Chapter 2, Spirit Beasts and Spirit Roots

Spirit stones devoid of spiritual power, elixirs tainted with Dan Poison, talismans that have completed their release yet remain only in form, mundane treasures of gold and silver, various unknown spiritual herbs, fragments of magical artifacts that have lost all their potency, and so forth; these low-level scattered cultivators have nearly exhausted the value of every type of spiritual item, leaving nothing behind.

It is said that silver contains a type of low-grade spiritual material known as silver essence. As long as there is a stable source of earth fire for refining, it can be considered a business that is guaranteed to profit. Unfortunately, there are not many itinerant cultivators who specialize in this trade. Naturally, someone with nothing will seize any opportunity to earn spirit stones, so he often accumulates the silver obtained from transactions, waiting for the right moment to arise. Unfortunately, there are not many itinerant cultivators who specialize in this trade. Naturally, someone with nothing will seize any opportunity to earn spirit stones, so he often accumulates the silver obtained from transactions, waiting for the right moment to arise

In the central area of Cormorant Lake, the water reaches depths of several hundred fathoms. Each dive consumes a significant amount of energy. Even with the nourishment of the spirit beast pill, his cormorants can only ensure one successful dive each day. Under the premise of ensuring the safety of a pair of cormorants, the only option is to choose to return.

Perhaps only when the precious cormorant he has carefully nurtured is promoted to a legendary low-grade spiritual beast will it be able to stay at the bottom of the lake for a longer time and yield more rewards, but this is an exceedingly lengthy process. For him at present, possessing a pair of spiritual beasts remains a dream that is difficult to realize

The benefits of spirit beasts are countless. Once they recognize their master, they remain loyal for life and fear no danger. Because spirit beasts have long lifespans, they can be passed down to future generations when their master passes away. Many great sects and clans have their guardian spirit beasts come about in this manner. However, for Zhao Shoushou, all of this is a beautiful yet unattainable dream. For now, the most sensible choice for him is still to drive his fishing boat daily to salvage more mist stones.

Hey, hey, our fishing expert has returned. How was today's catch? Shall we proceed with the usual trade?" As soon as I stepped onto the shore, a robust voice reached my ears. It belonged to the owner of Guiyun Pavilion, the most renowned restaurant in Luci County, who comes here every day to purchase the fresh fish he catches at a high price.

As for the practitioners who consume these toxic elixirs, they are almost entirely those with the lowest qualifications, haplessly embarking on the path of cultivation as miscellaneous spirit root cultivators. After consumption, they can only expel the elixir's toxins from their bodies over a prolonged period, maintaining themselves at a precarious balance, free from erosion, merely to save some spirit stones to purchase more cultivation resources, hoping to replenish a meager amount of spiritual energy to prevent a decline in their cultivation level. After consumption, they can only expel the elixir's toxins from their bodies over a prolonged period, maintaining themselves at a precarious balance, free from erosion, merely to save some spirit stones to purchase more cultivation resources, hoping to replenish a meager amount of spiritual energy to prevent a decline in their cultivation level.

In the realm of cultivation, failed elixirs are unconsumable due to excessive dan poison and impurities. However, at the Cormorant Lake gathering, there is a cultivator who specializes in handling various discarded elixirs that have failed in their refinement. Tirelessly, he categorizes them according to their dan poison content and sells them at extremely low prices, earning at least a dozen low-grade spirit stones with each transaction. He has surprisingly become an object of envy for many financially constrained loose cultivators.

Nine carp weighing over 3 jin, eleven grass carp weighing over 5 jin, three silver carp weighing over 7 jin, and all of the fine silver weighing 31 taels are to be taken away. The transactions between the two parties are very skilled, and the fine silver refers to silver with a purity of over 90%. Every 300 taels of silver can be exchanged for a low-grade spirit stone from some scattered cultivators in need.

Unfortunately, he was born into the lowest rank of the cultivation world as a loose cultivator. Not to mention the earth fire source, which was forcibly connected to the earth veins by a great power, he had only heard its name and never seen its form. Even the first-grade low-grade spiritual material, silver essence, refined from silver, was something he had never encountered. All the resources needed for his cultivation came from the small gatherings at Cormorant Lake organized by some itinerant loose cultivators, held once every three months.

The so-called Cormorant Lake gathering cannot be considered a formal trade fair, let alone be compared to the legendary markets specifically established for practitioners, which are said to offer a wide variety of treasures at reasonable prices. In the eyes of many practitioners, the Cormorant Lake gathering is more aptly referred to as a beggar's trade fair.

The origins of spirit beasts can also be categorized into three types. The first type is through the unhatched eggs or the unblinking young of demon beasts. The second type involves selecting wild beasts with good potential and breaking the shackles of their bloodlines through long-term meticulous breeding, resulting in the promotion to demon beasts. The final type is the offspring born from spirit beasts that have been cultivated over generations by certain large sects or families, which are inherently more compatible with human cultivators.

Guiyun Pavilion is a dining establishment exclusively for high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy landlords. Therefore, there are strict requirements regarding the length, weight, and shape of the fresh fish, and each fish must be intact and lively. Although Cormorant Island is abundant in various fish, most of them meet their demise in the beaks of cormorants, which is one of the main reasons they are willing to pay a high price for procurement.

In the realm of cultivation, the classification of aptitude is as follows: those with a single attribute spiritual root are referred to as Heavenly Spiritual Roots, regarded as the favored children of heaven, and are sought after by various sects, able to smoothly break through to the Golden Core stage without any bottlenecks; however, they are exceedingly rare, with only one appearing every hundred years. Those with two attribute spiritual roots are called Dual Spiritual Roots, possessing superior cultivation aptitude, also rare, and can successfully establish a foundation to become the backbone of the cultivation world. Those with three attribute spiritual roots are the most common, known as Triple Spiritual Roots; if the attributes of the spiritual roots complement each other, the chance of establishing a foundation exceeds sixty percent, making them the mainstay of various cultivation sects and families; unfortunately, they are also exceedingly rare, with only one appearing every hundred years. Those with four spiritual roots are referred to as Mixed Spiritual Roots, as their mottled spiritual roots make cultivation exceptionally difficult; without extraordinary opportunities, they may struggle throughout their lives to break through the bottleneck and advance to the Foundation Establishment stage. Those with five spiritual roots are called Pseudo Spiritual Roots; from the name, it can be inferred that those who fortuitously embark on the path of cultivation can only linger in the early to mid-stages of Qi Refinement.

According to the classification in the realm of cultivation, beasts can be divided into three categories. The first category consists of wild beasts, which are well-known, have the widest range of habitats, and are almost ubiquitous; they are also the primary source of meat for mortals in this world. The second category includes demon beasts, which have evolved from wild beasts. Like cultivators, they can absorb the essence of heaven and earth to enhance their cultivation. The only difference is that, apart from a few special demon beasts, most demon beasts do not exhibit a significant increase in intelligence and continue to act based on instinct. The third category is spirit beasts. In essence, spirit beasts are no different from demon beasts; they have merely been domesticated by cultivators, resulting in a more docile temperament.

Additionally, there are some special mutated spiritual roots, such as the ice spiritual root formed by the mutation of wind and water spiritual roots, and the thunder spiritual root formed by the mutation of metal and earth attributes, among others. Furthermore, some even rarer spiritual roots, such as the yin-yang spiritual root, space spiritual root, and time spiritual root, will not be elaborated upon here. However, each type of spiritual root possesses boundless utility, and once they appear, they become objects of competition among numerous immortal sects.

Spiritual roots are a necessary condition for embarking on the path of cultivation. Among mortals, those who possess spiritual roots are one in ten thousand, with ninety percent of them having mixed spiritual roots that encompass all five elements. Without sufficient opportunities, one may only linger in the early to mid-stages of Qi training throughout their life. This is because testing for spiritual roots requires at least ten low-grade spiritual stones. Zhao Shoushou still does not know what type of spiritual root he possesses or what his cultivation aptitude is. However, judging by the difficulties he faces in his cultivation, his aptitude should not be considered very good. Since testing for spiritual roots requires at least ten low-grade spiritual stones, Zhao Shoushou still does not know what type of spiritual root he possesses or what his cultivation aptitude is. However, judging by the difficulties he faces in his cultivation, his aptitude should not be considered very good