48: Senior, Do I Have a Spirit Root?

With just a glance, Shen Hao felt a slight tingle on his scalp, and his breathing became somewhat difficult. He was shocked. This woman was truly formidable.

However, Shen Hao did not feel too afraid. Her request was just for some white wine, something he could easily provide. From another perspective, this also indicated that the woman wasn't overly cunning. A true old fox would have a deep and unreadable demeanor, where emotions wouldn't be so apparent.

The more she showed her emotions, the easier she was to deal with. Shen Hao gave Song Yongci and Ji Dongge a reassuring look and said to Meng Xuanji, "Senior, please calm down. I'll get the wine for you right away."

Upon hearing this, Meng Xuanji slightly nodded and withdrew her aggressive aura. She coldly said, "Go ahead."

Shen Hao nodded, got off the carriage, and after giving Old Ma instructions, he found a secluded spot and took out the wine from his space storage. He hid the bottles in his large sleeves and returned to the carriage.

When Meng Xuanji saw Shen Hao bringing out the white wine, her mood finally relaxed. With a smile, she waved her hand, and the two bottles of wine vanished from Shen Hao's hand.

Now that she had gotten the much-needed white wine, Meng Xuanji looked at Shen Hao with a slightly more pleasant gaze.

Shen Hao, noticing the wine vanish, guessed it was some kind of space storage artifact. He feigned surprise and asked, "Is this what they call a storage space?"

Meng Xuanji's cold voice responded, "Correct."

Curious, Shen Hao asked, "Senior, how valuable is such a storage space?"

Song Yongci and Ji Dongge, who were listening, were also very curious. They were beginning to realize that the world they were familiar with was vastly different from this one.

Meng Xuanji thought for a moment before answering, "This is a product of the cultivation world. Ordinary yellow or white-grade items are unlikely to be found."

Shen Hao nodded. He didn't have much desire for the storage space, especially since his own devouring space was much more powerful. But he still spoke with feigned regret, "That's really unfortunate."

Then, changing the subject, Shen Hao asked, "Senior, I've encountered some difficulties in cultivation and would like to ask for your guidance. Of course, I won't let you do this for free. I can offer you another bottle of wine as thanks."

Hearing this, Meng Xuanji paused for a moment before her expression softened slightly, "Fine, since I have nothing better to do, I'll reluctantly help you with your questions."

Shen Hao smiled, not exposing her reluctance, and said, "Senior, I'm currently at the third level of the postnatal realm. I'd like to ask, what is the difference between the postnatal, innate, and true essence realms? And what comes after the true essence realm? How does one break through to these stages?"

Meng Xuanji looked at him and pondered for a moment before organizing her thoughts. "Ordinary people cultivate by tempering their bodies and strengthening their blood and Qi. Once they accumulate enough, they can open meridians and channels, feeling a flow of clear, yang energy through their body. This energy gathers in the dantian, forming internal force. This is the difference between the body-tempering stage and the postnatal realm."

"As for the postnatal and innate realms, they are different. Postnatal cultivation involves accumulating internal force and opening the meridians. Only by opening the Ren and Du meridians to connect with the forces of heaven and earth can one enter the innate realm."

"The difference between postnatal and innate is a qualitative change, a gap in energy levels. The biggest change is the conversion of internal force into true Qi. The process of converting internal force into true Qi is a transformation, not just a change in power, but also in how one operates their cultivation techniques."

"Postnatal techniques and innate techniques are vastly different. The light-footwork you use is probably an innate technique. That's why, at the postnatal stage, it consumes so much energy."

"Moreover, once you reach the innate realm, you can release true Qi externally, and the techniques amplify the power of this true Qi. The more intricate the technique, the greater the power released."

"For example, the throwing darts you use are truly remarkable. Even ordinary people can unleash several times the power with them. I can't even imagine how devastating it would be if ten ordinary people used those darts simultaneously. Even an innate expert would be hard-pressed to survive. But against a true essence realm expert, they wouldn't be very effective."

"Additionally, once you open the path to heaven and earth and enter the innate realm, you can perceive the movement of true Qi in the air. This means that innate experts can use true Qi to strike, while postnatal experts won't even sense it. This is the difference in realms."

"Beyond the true essence realm, the next stage is the spirit pill realm. Although the true essence realm is rare, it's not considered anything special in the Tianwu Empire."

After hearing this explanation, Shen Hao suddenly understood. It was like realizing that the new player's world was much larger. The true essence realm was like a university student in a small town—rare, but common in big cities. The Tianwu Empire was the big city.

He suddenly remembered how the bandit leader had cut through the carriage with his knife earlier, and he hadn't understood how it happened. It seemed like the strike was made from a distance. Now he realized that postnatal martial artists couldn't perceive the true Qi of innate martial artists. It was like a newborn only being able to see in black and white—everything else was invisible.

Shen Hao asked again, "What's the difference between the innate and true essence realms, and how does one break through to the true essence realm?"

Shen Hao had a vague memory of hearing about this from Liu Baoshan, the leader of Liu Family Village. He knew that one could break through the true essence realm with a demon's essence core, but the exact process was unclear.

Meng Xuanji didn't hide anything and explained slowly, "The transition from innate to true essence is similar to the transition from postnatal to innate—it's another transformation of energy. Every breakthrough to a new realm causes a qualitative change. Internal force becomes true Qi, and true Qi turns into true essence. The true essence forms by condensing Qi into a liquid state."

"However, for ordinary people, the limit is the innate realm. Reaching the true essence realm is extremely difficult. It requires not only opportunities but also a spirit root."

"A spirit root?" Shen Hao quickly asked, "Wait, does that mean without a spirit root, one can't breakthrough to the true essence realm?"

Seeing Shen Hao's rough tone, Meng Xuanji gave him a side glance before replying, "Yes, you must have a spirit root. Because the spiritual energy in this world has been exhausted, there is too little elemental energy in the air. It's not just about having a spirit root. Those with poor spirit roots will also need a demon's essence core to break through to the true essence realm."

"The demon's essence core contains elemental energy that, once refined, can help a person breakthrough. Without such resources or background, it's nearly impossible for an ordinary person to reach the true essence realm."

"Once you enter the true essence realm, your lifespan increases to 200 years. If you haven't reached the innate realm by the age of 40, your blood and Qi will begin to deteriorate, and you will have little chance of reaching the true essence realm."

"True essence realm may be rare, but in the Tianwu Empire, it's more common. However, the spirit pill realm is extraordinary. If you want to talk about how rare it is, true essence practitioners can use magic and fly with swords, but the real power is in the spirit pill realm. The true essence realm can manipulate air and energy without tools."

Shen Hao was left speechless after hearing all this. He felt that breaking through to the true essence realm was extremely difficult. Even the true essence realm was hard enough, and the spirit pill realm was even more so. Fortunately, he had his space storage.

This also made him realize just how valuable this woman in front of him was. Curiously, he asked, "Senior, could you check if I have a spirit root?"