!”
“Father!”
“Grandpa’s here! I told you Grandpa would definitely come, but Father and Mother didn’t believe me!”
Gu Huan said triumphantly, his little tail practically wagging to the heavens.
Gu Wanhao stroked Gu Huan’s hair, then looked at his son and daughter-in-law.
“Whether one has Spiritual Roots is predestined and cannot be changed by human effort, but blood ties are a fact that no one can change.”
“You are my child. Whether you have Spiritual Roots or not, I will ensure your safety. If you have Spiritual Roots, I will do my best to help you Cultivate, but if you don’t have Spiritual Roots, have I ever neglected you?
It would certainly be a joy if Huan’er has Spiritual Roots, but if Huan’er doesn’t have Spiritual Roots, does that mean he’s no longer your son?”
Gu Wanhao spoke earnestly. Unlike other Cultivators, he placed great importance on Family affection, and even if Family rules prevented him from living with his son, he would often come to visit.
“Father’s admonition is right. I was too fixated. Whether Huan’er has Spiritual Roots or not, he is my son, and I will treat him well.”
Gu Shan’s face showed shame.
“Grandpa, don’t be angry with Father. Father is very good to all of us!”
Gu Huan tugged at Gu Wanhao’s sleeve, seemingly a little frightened.
“Alright, this time I’ve also brought the Spiritual Root Measuring Ruler. It’s a good opportunity to test Huan’er’s Spiritual Root as well.
It’s a pity Sheng’er is only a little over six years old this year; otherwise, the two brothers could have been tested together.”
The “Sheng’er” Gu Wanhao mentioned was a child born to one of Gu Shan’s concubines, and he was also very fond of him.
Gu Wanhao took out the Spiritual Root Measuring Ruler. Although called a Spiritual Root Measuring Ruler, it was actually a thin, jade-like board.
On the board were eight jade strips of different colors, with markings carved next to them.
The Spiritual Root Measuring Ruler could test whether a person possessed Spiritual Roots and was one of the essential Magical Artifacts for every Family and School.
At his grandfather’s signal, Gu Huan placed his hand on the Spiritual Root Measuring Ruler.
After three breaths, five colors—gold, blue, green, red, and brown—bloomed on the Spiritual Root Measuring Ruler.
“Huan’er has Spiritual Roots!”
The husband and wife were overjoyed. Although it was Five Spiritual Roots, he could still embark on the Dao of Longevity!
Having Spiritual Roots provided the foundation for Cultivation, but the height of the Spiritual Root determined the speed of Cultivation.
In simple terms, a Spiritual Root is a converter; Cultivators use the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi through their Spiritual Root for their own benefit.
If the Spiritual Root is wide, the speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is faster. If the Spiritual Root is narrow, the speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is slower, requiring more time to achieve something.
Gu Wanhao looked at Gu Huan with a stern expression. The Spiritual Root Measuring Ruler was still testing, and the five colors of spiritual light slowly ascended, already past the six-inch mark.
Six inches, seven inches, eight inches… After passing eight inches, the spiritual light’s ascent slowed even further. Gu Shan and his wife were already sweating profusely.
“Nine inches and nine fen, Five Spiritual Roots, and the Five Elements are balanced.” Gu Wanhao stroked his beard, his eye wrinkles hiding a smile.
Five Spiritual Roots and Four Spiritual Roots are now referred to as pseudo-Spiritual Roots in the Cultivation World. Although Gu Huan’s Spiritual Root was extremely poor, its strength lay in its breadth. As long as he Cultivated diligently, with Gu Wanhao’s support, he still had hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage.
However…
“It’s a great joy that Huan’er has tested positive for Spiritual Roots. I have some ingredients here. You two, husband and wife, take these to the kitchen. Tonight, our Family will have a good gathering.”
Gu Wanhao waved his hand, and a pile of extremely fresh-looking fish and meat appeared on the table.
“Yes, Father is right! Son will go prepare it in the kitchen right away!”
Gu Shan gleefully picked up the fish and meat from the table. Fang Yurong also stepped forward to help. Although there was a lot of it, both husband and wife were Innate Realm experts, so they naturally didn’t consider the weight to be an issue.
After sending Gu Shan and his wife away, Gu Wanhao picked up Gu Huan and placed him on the grand armchair, then pulled out a bead that looked like a Pearl.
“Grandpa, what is this? Is it a treasure too?”
Gu Huan looked at the bead in Gu Wanhao’s hand. He had many Pearls at home, but this one looked prettier and larger.
“Huan’er is so smart. This is specially prepared for Huan’er.
It can detect whether a person has a spiritual body. If Huan’er has a spiritual body, he will become even more powerful in the future, even more powerful than Grandpa.”