I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

"Plundering flesh and blood to refine spiritual roots?"

Upon hearing this shocking news, Zhou An felt a chill rise up his back.

He himself is unaware of just how talented he is.

Because his destiny dictates that he will achieve great things later in life.

"A genius like Mo Kai, who has forged golden bones, has been assassinated multiple times by the Black Tiger Gang. I am at least three times as strong as Mo Kai. If I'm targeted..."

Furnace/cauldron.

Zhou An felt as if a bright red furnace was waiting for him in front of him.

"Manager Li, what was the outcome of the Xuan Yin Demonic Sect? Was it completely wiped out?"

Zhou An's expression was solemn, and his tone became somewhat somber.

If the Xuan Yin Demonic Sect is not completely wiped out, he must be extra careful in the future.

No.

From this moment on, we must act with caution.

Since there are cultivators in this world, it means that there are also demonic cultivators.

Since the Xuan Yin Demonic Sect was able to wreak havoc on a country and even almost overthrow the Great Li Dynasty, it must have mastered the methods of the cultivation world.

Otherwise, how can one refine spiritual roots?

Moreover, if Li Shanming hadn't mentioned the term "spiritual root" to him today, Zhou An wouldn't have known that cultivating immortality required it.

He thought that only by reaching the Innate Realm could he go to the Immortal Sect to cultivate.

"This happened more than eighty years ago, and to this day, no trace of this sect has been heard of."

Li Shanming recounted.

"To be honest, the reason why our Great Li established the Martial Arts Examination and opened Martial Arts Academy throughout the country is to better supervise the world and prevent this from happening again."

Rumor has it that the establishment of the Ghost Craftsmanship Bureau was also related to this matter.

In this way, whenever a vicious criminal appears, the news will immediately reach the entire country, making it difficult for such a ruthless person to move forward and preventing them from having the opportunity to grow stronger.

"I see. Then what does 'refining spiritual roots' mean? Is there another way to enter the path of immortality besides martial arts?"

Zhou An continued to press for answers.

When it comes to matters of cultivating immortality, one can never be too cautious.

"I don't know much about this matter either. I only heard the old sect leader say that in this world, besides those who enter immortality through martial arts, there are also some exceptionally talented people who are born with unique physiques and immortal spiritual roots."

These people often don't need to cultivate as arduously as we martial artists; they can directly sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the very beginning and refine it for their own use, thus forging a foundation for immortality.

"Sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and refining it?"

Zhou An seemed to be deep in thought, then suddenly realized something.

"Isn't this something that martial artists at the Innate Realm can do?"

"That's why the Sword Immortal Ouyang Ming said that only after reaching the Innate Realm can one join the Immortal Sect."

Li Shanming nodded, confirming Zhou An's guess.

"This is also the reason why the Xuan Yin Demonic Sect has persecuted a large number of martial arts geniuses."

Because in their view, everyone has a spiritual root.

Even if one is not as fortunate as those with unique physiques and immortal spiritual roots, as long as one cultivates to the Innate Realm, one can activate one's own spiritual roots and thus embark on the path of immortality.

As for how they refined spiritual roots, that remains unknown.

He didn't know if the news was true, but there's always a reason behind things.

Furthermore, given people's current eagerness to seek immortality, this news will give them hope.

However, how slim that hope is is a matter of opinion.

After all, just stepping into the Innate Realm has already killed countless martial arts prodigies.

"How can we determine if someone has innate spiritual roots and a unique constitution?"

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou An asked again, his words tinged with a hint of probing.

Since the Xuan Yin Demonic Sect was able to wreak havoc on a country, it must have used similar methods from the beginning.

Otherwise, if they were to capture martial arts geniuses from beginning to end, they would probably have been attacked by the crowd long ago.

"I don't know the specific detection methods either; perhaps they exist within the Great Li Dynasty."

Li Shanming shook his head and voiced his guess.

"Don't look at me like that. If my Seven Mysteries Sect had such a technique, we wouldn't have almost been attacked by the Black Tiger Gang."

However, with your talent, if you are able to enter the martial arts academy through the martial arts curriculum in the future, you might be able to learn about this technique.

"Does the old sect leader know?"

Zhou An was still somewhat unwilling to give up.

The Seven Mysteries Sect is merely a force within Ningshan City, yet it possesses such an unknown secret. The old sect leader mentioned by Li Shanming is undoubtedly the key.

"The old sect leader is no longer with the Seven Mysteries Sect."

Li Shanming said with a regretful expression.

"The martial arts graduate from over twenty years ago, ten years ago, occasionally returned to observe the swordsman's sword strike."

However, since he condensed his inner strength, he has been single-mindedly pursuing the Innate Realm and seeking immortality, and has not returned to the sect for a long time.

"pity."

Upon hearing this, Zhou An couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

But upon closer reflection, this makes perfect sense.

If he were very old and knew the relationship between the innate realm and the path of immortality, he would absolutely not want to come back.

"Martial arts examinations, innate talents, and immortality quotas from the Great Li Dynasty."

Thinking of this, Zhou An took a deep breath.

With his current level of skill and age, passing the martial arts examination should not be difficult for him.

The key point is that there are still about two years before the martial arts exam begins.

"I wonder if there are any cultivation techniques for the Innate Realm being auctioned in the prefectural city?"

Their own martial arts talent is quite remarkable; perhaps, as Steward Li said, they possess a unique physique and immortal spiritual roots.

"If I truly possess such a physique and immortal spiritual root, I must never easily reveal it in the future."

Zhou An warned himself in his heart.

Although on the surface, the Xuan Yin Demonic Sect has disappeared for many years.

Given the difficulty of seeking immortality... no matter which world you're in, there's no shortage of people who want to take shortcuts.

If even a former sect leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect could hear about these things, then what about the sects and dynasties that besieged the Demonic Sect back then?

The answer is yes.

Zhou An felt that these forces might still retain some of the cultivation methods of the Xuan Yin Demonic Sect, perhaps including the methods for refining spiritual roots.

Furthermore, since the Xuan Yin Demonic Sect caused such a stir back then, did those immortal sects even know about it?

Zhou An felt that the more he thought about these things, the more terrifying they became.

He even developed a greater sense of apprehension towards the Tianhe Sword Sect, which had cultivators among its members.

"If I can successfully enter the Martial Academy two years later, I need to thoroughly understand the cultivation world before I set off."

I have considerable talent, and I'm also destined to achieve great things later in life.

Other martial artists face a fierce battle to cross a single-plank bridge, but I don't need to worry about whether I can break through to the Innate Realm.

What I should be worried about is how to safely embark on the path of cultivation after breaking through to the Innate Realm.

The more Zhou An pondered this in his heart, the more he felt he needed to be more composed.

After all, he has already reached the realm of internal organs, and is only a hair's breadth away from condensing his inner strength and achieving the Golden Core.

"We'll figure out how to explore the methods of the cultivation world after we enter the Martial Academy."

Before that, I can try to master some blood magic techniques.

This method is closest to me, and perhaps I can obtain some intelligence from it.

Then, the next step was to find out if I possessed a unique physique, or if my spiritual root had already manifested without the need for martial arts training.

......