After leaving Miasma Valley, Chen Changming made his way to this remote little village. He gave Uncle Liu ten taels of silver in exchange for six months' lodging.
Over the past three months, his injuries had completely healed.
If they had only been flesh wounds, Chen Changming would have recovered in a month. But Zhu Fang's blade had cut deep and injured his lungs, so it had taken three months for him to heal completely.
While recuperating, Chen Changming had still practiced the Spirit Armor Art every day, completing more than two thousand repetitions in total. Yet nothing unusual had happened to his body, and he remained at the Xiantian peak, with no breakthrough in his cultivation.
"Looks like it'll be hard to break through with the Spirit Armor Art without Black Gold Stone to help..."
The youth thought to himself.
With that in mind, he stopped pushing himself so hard with the Spirit Armor Art and began setting aside time to study the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art that the Red Great Bird had given him.
Even the introductory portion of this body-tempering technique was exceptionally difficult. Two or three months passed before Chen Changming finally managed to grasp the first layer's incantation.
"Perhaps my aptitude is just too poor."
He closed his eyes and smiled at himself in self-mockery.
Zhu Fang hadn't been wrong. His Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root really was terrible. Back then, it had taken him a whole day just to memorize the Spirit Armor Art's circulation route.
It was so bad that words couldn't describe it.
Despite his poor aptitude, the naturally optimistic Chen Changming still had great confidence in his cultivation.
During those three months, he had also spent some time practicing the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade.
Compared with the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art, this blade technique was much simpler. In just a few days, he had mastered its essential moves and could perform the entire form.
Since the Spirit Armor Art was difficult to advance, Chen Changming devoted most of his energy to the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade over the following two months. With each repeated practice, his technique grew more refined. When he wielded the blade, it whooshed through the air, giving him the bearing of a seasoned martial artist.
Don't forget.
Chen Changming was also at the Xiantian peak. Now that he had mastered a blade technique, he would absolutely count as an expert if he ventured into the martial world, despite having only just turned ten.
That was the advantage of having a spirit root when practicing martial arts.
Ordinary people couldn't learn martial arts so quickly. Without decades of hard work, they had no chance of reaching the Xiantian peak!
The difference between having a spirit root and not having one was already this great when learning martial arts—and among cultivators, the difference in cultivation speed between a trash spirit root and a top-grade spirit root was just as enormous.
The gap was truly like heaven and earth!
Cultivating side by side, those with top-grade spirit roots broke through easily, while those with trash spirit roots could barely take a single step forward.
"Boy, you're just the right age. Want to give it a try?"
Uncle Liu looked at the honest, homespun-clothed youth and smiled warmly.
Three months ago, the youth had stumbled into his home, emaciated and covered in blood. He had startled Uncle Liu badly. But the boy had politely asked to stay and offered ten taels of silver, so Uncle Liu hadn't said anything more.
He earned only two or three taels of silver a year. Ten taels was enough to pay for five years of hard work.
Greed had overcome fear. Uncle Liu had settled the gravely wounded youth in the west wing. As they gradually got to know each other, he discovered that the boy was modest, quiet, honest, and decent. Though skilled in martial arts, he lacked the rough, unruly air of the martial world.
That put Uncle Liu more at ease.
The old man and the youth got along better and better, until Uncle Liu practically treated him like his own grandson.
Hearing Uncle Liu's words, Chen Changming smiled faintly. "Uncle Liu, I was thinking the same thing."
With that, he stepped forward, took another ten taels of silver from his cloth bag, and pressed them into Uncle Liu's hand.
"Uncle Liu..."
Chen Changming looked at him earnestly, his meaning clear.
Uncle Liu felt rather embarrassed, but still put the silver away with a beaming smile. "Come on, I'll take you there. I'll say you're the son of my distant nephew."
"Thank you, Uncle Liu."
Chen Changming was overjoyed and followed Uncle Liu out of the house.
Ever since he had entered Uncle Liu's home that night, he hadn't gone out again. Uncle Liu had lost his wife in middle age and had no children. He rarely interacted with anyone in the village, so no one had seen Chen Changming, this stranger, yet.
If Uncle Liu arranged an identity for him, he'd have an easier time handling Lingxiao Sect's inquiries.
The square at the village entrance was packed. The two had arrived late and could only stand toward the back.
"Uncle Liu, who's this child?"
A middle-aged woman noticed the unfamiliar face of the youth in homespun clothes and asked curiously.
"He's the son of my distant nephew. His family suffered a disaster a while back, and he was the only one to survive, so he came to seek refuge with an old man like me..."
Uncle Liu sighed.
Seeing how convincingly Uncle Liu could lie, Chen Changming felt secretly relieved.
"What a poor child."
The middle-aged woman glanced at Chen Changming, her eyes reddening as if she were about to cry. Just then, someone suddenly shouted, "The Immortal Masters are here!" The crowd erupted, and she hurriedly turned to look.
Following everyone's gaze, Chen Changming looked over as well.
In the distance, where white clouds drifted, a tiny blue speck grew larger and larger, until it became a blue Spirit Boat. Two handsome young men dressed in white stood at its prow, their robes fluttering, long swords on their backs, and an air of nobility about them. They looked like immortals descending from the heavens.
Chen Changming had already broadened his horizons by encountering powerful figures like the silver-robed woman and the Red Great Bird, so he wasn't particularly surprised. Still, envy rose in his heart. He hoped that one day he, too, could roam freely between heaven and earth.
The Spirit Boat descended above the crowd. The two young men leaped down and stood before the villagers.
"Greetings, Immortal Masters!"
Countless people bowed and clasped their hands in salute. Quite a few in the front even knelt.
The two Lingxiao Sect disciples were used to such scenes. Smiling, they nodded, and one of them waved a hand. A silver stone flew out and stopped before the crowd.
"Heh..."
The young man smiled and waved a hand. "I'll spare you the extra talk. Anyone between the ages of seven and ten may come forward to test their spirit roots. Those who test positive will have a chance to join Lingxiao Sect."
An old man at the front cupped his hands and bowed, asking in surprise, "Immortal Master, in past years, anyone who tested positive for a spirit root could join Lingxiao Sect. Have the rules changed this year?"
The young man smiled.
"Yes, they've changed. There have been quite a few people with spirit roots in various regions lately, and our Lingxiao Sect has limited resources. We won't accept some of those with low-grade spirit roots..."
"I see."
The old man looked enlightened, though his expression was complicated.
At the back of the crowd, Chen Changming suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root was the worst kind in the world. If he didn't produce that token, would he be unable to get through Lingxiao Sect's gates?
"Even those with the worst spirit roots can still join the sect if they pass its trial."
As if noticing the villagers' unease, the young man smiled and explained further.
"At least there's still a chance."
Chen Changming quietly sighed with relief. Although the token would let him become an inner disciple directly, he didn't want to take it out unless absolutely necessary.
The youth understood perfectly well that if he used the token to become an inner disciple with a spirit root like his, he would occupy a highly coveted position. Countless people would "keep an eye on him and show him special concern." Given enough time, even the higher-ups of Lingxiao Sect would find him an eyesore.
The silver-robed woman had looked down on him so much that day. She certainly wouldn't become his backer.
So Chen Changming still decided to rely on his own abilities, pass the test, and successfully enter Lingxiao Sect.
While the youth's thoughts wandered, the spirit root testing had already begun.
One youth after another stood before the Spirit Testing Stone, only to fail. Not a single one had a spirit root!
"Alas, your village's feng shui is terrible. This year, there still hasn't been..."
Seeing this, disappointment showed on both young men's faces.
As they spoke, Chen Changming walked out of the crowd and stood before the Spirit Testing Stone. He placed one hand on it.
The silver Spirit Testing Stone immediately released a faint, five-colored glow.
"A Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root?"
The two young men exchanged glances, at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
The worst spirit root in the world was the Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root, and yet these two had actually come across one.
"Wow, a spirit root!"
Uncle Liu was delighted.
The other villagers were excited too, chattering among themselves. In the hearts of these simple folk, merely testing positive for a spirit root was already a cause for tremendous celebration.
The two young men walked over to Chen Changming and looked him up and down. One of them turned stern, his gaze unfriendly. "It's rare for someone so young to have reached the Xiantian peak. Have you practiced martial arts?"
"Yes, Immortal Master."
Chen Changming bowed, then took out his steel blade and performed the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade.
For a moment, blade-light flashed and his figure blurred. The villagers around him were dumbstruck, then cheered in admiration.
"So it's the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade..."
The two young men exchanged glances and relaxed. It was a very common martial art in the martial world.