Chapter 48

The obese man seemed to be enjoying the reverent gazes around him, smiling and saying, "Of course, of course..."

The Dongyang Princess led the way, with the obese man following behind, about to enter the rear hall. Suddenly, he stopped, turned around, and his small eyes, squeezed by fat, swept over the crowd. He said indifferently, "Who is Qin Sang?"

Instantly, all eyes in the Holy Palace focused on Qin Sang.

The Dongyang Princess raised her eyes.

Qin Sang had thought the young man surnamed Han had broken his promise, feeling deeply disappointed. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Excellency, I am Qin Sang."

The young man sized up Qin Sang, grunted, and pointed at him, saying, "After the coronation ceremony, come find me."

Then he turned and walked into the rear hall.

The hall was silent as a grave.

Qin Sang could feel the surprise and envy in those gazes, and even the jealousy from the crown prince. Even the soon-to-be emperor, the Dongyang King, stared intently at Qin Sang.

Du Mu came closer and whispered, "Rumor has it that you saved a master's life. Is it true?"

Du Feng, who knew a bit more, said, "I remember, he seemed thinner, right?"

Qin Sang was still immersed in joy and ignored them. Since the young man surnamed Han hadn't forgotten him and had even sent someone, didn't it mean the possibility of him agreeing to his request was quite high?

After a moment of silence, the master of the Holy Palace quietly reminded the Dongyang King, "Your Majesty, the auspicious time is almost over."

"Oh? Oh!"

The king and his ministers finally came to their senses. The Dongyang King hurriedly held the jade seal, took a step forward, and carefully placed it between the jade tablet and the jade book, marking the start of the coronation ceremony.

The ceremony was elaborate, and later moved outside the hall where officials were granted titles. It lasted nearly three hours, but fortunately, the mountain breeze was gentle, and the winter sun was warm, allowing everyone to endure.

In the end, the Dongyang King ascended the throne as emperor, setting the era name Wude.

Qin Sang was granted the title of Fuguo General and Duke of Jiangzhou.

Qin Sang accepted the title calmly, waiting until the coronation ceremony ended. The new emperor led the officials down the mountain to the Jade Palace, while he stayed at the Holy Palace, led by the master of the Holy Palace to the rear hall.

The Dongyang Princess, now the Grand Princess, was nowhere to be seen.

In the hall, only the obese young man remained, sitting in a grand chair with his eyes closed, motionless, seemingly asleep but actually meditating.

As soon as they entered the hall, the obese young man opened his eyes, waved for the master of the Holy Palace to leave, and lazily said to Qin Sang, "To make a long story short, Master Han asked me to tell you something. The path of immortality is hard to attain, not only because of the countless dangers after cultivation, but also because one must possess a spiritual root to cultivate. Among mortals, only one in ten thousand has a spiritual root. This means that if you choose to cultivate, your chances are extremely slim. If you stay in the mortal world, the Holy Palace will protect your descendants for three generations, ensuring their prosperity. Choose for yourself."

Qin Sang was slightly taken aback, realizing that cultivation required a spiritual root.

Then he immediately thought that he had already cultivated the *Yao Ming Jing* to the fifth level, so he must have a spiritual root and need not worry.

However, he still asked, "What is a spiritual root?"

"How should I know?" The obese young man pursed his lips, wondering why Master Han was so concerned about a mortal and asked him to explain in detail. "Spiritual roots are divided into the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, corresponding to the five elemental energies in the world. Only those with a spiritual root can comprehend the Dao and cultivate spiritual energy and true essence within their bodies. In short, without a spiritual root, one cannot even sense the elemental energies in the world, let alone cultivate. Also, having a spiritual root doesn't mean the Han family will accept you. If you have a pure spiritual root, not just the Han family, but major cultivation sects would vie for you. But if your spiritual root is mixed, with four or even five elements, you will never reach the Foundation Establishment stage, and even with Master Han's recommendation, you won't be accepted into the inner circle of the Han family."

Hearing this, Qin Sang, who had initially thought he was certain to succeed, became anxious. He asked many questions, making the obese young man increasingly impatient before he gained a superficial understanding of cultivators.

It turned out that after entering the cultivation world, one's initial stage is called the Qi Condensation stage, where one refines essence into qi, nurturing the primordial spirit and transforming the physical body, extending one's lifespan by several decades compared to mortals.

The Qi Condensation stage has thirteen levels. Reaching the tenth level allows one to prepare for the Foundation Establishment stage.

Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage have formidable combat power and are considered true cultivators in the cultivation world. Those who cannot reach the Foundation Establishment stage are of little use to a sect.

Whether one can reach the Foundation Establishment stage depends on one's destiny and, more importantly, one's talent, which is the spiritual root.

Single spiritual roots, or dual or triple spiritual roots, have a good chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. However, mixed spiritual roots with four or five elements have a very slim chance.

The obese young man explained clearly to Qin Sang that only one in ten thousand has a spiritual root, and true spiritual roots are even rarer. Single spiritual roots are extremely rare, and he should not have such high hopes.

If Qin Sang had a mixed spiritual root, he could still join the Han family but would only be a commoner in the outer circle, perhaps living a few more years and being free from worry, but not as good as being a king or duke in the mortal world, with the Holy Palace ensuring a life of prosperity.

But how could Qin Sang give up now?

Qin Sang didn't know if the *Yao Ming Jing* corresponded to the Qi Condensation stage. He had cultivated to the fifth level in just five years, which shouldn't be considered slow, right?

Doesn't this mean his talent isn't bad?

"Your Excellency, I have made my decision," Qin Sang said solemnly, "Please, Your Excellency, test my spiritual root."

The obese young man had already been annoyed by Qin Sang and said angrily, "Is the path of immortality so easy to attain? I see you won't give up until you hit a wall. Extend your hand."

Qin Sang nervously extended his hand, fearing his talent wasn't good enough and also worried about the obese young man discovering his cultivation of the dark arts.

Unexpectedly, just as Qin Sang was secretly worrying, the obese young man coldly said, "You have no spiritual root, and thus no connection to the path of immortality. You can leave now."

Qin Sang was stunned, thinking the test of the spiritual root would involve some mystical method.

The obese young man simply touched his arm and immediately withdrew, concluding that Qin Sang had no spiritual root.

"Impossible!"

Qin Sang exclaimed in shock. Without a spiritual root, how could he cultivate the *Yao Ming Jing*, how could he cultivate spiritual energy, and how could he control the Purple Soul Bell and the Ice Silk Armor?

"How is it impossible?"

The obese young man shouted angrily, "I already warned you, only one in ten thousand has a spiritual root. Even in cultivation families, those with spiritual roots are few. Without a spiritual root, you have no spiritual root. Don't make a fuss here!"

Qin Sang's eyes turned cold. He didn't know what he had done to offend this immortal, who seemed to dislike him.

Seeing the obese young man turn to leave and push the door open, Qin Sang quickly flashed in front of the door, "I want to see Master Han!"