Spirit Testing and Grading

On the journey back to Jade Spring Mountain, nothing untoward happened.

A little over a year later, Chen Heng and Uncle Fu returned once more to the familiar Green Bamboo Lodge.

Before leaving, Chen Shi Shi had been quite reluctant to part with him. 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 first-grade low-grade magic artifact of his artifact-refining career.

After an assessment by Chen Xing Shan, he had officially become a first-grade low-grade artifact refiner.

If he could raise his artifact-refining skills to first-grade medium-grade, he would be able to enter the Chen clan's direct-line cultivator genealogy. He was currently at the age when he was most eager to learn.

Normally, the other artifact refiners were either too busy or simply could not be bothered with him.

Chen Heng had no particularly good solution to this. Before leaving, he could only ask Mu Qing Qing to offer him some guidance if she had the time.

Having done that much, he felt he had already done enough. From now on, it would depend on Chen Shi Shi's own comprehension and diligence.

After all, he was still young, and his hopes of advancing to a first-grade medium-grade artifact refiner were great.

That night.

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

The first thing he naturally looked at was that nameless fragment of jade. Last night, he had been busy refining a magic artifact for Wen Ning and had not had time to inspect it.

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

"Sure enough, the material and patterns are identical. It looks like they can even be joined together."

At that moment, a sudden change occurred.

A fiery-red spiritual radiance flashed brilliantly, and the two jade fragments actually fused together perfectly.

At the sight, Chen Heng was delighted at first, but then his brow furrowed, and he cursed, "It's fucking still missing a piece."

With one glance, he saw that one corner of this mysterious jade fragment was still absent.

Thus.

Chen Heng put it away amid a stream of curses.

Then he looked at the two Ice-Fire Lotus seeds. Although these seeds had harsh growth requirements, they were among the rare second-grade spirit medicines that could mature in only a few years so long as the environment was suitable and spiritual qi was abundant.

Their drawback was that places where earthly fire and cold springs converged were not easy to find.

However, Chen Heng felt that the Azure Profound Sect's mountain gate territory should have environments specially created for this purpose. After all, there were quite a few precious spirit medicines that grew where earthly fire and cold springs met.

After putting away the two Ice-Fire Lotus seeds, the only item remaining on the table was the jade slip that recorded the Quenching Fire Water Nourishing Body Tempering Art.

As for the Water-Fire Jade Belt, that second-grade low-grade auxiliary magic artifact had long since been tied around his waist.

For magic artifacts that aided cultivation like this, so long as he did not activate the second-grade defensive spell contained within it, they did not require much spiritual power.

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

His mind boomed as vast amounts of information surged into it like rivers bursting through their banks, raising towering waves in his sea of consciousness.

Those ancient words transformed into streams of golden light, circling and dancing within his consciousness before finally condensing into an unfathomably profound scripture—the Quenching Fire Water Nourishing Body Tempering Art.

"Fire tempers the form, water nourishes the marrow; Water-Fire Harmony, strength and softness held in reserve!"

"So that was it... First, one draws earthly fire Killing Intent to temper and scorch flesh, skin, sinews, and bones, then swallows the yin qi of a cold spring to soak and nourish the meridians and organs. Quenching with fire and nourishing with water alternate in a cycle, allowing the body to transform amid destruction and rebirth!"

"The cultivation process is extremely painful, and progress is slow. There are a full nine stages."

Seeing this, Chen Heng's brows knit slightly. He could not help but curse Wu Wen Tower a few times inwardly. He had known those crooked merchants had concealed something.

But now that matters had come to this, he could only steel himself and keep reading.

"Those who cultivate it to great mastery may use their fleshly bodies to withstand magic artifacts and even magic treasures. Their meridians surge like rivers, their physiques resembling gold and stone tempered a hundred times."

"In the end, one achieves the [Immaculate Glazed Body]!"

Chen Heng murmured to himself, blazing light bursting from his eyes.

Yet the opening taboo of the Fire Tempering section gave him a strange expression. "Before the Fire Tempering section is completed, the cultivator must abstain from desire for an extended period."

That requirement... inexplicably reminded him of that peerless divine art from his previous life: "To practice this art, one must first wield the blade and castrate oneself."

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

Who knew how much time passed.

Only then did he commit to memory, one by one, the key principles, precautions, and supplementary items for this body-tempering art.

His fingertips gently stroked the smooth patterns on the jade slip before he placed it in the storage pouch hanging from his waist.

"Having earthly fire Killing Intent enter the body is no trivial matter. Every cultivation session requires an ice-attributed spiritual pill to protect the body."

That was rather troublesome. Back then, he had felt the Chen clan's alchemy inheritance was mediocre, so he had chosen the path of artifact refinement. It was somewhat late to begin studying alchemy now.

At present, there was only one first-grade high-grade alchemist in the clan: the Seventh Elder, who managed the Household's medicinal garden.

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

However, he had heard that her temper was not very good and that she was not particularly gentle. He did not know whether he could ask her to refine pills for him.

As for ice-attributed herbs, he was not lacking them at the moment.

Especially since he also possessed a second-grade low-grade Ice Mist Grass.

As for earthly fire, the one in Green Bamboo Lodge's artifact-refining room was currently more than sufficient.

Chen Heng silently gazed out the window. Dusk hung heavy, and the bronze bell beneath the eaves chimed softly in the wind.

Moonlight poured in, spilling across the floor.

The next morning.

Just as Chen Heng planned to head to the summit of Jade Spring Mountain and seek out the not-so-gentle Seventh Elder Chen Xingwan to refine pills—

An elder of the Household arrived at Green Bamboo Lodge that day.

It was the Eighth Elder Chen Xingmo, a middle-aged cultivator with a lean face and exceedingly stern brows and eyes, who was responsible for nurturing the clan's disciples.

Accompanying him were two old men, one tall and one short, as well as a young man and a young woman.

"Greetings, Eighth Elder." Chen Heng first respectfully cupped his hands toward Chen Xingmo, who stood in the center. Then he turned slightly to the two elders at the side and likewise cupped his hands. "Greetings, two uncles."

The two men responded to Chen Heng's greeting with smiles, but said nothing more.

Since he had done his homework beforehand, he knew that the two were deacons of the clan's Spirit Testing Hall.

The taller one was named Chen Xingyong. He was already over seventy years old, yet his cultivation had only reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining, leaving him with no possibility of Foundation Establishment.

The shorter one was called Chen Xingyi. He was also over sixty, and his cultivation was likewise only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, making his chances of Foundation Establishment equally slim.

The two were among the older members of the Xing generation. However, with both their potential and cultivation inferior to cultivators of the same generation—

They could only take up relatively idle positions at the clan's Spirit Testing Hall.

Ever since the Chen clan occupied Jade Spring Mountain, after several centuries of development, its mortal population had still only reached fifty thousand. They all lived in a town within a valley a hundred li away from Jade Spring Mountain, called Jade Spring Town.

Although Jade Spring Town was a barren place poor in spiritual qi, its terrain was level and open, making it highly suitable for ordinary people to settle down and live in peace.

Including the population of over a dozen villages scattered near Jade Spring Town, the population under the Chen clan's jurisdiction numbered only a little over ninety thousand.

Therefore, only once every five years would the Chen clan dispatch dedicated personnel to Jade Spring Town, gathering children between the ages of six and twelve at the Spirit Testing Platform in the central square of Jade Spring Town.

There, they would test their spiritual roots and determine their grades.

Thus, serving as a Spirit Testing Hall deacon was quite an idle post.

Of course, there was also a Spirit Testing Platform on Jade Spring Mountain specifically established for the Chen clan's direct line.

The Chen clan's rules stipulated that the parents and children of direct-line cultivators could live at the foot of Jade Spring Mountain, so naturally, they had no need to travel to Jade Spring Town for spirit testing and grading.

The purpose of this group's visit was obvious: they had likely come to ask him to assist with this year's spirit testing and grading.

After all, he too came from Jade Spring Town.

They wanted to win people's hearts.

At that moment, Chen Xingmo introduced the two to Chen Heng with a solemn expression. "These are Mingjing and Minglang. They are cultivators of the Ming generation, just like you."

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

Chen Mingjing had dignified features and composed bearing. Chen Minglang, however, was rather lively, glancing from time to time at Chen Heng, Uncle Fu, and everything within the lodge, his eyes filled with curiosity.

As Chen Heng returned the salute, he also studied the two of them.

Both were fifteen years old, slightly younger than him. Chen Mingjing possessed cultivation at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, which was quite exceptional, while Chen Minglang was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, falling a little short.

Chen Xingmo did not continue to beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "Ming Heng, you should know about the clan's spirit testing and grading, held once every five years."

"These two juniors also wish to broaden their horizons this time. Since you come from Jade Spring Town, I came here on the way to invite you to join us."

"I wonder, Ming Heng, would you be willing?"

Chen Heng naturally had no objection.

Thus.

The group of six rode a kite-like flying magic artifact toward Jade Spring Town.