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Chapter 78: Article 0 calculates
"The Sun-Moon Wheel Turning Sutra" is not only a superior cultivation method compared to the "Lesser Yang Qi Art" but also highly compatible with Meng Zhang's physical attributes. Practicing a superior cultivation method not only allows for a solid foundation but also enhances one's combat abilities.
In the information transmitted by the precious bead, there was a particularly solemn reminder. Meng Zhang's current Soul strength had already reached the limit of a Refining Qi stage cultivator, approaching that of a Foundation Building stage cultivator. In terms of divine soul power alone, many cultivators who were at the Refining Qi completion stage or preparing for Foundation Building were far inferior to him.
Meng Zhang's Soul strength could no longer continue to grow, so he urgently needed to strengthen his physical body to maintain the balance between Soul and body. Additionally, he could no longer enter the Trial Ground.
This was a significant loss for Meng Zhang. During his multiple entries into the Trial Ground, not only did his Soul become stronger, but he also gained valuable knowledge. From various cultivation arts to profound techniques, and introductions to various spiritual objects, these experiences transformed Meng Zhang from an ignorant rookie into a seasoned cultivator with extensive knowledge, greatly enhancing the Taiyi Sect's heritage.
Based on his experiences in the Trial Ground, there seemed to be hidden secrets behind it. However, with Meng Zhang's current abilities, he was temporarily unable to investigate further.
After dealing with the information from the precious bead, Meng Zhang turned his attention to the black book in his hand. This book was a rare treasure known as the "Soul Register."
A rare treasure was completely different from a typical magic tool; it possessed unique functions. The purpose of the Soul Register was to absorb a trace of a cultivator's Soul if the cultivator willingly wrote their name on it, concealing the Soul within the register. In the future, as long as the owner of the Soul Register activated it, regardless of the distance, it could take the life of the cultivator whose name was inscribed.
This Soul Register was a powerful treasure, and Meng Zhang carefully kept it safe.
In the following days, Meng Zhang began to study the "Sun-Moon Wheel Turning Sutra" carefully. Once he thoroughly understood it, he would switch to practicing this cultivation method.
One day, after Meng Zhang finished his daily routine exercises, Tian Zhen came to him. Another person had awakened their spiritual roots within the Sweetwater Oasis, and Tian Zhen had just brought the person back.
With a shortage of manpower in Taiyi Sect, a new disciple would be added, and Meng Zhang couldn't hide his joy.
However, Tian Zhen's expression was somewhat strange, so Meng Zhang asked, "Is there anything unusual about this person who awakened their spiritual roots?"
"There's nothing particularly unusual, it's just that this person is a bit older," Tian Zhen replied.
As it turned out, this person who awakened their spiritual roots was not a youth but a middle-aged person who was nearly 35 years old. Generally speaking, most cultivators in the Cultivation World awaken their spiritual roots before the age of 18. After the age of 18, it becomes challenging to awaken them, and even if they do, their future prospects are quite limited.
Coincidentally, the person who awakened their spiritual roots was not a native of Sweetwater Oasis but the mortal servant Meng Zhang bought from Singing Sand City last time. This person's name was Wen Qiansun, and he used to be an accountant in a wealthy mortal family.
Due to the destruction of the oasis by sand monsters, Wen Qiansun, who was fortunate enough to survive, first became a refugee and then was sold as a servant.
After listening to Tian Zhen's account, Meng Zhang became a little curious. When Wen Qiansun was brought before him, Meng Zhang observed him intentionally. As long as one hadn't started cultivation, even if they awakened their spiritual roots, they were still mortals. Normally, facing a cultivator who could dominate their fate, most ordinary mortals would feel nervous to some extent. However, this Wen Qiansun seemed a bit anxious on the surface, but his eyes were constantly darting around, showing him to be a shrewd individual.
Initially, Meng Zhang was just mildly interested in Wen Qiansun, but after using the spiritual root measuring disk and measuring his spiritual roots, Meng Zhang felt a great sense of regret. This middle-aged man, Wen Qiansun, who seemed destined to have limited prospects, unexpectedly had a middle-grade spiritual root, and it was at the upper end of the middle-grade category.
With such a spiritual root quality, if he had awakened before the age of 18, there would have been no bottleneck in his cultivation up to the Refining Qi stage; it would have been a smooth journey. With the help of a Foundation Building Pill, or even a Lesser Foundation Building Pill, it would have been relatively easy to achieve Foundation Building. Unless he encountered extremely bad luck, the chances of failure would have been minimal. Even if he didn't use a Foundation Building Pill, relying solely on his own Foundation Building, the chances of success would still have been high.
Meng Zhang felt immense regret and frustration. According to Taiyi Sect's records, in the past century, apart from Meng Zhang himself, who had an exceptional high-grade spiritual root, the rest of the disciples were mostly low-grade spiritual roots, and among the low-grade spiritual roots, most were of the worst quality.
Occasionally, there were a few with mid-low-grade spiritual roots, and they were considered the future pillars of the sect and required special attention and cultivation. For instance, Tian Zhen's distant nephew, Tian Li, who entered the sect, had a low-high-grade spiritual root quality, and Tian Zhen cherished him as a treasure.
Now, Wen Qiansun had a mid-high-grade spiritual root quality. Under normal circumstances, both Meng Zhang and Tian Zhen would have been overjoyed. But why did he awaken his spiritual roots so late, and why now? Even if he had awakened a few years earlier, it would have been much better.
At the age of nearly 35, he had already missed the best age for cultivation. His vitality would start to decline, and his body would slowly deteriorate. There were so many unfavorable conditions that could offset the advantages of his spiritual roots.
The best age for Foundation Building for a cultivator is before 60 years old. After 60, the body's condition starts to deteriorate, and the success rate of Foundation Building decreases rapidly.
Wen Qiansun would face enormous challenges to cultivate to the Refining Qi stage within the next twenty years and then hone his Cultivation Base for Foundation Building preparation.
Meng Zhang couldn't help feeling deeply regretful and frustrated. It was a great thing for Taiyi Sect to have a new disciple with a mid-low-grade spiritual root, given the severe shortage of manpower. However, Wen Qiansun's excellent spiritual root quality and his advanced age were contradictory.
It was like having an enticing and delicious dish placed before you, but it happened to be poisoned.
After wrestling with these thoughts for a while, Meng Zhang finally calmed himself down. At this point, being conflicted was pointless.
"Gain and loss are both part of life." Whatever happens, Wen Qiansun's future would depend on his own efforts. With himself as the Sect Master, the future of Taiyi Sect
would not rely solely on him.
Having understood this, Meng Zhang no longer dwelled on the matter.
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