Chapter 181 She, before, actually had feelings for...
Si Yao hadn't expected the fire spirit root to appear so suddenly. She didn't dare delay, absorbing all the scattered spiritual energy into her dantian.
When those tiny, fire-like things entered her body, she felt as if her whole body was being roasted by fire, and sweat appeared on her forehead, only to be evaporated by the heat of the fire.
Not only did this happen repeatedly, but I also felt a burning sensation in all the meridians of my body.
Si Yao spat out a mouthful of blood, which fell to the ground and ignited into clusters of flames.
Are you alright?
Si Yao clutched her chest and shook her head. "I'm fine."
She was born with a water-elemental root, and naturally felt a certain aversion to fire-elemental spiritual energy. When she tried to draw this spiritual energy into her body, she could feel a clear resistance.
[Take a break and try again later; you look terrible.]
"No, if this spiritual energy dissipates, it will be difficult to gather it back together."
She didn't understand how she had drawn out this spiritual energy; it seemed to have appeared suddenly.
Si Yao knew that now was not the time to talk about this. She tried again to guide the spiritual energy into her body to replenish the fire spirit root within her.
The burning sensation enveloped her entire body once again. Si Yao felt as if her whole body was on fire. She used her water spirit root to resist the burning sensation all over her body.
The water jet was too small; it was burned dry by the fire before it could even get close.
If the water jet is too large and the fire too small, it will extinguish the fire spirit, and all her efforts will be in vain.
Si Yao gasped for breath, never expecting the fire spirit to be so difficult. If this continued, her original water spirit root would also be destroyed.
Xiang Bei wanted to speak, but seeing Si Yao's serious expression, she ultimately held back.
Si Yao closed her eyes, sensing the spiritual energy within her body.
She could sense that the fire elemental root within her body craved this power, but her mutated water elemental root was rejecting the appearance of the fire elemental root.
Disciples in the sect who are found to have dual spiritual roots of water and fire have a very difficult time cultivating. To date, no disciple has ever been seen who can be both water and fire compatible.
Disciples with dual spiritual roots of water and fire usually abandon one of their spiritual roots and focus on cultivating a single spiritual root.
Si Yao felt her body gradually losing strength. She braced herself on the ground with her hands to prevent herself from falling. When she opened her eyes, her vision was already blurry.
Her hands were scalded red by the heat, as if they were cooked. The water droplets that condensed on her fingertips evaporated into steam in an instant.
She didn't want to give up!
Si Yao twitched her fingers slightly, and water condensed in her palm again, quickly freezing into ice before it was burned away by the heat.
A cool sensation came from her hand. Si Yao watched as the ice slowly melted into water in her palm and then disappeared. Suddenly, she had an idea.
Her mutated water elemental root allows her to freeze water into ice.
Si Yao tried to summon a water column, then used her mental power to condense it into an ice block, which enveloped the fire spirit and entered her body. Just as it was about to reach her dantian, the ice block melted, and the spiritual energy was successfully absorbed by the fire spirit root.
Within her dantian, the fire spirit root was even more rampant than before.
A gentle stream of water gushed from the Water Spirit Root, flowing over her body like a brook, washing away Si Yao's exhaustion. Wherever the water flowed, trees grew, bursting with vitality into towering giants, culminating in a small flame at the end.
Her fire elemental root was drawn out.
Looking at the burning flame in her dantian, Si Yao felt refreshed and invigorated, and the pain she had just felt disappeared.
Si Yao still didn't understand why the fire spirit had appeared earlier. She thought that her senior, who was knowledgeable and experienced, should know the reason.
"Senior, why did I draw out the fire elemental energy? I clearly didn't do anything!"
[It's probably because you're angry with your unreliable master and junior sister. An unnamed anger is still anger.]
After saying this, Xiang Bei herself couldn't hold back anymore.
"Unnamed fire?" Si Yao began to ponder.
It seemed that was indeed the case. Looking at her master's matter-of-fact expression, she was really angry.
As a mentor, he couldn't even be fair in the most basic way.
The master she loved was the one who had principles in everything he did, but the current master seemed to be a completely different person from before.
Si Yao twitched the corners of her mouth, feeling somewhat ironic, realizing that her master wasn't as good as she had imagined.
Is it possible that your master has never changed, that he has always been the same, and that you simply didn't truly understand him before?
"Perhaps."
Thinking of her master, Si Yao still felt a pang of sadness. He had been so good to her before. Now, looking back, it felt like something from a long time ago.
Seeing Si Yao deep in thought, Xiang Bei patted the system and asked, "System, what kind of evil cultivation path is this? Even an unnamed fire can draw out fire spiritual energy. This is a conceptual god!"
"Anything is possible, even a concept god is a god. If I succeed in cultivating it, I'll truly be invincible." The system said smugly.
Xiang Bei ignored its smug look. Si Yao now possessed both wood and fire spiritual roots.
The next step is fire generating earth, which requires awakening her earth elemental root.
Si Yao also knew that she was still most suitable for cultivation at the moment, and it was best not to think about those messy things anymore.
After acquiring the three spiritual roots of water, wood, and fire, her cultivation speed noticeably slowed down again. However, she also felt that the spiritual energy in her body had increased.
Even the range of her sea of consciousness has expanded considerably; as long as she closes her eyes, she can sense the movement of the surrounding mountains, rivers, plants, and trees.
In order to awaken her water spirit root as soon as possible, Si Yao opened her eyes, quickly shook off those unreliable thoughts in her mind, and lay down on the ground in the courtyard.
She had even begun to fantasize about what it would be like to draw out the earth spiritual root. There were also people who cultivated three spiritual roots at the same time. Her master had three spiritual roots, and he had cultivated each one to its extreme. He was also the cultivator with the best chance of ascending to immortality in the cultivation world.
The cultivation of four spiritual roots exists only in legends. It is said that the founder of the Heavenly Sword Sect was a cultivator with four spiritual roots, and he was able to ascend to the upper realm, becoming a legendary tale in the cultivation world.
People who cultivate the five spiritual roots exist only in legends, and these legends are from a very, very long time ago, so long ago that everyone thinks the legend of the five spiritual roots is fabricated.
If all five elements of spiritual roots could be cultivated, Si Yao dared not imagine how much her strength would improve.
It seems there is no record of anyone cultivating the five spiritual roots in the cultivation world.
Sensing what Si Yao was thinking, Xiang Bei launched into a tirade.
[Even though there are no records, you've become the one who is recorded. You are the first person in the history of cultivation to allow everyone to witness the cultivation of the five spiritual roots while they are still alive. In the future, when people mention you, they will all look up to you and admire you.]
In the original setting, a single spiritual root is the strongest.
Xiang Bei felt that even if one cultivated all five spiritual roots to their fullest potential, it was impossible for them to be inferior to someone with only a single spiritual root; ultimately, it was still too weak. If someone could truly cultivate all five spiritual roots simultaneously, they would immediately change their tune and say that the five spiritual roots were the strongest.
In the cultivation world, strength is still paramount.
If Si Yao truly possesses five spiritual roots simultaneously, she would indeed be the number one cultivator in the cultivation world.
Thinking of this possibility, Si Yao couldn't contain her excitement. She was about to witness the birth of the number one person in the cultivation world!
Si Yao was also stirred by Xiang Bei's words, but she still managed to maintain a sliver of rationality and asked, "Could it be that Senior also has five spiritual roots?"
Xiang Bei immediately began acting.
I have no spiritual roots. They say I cultivate too many different things and am not worthy to be among them. The world does not accept me, so I have hidden myself away and no longer wish to show myself.
Si Yao was truly fooled by Xiang Bei and said with a guilty look, "I'm sorry, senior, I misspoke."
She never imagined that someone without spiritual roots could cultivate so powerfully. Indeed, everyone can forge their own path, and this senior is a role model for her to learn from.
"If I can truly cultivate to the point of having all five spiritual roots, I can avenge my parents and relatives."
Xiang Bei paused for a moment, then quickly flipped through the original text. She then discovered that the original text did indeed mention Si Yao's desire to kill the demons who massacred the village to avenge her parents and relatives. However, it was only mentioned in the early part of the story; later on, whether the author forgot or something else, it wasn't mentioned again, and the author was only focused on the heartbreak.
After the female protagonist was brought back to life, she was constantly harassed by the male protagonist. In the end, the two went into seclusion and never mentioned avenging their parents.
Even the demons that slaughtered Siyao Village never appeared, and it wasn't mentioned until the very end.
Xiang Bei thought that he probably forgot to write it down, or he just mentioned it briefly to advance the plot and never intended to make it back up.
Si Yao clearly still remembered this incident. It was something she had been determined to do since she was a child. When she closed her eyes, she could see the pain on her parents' and relatives' faces. How could she forget it, and how could she dare to forget it?
[Definitely! As long as you cultivate diligently, you will surpass everyone else; no demon or monster will be your match.]
"Thank you, senior."
Thanks to her seniors, she was able to acquire three spiritual roots so smoothly.
However, Si Yao still couldn't find a suitable opportunity to generate earth from fire. Even when she rolled around on the ground without caring about her image, she couldn't sense any earth energy.
Fire produces earth, meaning the ashes from fire turning into earth.
Si Yao scattered the burnt material on the ground and then loosened the soil around the flowers, plants, and trees in the yard, but there was no reaction.
Just as her master lifted her confinement, Si Yao decided to go to the back mountain to explore, as it was a much larger area.
The Heavenly Sword Sect has abundant spiritual energy, with trees covering the mountains and the air filled with the scent of wood.
Si Yao sensed those auras, absorbed the wood spirit energy into her body, and felt the changes in the wood spirit root within her.
However, she couldn't sense the earth's presence for a long time.
【How about we try somewhere else? Like going down the mountain? These spiritual energies don't usually appear in just one place. Trying different locations might just work.】
Si Yao thought it made sense. Perhaps it was because the mountains weren't suitable; one had to feel the true power of the earth to find the spirit of the soil.
"Going down the mountain alone would probably be difficult, and I would inevitably have to take my disciples with me to gain experience."
"We need to find a way to get you down the mountain alone."
Si Yao thought about it carefully for a moment before saying, "There is a Cliff of Repentance on the back mountain. Disciples who make mistakes will be punished by being sent there to reflect on their mistakes. However, there is a barrier there, and no one except the elder in charge of law enforcement can open it. Xiang Bei, do you have a way to break the barrier?"
【have. 】
Just as Si Yao was preparing to find a reason to send herself to the Cliff of Contemplation, she was summoned by Daoist Chongming.
When Si Yao arrived, Daoist Chongming was displeased to see her, who had just rolled down the mountain and was covered in dust.
What are you doing looking like that?
The last time I saw Si Yao, she looked disheveled and tired.
Daoist Chongming looked at Si Yao, seemingly trying to discern something from her. As the senior disciple of the sect, her unkempt appearance was truly disappointing to him.
Si Yao no longer cared about her image.
She used to always act like the senior sister, just to set an example for her junior brothers and sisters. Now she's let go of that, she doesn't care who it is, it has nothing to do with her anyway.
After asking her seniors for help to conceal her fire elemental root, Si Yao slowly made her way over.
"Master was in a hurry, and I rushed over without even having time to change my clothes. Has something happened to someone?"
Daoist Chongming reluctantly accepted her reason, "No one got hurt. Wen Yin and the others took on a mission and were thinking of taking you with them. As the senior sister, you have to protect them."
After saying that, Daoist Chongming thought of Si Yao's recent unusual behavior and said with some concern, "You are the eldest sister, it is your duty to take good care of them. Si Yao, don't let your master down."
"Can't I not go? I'm very busy lately."
"What are you so busy with?" Daoist Chongming said with displeasure, looking Si Yao up and down, his brows furrowing even more. "Your cultivation has regressed?"
Si Yao's cultivation level did not decline; she simply gained the Wood and Fire Spiritual Roots to cultivate. Some of the spiritual energy in her dantian was absorbed by the Wood and Fire Spiritual Roots, making it appear as if her cultivation level had declined.
Seeing that even her master hadn't noticed that she had two extra spiritual roots, Si Yao was completely relieved. She was still more amazing than her senior, who had even managed to keep it a secret from her master.
"Senior Sister, is it because of me that your cultivation has regressed?" Wen Yin stepped forward, looking at Si Yao with red eyes.
Before Si Yao could even speak, her fellow disciples immediately stood in front of Wen Yin, as if Si Yao were some kind of ferocious beast that would suddenly pounce and devour Wen Yin at any moment.
Looking at the person glaring at her, Si Yao suddenly laughed. "Junior Sister Wen, how is it that I have a problem with you? It's clearly you who has a problem with me. Look, you only said one sentence and shed a couple of tears, and everyone has already blamed me. If I go with you, and you cry again, it will be my fault again. Junior Sister Wen, I really don't understand why you cry as soon as you see me. If you're so afraid of me, why do you always try to get close to me? Are you out of your mind?"
"Si Yao!" Lord Chongming scolded.
"Master, are you going to hit me again?" Si Yao laughed as she looked at Daoist Chongming's raised hand.
“Every time Junior Sister cries, you immediately take action. I’m curious, since you like Junior Sister so much, why don’t you grant her wish and expel me from the sect?”
"Senior Sister, why do you misunderstand me like this? When did I ever say I wanted Master to expel you from the sect?" Wen Yin said, crying.
"Have I misunderstood you, Junior Sister? I also want to know. Although I have a water elemental root, my elemental root shouldn't affect you, right? Why do you always cry whenever you see me? Is it really like I said, that you have a congenital mental disorder and can't control your tears?"
"Insolence!" Daoist Chongming slapped Si Yao away again.
Si Yao fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Although she fell badly, Si Yao wasn't in any pain.
They weren't even injured.
Just like before, this time the senior blocked the blow for her, preventing it from hitting her, but she was still sent flying by the palm strike.
"Since you don't want to go, then don't go. Si Yao, get back inside and reflect on your actions." Chongming Daojun's angry voice rang out.
This surprised her even more with the senior's skill. Her master's three spiritual roots had all reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, yet the senior was still able to withstand that blow for her. She felt even more disheartened by her master's indiscriminate attack.
Do we really still want him to be our master?
She used to admire someone like that.
Chongming Daojun felt a pang of pain in his heart when Si Yao looked at him, and subconsciously looked away.
He raised his voice and angrily rebuked, "As a fellow disciple, I never knew you could be so malicious."
Si Yao chuckled lightly, "Since Master has so casually pinned such a heavy crime on me, then I will request to go to the Cliff of Repentance to be punished. I wonder if Master is satisfied?"
Chongming Daojun looked over, and when he looked at Si Yao, his expression was a mixture of restraint and anger, making him seem quite complex.
Especially when he saw the mocking smile on Si Yao's lips, Daoist Chongming finally broke down. "Don't you know what the Cliff of Contemplation is? Do you think I'll feel sorry for you with your feigned indifference? Si Yao, even if you die now, it's your own fault."
"Unfortunately, I will not die, and I will disappoint my master."
Si Yao felt she really needed to go to the Cliff of Repentance to clear her head. She was wondering whether she should continue to be a disciple under such a master who couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
Rather than suffering under his thumb, it's better to learn from the seniors and become a free and unrestrained cultivator.
Just as Daoist Chongming was about to speak, Wen Yin stepped forward again. Stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall, she stammered a few words, seemingly pleading for Si Yao, but every word she uttered was pushing her into a pit of fire.
Wait, move closer to Wen Yin so I can see her.
Upon seeing the scrolling text, Si Yao walked silently to Wen Yin, startling her into backing away. "Senior Sister..."
"Sir, did you see that clearly? It's the bracelet on Wen Yin's hand."
"I see it, that's a magical artifact," the system said after scanning it.
[You can leave now.]
Si Yao took a step back.
As Si Yao approached Wen Yin, Daoist Chongming had already stood up. Seeing her take a few steps back, he sat back down.
“Master, I’m not stupid enough to do this in front of you. There’s no need to show this kind of expression.”
As if his secret had been exposed, Daoist Chongming immediately shouted, "You wicked disciple! What nonsense are you spouting? I think you've gone mad. Fine, since you want to go to the Cliff of Repentance, go there. Stay there for three months and sober up properly."
"Three months is too short. I'm afraid I won't be able to reflect thoroughly enough. Let's make it three years." Si Yao said, then turned and left.
She went to the Cliff of Repentance not only to clear her mind, but also mainly because the disciples who went there to reflect on their sins would be trapped by the formation.
This formation was left behind by the founding patriarch before his ascension; even a master cannot easily break it. Since she intends to go, she must have a way to escape.
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