THE RULE KING

"What exactly is a spiritual root?" Zhang Biao asked in confusion.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just tell me what you see inside. Let's start," Xu Shan said, pointing at his chest.

Zhang Biao hesitated for a moment and then poked his head into Xu Shan's chest. Seeing a human head disappearing into his chest, Xu Shan's eyelids twitched a few times involuntarily. Although it felt uncomfortable, there was no other choice. Ever since he fully understood the characteristics of the towel, he had secretly suspected that his excessive use of it when cooking had damaged his spiritual root. But as far as he knew, the spiritual root was an extremely mysterious thing. Even the most powerful experts could only use a special array plate for verifying aptitude to test it. Cultivators themselves had no ability to observe their own spiritual roots. He also didn't know in what form the spiritual root actually existed. Now that Zhang Biao had the ability to penetrate, he could only hope that Zhang Biao could take a look.

As Zhang Biao's head completely disappeared into his chest, Xu Shan lowered his head and asked, "Do you see anything?"

"Um, it's all dark inside," Zhang Biao's voice suddenly sounded in Xu Shan's mind, making him shudder all over. Goodness! When there was physical contact, they could communicate directly with their thoughts. Was it really that convenient?

"Take a closer look," Xu Shan activated his thoughts and stopped speaking aloud. Then Zhang Biao's response came again from his mind. After this one attempt, Xu Shan was already certain... They could indeed communicate with their thoughts, which was truly amazing.

"Master Xu... I think this should be your back... I'm not sure. There's something that looks like withered grass inside," Zhang Biao said.

"What! Tell me more details," Xu Shan asked eagerly.

"It's short, small, thin, red, and it's a bit glowing."

Xu Shan was at a loss. Was that the spiritual root? Was that really it? But how could he verify it? Channeling spiritual qi into his body should show whether there were any changes, and Zhang Biao probably wouldn't be repelled out either.

"Keep an eye on it. Let me know immediately if there's any change," Xu Shan said. After that, he immediately began to circulate his cultivation technique.

"It's flashing! Master Xu, that red grass is flashing. There's light flowing inside your body... It's so amazing. And now it's gone!"

Suddenly, the wind blew around them. Xu Shan's eyes widened in shock, and it was as if a huge bronze bell was ringing in his mind. What happened... What was that just now? He was just circulating his cultivation technique normally. Was it an illusion? It seemed that a large amount of spiritual qi had suddenly been absorbed by him... It was as smooth as having a hemorrhoid removed and then having the plumbing unblocked.

Xu Shan was stunned for a while and then circulated his cultivation technique again. Zhang Biao's exclamation sounded again.

"It's flashing again!"

The muscles on Xu Shan's face twitched. His slightly trembling gaze slowly moved downward. The part of Zhang Biao that was left outside his body was now flashing wildly like a large light bulb. An unprecedented amount of spiritual qi from the surrounding area was continuously surging into his body. "Continuously" wasn't an accurate description... It seemed that the spiritual qi between heaven and earth around them couldn't keep up with the speed at which he was absorbing it, and it was coming in fits and starts.

"Master Xu, it's not flashing anymore."

"Come out," Xu Shan said calmly, suppressing his excitement.

After Zhang Biao emerged, Xu Shan tried to absorb spiritual qi again. But the situation reversed, and it became extremely difficult again. By comparison, the previous state was like a waterfall, and now it was like a small water pipe.

Zhang Biao... Was he a spiritual root, a spiritual root that was being raised by someone? There was actually such a thing... He had found a treasure! Xu Shan looked at Zhang Biao with fanatical eyes, making the latter feel a little uneasy.

"Master Xu, are you okay..." Zhang Biao asked timidly.

"Of course I'm okay. I feel great now. Can you get back into the ring again?"

"Oh..." Zhang Biao entered the ring in confusion. Xu Shan immediately started to absorb spiritual qi but got nothing. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Can you stick out your hands and feet and make contact with my body?"

"No problem," Zhang Biao's voice sounded in his mind.

When Xu Shan circulated his cultivation technique again, that huge influx of spiritual qi emerged once more. Xu Shan immediately stood up, lowered his head, and paced back and forth. His expression changed continuously... He had really made a huge profit this time. It was truly a case of "a loss may turn out to be a gain." If his spiritual root hadn't been damaged, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to discover this wonderful thing.

Zhang Biao was a spiritual root, and an external spiritual root that he had never heard of before! As long as there was physical contact with his body, his aptitude could be improved by leaps and bounds. And as long as the contact area was only as large as the surface of the knuckle ring, and as long as he didn't channel the spiritual power to the position of the ring when circulating his cultivation technique, Zhang Biao wouldn't be repelled. He could move, and it seemed that his function wasn't just limited to helping others cultivate... He could pretend to be a fallen ancient powerful being in the ring and deceive some low-level cultivators. He could earn resources until his hands were tired!

Xu Shan kept coming up with all kinds of plans for deception in his mind... As a positive and progressive young man from the 21st century, he really had no choice but to think like this. He was simply forced by the current situation. Poverty bred cunning plans. With a poor foundation and scarce resources, it seemed that he had no chance of rising up without doing some illegal things. He wanted to progress so much!

This was simply too perfect to be true. How could there be such a miracle in the world, and he had accidentally found it. If Nether Spirits were spiritual roots, in the tens of thousands of years of history of the cultivation world, it was impossible that no one had discovered this. Zhang Biao was obviously an extremely special Nether Spirit that had been cultivated.

There were only two potential hidden dangers. One was that he didn't know Zhang Biao's background, and the other was that Zhang Biao might not be under his control in the future and could run away at any time. The first problem couldn't be solved, and as for the second problem, for now, it didn't seem to be too big of an issue. Zhang Biao was honest and loyal, and he had no ulterior motives. His strength was almost zero.

He had heard of Beast Taming Sects. There should be special methods in the cultivation world for forming a connection with a specific object. He would see if he could find an opportunity to learn one in the future. Without some kind of "contract," he always felt uneasy when working together.

"Master Xu, is it okay? Did I do it right?" Zhang Biao suddenly spoke up, interrupting Xu Shan's thoughts.

Xu Shan was filled with excitement. "Yes! Absolutely right! Biaozi, you have the potential for cultivating immortality. In the future, I'll not only help you cultivate immortality, but I'll also make you an actor, a big star! Do you know what a star is? The most famous actor, making others treat you like an otherworldly expert!"

"Really, Master Xu? You're such a kind person. Why didn't I meet you earlier?" Zhang Biao said with tears in his eyes.

"It's not too late to meet now. Come out one more time and help me take a look at the spiritual root."

"Is it that short and thin red one?"

"What do you mean short and thin! Compared to others, this is already considered thick and long. If you can't speak properly, don't say anything!"

Zhang Biao stuck his head in again to observe the spiritual root. Xu Shan licked his lips and felt a little nervous. Since there was a human-shaped spiritual root, it meant that spiritual roots could be shaped and cultivated. Although Zhang Biao was great, after all, he was an independent individual. No matter what, he wasn't as reliable as one's own innate spiritual root. Now that he could observe it, maybe he could also touch it. Why not give it a try... and adjust his own spiritual root!

"Biao, stretch your hand in and grab that red grass... See if you can stretch it a bit longer for me," Xu Shan said excitedly.

"Master Xu, do you think it's too short?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Stretch it!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Biao began to exert a little force with his hands and pulled it a bit at both ends.

"Ugh! Let... let... let go!"

Xu Shan immediately started twitching all over, foaming at the mouth. A tremor that originated from his soul and an unprecedentedly intense pain spread throughout his body. It was like swallowing a thousand needles and then pulling them out... But even so, Xu Shan still tried his best to suppress his voice, for fear of alerting the outside world.

Not until Zhang Biao stopped did Xu Shan drool from the corner of his mouth, clutching his chest and gasping for breath. It was terrifying. Damn it, it scared him to death. If he hadn't had the "born to endure hardship and consider it a blessing" constitution from his previous life, an ordinary person would have either fainted or cried out in pain. It seemed that the spiritual root couldn't be touched casually. He couldn't try it again...