"Also, the Primordial Yang Spiritual Root is quite popular among the Heavenly Spiritual Roots. After all, our school is full of virgins. The Primordial Yang Spiritual Root can refine the Primordial Yang essence within virgins into spiritual power, greatly enhancing its effectiveness," Zhao Tianxing said proudly.
"Especially the Primordial Yang Spiritual Root in our high school, which has been passed down for nearly twenty years. Through generations of predecessors, it has absorbed the Primordial Yang essence of tens of thousands of students, giving it a unique and profound quality."
Zhang Yu frowned, feeling that the Primordial Yang Spiritual Root sounded rather unclean.
And besides...
"Didn't everyone get sterilized? Can we still use this virgin spiritual root?"
"It's the Primordial Yang Spiritual Root," Zhao Tianxing explained.
"The sterilization surgery only temporarily removes certain organs, but the Primordial Yang essence within us continues to flow from our kidneys. It just doesn't stimulate our emotions or spirit anymore."
"Otherwise, how could people undergo restoration surgery after growing up and regain their new roots?"
As they walked, Zhang Yu continued to ask, "Among the Heavenly Spiritual Roots in the school, is there one that significantly helps in boosting spiritual power?"
Zhao Tianxing's heart stirred as he recalled Zhang Yu's recent actions.
He thought to himself, "Is he preparing for the Spiritual Power Competition?"
After some thought, Zhao Tianxing said, "There are many spiritual roots that can assist in boosting spiritual power. The best one in our school is probably the Qi Sea Spiritual Root. It's quite expensive, but since you're getting it as a free reward, the price doesn't matter..."
The Qi Sea Spiritual Root, nicknamed the Wall Penetrator, has the greatest advantage of an extensive coverage range.
It can penetrate various walls, buildings, and even the ground, allowing for large-scale spiritual energy absorption and improving the efficiency of spiritual power refinement.
After hearing Zhao Tianxing's introduction, Zhang Yu had already decided to try this Heavenly Spiritual Root.
Arriving at the Spiritual Root Rental Office next to the meditation room, Zhang Yu didn't rush to state his goal.
Instead, he picked up the brochure on the table and began to read.
The administrator, a female teacher with a baby face, saw Zhang Yu's actions and seized the opportunity to ask, "Student, are you a member here? Do you have a familiar spiritual root?"
Without looking up, Zhang Yu replied, "No, I don't."
The administrator quickly recommended, "We currently have a promotion where new members who recharge 10,000 get an extra 1,000. Would you like to try it?"
Zhang Yu said, "I'm here for the Heavenly Spiritual Root rental as a reward for having a 0% distraction rate. I'm only taking the reward; I'm not interested in anything else. You don't need to sell me anything."
The administrator smiled helplessly and stepped back, "Then let me know if you need anything."
Listening to his words, she silently labeled Zhang Yu as stingy and lost interest in promoting anything to him.
Zhang Yu didn't care about her thoughts.
He quickly scanned the brochure and found that it matched what Zhao Tianxing had said.
He then turned to the administrator and said, "I'd like to rent the Qi Sea Spiritual Root."
The administrator said, "Please scan your student card."
Zhang Yu handed over his student card.
This Songyang High School student card represented his identity as a high school student and was an important credential for legally practicing cultivation and enjoying various cultivation-related services.
Soon, the administrator brought a jade box to him.
"The Qi Sea Spiritual Root is inside. You can go to Meditation Room 2, open the jade box, and take the spiritual root."
"Your rental time is one hour, starting from the moment you enter the meditation room. If you exceed the time by even one minute, it will be counted as an additional hour. Make sure to come out on time..."
After the administrator in charge of rentals explained the details, she urged Zhang Yu to hurry inside.
Zhao Tianxing, who was standing nearby, said, "Zhang Yu, I'll leave you to it. I need to go now."
Zhang Yu nodded at him, "Thanks."
As Zhang Yu turned and left, Zhao Tianxing kept recalling his expression and tone, thinking, "Our relationship should be closer now, right?"
Meanwhile, in Meditation Room 2.
It was a room about twenty square meters in size, with a meditation cushion placed in the center.
The walls were covered with soundproofing material and adorned with various twisted talismans.
These talismans were said to accelerate the gathering of spiritual energy, improving the efficiency of breathing exercises.
However, from the moment Zhang Yu entered the room, he only had one hour for breathing exercises.
He didn't have time to care about the room's setup and immediately sat on the cushion, opening the jade box.
Inside the palm-sized jade box was a crystal, translucent and emitting a faint blue light.
The crystal floated in the center of the box, surrounded by wisps of blue smoke-like particles.
This was the spiritual root he had rented, the Heavenly Spiritual Root known as the Qi Sea Spiritual Root.
Zhang Yu carefully picked up the Qi Sea Spiritual Root.
As soon as he brought it to his mouth, he felt a cool sensation in his throat.
The spiritual root seemed to melt like a ball of ice water, sinking into his lower abdomen and entering his dantian.
Once inside his dantian, the Qi Sea Spiritual Root took root, extending crystal-like tendrils that penetrated the surrounding spiritual power.
Zhang Yu understood, based on the manual and the administrator's instructions, that the Heavenly Spiritual Root had successfully taken root in his dantian.
Now, he just needed to perform his usual breathing exercises, and the spiritual root would naturally take effect.
With this in mind, Zhang Yu took a deep breath and began to circulate the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique.
Boom!
A loud explosion seemed to erupt in his mind.
Zhang Yu felt the surrounding spiritual energy rushing towards him, pouring into the Heavenly Spiritual Root within his body.
"Double?"
"Triple?" "Too fast... it's still increasing!"
Feeling more and more spiritual energy flooding into his body, Zhang Yu quickly calmed his mind and fully activated his Level 6 Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique.
As the circulation of spiritual power throughout his body accelerated, strands of spiritual energy were refined into spiritual power.
The dantian, which had felt somewhat bloated due to the influx of spiritual energy, returned to normal.
But as if sensing Zhang Yu's speed in refining spiritual power, the Qi Sea Spiritual Root in his dantian contracted and expanded, further increasing the rate of spiritual energy absorption.
This time, not only did the spiritual energy around Zhang Yu rush in, but even the spiritual energy outside the room was drawn in.
The hallway... outside the window... the sky... even underground...
The Qi Sea Spiritual Root, in response to Zhang Yu's efficiency in refining spiritual power, gradually expanded its range of absorption, finally stopping at a radius of fifty meters.
Feeling the vast amount of spiritual energy pouring into his body like a mighty river, Zhang Yu guided it into the circulation of spiritual power throughout his body, refining it bit by bit into his own spiritual power.
At this moment, Zhang Yu felt an exhilarating surge in his spiritual power.
"So this is the true efficiency of the Level 6 Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique?"
Zhang Yu finally realized that his usual breathing exercises and spiritual energy refinement had never truly unleashed the full potential of the Level 6 Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique.
Now, with the help of the Qi Sea Spiritual Root, he had finally maximized the efficiency of the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique in refining spiritual power.
Not daring to waste a single second, Zhang Yu devoted himself entirely to breathing exercises and refining spiritual power.
Meanwhile, in the Spiritual Root Rental Office, the administrator who had just served Zhang Yu looked at the computer screen in surprise.
"Huh? The spiritual energy concentration has dropped?"
The meditation rooms rented by the school naturally weren't just for quietness.
The talismans placed inside could control the concentration of spiritual energy, enhancing the effectiveness of breathing exercises.
The administrator carefully observed the monitoring parameters and noticed that Meditation Room 2 was experiencing a significant gathering of spiritual energy, drawing in large amounts from the surroundings and causing a drop in spiritual energy concentration in nearby rooms.
"Meditation Room 2... I remember it's being used by that first-year student, right?"
"This level of spiritual energy gathering... and he's only a first-year?"
The administrator was increasingly surprised.
In her memory, only second-year students could wield the Qi Sea Spiritual Root to such an extent.
"Zhang Yu, was it?"
Recalling the name and class of the student who had just registered, the administrator silently noted it down, discarding the stingy label she had previously assigned to him.
"A first-year with such skill... he must have spent a lot on his cultivation path."
As she activated more talismans to adjust the spiritual energy concentration back to normal, the administrator thought to herself, "I'll get his contact information later. If I can get him to sign up for a platinum membership, my performance for the next few months will be secured."
She decided not to tell anyone and focus on developing this promising client herself.
In the blink of an eye, an hour passed.
Zhang Yu was immersed in the exhilarating rush of spiritual energy.
His spiritual power had unknowingly increased from 9.4 to 9.5. Clearly, this hour had been equivalent to half a day of hard cultivation for him.
Just then, a female voice came through the room's intercom.
"Zhang Yu, your hour is almost up. Would you like to extend your session?"
For some reason, Zhang Yu felt that the administrator's voice had become much gentler.
Feeling the rush of spiritual energy and the full power of the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique, Zhang Yu couldn't help but ask, "How much is it to extend?"
The administrator quickly replied, "The Qi Sea Spiritual Root costs 5,000 per hour, but we have a promotion today. New users who recharge 100,000 at once will get an extra 10,000 and an 8.8% discount on rental fees."
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly and slowly stopped his breathing exercises.
"I have other things to do today, so I won't extend."
When returning the spiritual root, Zhang Yu noticed the administrator's increased politeness.
He also had some questions he wanted to ask.
Reluctantly glancing at the Qi Sea Spiritual Root being placed back into the jade box, Zhang Yu asked, "How much would it cost to buy this spiritual root?"
The administrator's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "The Qi Sea Spiritual Root costs 60 million."
Zhang Yu inwardly gasped but kept his expression neutral.
"That expensive?"
The administrator chuckled, "Yes, actually, we don't recommend buying it. Renting is much more cost-effective. After all, equipping a Heavenly Spiritual Root during the early stages of Qi Refinement is too extravagant. Most cultivators only consider buying a spiritual root after entering university."
Zhang Yu nodded slightly.
He knew that the final hurdle from the Qi Refinement stage to the Foundation Establishment stage was to plant a spiritual root of one's own.
This was indeed something university students needed to consider.
However, whether one planted a Heavenly Spiritual Root, an Earthly Spiritual Root, or a Human Spiritual Root depended entirely on the cultivator's financial resources.
As for the more advanced Divine Spiritual Roots and Immortal Spiritual Roots, those could only be transplanted after joining special departments or major sects.
"Good Heavenly Spiritual Roots are really... damn expensive."
Taking a deep look at the spiritual root being put away, Zhang Yu thought to himself that one day he would buy a spiritual root of his own.
Before he left, the administrator proactively exchanged contact information with him.
Zhang Yu learned that her name was Wei Xin.
Wei Xin silently changed Zhang Yu's contact name to "Zhang Yu (Platinum Member Candidate)."
(End of Chapter)