Chapter Seventy-Two: The Marvel of the Mixed Mystic Root

After his sister left, Qin Feng followed his grandfather into his room.

Once the door was closed behind them, Qin Tianzheng suddenly seemed to have aged dramatically, the white hair at his temples appearing especially stark. He sat silently for a long time.

Qin Feng understood that the old man had expended much effort for his sake.

Some matters, even if unspoken, could be sensed.

“Grandfather, I want to leave the Qin family and go out… to temper myself.”

Qin Feng thought it best to raise the matter himself, sparing his grandfather any embarrassment. Yet the reason he offered for leaving was somewhat clumsy.

“Ah! Feng’er, it is my own incompetence… I have failed Xiaosheng, and I have failed you…”

At that moment, Qin Tianzheng’s tears streamed down his face. Seeing his grandfather so heartbroken, Qin Feng almost told him the truth about the soul of his bloodline, but reason prevailed. He knew the time was not right. The soul within him was not strong enough yet; he could not secure absolute authority within the vast Qin clan. He had had enough of living at the mercy of others. This time, when he left, it was to grow stronger, so that when he returned, he would reclaim everything he had lost, with interest.

For now, he could only ask his grandfather to bear the burden.

With this resolve in his heart, Qin Feng appeared relaxed.

“Grandfather, don’t be sad. Whether this journey is a blessing or a curse for me, who can say? Perhaps, someday in the future, I will return to the Qin family, and then, not only I, but the entire Qin clan of Luoyang Town will reclaim its honor.”

When Qin Feng said this, he was filled with confidence. For a moment, Qin Tianzheng was utterly captivated.

This was his grandson!

This was a true son of the Qin family!

Though he did not know whence Qin Feng’s confidence arose, Qin Tianzheng was genuinely pleased, for once again he saw the shadow of Xiaosheng in Qin Feng. Father and son alike, both were extraordinary men.

“Good, good, good child!”

Three times he said “good,” releasing all the pent-up anxiety of recent days. He stepped forward and, with satisfaction, patted Qin Feng’s shoulder. “Good child, I believe in you!”

“Right, the reason I called you here today is mainly to test this.”

As he spoke, a dazzling light flashed in Qin Tianzheng’s palm, and a strange, transparent bead appeared.

Qin Feng was surprised and looked at his grandfather questioningly.

The latter smiled awkwardly and explained, “This bead is called the Profound Root Pearl. It is used to test whether a cultivator possesses a Profound Root.”

“Profound Root Pearl? Could it be…”

At the name, Qin Feng immediately understood his grandfather’s intent.

Qin Tianzheng had truly gone to great lengths for him. Clearly, he had not given up hope; if one path was blocked, he thought of another. However, because Qin clan disciples were favored by heaven, the stronger their bloodline soul, the less likely they were to possess a Profound Root. Even if one had a Profound Root and could cultivate both body and technique, throughout history, those who reached supreme heights in both were as rare as phoenix feathers.

Of course, his grandfather did not know about his mutated serpent soul, so this was understandable. Still, the idea of dual cultivation of body and technique lingered in Qin Feng’s mind. He wondered if his serpent soul’s devouring ability might enable him to achieve both.

Qin Feng shook his head, dismissing the notion for now.

Not only was the chance of possessing a Profound Root extremely slim, but even if he did, would he truly commit to dual cultivation?

“Come, grandfather!”

At this point, Qin Feng had no more doubts and simply decided to see whether he had a Profound Root.

“Very well!” Seeing his grandson’s composure, Qin Tianzheng nodded and approached, placing the bead atop Qin Feng’s head.

“Feng’er, absorb Profound Qi and forcibly direct it toward your dantian.”

“Alright!” Qin Feng answered firmly.

Still, he was cautious, deliberately slowing his absorption of Profound Qi so Qin Tianzheng would not notice anything amiss.

Soon, the Profound Qi in the room gently moved toward Qin Feng.

As the Profound Qi circulated, the Profound Root Pearl atop Qin Feng’s head, originally transparent, slowly bloomed with a yellow hue like a droplet of water. Next, a streak of green, a streak of gold, and a streak of red appeared almost simultaneously, followed lastly by a streak of blue. The five colors spread out, each occupying its own space: yellow was the strongest, blue the faintest, with the other three nearly equal.

“This… Feng’er, I never expected you truly possessed a Profound Root!”

Surprise and delight appeared on Qin Tianzheng’s face; he was beside himself with joy. He quickly removed the Profound Root Pearl and showed it to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng was also somewhat surprised. He glanced at the five-colored bead and hurriedly asked, “Five colors? Grandfather, what does this mean? What grade is my Profound Root?”

“Five colors indicate a Mixed Five-Color Profound Root!”

After his initial joy, Qin Tianzheng patiently explained, “As you know, to become a technique cultivator, one must have a Profound Root, which comes in grades based on purity: Celestial Profound Root, Earth Profound Root, Double-Color Mixed Root, Triple-Color Mixed Root, Four-Color Mixed Root, Five-Color Mixed Root—and then Mutated Roots.

“So the Five-Color Mixed Root is the lowest grade…”

Hearing this, Qin Feng couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his grandfather. Seeing the old man’s joy just now, Qin Feng almost thought he possessed a Celestial Profound Root.

Qin Tianzheng’s face flushed, and he laughed, explaining, “Child, don’t be impatient; let me finish.”

“Hmm? Could there be a twist?”

Qin Tianzheng nodded.

He went on: “Don’t underestimate the Five-Color Mixed Root. While it is the lowest grade among Profound Roots, it is, in another sense, a different form of the Celestial Profound Root.”

“Celestial Profound Root? What connection is there between the two?”

“Patience, let me explain.”

Qin Tianzheng patted Qin Feng’s shoulder, signaling him not to rush, and continued: “The Celestial Profound Root is, essentially, a mix of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth. When these attributes are perfectly balanced, a mutation occurs, and the five elements slowly merge to form an attribute-less Profound Root. Cultivating any attribute technique with such a root is exponentially easier and faster—it is the mark of a genius among geniuses, a rarity of rarities.

Those born with a perfectly balanced Five-Color Root are so rare in the entire Eastern Azure Domain that they can be counted on one hand.

The Earth Profound Root is a single-attribute root. It enables exceptional cultivation in its corresponding attribute, but falls short of the Celestial Root. It is still uncommon, one in ten thousand.

Next are dual-attribute roots, allowing cultivation in two attributes, but their impurity slows absorption of Profound Qi, making them inferior to the Earth Root, though still considered high grade.

Triple-attribute and quadruple-attribute roots follow the same principle.

Of course, triple, quadruple, and dual roots can also mutate, but their mutations are not attribute-less Celestial Roots. Instead, they become attribute-specific roots, such as Ice Root, Lightning Root, Rock Root, Wind Root, Shadow Root, and so forth…

These mutated roots are rare, but because they lack one or two of the fundamental five elements, their cultivation is confined to the mutated attribute. Though this limits their scope, with the right techniques, they far surpass others of the same level.

However, the Five-Color Mixed Root is full of possibilities!”

Possibilities?

Qin Feng was stunned!

Indeed, in the history of the cultivation world, there were those born with poor aptitude, who refused to accept fate, and in the harshest conditions, slowly transformed themselves, forging a path to greatness.

These people were geniuses by effort, defying fate, creating legendary myths…

Qin Feng was half convinced, half skeptical.

Qin Tianzheng burst out laughing.

“Feng’er, your Five-Color Mixed Root has earth as its strongest attribute, water as its weakest, and the other three are quite balanced. In other words, if you can find a way to balance earth and water, you will soar to legendary heights.”

“What? Profound Roots can change?”

Such a strange notion, Qin Feng had never heard before.

Qin Tianzheng’s expression grew serious. He replied, “Yes, they can! I know of one who did—his surname is Han.”