Mixed Spiritual Roots

"Good! Good! Good!! What is your name?" The old man said "good" three times in a row, staring intently at Han Yu. His eyes gleamed, and he looked as though he could not wait to swallow the boy whole.

A streak of pride flowed between the little boy's brows. Calm and unhurried, he answered, "Han Yu!"

"Good name! And a good child too. Come, come over here!"

The old man nodded and smiled as he beckoned Han Yu over. With a kindly expression, he took Han Yu's little hand, beaming from ear to ear as though afraid someone might snatch away a precious treasure.

Han Yu stood beside the old man with his head held high and chest thrust out, looking utterly proud. Though young, he seemed more mature and steady than children his age.

That reaction made the old man secretly nod again, even more pleased within.

The testing continued, and anticipation grew on the old man's face.

Still, among mortals, those who could naturally awaken a Spiritual Root were few and far between.

In the blink of an eye, another thirty-odd children had been tested, yet no one else with a Spiritual Root appeared.

The old man remained calm and was not overly disappointed. From time to time, he turned to glance at Han Yu, his eyes burning with eagerness.

To him, whether there were others no longer mattered. So long as he could properly nurture this promising seedling, Luofu Peak's standing within the Yun Ge Sect would surely be turned around.

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

Su Shi'er noticed that the chubby boy wore splendid brocade robes and had a rosy complexion. At a glance, he was clearly the child of a wealthy family.

Before Su Shi'er could step forward, the chubby boy rushed ahead, jogging all the way to the Spirit Testing Stone. His plump little hand pressed nervously against it.

The next instant, the Spirit Testing Stone trembled slightly, but nothing changed.

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

Yet the chubby boy had clearly come prepared. Rather than leaving, he dropped to his knees with a thud and repeatedly kowtowed to the old man. "This lowly one is Zhu Hanwei, son of Huilong Town's mayor. Greetings, Immortal sir! This lowly one is devoted to the Dao and hopes

Immortal will give this lowly one a chance."

"This is the token of respect my father asked me to offer Immortal sir!"

As he spoke, Zhu Hanwei frantically pulled a Sandalwood Box from his robes.

"Humph!" The old man's expression darkened, and even the air seemed to grow several degrees colder.

Zhu Hanwei shuddered. With a tremble, the wooden box fell from his hand to the ground.

Just as the old man was about to rebuke him, he saw the cracked box and his pupils shrank. He snatched the box into his hand and examined it carefully. At once, delight appeared on his face. "Hmm? Hundred Year Cold Jade? I never expected your father, a mere mortal, to gather such a treasure."

The old man smiled at the corners of his eyes, secretly rejoicing.

Hundred Year Cold Jade was a material used in artifact refinement. Even for him, gathering it was no easy task. Compared to that, admitting a boy without a Spiritual Root into the sect was nothing at all.

Quietly putting away the cold jade, the old man stroked his beard with a grave expression and continued, "Very well. Since you are so devoted to the Dao, I shall give you a chance."

Zhu Hanwei was both startled and delighted. He immediately bowed his head to the ground. "Many thanks, Immortal sir! Many thanks, Immortal sir!"

The old man waved a hand. "Enough. Go stand to the side."

Only then did Zhu Hanwei rise and walk to the old man's right. As he passed Han Yu, he gave a chuckle and wore a friendly expression.

Han Yu, however, kept his gaze straight ahead and ignored him. Zhu Hanwei smiled awkwardly, not daring to get angry. From the old man's attitude toward Han Yu, he knew Han Yu's future status. This was someone he could not afford to offend.

At this time, Su Shi'er also walked nervously up to the Spirit Testing Stone.

After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and pressed his hand against it.

The Spirit Testing Stone suddenly shook, then lit up with a dazzling multicolored glow. Yet the colored orb of light was dim and weak, flickering in and out.

When Su Shi'er saw the orb of light shine from the Spirit Testing Stone, joy rose in his heart. Thank goodness, I actually have a Spiritual Root too.

But just as he was about to secretly sigh in relief, he noticed the old man's ugly expression, and his heart immediately rose to his throat again.

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

The old man curled his lips. "What Complete Spiritual Roots? Every one of his Spiritual Roots is pitifully weak, practically no different from having none at all. They are plainly the worst kind of Mixed Spiritual Roots! A person like this can cultivate no further than the Qi Refining Seventh or Eighth Layer in his entire life."

After saying that, the old man looked at Su Shi'er. "Unqualified! Leave!"

Su Shi'er had already felt more than half his heart turn cold upon hearing the conversation between the old man and the woman. Hearing this now, he felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar.

To him, if he could not enter an immortal sect and learn Immortal Arts, how could he speak of avenging his grandfather?

For a moment, Su Shi'er's thoughts were in turmoil. After hesitating, his body trembled slightly. Unwilling to accept this, he said, "Immortal elder, but I... I have a Spiritual Root. Wasn't it said that anyone with a Spiritual Root could enter an immortal sect?"

The old man said coldly, "What kind of damned Spiritual Root do you call that? I have cultivated for more than two hundred years, and I have never seen Spiritual Roots worse than yours. With such meager aptitude, admitting you through the sect gate would only waste resources and delay your own time!"

Su Shi'er gritted his teeth and quickly glanced at Zhu Hanwei beside him. Naturally, he felt indignant, but he did not dare lash out. Instead, he said softly, "But he... he has no Spiritual Root, yet he was still allowed to enter an immortal sect, wasn't he?"

Someone without a Spiritual Root could actually enter an immortal sect by offering gifts. This deeply shocked Su Shi'er. The immortal sect of legend did not seem as wonderful as he had imagined.

The old man looked lofty and above all others, yet the way he acted was no different from Ergou's father in the village, always trying to take advantage of others.

"Boy, are you teaching me how to do things?" Anger surfaced on the old man's face, and an invisible pressure spread from his body.

Su Shi'er's breathing caught, and his heartbeat suddenly sped up.

Fear appeared on his face, and he could not speak. Under that powerful oppressive aura, he felt as though he had returned to Little Stone Village, once again being crushed by the aura of the Man in Black.

The woman beside them frowned slightly as she studied Su Shi'er for a few moments. Then she said, "Grandfather, this child has a Spiritual Root after all. Why not give him a chance? Cultivation is not easy. If he cannot endure after a few years, we can simply send him down the mountain then."

Since his own granddaughter had pleaded for him, the old man's expression finally eased somewhat. He said to Su Shi'er, "Fine. Go stand on the right. Your aptitude is only a little better than that chubby boy's. You can both serve as menial disciples."

Hearing this, Su Shi'er sighed in relief. He hurriedly cast the woman a grateful look, then went to stand at the side.

With Su Shi'er's test complete, there were no more children left in the field.

Only five people had passed the test in total. This even included Zhu Hanwei, who had gotten in through connections, and Su Shi'er, who had been admitted only because someone had pleaded for him.

The old man turned to the group and said blandly, "Though all of you possess Spiritual Roots, do not celebrate too soon! The road of cultivation is still long!"

"Next, I will take you to the sect to cultivate! From this day onward, the path of immortality separates immortals from mortals. If any of you regret this now, it is not too late."

With that, the old man swept out a hand. The flying sword behind him shot into the air. Driven by True Yuan, it expanded with the wind, becoming more than ten meters long in the blink of an eye.

The flying sword hovered one meter above the ground. The old man took Han Yu with him and leaped onto it.

At the woman's call, the others climbed onto the flying sword one by one.

At the moment of parting, apart from Su Shi'er and Han Yu, the other three children all had tears welling in their eyes as they reluctantly gazed at their families in the distance.

The old man remained indifferent. Having cultivated for many years, he had long grown accustomed to such partings.

Vast True Yuan surged from within him, forming a protective barrier around them. Then the long sword soared into the sky, carrying everyone toward the distance.