Looking at the mature medicinal plants before him, Shi Lei's eyes lit up with excitement. When he noticed that among these plants there was actually mixed a strange, cyan wild rice stalk, he was even more astonished!
This was clearly a spirit plant. Although its value could not compare to graded spirit herbs, it was nevertheless a spiritual treasure born of heaven and earth. Moreover, such spirit plants were extremely popular in the world of cultivation, serving as one of the main ingredients for refining Bigu Pills and Peiyuan Pills.
Even without using them for alchemy, long-term consumption of spirit grain had the effects of advancing one's cultivation and strengthening the physique. Furthermore, its price was very approachable, making it highly sought after by rogue cultivators at the bottom rungs of society.
It was simply that cultivating it was quite difficult; without a Spirit Planter who had undergone specialized study and training in the Spirit Planting Technique, it was hard to grow.
Shi Lei truly had not expected that the soil inside the Vine House Space could easily allow this wild spirit rice to grow on its own in a short period of time, without requiring the slightest bit of effort from him. Although it had not yet fully matured, judging by its growth vigor, it would likely be ready soon.
Even if a Spirit Planter were here, they would probably sigh in inferiority. After all, when Spirit Planters grew spirit grain, it still required time and effort. Yet aside from its extremely fast growth rate, this spirit grain didn't even have the slightest trace of being gnawed or damaged by spirit insects, growing exceptionally smoothly!
Shi Lei thought that once this spirit rice matured, he could use it as seeds and plant them again. Through such a cycle, perhaps in the near future, he would be able to eat spirit rice...
At this thought, drool involuntarily pooled at the corners of Shi Lei's mouth...
Time slowly passed...
Shi Lei diligently practiced cultivation inside the secret chamber of the Vine House...
Although cultivation was very dull, Shi Lei's cultivation level grew rapidly, and his realm progressed by leaps and bounds.
At this moment, he had unexpectedly reached the Qi Refinement 6th Layer. He was just a step away from breaking through the bottleneck of the Qi Refinement Mid-stage to reach the Qi Refinement 7th Layer; by then, he would be a Qi Refinement Late-stage cultivator.
This was something he completely could not have imagined. To know that just two or three days ago, he was merely a humble servant disciple at the Qi Refinement 3rd Layer, scraping by within the sect relying on his meager spiritual chef skills. Those outer sect senior brothers told him to go east, and he wouldn't dare to go west.
"Life is truly like a dream..." Shi Lei could not help but sigh.
Although his stomach still felt somewhat hungry, he now found that his willpower seemed to be growing increasingly resolute, and his body was becoming more and more resistant to hunger. He did not know whether it was due to the enhancement of his strength or the dense Spiritual Energy...
Shi Lei did not dwell on it and remained immersed in cultivation. His cultivation level was surging wildly, because right now was a time of dense Spiritual Energy!
This dense, mist-like Spiritual Energy was of immense benefit to his cultivation. Moreover, through this period of concentrated cultivation, Shi Lei also understood that his breakthrough into the mid-stage of Qi Refinement was thanks to this dense Spiritual Energy, for he knew from the original owner's memories that all he possessed were Four-Meridian False Spiritual Roots!
Spiritual roots resided within a cultivator's body. Although they had no form and no life, they could have an affinity with all things and perceive all laws (Spiritual Energy). The higher their affinity and perception, the higher their aptitude for immortality!
Every disciple who first entered the mountain gates had to undergo a spiritual root test; cultivators without spiritual roots found it very difficult to cultivate.
According to the attributes of spiritual roots:
They could generally be divided into five attributes—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. These were the most common basic five-element attributes. In addition to these, there were also mutated spiritual roots, such as wind, thunder, and ice.
According to their quantity, spiritual roots were divided into:
False Spiritual Roots (four or more spiritual roots; cultivation speed is very slow, and the realms that can be attained are limited);
True Spiritual Roots (two or three spiritual roots; cultivation speed is relatively fast, and these are grassroots disciples recruited within the sect);
Heavenly Spiritual Roots (a single spiritual root; cultivation speed is extremely fast, and they are the darlings of the heavens)...
...
Shi Lei had originally thought his fast cultivation speed was due to being a time-traveler. But when he discovered that what determined a person's cultivation speed was their spiritual root aptitude, he finally understood that he was still merely cultivation trash. When all was said and done, he was just a Divine Soul from another realm; he fundamentally could not affect the original owner's innate aptitude.
"However, False Spiritual Roots are not a dead end either. I must work hard..."
...
Shi Lei took out all the seeds from his close-fitting parcel and planted them in the soil of the Vine House.
He cultivated while farming, beginning his difficult days of endurance within this Vine House...
As time went on, he slowly grew used to it, and his temperament and various other aspects became much steadier than before.
Whenever he grew tired from cultivation, he would rest for a while, lying down for a bit. When he was hungry, he would bite into a few pieces of Polygonatum and kudzu vine; when he was thirsty, he would squeeze juice from the leaves and stems of certain plants to drink, which proved quite effective at quenching his thirst. Every once in a while, he would also observe the situation outside the house.
Yet every time, he would see the exact same scenery, the exact same view, the exact same picture.
Until one day, when his palm touched the vine wall once again, he suddenly discovered that abnormal light had appeared outside the house...
Against the backdrop of those flickering, otherworldly lights, not far away, he saw a huge and familiar figure.
A First Order Late-stage mutated Demon Python!
"This is a snake nest." Shi Lei was exceptionally pleasantly surprised; he was finally no longer inside a snake's belly.
For some unknown reason, this Demon Python had finally spat both Shi Lei and the Vine House Space out of its body.
He now seemed to be in some corner of the Demon Python Lair.
...
"Thank goodness, I've finally left this demon python's belly. But what is it doing now?"
Looking at this giant python, Shi Lei felt its current state seemed a bit strange, though as to where it was strange, Shi Lei could not put his finger on it for the moment.
He saw the entire dark cyan body of the Demon Python coiled up, occupying half of the nest space...
Beneath its entire body were strewn layer upon layer of skeletal remains—bones of ferocious beasts, demonic beasts, and humans. Who knew how many living beings this python had devoured...
Its body was coiled motionlessly, only lifting its head as it continuously exhaled mist and inhaled clouds... looking thoroughly intoxicated and very leisurely...
"Could it be an addict?" Seeing the giant python's intoxicated appearance, Shi Lei inwardly scoffed.
Yet when Shi Lei discovered that the mist of Spiritual Energy exhaled from within the Demon Python was quite similar to the mist-like Spiritual Energy inside the Vine House, he could not help feeling somewhat puzzled.
Gathering his eyesight, Shi Lei began to observe carefully.
He found that the mist exhaled from within this Demon Python was indeed identical to the mist-like Spiritual Energy he had seen inside the Vine House.
It was just that the mist-like Spiritual Energy inside the Vine House presented a pale green color.
Meanwhile, the mist of Spiritual Energy exhaled from the mouth of this Demon Python appeared blue.
However, when Shi Lei saw the strange stones embedded in the rock walls around the snake nest emitting a faint blue glow, Shi Lei instantly woke up to the realization.
The mist of Spiritual Energy exhaled from within this Demon Python was bound to have been influenced by the blue fluorescent light inside this nest, causing it to appear as a deeper blue.
"Could it be that this Vine House also possesses the effect of absorbing Spiritual Energy? And what I absorbed when I was cultivating earlier was actually this stream of spiritual mist exhaled from within this demon python?"
"Snake-type demonic monsters generally possess potent toxins. After this spiritual mist is absorbed by the Vine House, won't it be poisonous too?" Shi Lei thought with some uncertainty and apprehension.