State of Mind
Soon, a number of children and adults gathered in the old mayor's courtyard.
The children could vaguely make out the old town mayor's face. They were supported by women and children, and finally pulled to the side of the men.
"Quickly pay your respects to the immortal!" The old town mayor's eldest son has now inherited the position and become the new mayor of White Cloud Town.
He usually had a certain air of authority, and when he spoke, the children all stepped forward.
In the several counties of the Ye Family, Lineage with members possessing Spirit Root would generally secure a minor official position in the town. If the Spirit Root performed well, their family members would even move to the county seat and become true powerful figures.
The old town mayor's family once produced two people with Spirit Root; one has passed away, and the other is actually Ye Jingcheng.
The Ye Family's ability to have such a large courtyard and continue serving as town mayor is also due to Ye Jingcheng's protection.
Ye Jingcheng doesn't need to do anything about this; the Qi Refining Lineage members responsible for managing mundane affairs will handle it properly.
"Come over here one by one, just place your hands on this spirit-testing plate." Ye Jingcheng took out a palm-sized spirit plate and cast a spell.
The entire spirit plate was instantly enveloped in spiritual light, radiating a dazzling brilliance.
This ethereal light also attracts young children, who are filled with curiosity and trepidation.
They looked at the oldest child one by one, still appearing somewhat timid.
"However, those under nine years old should not come up. Let's wait for the next Ascension Ceremony." Ye Jingcheng saw six children walk out first.
Under the watchful eyes of the women and children, several more six- or seven-year-old children were brought out, and then the speaker added with a frown.
The children, aged six or seven, immediately shrank back inside.
Ye Jingcheng wasn't lying to them about this. The principle behind this spirit-testing disc is to send out a stream of Five Phases Spiritual Qi into the child's body.
If there is resonance, it means you have the potential for immortality; if there is no resonance, it means you don't.
Moreover, if a child is too young and their body has not yet fully developed, it could be dangerous for them to be invaded by Spiritual Qi.
They dared not participate in the Ascension Ceremony because the Ye Family had explicitly forbidden it. It was only when they saw Ye Jingcheng come to the courtyard for a separate examination that they began to have other ideas.
As Ye Jingcheng spoke, the remaining older children stepped forward one by one.
After the first cover was quickly applied, the spirit plate remained unresponsive.
The old town mayor and his family were also feeling helpless and disheartened.
Only the old mayor's eyes remained clear; he glared at his children.
"Next!" Ye Jingcheng continued calmly.
As the second child stepped forward and touched the spirit-testing plate, he was a little bolder and applied a bit more pressure.
However, since they still lacked Spirit Root, their expressions fell.
Moreover, the next five in a row failed to produce Spirit Root, a sight that turned the old town mayor's three sons pale.
Unlike in the past, when they only received the news after leaving the Immortal Hall, this time they knew in advance that there were no Spirit Root.
However, Ye Jingcheng considered this perfectly normal.
The Ye Family conducts an inspection every three years, checking on a dozen or so seedlings each time.
On average, even one per town is hard to come by, considering that the Ye Family's three counties each produce two or three.
Including the Ye Family mountain, there will also be a few descendants of those with generational names.
In reality, it's quite normal for some towns to have no immortal seedlings at all.
However, just as the last, thin little girl appeared, a white light shone forth.
This scene also surprised Ye Jingcheng quite a bit.
However, the light on the spirit plate only shone for less than three inches, and the spirit plate was four-colored.
This scene also indicates that the little girl only possesses four Spirit Root, and rather ordinary four Spirit Root at that.
The spirit-testing compass can determine not only the quantity of Spirit Root but also their quality.
However, because the more Spirit Root one has, the less pure they become, often resulting in mixed Spirit Root, the quality of which is not very high.
Normally, the spiritual light of a person with four Spirit Root is around five inches. Ye Jingcheng's own spiritual light is slightly higher, reaching seven inches, but the difference is not significant.
Even other Lineage don't consider the level of spiritual light.
Only the Ye Family bothered to observe it.
Upon seeing this, the old town mayor's sons were overjoyed, while the women and children looked on with disgust.
He seemed to have a grudge against the little girl, and there appeared to be some schadenfreude in his eyes about her having four Spirit Root.
As ordinary members of the Ye Family, knowing the quality of Spirit Root is not difficult for them.
After all, there is an ascension ceremony every three years.
Ye Jingcheng disliked their expressions.
Ye Jingcheng's aura and spiritual pressure were released instantly, landing on the women and children.
In an instant, the faces of several women and children turned pale, and they almost fell to the ground, clearly indicating that Ye Jingcheng was still holding back.
Otherwise, a few ordinary people could be crushed to death.
"This will not be repeated. Immortal seedlings are all equally noble in the Ye Family's immortal mountain!" Ye Jingcheng said.
Ye Jingcheng was right about this; other Lineage received their salaries based on their Spirit Root.
The Ye Family only considers cultivation level.
Moreover, for the Ye Family, concealing the quality of Spirit Root is more conducive to protecting the Lineage's talented Spirit Root cultivators.
Otherwise, if the comparisons among ordinary people got out, it would Yu Family to keep certain things secret.
"What's your name?" Ye Jingcheng asked the little girl.
"My name is Ye Ting, Ting as in graceful and elegant!"
"Hmm, very good!" Ye Jingcheng nodded.
"Go to the Immortal Hall for another test one day later!"
Although the tests were conducted, the procedures at the Immortal Hall still need to be followed.
Moreover, compared to other cultivators, Ye Ting was able to spend more time with her family.
"Immortal Master, I beg you!" The old town chief was moved to tears when he saw that the Ye Family had gained a cultivator with Spirit Root.
Ye Jingcheng suddenly felt something was off; the others' behavior was not as good as the old town mayor's.
It wasn't until they spoke with the old town mayor again that they learned Ye Ting's father was the old mayor's youngest son.
The latter has already passed away.
Ye Jingcheng didn't stay in the courtyard for long. For him, the knot in his heart was relieved a little, and he even felt that his State of Mind had been elevated.
This feeling was quite peculiar, somewhat indescribable.
But he knew that his path to immortality would be smoother in the future.
Stepping out of the courtyard, it was already close to dusk, and the ordinary streets under the setting sun were filled with the lively atmosphere of everyday life.
Steaming buns, an old woman selling all sorts of paper figures, children running around by the roadside.
The streets of ordinary people are always so bustling.
However, all he could see was the horizon; his goal remained unchanged.
Ye Jingcheng's expression was calm, with a smile on his face.
He crossed the street and entered the Immortal Hall again, where a golden finger condensed with Spiritual Qi appeared in his hand.
It landed on the Immortal Bell, and in an instant, the sound of the bell traveled a thousand miles.
Although it is dusk now, it would be better to come a day earlier, and children from nearby villages will also be coming.
This process will be conducted in every village, and a day is enough time for all the children in the town to be tested.