Chapter 334 - Mutated Roots and Heavenly Gains

Chapter 334: Chapter 334 - Mutated Roots and Heavenly Gains

Su Bai inspected Yan’er’s foundation carefully.

The previous Heavenly Blessing had already helped her once.

Her originally messy mixed Spirit Root had been purified until only four clearer affinities remained, reducing much of the conflict and waste that had slowed her cultivation.

Now even that structure had changed.

One of those remaining affinities had disappeared.

It had not been ripped away or damaged.

The unnecessary portion had simply been refined out, while the three surviving affinities had become cleaner and far more harmonious.

Su Bai checked again.

The result remained the same.

Three-element mixed Spirit Root.

Yan’er shifted under his attention.

"Is it bad?"

Su Bai looked at her.

"Why would it be bad?"

She hesitated.

"Because there’s still three."

Su Bai almost laughed.

The cultivation world had thoroughly damaged people’s standards.

A cleaner three-element mixed Spirit Root was vastly better than the foundation Yan’er had started with.

More importantly, the improvement was not limited to reducing the number of affinities.

The remaining three no longer interfered with one another nearly as much.

Spiritual energy moved through them with much less resistance.

The amount wasted during refinement had dropped sharply.

Her cultivation speed would improve even if nothing else changed.

"It is much better than before," Su Bai said. "Your foundation is cleaner, and the remaining affinities work together instead of fighting over every bit of spiritual energy you absorb."

Yan’er blinked.

"Really?"

"Really."

Her expression brightened, but only briefly.

She looked down again.

Su Bai noticed.

"What happened?"

Yan’er rubbed one thumb against the edge of the protective talisman he had given her.

"When the Heavenly Law appeared..."

Her voice became smaller.

"I only broke through once."

Su Bai stared at her.

Yan’er continued before he could respond.

"Senior Sister Meng understood so much and broke through twice. A lot of the Senior Brothers and Sisters improved too."

She lowered her head.

"I only understood a little."

Her fingers tightened around the talisman.

"It felt like Senior Brother gave everyone a big opportunity, but I wasted mine."

Su Bai’s expression softened.

That explained it.

He reached over and tapped her forehead.

Yan’er looked up in surprise.

"Don’t rush."

She blinked.

"Cultivation isn’t a race where everyone has to understand the same thing at the same time."

Su Bai leaned back.

"What you understood yesterday is yours. What you didn’t understand can be learned later."

Yan’er hesitated.

"But..."

"You reached another stage, your Spirit Root improved again, and your foundation became cleaner."

He smiled.

"If that counts as wasting an opportunity, most cultivators would be very happy to waste one."

Yan’er stared at him.

A reluctant smile appeared.

Su Bai continued before she could find another reason to criticize herself.

"Besides, forcing comprehension because everyone around you advanced faster is a good way to damage your foundation."

That finally stopped her.

Su Bai knew the temptation.

Cultivation rewarded progress so visibly that it was easy to mistake speed for success.

He had dealt with enough strange cultivation problems to know that forcing progress before understanding one’s foundation was asking for trouble.

"There is no need to hurry."

Yan’er slowly nodded.

This time, the smile that appeared remained.

"Okay, Senior Brother."

Su Bai rubbed her head again.

Liu Meng watched from the side without interrupting.

Only after Yan’er relaxed did Su Bai properly examine their cultivation.

Liu Meng was indeed at the Ninth Stage of Foundation Establishment.

Her spiritual energy had grown denser and more stable, while the newly mutated Verdant Flame Dual Root gave her foundation a quality he had never sensed from her before.

She was genuinely approaching Golden Core.

Yan’er had reached the Fifth Stage of Qi Refining.

Her progress was slower in absolute terms, but considering where she had begun, Su Bai found it equally impressive.

What caught his attention next was something neither of them had mentioned.

Their souls.

Su Bai’s spiritual sense moved carefully across Liu Meng first.

Her soul felt denser.

Her spiritual sense had improved as well.

It carried better clarity and control than before.

He checked Yan’er.

The same change was present.

Yan’er’s spiritual sense was still far weaker than Liu Meng’s, as expected from their realm difference, yet it was noticeably more stable and precise for someone at the Fifth Stage of Qi Refining.

Su Bai withdrew his perception.

"The Soul Benediction helped both of you too."

Liu Meng nodded.

"I noticed that after meditation."

She lifted one hand.

"My spiritual sense is easier to control now. During alchemy, I would probably be able to perceive smaller changes inside the cauldron."

Su Bai was not surprised.

For an alchemist, that improvement might become nearly as valuable as her mutated Spirit Root.

Yan’er thought for a moment.

"I can sense farther than before."

She looked pleased now.

"And it doesn’t make my head hurt as quickly."

Su Bai nodded.

That made sense.

The Soul Benediction had nourished the soul directly.

A stronger soul naturally supported spiritual sense.

It would also help with resisting spiritual pressure and maintaining concentration during cultivation.

The effect would probably become more noticeable among elders and higher-realm cultivators whose souls were already developed enough to make fuller use of it.

Su Bai leaned back against the stone.

He was beginning to understand what yesterday had actually done to the sect.

The Heavenly Blessing had improved foundations.

It had purified Spirit Roots, removed weaknesses, and in some cases transformed them entirely.

The Soul Benediction had strengthened the spiritual side, improving souls and the spiritual sense rooted within them.

The glimpse of Heavenly Law was different again.

It gave no fixed reward.

Whatever someone gained depended on what they understood.

Liu Meng had seen principles connected to alchemy and advanced twice.

Yan’er had understood less and advanced once.

Others might have received entirely different insights.

Su Bai looked toward the distant parts of Radiant Sky Sect.

Even from Clear Cloud Peak, he could sense the unusual amount of activity.

Cultivation fluctuations rose and faded across different peaks.

Some belonged to disciples consolidating recent breakthroughs.

Others came from people who had apparently remained in meditation since yesterday.

Liu Meng followed his gaze.

"The sect has been like that since morning."

Su Bai turned toward her.

She smiled.

"A lot of disciples broke through."

That was expected.

What came next was not.

"Some of the Outer Sect disciples who were already close to the requirement for advancement improved enough that they may qualify for the Inner Sect after they finish consolidating."

Su Bai blinked.

"That many?"

Liu Meng nodded.

"Not all of them broke through directly. Some had their foundations purified enough that their cultivation became smoother."

She thought for a moment.

"The elders said it may take several days before we know the full effect."

Su Bai could believe that.

Not every benefit would appear immediately.

A purified Spirit Root might show its real value only after months or years of cultivation.

A stronger soul could improve comprehension and control gradually.

Even the brief Heavenly Law glimpse might leave behind insights someone would need time to digest.

Su Bai suddenly felt a faint sense of injustice.

He had been crushed to death.

Everyone else had received gifts.

He looked at Liu Meng.

Her Spirit Roots had mutated.

He looked at Yan’er.

Her mixed foundation had been trimmed again.

Across the sect, disciples were breaking through, elders were strengthening their souls, and people who had merely watched the Heavenly Burial Palm had received glimpses of Heavenly Law.

Su Bai remained silent for a breath.

He was jealous... only slightly.

Perhaps more than slightly.

The heavens had beaten him until his heart stopped, and somehow everyone nearby had received compensation.

He had not even been consulted.

Su Bai sighed.

Yan’er tilted her head.

"Senior Brother?"

"Nothing."

He looked at the two of them again.

Liu Meng was close to Golden Core.

Yan’er’s future cultivation had become much smoother.

Both of their souls were stronger.

Across Radiant Sky Sect, thousands of people had gained benefits whose true value might not become clear for years.

The irritation faded.

A smile slowly returned to Su Bai’s face.

He could complain about the heavens later.

For now, seeing the people around him benefit was enough.