"Indeed. The Merit Golden Body Spiritual Body is only meant to smooth the path to breakthroughs, reducing the difficulty of overcoming bottlenecks. I’ve never heard of it granting a Three Spiritual Roots Cultivator such a rapid cultivation speed..."

Master Ge Cang frowned in thought, ruling out one type of Spirit Body after another.

"The Primordial Spirit Body, which is naturally attuned to spiritual qi and can refine it several times faster than cultivators of the same level?"

"The Herbal Spirit Body, which allows one to fully absorb the medicinal power of Spirit Pills, making a single elixir as effective as two taken by anyone else?"

"Or perhaps... a brand-new Spirit Body, one never before recorded in the Cultivation Realm..."

"My speed at refining elixirs is indeed far greater than my peers’. The same was true for the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine you gave me, Junior Martial Uncle. I’m able to absorb several drops of it every month..."

Bai Zichen pinned the credit, which actually belonged to his Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo, onto this unknown Spirit Body.

The quantity and frequency of elixirs he bought at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion... anyone who looked into it would notice something was off. It was far more than a single Foundation Establishment Cultivator could possibly consume in that amount of time.

’It’s best to mention it now. Anything that seems inexplicable can simply be attributed to the Spirit Body.’

"A constitution that both smooths the path to breakthroughs and easily absorbs medicinal power... If it’s still effective at the Nascent Soul Stage, wouldn’t your Spirit Body be several times better than the Merit Golden Body Spiritual Body?"

The Holy Lotus Sect had a legacy spanning ten thousand years and had produced five Nascent Soul True Monarchs. The texts in its collection were all-encompassing.

To better understand how to use the Qingsang Spirit Body, Master Ge Cang had once borrowed all of the Holy Lotus Sect’s ancient texts on the subject of Spirit Bodies.

"Could it be... a legendary Sacred Body?"

"Master, what’s a Sacred Body...? How come I’ve never heard of it?"

Qi Yue, turning into a curious child, piped up with a question.

Bai Zichen shot him an appreciative glance. He had asked the very question on his mind.

’A brand-new term, distinct from a Spirit Body.’

’After all, my relationship with Master Ge Cang isn’t as close as Qi Yue’s, who is a Direct Disciple. It’s much more appropriate for Brother Qi to ask.’

"There are over a thousand types of Spirit Bodies documented in the world, and the effects of half of them can only be described as better than nothing. For example, Yue’er, your Qingsang Spirit Body can help one achieve Core Formation. Su Li’s Talisman Spirit Body gives him a chance to successfully draw a Talisman one tier higher than his own cultivation... These are all limited to the Core Formation level and can be considered upper-mid tier Spirit Bodies."

It was still early, so Master Ge Cang spoke at length, sharing information not found in the texts of the Transmission Hall.

He was only inclined to elaborate because he was speaking to his Direct Disciple, whom he cherished like a son, and to Bai Zichen, who had proven he could one day lead the Qingfeng Sect in his stead.

This was the first time Bai Zichen learned that Su Li’s Talisman Spirit Body was, at most, only effective when crafting Tier Three Talismans.

Beyond that, it was no different from an ordinary Talisman Master; it offered no special advantage.

"A Spirit Body like the Merit Golden Body Spiritual Body, which can add a full ten percent chance of success when forming a Nascent Soul, can already be ranked among the highest tier of Spirit Bodies."

"Only a handful of Spirit Bodies, like the Primordial Spirit Body and the Celestial Gold Spirit Body, can be considered on the same level."

As Master Ge Cang spoke, Bai Zichen began to understand.

’A Spirit Body effective during the Core Formation Stage is considered high-tier. Anything related to the Nascent Soul, no matter in what capacity, can be listed as a top-tier Spirit Body. Following that logic, a constitution that still plays a crucial role at the Nascent Soul Realm must be a Sacred Body, right?’

"Above the top-tier Spirit Bodies, there is another classification, known as a Sacred Body... Even the ancient texts of the Holy Lotus Sect are vague on the topic. Most of what I know, I learned through other channels."

Master Ge Cang’s gaze deepened, his eyes turning to Bai Zichen with a tangible weight.

"Sacred Bodies are even rarer than a Celestial Spiritual Root. In all my extensive reading, I’ve only learned of two... the Great Wilderness Holy Body and the Five Elements Holy Body."

"The ancient texts of the Holy Lotus Sect record that tens of thousands of years ago, before Liang Country even existed, the territories of several nearby countries were all ruled by a Super Sect called the Primordial Sect."

"And the Primordial Sect’s ancestral founder possessed the Great Wilderness Holy Body. His physical body was even stronger than a Demon Beast’s, and he progressed by leaps and bounds when cultivating any Body Refining Technique."

Bai Zichen and Qi Yue listened with rapt attention. Only a sect like the Holy Lotus Sect would have such clear and complete records of history from tens of thousands of years ago.

"The Primordial Ancestral Master ultimately relied on his Great Wilderness Holy Body to unify this land, establish the foundation of the Primordial Sect, and become a Divinity Transformation Great Power. However, according to the speculations of a previous Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Holy Lotus Sect, the Primordial Ancestral Master failed in his Ascension and eventually passed away within the Primordial Sect when his lifespan ran out."

"Ten thousand years after the Primordial Ancestral Master’s passing, the Primordial Sect gradually lost its ability to rule this vast Cultivation Realm. Its influence continued to shrink, eventually splintering into several nations. After another ten thousand years, the Primordial Sect vanished from history altogether."

"Junior Martial Uncle Ge, what about the other Sacred Body?"

’Bai Zichen had a faint realization: his so-called Mutated Merit Golden Body Spirit Body was, at the very least, on the same level as the Great Wilderness Holy Body.’

"The Five Elements Holy Body. Other than a few of the Five Elements Sect’s Peak Masters, very few know of its existence... The ancestral founder of the Five Elements Sect possessed it. Despite having the worst possible aptitude—Five Spiritual Roots—his cultivation speed was comparable to an Abnormal Spiritual Root Cultivator’s."

"He could cultivate any technique in the world, eventually mastering the strengths of many schools to establish the legacy of the Five Elements Five Peaks. At the same time, he created the top-level Divine Technique, the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light."

"Perhaps because no descendant disciple possessed the Five Elements Holy Body, this Great Divine Technique became not only difficult to master, but even Core Formation Cultivators were unable to grasp it... Even if they succeeded, it never displayed the same unrivaled power it had in the hands of the ancestral founder, who dominated the world with it. Now, it can only be considered an ordinary Divine Technique."

Bai Zichen’s heart surged with excitement. He felt as if a new door was opening before him.

An aptitude of Five Spiritual Roots was known as a Discarded Spiritual Root in the Cultivation Realm. Those who possessed it would spend their entire lives struggling to even reach the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

Yet the ancestral founder of the Five Elements Sect had a cultivation speed comparable to someone with an Abnormal Spiritual Root. And because he possessed all Five Elements, he enjoyed many other miraculous benefits.

"Unfortunately, while exploring the Qingqiu Death Sea, this founder of the Five Elements Sect was besieged by several Transformed Great Demons. His physical body was destroyed, and only his Nascent Soul escaped. A few years after returning to his Sect, his Nascent Soul collapsed due to his grievous injuries, and his cultivation came to a halt at the Mid-Stage Nascent Soul realm."

"Nephew Bai, based on your description, your Spirit Body is significantly better than the Merit Golden Body Spiritual Body. It’s possible you possess a previously unheard-of type of Sacred Body."

"As long as you don’t misstep, the Nascent Soul Realm is well within your reach."

"I wish to follow in Junior Martial Uncle’s footsteps and strive to bring glory to our Sect together."

After hearing Master Ge Cang’s explanation, Bai Zichen felt as if a fog had been lifted, and a great sense of certainty settled in his heart.

’My mysterious Spirit Body ignores all Cultivation Realm bottlenecks and all cultivation difficulty thresholds. It’s simply too heaven-defying.’

’It had always given me a sense of unreality, making me fear that its effects would disappear once I broke through to the next Realm.’

’Learning from Master Ge Cang that a level called Sacred Body existed above Spirit Body actually calmed my nerves.’

’A Sacred Body can accompany a cultivator all the way to the Nascent Soul Stage or even Divinity Transformation. That means my own mysterious Sacred Body will, at the very least, allow me to reach Nascent Soul Perfection without ever knowing what a bottleneck is.’

’Only I truly know the power of this constitution. What I’ve shown is merely a tenth of it.’

’It isn’t like the Merit Golden Body Spiritual Body, which merely lowers the difficulty of bottlenecks and increases the success rate of breakthroughs. Instead, as long as my cultivation is sufficient, I can break through without any suspense.’

’It’s as simple as looking at the lines on my own palm.’

’If this isn’t a Sacred Body, it would be against all reason. In fact, it has to be one of the absolute best among Sacred Bodies.’

’As for what happens after Nascent Soul Perfection, if the mysterious Sacred Body really does lose its effect, I’m confident that after so many years, I will have accumulated a deep enough foundation to find another path forward.’

"This Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine is a rare item even in the Holy Lotus Sect, mainly because it’s so troublesome to make... This time, I obtained three Treasures in the Lotus Secret Realm. I gave one to the Holy Lotus Sect as an entry fee, traded another for two bottles of this Spirit Wine, and as for the last one... it’s a rare commodity I’m holding onto, waiting for the right person to come knocking with a good offer."

Master Ge Cang took out a wine flask and tossed it over.

"Yue’er won’t be able to break through the bottleneck to the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment without another eight or ten years of accumulation... Giving this half-flask of Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine to you is putting it to its best use. I’ll be waiting for good news. I hope that by the next time I see you, you will have reached Foundation Establishment Perfection."

"Thank you, Junior Martial Uncle Ge. I will not disappoint you."

Bai Zichen held the bronze wine flask, engraved with the image of a mythical lion. Inside, the half-full flask of wine sloshed about.

’He was overjoyed. He had just been worrying that the Earth Flame Spirit Pill was no longer effective for him in his Late-Stage Foundation Establishment and that he would need to find a new Cultivation Elixir.’

’He looked up and happened to meet Qi Yue’s gaze. He really had to thank Brother Qi for his slow cultivation progress. Otherwise, the entire bottle of Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine would have been saved for him.’

Just as Bai Zichen was calculating how many years of hard cultivation this half-flask of Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine would save him, he felt a slight tremor under his feet.

Master Ge Cang waved his hand, dispelling the Thunder Net. The clouds in the valley began to churn violently, like boiling water in a hot pot.

"The final step has begun. Dai Hui is already drawing upon all the nature’s spiritual energy in the vicinity, affecting the Earth Vein... Entrusting one’s Divine Sense is not like the previous two stages, where you can stop and start over if you feel something is wrong. There is no turning back from this step. It is exceptionally dangerous and places high demands on both the strength and control of one’s Divine Sense. A single mistake will result in a backlash."

Master Ge Cang’s expression grew a little more solemn. If the Qingfeng Sect could produce another Core Formation True Man, his own burden would lighten somewhat.

’Frankly, at this point, the Sect is more of a hindrance to me than a help.’

’If I were on my own, whether I joined the Holy Lotus Sect or roamed the world as a Loose Cultivator, my chances of forming a Nascent Soul would actually be greater.’

"Besides testing the strength of one’s Divine Sense, does the entrustment stage also have requirements for one’s control over it?"

Bai Zichen asked curiously. He had always thought that as long as his Divine Sense was strong enough, this final stage would be easy to pass.

’Opportunities to ask a Core Formation True Man questions at any time are rare; how could I not seize this one?’

"The strength of the Divine Sense is the root, and the ability to control it is the branch... The root is important, of course, but if the branch grows crooked, doesn’t that just add unnecessary complications?"

Master Ge Cang reached out and grasped the empty air, closing his eyes to sense the Spiritual Energy Concentration. "In a moment, if all goes well, the Core Formation phenomenon will appear."

A short while later, the sound of clashing weapons suddenly echoed from within the valley, growing louder and louder.

This left many Elders utterly baffled, wondering what was happening. Could an enemy have snuck into the heart of the Sect, sparking an intense Combat?

The next moment, from amidst the clouds in the valley, the radiant phantoms of countless Spiritual Artifacts burst forth by the hundreds and thousands: Flying Swords, precious vases, Dharma Wheels, spirit lamps, long banners, sharp claws, fishing nets...

These were the imprints of every Spiritual Artifact-level work Dai Hui had ever refined since becoming an Artifact Refiner.