The First Immortal Spirit Root
Half a year later, upon receiving Qin Changqing's notification, Taixuan Sect immediately passed the message to Xin Chaosu.
The moon hung high in the sky.
Inside Qingyun Mansion, a graceful figure pushed open the door to a room and immediately spotted a young man in plain white robes hunched over his desk, scribbling away.
Xin Chaosu approached curiously and peered over. Before the youth lay stacks of scrolls—not ordinary ink paintings, but sheets divided into grids of varying sizes by lines. Each grid featured vivid little figures, some chatting, others clashing in battle, linking together into a compelling story.
It was the first time Xin Chaosu had seen such peculiar artwork. Drawn in by the twists and turns of the plot, she lost herself in it for a moment.
Qin Changqing finished his final stroke, stretched lazily, and turned around—only to jolt in surprise.
When had someone appeared beside him? A cute, dainty girl at that, though her demeanor seemed oddly mature.
"Who might you be?" Qin Changqing asked in bewilderment.
He knew all the women in this residence, but not this one. Could she be the Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator sent from Taixuan Sect?
She looked far too young. Was she even of age!?
Xin Chaosu reluctantly pulled her gaze away and answered off-topic: "What's this you're drawing? I've... I've never seen anything like it."
Qin Changqing chuckled and explained, "Something I whipped up for the kids when I'm bored. I call them comics—stories told through pictures."
Xin Chaosu's eyes lit up. "Comics... intriguing. What's this story called? Can I take some home to read?"
Qin Changqing flipped the cover to reveal two bold characters: Fire Shadow Cultivator!
Beside it ran a line of smaller text: "Where the leaves dance, the fire burns eternally."
This was just an experimental phase, so he'd avoided anything transcending this world, tweaking the original plot to fit the cultivation realm.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns eternally..." Xin Chaosu's delicate brows arched, her eyes curving into crescents with amusement. "You're quite the character. I'm Xin Chaosu from Taixuan Sect. I'm here today to bear your child!"
Qin Changqing broke into a sweat. It was a first—meeting a woman so refreshingly blunt. But she was really young. He couldn't help asking, "Might I inquire as to the fairy's age?"
"Age?" Xin Chaosu laughed. "Around... three thousand three hundred something? I don't remember exactly."
Qin Changqing's heart skipped. Incredulously, he said, "Over three thousand? But you look..."
Xin Chaosu pouted. "What's wrong with how I look? Don't like it? No problem—if you prefer an old hag, I can oblige."
Qin Changqing waved his hands frantically. "No, no, no—this is perfect."
"Then quit stalling..."
"...Alright!"
Qin Changqing fumbled awkwardly for a moment, but before he could act, Xin Chaosu waved a hand to snuff out the spirit candle, plunging the room into darkness.
"What next?"
"You don't know?"
"Of course not—I've never had a dao companion. How would I?"
"...Leave it to me!"
The petite, soft girl brought a novel thrill to Qin Changqing.
In a hazy blur, the system's prompt chimed.
Detected partner possesses Heavenly Spirit Root. Please select:
1. Consume 10 years lifespan to strengthen seed—offspring will have Superior Spirit Root.
2. Consume 100 years lifespan to strengthen seed—offspring will have Supreme Spirit Root.
...
6. Consume 1 million years lifespan to strengthen seed—offspring will have Perfect Variant Spirit Root.
7. Consume 10 million years lifespan to strengthen seed—offspring will have Immortal Spirit Root.
No question—option seven!
The second Immortal Spirit Root was conceived!
Once confirmed pregnant, Xin Chaosu departed Taicqing Sect. Before leaving, she visited Qin Changqing again and took a stack of completed comics with her.
She must get pretty bored herself.
Soon after, half a year later, Jiang Xue from Wind Spirit Sword Sect shared an intimate night with Qin Changqing and successfully conceived.
In the blink of an eye, three more years passed.
Inside Qingyun Mansion, leaders from various sects gathered, especially from Bihai Sect—Sect Master Chu Tianlu had come personally.
"Why hasn't she given birth yet? It's been so long!"
Chu Tianlu paced anxiously, hands behind his back, pausing now and then to peer around.
Today was Wen Luqing's due date. Immortal Spirit Roots truly lived up to their legendary status as supreme immortal seedlings—even gestation took over three full years.
"No need to worry, Brother Chu. Our Taicqing Sect elders are seasoned in such matters. Everything will be fine," Liu Qinghui said with a stroked beard and a smile.
As they spoke, a baby's cry suddenly rang out from the room. At the same moment, the skies above Taicqing Sect churned dramatically. Vast multicolored auspicious clouds swiftly gathered.
Amid the clouds, illusory immortal cranes danced gracefully. A thick golden beam plunged from the clouds, aimed straight at the delivery room.
"This is... an Immortal Spirit Phenomenon!"
The crowd gaped, dumbfounded. Despite cultivating for centuries or millennia, none had witnessed such a heavenly spectacle.
"Such dense Immortal Spirit Power!"
"Born under an Immortal Spirit Phenomenon—this child is definitely an Immortal Spirit Root! Hahaha!"
In the delivery room, the female elders were equally stunned. The one holding the child especially—the descending golden beam bathed the infant, forming a radiant golden spiritual membrane over its skin.
The baby stopped crying, reaching out curiously for the shimmering golden lights around it. Intricate golden dao patterns spread from its forehead across its body, intertwining with the Immortal Spirit Power membrane, as if clad in golden armor.
"Immortal Patterns! These are Immortal Patterns!" The elder's voice trembled with excitement and shock. "This child truly has an Immortal Spirit Root!"
Legend held that Immortal Spirit Root children were born amid such phenomena, blessed by the heavens with Immortal Patterns—an external manifestation of their spirit root. Their cultivation paths would face no bottlenecks; as long as they didn't perish prematurely, ascension was inevitable!
Of course, the benefits didn't end there.
From the golden beam, a tendril split off into the somewhat weakened Wen Luqing, while another pierced the roof to land in a nearby building.
This was heaven's boon—a thank-you for nurturing such an Immortal Spirit seedling.
Wen Luqing's pale complexion flushed pink visibly, her depleted spirit power and vitality restored in an instant. Leftover undigested Immortal Spirit Power lingered in her body, poised to greatly aid her future cultivation.
On the other side, as the child's father, Qin Changqing received equal fortune. Sensing the surging golden immortal force within him, he was left somewhat dazed.
Having a kid came with perks like this?