Cultivation starts from devouring the Dao fruits

Zhao Yu's eyes brightened as he said, "This clump of black and white divine clay is enough to exchange for three Second-Order Superior Longevity Elixirs! Sister, how about I also pay three hundred thousand Spirit Stones for the nine Second Order Evil Ghost Relics in your hands?"

The amount of black and white divine clay in the hands of the Fairy Peony was three times greater than what Luo Weihao had sold to Zhao Yu, and naturally, Zhao Yu wanted to buy it all.

Fairy Peony said, "Add six Foundation Establishment Pills, five Superior Triple Snake Pattern Pills, and five Superior Quintessential Beast Spirit Pills."

Zhao Yu revealed a hint of a smile and said, "Deal!"

Luo Weihao was very eager and said, "My turn! I also want to exchange for Second-Order Superior Longevity Elixirs! If I were to purchase them with Spirit Stones, how many would I need?"

Luo Weihao was old and nearing the two-hundred-year lifespan limit of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; naturally, he was very eager to obtain more lifespan.

Zhao Yu said, "One Second-Order Superior Longevity Elixir can extend life by twenty years. If purchased only with Spirit Stones, it would require two hundred thousand Spirit Stones."

Luo Weihao gritted his teeth and said, "I'll buy one Second-Order Superior Longevity Elixir!"

Foundation Establishment Cultivators like Tong Shouren also stepped forward one after another to purchase various Spirit Pills from Zhao Yu; those who did not have enough Spirit Stones would take out various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to exchange with Zhao Yu.

However, no one exchanged for Second-Order Superior Longevity Elixirs because the price was too high for ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators to afford.

Once the exchange meeting ended, the many Foundation Establishment Cultivators dispersed.

Zhao Yu returned to the Quiet Room, took out that clump of black and white divine clay, separated a small part of it, and swallowed it while activating the Dao Fruit of Devouring to refine it.

One month later, inside the Quiet Room.

Zhao Yu suddenly trembled, and filth surged out of him in an instant, as if he had shed a layer of muck, and with every breath, Spiritual Energy automatically entered his body.

"Heavenly Spirit Root grade Earth Spirit Root."

"My Earth Spirit Root has finally transformed successfully, elevated to a Heavenly Spirit Root! I have finally become a cultivation genius within the Cultivation World, with the Golden Core within reach!"

Zhao Yu opened his eyes, sensed the changes in his body, and laughed heartily.

Even a genius with a Heavenly Spirit Root grade would be coveted by many major cultivation sects beyond the Northern Desolation. Only now could Zhao Yu truly claim to be a cultivation genius, able to cultivate unhindered without forming a Golden Core, ascending to become a Golden Core Ancestor!

"White Ghost Emperor: Quality Low-grade (180/1000)."

"Cultivation Level: Second-Order High-grade (2573/3000)."

"The quality of the White Ghost Emperor has also improved quite a bit. Maybe after some time, it will be able to advance to a third-order spirit ghost! By then, its combat power will be comparable to that of a Golden Core Ancestor. I'll be much safer in the Northern Desolation!"

Zhao Yu looked at the White Ghost Emperor beside him and also revealed a satisfied smile. For the past ten years, he had also been continuously collecting various Evil Ghost Relics and using the power of the Dao Fruit of Devouring to enhance the strength of the White Ghost Emperor.

"Success in cultivation, when shall we celebrate!"

With a thought, Zhao Yu got up to bathe and change his clothes, then went to the study.

Upon seeing Zhao Yu, Shangguan Lingxiu immediately got up with a beaming smile and came over to him, her beautiful eyes shining with joy as she said, "Husband, you seem to have become even more handsome!"

Tuoba Xue also said with a face full of surprise, "Master has indeed become more handsome!"

Every transformation of Zhao Yu's Spirit Root resulted in his physical body and soul becoming even more perfect. His original appearance was not bad, but after undergoing transformation after transformation, he had become as elegant as a pine tree and as splendid as jade, with an air of otherworldly grace.

"I've made progress in my cultivation, when shall we celebrate!"

Zhao Yu extended his hand to embrace, laughing as he held Shangguan Lingxiu in his arms, and smilingly walked outside.

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Lingxiu's pretty face blushed with a touch of rosiness, she gave Zhao Yu a glamorous sideways glance and nestled in his arms.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A touch of spring breeze, ineffably delightful.

Zhao Yu and Shangguan Lingxiu, along with Tuoba Xue, played and frolicked for more than ten days before he began to focus, entering the Quiet Room to close off from the outside world and started cultivating the Mountain Sutra.

The breadth and depth of the Mountain Sutra were profound and unparalleled in mystery. Although Zhao Yu was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a Heavenly Spirit Root and Earth Spirit Body, he still found it very difficult to cultivate this scripture.

One month later, several beams of escape light flew from afar, revealing their forms in front of the grand formation at Xiaodanling; it was Qiu Zhenning, Cui Qing, Luo Weihao, Yi Wanqing, and Tong Shouren, five Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Qiu Zhenning called out, "Mountain Master Zhao, we've come to pay a visit."

"Fellow Daoists, please come in!"

Zhao Yu's voice rang out, the fog shrouding the formation parted, revealing a pathway leading to the Zhao residence.

The five Foundation Establishment Cultivators entered the Zhao residence.

Wei Xinlan, Cui Lihua, and Tong Zilin stepped forward to offer Spiritual Tea to the five Foundation Establishment Cultivators before retreating to stand beside Zhao Yu and Shangguan Lingxiu.

Only after advancing to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was Lingxiu qualified to sit beside Zhao Yu, receiving other Foundation Establishment Cultivators alongside him.

Upon seeing Zhao Yu and his companion, Tong Shouren inwardly praised, "A match made in heaven, truly a perfect pair!"

Luo Weihao was also attracted by Lingxiu's beauty and couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Qiu Zhenning said, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, Fellow Daoist Shangguan, we have come here on an important matter to discuss with you both. Demon beasts rampage within Canglong Mountain Range. Even though there are cultivators from the Demon Hunting Teams who often venture into the mountains to hunt demon beasts, they are no match for Second-Order Demon Beasts.

We plan to form a Demon Hunting Team together and travel to Canglong Mountain Range to hunt down Second-Order Demon Beasts, to weaken the threat of the beast tides!"

The Canglong Mountain Range was vast beyond compare, many times larger than the entire North Desolate, and it was home to countless demon beasts. If not regularly cleared out, Second-Order Demon Beasts would inevitably arise.

In these ten years, aside from the initial beast tide, there had been two more beast tides. However, these other two were not on the same scale as the first, and after the six Spiritual Lands stabilized, many cultivators used them as bases to enter Canglong Mountain Range to hunt demon beasts, significantly reducing their numbers and weakening the power of the beast tides.

Nevertheless, numerous demon beasts, including Second-Order Demon Beasts, still inhabited the deeper parts of the Canglong Mountain Range, and their numbers increased with each passing day. If some of them were not eradicated in advance, once they formed a beast tide, it would pose a huge threat to places like Xiaodanling and other Spiritual Lands.

Second-Order Demon Beasts were treasures from head to toe. Hunting Second-Order Demon Beasts was a profitable affair for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, which was why Cui Qing and the others agreed to this.

Zhao Yu decisively said, "I have Profound Arts to cultivate, we at Xiaodanling won't participate in this demon hunting expedition!"

Zhao Yu's thoughts were entirely focused on cultivating the Mountain Sutra, and he had no desire to take risks outdoors.

Luo Weihao tried to persuade, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, with the six of us joining forces, each of us could earn at least tens of thousands of Spirit Stones from one trip!"

Zhao Yu smiled faintly, "Fellow Daoist Luo, I'm not in need of Spirit Stones!"

The other four Foundation Establishment Cultivators were momentarily at a loss for words. At the previous exchange meet, they had acquired many quality pills from Zhao Yu, which greatly enhanced their cultivation levels. Yet, most of the Spirit Stones they had saved from managing their Spiritual Lands over the past ten years had also mostly ended up in Zhao Yu's hands.

The four other Foundation Establishment Cultivators further tried to persuade Zhao Yu, but he remained unresponsive. With nothing achieved, they had no choice but to leave Xiaodanling empty-handed.