The Mirror Master

Seeing Lu Bai fall into contemplative silence, Li Yue’er quickly guessed his concerns.

"You don’t need to worry, Young Master Lu."

Li Yue’er said, "My attack just now was meant as a deterrent. As long as they’re smart, they won’t dare to provoke a Cultivator.

My Flying Sword doesn’t have an Exorcism Restriction, so it’s not much use against ghostly creatures.

But against Martial Artists like them? Forget two of them. Even if a dozen showed up, they wouldn’t be able to stop my Flying Sword."

Her Magical Power was low, and she didn’t have a specialized Exorcism Magical Treasure, so she wasn’t adept at dealing with Ghostly Creatures. However, handling people from the Jianghu was as easy as turning over her hand.

"Impressive skills, Daoist Li."

Lu Bai praised her sincerely.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t envious.

He had to practice stances, train with his sword, and even had the help of the Ancient Mirror, yet in the end, he still had to engage in dangerous, close-quarters combat where every blow was a matter of life and death.

But a Cultivator could simply form Sword Formulas, wave their sleeve, and kill someone from a distance with a Flying Sword. It was so elegant and effortless.

Moreover, the Flying Sword was so fast that he couldn’t even see it clearly with his vision, making it nearly impossible to react.

Lu Bai asked, "Daoist Li, may I ask how one can join an Immortal Sect and become a Cultivator?"

"It depends on one’s Spirit Root."

Li Yue’er explained, "Cultivators refine the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, condensing it into Magical Power within their bodies. But without a Spirit Root, a person can’t even perceive Spiritual Qi, so naturally, they can’t practice Cultivation.

And Spirit Roots are Innate. You’re either born with one or you’re not. If you aren’t, no amount of effort later in life can change that."

Lu Bai asked again, "How can you tell if you have a Spirit Root?"

"Some Sects and Daoist Temples have Magic Techniques for testing Spirit Roots."

Li Yue’er continued, "Besides, even if someone has a Spirit Root, if it’s only a Lower Grade one, it’s practically useless. They’ll be stuck at the Qi Refining Stage for their entire life, serving as a mere servant in their Sect."

’If I get the chance in the future, I have to get myself tested,’ Lu Bai thought to himself.

The thought had barely formed when Li Yue’er’s next words doused him with a bucket of cold water.

"People with Spirit Roots either have parents or ancestors who were Cultivators, or at least one parent was a Cultivator. For the descendants of mere mortals, the chance of being born with a Spirit Root is minuscule. Even if it happens, it will be a Lower Grade Spirit Root at best."

Lu Bai fell silent.

’So that’s how it is. With the long lifespans of Cultivators and their many descendants, they’re bound to form massive Cultivation clans and families.’

’The path for ordinary mortals to seek immortality and the Dao is almost completely blocked.’

’It’s truly cut off at the very ’root’.’

Li Yue’er seemed to sense Lu Bai’s dejection and said, "Young Master Lu, you don’t have to be so disheartened. The Martial Dao came into being for this very reason—to give mortals a chance to cultivate and seek the Dao.

Without a Spirit Root, one can’t enter Cultivation, but they can still practice the Martial Dao.

Cultivators condense Magical Power, while Martial Artists cultivate Blood Qi. I heard my master say that once a Martial Artist reaches the Golden Core Realm, the gap between them and a Cultivator becomes very small. You could even say they each have their own distinct advantages."

"Oh?"

Lu Bai asked, "The Martial Dao has a Golden Core Realm, too?"

Li Yue’er said, "The Martial Dao Realms are the Inner Strength Realm and the Innate Realm. The first two realms are different from a Cultivator’s, but the third realm is the same. It’s also called the Golden Core Realm.

In the Inner Strength and Innate Realms, a Martial Artist is almost no match for a Cultivator. But once a Martial Artist condenses a Blood Qi Golden Core, they can lift off the ground and fly, which greatly closes the gap."

Lu Bai nodded.

’Based on that move alone, the gap between early-stage Martial Artists and early-stage Cultivators is obvious.’

’What’s more, even a Cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage knows Sword Flight, allowing them to advance and retreat at will.’

Li Yue’er added, "Take my family, for example. The only reason I have a Spirit Root is because my mother was once a Qi Refiner."

Fearing Lu Bai wouldn’t understand, Li Yue’er added an explanation. "Oh, in the Cultivation Realm, Cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage are called Qi Refiners. Once they reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, they can be called Great Cultivators.

If they manage to condense a Golden Core, they earn a unique title and are addressed as a ’True Master.’ Some Sects even bestow a Daoist name. For instance, our Observatory Master is revered by the Wu Dynasty as True Master Dan Ding."

After a brief pause, Li Yue’er continued, "A Qi Refiner’s lifespan is barely a hundred years. If they see no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment, rather than remaining in the Sect to perform miscellaneous tasks and be ordered around, they might as well leave the mountain and marry into a great clan to enjoy a life of wealth and luxury.

My father doesn’t have a Spirit Root; he’s just a Martial Artist. But because he married my mother, who was a Qi Refiner, I was born with a Spirit Root. My older brothers, on the other hand, are all just Martial Artists."

’Spirit Root genetics?’

Lu Bai snarked internally.

’It seems ordinary mortals really don’t stand a chance at Cultivation.’

’Even if a Qi Refiner were to leave their sect, they wouldn’t marry a common mortal.’

’Why suffer a lifetime of hardship for the uncertain chance of having a child with a Spirit Root?’

Worried that Lu Bai was losing heart, Li Yue’er offered some encouragement. "Actually, the Martial Dao has great potential. Look at our Wu Dynasty—it was founded on martial might.

And it’s not just the Wu Dynasty. The Monarchs of the other Vassal States and Dominator Countries are all Martial Artists. Some Cultivation Sects in the Vassal States even have to pay taxes and hand over Spirit Stones to the Court."

Lu Bai became pensive.

’That’s rather interesting.’

’Anyone can practice the Martial Dao, so the number of Martial Artists must be immense. If that power could be consolidated, it would truly be a force to be reckoned with.’

’But forcing Cultivation Sects to willingly pay taxes in Spirit Stones would be impossible without the backing of top-tier Martial Artists with peerless combat strength.’

As they spoke, the dilapidated temple came into view.

The whole way, Xiaodie had been listless and drowsy, leaning against Li Yue’er’s arms without saying a word.

"Wait here. I’ll go check it out first."

Lu Bai didn’t rush into the temple. He first circled the area, scouting it carefully. Only after finding nothing out of the ordinary did he enter the dilapidated building.

The Black Dog stayed close by his side, sniffing here and there, but gave no warning.

Lu Bai searched the entire temple one more time to ensure there were no ambushes or hidden dangers before he finally relaxed.

WHOOSH!

A torrential downpour had started outside.

Li Yue’er helped Xiaodie run into the dilapidated temple.

"See, Young Master Lu? I told you it would be fine."

Seeing how cautious Lu Bai was, Li Yue’er couldn’t help but smile. "While it’s always best to be careful when traveling the Jianghu, you don’t need to frighten yourself like this.

We’re just staying here for the night to get out of the rain. We’ll be on our way tomorrow once it stops."

Lu Bai grunted in acknowledgment, then braved the rain to carry Daoist Yu’s body inside and set it aside.

He suddenly thought of something and asked, "Daoist Li, how big is the space in your Storage Pouch? Can it hold a person?"

"The space is big enough, but you can’t put living things inside a Storage Pouch."

Li Yue’er explained patiently.

This was common knowledge in the Cultivation Realm, so it was normal that Young Master Lu didn’t know.

Lu Bai pointed at Daoist Yu’s body and said, "Daoist Yu is... well, like this. He shouldn’t count as a living thing, right?"

"Huh?"

Li Yue’er was stunned.

’He kind of has a point.’

She had never thought of putting a corpse in a Storage Pouch before.

"I guess you’re right."

Li Yue’er blinked, walked over to Daoist Yu, gathered her Magical Power, and tapped the Storage Pouch.

Guided by her Magical Power, Daoist Yu’s body turned into a streak of light and vanished into the Storage Pouch.

"It really works!"

Li Yue’er felt a sense of relief.

This was much more convenient. She had been worried that Senior Brother Yu’s body would start to decay over time.

Putting it in the Storage Pouch would greatly slow down the process.

Seeing Xiaodie shivering violently from the cold, Lu Bai quickly gathered some dry firewood from around the temple and started a fire.

He then collected some rainwater, boiled it, and fed it to Xiaodie along with some dry rations.

Xiaodie ate very little before she couldn’t eat anymore and groggily fell asleep.

"It’s been a long night. You should get some rest, too."

Lu Bai said, "I’ll keep watch."

"It’s okay, I’m not tired."

Li Yue’er tried to stay alert.

In reality, she hadn’t slept for two nights and a day and was utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically.

With Senior Brother Yu’s death avenged and a place to rest for the night, her mind finally began to relax.

At first, she was able to exchange a few words with Lu Bai, but soon her eyelids grew heavy, and before she knew it, she had fallen fast asleep.