My First Master
A Spiritual Root was a spiritual organ that germinated from the soul and took root in the mind.
Just as the heart circulated blood and the brain commanded the body, the Spiritual Root was the fundamental sensory organ that allowed one to perceive and receive the world itself.
It was a sixth sense beyond the five ordinary ones, and at the same time as indispensable as eyes or ears. For that reason, most cultivators regarded ordinary people without Spiritual Roots as disabled and pitied them — but that was another matter entirely.
Kuzunoha Shiori explained the history of Spiritual Roots and the mechanisms behind them.
"Those with Five-Element Spiritual Roots are, in theory, exceptionally well suited to walking the great path of cultivation."
Ah—
A bitter, metallic taste flooded Nain's mouth as the iron rod scraped roughly past her tongue. "M-my mouth…"
She shifted her tongue this way and that, trying to escape the taste of metal. The rod that had scraped along the roof of her mouth slid free at last.
"Most techniques are founded upon the Five Elements, after all, and they offer the greatest versatility. Mm. Done."
"…M-Master. So what does any of that have to do with why I'm tied up…"
Nain called her Master with awkward formality. The word still sat uncomfortably on her tongue, and she felt embarrassed using it. Shiori slotted the saliva-and-tissue-smeared rod into some strange apparatus, then turned back around.
"Five-Element Spiritual Roots, Variant Spiritual Roots, and Anomalous Spiritual Roots. Those are all the types discovered thus far. Do you understand the differences?"
She had been thoroughly chewed out. Nain wanted to pout, but Geumhae's face — with the synchronization rate lowered — did not so much as twitch. Ignoring the question entirely, Shiori continued her lecture.
"Five-Element Spiritual Roots range from Single-Element to Five-Element, all based on the Five Elements. Fully 99.9 percent of cultivators are born with a Five-Element Spiritual Root. By contrast, Variant and Anomalous Spiritual Roots are exceedingly rare."
Whiiirrr…
An unidentifiable machine rattled and spun. Having already passed through dozens of devices for detailed testing, Nain was exhausted. She hung her head.
I'm so tired…
She had gone two days without sleep, surviving in a forest crawling with demonic beasts. All she wanted was to collapse into a bed. She longed to warm her worn-out body and mind — but her new Master and the old man refused to let her go.
If I transfer my consciousness, Geumhae's ego will surface… That could turn into a catastrophe.
Until she at least awakened her Divine Sense, she had to keep her focus on Geumhae's body.
"Ice, Dark, Yang, Yin, and Light — these five are the most common representative Variant Spiritual Roots. Some branched off from the Five Elements; others did not. A notable example would be your parent, Seol-hwa."
Silence. After saying nothing for so long, Shiori had suddenly launched into a discourse on Spiritual Roots. Nain forced her exhausted, uncooperative mind to work, trying to figure out what her Master was driving at.
Spiritual Roots… talent… all those dozens of tests so far…
Something clicked.
Could Master be examining her Spiritual Root? There was no other reason to deliver a full lecture on the subject.
"Anomalous Spiritual Roots. A most fascinating category. A Spiritual Root is, by definition, an organ for sensing the world — so how can something like a Sword or a Sea sit at its core?"
"A Sword Spiritual Root…"
Nain's head snapped up at the intriguing words that tickled her ears. A Sword Spiritual Root. A cultivator she deeply revered possessed exactly that.
"…The most famous example would be Jeokgeom Jingun."
Humanity's sword, born of a miraculous one-in-hundreds-of-billions chance. The hero who had claimed the heads of hundreds of Demon Kings, severed the Age of Ruin with a single stroke, and written the opening chapter of humanity's new era. Nascent Soul True Lord Silent Sword, Jin Yeo-myeong. One of only ten absolute powerhouses on Earth.
"I hear from those around you that you enjoy documentaries. That would explain how well-informed you are. Correct. He is the prime example."
"Eh — how do you know that?"
"Once I take a disciple, I look after them thoroughly. Investigating their past is only natural."
Nain could not decide whether to feel moved or thoroughly creeped out.
…She's doing it because she cares about me, so that should be a good thing, right?
Complicated thoughts flickered past.
Rattle-rattle-rattle.
The violently trembling machine finally fell still. With a series of beeps, the result data transmitted to Shiori's and Seo Seong-rak's terminals. Shiori opened the data and narrowed her eyes.
"Fascinating. Both Qi absorption rate and sensitivity are at the level of a Four-Element Spiritual Root — yet it contains all Five Elements, just like a Five-Element Root."
"Then everything makes sense."
Seo Seong-rak, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed, opened them and strode over.
"Until last year, this kid had talent so pathetic she barely scraped through the second screening. Something must have happened when she broke through to Qi Condensation. What's the constitution look like?"
"…Oh my. There is one unidentified constitution. A True Body at least on par with a Three-Element Spiritual Root."
Two pairs of emotionless eyes — both belonging to Foundation Establishment cultivators at Great Completion — fixed on her. Those vacant, inhuman pupils were truly, utterly terrifying. Bound hand and foot, she could not even tremble freely.
"A constitution that went undetected during the first screening. Haven't seen a case like that in a long time."
"A constitution that had been suppressed by a worthless Five-Element Spiritual Root, now revealed… For now, that is how we shall regard it. A more thorough investigation will be required, of course."
This was serious. Had they discovered the Spiritual Root she had evolved through Pow, and the new constitution she had gained? Even so, Nain was not particularly worried.
I didn't expect an examination this detailed, but I prepared for this to some degree.
Of course she had checked. If the fact that her Spiritual Root had evolved ever came to light, she would not die a peaceful death. The best-case scenario would be getting dragged into some "humanitarian" United Government laboratory and farmed for the rest of her life.
From the outside, I still look like a Five-Element Spiritual Root.
She did not know how precise Master's examination was, but as long as she understood the mechanism of Spiritual Root testing, it could not break past certain limits.
They were not peering directly into her soul — analyzing data that leaked from Spiritual Root fragments would still point every scrap of information about her Five-Elements-bearing self toward a Five-Element Root.
…But what's this about a constitution?
That part was news even to her. She was certain it was neither the Undying Sacred Body nor the Golden Sea Azure Heaven — both of those were confirmed Sacred Body-tier constitutions.
A suppressed constitution that manifested…? Well, it conveniently covers for Pow, so I'm glad, but things are going suspiciously well…
And so Nain's alarming talent was recast as a Five-Element Spiritual Root with Four-Element-level performance, plus a True Body-tier constitution. A sliver of residual anxiety lingered, but judging by their expressions, no secret that absolutely could not be exposed seemed to have slipped out.
Click.
The restraints binding her arms and legs released. Nain tried to stand upright, but her legs had no strength left, and she crumpled to the floor in a heap.
"Ugh…"
Dozens of unidentifiable tests, plus over ten hours strapped to a restraint table. Factoring in the banquet hall and the demonic beast forest, she had gone four full days without rest. She was so drained that her body simply would not respond.
Snap.
The sound of a folding fan closing was followed by Shiori's distinctly displeased voice.
"My laboratory floor may be clean, but I find it rather distasteful that my disciple should be sprawled about like a filthy rag, with not a shred of dignity."
She flicked her hand, and spiritual power lifted Nain's limp body into the air. Another gesture, and a single talisman appeared, affixing itself to her forehead.
Whoosh!
An auspicious crimson radiance flooded outward, dyeing the laboratory's white floor red. Nain's eyes went wide. Just how much was that talisman worth?
Red is the mark of Extreme-grade. Judging by the form, a first-rank Extreme-grade recovery talisman…?
Extreme-grade items were vanishingly rare to begin with — starting prices ran to tens of thousands of credits at minimum. And a recovery talisman rarer still? That was a talisman worth hundreds of thousands of credits at the very least. As the talisman vanished, her mind cleared and strength returned to her grimy, exhausted body.
"…Thank you, Master."
"Such formalities are unnecessary. It is merely a first-rank Extreme-grade talisman. I keep tens of thousands of them in storage. More importantly, I have something to discuss. Come here."
Shiori sat in a chair in one corner of the laboratory. Seo Seong-rak, reading the room, spoke up.
"Hmph. Now it's a real master-disciple relationship. Congratulations, Nain. An outsider like me should clear out. Pass me the detailed results later."
Hiss.
The door opened and the giant stepped out. Nain pulled up a chair, sat, and bowed her head toward Seo Seong-rak in farewell.
Now only the two of them remained. Shiori opened her fan with a soft flutter and projected into the air a holographic report dozens of pages long — the results of Nain's examination.
Dozens of lines, thousands of entries, sprawled in dizzying array. By the time Nain had barely finished reading a single page's worth, Shiori had already completed her analysis of the entire report.
"Nain — no. Disciple."
"…Yes, Master."
Tap, tap. She demurely pressed her knees together and lowered her head slightly. Outwardly, her Master was a woman of beautiful features — but the presence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at Great Completion was not something one could endure, no matter how carefully restrained. Her gaze kept drifting downward of its own accord.
"Indeed. You are quite immature in this regard."
Snap. She flicked her fingers, and Nain's continually falling gaze was forcibly locked onto Shiori's eyes. She saw pupils of deep, dense black, swirling like ink dissolved in water.
"You will be meeting many high-ranking cultivators going forward. Being unable to meet their eyes is an extraordinary breach of etiquette. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes."
With her gaze forcibly tethered, she managed a nod. The compulsory pull soon released, but Nain had no choice but to keep her eyes locked in place. Her body trembled like a leaf, yet her mind was not particularly strained.
"Spiritual Power Density of 91.9. Physical Vitality of 31.5. Extremely outstanding for a Five-Element Spiritual Root at Qi Condensation Stage 2, however…"
Shiori snapped her fan shut. A portion of her Divine Sense was re-reading sections of the data, reviewing the results.
"Nain. You are seriously aiming for Foundation Establishment, correct? What cultivation method are you currently practicing?"
The atmosphere had turned ominous. She swallowed hard. She lowered her already reduced synchronization rate even further. Otherwise, her anxiety would show plain as day on her face.
"……I am practicing the Five Elements Ascending Spirit Enlightenment Method."
"The Five Elements Ascending Spirit Enlightenment Method, is it."
Shiori lightly tapped her chin with the tip of her fan.
"If I recall correctly, it is a derivative method branched off from Quintessence's Primordial Scripture. Is that right?"
"Y-yes. That's correct."
"Nain. You truly have the worst luck. Or rather — is it that your luck is so good that things turned out this way?"
Nain suppressed the urge to tilt her head at her Master's cryptic words.
Worst luck, then good luck again? What is that supposed to mean?
Shiori carried a chilling dignity that made one feel a fan might come down on one's head at any moment for lacking proper composure.
"Hmm. I am not certain where to begin explaining this. I truly dislike repeating myself, but…"
Tap, tap. After a brief moment of consideration, tilting her fan, Shiori reached a conclusion — one carefully weighed against Nain's special circumstances and the schedule ahead.
"If we assume the average Qi absorption rate of a Five-Element Spiritual Root is 1, then a Single-Element Spiritual Root starts at a minimum of 150. An enormous gap. It means the amount of Qi the former gains from five full months of cultivation equals a single day's worth for the latter."
A university-level introduction to Spiritual Root theory came crashing down without mercy upon Nain, whose formal education had ended with high school — and even that, she had dropped out of.
