The Qualifications of a Spiritual Root

Half a month later.

Li Mo was running errands around the city, delivering meals, when he suddenly froze and stopped in his tracks.

He felt different.

It was like a long-standing hiccup had suddenly cleared, or a problem that had plagued him for ages had abruptly solved itself. He stood there, dazed, with only one thought in his mind.

"I've mastered Three-Way Swordplay!"

In an instant.

Li Mo felt every pore on his body gulping in air. He could sense the people and things within a ten-foot radius through instinct alone, even without looking—or perhaps some kind of intuition had taken root in his subconscious.

It was a strange new experience, unlike anything he had ever felt before.

According to Senior Brother Ding Jie, Three-Way Swordplay was merely a third-rate martial arts manual. Though third-rate martial arts manuals might be somewhat lacking in combat, they had their advantages too: they were easier to practice.

"This is incredible."

At the same time, Li Mo faintly sensed that his ability to perceive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had grown a little stronger as well.

Of course.

That was assuming those wisps of cloud-like mist really were the so-called spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

After standing dazed at the crossroads for a moment, Li Mo grinned. He suppressed his excitement and continued with his task, delivering the delicious dishes in the wooden box on his back to the Zhao household on time, without jostling them or ruining the decorative plating.

The fifth day of the fifth month was the Dragon Boat Festival in the various kingdoms of the Central Plains.

After quitting his job delivering meals for the restaurant, Li Mo couldn't help reflecting on how hard it was to earn money.

Though wages in Anle City were much higher than in Hua'an Town—he could earn two strings of copper coins a month just running errands—the cost of living here was in a league of its own compared to Hua'an Town.

After paying rent, food, and daily expenses, he could barely save five hundred cash from those two strings.

The streets were full of vendors hawking realgar wine, pastries, and sachets.

When Li Mo had celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival in Hua'an Town, people considered the holiday observed if they drank a little realgar wine.

But in Anle City, the festival wasn't just marked by a grand lantern celebration. Everyone wore sachets and ate all kinds of pastries; every household hung calamus over its door and painted door gods on the entrance. The whole city was bustling with activity. Even the street storytellers were in high spirits, and the spectators cheered enthusiastically.

Today, Li Mo had specially put on the silk clothes he usually couldn't bear to wear.

Compared to when Zhang Dongliang had bought the outfit two years ago, Li Mo had grown noticeably taller.

Fortunately, Zhang Dongliang had left a little room to spare when he bought it. Now it fit Li Mo perfectly. As he walked through the bustling streets, surrounded by people in silk robes, he felt as though he had finally shed his rustic country-bumpkin identity and become part of this prosperous city.

"How much is this sachet?"

Li Mo stopped. He wanted to buy himself a sachet.

"Good eye, sir! This one's filled with top-grade mugwort, patchouli, eupatorium, and white cardamom. Wear it for a long time and it won't just repel insects and ward off calamity, it'll strengthen your body, drive out demons, and keep evil spirits at bay! Just look at the embroidery—our ladies' needlework team stitched every stitch by hand. What exquisite craftsmanship! It's only fifteen hundred cash!"

At that, Li Mo lost interest.

He put the sachet down.

"Hey!"

The woman hurriedly called after him. "Don't go, sir! The price is negotiable. Fourteen hundred cash..."

Li Mo ignored her cries behind him.

Next, he spent fifteen cash on a skewer of candied hawthorns. That was twice the price in Hua'an Town, but he figured it was his way of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival.

Then he made his way to the prefectural Heaven's Mandate Bureau.

The entrance to the bureau was packed. Several long lines snaked out before its gates.

Most people in line were youths who had only recently come of age. Their faces were still youthful and green as they waited to find out whether they had the qualifications of a spiritual root.

It seemed that if a person was too young, their spiritual root might not have fully formed, making them unsuited for cultivation.

There were also a few people who were clearly older. They too stood in line, their faces tense, uneasy, and hopeful as they constantly craned their necks to look ahead.

Li Mo found a shorter line and quietly joined the wait.

Every so often, a cry of surprise came from the front. Someone had evidently been found to possess a spiritual root. But the vast majority left disappointed. The process really was one-in-a-thousand; for most people, it was little more than going through the motions.

That made Li Mo nervous too, and he began to grow suspicious of everything.

"Could the Aristocratic Clan disciples from the Lingmu Sect have come here too, just to keep unaffiliated disciples out of the sect?"

Just then.

"Ah! I... I really have a spiritual root... Sob!"

An old man with snow-white hair had been found to possess the qualifications of a spiritual root. He lost control of his emotions in front of everyone and cried out in excitement, but soon his joy turned to profound sorrow, and he began acting like a madman.

Seeing this, Li Mo's eyes shifted. He left the line he had been standing in and went to wait behind the old man's line instead.

It was finally almost Li Mo's turn by Weishi that afternoon.

He had watched countless people leave disappointed. At least twenty thousand had already gone through, and that was no exaggeration.

Yet inside the Heaven's Mandate Bureau, there were only a little over thirty people. They were the lucky ones who had been found to possess spiritual roots that morning. Most were about Li Mo's age, or slightly younger—evidently youths who had only recently come of age. But there were also two or three noticeably older people, as well as one white-haired old man.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

A boy began crying and making a scene in front of everyone. He yelled at the person seated at the long table, in charge of testing spiritual roots.

"You dare say I don't have a spiritual root, which means I'm just a mortal! I'll have my father lock you all up! Don't think I don't know—you're all Aristocratic Clan disciples from the Lingmu Sect. You're jealous of talented people and afraid unaffiliated disciples will outshine you, so that's why..."

The crowd erupted into a commotion.

Especially those who had been found to lack the qualifications of a spiritual root; they all looked deeply resentful.

"Impudent!"

A man in a black crane cloak patterned with yellow designs roared and pointed at the boy. "I am Xu Chen, deputy hall master of the Lingmu Sect's Supervision Hall. Keep making trouble and I'll punish you according to the law!"

Several servants were horrified. They hurriedly dragged the resentful boy away.

Just then.

Another man emerged from the Heaven's Mandate Bureau. He wore a white robe embroidered with flying birds, dark-gold sleeve patterns, a vermilion collar, and shoulder insignia bearing the sun and moon. After surveying the crowd, he was approached by the so-called deputy hall master of the Lingmu Sect's Supervision Hall, Xu Chen, who quickly leaned in to speak with him.

A moment later.

The man in the white flying-bird robe returned to the Heaven's Mandate Bureau, while Xu Chen turned to the crowd and cupped his hands.

"Everyone, rest assured. I, Xu Chen, was once an unaffiliated disciple myself. The town's supervisory envoy from Muzhou is also here to ensure that justice is served. We guarantee that nothing like what that boy claimed will happen. If we conceal anyone's spiritual root, may the heavens strike us with five bolts of thunder!"

Only then did the crowd regain its confidence.

As one of them, Li Mo couldn't help feeling relieved too. At least the spiritual root testing in Anle City seemed reliable.

At last, it was Li Mo's turn.

The person in charge of testing his spiritual root was a beautiful woman with her hair arranged in a flying-cloud bun and a gauzy robe. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen.

"Hello. The testing fee is five strings of cash."

"Okay."

After Li Mo paid the fee, the woman gestured for him to place both hands on the Five-Element Disc.

At the center of the disc was a bronze mirror that seemed to possess a wondrous power. A Spirit Stone was set into each of its five corners, and spiritual power seemed to flow from them into the disc.

Now that the moment had arrived, Li Mo was clearly a little nervous.

He pressed his lips together, then placed both hands on the Five-Element Disc. As spiritual power flowed from the five Spirit Stones, they grew noticeably dimmer. Li Mo felt a brief tingling in his body, like he had been shocked.

A stream of black, block-shaped symbols shifted and flickered.

Then the bronze mirror in the center of the Five-Element Disc lit up, accompanied by faint sounds of thunder and lightning.

The woman in charge of the test had been wearing an impassive expression, but a hint of delight appeared on her face. When she looked up at Li Mo, her gaze had softened considerably.

"Lightning Spirit Root!"

A huge weight lifted from Li Mo's heart. He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of boldness rolling through him.

He really did have a spiritual root!

From now on, he was a cultivator!

Li Mo felt as though he were dreaming. His expression was dazed with excitement. Then, escorted by an inspection officer in a flying-bird robe, he entered the courtyard of the Heaven's Mandate Bureau and stood blankly among the crowd.

"Hey, I'm Lu Tianyou. What's your name?"

Li Mo snapped out of his daze and looked at the young master beside him.

The young man wore luxurious silk clothes, with a jade pendant at his waist and a folding fan in his hand. He had a carefree expression and was about Li Mo's age, perhaps a little younger. He was smiling as he took the initiative to greet him.

"My name's Li Mo."

After Li Mo answered, Lu Tianyou smiled. "From your accent, you don't sound like you're from Zhang River Prefecture?"

"Yeah. I'm from Anbei Prefecture."

"Then why did you come all this way to get tested here? Tsk, I heard there's been fighting over there, and they've established lots of new towns. Is that true?"

Lu Tianyou looked at Li Mo with undisguised curiosity, as if he were some rare oddity.

"Yeah."

Li Mo felt a little awkward, because he was one of the people from those new towns.

Noticing Li Mo's reaction, Lu Tianyou guessed where he was from and grew even more curious.

"I've heard there are still some followers of primitive cults over there. They worship mountain spirits and water monsters as Land Gods, mountain gods, and River Gods to keep them from wreaking havoc. Is that true?"

At Lu Tianyou's words, Li Mo thought of Zhao Siman, and his expression darkened.

Lu Tianyou assumed Li Mo was one of those people and immediately felt awkward.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just curious."

He shook his head with a sigh.

"You'll understand everything once you get to Qingming Mountain. Those mountain spirits and water monsters who wreak havoc are the worst. To gather incense and human faith and refine the essence of the sun and moon within their bodies, they often prey on the people of the countryside. It was one thing when your region hadn't been incorporated into the Da Gan Kingdom. But if they dare cause trouble again, the Heaven's Mandate Bureau's inspection officers won't go easy on them."

Li Mo felt a pang of sadness at those words.

"My best friend was sacrificed to the River God by a primitive cult. That's why I came here."

But that River God hadn't been a mountain spirit or water monster. It had been a great evil spirit.

Lu Tianyou was dumbstruck.

It took him a good while to collect himself. He hadn't expected reality to be even crueler than the rumors. He hurriedly offered his condolences.

"Then let me congratulate you in advance. Once you join the Lingmu Sect and master some Daoist arts, you can go back and take revenge! We can help each other out from now on. I'm from Anle City, but unfortunately, none of the friends who came with me had the qualifications of a spiritual root. Sigh, there's nothing to be done. I was destined not to be an ordinary mortal, haha!"

Lu Tianyou was a talkative fellow, and he and Li Mo chatted on and off.

During their conversation, Li Mo learned a little about the basics of spiritual root qualifications from Lu Tianyou.

Having a spiritual root was the foundation for becoming a cultivator.

But in truth, people still differed in their ability to perceive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. These differences weren't assigned specific grades; each person had to compare and understand them for themselves through their future practice. This, too, was part of one's cultivation aptitude.

Besides that.

A cultivator's aptitude also affected the direction their cultivation would take in the future.

Cultivation aptitude included not only one's affinity for spiritual energy, but also the basic attributes of one's spiritual root and whether one possessed a special physique.

For example, Li Mo had a Lightning Spirit Root, so he would have strong control over the lightning attribute and could focus his spell cultivation in that area.

"The Dao we pursue in the Gan Kingdom is the Way of All Creation, so in theory, the more comprehensive a cultivator's spiritual root attributes, the better. That gives you more paths to choose from in the future. Since different kingdoms pursue different Daos, the cultivation methods practiced by their various sects can be worlds apart. I've heard that Ling Country pursues the Way of the Infinite, which demands that cultivators devote themselves to a single path and constantly surpass their limits. So don't be disheartened—a single spiritual root can be pretty good too..."

As Lu Tianyou spoke, he opened his folding fan and glanced at a woman not far away.

Although she wore coarse hemp clothes, she was exceptionally beautiful. Her hair was arranged in a startled-hong bun, and she stood alone, exuding an air that warned people to keep their distance. She gave off the impression of someone who could be admired from afar but never touched.

"What a stunning beauty, cold as ice. Pity she isn't my type. She's too frosty."

As he spoke, he shook his head, lamenting again and again.

Li Mo also took a few more looks at her.

To stand out among the crowd while wearing such plain clothes, the girl truly had a unique aura, like a spotless lotus standing aloof from the world.

Just then.

A middle-aged man in charge of testing spiritual roots outside the main gate let out an incredulous cry.

"Wind-Clearing Physique! A Wind-Clearing Physique that can dispel and purify illusions!"

Li Mo and Lu Tianyou turned toward the cry.

A slightly boyish-looking man in white stood tall amid the congratulations of those around him. Outside, several servants were in tears, while a middle-aged man and woman dressed in luxurious clothes looked delighted.

"Young master, you're a cultivator now! You must come home and visit often from now on."

"Zheng'er, you truly are a fine son of the Zhou family. Don't worry about things at home; your mother and I will take care of them. Focus on your cultivation at the Lingmu Sect. If you need anything, just send someone back to let us know."

"Zheng'er, now your mother can finally stop worrying..."

A long while later.

With everyone watching enviously, Zhou Zheng strode into the courtyard of the Heaven's Mandate Bureau, head held high.

Lu Tianyou sighed. "What a lucky fellow. He even has a special physique, and he's every bit as handsome as this young master. He's bound to become a formidable rival in love."

At that, Li Mo couldn't help giving Lu Tianyou another look.

Noticing Li Mo's gaze, Lu Tianyou chuckled. "Don't worry. I'd never steal a girl you had your eye on."

By dusk, everyone in line had finished their tests.

More than fifty people stood in the courtyard of the Heaven's Mandate Bureau.

At least thirty or forty thousand people, perhaps even more, had lined up outside the gates to have their spiritual roots tested that day. In the end, only a little over fifty had possessed the so-called qualifications of a spiritual root.

At dusk.

Two inspection officers in flying-bird robes slowly closed the gates of the Heaven's Mandate Bureau.

From then on, it seemed the courtyard and the world outside its walls had become two entirely separate realms.