Mixed Spiritual Roots

"Good! Good! Good!! What is your name?" The old man said three good words in a row, staring at Han Yu, his eyes gleaming with sharp light, looking as if he wished he could devour the boy on the spot.

A hint of pride flowed between the little boy's brows, and he answered unhurriedly, "Han Yu!"

"A fine name! And a fine child too. Come, come here to me!"

The old man nodded, smiled, and beckoned, calling Han Yu to his side. With a kindly expression, he took Han Yu's small hand, beaming with joy, looking for all the world like someone afraid a good thing might be snatched away.

Han Yu stood beside the old man, chest out and head high, wearing a proud look. Though young, he appeared more mature and steady than others his age.

This reaction made the old man nod inwardly, even more satisfied in his heart.

Next, the testing continued, and a bit more anticipation appeared on the old man's face.

But among mortals, those who could naturally awaken their spiritual roots were, after all, few and far between.

In the blink of an eye, another thirty or so children were tested, yet no one with spiritual roots appeared.

The old man's expression remained calm at this, not too disappointed. From time to time, he turned his head to glance at Han Yu, his eyes burning with fervor.

For him, whether anyone else showed up no longer mattered. As long as he could nurture this seedling well, he would surely be able to turn around Luofu Peak's standing within the Yun Ge Sect.

And at this moment, only two people remained in the field: Su Shi'er and a chubby little boy.

Su Shi'er noticed that the chubby boy was dressed in fine brocade, his complexion ruddy—clearly a child from a wealthy family.

Before Su Shi'er could step forward, the chubby boy rushed ahead, trotting over to the Spirit Testing Stone, pressing his plump little hand nervously against it.

The next second, the Spirit Testing Stone trembled slightly, but showed no change at all.

Seeing this, the old man said expressionlessly, "Unqualified. Leave!"

But the chubby boy had clearly prepared for this. He did not leave, but instead fell to his knees with a thud, knocking his head repeatedly against the ground before the old man. "This humble one is Zhu Hanwei, son of the town head of Huilong Town. I pay my respects to the Immortal Elder! This humble one's heart is set on the Dao. I beg the Immortal to grant this humble one a chance."

"This is a token of respect from my father to the Immortal Elder!"

As he spoke, Zhu Hanwei, looking flustered, pulled a sandalwood box from his bosom.

"Hmph!" The old man's face hardened at the sight, and the temperature in the air dropped a few degrees in that instant.

Zhu Hanwei shivered, trembling, and the wooden box in his hand fell to the ground.

The old man was about to scold him, but when he saw the cracked box, his pupils contracted. He snatched the box into his hand with a grab, looked at it closely, and a delighted expression appeared on his face. "Oh? Hundred Year Cold Jade? I never thought your father, a mere mortal, could gather such a treasure."

A smile crept into the corners of the old man's eyes, and he rejoiced inwardly.

Hundred Year Cold Jade was a type of refining material. Even for him, collecting it was no easy task. In comparison, taking in a boy without spiritual roots into the sect was nothing much.

Hiding the Cold Jade without changing his expression, the old man stroked his beard with a serious air and continued, "Very well, since your heart is set on the Dao, I'll give you a chance."

Zhu Hanwei was both startled and overjoyed, bowing his head in thanks. "Thank you, Immortal Elder! Thank you, Immortal Elder!"

The old man waved his hand. "Alright, go stand at the side."

Zhu Hanwei then got up and walked to the old man's right. As he passed by Han Yu, he grinned, putting on a friendly look.

But Han Yu looked straight ahead, ignoring him entirely. Zhu Hanwei gave an awkward smile, not daring to take offense. From the old man's attitude toward Han Yu, he could tell what kind of status Han Yu would have in the future—someone he would never dare to provoke.

At this point, Su Shi'er also walked up to the Spirit Testing Stone, his face full of anxiety.

After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and pressed his hand onto the Spirit Testing Stone.

The Spirit Testing Stone shook violently, then lit up with a multicolored light. But the colored glow was dim and weak, flickering on and off.

Seeing the light on the Spirit Testing Stone, Su Shi'er felt a surge of joy. Good, it turned out he had spiritual roots too.

But just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he noticed the old man's ugly expression, and his heart tightened again.

At that moment, the woman beside him said in surprise, "Master, this child actually has rare Complete Spiritual Roots?"

The old man pursed his lips. "What Complete Spiritual Roots? Each of his spiritual roots is so weak it's frightening—practically nonexistent. This is clearly the worst kind of Mixed Spiritual Roots! A person like this, even in a lifetime, can only cultivate to the Qi Refining Seventh or Eighth Layer."

With that, the old man's gaze fell on Su Shi'er. "Unqualified. Leave!"

When Su Shi'er heard the old man's conversation with the woman, his heart had already sunk more than halfway. Hearing these words, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

For him, if he could not enter the Immortal Sect and learn the Immortal Arts, how could he even speak of avenging his grandfather?

Su Shi'er's thoughts were in chaos for a moment. After hesitating, his body trembled slightly, and he said unwillingly, "Immortal Elder, but I... I have spiritual roots. Isn't it said that having spiritual roots is enough to enter the Immortal Sect?"

The old man said coldly, "What kind of lousy spiritual roots do you call that? I've been cultivating for over two hundred years, and I've never seen worse spiritual roots than yours. With such poor talent, taking you into the sect would only waste resources and waste your own time!"

Su Shi'er gritted his teeth and quickly glanced at Zhu Hanwei beside him. He felt indignant inside, but he dared not show it. Instead, he said in a low voice, "But he... he has no spiritual roots, and yet he was allowed into the sect, wasn't he?"

A person without spiritual roots could enter the Immortal Sect by offering gifts—this shocked Su Shi'er deeply. The legendary Immortal Sect did not seem as wonderful as he had imagined.

The old man appeared lofty and aloof, but his actions were no different from Er Gou's father back in the village, who was always trying to take advantage of others.

"Boy, are you teaching me how to do things?" The old man's face flushed with anger, and an invisible pressure radiated from him.

Su Shi'er's breath caught, and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.

His face filled with fear, he couldn't speak. This overwhelming pressure made him feel as if he had returned to Little Stone Village, oppressed by the Man in Black's aura.

Seeing this, the woman beside him furrowed her delicate brows slightly, sized up Su Shi'er a few times, and said, "Grandfather, this child does have a spiritual root after all. Why not give him a chance? The path of cultivation is not easy. If he can't hold on in a few years, we can send him down the mountain then!"

With his own granddaughter pleading for him, the old man's expression softened a bit. He said to Su Shi'er, "Fine, go stand on the right. Your talent is only slightly better than that little fatty's. You'll both serve as handymen."

Su Shi'er breathed a sigh of relief at this, quickly shot a grateful look at the woman, and then went to stand to the side.

At this point, with Su Shi'er's test finished, there were no other children left in the arena.

In total, only five had passed the test. This included Zhu Hanwei, who had pulled strings, and Su Shi'er, who had been let in thanks to someone else's plea.

The old man turned to look at the group and said flatly, "Though all of you have spiritual roots, don't get too excited too soon. The path of cultivation is a long one!"

"Next, I will take you to the sect for training. From now on, the path of immortality separates the mortal from the immortal. If any of you want to back out, now is the time."

With that, the old man waved his hand, and the flying sword behind him shot into the air. Driven by his true essence, the sword grew larger in the wind, stretching to over ten meters in length.

The flying sword hovered a meter above the ground. The old man leaped up with Han Yu and landed on it.

The others, under the woman's direction, climbed onto the sword one by one.

As the moment of parting arrived, aside from Su Shi'er and Han Yu, the other three children were all teary-eyed, reluctantly gazing at their families in the distance.

The old man's expression remained calm. After years of cultivation, scenes of parting like this were nothing new to him.

His vast true essence surged forth, forming a protective barrier around everyone. Then the long sword rose into the air, carrying them all as it flew off into the distance.