Sealing Off the Scene, Sending Word to the Sect!

"A Heavenly Spiritual Root?!"

The steward froze, then cried out in shock.

At his words, Chen Zhuo was stunned. So were the Rogue Cultivators.

Even the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators were dumbstruck.

A Heavenly Spiritual Root?!

In thousands of years, the Southern Wilderness had produced no more than a handful of Heavenly Spiritual Roots. Apart from one who had died young, every last one had become a figure of great renown. One had even become a Nascent Soul Cultivator!

And such a prodigy had appeared here?!

Boom!

Just then, a man with loose hair shot up from the crowd. Flames seemed to engulf his body as he lunged at Chen Zhuo, his face twisted with fury!

"Hmph. You dare cause trouble in front of me?!"

The old man reacted at once. With a cold snort, he sent a small gourd flying from his sleeve.

The moment it appeared, the gourd spat out a streak of silver sword-light that swept around the charging man!

The Sword Qi was bleak and biting. Beneath that silver flash, the man was sliced in half at the waist, his blood spraying across the floor!

"Go!"

Severed at the waist and fallen to the hall floor, the man was in agony, but his hands never stopped moving. A talisman flew from his grip and sped toward the outskirts of the Market!

"Junior Sister Shen!"

The old man shouted, "Stop that Sound Transmission Talisman!"

At his words, the white-robed woman became a streak of sword-light and raced after the talisman, vanishing in an instant.

It had all happened in a flash of lightning. The Rogue Cultivators present had not even had time to react.

The old man snorted, put away the little gourd, and said with disgust, "Southern Barbarian. You thought you could harm our sect's prodigy?!"

"Junior Brother Xiao, activate the Market's Guardian Formation. Don't let a single person here leave. Anyone who tries to force their way through the barrier is to be killed on the spot!"

"Send word to Martial Uncles Wei, Wang, and Lu at once. Have them come here without delay!"

"Anyone who trespasses through the Market Formation will be deemed to have declared war on the Qiwu Sword Sect!"

With that, the old man leaped down from the platform and came to Chen Zhuo's side. His expression was excited as he looked Chen Zhuo up and down. "This old man is Zhao Shu, an unworthy elder of the Qiwu Sword Sect's Law Enforcement Hall. Your joining our Sword Gate truly brings honor to our humble halls!"

Chen Zhuo was still dazed.

What the hell?

I have a Heavenly Spiritual Root?

No, I have a single-attribute Artificial Spiritual Root.

Why do they think I have a Heavenly Spiritual Root?

After a moment's thought, Chen Zhuo understood the reason.

He had been right all along.

These country bumpkins of the Ancient Immortal Realm had never seen this kind of technological trickery.

They really had never seen it!

They had no idea a single-attribute Spiritual Root could be an Artificial Spiritual Root implanted later in life. The very concept did not exist to them.

What was more, Chen Zhuo's Artificial Spiritual Root had been fashioned from a natural spiritual treasure. Its Wood Attribute came from a Wood Attribute treasure, which was why it had appeared as an emerald tree on the Immortal-Fate Stone.

The material filling his Artificial Spiritual Root was probably a branch from some spiritual tree.

It all fit. Every piece fit.

Except...

Through a strange twist of fate, he seemed to have landed himself in serious trouble.

Chen Zhuo's feelings were complicated. For now, they had mistaken him for someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root. If they discovered he was not, they might well chop him into mince.

What do I do?

Chen Zhuo gritted his teeth.

It's too late to say anything now!

He had revealed his "Heavenly Spiritual Root" before everyone's eyes. The entire Southern Wilderness would probably turn its attention to him. If he had heard correctly, those three martial uncles—Wei, Wang, and Lu—were genuine Golden Core True Persons!

Even if he managed to slip away, Golden Core True Persons would hunt him down.

So why the hell should I run?

I'm a goddamn genius with a Heavenly Spiritual Root!

I'm a goddamn prodigy of the Immortal Dao!

I'll just own it!

Worst case, when they're about to find out, I'll return to the Immortal Estate, lie low for thirty or fifty years, then come back.

Chen Zhuo refused to believe a Golden Core True Person could watch one spot for thirty or fifty years. If one really could, he would accept his fate!

Without hesitation, Chen Zhuo cupped his fists. "Elder Zhao, I am Chen Zhuo. I wish to test my sword against all under heaven, join the Sword Gate, and sweep away the demons with my blade!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhao Shu laughed heartily. "Junior Brother Chen, don't let it trouble you. Once we return to the sect, one of the six elders will surely take you as a disciple and name you a True Disciple. While we're at the Market, we can address each other as fellow disciples."

"Senior Brother Zhao!"

Chen Zhuo did not stand on ceremony. He cupped his fists to Zhao Shu, then to the other Foundation Establishment Cultivator. "Senior Brother Xiao."

Chen Zhuo did not know the steward's full name, but from what had just been said, his surname was Xiao.

The female cultivator's surname was Shen.

And Chen Zhuo had addressed Foundation Establishment Cultivators as his peers without a trace of hesitation.

After all, he was now a genius with a Heavenly Spiritual Root. That was how a prodigy of the Immortal Dao ought to act!

If you weren't bold, you weren't much of a prodigy!

"Junior Brother Xiao, handle matters here. I'll take Junior Brother Chen back to the Immortal Boat, activate its protective formation, and wait for the martial uncles to arrive."

Zhao Shu nodded in satisfaction, then ordered the steward bluntly, "Do not let anyone leave. We'll decide what to do with them after the martial uncles arrive!"

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhao!"

Steward Xiao did not dare delay. He cupped his fists in acknowledgment, then resumed calling the other disciples forward for their assessments.

Li Changqing and Li Yao, who had been treated as prized finds only moments before, lost everyone's attention in an instant. The siblings stood there blankly, unsure what to say.

Fortunately, the female cultivator surnamed Shen soon returned on her sword. Seeing that Li Yao and Li Changqing were still there, she had them board the Immortal Boat with her and wait for its return trip.

The siblings thanked her profusely.

"Junior Brother Chen, let me examine your meridians and see whether cultivating on your own all these years has left you with any ailments."

As soon as they landed on the Immortal Boat, Zhao Shu placed his fingers on Chen Zhuo's wrist and began checking his Spirit Body for damage.

Chen Zhuo kept his face composed, though inwardly he was nervous.

What if he sees through my supposed Heavenly Spiritual Root?

Chen Zhuo had no idea what would happen. He could only stay ready to use the World-Breaking Pearl and flee back at any moment.

"Hm?"

After feeling Chen Zhuo's meridians and Law Body, Zhao Shu froze in disbelief. "So pure and flawless, and the flow is so smooth... Have you been cultivating for less than a year?"

Zhao Shu was shocked.

He sensed none of the impurities that cultivation usually left in Chen Zhuo's meridians. His entire Spirit Meridian network and Qi Sea were remarkably clean and pure, as though they had been refined over and over.

In the immortal cultivation world, the Spiritual Qi absorbed through cultivation methods was actually mixed and impure. It had to be refined repeatedly, but cultivators in the Qi Refinement Realm were poor at it, so impurities often remained in their Spiritual Qi. They then had to consume spiritual treasures to flush those impurities out.

Yet the Spiritual Qi in Chen Zhuo's Qi Sea was not only free of impurities and utterly pure; it even carried a faint, fresh scent of grass and trees. It was astonishing!

And Zhao Shu could tell that Chen Zhuo had been cultivating this Law Body for less than a year!

Was this what a Heavenly Spiritual Root could do?!

In just one year, he had reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

And the Spiritual Qi in his Dantian and Qi Sea was this pure!

Zhao Shu drew in a sharp breath. His gaze grew even more fervent as he looked at Chen Zhuo.

What was a prodigy?

This was a prodigy!