With that, their discussion of combat came to an end. Luo Chen returned to his original question, though he now found himself even more confused. "If advancing our cultivation mainly comes down to increasing our mana, and the difference between each stage isn't that great, why does it often take a Sage a hundred years to advance even one minor stage?"

Zhou Yunshen pointed toward the sky. "The higher our cultivation rises, the stronger our mana becomes and the more natural spirit energy we can draw. But the more power we borrow, the greater the backlash. Our Nascent Souls become more vulnerable to losing themselves and being absorbed into heaven and earth. That's why we have to be even more careful as we advance. We must constantly refine our mana and make sure it remains completely under our control. The slightest mistake could have terrible consequences."

"But is there not still the barrier of the Purple Mansion?"

Zhou Yunshen laughed. "Don't you know that the Purple Mansion barrier develops from the spirit roots themselves?"

The answer stopped Luo Chen short, but the underlying principle soon became clear. Spirit roots were commonly spoken of as a single thing, yet they were actually composed of three foundations: one...