Swallowing Mountain Rat

As the sun rose brilliantly, the mirror on the Immortal Hall reflected dazzling light, which, along with the sunlight, shone on the golden glazed tiles, making the entire palace appear even more sacred.

Because the Immortal Bell had been rung last night, many members of the Ye Family arrived outside the Immortal Hall early in the morning.

The formal assessment of Spirit Root begins at noon in the morning.

But how could those mortals dare to keep the immortals waiting?

The children from the town have all been sent over; only the children from the distant villages are still slowly making their way here.

But most of them had arrived. Ye Jingcheng glanced at them and found that there were more than 120 eligible children this time, which was definitely not a small number.

This is also a result of White Cloud Town being closer to the center of Taihang Commandery, thus avoiding the Beast Tide.

These children now spontaneously line up, each one timid yet filled with curiosity.

"I hope there will be a few promising seedlings this time!" Ye Jingyu was also looking forward to it.

As inspectors, they receive extra rewards if the number of cultivators with Spirit Roots exceeds the limit.

Ye Jingcheng, as Foundation Establishment cultivator, didn't value this, but it was quite important to Ye Jingyu, whose Spirit Beast was initially Jade Ring Rat.

But after this Beast Tide, her Spirit Beast was replaced by a first-tier Crimson-Blood Eagle.

It requires a lot of Spirit Stones to feed them. As a Spirit Plant Master, she is still a bit strained in taming two Spirit Beasts and maintaining her own cultivation. Moreover, this is because the Lineage's salary policy has changed. In the past, it would have been even more difficult.

Soon it was noon, the gates of the Immortal Hall opened, Ye Jingcheng, dressed in a Ye Family Dao Robe and holding a spirit-testing disc, began to wave.

Ye Jingyu then organized the children to line up one by one.

"Everyone line up and place your hands on this spirit-testing plate. Those with a spiritual light can wait to the side, and those without can go out through the side door!" Ye Jingcheng explained the rules simply.

These ordinary children have already learned this rule.

But after Ye Jingcheng explained it once, it only made them more nervous.

Just like yesterday, the spirit-testing disc remained dark for a long time, except for its initial glow.

No spiritual light appeared in more than a dozen attempts.

Ye Jingcheng remained calm and composed, while Ye Jingyu appeared somewhat anxious.

Fortunately, the thirtieth one was Ye Ting, because she had already been touched once yesterday, and she was particularly bold today.

She landed on the spirit-testing plate, instantly emitting a lot of spiritual light, and her eyes also gained more confidence.

After all, none of the other children had shown any talent, and she still remembered Ye Jingcheng scolding her aunts yesterday.

"Okay, wait over there!" Ye Jingcheng nodded, letting Ye Ting stand aside.

Ye Jingyu breathed a long sigh of relief.

At the same time, a boy with dark pupils behind Ye Ting also swept his hand across the spirit-testing disc, and the next moment a spiritual light that was a full six inches high lit up.

The spirit colors are only three.

Ye Jingcheng was also delighted by this scene.

With three Spirit Roots combined with the Lineage Beast Communion Art, the potential is quite good.

Whether the child can pass the Lineage's test and obtain the Beast Communion Art depends on his fate.

This requires a vote from the Lineage's Inner Hall and passing the test of the Beast-Link Tower.

Even if he becomes the head of the family in the future, he will not be able to make an exception in terms of Beast Communion.

Ye Jingyu hasn't had a chance to Beast Communion yet because he failed to win the vote in the Inner Hall.

"What's your name?" Ye Jingcheng asked.

"Ye Ming, Immortal Master, can I also cultivate immortality?"

"Okay, you don't need to call me 'sir' anymore. You can call me Eleventh Brother or Brother Cheng!" Ye Jingcheng waved his hand, letting Ye Ming fall behind Ye Ting.

They should be the last batch of people with the character "Jing" in their name.

Ye Ting, who was standing to the side, was also talking to Ye Ming, which emboldened the latter and impressed Ye Jingcheng.

But after watching for a while, he continued with the testing.

Of the dozen or so towns the Lineage, Ye Jingcheng inspected two: White Cloud Town and Maple County.

After finishing his testing today, he still needs to rush to Maple County, where there should be more children.

Ye Jingyu, standing nearby, also became very motivated. Now, two out of the thirty-odd people had already developed Spirit Roots, and there were still ninety more to go.

After two celestial seedlings appeared in succession, the rest remained silent, showing no further movement. All eighty-plus children remained still.

Ye Jingcheng was slightly surprised, but he also understood that this was common practice. Cultivating immortality, starting from the Spirit Root, was exceptionally cruel.

"Master Immortal, Master Immortal!"

Just then, a sound rang out Immortal Hall.

Ye Jingcheng asked Ye Jingyu to watch over Ye Ting and Ye Ming, because according to the rules, they could no longer say goodbye to their families.

Ye Jingcheng walked out of the hall.

"My lord, a great many giant bamboo rats have appeared in Cloud Rain Village. They are the size of calves and can easily crush old bamboo. Now an entire bamboo forest is about to be destroyed. I think they are a group of Demon Beasts. Otherwise, how could ordinary mountain rats have such a huge appetite!"

A middle-aged man dressed in hemp clothing spoke up.

Ye Jingcheng narrowed his eyes.

"Where?"

"Cloud Rain Village, Purple Bamboo Mountain!"

"Take me there!" Ye Jingcheng had already imagined a kind of Demon Beast.

But even without seeing him, I still can't be sure.

He took out the Spirit Boat: "Come on up, and show the way."

"The rest of you, continue the Ascension Ceremony!" Ye Jingcheng then looked at the mayor of White Cloud Town.

"Yes, Immortal Master!" All the mortals who saw this were somewhat envious.

This is flying in the sky.

Even the wealthy man who discovered the bamboo was now beaming with excitement.

However, because the Spirit Boat was too fast and it was in the air, the tension made them hesitate about the journey.

But after hearing the latter's general description, Ye Jingcheng scanned the area with his Divine Sense and quickly discovered the Purple Bamboo Mountain.

The bamboo on Purple Bamboo Mountain is the same type as the bamboo forest in Ye Xingqun's area; it is planted with Greenstone Bamboo.

However, the mountain is covered with layers of purple flowers, hence the name Purple Bamboo Forest.

In the bamboo forest, he immediately spotted many large, blue-haired rats lying among the bamboo, like bamboo cutters.

One by one, the bamboo stalks collapsed.

Since the Greenstone Bamboo can be cultivated into spiritual bamboo, it is naturally better at absorbing Spiritual Qi than ordinary bamboo.

These giant rats were exactly what he had been thinking of: Mountain-Devouring Rats.

Of course, the name "Mountain-Devouring Rat" doesn't come from its power, but rather from the fact that this Mountain-Devouring Rat eats everything, and it's no exaggeration to say that it can "eat away a mountain's worth of food."

Although this kind of mountain-swallowing rat is a monster, it is almost at the bottom of the Taihang Mountains. No one can beat it, and it has no speed advantage. It only has good earth escape and digging abilities.

Therefore, even though their reproductive ability is extremely strong, the Ye Family had never found a group of Mountain-Devouring Rats before.

This time, the Ascension Ceremony was held by fortuitous opportunity coincidence.

For the Ye Family, the opening of the restaurant and the use of this spirit rat meat for spiritual cuisine activities is a good direction.

After all, Mountain-Devouring Rats reproduce quickly and have a lot of meat. Although they don't taste as good as Dense Forest Pigs, they are easier to raise and mature faster.

Moreover, they can reproduce twice a year, with each litter potentially producing more than a dozen offspring, which is extremely rare among Demon Beasts.

Ye Jingcheng's expression was also burning with enthusiasm.

His Divine Sense kept fluctuating, and soon settled on the largest Mountain-Devouring Rat.

This Mountain-Devouring Rat actually possessed the aura of a mid-stage first-tier cultivator.

The number of Mountain-Devouring Rats was as high as seventy or eighty.

It is a fairly large ethnic group.

Ye Jingcheng estimated that they had escaped with the Beast Tide, while the other Demon Beast fled towards the Taihang Mountain Range.

They were also afraid of other Demon Beasts, and instead fled deeper into the Ye Family's territory.

These Greenstone Bamboos, nestled in the mountain valley, may lack Spirit Veins, but they can still accumulate some Spiritual Qi.

Therefore, these Greenstone Bamboo naturally became the plants that Mountain-Devouring Rats.

These clever mice have never known the meaning of restraint.

They eat without restraint; otherwise, if they had been careful, the Ye Family might not have discovered them.

After all, they don't hurt people.

Ye Jingcheng landed at the mountain pass of Purple Bamboo Mountain, and at that moment the bamboo rats seemed to be on alert.

But Ye Jingcheng directly took out an Earth-Shaking Talisman and covered the entrance to Purple Bamboo Mountain.

In an instant, a loud rumble resounded, and the entire underground rat burrow collapsed.

Ye Jingcheng released Five Poison Bees, allowing the swarm to shoot the Mountain-Devouring Rats one by one.

His Five Poison Bees primarily feed on the poison of the Purple Illusion Flower, so aside from causing hallucinations, they are not fatal.

This moment was just right for capturing it.

The impact of losing one or two spirit stones is minimal, amounting to only one or two Spirit Stones.

However, it would be more effective within Lineage.

As the thumb-sized Five Poison Bee invaded the bamboo forest, the Mountain-Devouring Rats scattered one by one.

However, these Five Poison Bees were all mid- to late-stage Tier 1 demonic insects, so they couldn't escape. They were quickly hit by the five- Poison Needles and began to dart around in place.

"Immortal Master, you are truly a divine being!" The mortal beside him was filled with admiration as he witnessed Ye Jingcheng's display of power.

Ye Jingcheng ignored them, stepped forward, and put all the Mountain-Devouring Rats into a Spirit Beast bag.

"These Mountain-Devouring Rats have all been collected. If any new ones appear, continue to contact the cultivators in Maple County!" Ye Jingcheng said.

Although these Mountain-Devouring Rats are not very harmful, they are still considered Demon Beasts, so it's better for them to be controlled by the Lineage.

It's inevitable that some fish will slip through the net and not be found in Purple Bamboo Mountain.

"Also, you can apply for a luxury house in town. Just go to the mayor of White Cloud Town for that!" Ye Jingcheng said.

Upon hearing this, the latter was immediately filled with gratitude.

Although they are all mortals of the Ye Family, the difference between those who have produced Spirit Root cultivators in the last three generations is still enormous.

Ye Jingcheng had gained a Mountain-Devouring Rats, and he was in a good mood.

It carried the mortal back to the Immortal Hall once more.

The latter was much more composed this time, with no surprise in his eyes, but looking down at the earth still made his heart race.

What would have taken him most of a day to travel, Ye Jingcheng arrived in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. This was only because Ye Jingcheng slowed down to give him a look; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to see the mountains and rivers clearly.

They quickly landed in front of the Immortal Hall, and at that moment Ye Jingyu suddenly transmitted his voice.

"Jingcheng, we've discovered a member of the alien Spirit Root race!" Ye Jingyu was incredibly excited at that moment.

Clearly, during the time he was away, someone else went to have their spirit tested.

Moreover, people with different Spirit Roots have appeared!