Triple Spirit Root

The second trial tested Spiritual Root attributes and determined cultivation arts.

The testing took place in a dark room.

They entered the little dark room one by one, where an elder tested their Spiritual Root attributes. No outsiders were permitted to be present.

Such Spiritual Root testing prevented unforeseen incidents.

Once, a cultivation family had tested its disciples' Spiritual Roots and discovered a Heavenly Spirit Root.

Not long afterward, the news leaked.

The next day, that cultivation family was exterminated, and the child with the Heavenly Spirit Root was killed as well.

From then on, Spiritual Root attributes were tested in little dark rooms, with no outsiders allowed.

This was to prevent thunderclap incidents.

Even if a Heavenly Spirit Root appeared, it could be disguised as a Dual Spirit Root or Triple Spirit Root, protecting the child with the Heavenly Spirit Root.

The testing in the little dark room was very fast.

One person was tested every three minutes, and soon it was Lu Xuanji's turn.

"Don't be nervous."

The elder said.

"Place your palm on these light spheres in turn. They represent the five Spiritual Root attributes of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, as well as the three Variant Spirit Roots of wind, lightning, and ice. If a sphere lights up, it means you possess that attribute. The fewer spheres that light up, the better. If only one sphere lights up, it is a Heavenly Spirit Root or a Variant Spirit Root; if two light up, it is a Dual Spirit Root; three, a Triple Spirit Root; four, a Quadruple Spirit Root; five, a Five Spirit Root."

"Even with the same number of Spiritual Roots, different Spiritual Root attributes and different Spiritual Root lengths result in different aptitudes."

"For example, a Dual Spirit Root with Water and Fire attributes has mutually restraining elements and may not even compare to a Triple Spirit Root. But a Fire-Wood Dual Spirit Root, with Wood feeding Fire, is among the best of Dual Spirit Roots. Likewise, among Dual Spirit Roots, Fire at nine inches and Wood at one inch is far better than Fire at three inches and Wood at seven inches."

"No matter how many Spiritual Root attributes one has, even a Five Spirit Root stands above mortals."

When he spoke of Five Spirit Roots, the elder showed no disdain.

A Five Spirit Root was still a Spiritual Root. It could still cultivate and contribute to the clan.

"Heavenly Spirit Roots cultivate one attribute, while Five Spirit Roots cultivate five." Lu Xuanji raised a question. "Wouldn't cultivating all five elements together be better?"

"To cultivate to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, a Heavenly Spirit Root needs ten to twenty years; a Dual Spirit Root needs twenty to thirty years; a Triple Spirit Root needs forty to fifty years; a Quadruple Spirit Root needs eighty to a hundred years; a Five Spirit Root needs at least two hundred years... Yet the lifespan during the Qi Refining Stage is less than one hundred and twenty years."

"It is best to achieve Foundation Establishment before sixty. Only Dual Spirit Roots and Triple Spirit Roots can meet that standard. As for Quadruple Spirit Roots and Five Spirit Roots, there is little hope."

"Taking the same Foundation Establishment Pill, Dual Spirit Roots have over a fifty percent chance of success, Triple Spirit Roots over thirty percent, Quadruple Spirit Roots ten percent, and Five Spirit Roots only one percent."

"What do you think the odds are of a Five Spirit Root reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm? Or rather, how great a price and how many resources would it take to make a Five Spirit Root reach the Foundation Establishment Realm?"

The elder explained patiently.

Lu Xuanji was speechless.

A Five Spirit Root was simply cursed with terrible luck.

Resources were limited. No family possessed unlimited resources.

This doomed resources to tilt toward Dual Spirit Roots and Triple Spirit Roots, while Quadruple Spirit Roots and Five Spirit Roots were abandoned.

The elder continued, "There was once a Five Spirit Root who encountered a suitable opportunity and luckily became a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Yet the resources he spent were enough to cultivate ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Even if a Five Spirit Root luckily achieved Foundation Establishment, every step afterward would be difficult. The resource consumption would be enormous, and the losses would outweigh the gains."

Lu Xuanji shook his head, even more speechless.

In his previous life, watching Han Paopao cultivate, it had felt like Mortal Cultivation. But now he saw that it was plainly pay-to-win cultivation.

The resources Han Paopao spent were several times, even dozens of times, those of cultivators at the same realm.

Luckily, he had the Little Green Bottle supporting him. Otherwise, even Foundation Establishment would have been difficult.

"I hope you are a Triple Spirit Root, or a Dual Spirit Root."

The elder said.

Lu Xuanji was nervous as well as he placed his hand on the first light sphere.

The light sphere did not change in the slightest.

Lu Xuanji let out a breath. At the very least, he was a Quadruple Spirit Root.

He pressed his hand onto the Wood light sphere, and it brightened.

After a long while, the glow faded.

The elder narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Not bad. Wood Spiritual Root, nine inches."

He pressed his hand onto the Water light sphere, but there was no change.

Lu Xuanji let out another breath. Two spheres had not lit up, so at the very least he was a Triple Spirit Root.

He pressed his hand onto the Fire light sphere, and light flickered.

"Fire Spiritual Root, nine inches," the elder said. "Your soul is somewhat strong."

Finally, he pressed his hand onto the Earth light sphere, and a flash of light vanished in an instant.

"Earth Spiritual Root, two inches."

"Not bad, not bad."

The elder smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum. "Three Spiritual Roots: the Wood Spiritual Root is nine inches, the Fire Spiritual Root is nine inches, and the Earth Spiritual Root is two inches. Added together, they total twenty inches. Ordinary children have only ten inches of Spiritual Roots at most. Your soul strength is fully twice that of an ordinary child."

"Though you have only a Triple Spirit Root, you rival a Dual Spirit Root and can be considered a minor genius... Your cultivation art should focus on Fire and Wood, with Earth as a supplement."

The old man smiled as he wrote out a certificate bearing the Spiritual Root appraisal results.

Taking the Spiritual Root appraisal certificate, Lu Xuanji let out a breath.

There had been no thunderclap surprise of becoming a Heavenly Spirit Root, nor the disappointment of becoming a Five Spirit Root.

A Triple Spirit Root counted as genius-level talent in the clan.

He had hope of Foundation Establishment in the future.

Of course, it was only hope.

Only Heavenly Spirit Roots were guaranteed to enter Foundation Establishment. Countless Dual Spirit Root and Triple Spirit Root cultivators had been stuck at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer until they passed away.

After leaving the little dark room and seeing his Parents, Lu Xuanji smiled. "Triple Spirit Root."

"Haha, my son is a genius."

His father, Lu Mianwen, laughed.

"Come, let's go home and talk."

After returning home, Lu Xuanji took out the certificate and handed it over.

Lu Mianwen looked at the certificate and frowned slightly. "I'll go to the clan library and find a cultivation art suitable for you."

Lu Mianwen hurried away.

A day later, Lu Jinwen brought over a cultivation art and said, "This cultivation art is called the Li Fire Yi Wood Art. It contains the two attributes of Fire and Wood and can be cultivated up to the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. It has no Earth attribute, so the Earth element can only be abandoned."

"Thank you, Father."

Lu Xuanji flipped through the book, faintly delighted.

In the Lu Clan, cultivation arts from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment were not valuable. What was valuable was resources.

Cultivation arts could be read again and again, but resources were limited.

"Son, you will start classes tomorrow. Be careful."

His father reminded him.

"Yes."

Lu Xuanji said.

After children were found to possess Spiritual Roots, specialized elders taught them literacy, how to identify the body's Meridians, and all kinds of cultivation knowledge. They also used various spiritual medicines for medicinal baths, marrow cleansing, meditation, sensing qi, opening meridians, and more. Only after three years of teaching did they begin guiding the children to break through into the Qi Refining Stage.

The next day, he arrived at the Spirit Institute.

There were not many children, only fifty.