Devour

Chapter 390 5 Root Bones

Cheng Bai took a few sips of the tea, sifting its effects on his tongue, and commented, "This tea has a slight detoxifying effect. Drinking it regularly will help you avoid colds and poisons and feel refreshed."

Beitingjun said with a casual laugh, "Rich and sweet, just what I like."

"It's a great honor for a student to have you personally guide me and receive praise from all the teachers." Mu Yan was delighted to hear this and asked Master Li, "It's been several years since I last left the academy. How is Mr. Lan Da doing?"

Master Li smiled and said, "She loves to lecture people as always, but when she mentions you, she praises you highly. She says that among the students in the north, you are the most diligent and well-mannered, and a role model for the academy!"

Mu Yan was feeling smug and took the opportunity to ask, "I've heard that the Seventh Master position has been vacant for many years. Does the Master have any suitable candidate in mind?"

Master Li hesitated and said, "Strictly speaking, not yet."

Mu Yan couldn't wait to stand up and bow, saying, "I am willing to water the flower of success with my hard work and sweat, and accept the Master's severe test. I beg to be accepted as your personal disciple. I will definitely do my best to fill the gap left by the Seventh Master."

Faced with the earnest request, Master Li stroked his beard and remained silent. The room was so quiet that only the sound of Cheng Bai sipping tea could be heard.

Mu Yan refused to sit down, leaning forward slightly, trying to convey a clear and sincere look. Time ticked by, and Master Li finally sighed and said, "Do you know what the Five Elements Bones are?"

Cheng Bai blinked. He knew the answer to this question very well, but when he thought about it carefully, he felt a little unfamiliar.

As he progressed, his breakthroughs in realms came naturally, as if the troubles that most cultivators were struggling with were very far away from him, and his understanding of basic theories was rather weak.

Mu Yan, of course, wasn't one to be easily stumped. He straightened his chest and answered the question seriously, "A cultivator's innate constitution is divided into five categories: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. During cultivation, they develop a natural affinity for the corresponding heavenly and earthly vital energy. For example, Yan has a fire innate constitution, so practicing fire-based techniques to absorb and refine fire vital energy will yield twice the result with half the effort. This is also considered the threshold for accepting disciples by major sects and schools."

Master Li gently put down the teacup in his hand and asked, "But why is this single bone only a threshold?"

Mu Yan carefully chose his words and replied, "Ordinary people lack the Five Elements' innate strength. Circulating their Qi is like a rootless duckweed, with nowhere to rely on. Diligently cultivate and subdue one's internal Qi, focusing on one's own focus to generate internal strength, until one's mind is fully developed and their skills, mind, and body are perfect. At best, they can achieve the Realm of Body Enlightenment. From then on, it will be difficult to make any further progress."

"Cultivators absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth, condensing it into true essence. Everything must be based on the Five Elements. However, those with the right bones are extremely rare. Even if one is chosen from a million, it is difficult to guarantee purity."

"Most people have flawed bones, blocked meridians, or obstructed spiritual orifices. These are called 'complicated bones.' They can painstakingly cultivate true essence, but never purify it. Without careful conditioning and improvement, they will stop before the Heavenly Man Realm. Lacking the mana to cultivate the gate of mana, they will ultimately be unable to cross the threshold of cultivation."

Cheng Bai pondered, "Mu Yan's theories are comprehensive, his foundation is solid, and his answers are fluent. He is clearly superior to ordinary cultivators. If the Master is unwilling to accept him into his fold, there must be something else he is dissatisfied with."

Mu Yan went on to explain, "Regardless of whether one's root bones are metal, wood, water, fire, or earth, as long as they are spiritually pure and combined with the appropriate cultivation method, one can unlock numerous gates of magical power, ascend to the Purple Mansion, and wander freely in the fairyland. As the saying goes, when one cultivates the five elements and attains enlightenment, one's root bones will reach the heavens and embark on a smooth path."

"But there are also a very small number of exceptionally gifted geniuses, born with extraordinary innate strengths. Some of them possess flawless pure Five Elements and naturally develop miraculous bloodline runes and formations. Some are so utterly illogical that they don't even belong to the Five Elements. Some even have never practiced a cultivation technique before, yet suddenly awaken and shock the world, easily transcending the threshold!"

Mu Yan paused briefly, moistening his throat with tea before continuing, "This is an absolute advantage far superior to ordinary cultivators. Therefore, a single-brained physique is only the foundation for entry, while a genius is the object of competition among all major sects! Is what I said correct?"

Master Li praised, "Your answer is concise and to the point. Excellent!"

Cheng Bai gradually became interested, so he asked, "Brother Mu Yan just talked about the aptitude of a single root bone, so how do you explain double and triple root bones?"

"Single-element root bone cultivation has great advantages. It is the most efficient way to transform a single attribute of vital energy, and the progress is also faster."

Mu Yan replied solemnly, then changed the subject to analyze the difference between the two: "No matter how pure a dual-element bone structure is, absorbing the vital energy of heaven and earth requires twice as much resources and energy as a single-element bone structure. A triple-element bone structure requires even more than four times as much, making progress much slower. Remember, cultivation materials are scarce. Who can repeatedly double their resources?"

Cheng Bai had to admit, "The difficulty of the fourth, fifth, and so on is simply staggeringly high. On top of that, the requirements for some powerful innate bloodlines are even more incredible!"

Master Li chuckled, "The legendary five-element physique of the ancient times was called the 'Innate Five Elements Dao Body.' In theory, possessing sufficient resources would be the ultimate dream of becoming an immortal. Haha! In reality, a single-element pure physique is a rare trait found only once in a century, two-element flawlessness is said to appear once in ten thousand years, and five-element purity isn't even recorded in ancient texts. It's nothing but a pipe dream!"

Bei Tingjun joined in the fun and said, "The human race's roots are very complex. The demon race is much simpler in comparison. Whoever has the purest bloodline is the strongest."

Cheng Bai wondered, "Are humans the only race with geniuses possessing the Five Elements? What about the demons, devils, gods, and so on? Why do Sun Chasers also have such extraordinary physiques?"

Master Li pondered for a moment before explaining, "Demons and gods are sparsely populated, yet they frequently produce exceptionally gifted individuals, a rate far exceeding that of humans! Therefore, it's no surprise that Sun Chasers possess special abilities. Some cultivators, based on this, believe that the human prodigy is the reincarnation of a demon god, but due to a lack of solid evidence, this conclusion has been abandoned."

Mu Yan continued, "The strength of the demon race relies heavily on the purity of their bloodline, which is distinct from that of humans. This is called the 'Five Elements Demonic Spirits.' If one can transfer a certain demonic spirit through specific secret techniques, one can cultivate a mystical physique, such as the Demonic Fire Spirit Body, the Myriad Demon Body, and so on."

Bei Tingjun snorted lightly to indicate that what he said was right, but did not interrupt.

Mu Yan added, "Such as the Hundred Refinements Ghost God Body of the Wuliang Sect, the Heavenly Sword Body of the Tianmen Sect, the Immovable Glazed Body of the Shizun Sect, and the Meritorious Golden Body of the Immortal Master Sect, they are all cultivated through painstaking practice. For cultivators, possessing a Fire Root Bone is sufficient. As long as the practice method matches, students will surely be able to cultivate a physique that is no less than that of a genius!"

Cheng Bai shook his head secretly. "Both parties knew the truth. Mu Yan was also worried that the Master was not satisfied with his qualifications, so he tried his best to persuade him. But the Master has experienced thousands of reincarnations and has seen too many similar scenes. I'm afraid he is indifferent."

As expected, Master Li tactfully said, "The so-called advantages of a single-element root bone disappear after the Nirvana Realm. The Dharmakaya and the Dao combine to give birth to the Holy Fetus. The more complete the five-element root bone is, the greater the potential of the cultivator. As the Huiyuan Realm begins to gradually forge a divine body, this trend becomes more obvious, and the gap between the original cultivators will become wider and wider!"

He considered it for a moment, then bluntly said, "By then, a dual-element root bone cultivator at the Huiyuan Realm might be able to surpass their level and defeat a single-element root bone cultivator at the Chaozong Realm! Therefore, all saints will cultivate other branches to perfect themselves. Sticking to a single branch will be meaningless."

Mu Yan's heart tightened involuntarily, and he hurriedly said, "Master, these are extremely distant things!"

Master Li chuckled and said, "Since it's so far away, then you should first follow Mr. Lan Da and devote yourself to the pursuit of the truth. When you have hope of achieving nirvana and becoming a saint in the future, you may come back to visit the Confucian scholar."

Mu Yan said bewilderedly, "Master, you once said, 'The way of the great Dao is to make the world a commonwealth, and all men are equal; this is called the Great Unity.' I have studied diligently for over ten years, fearless of all hardships. I only wish to become your disciple, hoping to be treated as an equal, and to fulfill my lifelong ambition."

Cheng Bai muttered to himself, "Forcing it is useless and will only lead to contempt. Trying to persevere is more like raising my seniority to take the position of Mr. Seven, from then on I would have money, resources, status and security, and escape from my poverty and hardship."

Master Li firmly refused, "Academies are a place of unity. What Mr. Lan taught you is no different from what I taught you. Why bother with which teacher? Besides, although the position of Seventh Master hasn't been decided yet, a candidate has already been selected."

The last sentence cut to the heart of the matter. Mu Yan's legs went weak, and he sat down slowly, saying awkwardly, "I am definitely far behind Mr. Qi. I wonder which outstanding person he is?"