Li Sanshun walked up to the ninth spirit-testing stone.
The recording disciple pointed to its surface.
"Place your hand on it and circulate the introductory cultivation art. Do not resist the spirit-testing stone's pull, or the result will be void."
Li Sanshun did as instructed, pressing his hand to the stone and circulating the Primordial Origin Art.
As spiritual energy flowed from his dantian, the identity token at his waist began to draw it in. The power in his five meridians was divided by a Spirit-Suppressing Rune, slowing its circulation several times over.
The spiritual stone glowed green from its base.
The green light rose one foot and stopped.
Then red, yellow, white, and blue appeared in succession, each reaching only one foot high.
All five colors shone together.
The square fell silent for a moment, then filled with murmurs.
"Five-element mixed spirit roots?"
"All five are low-grade. He might not even reach mid-stage Qi Refining after ten years of cultivation."
"No wonder he didn't even get an invitation."
After confirming the five beams of light, the recording disciple picked up his brush and wrote down the result.
"Li Sanshun, low-grade five-element mixed spirit roots. He does not meet the requirements for accepting outer disciples."
Shi Xiaohu stood at the edge of the crowd, most of his excitement gone.
He had thought Li Sanshun had already learned immortal arts, so surely his test results wouldn't be bad. But five-element mixed spirit roots were widely regarded as a dead end for cultivation. The spiritual energy they absorbed was impure, and breakthroughs consumed far more resources than usual.
Zhao Yuanqing approached, waving his folding fan.
"Senior Brother Han tried to talk him out of it earlier, but some people just wouldn't listen. Now that the test is over, he should understand that immortal opportunities can't be forced, right?"
Han Zhao put on an impartial, official air.
"The Tai Xuan Sect has limited resources. We can't waste them on someone with five-element mixed spirit roots. Li Sanshun, remove your identity token and leave by the eastern mountain path."
Li Sanshun did not take his hand off the spirit-testing stone.
When he had circulated the Primordial Origin Art just now, the five kinds of spiritual energy should have flowed through their respective meridians and into his arm. But whenever the energy passed his waist, the identity token intercepted it.
There was something strange about the spirit-testing stone, too.
The five beams of light had not repelled one another. Instead, they had converged toward the stone's core. But the Spirit-Suppressing Rune had suppressed them, and too little energy had entered the stone. That was why the five colors had stopped at one foot.
Li Sanshun glanced down at his identity token.
The Array Pattern on the back of the wooden token had grown more pronounced since he entered the mountain.
"Can I take off my identity token before the test?"
The recording disciple shook his head.
"Temporary identity tokens record the name of each person being tested and connect to the arrays for all three trials. You can't remove yours until the trials are over."
Han Zhao concealed his hand in his sleeve and quietly activated the paired array talisman.
The five-element spiritual energy within Li Sanshun stalled again.
"Then let me take the test once more."
Han Zhao frowned. "The spirit-testing stone can't be wrong. You've already received your result. Continuing to argue will only delay everyone else."
"I don't know whether the stone is wrong. I only know that after I put on this token, my cultivation art circulated much more slowly."
Li Sanshun picked up the wooden token and handed it to the recording disciple.
"You can examine it."
Han Zhao hurried forward, blocking the other disciple's outstretched hand.
"Temporary identity tokens are issued by the mountain gate, and every one is registered. If he's trying to disrupt the test by damaging his token, who will take responsibility?"
On the raised platform, Medicine Peak Elder Luo Qinghe heard the dispute and closed the roster in her hands.
She was responsible for cultivating five-element spirit herbs and was no stranger to five-element spirit roots.
Ordinary five-element mixed spirit roots varied in strength, and their five colors would suppress one another. Li Sanshun's five beams of light were equally tall and bright, with no conflict where they met. It was truly unusual.
Luo Qinghe walked down from the platform.
"If the identity token is damaged, I'll take responsibility."
Han Zhao's expression stiffened.
Luo Qinghe took the wooden token and probed it with her spiritual sense. A Spirit-Suppressing Rune was hidden beneath an ordinary Array Pattern, with another seal obscuring it on the outside. After examining it for a while, she only found that the token absorbed spiritual energy slightly faster than the others.
The obscuring seal had been made by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Han Zhao had Deacon Zhao backing him. This wasn't something an outer disciple could have arranged alone.
Luo Qinghe didn't dismantle the token right away. Instead, she turned to Li Sanshun.
"Have you already cultivated a five-element art?"
"My elders passed down the Primordial Origin Art to me. I've only practiced it for a few days."
"Show me."
Li Sanshun raised his right hand.
A flame rose from his palm. It lasted only a moment before going out, and then water vapor gathered into several droplets.
As he prepared to condense earth and stone, the Spirit-Suppressing Rune inside the identity token tightened again. The power of the immortal art jammed in his meridians, and he failed to form a third spell.
Han Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
So what if Luo Qinghe inspected it herself?
The Spirit-Suppressing Rune couldn't be found while the obscuring seal remained. Li Sanshun had struggled to perform even two basic immortal arts. No one would keep investigating on his behalf.
Zhao Yuanqing relaxed as well.
The last training spot at Xuan Chu Academy still belonged to him.
Holding the identity token, Luo Qinghe asked, "Why did you stop?"
"The token is absorbing my spiritual energy."
Han Zhao cut in, "Elder, identity tokens need to absorb a small amount of spiritual energy to record test results. He only blames the token because he can't perform the remaining spells. His low-grade five-element roots have been clearly established. There's no need to delay the entire test for him."
Yan Song, the outer elder in charge of testing, came over as well.
He examined the spirit-testing stone and then the identity token, without jumping to any conclusions.
"Li Sanshun, do you have proof?"
"Not at the moment."
Li Sanshun took back the identity token and hung it at his waist again.
Taking the token apart might reveal the problem. But Han Zhao had dared to tamper with it in front of an elder, so it likely had some kind of concealment on the outside.
Since the token would connect to the arrays for all three trials, the remaining two would give it a chance to reveal its flaws.
Luo Qinghe considered this for a moment.
"Medicine Peak can take you on as a registered medicine attendant. Attendants aren't official disciples and must tend the herb fields every day. If you reach the third level of Qi Refining within three years, I'll give you a chance to take the outer disciple examination."
Some of the smugness vanished from Zhao Yuanqing's face.
A person with five-element mixed spirit roots could still stay?
Even as a medicine attendant, Li Sanshun would have joined the Tai Xuan Sect. If he agreed, all the things Zhao Yuanqing had said would become a joke.
But Li Sanshun looked at Yan Song.
"The other candidates still have to face the Immortal-Asking Stairs and the Heart-Refining Gate. Can I continue?"
Han Zhao spoke up to stop him. "Opening the Immortal-Asking Stairs costs spirit stones each time. We can't make an exception for someone who failed."
"If I don't meet the requirements for becoming an outer disciple, I'll leave the mountain willingly. If I pass, then there's a problem with my spirit-test results."
Li Sanshun pointed to the wooden token at his waist.
"I won't ask for a new identity token, either. I'll take this one with me."
Luo Qinghe understood what he was planning.
The identity token was connected to the Immortal-Asking Stairs. If something was really hidden inside it, the array would surely provoke a more obvious reaction.
Yan Song glanced at Han Zhao and announced his decision.
"Three hundred steps on the Immortal-Asking Stairs is the standard for outer disciples. If you can't climb three hundred steps, you'll be disqualified on account of your low-grade five-element roots."
Han Zhao hid his hand in his sleeve and clenched the array talisman.
The Spirit-Suppressing Rune inside the identity token had already activated twice. If he activated it again, the obscuring seal would be hard to maintain.
But if Li Sanshun passed the test, his act of secretly blocking him would surely be investigated.
The spirit stones and pills he had received over the past two years were all hidden in a house at the foot of the mountain.
This man absolutely had to fail to reach three hundred steps.
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