After selecting his attendants, Ye Qingxuan intended to set off immediately to return to the Profound Heaven Sect.
However, thinking about the journey from the Ye family to Verdant Wood Prefecture City, Ye Qingxuan had the cheek to ask Ye Yuhong to give him a ride. They also exchanged communication talismans.
Faced with Ye Qingxuan’s request, Ye Yuhong didn’t refuse.
When the group arrived outside the hall, Ye Yuhong was just about to take out his flying boat to take Ye Qingxuan and the other two to Verdant Wood Prefecture City when he suddenly noticed a figure hurriedly approaching.
“Ye Qingxuan, you coward! How dare you come back?”
Hearing the newcomer’s words, Ye Yuhong looked at Ye Qingxuan with a strange expression, his eyes revealing a meaningful glint.
Feeling Ye Yuhong’s gaze and looking at the graceful figure rushing over, Ye Qingxuan was completely baffled!
He couldn’t remember ever provoking any girl.
In a moment, the graceful figure arrived before them. Her exquisitely beautiful face was currently puffed up with anger, and her eyes glared fiercely at Ye Qingxuan.
Looking at the young woman with her exceptional bearing before him, Ye Qingxuan said hesitantly, “You are…?”
To his surprise, his question made the young woman instantly furious. “You, Ye Qingxuan! Still pretending not to know me? We agreed back then to compete in cultivation speed, but you sneaked away!”
If she hadn’t accidentally learned about Ye Qingxuan’s return this time, she wouldn’t have known this coward had secretly come back again!
Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan suddenly understood. He scrutinized the young woman before him, and memories from many years ago surfaced in his mind. With some uncertainty, he said, “You are… Ye Qingshuang?”
He found it hard to connect the stunning young woman before him with that aloof little girl from over twenty years ago.
It could only be said that Ye Qingshuang had changed too much, preventing Ye Qingxuan from recognizing her immediately.
Seeing that Ye Qingxuan had only just recognized her, Ye Qingshuang grew even angrier, demanding, “We agreed to compare cultivation speeds back then. Why did you run away secretly? Hmph, coward!”
Hearing Ye Qingshuang’s words, Ye Qingxuan shrugged innocently. “I never agreed to compare cultivation speeds with you back then. I won’t compete.”
At this, Ye Qingshuang stomped her foot and said huffily, “Hmph, I don’t care! You beat me in the assessment back then, so I want to win back by comparing cultivation speeds. I’m now at the ninth level of Qi Refinement. You definitely can’t beat me!”
By the end, the corners of Ye Qingshuang’s mouth had lifted slightly, her tone carrying a hint of smugness.
Among the Ye family’s records, the previous fastest person with a three-element spiritual root took twenty-five years to reach the ninth level of Qi Refinement.
She had managed it in less than twenty-three years, breaking the family record.
Seeing the slight upward curve of Ye Qingshuang’s lips, Ye Qingxuan chuckled inwardly but said nothing.
As Ye Qingshuang was feeling pleased with herself, Ye Yuhong suddenly interjected, “Girl Qingshuang, Qingxuan is currently at the peak of Qi Refinement, about to break through to Foundation Establishment. If you really compare cultivation speeds, he is actually a touch faster than you.”
Ye Qingshuang’s true identity was the granddaughter of the Ye family’s Grand Elder, so Ye Yuhong naturally knew her.
Hearing Ye Yuhong’s words, Ye Qingshuang’s mouth fell slightly open, her pupils instantly dilating. Reacting, she immediately questioned, “That’s impossible!”
She remembered clearly that Ye Qingxuan only had a single-element spiritual root aptitude. How could his cultivation speed possibly surpass hers?
Seeing Ye Qingshuang’s disbelief, Ye Yuhong could only shake his head. “Qingxuan.”
Understanding Ye Yuhong’s intent upon hearing his call, Ye Qingxuan had no choice but to helplessly release his aura.
Since Ye Qingshuang’s cultivation was nearly the same as his, if he didn’t release his aura, she wouldn’t be able to sense his exact realm.
After Ye Qingxuan released his aura and Ye Qingshuang confirmed his cultivation level, an expression of utter disbelief appeared in her eyes.
Ye Qingxuan’s aptitude was clearly only a single-element spiritual root, while hers was a three-element spiritual root. How could her cultivation speed possibly be slower than his?
Seeing Ye Qingshuang’s expression, Ye Yuhong sighed. “You girl, you’re just too competitive. All these years you’ve been desperately cultivating, was it all for this?”
That old fellow, the Grand Elder, had always been boasting in front of him about how hard his granddaughter cultivated. Was this the reason?
Looking at Ye Qingshuang’s stunned expression, Ye Qingxuan felt somewhat reluctant. After all, she was his former companion. So he said casually, “Ye Qingshuang, you lost this time. How about we compare who reaches the Purple Mansion realm first? You’ve already lost twice. For this third time, don’t lose again!”
Comparing the Foundation Establishment realm was unnecessary—he could break through immediately after returning to the Profound Heaven Sect and contracting a blessed land. They could compare the Purple Mansion realm, giving Ye Qingshuang some motivation.
Sure enough, after hearing Ye Qingxuan’s words, a light began to shine again in Ye Qingshuang’s eyes. Regaining her confidence, she said with full assurance, “Ye Qingxuan, you just wait! This third time, I absolutely will not lose again!”
After delivering this fierce declaration, Ye Qingshuang transformed into a streak of light and left the place.
Little did she know that this parting might perhaps be forever.
Seeing that Ye Qingshuang had already left, Ye Qingxuan paid it no mind and said with a slight smile, “Family Head, let’s go.”
Ye Yuhong shook his head slightly. Young people these days… hard to understand, indeed!
Subsequently, he took out a fourth-grade flying boat, brought Ye Qingxuan, Ye Zhaoheng, and Ye Zhaoyu aboard, and piloted the boat towards Verdant Wood Prefecture City.
Flying boats are a combination of artifact forging and formation techniques, distinct from magical treasures. Thus, they are classified from first to tenth grade, corresponding one-to-one with cultivation realms!
After Ye Qingxuan left, Ye Qingshuang, having returned to her cave dwelling, began cultivating even more diligently.
In truth, it was normal for Ye Qingshuang to be unable to accept the result that her cultivation speed was slower than Ye Qingxuan’s.
Normally, each additional spiritual root element doubles a cultivator’s cultivation speed based on the original.
If a single-element spiritual root’s cultivation speed is 1, then a dual-element spiritual root’s speed is 2, and a three-element spiritual root’s speed is 4, and so on.
Theoretically, her cultivation speed should be four times that of Ye Qingxuan’s!
The more spiritual roots one has, the resulting effect far exceeds a simple additive effect.
However, this is only the theoretical cultivation speed under normal circumstances. Influenced by external factors, the actual cultivation speed can vary.
Factors such as a cultivator’s daily cultivation time, the supply of cultivation resources, the external density of spiritual energy, physical constitution strength, and meridian resilience, among others, all affect a cultivator’s cultivation speed.
Take Ye Qingxiao, for example. As someone with a five-element spiritual root, his cultivation speed should theoretically be 16 times that of Ye Qingxuan’s.
But Ye Qingxiao was affected by early miscellaneous duties, insufficient cultivation resources, and a physical constitution unable to withstand overly intense spiritual energy impacts. His overall cultivation speed was only about twice as fast as Ye Qingxuan’s.
For true prodigies, the most significant factors affecting cultivation speed in the early stages are not external resources, but rather their own physical constitution strength and meridian resilience.
As cultivation improves, or after practicing some body refinement techniques and enhancing their physical constitution, the true gap brought about by innate talent becomes increasingly apparent and, for many, despairingly so.
The higher the cultivation realm, the more vast the energy required for breakthroughs. Many cultivators aren’t unable to break through bottlenecks; rather, their innate talent hinders their cultivation speed, preventing them from accumulating enough energy within their lifespan to make the breakthrough.
Although Ye Qingxuan possessed an eternal lifespan and could ignore this point, thinking ahead, since there was a method to increase his spiritual roots, he would naturally strive for it with all his might.
Spiritual roots have too great an impact on cultivators. Talent is, at times, truly an unreasonable existence.
Resources are the second most important factor affecting cultivation.
Coincidentally, these two points could both be easily obtained by Ye Qingxuan after choosing to become a Blessing Cultivator.
This was also one of the reasons Ye Qingxuan had chosen to become a Blessing Cultivator upon learning that blessed lands could enhance a cultivator’s spiritual roots.
Of course, it was also because he had the backup of his eternal turtle doppelganger and the mysterious pearl in his mind that he ultimately made this decision.
Tomorrow, he will contract the blessed land, and the Earth Immortal inheritance everyone has been looking forward to will also appear!
