Then the aptitude tests began.
Aptitude was innate. The kind of aptitude one possessed was practically determined from birth.
There were always people born with Spiritual Roots, who could cultivate.
Perhaps it was because cultivators had once been born among their ancestors, or perhaps their Spiritual Roots had been passed down from some unimaginably distant age.
In any case, this was the foundation of the Immortal Path. The road to immortality was elusive and hard to tread, and at least in the beginning, Spiritual Roots were undoubtedly the measure of one's progress.
This created a hierarchy among people, though there were also those with immense perseverance and wisdom who could defy fate and become legends.
For now, they still had to see how their aptitudes measured up.
Yun Shu and the others set down the Formation Disk.
"You only need to place your hands on it," Zhao Heng told the youths.
These youths had been selected through numerous rounds of screening. Their comprehension, aptitude, and perseverance were all quite good. After all, the Lord of the State was waiting to earn Spirit Stones, so he naturally wouldn't mislead the sect.
So the disciples here were only going through the motions, conducting a test. It was rare for anyone to be deemed unfit for the Inner Sect.
Ten youths placed their hands on it at a time. The spectacle was magnificent, with multicolored light illuminating nearly the entire hall.
The disciples watched the scene above with rapt attention.
"Dual Spiritual Roots, both of them middle-grade. Not bad, not bad."
"Triple Spiritual Roots, with one upper-grade? Not bad either!"
"Wood and Fire Spiritual Roots, and he's even tempered his body. This boy can join my Mysterious Sword Peak," Zhao Heng said with a laugh.
The others merely chimed in. After all, Wood