Chapter 25: Qi Sea

"And that Primordial Yang Spirit Root is quite popular among Heavenly Spirit Roots, especially since everyone at our school is still a virgin. The Primordial Yang Spirit Root can refine the virile essence within a virgin's body into mana, greatly enhancing its power."

Zhao Tianxing proudly stated, "Especially our high school's Primordial Yang Spirit Root, which has been passed down for nearly twenty years, fondled by generations of predecessors. It has been imbued with the virile essence of thousands upon thousands of students, possessing an even more profound and mysterious quality."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly, feeling that this Primordial Yang Spirit Root sounded rather defiled. Moreover...

"Aren't you all sterilized? Can you still use this virgin root?"

"It's Primordial Yang Spirit Root," Zhao Tianxing explained. "Sterilization surgery only temporarily removes certain organs, but the virile essence within our bodies still gushes out from our kidneys continuously. It just doesn't stimulate our emotions and spirits anymore."

"Otherwise, how could those who undergo restorative surgery after growing up, regaining their new roots, accomplish it?"

As Zhang Yu walked, he continued to ask, "Among the school's Heavenly Spirit Roots, are there any that greatly help with mana enhancement?"

Hearing this, Zhao Tianxing's heart stirred. Recalling Zhang Yu's recent actions, he thought that the other party had been quite concerned about enhancing his mana lately.

"Could it be for participating in the magic competition?"

Zhao Tianxing pondered for a moment, then said, "There are many spirit roots that can assist in mana enhancement. The most effective one in our school should be the Qi Sea Spirit Root. It's just relatively expensive, but since yours is a free reward this time, the price doesn't matter..."

The Qi Sea Spirit Root, nicknamed the "Wall-Penetrating King," has the greatest advantage of a vast coverage range. It can also penetrate various walls, buildings, and even the earth's barriers, conducting a large-scale collection of spiritual energy, improving the efficiency of mana extraction.

After listening to Zhao Tianxing's introduction, Zhang Yu had already decided to try this Heavenly Spirit Root.

Arriving at the spirit root rental office next to the meditation room, Zhang Yu didn't rush to state his goal but picked up the introductory manual on the desk and began to read it.

The administrator next to him was a female teacher with a baby face.

Seeing Zhang Yu's actions, she seized the opportunity to ask, "Student, are you a member here? Do you have any familiar spirit roots?"

Zhang Yu said without looking up, "No, I don't."

The administrator quickly recommended, "We currently have an event for new members: recharge 10,000 and get 1,000 free. Would you like to try it, student?"

Zhang Yu: "I'm here for the Heavenly Spirit Root rental as a reward for a 0% distraction rate. I'm only taking the reward, I'm not interested in anything else. You don't need to try to sell me anything."

The administrator smiled helplessly upon hearing this and retreated backward. "Then student, if you need anything else, feel free to tell me."

Listening to his words, she had already silently labeled Zhang Yu as stingy and lost interest in trying to sell him anything.

Zhang Yu didn't care what the other party thought. He simply lowered his head and quickly scanned the manual, discovering that what was written on it was similar to what Zhao Tianxing had said.

So he said to the administrator next to him, "I want to rent the Qi Sea Spirit Root."

She said, "Scan your student card."

Zhang Yu took out his student card and handed it to the other party.

This Songyang High School student card represents his identity as a high school student and is an important credential for him to legally cultivate immortality and enjoy various related services on the path to immortality.

After a while, the administrator in the office brought a jade box to him.

"The Qi Sea Spirit Root is inside. Go to meditation room number 2 inside later, open the jade box, and consume the spirit root."

"You're renting it for one hour. The time is calculated from when you enter the meditation room. Overtime of 1 minute is calculated as 1 hour. Be sure to come out on time..."

After the administrator in charge of the rental business gave him some more details, she let Zhang Yu go in quickly.

Zhao Tianxing next to him: "Then Zhang Yu, you go ahead and get busy. I have to leave too."

Zhang Yu nodded to him: "Thanks."

Watching Zhang Yu turn and leave, Zhao Tianxing kept recalling Zhang Yu's expression and tone in his mind, thinking: "My relationship with him should be closer this time, right?"

On the other side, inside meditation room number 2.

This was a room about twenty square meters in size. A futon was placed in the center of the room, and the surrounding walls were covered with a layer of soundproofing material, which was also covered with large and small distorted talismans.

It is said that these talismans can accelerate the convergence of spiritual energy, which has a certain effect on improving the efficiency of breathing exercises.

However, from the moment Zhang Yu stepped into the room, he only had one hour of breathing time. He didn't have time to care about the furnishings in the room, but directly sat on the futon and opened the jade box.

I saw in the palm-sized jade box a delicate and translucent crystal flickering with a faint blue light.

The crystal floated in the center of the jade box, surrounded by wisps of blue smoke-like light particles.

This is the spirit root he rented this time, the Heavenly Spirit Root known as the Qi Sea Spirit Root.

Zhang Yu carefully picked up the Qi Sea Spirit Root. Just as he put it to his mouth, he felt a coolness in his throat. The Heavenly Spirit Root pierced into his body like a ball of ice water, sank into his lower abdomen in one breath, and drilled into his lower dantian.

As soon as the Qi Sea Spirit Root entered the dantian, it seemed to take root and sprout, extending sections of crystal-like roots, which plunged into the surrounding mana.

Zhang Yu understood that according to the user manual and the administrator's reminder, the Heavenly Spirit Root had been successfully planted in the dantian at this moment.

Next, as long as he breathed as usual, the Heavenly Spirit Root would naturally take effect.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu took a deep breath and began to operate the Great Cycle Qi Gathering Technique.

Boom!

A huge roar seemed to erupt in his mind.

Zhang Yu only felt the surrounding spiritual energy swarming in and pouring into the Heavenly Spirit Root in his body.

"Two times?"

"Three times?"

"Too fast... it's still increasing!"

Feeling more and more spiritual energy pouring into his body, Zhang Yu quickly calmed down and ran the level 6 Great Cycle Qi Gathering Technique with all his strength.

As the mana circulation throughout his body accelerated, wisps of spiritual energy were refined into mana.

The dantian, which was originally feeling a little inflated due to the swarming spiritual energy, returned to normal.

But as if sensing the speed at which Zhang Yu refined mana, the Qi Sea Spirit Root contracted and expanded, increasing the speed of collecting spiritual energy again.

This time, not only the spiritual energy around Zhang Yu swarmed in, but also the spiritual energy outside the room was attracted.

Corridor... outside the window... sky... even underground...

The Qi Sea Spirit Root gradually increased the range of spiritual energy collection as Zhang Yu improved the efficiency of refining mana, eventually stopping at a distance of 50 meters.

Feeling the massive spiritual energy pouring into his body like a long river, and then being introduced into the mana circulation throughout his body, and finally being refined into his own mana bit by bit.

At this moment, Zhang Yu actually felt a sense of rapid mana growth.

"So this is the true efficiency of the level 6 Great Cycle Qi Gathering Technique?"

At this time, Zhang Yu finally understood that he had not been able to exert the true power of the level 6 Great Cycle Qi Gathering Technique when he usually breathed in spiritual energy and refined mana.

Now, with the help of the Qi Sea Spirit Root, he truly brought the efficiency of the Great Cycle Qi Gathering Technique to the limit.

Not daring to waste a second, Zhang Yu wholeheartedly breathed in spiritual energy and refined mana.

At the same time, in the spirit root rental office, the administrator who had just received Zhang Yu looked at the computer screen in front of her and said in surprise: "Huh? The concentration of spiritual energy has decreased?"

The breathing meditation rooms rented by the school naturally have not only a quiet effect, but the spirit gathering talismans arranged in them can control the concentration of spiritual energy in the room, so that the effect of breathing can be improved.

The administrator carefully observed the monitoring parameters and found that room number 2 had a significant spiritual energy gathering phenomenon, which attracted a large amount of spiritual energy from the surrounding area, resulting in a decrease in the spiritual energy concentration in the surrounding rooms.

"Room number 2, I remember it was just used by that high school student, right?"

"This level of spiritual energy gathering, can it be achieved by a high school student?"

The administrator felt even more surprised. To be able to exert such an effect on the Qi Sea Spirit Root, in her memory, at least it could only be done by high school juniors.

"Zhang Yu?"

Recalling the student's registered name and class just now, the administrator silently noted it in her heart, and overturned the stingy label she had just put on the other party.

"So powerful in high school, this student must have spent a lot of money on the immortal path."

The administrator turned on more spirit gathering talismans to adjust the concentration of spiritual energy back, while silently thinking in her heart: "I'll add his contact information later. If he can open a platinum membership with me, I won't have to worry about my performance in the next few months."

She planned to tell no one and concentrate on developing this potential customer by herself.

In the blink of an eye, an hour passed.

Zhang Yu was immersed in the pleasure of the spiritual energy rushing in, and his mana had unknowingly increased from 9.4 to 9.5, which was obviously worth Zhang Yu's half-day of hard work.

At this moment, a female voice rang from the communicator in the room.

"Student Zhang Yu, the hour is almost up, do you need to add more time?"

For some reason, Zhang Yu felt that the administrator's voice seemed to be much gentler.

Feeling the satisfaction of the spiritual energy surging and the Great Cycle Qi Gathering Technique running at full power, Zhang Yu couldn't help but ask: "How much does it cost to add more time?"

The administrator quickly said: "The rental price of the Qi Sea Spirit Root is 5,000 yuan per hour, but we have a special offer today. If new users recharge 100,000 yuan in one go, they will not only get 10,000 yuan free, but also enjoy a 12% discount on the rental fee."

Zhang Yu sighed helplessly in his heart and slowly stopped breathing: "I have something else to do today, so I won't add more time."

When returning the spirit root, Zhang Yu felt the administrator's politeness even more. He also had some questions he wanted to ask.

So Zhang Yu reluctantly glanced at the Qi Sea Spirit Root that was being returned to the jade box and asked, "How much would this spirit root cost if it were sold?"

The administrator's eyes flickered and she smiled: "The price of the Qi Sea Spirit Root is 60 million."

Zhang Yu took a deep breath in his heart and said without changing his expression: "So expensive?"

The administrator said with a smile: "Yes, in fact, we don't recommend buying it very much. Renting is much more cost-effective than buying. After all, it's too extravagant to equip a Heavenly Spirit Root in the early stage of Qi Refining. Generally, practitioners will consider buying a spirit root after entering university."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. He knew that the last hurdle for the Qi Refining realm to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm was to plant a spirit root of his own. This was indeed something that university students needed to consider.

However, whether the planted spirit root is a Heavenly Spirit Root, an Earthly Spirit Root, or a Human Spirit Root all depends on the practitioner's own financial resources.

As for the higher-level Divine Spirit Roots and Immortal Spirit Roots, they can only be transplanted again after joining a special department or joining a large sect.

"A good Heavenly Spirit Root is really... TMD expensive."

Taking a deep look at the spirit root that was being collected, Zhang Yu thought that one day he would buy a spirit root of his own.

Before he left, the administrator took the initiative to add him as a contact, and Zhang Yu learned that her name was Wei Xin.

Wei Xin silently changed Zhang Yu's note to Zhang Yu (Platinum Member Seed).