Chapter 9: It Grew on Its Own

In the Si Clan's great hall, the discussion over Si Chen's next arrangements had, as expected, reached an impasse.

"Chen is only seven years old — what's the rush to send him off to a Sect?" His mother, Ye Fu, drew her son in front of her, her tone gentle yet firm. "The Sect is far away, and the rules are strict. His personality is... simple. I truly can't set my heart at ease."

His father, Si Kai, sat composed in the seat of honor, his expression calm and steady. "Uncut jade cannot become a vessel. The family environment is far too sheltered. Just look at the embarrassments he caused in Yunjin City — that alone is proof enough. Only by immersing himself among the countless Cultivators of the world, competing and interacting with peers his own age, can he truly grow."

Everyone's gaze instinctively drifted toward Si Shuo — after all, he was the most recent "victim" and had the most right to speak on the matter.

Third Master Si crossed his arms, wearing an expression that said "Don't ask me, I know nothing." Eventually, pinned down by all the stares, he muttered vaguely:

"Ahem... well, wherever you throw him, he's a menace — I mean, gold shines wherever it goes! You all decide, you all decide!"

In his heart, he knew perfectly well: what his nephew lacked wasn't cultivation foundation — it was common sense!

If they really threw him into a Sect right now, who knew who would end up tormenting whom... Picturing the scene, he felt a strange mix of anticipation and a creeping numbness along his scalp.

The clan elders stroked their beards, and in the end, everyone reached a unanimous decision: Si Chen would not enter a Sect for the time being. He would cultivate for a while longer at the Si Clan's Blessed Land, and once his cultivation realm had stabilized somewhat and his temperament had grown more settled, they would select a fine Sect to send him to — a far more prudent approach.

This compromise put Ye Fu slightly at ease, and Si Kai gave a faint nod of tacit approval.

And so, Si Chen's journey to a Sect was temporarily shelved. Life seemed to return to what it had been before the trip to Yunjin City — a seemingly tranquil existence.

Only this time, he had a clear next goal: to enter a Sect's Academy.

To that end, he first needed to meet the standard the family considered "prudent."

Cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Stage was, as expected, entirely different from the Qi Refining Stage.

Heavenly Spiritual Energy and comprehending realms posed no obstacle to him whatsoever, and so-called bottlenecks had never existed for him. The true limitation, rather, came from this seven-year-old body — still young and not yet fully developed.

Si Chen could sense that if he wished, he could absolutely push toward the Core Formation Stage, or even higher — but the cost might be the complete ruin of this body's foundation, or even its total collapse.

He felt not the slightest impatience about this.

He had once witnessed the birth and death of stars; billions of years were no more than a snap of the fingers to him. Ascending in a single day or ascending after a million years — to him, there was no essential difference. Even now, as a human, that had not changed.

He was like the most patient of gardeners, following the body's own rhythm, carefully guiding every strand of spiritual power.

Even so, his progress remained utterly baffling to those around him.

After roughly half a month, his cultivation had "barely" stabilized at the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage.

Second Uncle Si Che and Third Uncle Si Shuo, who had come to assess his progress, both fell into silence at the same time.

Second Master Si opened his mouth, then turned and patted his younger brother on the shoulder. "Third Brother, pinch me — am I seeing things?"

Third Master Si kept a wooden expression and actually pinched him — hard.

"Hiss — you actually did it!"

"What else?" Si Shuo said irritably. "Get used to it. Taking this kid seriously is a fast track to a shattered Dao Heart."

As he spoke, his tone carried a faint air of world-weary detachment, as if he had seen through the vanity of all things.

In the outside world, this rate of progress would have been enough to terrify a whole crowd of so-called geniuses. But within the Si Clan, everyone simply exchanged glances and then, by unspoken agreement, went back to their own business.

They were numb. Truly numb.

Shock is an emotion too — spend it long enough, and it runs dry. Compared to reaching the Qi Refining, Ninth Layer in a single two-hour stretch, reaching the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage in half a month... seemed, somehow, almost reasonable?

At least it took half a month this time, didn't it?

* * *

Cultivation was progressing "smoothly," but another matter had been hanging like a dark cloud over the clan elders' minds all along.

On this particular day, the clan elders gathered together, and the topic inevitably circled back to Si Chen's future.

"Clan Head, Chen's talent is unparalleled throughout the ages — that goes without saying. But... the matter of his 'lack of a Spiritual Root' remains a hidden danger." One white-haired elder furrowed his brow deeply.

"Indeed," another chimed in. "Ordinary Sects, when accepting disciples, make probing for Spiritual Roots their very first step. If Chen is tested and found to have no Spiritual Root whatsoever, yet possesses such cultivation — what will the outside world think?"

That he carries a rare treasure? Or that he has cultivated some forbidden demonic art that steals another's fortune?

Either suspicion would bring Si Chen endless trouble. Possessing a treasure invites crime, and demonic arts are rejected by the righteous path. Though the Si Clan feared no one, the clan could not possibly guard Si Chen's side at every moment.

This discussion was not held away from Si Chen.

He sat quietly to one side, listening to the adults' worried words, and caught the key issue — he needed a Spiritual Root.

* * *

After the elders dispersed, Si Chen caught hold of Third Uncle Si Shuo, who had been about to slip away for a drink to calm his nerves.

"Third Uncle."

"What is it now, little ancestor?" Si Shuo stopped in his tracks and looked down at his nephew.

"Spiritual Roots," Si Chen said, tilting his face upward with a serious expression. "What exactly do they look like?"

Si Shuo's heart gave a lurch. That familiar, ominous premonition rose up again — every time this kid asked a question, what followed was always especially "spectacular."

But he scratched his head anyway and tried to explain in the most straightforward way he could. "Uh... think of them as 'talent seeds' inside the body."

"Take your Second Uncle, for instance — he has a Fire Heavenly Spiritual Root, so he's especially good with fire, naturally attuned to fire Spiritual Energy."

"As for your Third Uncle — me — I have a Lightning Spiritual Root, mutated from Metal and Water Spiritual Roots."

As he spoke, a small, brilliant arc of electricity crackled from his fingertip with a snap. "See that? Just like this."

Si Chen nodded thoughtfully, his gaze lingering on the fleeting arc. "So, with a Spiritual Root, you can use the corresponding power more effectively?"

Si Shuo patiently explained further: "You could put it that way... Most spells are much easier to cast with a matching Spiritual Root — it's half the effort for double the result. Take that Fireball Technique of yours earlier — that's a common, widely-used spell with low Spiritual Root requirements. But advanced lightning arts, ice arts, and the like? Without the right Spiritual Root, you simply can't make them work."

Si Chen nodded again, lost in thought.

Using Third Uncle and the others as a reference, it did seem like his body was missing something similar.

A Lightning Spiritual Root? he thought to himself.

The instant that thought settled — something changed!

Without any warning, a faint, silver-bright arc of electricity burst from his raised palm with a soft crack.

Then more arcs began to emerge from all around Si Chen's body, crackling and popping, like a swarm of mischievous light-serpents dancing and leaping across his white brocade robe.

In just an instant, his entire person looked like a small, human-shaped ball of lightning!

"Whoa!" A young maidservant happened to be passing by and was so startled that the fruit tray in her hands nearly crashed to the ground.

"Th-this... this is..." Si Shuo's tongue was nearly tied in knots. He pointed at Si Chen, unable to get his words out properly.

The commotion quickly drew Si Kai, who hadn't gone far, along with several clan elders and Si Che, who came rushing over at the news.

Everyone who saw the scene before them froze on the spot, as if they had all been collectively struck by a paralysis spell.

Second Master Si Che rubbed his eyes vigorously and stammered, "Third Brother... w-when did you secretly teach Chen lightning arts? No, wait — he doesn't have a Lightning Spiritual Root..."

"I taught him my ass!" Si Shuo was nearly jumping out of his skin. "I just explained to him what a Lightning Spiritual Root was!"

Every pair of bewildered eyes snapped to Si Chen in unison.

The little fellow seemed to find it rather novel himself. He looked down at the arcs of electricity darting about uncontrollably all over him, and tried to rein them in the same way he controlled spiritual power.

The effect was immediate. The arcs around him instantly contracted and vanished without a trace, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

The courtyard fell into dead silence.

Si Kai drew a deep breath and did his best to keep his voice steady. "Chen... what just happened?"

Si Chen looked up, and facing a ring of slack-jawed elders, explained in that distinctive childlike voice of his:

"After listening to Third Uncle talk about Spiritual Roots, I felt like my body was indeed missing something... So I thought, maybe I should have one."

He paused, as if organizing his words, then delivered the conclusion that sent every adult's Dao Heart teetering on the edge of collapse once more:

"And then... it seems like it just... grew on its own."

Grew... on its own?

Grew on its own?!

A Spiritual Root — that innately determined, fate-defining foundation of every Cultivator — could just be thought into existence and grown on a whim?!

Did you think this was a radish patch?!

Third Master Si, who had witnessed the whole thing from start to finish, stood there with his mouth hanging open, feeling as though his brain had been struck by lightning.

He looked again at his nephew — who wore the expression of someone who had simply "followed standard procedure" — and only one thought remained in his mind:

Send him away! Send him away!

I want the whole world to experience... my suffering!

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Edited by Fat Goose