Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, Can I Beat Him?

"Brother Chen, you smell so good." In the classroom, Meng Yan, who was still stuck at the first layer of Qi Refining, looked at Chen Zhuo and couldn't help but say, "Are you like Sister Liang—a scion of some prominent clan who got an investment from your family after implanting your spiritual root?" With an envious expression, Meng Yan continued, "Brother Chen, your spiritual root must be different from mine, right? At least ordinary grade? Seeing how your vital qi surges and your physique is so robust and solid, you must be close to the third layer of Qi Refining... Completing the body-tempering stage of early Qi Refining in just one year—that's seriously impressive!" Chen Zhuo maintained a calm mindset. Truth be told, his current progress was merely decent. Layers one through three of Qi Refining were easy to achieve in the first place; the real hurdle was stepping into the fourth layer and entering the middle stage of Qi Refining. Cultivation was just like life: a pyramid looming over every cultivator. Some sat high above, while others were mere fuel. "Everything I have was earned through diligence and hard work. Little Meng, you have to believe that heaven rewards the diligent, and that hard work leads to wealth." Sitting in the middle of the classroom, Chen Zhuo spoke nonchalantly, not answering Meng Yan's question directly. Meng Yan nodded at his words. In his heart, he took it with a grain of salt. *Hard work leads to wealth?* *Sure, brother, no problem, I get what you mean.* The Nascent Soul elders of the Taiqing Domain had also publicly made similar statements. The Nascent Soul elders claimed that the Immortal Mansion was dedicated to helping every cultivator climb higher, but resources had to be concentrated first. They would nurture a few geniuses to the Nascent Soul realm, and then those early Nascent Souls would pull along the later ones to acquire more resources, repeating the cycle... One day, every single cultivator in the Immortal Mansion would ascend to immortality, strengthening the Immortal Mansion. When that time came, everyone would be like dragons! Chen Zhuo offered no further explanation; justice naturally resided in the hearts of the people. Soon, more students trickled into the classroom. Chen Zhuo felt as if he were back in college during his past life, except that this time, the students all had a faint spiritual glow about them. Scanning the room, Chen Zhuo noticed that most of them had broad foreheads and full temples, signs of having fully mastered body tempering. They possessed cultivation at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, and a few had even reached the fifth layer. Of course, some were still at the third layer. However, they were only a sparse few. These students were completely different from Chen Zhuo, Meng Yan, and their peers; they were all holders of innate spiritual roots, free from the burden of taking out loans to buy spiritual roots like Chen Zhuo. Born with spiritual roots, they had already cultivated for seven or eight years, far surpassing Chen Zhuo, Meng Yan, and the others who had undergone post-natal implantation. Yet Chen Zhuo didn't care. After all, being admitted to a vocational college meant their spiritual roots weren't anything special either. Anyone with a spiritual root sensitivity above 30 could at least get into a second-tier university, while those with sensitivity above 50 would be bona fide students of Taiqing University, easily joining the research institutes of the Taiqing Group in the future. Soon, everyone took their seats. Beside Meng Yan sat another student at the fourth layer of Qi Refining who possessed an innate spiritual root. Meng Yan was very friendly. Perhaps hoping to make friends, he immediately greeted him, "Hello, fellow student, I'm Meng Yan. You..." Before he could finish, the classmate raised a hand to stop him, pulled out a spiritual communication jade slip, and whispered, "Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, will sitting next to a cultivator with an implanted spiritual root affect my future qi circulation progress and slow down my cultivation speed?" Chen Zhuo: *?* Before Meng Yan could even react, question marks were already popping up over Chen Zhuo's head. What was that supposed to mean—spiritual root discrimination? Had he just become a second-class minority? Chen Zhuo frowned. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Meng Yan's face flush red. It took Meng Yan quite a while before he choked out, "Classmate, what do you mean by that?" The cultivator turned his head, held up his device, and spoke in a low voice: "Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, can I speak to a cultivator with an implanted spiritual root?" After a moment, wearing an earpiece, the cultivator seemed to receive Xiao Yu's response. He immediately sneered, "What do I mean? Exactly what I said. The qi circulation efficiency of an inferior implanted root isn't even half that of an innate spiritual root. Sitting next to you guys while cultivating, I'm afraid I'll catch Inferior Root Syndrome!" "You!" Meng Yan trembled with rage, at a total loss for how to retort. Lacking confidence and not fully understanding the differences between implanted and innate roots, he found it hard to argue back. The other innate root cultivators nearby all burst into laughter upon hearing this. "Old Wang is right. Our innate spiritual roots were given to us by our parents. How could that be the same as theirs, bought with loans?" "Exactly. I heard that after implanting an inferior root, even basic qi refining is difficult, and they're destined to work on the assembly lines. Wang Heng! You're one of our innate root cultivators—chin up, don't lose face!" "Hey, you two, hurry up and get lost, or I might end up scuffing your scales!" "..." Chen Zhuo hadn't wanted to cause trouble, but seeing Meng Yan's embarrassment and hearing those grating words, a nameless fire flared up within him. Right away, Chen Zhuo spoke up, "Student Wang Heng, right? Fourth layer of Qi Refining?" "What of it?" Wang Heng eyed Chen Zhuo askance. "A mere second-layer Qi Refining nobody wants to challenge me?" *The last fourth-layer cultivator who talked to me like that is already a headless corpse!* Chen Zhuo snorted inwardly. Still, he couldn't openly slaughter someone in the Immortal Mansion, so he sneered, "Far from it, far from it. I was just wondering, Student Wang—with your fourth-layer cultivation, did you start cultivating while still in the womb? Reaching only the fourth layer at sixteen or seventeen, this progress of yours..." Wang Heng's face instantly darkened. "What did you say?" "I said, your cultivation speed is truly admirable, Wang Heng." The corner of Chen Zhuo's mouth curled slightly as he declared with pride, "Someone like me with an inferior implanted root reached the second layer in three months, while you, Wang Heng, cultivated for over a decade just to reach the fourth layer. Truly 'exceptionally gifted'!" "Insolent!" Wang Heng sprang to his feet, face flushed red, spiritual qi surging around him. "A loan-taker like you dares talk big here? My grandfather worked forty years on the assembly line, my father worked thirty years, and my eldest brother worked ten years! They pinched pennies and saved every spirit stone just to support my cultivation! Three generations of my Wang family worked like dogs, saving no less than a thousand spirit stones to prop me up with all their might! How can a loaned, implanted root like you compare to the dedication of three generations of working blood and sweat?!" Hearing this, Chen Zhuo was left utterly speechless. *Hold on, buddy.* *Three generations of your family worked to support you, and you're only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining?* In essence, this Wang Heng's spiritual root wasn't much good either; his spiritual qi sensitivity probably wasn't any different from an implanted root. He just happened to be born with it, spared a five-thousand-spirit-coin loan, and had been able to cultivate since childhood. *So what the hell are you putting on airs for?* Ever since slaying that sinister elder in the Spirit Bead World yesterday, Chen Zhuo had grown far more confident. Without hesitation, he stood up, strode right in front of Wang Heng, and looked down on him. "Three generations worked to produce a piece of trash like you—your family's sky must have truly collapsed. What, Student Wang, do you want to throw down right here and test yourself against a second-layer cultivator with an implanted root like me?" Hearing those words, Wang Heng grew slightly flustered. He put up a hand. "Wait a second." Then, Wang Heng pulled out his spiritual communication jade slip and whispered, "Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, I'm a cultivator at the fourth layer of Qi Refining with an innate spiritual root, and a cultivator at the second layer of Qi Refining with an implanted spiritual root is provoking me. Can I beat him?" "Of course! In terms of cultivation realm, spiritual root sensitivity, days of training, and combat experience, you clearly have the upper hand in every way! I believe you will definitely achieve a crushing victory, defend the dignity of innate spiritual roots, and teach this reckless implanted-root cultivator a lesson!" Seeing the built-in assistant on his spiritual communication jade slip say so, Wang Heng instantly perked up, brimming with confidence. "Come on, let me teach an arrogant fellow like you a lesson!" *If Xiao Yu said so, how could it be wrong?* *I, Wang Heng, a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator with an innate spiritual root, am invincible!*