Chapter 135 - 85: Innate Spirit Root and the Pact of Yi and Bu

Chapter 135: Chapter 85: Innate Spirit Root and the Pact of Yi and Bu

In short, an Innate Spirit Root was a treasure that a cultivator could only stumble upon by chance, never find by seeking.

The Immoral Taoist continued, "The story goes that this Spirit Root is a fruit tree. It blooms once every twelve hundred years, bears fruit over the next twelve hundred years, and takes another twelve hundred years for the fruit to ripen. Thus, it yields only twelve fruits every thirty-six hundred years."

"Years ago, when Yi Daoist and the Divination Daoist found this tree, it had just borne fruit, so it wasn’t yet time to enjoy them. But the two of them couldn’t wait to settle the matter of who this Innate Spirit Root truly belonged to."

"So, the two of them engaged in over a dozen competitions. They divined for karmic opportunities, calculated destinies, predicted tribulations, foresaw the outcomes of Immortal Sect conflicts, prognosticated the fates of mortal dynasties, and foretold natural disasters in the mortal world..."

"But no matter what, they could never determine a clear winner. It wasn’t that their predictions were always identical, but you know how the art of divination is... There’s always room for interpretation. Even if you won a round by a slight margin, I wouldn’t necessarily concede verbally. And if my calculations were a bit more accurate the next time, you’d just come up with some specious arguments to refute it..."

"Finally, they realized that the only way to truly determine a winner, the one method no one could argue against, was a direct magical duel."

"However, both of them prided themselves on being Grandmasters of divination. While they might not have been revered everywhere they went, they were certainly treated as honored guests by many fellow Daoists. When it came to Guardian Skills, they had countless techniques. But when it came to actual combat methods, they were in a bit of a pickle."

"After much thought, they came up with a plan. Each of them would use their divination skills to find a few talented cultivators to fight on their behalf. The winner’s side would claim the fruits of the Spirit Root. However, they felt a winner-take-all rule was inappropriate. In the end, they agreed that the winning side would take nine fruits, while the losing side would still receive three."

Hearing this, a peculiar expression appeared on Xuzhuang’s face. "Senior," he asked, "could it be that...?"

The Immoral Taoist nodded. "That Innate Spirit Root yields twelve fruits only once every thirty-six hundred years, so Yi Daoist and the Divination Daoist held their competition once every thirty-six hundred years. Later, they both passed down the location of the Innate Spirit Root to their disciples, and this competition has been carried on by their successors..."

"My senior brother and I are from the lineage of Yi Daoist."

Xuzhuang fell silent for a moment, then said, "So, the reason you sought me out, Master, is to have me participate in this duel on your behalf?"

The Immoral Taoist said lazily, "I’m too lazy to lie to you. I’d already found Zhong the Kid in this realm to work with me. But my senior brother took him, so now I’ve come looking for you, Xu the Kid."

Xuzhuang said, "This junior has only just refined the Golden Mercury. I’m afraid I’m not powerful enough to take part in such a duel."

The Immoral Taoist replied, "Do you think Grandmaster Yi and the Divination Daoist were stupid? They certainly wouldn’t look for fellow Primordial Spirit experts to help them... Even if they sought out Nascent Soul Cultivators—those old fogies who’ve cultivated for thousands of years, mastered a plethora of Daoist arts, and made a name for themselves—how would that showcase their own skills?"

"That’s why the helpers for this competition are restricted by an agreement: they must be under three hundred years old. An ordinary person, even one who formed a Top-grade Golden Core, would still be stuck at the Golden Mercury stage by age three hundred... Of course, the people we carefully seek out must be cultivation geniuses like Zhong the Kid, who far surpass their peers. Only then do we have a chance of winning."

Seeing Xuzhuang remain silent, the Immoral Taoist added, "The competition is still a good seventy or eighty years away. Isn’t that enough time for a kid like you to reach the Nascent Soul realm?"

Xuzhuang said, "It seems this junior has yet to accept your invitation, Master."

The Immoral Taoist raised an eyebrow. "Kid, are you afraid I’ll short-change you? If you win this thing, you’ll get one of the nine Innate Spirit Fruits. Even if you lose, I’ll pay you a reward out of my own pocket."

But Xuzhuang just smiled faintly. "That is indeed a tremendous temptation. However, this junior’s priority right now is to focus on my cultivation. Since there are still seventy or eighty years left, this junior will consider it carefully in the future."

At this, Xuzhuang stood up and turned to the Jide Taoist. "Master, didn’t you teach this junior to be cautious with every choice? I have taken your lesson to heart."

"What?" the Immoral Taoist cried out. "You expect me to wait for you to ’consider’ it? You think I don’t have other candidates?"

Xuzhuang smiled. "Since you have other candidates, Master, I am relieved. At least I won’t be holding up your important affairs."

With that, he raised his hands in a salute and said, "This junior still has much cultivation to attend to, so I cannot stay for more tea. Farewell." He then transformed into a streak of rainbow light and vanished over the horizon in an instant.

The Immoral Taoist stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then cried out, "Damn it!" He yanked the Five Qi Heroic Spirit Pouch from his collar and tried to hand it back to the Jide Taoist, yelling, "Senior Brother, the deal’s off! Just give me back Zhong the Kid!"

A gloating smile spread across the Jide Taoist’s usually stern face as he shook his head repeatedly. "Junior Brother, you’ve already taken the Five Qi Heroic Spirit Pouch. How can you go back on your word now? No way. Absolutely not."