The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Normally, a person’s Spirit Root is determined at birth and cannot be regenerated later in life.

But Luo Linlang’s was clearly a case of her Phoenix Bloodline awakening, which was why she had grown a new Fire Spirit Root.

Moreover, she discovered that her Water Spirit Root, which came from the Jue Pearl, also seemed purer than before. Now, the two Spirit Roots appeared to be on par with each other, equally powerful.

Then, she made another joyous discovery. ”My cultivation... I think I’ve reached the Nascent Soul stage???”

She had reached the Nascent Soul stage painlessly, without undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation. Luo Linlang had never expected this. And it wasn’t just the Early-stage Nascent Soul, but the Late-stage Nascent Soul!

She could feel that her current cultivation was not far from the threshold of breaking through to Divinity Transformation.

Of course, reaching the Divinity Transformation Stage wasn’t just a matter of having enough cultivation. The Heavenly Tribulation for this stage was exceptionally brutal; countless people had died during it. Otherwise, Divinity Transformation Cultivators wouldn’t be as rare as a phoenix feather.

Hearing Luo Linlang’s words, Lu Sangjiu and the others were all happy for her, and also quite amazed.

Duan Xingyun specifically infused some Spiritual Energy into her body to check. After confirming there were no issues, he nodded in gratification. ”Good, good, very good. Linlang, you’ve really come into your own.”

”You have a Fire Spirit Root created by your Phoenix Bloodline and a Water Spirit Root from the Jue Pearl. Neither can be compared to an ordinary Spirit Root. Your future is bound to be limitless!”

”From now on, no more slacking off. You must cultivate diligently, do you understand?”

Faced with Duan Xingyun’s earnest, fatherly admonition, Luo Linlang didn’t try to brush it off this time. Instead, she nodded seriously. ”I understand, Master. I will definitely cultivate diligently and protect everyone!”

Surviving this life-or-death crisis had made Luo Linlang’s thirst for strength even greater.

She didn’t want to watch everyone fall before her again while she was powerless to change anything.

She wanted to become stronger, to kill every single enemy who intended to harm them!

The others felt the same way.

This battle had changed everyone’s mindset, creating an unprecedented craving for strength.

As Duan Xingyun looked at his disciples, his heart filled with gratification, but at the same time, he felt increasingly useless as their master.

’At a time like that, I couldn’t even protect my own disciples. I had to be protected by them instead.’

’If I were just a little stronger, would I have let them end up in such a state?’

As he wallowed in gloom, a dull ache suddenly flared in his chest. Unable to hold it back, he burst into a violent coughing fit.

In the middle of his coughs, he spat out a large mouthful of black blood, startling everyone who turned to look at him. ”Master!”

Lu Sangjiu’s expression changed as well. ”Master, your injuries haven’t healed yet?”

She had already given Duan Xingyun her best Healing Pills. ’In my mind, he should have been the first one to recover. How could this...’

Duan Xingyun wanted to brush it off, but when he looked up and saw the looks in his disciples’ eyes, he fell silent.

’Faced with their concerned gazes, I can’t bring myself to lie to them. And besides... my body can’t be fooled anymore.’

Sighing softly, Duan Xingyun began to explain, ”When I was cultivating in my early years, something went wrong, leaving me with a hidden injury. It caused my cultivation to stagnate and my memory to decline.”

”This time...” His gaze dimmed. ”This time, the injury from Bai Heng happened to aggravate that old wound, making the hidden injury even more severe. Now, I’m afraid it won’t just cause my cultivation to stagnate. If it continues to worsen, my life will be in danger.”

Lu Sangjiu’s expression darkened. She didn’t blame her master for hiding it before, but simply pressed her lips together and asked, ”So... the Eighth Rank Life Crossing Pill that was originally needed to treat your hidden injury, can it still save you?”

Duan Xingyun hesitated for a moment before nodding. ”It should.”

However, an Eighth Rank Life Crossing Pill was incredibly rare. How could it be so easy to obtain?

The mood of the group visibly sank. No one said anything more, but in their hearts, they all secretly vowed to find an Eighth Rank Life Crossing Pill for their master as soon as possible!

Seeing them like this, Duan Xingyun tried to comfort them in a gentle tone. ”You don’t need to worry too much. This injury of mine can hold out for a while. It’s not that urgent.”

”The priority right now is for Qian Cheng and Yu Zhao to raise their cultivation. Once you’re all stronger and can earn more Spirit Stones, getting this elixir for your master won’t be so difficult.”

The disciples knew Duan Xingyun was just trying to reassure them, so they didn’t argue. They just forced themselves to rally and smile at him. ”You’re right, Master. We’ll remember that!”

Lu Sangjiu didn’t say much either, but she was thinking to herself. ’Years ago, the Moon Palace seemed to have a Life Crossing Pill. But hundreds of years have passed. I wonder if that pill is still there. And if it is, is it in Fa Shan’s hands or Cangming’s?’

’If Fa Shan has it, things will be simple. Given our current relationship, I should be able to buy it if I offer enough in return.’

’But if Cangming has it... I’ll have to find another way.’

Of course, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. She quickly reined in her thoughts and said to the group, ”Everyone, let’s get ourselves back in top condition as quickly as possible. Once we’re ready, we need to set out to find the Demon God Hall.”

Over the past few days, Lu Sangjiu’s condition had already returned to its peak.

But for the others, this place was filled with Demonic Qi. After leaving, they would have to constantly use their Spiritual Energy to maintain a Protective Shield around their bodies, which would consume a great deal of Spiritual Energy over time.

Their Spiritual Energy could only be replenished with Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills, so it was essential for them to keep their Spiritual Energy reserves full.

Otherwise, if a battle consumed a large amount of their Spiritual Energy, they might not have enough left to prevent the Demonic Qi from seeping in, which would cause even greater delays.

Everyone understood this, of course. Fortunately, they all had plenty of Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills on them. They each took out a Spirit Stone and began to meditate, replenishing their energy.

Half a day later, everyone was finally ready.

Lu Sangjiu summoned her fully-restored Domination Map Blade, held it in her hand, and walked to the very front. ”It’s dangerous outside. Everyone, stay close to me.”

Duan Xingyun hesitated. ”Little Jiu, let your master lead the way.”

Lu Sangjiu shook her head. ”Master, you’re still injured. My combat power may not be the highest, but I can use Demonic Qi, so my condition will hold up better than yours.”

”Besides, if I get injured, someone else can just take my place at the front. It’s all the same.”

Over the past few days, Duan Xingyun had learned the full story of Lu Sangjiu’s Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation and knew she spoke the truth. After a moment’s thought, he said no more.

As Lu Sangjiu released the restriction at the cave’s entrance, the group walked out together.

It was daytime, but the sky here was shrouded in a complex miasma of resentment, poisonous fumes, and other things, casting the entire world in oppressive darkness. Only a faint sliver of sunlight could be glimpsed through the cracks.

The moment the group stepped out of the cave, they were assaulted by the various negative energies of the place, making their entire bodies feel unwell.

And right on cue, the Magic Plants that had been lurking outside the cave all began to react!