Spirit Root Grades

The spirit root tests were moving quickly. Yu Yunyi and Li Yunjing kept moving forward.

At first, Li Yunjing watched the others' test results with interest, but as one person after another was eliminated, his heart sank.

This seemed rather difficult!

At least six or seven out of every ten people were eliminated.

Only a few could show happy smiles after being tested.

What if I can't pass?

Before coming to the Divine Firmament Dao Sect, Li Yunjing had been full of confidence. With his talent, he'd managed to master a lousy Qi Refining Formula he'd picked up, so surely his aptitude was one in ten thousand!

But now, seeing so many people eliminated, not even qualified to serve as outer disciples,

how could he not worry about such a strict examination?

It reminded Li Yunjing of his first job interview. Back then, his heart had pounded, and he'd been so nervous that he kept drinking water...

Now, it seemed much the same.

One by one, the candidates completed their tests. After a quarter of an hour, it was finally Yu Yunyi's turn.

Li Yunjing was next in line.

"Come over and press your forehead against this Stone Mirror!"

A young man in a Blue Dao Robe mechanically repeated the words he'd already said dozens of times.

This time, though, his tone was much gentler. A woman like Yu Yunyi added some color to his dreary work.

"Mm."

Yu Yunyi gave a slight nod and approached the White Jade Platform. It stood five feet high, with an ancient-looking Stone Mirror set upon it.

As soon as Yu Yunyi drew near, the mirror immediately shone with a soft white light.

The light fell upon Yu Yunyi's smooth forehead, and the mirror began to change.

Its glow shifted from white to black and white, shining brilliantly.

Two beams of light shot out more than a foot. Beneath the black and white radiance, faint green, yellow, and red light could also be seen. But those three colors extended only a little over an inch, completely obscured by the black and white beams.

If Li Yunjing hadn't been standing just ten feet behind Yu Yunyi, he might not have seen it clearly.

So this is what a spirit root looks like?

"What?!"

The blue-robed Daoist cried out. He couldn't help rubbing his eyes hard, his face full of disbelief.

"Top-grade dual Metal and Water Spirit Roots!"

The young Daoist swallowed, then announced loudly, his voice trembling slightly.

"Hm?"

The old Daoist, who had been standing with his hands behind his back in midair, heard this. A flash of light shone in his eyes, and in the next instant, a blur swept past. He was already standing before Yu Yunyi.

"State your name and background!"

The old Daoist asked coldly, though his voice trembled faintly. Even someone like him couldn't remain unmoved at the appearance of top-grade dual Metal and Water Spirit Roots.

At this point, no one in the plaza had been registered.

After all, nine out of ten candidates would be eliminated.

Over time, the Divine Firmament Dao Sect had changed its rules: only those who passed the examination would be registered.

As for whether you had the ability to come to the Divine Firmament Dao Sect and take the examination, that was all that mattered. They didn't care where you were from or what forces you belonged to.

So the old Daoist had no idea what Yu Yunyi's background was.

"Reporting to senior! This disciple is Yu Yunyi, from Yueming City."

Yu Yunyi's expression remained calm. She showed no nervousness in the face of the old Daoist's power.

"Yueming City?"

"Someone from the Yu Family?"

The old Daoist paused in surprise, then nodded and said solemnly, "Coming from the Yu Family, it's no wonder you have such outstanding aptitude!"

"Thank you for your praise, senior!"

Yu Yunyi smiled faintly.

"You're at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm, and you have top-tier spirit roots. With the Yu Family vouching for you, you can be promoted directly to True Disciple!"

The old Daoist's expression softened considerably as he announced what would become of Yu Yunyi.

His voice carried clearly across the plaza, and the candidates in the other lines all looked envious.

Li Yunjing, standing behind Yu Yunyi, was no exception.

"A True Disciple!"

By now, Li Yunjing understood that the Divine Firmament Dao Sect divided its disciples into servant disciples, Outer Disciples, Inner Disciples, and True Disciples.

Servant disciples were all below the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm, with at most mid-grade spirit roots.

Outer Disciples were below the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, and they too needed spirit roots of at least mid-grade.

Inner Disciples were at the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm, the seventh through ninth layers. They needed upper-grade spirit roots and a ten-out-of-ten chance of advancing to Foundation Establishment.

Only disciples like these could become Inner Disciples.

True Disciples were different. Their cultivation level didn't matter; only their spirit roots did. They had to possess top-grade spirit roots!

Most people had Five Elements Spiritual Roots, based on the five elements. Of course, there were also special spirit roots, such as Thunder Spirit Roots, Ice Spirit Roots, Dark Spirit Roots, and Yin-Yang Spirit Roots...

Those with special spirit roots could be said to have special constitutions.

And not everyone had spirit roots. Among the countless mortals, only a small number were born with them.

Most people with spirit roots had low-grade ones. They were usually Rogue Cultivators or members of small families and sects. Great sects like the Divine Firmament Dao Sect, titans among sects, didn't accept low-grade spirit roots.

Most of those eliminated earlier had low-grade spirit roots. With aptitude like theirs, they weren't even qualified to serve as a servant in the sect.

That was why the people from the Divine Firmament Dao Sect looked down on those outside. They were born a cut above the rest.

This world had a very well-established method for measuring spirit root grades.

For example, under the Divine Firmament Dao Sect's test, low-grade spirit roots produced light less than three inches long; mid-grade spirit roots, light less than six inches; upper-grade spirit roots, light more than nine inches; and top-grade spirit roots, light more than a foot long.

Spirit roots weren't always limited to a single element. For someone like Yu Yunyi, whose Metal and Water attributes were exceptional, the light from those two elements obscured her Wood, Earth, and Fire attributes, which were actually low-grade as well.

Everyone with spirit roots had at least one elemental attribute. Some had as many as five or six. The person found to have the most spirit root attributes in the cultivation world had more than a dozen.

Yet that person left no earth-shaking reputation in this world. In fact, they'd found cultivation incredibly difficult, and, like an ordinary mortal, had died of old age before reaching a hundred.

The more spirit root attributes one had, the better. What mattered was their grade.

Someone like Yu Yunyi, with top-grade dual Metal and Water Spirit Roots, was a rare and exceptional disciple.

She was a seed with the potential to advance to the Golden Core Stage.

That was exactly why the Yu Family had feared that this promising junior's development might be held back, and sent her to the Divine Firmament Dao Sect.