129: Where did you get this unorthodox approach?

After the shock, Su Ming slowly exhaled a turbid breath.

He forcefully suppressed the tumultuous emotions in his heart, burying the inferiority complex from the mortal world deep within.

The past was in the past.

From the moment he jumped off the cliff, Su Ming, the Hanlin Academy Compiler, was already dead.

The one alive now was Su Ming, who only wanted to find a way to survive in this immortal world.

"Don't just stand there foolishly, the External Affairs Hall doesn't wait for anyone."

Qingfeng's voice interrupted his thoughts, urging him with a hint of impatience.

"If you miss the time, and the Elder responsible for guiding goes into meditation, you'll have to wait another three days."

"Coming."

Su Ming responded, following in the footsteps of Qingfeng and Mingyue.

The three of them stepped onto the nearest rainbow bridge.

The ground beneath their feet was not solid, but rather condensed from shimmering, colorful light. Yet, stepping on it felt as firm as treading on warm, smooth jade.

The rainbow bridge was like a living, flowing river of stars, carrying the three steadily towards a distant, cloud-shrouded mountain peak.

Standing on the bridge, Su Ming looked at the slowly flowing sea of clouds beneath his feet, and the immortal cranes and spiritual birds faintly visible within the clouds. The last trace of mortal shackles in his heart vanished like smoke.

He turned his head to look at Qingfeng, who stood beside him with his hands behind his back and a proud expression, and humbly sought guidance.

"Immortal Master, I have something I don't understand, and I hope you can enlighten me."

"Ask." Qingfeng was concise, clearly enjoying the feeling of being consulted.

"In cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao, are there clear divisions of Realm?

Lin Yu had mentioned this to him once before, but to conceal Lin Yu's existence, Su Ming had to pretend not to know.

"You don't even know this?" Qingfeng glanced at him, as if looking at a bumpkin who knew nothing.

He cleared his throat and began to explain like a little adult: "Listen carefully, the first step in Cultivation is to guide Qi into the body, which is Qi Refining."

"After Qi Refining, one opens the Dantian and Purple Mansion, and spiritual energy liquefies, which is Foundation Establishment."

"Above Foundation Establishment, the liquid transforms into a Golden Core. With a Golden Core swallowed, one's fate is in one's own hands, not heaven's. That is a Golden Core Immortal Master."

He counted on his little fingers, doing it quite earnestly.

"As for Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation after Golden Core, they are too far away from you, and you wouldn't understand if I told you."

Su Ming firmly memorized these Realms and then asked, "Then... what is the Spiritual Root that Immortal Master spoke of?"

"Spiritual Root?"

This time, Qingfeng's expression became more serious.

"A Spiritual Root is the bridge between you and heaven and earth; it's your eating bowl."

He used a very vivid analogy.

"Without a bowl, even if dragon liver and Phoenix marrow fall from the sky, you won't be able to eat a single bite. The better the Spiritual Root, the bigger the bowl, the more food it can hold, and naturally, the faster your Cultivation speed will be."

"So that's how it is."

Su Ming suddenly understood, but his heart sank.

He didn't know if he had a Spiritual Root, and if so, what grade it was.

"Then..."

Just as he was about to ask again, Qingfeng, who was walking in front, stopped without warning.

The rainbow bridge still flowed slowly forward, its shimmering, colorful light reflecting on Qingfeng's young yet unusually serious face.

He turned around, his eyes, which should have been clear and innocent, were now sharp as an eagle's, staring intently at Su Ming.

The surrounding air seemed to solidify at that instant.

Even Mingyue, who was beside them, sensed the change in atmosphere. Her smile faded, and she looked at her Senior Brother with some unease.

"Su Ming, I ask you."

Qingfeng's voice was no longer a child's clear tone, but carried a scrutinizing and oppressive quality completely unsuited to his age.

"Where did that meager spiritual energy of yours come from?"

"Who is your Master?"

Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking fiercely at Su Ming's heart.

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat.

He knew that the real test had arrived.

This question was far more deadly than the previous inquiry at the Merit Hall.

The Merit Hall only cared if he was an evil Cultivator, if he was harmful to the Sect.

But Qingfeng was asking about his roots, his origins, the most core secret of a Cultivator.

If he didn't answer this question well, all his previous efforts would turn to dust.

Master Lin Yu's warning echoed clearly in his mind—never expose the secret of the ring, always have a seamless explanation.

There was no trace of panic on Su Ming's face.

He met Qingfeng's sharp gaze, his face first showing a hint of confusion, which then transformed into a bitter and embarrassed expression.

This change in expression was incredibly natural.

"Reporting to Immortal Master."

He bowed slightly to Qingfeng, his posture extremely humble.

"This one has no Master."

"Oh?" Qingfeng raised his eyebrows, clearly disbelieving.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Su Ming's face, as if he was revealing his most unwilling-to-be-known scar.

"To be frank, this meager spiritual energy of mine was not obtained through Cultivation."

"Rather, in my early years, I was frail, and by chance, I obtained a incomplete health-preserving Cultivation Technique from a dilapidated ancient book."

He slowly recounted the explanation he had already prepared.

"That Cultivation Technique only spoke of how to breathe and regulate breath, to strengthen the body. I am dull-witted, and after practicing it haphazardly for a few years, I only felt my body become healthier, my ears sharper, my eyes clearer, and within my body... a faint trace of Qi sensation appeared."

"Because I had no guidance, my progress was extremely slow. Compared to true immortal Cultivation Techniques like the Immortal Master's, it is truly... not worth mentioning."

His words were half-truths.

The Green Wood Longevity Art was indeed cultivated by himself, and its progress was indeed slow.

He merely replaced the existence of Master Lin Yu with an "incomplete health-preserving Cultivation Technique."

This explanation not only accounted for the source of his spiritual energy but, due to its "lowly" and "unorthodox" nature, seemed reasonable, greatly lowering others' guard.

What threat could an unorthodox Cultivator who hadn't even touched the threshold of immortality pose?

After listening, the seriousness and sharpness on Qingfeng's face slowly faded.

It was replaced by a look of "as expected" understanding.

His tense little face relaxed, and he even let out a disdainful snort.

"I knew it."

He walked around Su Ming with his arms crossed, as if inspecting a piece of merchandise.

"I already guessed you were from an unorthodox background."

"Think about it, if you truly had a Master and a Sect backing you, and suffered such severe injuries, would you not cry for your Master to seek justice, but instead be reduced to fighting a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to the death by jumping off a cliff?"

"You would have long ago called for help and ground that Zhao Qianshan to dust."

These words were logically clear and reasonable.

Unseen, they provided the most powerful corroboration for Su Ming's explanation.

The huge stone hanging in Su Ming's heart finally slowly fell.

He knew that he had passed this hurdle.

He followed Qingfeng's words, a more bitter smile appearing on his face.

"Immortal Master is discerning. If I had a Sect to rely on, why would I have fallen to such a state?"

The crisis was temporarily averted, but Su Ming did not completely relax.

He seized the opportunity to ask another question that was on his mind.