I Accumulate Spirit Roots for My Next Life

Amidst navigating skillfully between the Crown Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Dragon Aspect, gathering resources from each side, Li Jizhou felt no psychological burden.

Especially afterward, when Consort Zhen brought him three Wood Attribute Spirit Stones as a reward and praised his performance, saying that his Qingzhou Jin family had agreed to support him with the entire family’s strength.

Upon learning about today’s assessment, the Saint Emperor of Jiuli was also greatly pleased and immediately issued a decree, encouraging Li Jizhou to cultivate well at the Daoist academy, saying that the matter of Prince Qing’s fiefdom would be discussed later.

Thus, he temporarily remained in the Imperial City.

Unless the Crown Prince ascended the throne, or Li Jizhou provoked the dragon’s rage for some reason, he could continue cultivating at the Six Grade Spirit Vein of the Daoist academy.

Three days later, Li Jizhou officially moved into the Daoist academy.

This year, a total of eighty-seven new students were finally admitted, sixty-four to the outer academy, and only twenty-three qualified for the inner academy, not including the Ninth and Seventh Princes, of course.

The outer academy disciples resided only in the front courtyard at the outermost part of the Daoist academy, on a Tier Four Spirit Vein, as the spiritual qi around it was all plundered by the Spirit Gathering Array of the inner academy.

The inner academy was situated at the center of the Daoist academy, supported by a large Spirit Gathering Array.

Li Jizhou lived in a luxurious two-entry house at the very core of the inner courtyard.

Next door to him lived the Ninth Prince.

Li Jizhou only brought four close maidservants: Cyan Dome, Hong Luan, Cang Huang, and Sable.

The Ninth Prince, however, had Consort Rong accompanying him.

As for other disciples who could reside in the inner academy, the Daoist academy was not stingy, providing everyone with independent courtyards, although not as luxurious as those of the princes, still not something ordinary people could enjoy.

For those who had not yet embarked on cultivation, the Daoist academy provided a Nine-story Scripture Pavilion, housing numerous cultivation techniques for selection. Whether one was from the inner academy or the outer academy, they could choose suitable cultivation techniques according to their talents, with the lowest level being supreme techniques, and even quasi-Celestial Venerable level techniques were available.

In this regard, the Dynasty was not ambiguous at all.

After all, those capable of entering the Daoist academy were all individuals with extraordinary talents, and they all had made a Great Heart Demon Oath, being the pillars of the Dynasty!

For those who had already practiced cultivation techniques, the Daoist academy had specialized teachers to explain numerous details and precautions in cultivation.

With the insights and knowledge of these teachers, the explanations they provided were greatly beneficial to Li Jizhou, especially regarding information about Divinity Transformation, Refining Void, and even Harmonization Dao.

Occasional anecdotes further deepened Li Jizhou’s understanding of this world.

A year passed leisurely.

On this day, as usual, Li Jizhou brought a jar of Spirit Wine to the Chongwen Residence’s elder’s courtyard.

Since the first time Chongwen Residence gave them a lecture, Li Jizhou had been visiting after class, beginning to inquire about cultivation doubts. Later, he even catered to his preferences, pretending to be a lover of wine.

With his wine appreciation skills from the previous two lifetimes, he could discuss a thing or two about Spirit Wine, using this as an excuse to frequently exchange with his Saint Emperor teacher from Chongwen Residence.

And then, occasionally lamenting the hardships of people’s livelihood and the chaos of Jiuzhou.

In the Central State’s nine great dynasties, Spirit Veins were abundant, and cultivation techniques were not lacking. As long as one did not possess a Five Elements False Spirit Root, anyone could embark on cultivation.

Five Elements False Spirit Roots were even rarer than Celestial Spirit Roots, so almost everyone practiced cultivation.

However, due to talent and resources, ninety percent found it difficult to cross the Foundation Establishment stage.

Therefore, cultivators below Foundation Establishment in the Jiuzhou Dynasty were essentially equivalent to ordinary people.

Yet, looking across the entire Central State, amidst wars between countries, these vast numbers of ordinary people constituted the greatest military strength.

Many ants can bite an elephant to death.

The Jiuli Dynasty’s claim of a million-strong army referred to these Qi Cultivation Stage small cultivators.

For cultivation resources and the path to ascension, the nine dynasties of the Central State had never truly lived in peace.

The Jiuli Dynasty and the neighboring Cangming Dynasty had been in conflict for thousands of years, with thousands of battles large and small.

Logically, the Cangming Dynasty, which usurped power ten thousand years ago, was the weakest among the nine dynasties of the Central State because it did not have a quasi-immortal artifact to stabilize the country.

However, it still survived and even remained resilient when the allied armies of the other eight dynasties besieged its borders to uphold the rule of the unassailable Saint Emperor.

This survival was not based on top-tier combat power, but on the reforms by the Cangming Celestial Venerable before the usurpation, nurturing the populace, strengthening the nation, doubling the army of the Cang Mang Dynasty, amassing a formidable force of two million soldiers, and refining cultivation techniques and magical artifacts.

As for the high-end combat power of each dynasty, it often maintained the Saint Emperor’s reign and suppressed internal rebellions within the dynasty.

Discussing these with the elder of Chongwen Residence was certainly not aimless.

Li Jizhou’s goal in this life was very clear: ascension.

The foundation for ascension was resources.

In his current situation, naturally, seizing the throne and becoming the Saint Emperor of the Jiuli Dynasty would maximize resources.

Chongwen Residence, being Li Yuan’s Saint Master, although appearing powerless and disinterested in court affairs, could naturally communicate with Li Yuan since he could serve as the head of the Daoist academy on behalf of Li Yuan.

After all, it was merely a bit of Spirit Wine and some time invested, which had little impact even if it was ultimately futile. After all, talking to him also helped Li Jizhou learn many anecdotes about this realm.

Currently, between the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince, the cards are clear, the Dragon Aspect is a hidden card, and he was a blade sought after by all three to wield.

He could attribute all his actions to any one of the three sides.

“Hey, kid, why are you so stingy today? Trading a thousand-year Monkey Brain Wine for a hundred-year… what’s this wine?” Chongwen Residence’s red-tinted nose slightly twitched as he squinted his eyes and muttered.

Li Jizhou smiled gently, “That’s why an old drunkard might not truly appreciate wine.”

“Not everything ages better with time, for this Hundred Flowers Brew reaches its best at exactly a hundred years!”

You brat, speaking in metaphors? Chongwen Residence indifferently glanced at Li Jizhou, quickly focusing on the wine.

“Hundred Flowers Brew?” Chongwen Residence had never heard of it before.

“Haha, let me show you what true earthly delights are!” Li Jizhou laughed heartily, unsealing the wine jar.

“Swoosh~” As the seal was opened, a burst of fragrance wafted out, and Chongwen Residence’s nose twitched, suddenly intrigued.

Hundred Flowers Brew was a wine Li Jizhou tasked Cyan Dome to find during a casual trip to the Eastern Desolation, brought back by chance.

Unfortunately, fifteen years ago, when Gua Gua possessed the Qilin Immortality Pill and flaunted with Bai Yi and three Quasi-Tier Four Puppets in the Purple Vine Mountain Range, Li Jizhou was captured.

This time Cyan Dome, following Li Jizhou’s directions, took a spin around the Purple Vine Mountain Range but failed to locate that colorful frog.

Gua Gua, carrying the Qilin Immortality Pill, was an incredibly important divine artifact for Li Jizhou in this life.

This made Li Jizhou feel worried.

Although Hundred Flowers Brew was not of high grade, it had a nice flavor, and as Chongwen Residence was the Saint Emperor’s teacher, he naturally had an endless supply of fine wine, making this common folk wine an occasional palate cleanser.

Soon, the two drank with much delight.

“Kid, you’ve been at the Qi Cultivation Stage for three months now, hurry up and travel around the Dynasty, broaden your horizons and observe the people’s real situation.” Chongwen Residence said with a slurred tongue after another bowl of wine.

Li Jizhou showed no emotion but was pleased internally: “Indeed, it’s time to have a look around.”

Chongwen Residence’s ability to say such words held deep meaning for Li Jizhou.

Of course, it might also be to encourage him to establish a high-level Dao Foundation.

Three months ago, unsurprisingly, he completed Qi Cultivation. Given his current magical power and divine soul, and his body refined by the Cyan Emperor Creation Skill, establishing the Foundation was merely a matter of intent.

However, being born into royalty in this life gave him a deeper understanding of Foundation Establishment.

In the previous life in the Eastern Desolate Southern Domain, it was a great joy to successfully establish the Foundation after bitter struggles.

Yet, in reality, the Foundation Establishment stage significantly affects the success of Refining Void; if the Dao Foundation is below the prefecture level, achieving success in Refining Void is almost impossible.

There are four levels for a Dao Foundation: Celestial, Terrestrial, Profound, and Yellow. Any established using the Foundation Establishment Pill would be yellow level.

Li Jizhou is destined to establish a Dao Foundation of the Profound level or above in this life.