Hearing a thousand stories could never compare to a single look with one’s own eyes. Han Yu’s trip to the Green Grain Market had torn open the horizon of his world.

Seeing the market’s scale and inner workings firsthand made him realize the rigid strata of the cultivation world. Laborer Disciples like himself were confined to the grit of the reed mats and bamboo sheds, almost never crossing paths with Outer Disciples or the true high-realm experts.

The Green Grain Market held its dangers, but they weren’t as insurmountable as he had feared. With enough preparation and caution, he could return if the need arose.

His thoughts drifted to Zhu Lao San, the purveyor of junk. It was almost impressive that the man didn’t have a single reliable item in his entire inventory. Han Yu couldn’t help but wonder if Senior Sister Wei’s jade hairpin—the one that failed after only two uses—had been one of Zhu’s “treasures.”

Han Yu reached into his robes and pulled out the ancient-looking Jade Slip. Pig Old Three’s theatrical “fated individual” nonsense had given Han Yu the perfect opening to copy this “Bottom of the Chest” secret technique.

Now, it was time to see if this method could truly accelerate his path. He pressed the Jade Slip to his forehead. Moments later, he pulled it away, his expression twisting into something complex and subtle.

Zhu Lao San truly defied all expectations. Even his “treasures” were spectacularly useless to any sane person. The Jade Slip did indeed contain a secret technique left behind by a Golden Core master, but it was a trap of the highest order.

The technique was called the Spirit Root Refining Art. Its premise was enticing: it claimed to refine one’s Spirit Roots, pruning away the excess to transform a multi-rooted mediocrity into a Single Spirit Root genius. On the surface, it sounded like a miracle. Below the surface, it was a pitfall.

The Golden Core creator’s vision was to refine redundant Spirit Roots one by one until only the strongest remained. But Spirit Roots were determined at birth, woven into the very marrow and soul of a human being. Whether one had Four Spirit Roots or Five Spirit Roots, that aptitude was a fundamental part of their biological and spiritual existence.

To use vast quantities of spiritual herbs to “refine” a root was, in reality, to systematically destroy one’s own foundation. The process was self-mutilation. It would leave the cultivator frail, sickly, and with a severely truncated lifespan.

For instance, if a Qi Refining cultivator spent the astronomical resources required to go from Four Spirit Roots to Three Spirit Roots, those same resources could have easily pushed them to the Foundation Establishment realm. By the time the refinement was finished, the cultivator would be physically broken and lagging years behind their peers. What was the point of “improving” aptitude if the cost was your future?

Practicing it at the Foundation Establishment or Golden Core realms was even more suicidal. As a cultivator grew, their Spirit Roots became more deeply rooted in their essence, much like the hardening of bones as a child grows into a man. The cost of refinement increased exponentially with every realm, ensuring a total loss of blood, life, and wealth.

Furthermore, a cultivator could only refine one root per major realm. The technique was, for all intents and purposes, a path to ruin.

Han Yu set the Jade Slip down with a heavy sigh. “I finally find a way to speed up my progress, and it’s a dead end. What a pity.”

Still, he found it hard to let go. He reread the text carefully, and a small note at the very end of the slip caught his eye.

The Golden Core master had added a final, unverified hypothesis: If one’s body refinement cultivation can keep pace, the flaws of the Spirit Root Refining Art may be mitigated. The physical collapse would be prevented, and the lifespan drain would fall within a sustainable range.

It was a theoretical lead, nothing more. But the logic was sound—if the art destroyed the body, a body refinement art could rebuild it.

The catch, however, was the cost. To refine a single root at the Qi Refining stage while protecting the body, one would need: a portion of resources to reach Foundation Establishment, another equal portion for body refinement, and a third for daily cultivation.

To even test this theory, a disciple would need three times the wealth required to reach Foundation Establishment. It was a staggering, terrifying sum.

No Laborer Disciple in their right mind would ever attempt it. Han Yu, acknowledging his shallow foundation and lack of any body refinement techniques, decided to shelf the idea. He would wait until the conditions were met—if they ever were.

In the following weeks, Han Yu stopped accompanying Li Quan to the market. He fell into a rhythm: patrolling the fields, consuming Mystic Heart Fruits, and methodically refining the medicinal power into Spirit Breath. His Four Spirit Roots remained a bottleneck, as he hit his daily absorption limit with frustrating regularity.

Yet, progress was steady. The spirit seeds in his dantian grew more lustrous and rounded by the day, signaling that he was approaching the second level of Qi Refining.

During this time, Old Li stopped inviting him out. Instead, the old man became strangely close with Zhang Shan and several other Laborer Disciples. Han Yu often saw Li Quan bowing and scraping before them, acting with a submissiveness that didn’t fit his character.

Han Yu knew the old Daoist wasn’t one to swallow insults. If he still held a grudge against the Steward for a single Wind Control Technique strike, why was he being so servile to Zhang Shan?

Remembering Old Li’s history with Blood Food—using the blood of chickens, horses, and the Spirit-Stealing Rat—a dark suspicion took root in Han Yu’s mind.

Has he moved on to… people?

The thought left him with a cold, hollow feeling. If it were a kind soul like Senior Brother Sun Kang, Han Yu would have intervened. But Zhang Shan was a man who likely bred Spirit-Stealing Rats to rob his own peers. Han Yu had no intention of playing the hero for such a man.

One night, as Han Yu refined the power of a Mystic Heart Fruit, his internal Circulation Cycle reached a point of absolute fullness. The energy suddenly surged, accelerating past an invisible barrier.

A tiny, vibrant sprout emerged from the spirit seeds in his dantian. His Spirit Breath exploded in volume, surging through his meridians and leaving his body feeling light and invigorated.

Finally, he had reached the second level of Qi Refining.