Aptitude Test

"Immortal Master Grandpa, back in the mortal world, everyone said seeking immortality and ascending to greatness was the ultimate path in life. The legends of the Qingyun Sect's immortal masters were widely spread. I wish to become a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, a humble seeker of the Dao."

Su Changqing looked at Dao Xuan Zhenren with a solemn expression, nodding slightly as he spoke earnestly.

"Good!"

Dao Xuan Zhenren felt pleased upon hearing this. The boy, at such a young age, possessed a steady disposition. He had endured hardships and survived, yet faced these renowned Zhenrens with composure and clarity. He truly had the prerequisites for achieving the Great Dao.

Furthermore, faced with a future of glory and wealth, he chose the path of seeking the Dao, indicating that Su Changqing already had the mindset to detach himself from the mortal world and renounce fame and fortune.

If he also possessed good bone root aptitude, he would be an excellent disciple.

Just then, a voice sounded from outside the hall.

"Sect Leader, the two children from Pang Hall have also woken up. Should we bring them here?"

"Bring them all."

Dao Xuan Zhenren thought he couldn't show favoritism. Since all three had woken up, he would test their aptitudes together and compare them.

Shortly after, a Daoist follower brought Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu over. As the two entered the grand hall and saw these Zhenrens and Peak Lords, they were momentarily stunned.

Perhaps they had never encountered such a scene in the mortal world.

"Chang Qing, you're here too!"

Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Su Changqing. They hadn't expected anyone else from Caomiao Village to have survived besides themselves and Uncle Wang Er.

"During the disaster, I was in the mountains searching for herbs, which is how I escaped."

Su Changqing explained to the two.

Su Changqing knew their identities well. One was the protagonist of a novel, and the other was the protagonist's childhood friend. Although the original host was around their age, he was usually busy gathering herbs for survival and didn't interact much with them, so they weren't very familiar.

After the two calmed down, Dao Xuan Zhenren asked them the same question he had asked Su Changqing earlier.

As expected, their choices were the same as Su Changqing's; both were willing to stay and cultivate in the Qingyun Sect.

"Since that is the case, and all three of you are willing to stay and cultivate in my sect, we will first test your bone root aptitude, and then the Peak Lords of each peak will accept you as disciples."

With that, Dao Xuan Zhenren lightly waved his left hand. A small red bead flew out from his sleeve and floated to the front of the three, rolling over their foreheads.

Instantly, various colored lights ascended from the three. The dimness of the light represented the quality of their bone root aptitude.

Among them, Lin Jingyu's light blazed intensely, illuminating the entire hall. Zhang Xiaofan's light was slightly weaker but still radiated brightly.

In contrast to the two, Su Changqing's light was as faint as a sliver of light peeking through a crack in a wall, appearing insignificant in the vast hall.

"This child, his disposition is profound, possessing the spirit for the Great Dao, but why is his bone root aptitude so poor? What a pity, what a pity!"

Dao Xuan Zhenren looked at Su Changqing and sighed softly.

The others shared the same sentiment, and the result left them somewhat disappointed. Su Changqing, who had the most expectations placed upon him, turned out to have the worst bone root aptitude among the three, even inferior to that of some Outer Sect Disciples.

Su Changqing's performance since entering the hall had already impressed them greatly.

However, in the path of cultivation, aptitude was crucial. It was said that those with supreme heavenly talent could achieve in a single moment of enlightenment what others took a hundred years to cultivate. The disciples of the Qingyun Sect understood this deeply.

When the Qingyun Sect was in decline, it was the astonishingly talented Patriarch Qingye who, by studying tattered ancient scrolls of predecessors, comprehended the Great Dao cultivation and far surpassed his predecessors. He directly turned the tide, elevating the Qingyun Sect from the brink of annihilation to its current peak, making it the leading sect of the righteous path.

Possessing only a strong disposition but lacking bone root aptitude would ultimately make it difficult to achieve the Great Dao.

Su Changqing looked at his own faint light, feeling a slight disappointment. However, he didn't fall into despair.

His bone root aptitude was inherent to the original host. Since he had transmigrated, it was as it was, and he couldn't change it.

But he had the System!

As long as he could join the Qingyun Sect, even as just an Outer Sect Disciple, once the System officially descended, any bone root aptitude would be insignificant.

"I never expected this small Caomiao Village to have such a Dao Child with superior spiritual root aptitude!"

Looking at Lin Jingyu, whose detected light blazed, clearly a phenomenon of extraordinary talent and excellent bone root, the attention of the Peak Lords of the Qingyun Sect was immediately drawn.

"Senior Brother."

Cang Song Zhenren was the first to rise. He cupped his hands in a salute to Dao Xuan Zhenren, his eyes eagerly fixed on Lin Jingyu. "This child's talent and disposition are both superior, a Dao Child chosen from ten thousand. Why not let him become my disciple? I will meticulously teach him, and it's not impossible for him to achieve the Great Dao!"

"As for the other Senior Brothers and Sisters, there is still Chang Qing. Perhaps his disposition can compensate for his lack of aptitude. I will not compete with you all."

Tian Buyi, seeing Cang Song finish speaking, quickly rose and followed, smiling at the two. "Sect Leader Senior Brother, Cang Song Senior Brother, you both know that my Great Bamboo Peak has always been short on disciples. Why not take pity on me and let me take in this Lin Jingyu?"

"I will surely restrain my disposition and teach him carefully. It's not impossible for me to nurture a Child of Destiny."

Upon hearing this, Cang Song's expression darkened.

He hadn't expected that his Junior Brother Tian, who had always been lax about teaching disciples, would also come forward to compete. He feared that his teaching standards would only waste such a good disciple.

Shang Zhengliang, the Peak Lord of Chaoyang Peak, seeing that both had spoken, immediately stood up as the third. "Sect Leader Senior Brother, I felt a connection with this child the moment I saw him. His appearance and demeanor bear some resemblance to me. Perhaps he is an orphan from a distant branch of my mortal family background. Why not let him become my disciple?"

"Junior Brother Shang, you're not ashamed to say that? And every time you take a disciple, you talk about destiny, destiny. Your peak already has three thousand destinies."

Tian Yun Zhenren, the Peak Lord of Luoxia Peak, couldn't help but tease. Then, he looked eagerly at Lin Jingyu.

"It's better to let him become my disciple under Tian Yun Peak, and let me be his Master."

Just as Shang Zhengliang was about to retort, Zeng Shuchang, the Peak Lord of Fenghui Peak, stood up and said with a smile.

"Esteemed Junior Brothers, I was clearly the first to want him. You are all fighting with me, which is quite impolite, not respecting the order of precedence."

"Senior Brother Cang Song, the Way is not about order, so accepting disciples should also not be about order."

"Senior Brother Tian, the Way is not about order, but it does have levels. Don't you know the cultivation levels of your disciples?"

"Junior Brother Shang, aren't you going too far with that statement?"

For a moment, the grand and magnificent hall, instead of echoing with scripture chanting, was as noisy as a marketplace.

Several Zhenren Peak Lords, renowned throughout the world, argued back and forth, even turning red in the face, appearing ready to draw swords and wield spears to settle who had the higher cultivation level, all to fight for the right to accept Lin Jingyu as a disciple.