Different Treatment

Wei Lingyue's hand froze for a moment as he held his teacup. Could he say that he had prepared nothing at all? But faced with his daughter's expectant gaze, he felt too embarrassed to say it.

Yunxi could have guessed with her toes that this scumbag father had prepared absolutely nothing for her, but that did not stop her from demanding benefits. Thus, she deliberately said in a disappointed tone:

"Daddy, you didn't forget to prepare a birthday gift for your daughter, did you? You prepared a gift for Sister Yunqing's birthday. That red ribbon was so pretty, and Sister wouldn't even let me touch it."

After saying that, Yunxi began gathering tears in her eyes. As long as her scumbag father dared say he had prepared nothing, she would cry her heart out for him to see. She was a child now, after all; she had the right to cry and make a fuss.

Seeing that things were going south, Wei Lingyue immediately rummaged through his Storage Pouch and pulled out an egg. It was only the size of a chicken egg, its white shell speckled with irregular black spots. It looked like a quail egg she knew, except it was twice as large.

"Yunxi, this is a Spirit Beast Egg that Father happened to obtain while training outside. Once you are able to cultivate, keep this Spirit Beast Egg by your side and nurture it. On the day it hatches, it will recognize you as its master of its own accord and be loyal to you alone."

Yunxi rolled her eyes inwardly. Did he think she could not tell? This was something he had pulled out at the last minute to fob her off with. This Spirit Beast Egg was probably a dead egg. If it were truly something good, that scumbag father would never be so generous as to give it to her.

Still, Yunxi knew when to quit while she was ahead. She immediately accepted the gaudy egg with a beaming smile, carefully placed it in her Storage Pouch, and then happily returned to Zhuohua Courtyard.

After sending off his youngest daughter, Wei Lingyue returned to Haitang Courtyard. Du Ruolan was still waiting for him.

Yunxi slept soundly that night. The next morning, Chunyu dragged her out of bed early. After washing up, getting dressed, and having a simple breakfast, she was carried to the Wei Family's ancestral hall.

By the time Chunyu brought Yunxi over, quite a few people had already gathered in the ancestral hall. Each had one or two children over the age of five beside them. They were children of the Wei Family's direct and collateral branches, here to have their Spiritual Roots tested so their future paths could be determined.

Yunxi spotted Yunqing standing at the very front. Now that she was the legitimate daughter, she had every confidence to nestle beside her mother, casually sweeping her gaze around before spotting Yunxi.

She curled her lip at Yunxi before withdrawing her gaze, seemingly too disdainful to pay attention to her younger sister.

Yunxi rubbed her chubby little chin. She wore a cheerful smile, but inwardly she muttered that the current Yunqing was still very green, not yet possessing the lofty scheming skills she would have after growing up. Her petty thoughts were written all over her face, so she would not be hard to deal with.

But with Du Ruolan at her side to guide her, Yunxi likely would not gain any advantage if she confronted them now. So, Yunxi decided to avoid their sharp edge for the time being. Especially after today, when she would be revealed as having Three Spiritual Roots and middling-to-low aptitude, it would be even less suitable for her to go head-to-head with them.

"Quiet. We will now begin testing Spiritual Roots. We will start with the collateral branches. Any child whose name is called, come forward."

After the Elder announced this loudly, he began calling names.

"Wei Zinan!"

"Here."

The little boy was the first to be called. He was somewhat nervous as he walked up to the Elder, moving his arms and legs in tandem, and placed his small hand on the Spirit Testing Orb. After a moment, the orb showed no reaction.

"No Spiritual Root! Next, Wei Congshan!"

Upon hearing that he had no Spiritual Root, Wei Zinan drooped his head and went to seek comfort from his father.

The second child, Wei Congshan, tested as having Water, Wood, Metal, and Fire Four Spiritual Roots. The Root Values varied wildly, ranging from thirty-five to fifty, with none exceeding sixty. His aptitude was somewhat above the lower grade.

Although Wei Congshan's aptitude was ordinary, he was still delighted to be able to cultivate.

An hour later, the collateral branch children had finished their tests. Most had Four Spiritual Roots or Five Spiritual Roots, while only three had Three Spiritual Roots. Next came the direct branch children's turn to test their Spiritual Roots.

This time, Yunqing stepped forward first without yielding the position to anyone. She tested as having Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Roots, with both Root Values at eighty-five, making her aptitude upper-middle grade. Both she and Du Ruolan were very pleased with the result.

The Elder was also delighted. He patted Yunqing's head and said:

"Yunqing, your aptitude is very good. You must cultivate diligently."

"Yes, Yunqing will certainly cultivate diligently and will not bring shame upon the Wei Family."

"Good! Very good!"

The Elder was quite pleased with Yunqing's reply.

As Yunqing walked back, she shot Yunxi a provocative look.

Yunxi rolled her eyes inwardly, then walked forward while pretending to be nervous. She rubbed her hands together before placing her little paw on the orb. A moment later, three streaks of light lit up from the Spirit Testing Orb.

The Elder was somewhat disappointed, but he still announced loudly:

"Wei Yunxi: Water, Wood, and Fire Three Spiritual Roots. Their Root Values are equal, all at sixty-five."

Only then did Yunxi breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed her Spiritual Roots had been successfully concealed. Still, she pretended not to know and asked:

"Elder Grandpa, are Yunxi's Spiritual Roots bad?"

The Elder was quite patient with children, so he patiently explained:

"Yunxi, although you have Three Spiritual Roots, you need not be discouraged. Your Spiritual Roots generate one another, making them far stronger than Spiritual Roots that restrain one another. Moreover, your Spiritual Roots are well suited for Alchemy. You can inherit your mother's mantle."

The Elder's words were impartial, and he was sincerely considering Yunxi's best interests.

A smile appeared on Yunxi's face as well. It seemed the Wei Family was not entirely full of scum. At the very least, this Elder viewed matters from the perspective of the clan's younger generation and their development.

"Yunxi thanks Elder Grandpa for your guidance. I will certainly cultivate diligently and master Alchemy."

She then gave a proper salute before returning to Chunyu's side.

After hearing the Elder's words, the worry in Chunyu's heart eased somewhat. Although her young mistress's Spiritual Roots were not the best, her aptitude was still decent, and with Alchemy as a foundation, her future path of cultivation should be easier.

After learning that Yunxi had Three Spiritual Roots, Du Ruolan's expression visibly relaxed. Even after the Elder said such things, she did not take them to heart. Everyone knew that those with Dual Spiritual Roots cultivated faster than those with Three Spiritual Roots. Perhaps Yunxi would remain trapped at the Golden Core stage for her entire life. Old Ancestor Feng was a Golden Core cultivator built up with medicinal pills, and would stop there in this lifetime as well. It was only after losing all hope of advancement that he had focused wholeheartedly on Alchemy.

She estimated that Yunxi's future role would be to refine pills for the clan and provide cultivation support for her daughter. The thought made her happy.

Moreover, her eldest brother had mentioned that, after this round of testing, the clan would finalize the list of disciples headed to the Haoran Sect for cultivation. Her daughter had an excellent chance of making the list. She needed to discuss this matter properly with her husband. Her own life was already what it was, but her daughter had such excellent aptitude and absolutely needed a good starting point.

Wei Lingyue, standing nearby, was also considering the cultivation paths of his two daughters. His eldest daughter had Dual Spiritual Roots, and as long as no accident occurred, reaching the Nascent Soul stage would certainly not be a problem. Therefore, she had to be sent to the Haoran Sect.

As for where his youngest daughter should go, he hesitated. In truth, he was more inclined to keep her in the clan for training. The Third Clan Elder's words had reminded him that his youngest daughter's Spiritual Roots were suited to studying Alchemy.

The Feng Family was unwilling to teach the core of their Alchemy to the Wei Family, but if Yunxi were the one learning it, would they still have any excuse to refuse?

Dear ones, Feng Ling's new book is now underway. Please give it lots of support! I came up with another rather silly title, just so it can rank first in searches. Please add it to your collections first, then dig in once it has grown plump! See you tomorrow!