Determining Spiritual Roots and Grades

On the way back to Jade Spring Mountain, no unexpected events occurred.

Chen Heng and Uncle Fu returned to the familiar Green Bamboo Lodge after just over a year.

Before leaving, Chen Shi Shi had been very reluctant to part. During this time, he had been assisting Chen Heng, and his artifact refining skills had soared. Not long ago, he had finally refined the first low-grade first-tier magical artifact of his artifact refining career.

After an inspection by Chen Xing Shan, he was officially recognized as a low-grade first-tier artifact refiner.

If he could improve his artifact refining skills to mid-grade first-tier, he would be able to enter the cultivator family tree of the Chen family's direct lineage. He was currently in his most eager learning phase.

Normally, the other artifact refiners were either very busy or simply wouldn't bother with him.

Chen Heng had no good solution for this, so he could only entrust Mu Qing Qing to help guide him if she had free time before he left.

Having done this much, he felt he had done enough. In the future, it would depend on Chen Shi Shi's own comprehension and effort.

After all, he was still young and had a great chance of being promoted to a mid-grade first-tier artifact refiner.

That night.

Chen Heng took out the items he had purchased from Wu Wen Tower and placed them one by one on the table.

His first focus was naturally the nameless broken jade. He had been too busy helping Wen Ning refine a magical artifact last night and didn't have time to examine it.

He drew it into his hand and compared it with the mysterious broken jade he had bought from a stall vendor in the market town.

"As expected, the material and patterns of the two are consistent. It seems they can even fit together."

At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

A fiery red spiritual light flashed, and the two broken jades merged perfectly.

Seeing this, Chen Heng was first delighted, then frowned, and cursed, "Damn it, there's still one piece missing."

As he looked, this mysterious broken jade was missing a corner.

So.

Chen Heng grumbled as he put it away.

Then he looked at the two Ice-Fire Lotus seeds. Although the growing conditions for these seeds were harsh, they were rare second-tier spiritual medicines that could mature in just a few years if the environment was suitable and the spiritual energy was abundant.

The drawback was that the places where earth fire and cold springs converged, where they grew, were not easy to find.

However, Chen Heng felt that the Azure Profound Sect's mountain territory should have such specially created environments, as there were quite a few rare spiritual medicines that grew at the convergence of earth fire and cold springs.

After putting away the two Ice-Fire Lotus seeds, only the jade slip containing the Quenching Fire Water Nourishing Body Tempering Art remained on the table.

As for the Water-Fire Jade Belt, this low-grade second-tier auxiliary magical artifact had already been tied around his waist.

For auxiliary cultivation magical artifacts like this, as long as one did not activate the second-tier defensive spell contained within, the demand for mana was not high.

Chen Heng picked up the pure white jade slip containing the Quenching Fire Water Nourishing Body Tempering Art and placed it against his forehead.

He felt a roar in his mind as a massive amount of information surged in like a bursting dam, stirring up monstrous waves in his sea of consciousness.

Those ancient characters transformed into golden streams of light, swirling and dancing in his consciousness, finally condensing into a profound and mysterious scripture—the Quenching Fire Water Nourishing Body Tempering Art.

"Fire tempers its form, water nourishes its marrow; water and fire work in harmony, blending hardness and softness!"

"So that's how it is... It's about first drawing the earth fire's malevolent energy to temper and burn the flesh, bones, and muscles, then swallowing the cold spring's yin energy to moisten and nourish the meridians and internal organs. The quenching fire and water alternate in a cycle, allowing the physical body to transform through destruction and rebirth!"

"The cultivation process is extremely painful and progresses slowly, with a total of nine levels."

Seeing this, Chen Heng frowned slightly and couldn't help but curse Wu Wen Tower a few times in his heart, knowing that the cunning merchant had concealed something.

But since things had come to this, he could only grit his teeth and continue reading.

"Those who cultivate to great mastery can have physical bodies that can withstand magical artifacts and even treasures. Their meridians will surge like rivers, and their physique will be like tempered metal and stone."

"Ultimately achieving the [Immaculate Glazed Body]!"

Chen Heng muttered to himself, his eyes shining with a scorching light.

However, the opening taboo of the Fire Tempering chapter made him wear a strange expression: "Before the Fire Tempering chapter is complete, cultivators need to abstain from sexual activity for a long period."

This requirement... inexplicably reminded him of that peerless divine skill from his past life, "To practice this skill, you must first castrate yourself."

Chen Heng shook his head, calmed his mind, and continued browsing.

After an unknown amount of time.

He had finally memorized the key points, essentials, precautions, and auxiliary items of this body tempering technique.

His fingertips gently stroked the warm texture on the surface of the jade slip, and then he put it into the storage bag hanging at his waist.

"The earth fire's malevolent energy entering the body is no trivial matter. Each cultivation requires an ice-attribute spiritual pill for protection."

This was troublesome. Back then, he had felt that the Chen family's alchemy inheritance was mediocre and chose the path of artifact refining. Now, it was a bit too late to study alchemy.

Currently, there was only one high-grade first-tier alchemist in the clan, the Seventh Elder who managed the family's medicinal garden.

She was also one of the only two female elders in the clan, Chen Xingwan.

However, he heard that her temper was not very good, not very gentle. He didn't know if he could ask her to refine pills.

As for ice-attribute herbs, he currently had no shortage of them.

Especially with a low-grade first-tier Ice Mist Grass.

As for the earth fire, the one in the Green Bamboo Lodge's artifact refining room is currently more than enough.

Chen Heng looked wordlessly out the window. The sky was dim, and the copper bells on the eaves chimed softly in the wind.

Moonlight poured in, casting a glow across the floor.

The next day, in the early morning.

Just as Chen Heng was about to head to the summit of Jade Spring Mountain to ask the not-so-gentle Seventh Elder, Chen Xingwan, to help refine a pill.

However, a family elder paid a visit to the Green Bamboo Lodge today.

It was the Eighth Elder, Chen Xingmo, who was responsible for the cultivation of disciples within the family. He was a middle-aged cultivator with a lean face but a rather stern expression.

Accompanying him were two elders, one tall and one short, and two youths, one male and one female.

"Ming Heng pays his respects to the Eighth Elder." Chen Heng first cupped his hands respectfully towards Chen Xingmo in the center, then turned to the two elders beside him and bowed similarly, "Greetings to the two clan uncles."

The two responded to Chen Heng's greeting with smiles but didn't say much more.

Having done his homework beforehand, he knew these two were the two deacons from the family's Spirit Testing Hall.

The tall one was named Chen Xingyong. He was already over seventy years old, but his cultivation level was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, with no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment.

The short one was called Chen Xingyi. He was also over sixty years old, and his cultivation level was also only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, with little possibility of reaching Foundation Establishment.

These two were among the older generation of the Xing character generation, but with less potential and cultivation than others of the same generation.

They could only take on relatively leisurely positions in the family's Spirit Testing Hall.

Since occupying Jade Spring Mountain, the Chen family had developed for hundreds of years. However, their mortal population was no more than fifty thousand, all living in a town located in a valley a hundred miles away from Jade Spring Mountain, known as Jade Spring Town.

Although Jade Spring Town was a barren land with scarce spiritual energy, its terrain was flat and open, making it very suitable for ordinary people to live and work in peace.

Including the population of over a dozen villages scattered near Jade Spring Town, the total population under the Chen family's jurisdiction was just over ninety thousand.

Therefore, every five years, the Chen family would send dedicated personnel to Jade Spring Town to gather children between the ages of six and twelve at the Spirit Testing Platform in the central square of Jade Spring Town.

They would test their spiritual roots and determine their grades.

As such, the position of a Spirit Testing Hall deacon was quite a leisurely one.

Of course, on Jade Spring Mountain itself, there was also a Spirit Testing Platform specifically established for the direct lineage of the Chen family.

The Chen family's clan rules stipulated that the parents and children of direct lineage cultivators could live at the foot of Jade Spring Mountain, so they naturally did not need to go to Jade Spring Town for spiritual root testing and grading.

The purpose of this group's arrival was obvious; they likely wanted him to assist in this year's spiritual root testing and grading.

After all, he also came from Jade Spring Town.

They wanted to win him over.

At this moment, Chen Xingmo, with a serious expression, introduced Chen Heng, "These are Mingjing and Minglang, cultivators of the same Ming generation as you."

"Greetings, Cousin Ming Heng." The two stepped forward and cupped their hands in greeting.

Chen Mingjing had a dignified appearance and steady demeanor; however, Chen Minglang was more restless, frequently looking at him, at Uncle Fu, and at everything in the lodge, his eyes full of curiosity.

As Chen Heng returned the gift, he was also sizing up the two.

Both were fifteen years old, slightly younger than him. Chen Mingjing possessed a cultivation of the fifth layer of Qi Refining, which was quite impressive. Chen Minglang, however, was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, a bit behind.

Chen Xingmo didn't linger and got straight to the point, "Ming Heng, you should be aware of the clan's quinquennial spiritual root testing and grading event."

"These two juniors also want to go and gain some experience this time. Since you're from Jade Spring Town, I thought I'd come by your place on the way and invite you to join us."

"Are you willing, Ming Heng?"

Chen Heng had no reason to refuse.

And so.

The group of six, piloting a flying artifact similar to a paper kite, headed towards Jade Spring Town.