Chapter 630 - 422: Single Wood Spirit Root
What Song Qiaoqiao meant wasn't dual cultivation, but simply having a child.
The difference between the two is that the former would absolutely not result in a pregnancy.
Fang Yun naturally understood.
They both wanted a child, but whether they could have one was largely a matter of luck.
Unlike ordinary mortals, the chances of two Cultivators having offspring were low. This was less of an issue for Qi Refining Cultivators; with a few years of trying, they still had a good chance of having children.
Once both partners broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, their very beings were elevated, and the situation changed completely. The odds of having children became pitifully low. However, any child born to two Foundation Establishment Cultivators was guaranteed to have a Spirit Root and would never be unable to cultivate.
At the Core Formation Stage, a Cultivator's being became even more powerful than at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and the probability of having children dropped once again.
At this point, it truly was a matter of luck. The probability was low enough that increasing the number of attempts didn't have much effect.
Even if Fang Yun and Song Qiaoqiao did nothing else for ten straight years and focused only on this, it would be very difficult for Song Qiaoqiao to become pregnant.
So, they approached the matter casually, trying a few times each month so long as it didn't interfere with their other affairs.
The fruit of a union between two Core Formation Cultivators would almost always have the talent of a True Spirit Root or higher. It is said that children born from the union of two Nascent Soul Cultivators are almost always born with Celestial Spirit Roots.
Such a case had never occurred in the history of the Qionglin Domain.
...
「Two years later.」
「Early in the seventh month.」
「Celestial Cloud Sect, Third Branch Sect.」
This was the original location of the Dragon Demon Palace's sect grounds.
Today was the day of the Celestial Cloud Sect's annual disciple recruitment.
Eleven years had now passed since the destruction of the Dragon Demon Palace. Among the mortals in its former territory, those who were middle-aged or younger had essentially completed their reformation.
Outside the mountain gates of the Third Branch Sect, a long line had already formed.
These were all children about to have their Spirit Roots tested.
They were all born after the Dragon Demon Palace was destroyed and had not been influenced by the Demons.
Next to each of the Celestial Cloud Sect Stewards testing Spirit Roots was a transparent sphere.
This was the Celestial Cloud Sect's newest Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifact for testing Spirit Roots, helping the Stewards conduct the tests with greater speed and precision.
Some of the more common special physiques could also be revealed during the test.
"No Spirit Root. Next."
"No Spirit Root. Next."
...
"Five Spirit Roots. You still have a chance. Take this book. If you show good talent before you turn twenty, you can still become a disciple of our Celestial Cloud Sect."
"Thank you, Steward."
"Alright. Next."
Any child who came to have their Spirit Root tested wanted to become a disciple of the Celestial Cloud Sect.
The Celestial Cloud Sect would give a book to any child found to have Mixed Spirit Roots. The book explained the recruitment standards for various other talents, giving them a ten-year window to discover and prove their aptitude. If they met a standard, they could return to the sect.
After ten years, those with truly great talent would also be accepted, but this was considered a special case, as a ten-year testing period was already considered more than long enough.
"A three-element Spirit Root of Water, Gold, and Fire. What's your name?"
"Cao Fengjie."
After a child met the Celestial Cloud Sect's recruitment standards, the Steward would first record their name; more detailed information would be recorded later.
"Stand behind me."
"Yes!"
The child named Cao Fengjie was thrilled. He was the first one today to meet the Celestial Cloud Sect's recruitment standards.
By the end of the morning, the three long queues had shrunk by four-fifths.
Such was the efficiency of the Celestial Cloud Sect's current Spirit Root tests.
"Wood... Spirit Root."
"A Celestial Spirit Root!"
The Celestial Cloud Sect Steward stared at the crystal ball in disbelief. At this moment, it contained only a verdant green light, with no other colors.
After confirming it was a Celestial Spirit Root, the Steward was speechless with excitement.
The last time a Cultivator with a Celestial Spirit Root had appeared in the Celestial Cloud Sect was over a thousand years ago.
The other two Stewards responsible for testing Spirit Roots both stopped what they were doing, utterly astonished.
"It really is a Celestial Spirit Root!"
"Steward Du, your bonus for discovering a disciple with a Celestial Spirit Root is going to be massive. You have to treat us to a meal of Spiritual Food."
"Hahaha! Of course, I will."
The excited exchange between the Stewards somewhat frightened the child.
Seeing the look on the child's face, Steward Du tried to calm himself before asking:
"Ahem... What's your name?"
"Zhao Xiuyuan."
"Zhao Xiuyuan... yes, a very good name." Steward Du smiled with great enthusiasm.
After Steward Du recorded the name, he immediately reported the news to an Elder.
Disciples with Celestial Spirit Roots, Abnormal Spirit Roots, or special physiques who were recruited by a branch sect would all be sent to the main sect.
An Elder was responsible for escorting these disciples.
...
「Celestial Cloud Sect, Main Sect.」
Fang Yun had just finished his cultivation when he received some excellent news.
'The Third Branch Sect found a disciple, Zhao Xiuyuan, with a single Wood Spirit Root.' Fang Yun's mood soared upon receiving the news. 'It's a good thing we eliminated the Dragon Demon Palace so quickly. Otherwise, we would have missed out on a disciple with a Celestial Spirit Root.'
'If the Dragon Demon Palace hadn't been destroyed by now, this Zhao Xiuyuan would have been set on the path of a Demon. Changing him under those circumstances would have been extremely difficult.'
'A Cultivator with a Celestial Spirit Root faces no bottlenecks below the Core Formation Stage.'
'As long as they cultivate diligently, they can reach the Peak of Foundation Establishment without the aid of any breakthrough pills.'
'Even without the aid of pills, a Cultivator with a Celestial Spirit Root has an eighty percent chance of successfully breaking through to the Core Formation Stage. With a single Low-grade Golden Core Pill, their chances exceed ninety-nine percent.'
'Therefore, for any power strong enough to have Core Formation masters, a Cultivator with a Celestial Spirit Root is guaranteed to become one of the sect's future Core Formation leaders.'
'Once a Cultivator with a Celestial Spirit Root breaks through to the Core Formation Stage, their cultivation speed remains incredibly fast. With sufficient resources, their progress would be astronomical.'