Windfold

Was Wen Xu-Xu's Spiritual Root really that exceptional?

Chunchou thought, Could it be a Single Spiritual Root? A Mutated Single Spiritual Root? Don't tell me it's wind-elemental? Wen Xu-Xu really did wield that fan with remarkable agility.

Then, the very next moment, he heard the five words "Mutated Wind Spiritual Root" from the elder's mouth.

Ahhh! His guess had been dead-on! No, his new friend was actually a cultivation genius! He'd picked up a cultivation-genius friend! Shouldn't Yonglu Mountain give him a huge commemorative banner?!

"Wen Xu-Xu, when you attain wealth and rank, don't forget me!"

Even Chen Zui silently adjusted Wen Xu-Xu's place in his heart [A promising future opponent +1].

Only Wen Xu, because the jade slip he had read contained such scant information on Spiritual Roots, did not know how rare a Wind Spiritual Root was. He even asked a rare foolish question: "Does mutated mean it isn't very good?"

Everyone: !!!! Is there anyone here? Hurry up and drag this humblebragger out! They wanted to mutate too! If he didn't want it, he should give it to them!

Yet after all thirty-five people had their Spiritual Roots tested, no second Mutated Spiritual Root appeared apart from Wen Xu's. There were, however, two Single Spiritual Root geniuses.

Xia Ying, the Langyuan City Lord's niece, had a Single Fire Spiritual Root. There was also someone named Lin Congcong; though her name carried both water and wood, she had an earth-element Spiritual Root, with not the slightest connection to water.

Only when the Spiritual Root testing ended, as Wen Xu felt the gazes falling upon him—some jealous, some wistful, some astonished—did he gain a sliver of real awareness that Heaven had unexpectedly favored me.

But he soon realized that if he was a cultivation genius, didn't that mean revenge was within reach?!

Windfold

New disciples who had just entered the sect were given a three-day adaptation and learning period.

The curriculum included, but was not limited to, learning Yonglu Mountain's disciple rules, getting accustomed in advance to earning Spirit Stones and cultivation resources at Yonglu Mountain, and adaptive cultivation suited to one's Spiritual Root. Put simply, it was preparation for taking a master three days later.

Likewise, those three days gave the Inner Sect seniors who wished to accept disciples an opportunity to observe them. Though three days were not enough to see through a person's character, something was better than nothing.

Originally, Yonglu Mountain had been like other sects, with no such three-day buffer period. Once the Spiritual Roots had been tested, people took whichever disciples they wanted, while those nobody wanted were assigned to the Outer Sect first. After the sect's disciple competition a year later, there could be a second round of accepting disciples.

But later, one of Yonglu Mountain's sect masters discovered that confirming a master-disciple relationship without any buffer was far too rash. He himself had suffered deeply from it: he had blindly accepted disciples based only on aptitude without considering their personalities. His disciple was already a two-hundred-year-old Nascent Soul True Lord, yet still did not dare leave the mountain gate to travel. The sect master was so furious that he nearly expelled him from the sect. Perhaps because he had once been drenched by rain, he set up this three-day adaptation period.

"That's obviously absurd! A two-hundred-year-old Nascent Soul True Lord! I suspect this sect master used the establishment of the three-day rule as an excuse to show off his excellent disciple to the outside world!"

Wen Xu rarely admired anyone, but at that moment, he truly admired Chunchou. "Where did you hear all this?"

"I just found a senior brother and chatted with him. I have Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots, don't I? No one had seen those before. When I took the initiative to talk to people about it, of course they were willing to talk to me."

In truth, more people had come to see Wen Xu, but Wen Xu himself wore a blindfold. Though he looked approachable enough, they had heard that he came from the Mortal Realm and feared frightening him. If their elders blamed them afterward, it would be trouble, so they did not dare strike up a conversation. Besides, they had already entered Yonglu Mountain; there would surely be plenty of chances to get to know him later.

"That is also because you have such a cheerful, likable personality. Otherwise, people would not be willing to tell you these things."

Chunchou gave a couple of chuckles. "Actually, I know that quite a few people talk sourly about me behind my back. They say I stumbled into dog shit luck by becoming friends with you. They also say that with my Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots, I definitely won't be able to enter the Inner Sect, so I'm desperately clinging to you, hoping you'll look after me in the future and bring me into the Inner Sect~"

That straight shot caught Wen Xu completely off guard. "They..."

To be honest, because of his upbringing, Wen Xu really could not be considered a warmhearted person. But Chunchou had helped him many times, even saved his life. Though two Blood-Recovery Pills were not particularly valuable in the Cultivation Realm, and any random cultivator on the road could produce them, within the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm, not everyone would necessarily have saved his life as Chunchou had, without a moment's hesitation.

Afterward, Chunchou had even rescued him from the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm and helped him ascend to the immortal sect. Wen Xu had even considered what he should do if Chunchou suffered mistreatment at Yonglu Mountain because of his Spiritual Roots, so that he could quietly help him gain a firm footing and increase his spiritual power.

"Why care about what they say? Besides, the Spiritual Roots are growing on my body. I'll cultivate however I want!" Chunchou said earnestly. "Wen Xu-Xu, people who only know how to gossip behind others' backs about their shortcomings aren't suitable for friendship."

Warmth rose in Wen Xu's heart, and then he said, "Chunchou, there's something I've always wanted to tell you."

"What is it?" Chunchou scooted closer and sat down.

"After this New Year, I'll be twenty-two by traditional age." Wen Xu had passed the provincial examination at eighteen, observed mourning for three years, and was already twenty by actual age this year. No matter how he calculated it, he was older than Chunchou.

Nineteen-year-old Chunchou was utterly stunned. "No way! If you hadn't said so, I would've thought you were underage!" You looked far too young.

"I have already reached adulthood. Chunchou ought to call me elder brother."

Chunchou gave a soft snort. "I won't!" The truth was, he had grown accustomed to calling him Wen Xu-Xu and simply could not change it.

"Besides, if I called you elder brother, wouldn't I also have to call Chen Zui-Zui elder brother?" Chunchou's head instantly shook like a rattle-drum. "No, no, no, no. It's better to keep things as they are."

"Hm? You didn't know?" Wen Xu asked at just the right moment.

"What don't I know?"

"Chen Zui is the youngest among the new disciples entering the sect this time. As far as I know, he has only just passed his eighteenth birthday."

"What? I don't believe it!"

Chunchou sprang to his feet in shock and dashed a hundred meters toward the person practicing with his blade. "You're really eighteen?"