Su Yun came back to himself, his chest heaving as a storm surged through his heart.
A heaven-grade spirit root!
It really was heaven-grade!
As someone who had transmigrated, Su Yun knew all too well just how valuable a Heavenly Spirit Root was.
In the cultivation world, spirit roots were divided into nine grades.
Those with pseudo-spirit roots struggled to cultivate and absorbed spiritual energy haphazardly. They could spend their entire lives without ever setting foot on the path to immortality.
Low-, middle-, and high-grade spirit roots rose in quality with each level. They were already considered genius talents by the mortal world.
But a heaven-grade spirit root stood above every other grade—a supreme Root Bone.
One in ten thousand, a rare sight once in a thousand years.
Heavenly Spirit Root cultivators had clear meridians, free of impurities. They absorbed spiritual energy with almost no need to refine it, drawing it in with a single thought and circulating it with another.
What took others ten days of hard cultivation took a Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator only one.
The cultivation bottlenecks that stopped others were virtually nonexistent for those with a Heavenly Spirit Root.
Anyone with a Heavenly Spirit Root would become a mighty figure or a world-shaking prodigy in the future.
Su Yun clenched the hand hanging at his side, his fingertips trembling faintly.
So that was it.
No wonder he hadn't gotten a system after transmigrating.
His cheat had been carved into his very bones from the start.
A born Heavenly Spirit Root.
The anxiety, confusion, and unease that had weighed on his heart for a month vanished in an instant.
An irrepressible joy surged through his body, spreading with his blood.
I can cultivate immortality.
And I'll be among the strongest of them all.
Below the high platform, the hubbub of discussion showed no sign of stopping.
The dozen or so Azure Cloud Sect outer disciples on registration duty stood rooted to the spot, exchanging stunned looks.
A young disciple swallowed. "Am I seeing things? Was that really a heaven-grade golden radiance?"
"There's no mistake! I've memorized the sect's records from cover to cover. Only a Heavenly Spirit Root can summon a golden beam that pierces the heavens!" another disciple declared.
An older outer sect senior let out a bitter laugh, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Ever since that ancestor left a thousand years ago, our sect hasn't had another Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator."
"Who would've thought we'd recruit an unparalleled prodigy this year?"
In the crowd, all the young men and women who had just finished their tests gazed up at the platform, their faces full of envy.
The white-robed youth who had tested as a middle-grade spirit root now looked pale and silently clenched his fists.
A moment ago, he had been the center of attention, with all eyes on him.
But before this heaven-grade spirit root, the middle-grade spirit root he'd once been so proud of was no better than dust.
In the passing zone, the three youths in fine clothes stood stiff as boards, their faces as pale as paper.
A chill kept crawling up their bodies from head to toe.
"We're done for... Did we just offend a Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator?"
The round-faced youth's legs turned weak. He didn't dare look at the platform again.
"A Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator will be at least a high-ranking member of the sect in the future. We've only got low-grade spirit roots... We'll be in for it once we're in the sect."
Regret twisted inside all three of them. They wished they'd never said those mocking words.
Liu Qing took a deep breath, forcing down his shock.
There was no time to waste.
Not even a second.
Liu Qing abruptly raised his hand. Spiritual light flickered at his fingertips as he crushed a communication jade slip.
This was a matter of great importance. He had to report it to the sect master at once!
This youth's talent was peerless. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong!
The jade slip shattered. A faint streak of white light shot into the sky, straight toward the summit of Azure Cloud Mountain.
The next moment, the clouds among the mountains roiled violently.
Rumble—
Invisible currents of air exploded in the sky, and a gale swept across the entire Bluestone Plaza.
The clouds and mist that had originally curled around the mountain were forcibly torn apart by an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy.
Five streaks of light in different colors shot up from the main hall on Azure Cloud Mountain's central peak, slashing across the sky at incredible speed.
Trailing long tails of light like five falling stars, they crossed ten thousand meters in the blink of an eye and plunged down onto the high platform in the plaza!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Five soft impacts sounded as they landed. No violent spiritual energy spilled out, yet the air across the plaza abruptly froze.
Ordinary people couldn't withstand the invisible pressure of cultivators. They instinctively bent low and bowed their heads, not daring to look up.
The five streaks of light faded, revealing five figures standing quietly behind the high platform.
At their head stood a man in a plain white Daoist robe, his black hair casually tied back. His face was refined and gentle, and an otherworldly, immortal air seemed to cling to his features.
His spiritual energy was restrained. He seemed utterly ordinary, yet gave off an oppressive sense of unfathomable depth.
He was Li Mofan, the current sect master of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Behind him stood four elders, all highly respected inner sect elders. Every one of them had an aura far surpassing that of Liu Qing, an outer sect steward.
These sect leaders usually guarded the summit and rarely showed themselves. Yet now, every one of them had come to the Disciple Recruitment Ceremony.
Liu Qing's pupils contracted. He hurriedly bowed.
"Your subordinate Liu Qing pays his respects to the sect master and the elders!"
Li Mofan lifted a hand slightly, but didn't even look at Liu Qing, who had bowed to him.
His gaze fell straight on Su Yun, and on the Spirit Testing Stone still swirling with golden light.
The four elders behind him also turned their eyes toward Su Yun, fixing their gazes on him, their eyes filled with shock, delight, and fervor.
A white-haired elder couldn't help murmuring, "It really is a Heavenly Spirit Root!"
Another elder in a black robe spoke in a low voice. "A thousand years! At last, our Azure Cloud Sect has another Heavenly Spirit Root!"
Li Mofan asked, "Young friend, what's your name?"
Su Yun collected himself and bowed slightly.
"This junior is Su Yun."
"Su Yun." Li Mofan repeated his name softly and gave a slight nod before asking, "Is this your first time testing your spirit root?"
"Replying to the sect master, yes," Su Yun answered honestly. "This junior was born among mortals and has never cultivated before."
At those words, the four elders' eyes brightened even further.
An untouched blank slate, with no bad cultivation habits.
A born prodigy like this was the easiest to shape.
A warm smile touched Li Mofan's lips as he looked sincerely at Su Yun.
"Little Friend Su."
"I am Li Mofan, the current sect master of the Azure Cloud Sect."
"I'll be direct. Are you willing to join my Azure Cloud Sect?"
"If you agree to join, I give you my word as sect master."
"The sect's top resources will be reserved for you. You'll have a private cave dwelling, spirit stones, high-grade cultivation techniques—the works..."
The entire plaza fell silent. Everyone listening felt their scalps go numb.
The sect master himself was making promises?
What kind of heaven-defying treatment was this?
Su Yun's heart gave a light thump. He nodded firmly.
"This junior is willing!"
There was no need to hesitate, and he couldn't afford to.
Su Yun knew full well that the cultivation world had never been a place of gentle reason.
The strong preyed on the weak. That had never changed.
Only a genius who could grow into their potential was a genius.
A genius who died young was worth less than dust.
Right now, he had no background, no strength, and no one to rely on. He had nothing but a Heavenly Spirit Root.
If he refused, no one could guarantee that the sect master before him wouldn't have other ideas.
In the cultivation world, it was all too easy for a strong cultivator to keep an ordinary person from leaving.
Even if Su Yun wanted to go, Li Mofan would never let him leave.
Going with the flow and sheltering beneath a great tree was the safest choice for now.
Seeing how readily he agreed, Li Mofan looked even more pleased.
He raised his right hand. A wisp of spiritual energy stirred at his fingertips and settled on the surface of the Spirit Testing Stone.
The next instant.
Li Mofan's refined face suddenly stiffened, his pupils contracting sharply.
The spiritual energy around him surged violently out of his control.
He stared at Su Yun, his throat bobbing slightly.
"A... a metal-type Heavenly Spirit Root?"
Those simple words struck the high platform like a thunderclap.
Metal-type!
Among the Five Elements spirit roots, it was the most violently offensive, the most terrifying in its killing power, and the hardest to produce.
Metal overcame all things. It governed killing and attack.
Among cultivators of the same realm, metal-type cultivators overwhelmed all others in offensive power.
Once they matured, they would be invincible among their peers and could kill those of higher realms as easily as eating or drinking.
They were several times more precious than ordinary Heavenly Spirit Roots!
Li Mofan had lived for nearly four hundred years, ruled the Azure Cloud Sect for many years, and traveled across the cities of the Southern Region, yet he had never once seen a metal-type Heavenly Spirit Root.