"I always said Junior Brother was extraordinary! As the saying goes, a golden scale is not a creature of a pond; at the first encounter with wind and rain, it transforms into a dragon!" Third Senior Sister said with a charming glance at Ye Chen.
"This time, Junior Brother will definitely be able to cultivate," Fourth Senior Sister said.
Ye Chen's body floated in mid-air as he felt powerful streams of spiritual energy continuously pour into his body from the surrounding air.
In the past, his body had been extremely frail. Because he lacked a Spiritual Root and could not cultivate, he had been far weaker than other cultivators.
Yet now, he suddenly found his body brimming with strength.
This Divine Spiritual Root had not only transformed his natural constitution, but had even altered his physical frame along with it.
After a long while, Ye Chen descended to the ground.
All the glowing radiance vanished back into Ye Chen's body, and the surrounding phantom images faded away.
The senior sisters and the Holy Mother of Xinyao looked at Ye Chen in astonishment.
"Xiao Chen, how do you feel?" the Holy Mother of Xinyao asked, pulling him close.
Ye Chen stretched his limbs, instantly feeling his meridians clear and his entire body at ease.
"Pretty good. No special feeling, just very comfortable," Ye Chen answered honestly.
The Holy Mother of Xinyao immediately pulled Ye Chen into a tight embrace, tears instantly streaming from her eyes. "Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"
The senior sisters likewise gazed at Ye Chen, shedding tears of joy.
At that moment, the Holy Mother of Xinyao looked toward Ye Chen's senior sisters and said calmly, "The fact that Xiao Chen possesses a Divine Spiritual Root and can now cultivate must remain strictly between us. Under no circumstances is it to be spread outside."
Ye Chen's senior sisters nodded in unison.
Turning her gaze back to Ye Chen, the Holy Mother of Xinyao continued, "Xiao Chen, remember this: keep the fact that you possess a Divine Spiritual Root a secret from everyone. Furthermore, until you turn sixteen, you must practice your cultivation in absolute secrecy. Make sure no one discovers it."
Ye Chen was no longer an ordinary eight-year-old child; he naturally understood that his mother must have compelling reasons for doing so.
A Divine Spiritual Root was the ultimate constitution. Its appearance signaled the birth of a supreme prodigy.
If he acted too arrogantly, it would likely invite disaster upon himself and the entire Xianyuan Holy Land.
Still, this arrangement suited him well. Now that he had his check-in system, he could quietly check in and cultivate within the Xianyuan Holy Land for the next few years.
"I understand, Mother!" Ye Chen replied promptly.
"Good. Chen'er, come with me!"
The Holy Mother of Xinyao led Ye Chen into a secluded chamber.
"Chen'er, you will cultivate here from now on. I am going to pass down the mental cultivation method of our Xinyao Peak," she said, and began instructing him in the technique.
Nodding, Ye Chen followed his mother's guidance to begin his training inside the chamber. As he directed the energy into his body according to her mental method, the breath-energy began to circulate continuously within him, ultimately gathering at his dantian.
The Tianxuan Continent was a realm where myriad races coexisted, a land rife with rampaging gods and demons.
Cultivation was divided into nine major realms:
Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Void Training, Great Vehicle, Celestial Being, and Tribulation Transcendence.
Each realm was further divided into three stages: early, middle, and late.
Nine-times-nine returning to one, after transcending the Heavenly Tribulation, one could ascend and become an immortal.
Their Xianyuan Holy Land was merely a moderate-sized immortal sect on this continent. Their sect leader was a powerhouse of the Great Vehicle Realm, capable of overturning clouds and summoning rain, soaring through the mists, and displaying the full majesty of the immortals.
As for the even more formidable Celestial Being and Tribulation Transcendence realms, they existed only in legends and were rarely seen in this world.
The Holy Mother of Xinyao was currently in the Void Training Realm Late Stage, just a hair's breadth away from the Great Vehicle Realm, which was why she served as the master of Xinyao Peak.
"Xiao Chen, guiding spiritual energy into the body is a very difficult process. Generally speaking, it is hard to master on the first try. Follow my lead, and you will naturally get the hang of it in time," the Holy Mother of Xinyao said, demonstrating the technique once in front of Ye Chen.
Mimicking his mother's movements, Ye Chen began to guide the spiritual energy into his body!
Instantly, Ye Chen felt boundless spiritual energy slowly pouring into his frame.
Unsure whether he was doing it right, Ye Chen quickly asked, "Mother, is it supposed to be like this?"
At that moment, Ye Chen's mother stared at him in utter disbelief.
"Y-Yes, exactly!" the Holy Mother of Xinyao replied.
With Ye Chen currently in the middle of guiding the energy into his body, the Holy Mother of Xinyao dared not disturb him, watching him in profound shock.
She remembered that back when she cultivated, it had taken her three whole days to successfully draw spiritual energy into her body.
Even among her disciples, the one with the highest natural talent—her youngest disciple—had taken nearly an hour. Yet her own son had mastered it right from the very start. Could this truly be the power of a Divine Spiritual Root?
With his eyes closed, Ye Chen absorbed the spiritual energy step by step, continuing his cultivation.
A gentle, gratified smile played on the Holy Mother of Xinyao's lips as she watched over her son, standing guard by his side to protect him.
"Come, Xiao Chen, let me see the results of your cultivation!" the Holy Mother of Xinyao said with a smile.
"Mm-hmm!" Ye Chen stood up and walked over to his mother.
The Holy Mother of Xinyao took Ye Chen's hand, and instantly her eyes widened into perfect circles as she stared at him in absolute shock.
Her small mouth parted slightly, and as she held Ye Chen's hand, she was so astonished she could not speak a single word.
"Mother, what's wrong?" Ye Chen asked, looking at the Holy Mother of Xinyao.
"Xiao Chen... You... You have already reached the Qi Refinement Realm Late Stage," the Holy Mother of Xinyao said in overwhelming shock.
To reach the late stage of Qi Refinement, even Seventh Senior Sister, who possessed the greatest talent, had required a full month.
Yet Ye Chen had accomplished it in a mere five hours!
The Holy Mother of Xinyao brought Ye Chen back outside.
At that moment, all five of Ye Chen's senior sisters were waiting for him.
"Little Chenchen, how did your cultivation go?" Third Senior Sister asked, looking at Ye Chen.
Seeing that Ye Chen did not look particularly happy, Third Senior Sister scratched her head and smiled comfortingly, assuming he had failed to draw the spiritual energy in on his first try. After all, back when she had practiced it herself, it had taken her a very long time to succeed.
With a seductive sweep of her eyes and a tender, reassuring smile, Third Senior Sister comforted him, "Don't be discouraged, Little Chenchen! Everyone encounters plenty of setbacks when they first start cultivating!"
Fourth Senior Sister, Fifth Senior Sister, and Sixth Senior Sister also wore gentle smiles as they offered words of encouragement. "Cultivation was never a simple matter to begin with. One must advance step by step."
Seventh Senior Sister tossed her head back proudly and looked at Ye Chen. "Hmph! Cultivation is naturally no easy task. Back then, even your Seventh Senior Sister here took a whole hour just to successfully guide the spiritual energy into my body!"
Ye Chen's junior sister was named Zhao Xiyao. Now ten years old and two years older than Ye Chen, she was hailed as the disciple with the greatest natural talent in the Xianyuan Holy Land. Having entered the immortal gate to cultivate at the age of six, she had broken through to the Qi Refinement Realm Late Stage a month later and successfully achieved Foundation Establishment in three months, making her the disciple who attained Foundation Establishment earliest in the entire Xianyuan Holy Land.
Four years later, Zhao Xinyao successfully entered the Core Formation Realm, earning her the title of the number-one prodigy of the Xianyuan Holy Land.
Now at ten years of age, she was already a powerhouse of the Core Formation Realm.
Zhao Xinyao tilted her pretty little chin upward, gazing at Ye Chen with a look of utter pride.
At that moment, the Holy Mother of Xinyao covered her mouth with a chuckle and said, "Xiao Chen, release your cultivation base and show it to your senior sisters!"
"Yes!"
Hearing this, Ye Chen unleashed his True Qi cultivation base.
In that instant, an aura surged forth from Ye Chen's body, stirring up a rolling gale and a rustling sound of blowing sand.
The senior sisters stared at Ye Chen, their eyes widening in disbelief as they murmured in a daze, "The... the Qi Refinement Realm... Late Stage!"