Chen Household's First Heng-Generation Cultivator

Of the final thousand eligible children, most came from remote villages near Jade Spring Town. They were small and rather frail.

The Ascension Ceremony had reached its end, and no one held much hope anymore.

Yet under the gazes of the five, a sturdy little boy with bright, lively eyes, seemingly thin but brimming with vitality, ran swiftly onto the Spirit Testing Platform.

The next moment—

The group, already somewhat numb, was immediately drawn to a dazzling radiance.

A fierce crimson light erupted from the Spirit Testing Platform. Chen Xingmo, the Eighth Elder responsible for nurturing the Household's disciples, cried out, "Seventh-grade fire spiritual root, superior aptitude!"

Chen Heng's eyes widened abruptly. He had never expected to find, at the very end of the Ascension Ceremony in Jade Spring Town, an immortal seedling bearing a seventh-grade superior fire spiritual root.

One had to know that the Chen descendants of Jade Spring Town mostly came from collateral branches and minor sects.

Immortal seedlings with aptitude comparable to the direct descendants of Jade Spring Mountain had always been rare.

For example, the two Ming-generation cultivators with seventh-grade superior spiritual roots were both born of the Chen Household's direct line.

At present, the Chen Household had arranged its cultivator generations into sixteen characters: "Zu, Zhao, Xiao, Qiong; Yan, Ze, Tian, Xing; Ming, Heng, Chang, Jiu; Jade Spring Everlasting Prosperity."

As far as Chen Heng knew, not a single eligible child of the direct line on Jade Spring Mountain had yet tested positive for a spiritual root.

In other words, the person before them would actually be the first Heng-generation cultivator of the Chen Household!

This was an exceedingly rare occurrence in the Chen Household.

Still, its impact was not great. Though the Chen Household distinguished between direct and collateral lines, it had always placed greater value on cultivation realm and innate aptitude.

Chen Xingmo walked forward with a smile, crouched down, and looked affectionately at the somewhat thin boy before him. "Good child, what is your name?"

The boy scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "My name is Chen Gousheng. My mother said I was born weak, so she gave me a lowly name, saying it would make me easier to raise."

Chen Xingyong, the tall old man who had barely spoken along the way, suddenly said, "That simply will not do! You are now the first Heng-generation cultivator of the Chen Household."

"And now that you are healthy and strong, it is time to change your name."

"Precisely, precisely!" the short old man Chen Xingyi promptly echoed.

Chen Xingmo stroked his beard lightly and said kindly, "Child, is your family currently in Jade Spring Town? Let us discuss it with them and give you a new name, shall we?"

A look of sorrow immediately appeared on Chen Gousheng's face. He lowered his voice and said, "Not long ago, wild beasts attacked the village. Father and Mother are both gone. I came here with everyone else."

Hearing this, Chen Heng was inexplicably overcome by grief. Back then, his parents had also died of illness, and when the Ascension Ceremony happened to be held, he had followed everyone to this square.

At that moment, Chen Mingjing's gentle voice sounded. "In that case, Gousheng, your parents surely wished for you to grow up safely and peacefully."

"How about calling you Chen Heng'an from now on?"

The boy looked over at her and saw a beautiful older sister with lovely features, as warm and kindly as a mother, smiling softly at him.

He nodded, agreeing to it, then gave a silly grin that carried a trace of the wild spirit of the mountains.

The sight left Chen Heng somewhat dazed. It seemed that, back then, someone had asked him his name in just the same way.

Because of Chen Heng'an, everyone seemed to hold a little more expectation for the remaining children.

Unfortunately, by the time the final eligible child had been tested, only two immortal seedlings had appeared.

The odds were not bad, but both had only low-grade spiritual roots.

In other words, this Ascension Ceremony had yielded thirteen immortal seedlings in total.

Next, they needed to safely send them back to Jade Spring Mountain to cultivate.

Under normal circumstances, Jade Spring Town was only about a hundred li from Jade Spring Mountain. No one should have the audacity to attack them.

But in all things, one feared the unexpected.

Moreover, they had produced a superior immortal seedling in Chen Heng'an. As someone experienced and steady, Chen Xingmo naturally sought greater caution in his actions.

He directly sent word to Jade Spring Mountain, asking the Household Head to quickly dispatch people to meet them.

The reply from Jade Spring Mountain's summit came swiftly. In less than half a day, the enormous Sky Wind Vulture burst through the clouds and landed lightly in the central square before Jade Spring Town's Garrison Mansion.

At the head of the group was a bald old man with a deep, powerful aura and a solemn face. His cultivation had reached the peak of the Qi Refining Realm, making Chen Xingcheng and the other guards feel chills in their hearts. He was none other than the Chen Household's Great Elder, Chen Xingzhou.

The other man had an expression as still as an ancient well. He likewise possessed peak Qi Refining cultivation, yet his pressure remained hidden, like withered wood. He was the Chen Household's Ninth Elder, Chen Xingyuan.

Although he had only recently broken through to the tenth level of Qi Refining, he had mastered the ancient extraordinary art, the Withered Wood Dragon's Roar Art. His combat strength far surpassed that of his peers.

"Eighth Elder!" Chen Xingzhou's gaze flashed like lightning as it swept over the thirteen children standing beside Chen Xingmo, lingering for an instant longer on Chen Heng'an.

"This Ascension Ceremony has actually produced a superior-grade spiritual root. What an unexpected delight. Time waits for no one; let us depart at once."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they stopped wasting time.

Chen Xingzhou took out an exquisite, compact spirit boat artifact. It expanded against the wind and hovered about a zhang above the ground.

The immortal seedlings, along with Chen Heng, Chen Mingjing, Chen Minglang, and Elder Chen Xingmo, were arranged aboard the delicate spirit boat.

Meanwhile, Chen Xingyi and Chen Xingyong boarded the Sky Wind Vulture with Chen Xingzhou and Chen Xingyuan. They would fly alongside it as guards.

Artifacts capable of carrying people through the air were already uncommon, while large flying artifacts capable of carrying many passengers were extraordinarily precious.

This was also a last resort born of necessity.

As dusk gathered from all sides, the spirit boat shone with spiritual light. Under Chen Xingmo's control, it rose swiftly from the ground and instantly became a streak of light, racing toward Jade Spring Mountain.

Chen Xingzhou commanded the Sky Wind Vulture, which departed later yet arrived first. In the blink of an eye, it flew directly ahead of the spirit boat, escorting it onward.

A hundred li was not a long journey for either a flying artifact or a flying demonic beast.

The spirit boat flew very high, and the mountains and rivers below swept past like a painting.

For most of the immortal seedlings, it was their first time flying. After their brief panic faded, they could no longer conceal their curiosity and excitement.

Chen Heng'an clutched the railing tightly. His little face was full of wonder, while flames of longing burned in his eyes.

The night grew deeper, leaving only scattered starlight.

When the group flew steadily above a perilous gorge called Emerald Smoke Valley, Chen Xingzhou, aboard the Sky Wind Vulture, suddenly furrowed his brow and raised a hand to signal Chen Xingmo behind him to slow down.

"Something is wrong!" he shouted, gravity in his voice.

Almost at the same instant, several strange dark-red lights suddenly flared up in the deep valley below.

Immediately afterward, piercing shrieks tore through the air. Three streaks of light, blazing with black flames and swift as lightning, rushed at the boat and vulture in a triangular formation!

"Enemy attack! Protect the immortal seedlings!" Chen Xingzhou roared, his voice like a great bell, instantly shattering the night's silence.

A heavy earthen-yellow light-shield artifact flew from his sleeve, enlarging in an instant and barely blocking the path directly before the spirit boat behind him!