Testing Spiritual Roots (Please Vote Monthly)

Night fell, and the grand residence grew quiet.

Jiang Fu'an first followed his usual routine and had an intimate exchange with his wife.

A brief separation made them feel like newlyweds again. They had been apart for a full month, and this reunion saw them both especially passionate and tender.

Things were different now, after all. They lived in a spacious residence, and each child had their own room.

The thick brick walls shut out every sound, and Su Wanqing no longer had to deliberately hold herself back.

Only after his wife beside him had fallen into a deep sleep did Jiang Fu'an quietly rise.

He sat cross-legged beside the bed, calmed his mind and stilled his breath, then began circulating the Eternal Spring Technique.

Tonight, he did not take a Qi-Nourishing Pill. He wanted to see how efficient cultivation would be using only the spiritual energy within this residence.

About half an hour later, he completed one circulation cycle.

Jiang Fu'an opened his eyes and shook his head helplessly.

The signs of growth in his dantian's spiritual power were minuscule, almost impossible to feel.

He silently calculated that at this rate, reaching the Qi Refining First Layer would likely take more than twenty years of slow, grinding effort.

"Ah, it looks like I really have to swallow pills. Cultivating on my own is utterly hopeless!"

He simply stopped forcing the matter and decided to rest first.

The exhaustion from days of jolting carriage travel now washed over him.

When he had cultivated at the inn before, his results had been astonishing.

If he could maintain that speed, he would reach the Qi Refining First Layer in roughly three months.

But that speed required one Qi-Nourishing Pill every day.

The pills he had brought back this time numbered only a little over forty even at the fullest count, and he still had to set some aside for Stone.

By that calculation, if no other opportunity came his way, reaching the Qi Refining First Layer needed to upgrade the Ancestral Home would likely be impossible within ten years.

Still, Jiang Fu'an was not anxious.

Before leaving, he had already discussed it with Seedling:

She would slowly gather and purchase Qi-Nourishing Pills outside, then find a chance to send them back once she had saved up enough.

Besides that, he had another source of support—"Fu Yuan."

Thinking of Fu Yuan, Jiang Fu'an could not help feeling somewhat disappointed.

After returning home, he had deliberately gone to inspect the Hall of Sacrifice.

More than a year had passed since the last light sphere appeared, yet the altar remained utterly empty.

But he did not find it strange. By now, he had roughly figured out the pattern behind Fu Yuan's appearances:

Only when there was an opportunity nearby that suited him and posed no danger would it offer a hint in the form of a light sphere.

The absence of a light sphere now meant there was no suitable opportunity for him near Ping'an County.

Still, he believed that in a county as vast as Ping'an County, one would appear sooner or later.

That day, Jiang Fu'an and Yue'er stared without blinking at the two eggs Seedling had sent, their eyes fixed tightly upon them.

Suddenly, a faint crack broke the silence in the room.

A thin fissure appeared on the surface of one egg.

Then, as if alive, the cracks spread, growing longer and denser.

Before long, the eggshell split completely in two, and a tiny creature covered in pale red down tremblingly crawled out from within.

It looked somewhat like a newly hatched chick. The instant it emerged, it began chirping nonstop, its voice thin and tender.

"Father! It really hatched!"

Yue'er cried out in delight, reaching out and carefully cradling the "chick" in her palm.

The little creature was not afraid of strangers. Once picked up, it actually stopped chirping.

It raised its tiny head, its black-bead eyes gazing curiously at Yue'er.

This was a Blazing Fire Eagle hatchling.

Back then, Seedling had not only given him the eggs, but had also carefully taught Jiang Fu'an the tricks of raising and incubating them.

Over the past month, he had tended to them with the utmost care, and today he had finally seen the results.

Jiang Fu'an found it novel as well and extended a finger, wanting to gently stroke that soft, fine down.

But the moment his finger drew close, the little Blazing Fire Eagle seemed startled and immediately began chirping anxiously again, its tiny body shrinking backward in Yue'er's hand.

Jiang Fu'an laughed in irritation.

"Hey, you ungrateful little thing. I put in the most effort to hatch you over the past month, and now that you've just come out of the shell, you don't recognize me?"

Just as he was about to try again, someone called from outside.

"Master, are you in there? It's about time. We should set out!"

It was Miao Ruolan, urging him to take Stone to the county for the Spiritual Root test.

Hearing her, Jiang Fu'an could only give up and turn to remind Yue'er:

"Take good care of them. Don't roast them and eat them!"

Stone had already turned seven and could begin cultivating the Eternal Spring Technique.

But Jiang Fu'an had no way to explain how he knew Stone possessed a Spiritual Root, so he had kept restraining himself and had not taught him.

What he had been waiting for was this annual official test.

Once Stone tested positive in public, he could naturally begin cultivating.

Outside the door, Miao Ruolan had already waited for some time with her two younger brothers—Miao Ruoshan and Miao Ruohai.

Her two brothers had also turned seven this year and met the testing requirements.

"Master, let's hurry and set out!"

The moment she saw Jiang Fu'an emerge, Miao Ruolan urged him anxiously, her eyes shining with urgency.

Whether the Miao Family would have any hope of revival in the future depended greatly on whether her two brothers possessed the aptitude to cultivate. No wonder she was so anxious.

Seeing how eager she was, Jiang Fu'an did not delay. He went into the courtyard and called over Stone, who was practicing his horse stance.

The group then set out on the road to Ping'an County.

Along the way, Miao Ruolan felt both nervous and excited and could not resist asking Jiang Fu'an:

"Master, how many of you think will test positive for Spiritual Roots this time—Stone and my two brothers?"

Jiang Fu'an remained calm. Hearing this, he smiled.

"Spiritual Roots aren't so easy to come by. If you ask me, the most likely outcome is that none of the three have them."

Miao Ruolan did not like hearing that and retorted:

"That may not be true. My father was a Qi Refining Late-Stage cultivator back then.

"I think at least one of Ruoshan and Ruohai should have a Spiritual Root."

Yet the world often worked this way: the greater the hopes, the greater the disappointment.

Two hours later, at the testing site in Ping'an County.

When the official loudly announced that Miao Ruoshan and Miao Ruohai both "had no Spiritual Roots," the color drained from Miao Ruolan's face in an instant.

Her body swayed, her legs going weak beneath her, and she nearly failed to remain standing.

Jiang Fu'an was beside her. Seeing this, he immediately reached out to support her arm and comforted her gently:

"Ruolan, try to see it for what it is. Spiritual Roots are one in a thousand. It was always an extremely unlikely thing, so don't cling to it too much."

Miao Ruolan pulled her lips into a bitter curve and said softly:

"Master, thank you... I understand."

How could she not understand the reasoning? It was only that the hope of reviving her family had weighed on her heart for too long, and she could not accept it all at once.

Just as she was forcing herself to steady her emotions, she heard the testing cultivator announce the next result:

"Jiang Xiangchun: Four-Attribute False Spiritual Root of metal, wood, fire, and earth!"

The result struck Miao Ruolan like a muffled thunderclap, leaving her completely frozen.

She slowly turned her head and looked at Jiang Fu'an beside her with a complicated expression. Her gaze plainly read:

"Didn't you just say... the chances were very low? Then what is this with Stone?"

Only then did Jiang Fu'an notice that Stone had happened to be lined up right after her two brothers.

He had only just comforted her, and then Stone tested positive for a Spiritual Root right afterward. The slap to his face had come truly fast.

Looking at Miao Ruolan's somewhat resentful expression, he did not know how to comfort her for a moment.

Just then, a familiar voice called from beyond the crowd:

"Brother Jiang! Over here!"

Jiang Fu'an turned toward the voice and saw Ma Ping standing at the edge of the crowd some distance away, waving to him with a broad smile.

Beside Ma Ping stood a beautiful married woman with an elegant, noble bearing.

She was Wang Zhiyue, the head of the Wang Family, whom Jiang Fu'an had met once before.

What slightly surprised Jiang Fu'an was that this esteemed family head, who possessed Qi Refining Mid-Stage cultivation, wore a gentle smile at this moment as her gaze rested upon him.