I Will Slap Your Face All the Same!

Li Sanshun walked up to the number nine spirit-testing stone.

The recording disciple pointed at the surface of the stone.

"Place your hand on it and circulate your introductory mental cultivation method. Do not resist the pull of the spirit-testing stone, or the results will be voided."

Li Sanshun followed instructions, pressed his hand against the stone, and began to circulate the Primordial Origin Art.

The moment spiritual energy flowed out from his dantian, a suction force emanated from the identity tag at his waist. The power within his five qi meridians was partitioned by the Spirit-Suppressing Rune, and its circulation speed slowed several times over.

A cyan light lit up at the base of the spirit-testing stone.

The cyan light rose to a height of one foot and stopped.

Immediately after, red, yellow, white, and blue lights appeared in succession, each one only a foot high.

The five colors were gathered.

The plaza fell silent for a moment before whispers broke out.

"Five-element mixed spirit roots?"

"All five are of the lowest grade; he might not even reach the middle stage of Qi Refining after ten years of cultivation."

"No wonder he didn't even have an entry invitation."

The recording disciple confirmed the five rays of spiritual light and picked up his brush to record the result.

"Li Sanshun, five-element low-grade mixed spirit roots, failed to meet the standards for Outer Sect recruitment."

Shi Xiaohu stood at the edge of the crowd, his excitement having largely dissipated.

He had originally assumed that Li Sanshun had already learned immortal arts and that his test results would be decent. However, five-element mixed spirit roots were recognized as a dead end for cultivation; the spiritual energy absorbed was chaotic, and the resources required for breakthroughs far exceeded those of an ordinary person.

Zhao Yuanqing walked over, waving his folding fan.

"Senior Brother Han already advised you earlier, but some people simply refuse to listen. Now that the test is over, you should finally understand that immortal fate cannot be forced, right?"

Han Zhao adopted a strictly professional posture.

"The Tai Xuan Sect has limited resources and cannot waste them on someone with five-element mixed spirit roots. Li Sanshun, remove your identity tag and leave via the eastern mountain path."

Li Sanshun did not let go of the spirit-testing stone.

Just now, when he circulated the Primordial Origin Art, the five types of spiritual energy should have entered his arm along their respective meridians. Yet, every time the energy passed his waist, it was intercepted by the identity tag.

There was also something strange inside the spirit-testing stone.

The five rays of light did not repel each other; instead, they converged toward the heart of the stone. It was only because they were suppressed by the Spirit-Suppressing Rune that the power entering the stone was so minimal, causing the five-colored light to stop at one foot.

Li Sanshun looked down at his identity tag.

The array patterns on the back of the wooden tag were deeper than they had been when he entered the mountain.

"Before the test, can I take off the identity tag?"

The recording disciple shook his head.

"The temporary identity tag records the name of the examinee and connects to the three-stage formation. It cannot be removed until the three stages are finished."

Han Zhao's hand was hidden in his sleeve, quietly activating the corresponding formation talisman.

The five-element spiritual energy within Li Sanshun's body stagnated once more.

"Then let me test again."

Han Zhao frowned. "The spirit-testing stone cannot be wrong. You have already received your result; continuing to pester us will only delay others."

"I don't know if the stone is wrong or not. I only know that after putting on this tag, my mental cultivation method slowed down significantly."

Li Sanshun picked up the wooden tag and handed it to the recording disciple.

"You can check it."

Han Zhao stepped forward quickly, blocking the hand reaching out for it.

"The temporary identity tags are issued uniformly by the mountain gate, and every single one is registered. If he wants to disrupt the test by damaging his identity tag, who will take responsibility?"

On the high platform, Luo Qinghe, an elder of Medicine Peak, heard the dispute and closed the roster in her hands.

She was responsible for cultivating five-element medicinal herbs and was no stranger to five-element spirit roots.

Normal five-element mixed spirit roots varied in strength, and the five colors would usually suppress one another. The five rays of light Li Sanshun produced were of equal height and brightness, with no conflict at their intersection—it was truly rare.

Luo Qinghe walked down from the high platform.

"If the identity tag is damaged, I will take responsibility."

Han Zhao's expression froze.

Luo Qinghe took the wooden tag and probed it with her divine sense. The Spirit-Suppressing Rune was hidden beneath the ordinary array patterns, with a concealment mark on the outer layer. She checked for a moment and only discovered that the tag's speed of absorbing spiritual energy was slightly faster than other tags.

The concealment mark had been placed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

With Zhao Yuanqing behind Han Zhao, such methods were not something an Outer Sect disciple could arrange.

Luo Qinghe did not immediately dismantle the tag; she turned to look at Li Sanshun.

"Have you already practiced a five-element mental cultivation method?"

"An elder in my family passed down a Primordial Origin Art, and I have only practiced it for a few days."

"Demonstrate it for me."

Li Sanshun raised his right hand.

A flame rose from his palm. The flame lasted only a moment before extinguishing, followed by water vapor condensing into a few droplets.

When he prepared to condense earth and stone, the Spirit-Suppressing Rune in the identity tag tightened again. The force of the immortal art was blocked in his meridians, and the third technique failed to take shape.

Han Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

So what if Luo Qinghe checked it herself?

As long as the concealment mark did not dissipate, the Spirit-Suppressing Rune could not be found. Since Li Sanshun struggled so much to perform two basic immortal arts, no one would continue to investigate deeply for his sake.

Zhao Yuanqing also felt at ease.

The last training spot at Xuan Chu Academy still belonged to him.

Luo Qinghe held the identity tag and asked, "Why did you stop?"

"The wooden tag is absorbing my spiritual energy."

Han Zhao responded first, "Elder, the identity tag naturally needs to absorb a small amount of spiritual energy to record the results. He is only using the tag as an excuse because he cannot perform the subsequent spells. The five-element low-grade result is already clear; there is no need to delay the entire test for him."

Yan Song, the Outer Sect elder in charge of the testing, also walked over.

He inspected the spirit-testing stone and then looked at the identity tag, not rushing to a conclusion.

"Li Sanshun, do you have any evidence?"

"Not yet."

Li Sanshun took back the identity tag and hung it at his waist again.

If he dismantled the tag directly, he might find the problem. But since Han Zhao dared to tamper with it in front of an elder, there were likely further cover-up measures on the outside of the tag.

Since this object would connect to the three-stage formation, the next two stages were his chance to force it to reveal its flaws.

Luo Qinghe pondered for a moment.

"Medicine Peak can take you as a named medicine apprentice. A medicine apprentice is not a formal disciple and must tend to the herb fields daily. If you reach the third level of Qi Refining within three years, I will give you a chance to take the Outer Sect assessment."

The smugness on Zhao Yuanqing's face faded slightly.

He could stay even with five-element mixed spirit roots?

Even if he was only a medicine apprentice, he was still in the Tai Xuan Sect. If Li Sanshun agreed, everything he had said earlier would become a joke.

Li Sanshun, however, looked at Yan Song.

"The other examinees still have to face the Immortal-Asking Stairs and the Heart-Refining Gate. Can I continue?"

Han Zhao spoke up to stop him, "The Immortal-Asking Stairs consume spirit stones every time they are activated; we cannot make an exception for a failed candidate."

"If I cannot pass the Outer Sect standard, I will leave the mountain voluntarily. If I can pass, it proves there is a problem with the test results."

Li Sanshun pointed to the wooden tag at his waist.

"There is no need to change the identity tag either. I will carry it with me."

Luo Qinghe understood his plan.

The identity tag was connected to the Immortal-Asking Stairs. If there was truly something hidden inside the tag, it would inevitably produce a more obvious reaction once he entered the formation.

Yan Song glanced at Han Zhao and made the final decision.

"Three hundred levels on the Immortal-Asking Stairs is the Outer Sect standard. If you cannot walk three hundred steps, you will be considered a failed candidate with five-element low-grade roots."

Han Zhao's hand hid inside his sleeve, gripping the formation talisman tightly.

The Spirit-Suppressing Rune inside the identity tag had already been activated twice. If he continued to trigger it, the concealment mark would be difficult to maintain.

But if Li Sanshun passed the test, the matter of him privately obstructing candidates would certainly be investigated.

The spirit stones and medicinal pills he had accepted over the past two years were all hidden in his residence at the foot of the mountain.

This person must not be allowed to walk three hundred steps.