After hearing Shu Hua's proposition about cultivation, Mu Xin nodded, already expecting this in his heart.
But a question still lingered in his mind, causing his face to scrunch up.
"But sister Hua, can I even cultivate? From what I've seen in the city, most people are not cultivators."
Shu Hua's smile grew wider, with a hint of happiness in her eyes.
"You are more than qualified to cultivate, little Xin. Here, let me tell you. For someone to start cultivating, a spiritual root is needed, and this is something one is born with."
She pointed her finger at Mu Xin's lower navel as her eyes gleamed.
"The spiritual root is located here, so if you are injured here, it can be damaged. But that doesn't mean it has a physical form. It is tied mostly to one's soul."
Mu Xin looked at the place Shu Hua pointed at with a raised eyebrow.
"Sister Hua, what do you mean it's tied mostly to one's soul?"
"It means that should a cultivator have his body destroyed and turn into dust, that cultivator can still retain his spiritual root as long as that person can create a new body."
Mu Xin's eyebrows touched together as he looked at Shu Hua questioningly.
"But if the body is destroyed, won't the spiritual root be harmed too?"
Shu Hua's smile widened at his question.
"You see, little Xin, as I said, spiritual roots are bound to the soul. The reason injury to the lower navel can harm it is because the lower navel is a place we call the dantian. It is where the spiritual root takes residence, just like the soul takes residence in the body."
Mu Xin scratched his head, feeling lost.
"But if the spiritual root is bound to the soul, it shouldn't be harmed even if the dantian is harmed, right?"
Shu Hua covered her mouth with her hand and giggled slightly.
"That's where you're wrong, little Xin. The spiritual root takes residence in the dantian, causing it to concentrate there, so it can be harmed. But if you only have a soul, the spiritual root can be anywhere, so it can't be harmed unless the entire soul is destroyed."
Mu Xin opened his mouth as understanding dawned on him.
"So that's how it is… then does that mean I have a spiritual root to cultivate and become a cultivator?"
Mu Xin's eyes gleamed slightly as he imagined himself flying freely in the air.
Shu Hua looked deeply into Mu Xin's eyes, with a hint of hope.
"What you have, little Xin, is not just a spiritual root. It's a supreme-grade spiritual root. Those who are born with this grade of spiritual root are born to be cultivators."
Mu Xin again looked confused at Shu Hua.
"Supreme-grade spiritual root? Born to be a cultivator?"
"Yes. This is a perfect spiritual root with perfect form. Those who are born with this spiritual root don't need a cultivation technique. To them, cultivating is like breathing; it's their second nature."
Mu Xin's muscles tensed up, and he stopped breathing for a moment.
"Cultivation is… second nature?"
Shu Hua nodded slightly as her eyes glittered.
"That's right. While others have to meditate and circulate their cultivation techniques to draw in and refine spiritual qi from impurities, all you have to do is breathe, and the spiritual root will absorb and refine spiritual qi on its own."
Mu Xin swallowed as he asked in a shaky voice.
"Wo… won't it be dangerous? Like, won't people kill me if I'm too talented?"
Shu Hua nodded slightly as she closed her eyes in understanding.
"It will be dangerous if people know. And they won't just kill you; they will hunt you down to take your spiritual root."
Mu Xin visibly paled, his mouth open.
Shu Hua opened her eyes and looked at Mu Xin deeply.
"But that's only if people know. And sister promises to protect you, so little Xin doesn't have to be so scared."
The night wind seeped through the wooden door, lightly brushing both of them as if Shu Hua's promise were acknowledged by the world.
Mu Xin's face gradually regained some color as his hand slowly loosened its grip on his pants.
He took a breath before looking at Shu Hua with a different light in his eyes.
(I… can completely trust her.)
"Then sister Hua, since I have a supreme-grade spiritual root, am I already cultivating?"
Shu Hua smiled as her body relaxed.
"No. You might not need a cultivation technique, but you need to awaken your spiritual root first. After it awakens, you will start cultivating naturally."
Mu Xin slumped down slightly as he felt a tug of disappointment.
"So I have to wait for my spiritual root to awaken first…"
"No. You can help it awaken. Little Xin, listen carefully. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and breathe in deeply and exhale slowly. Repeat this until you feel something."
Mu Xin immediately closed his eyes and followed her instructions.
He breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled. Each breath made his mind and body feel lighter.
His chest slowly rose and fell as the air felt clearer, making him feel extremely pleasant.
After a few minutes of drowning in this intoxicating feeling, he sensed that he had breathed in something other than air.
He opened his eyes in panic, but what greeted him was something he was not prepared for.
The air was filled with small light particles that floated and flowed like water.
Mu Xin opened his mouth and eyes wide in wonder at this beautiful sight.
Shu Hua, on the other hand, smiled knowingly as she looked at Mu Xin.
"What you see, little Xin, is spiritual qi. The next thing you need to do is slowly inhale it deeply until your spiritual root awakens upon coming into contact with it. Think of it like a seed finally touching water."
Mu Xin nodded and tried to do as Shu Hua said.
He closed his eyes again and slowly inhaled. He could feel that he had inhaled it—the spiritual qi.
It entered his nose but did not give him a sensation of choking or drowning. Instead, it dispersed little by little throughout his body.
It made his body feel as if it were being bathed in cool spring water. It was not cold, but pleasant.
It slowly spread inside his body until it reached his lower navel—the dantian.
Inside his dantian, the spiritual qi slowly seeped inward and touched the three supreme-grade spiritual roots.
The slumbering golden dragon slowly opened its eyelids.
The green lotus gently bloomed open.
And the black thundercloud released its first spark of lightning.