Metal-Attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root

As the spiritual root testing began, the square grew lively.

The boys and girls looked anxious as they stepped forward to be tested one by one.

But soon, as the disciples at the front called out expressionlessly, "Next, next, next..."

Both the parents and the boys and girls waiting in line felt their hearts rapidly sink.

The children who were eliminated left the testing area dejectedly and returned to their elders, whose faces wore forced smiles.

This single, simple step decided that the path to immortality was beyond their reach.

Although they had prepared themselves beforehand, knowing that barely one in ten thousand possessed a spiritual root, the results were still hard to accept when laid bare before them.

Zhao Ting stood in line, sweating all over with nerves. Occasionally, he glanced back at Chen Xun, and seeing him crouching quietly there put him somewhat at ease.

Time passed, breath by breath, and more and more youngsters left the lines with their heads hanging.

On the platform, Shen He watched this scene without expression, thinking nothing of it.

How could cultivating immortality be so easy? The most important threshold alone, possessing a spiritual root, sifted them like great waves washing through sand.

Shen He glanced at the sun and thought to himself, With so many boys and girls in Clear Sky City this time, finding five would already be an excellent result.

If their luck was poor, they might find only two or three, or even none at all. There was nothing to be done about that.

City Lord Xu Hai, meanwhile, looked embarrassed.

It was almost noon, yet not a single child with a spiritual root had appeared. Had Clear Sky City's feng shui been poor these past two years?

When the Heavenly Dao Sect had come to recruit disciples in previous years, they had found two children with spiritual roots before noon.

"It's glowing! It's glowing!"

Just then, a great commotion broke out in the square.

At the front of the second line, the Spirit-Testing Artifact before the boy being tested shone with a light so dazzling that it stood out even beneath the sun.

The boy froze, his heart racing!

"What a wonderful child! Blue smoke must be rising from our Yu family's ancestral graves! To think our family would produce an immortal master!"

The boy's parent stood nearby, trembling with excitement as tears filled their eyes.

Countless townspeople looked over enviously, knowing that from this day onward, this family's standing in Clear Sky City would rise like a boat lifted by the tide!

Even if their background had been ordinary before, having produced an immortal master, they could now stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the great families, or even surpass them.

Even the city lord would show this family respect.

This truly was a case of one person attaining the Dao and even their chickens and dogs ascending to heaven.

Only cultivating immortality could achieve this. Even passing the civil examinations came nowhere close.

Watching this scene, Zhao Ting was practically numb with envy.

"A false earth spiritual root. Your aptitude is ordinary, but you can cultivate immortality nonetheless. You qualify to enter our Heavenly Dao Sect, though you'll have to start as a Servant Disciple. Child, what is your name?"

Shen He looked at the boy as he spoke.

The boy bowed and said excitedly, "Immortal Master, my name is Yu Zheng!"

Shen He nodded. "Yu Zheng... good. Stand to one side and wait."

"Yes!"

Rubbing his hands, Yu Zheng moved to the side under everyone's gaze, the first person so far who had not been eliminated.

Feeling all those eyes upon him, Yu Zheng could not help lifting his chin and puffing out his chest. Like his elders, he had never felt so glorious before.

Then the testing continued.

Quite a few relatives who had previously been distant from Yu Zheng's family were already chatting with his parents, their manner fawning.

Such was reality.

In a flash, afternoon arrived.

During that time, two more boys and one girl were found to possess spiritual roots, though all of them had false spiritual roots.

Even so, everyone else was consumed with envy.

The townspeople knew nothing about the differences in spiritual root quality. They only knew that anyone with a spiritual root could join the Heavenly Dao Sect and soar to success, bringing even their chickens and dogs up to heaven.

As the sun sank in the west, the spiritual root testing in the square neared its end.

Very few people remained in the lines.

As for Chen Xun, he was now lying on the ground, fast asleep.

Yes, he was simply lying on the ground. The townspeople nearby all knew Chen Xun was a madman, so they merely shook their heads at his behavior without saying anything, though they did move a fair distance away.

Looking at the dwindling number of boys and girls, Shen He nodded slightly. "It seems these four are all we'll find this time. They all have false spiritual roots, but it's still a decent result."

Hearing this, Xu Hai did not know what to say and could only smile along.

At last, Zhao Ting's turn came.

Under the Heavenly Dao Sect disciple's strange gaze, Zhao Ting carefully placed his hand on the Spirit-Testing Artifact.

Suddenly, the Spirit-Testing Artifact erupted with an unprecedented brilliance!

Zhao Ting stared blankly, then an incomparable surge of wild joy burst from his heart!

C-could Heaven really be smiling upon me?

Yesterday, Brother Chen said spiritual essence naturally suffused my whole body. Had his words actually come true?!

Could Brother Chen be my lucky star?!

The square fell silent, then erupted in cries of astonishment!

This light was utterly different from the previous four. Besides being brighter, its most distinctive feature was that the earlier lights had all been white, while this one was golden!

The disciple standing before Zhao Ting was stunned. After casting an incredulous glance at Zhao Ting, he turned toward Shen He on the platform and called in a trembling voice, "D-Deacon!"

Even the other four disciples stopped their tests in unison and looked toward Zhao Ting in shock!

On the platform, Shen He came to his senses and shot up from his seat. Staring at the golden light streaming ceaselessly from the Spirit-Testing Artifact, the corners of his eyes twitched furiously, revealing just how unsettled he was!

The next instant, Shen He flew down from the platform and landed before Zhao Ting. He stared at the Spirit-Testing Artifact until the golden light faded, then discreetly swallowed.

Shen He abruptly turned toward Zhao Ting and asked excitedly, "You... what is your name?"

Seeing this commotion, City Lord Xu Hai was alarmed. He hurried down from the platform and rushed behind Shen He, staring at Zhao Ting in utter shock while lingering fear gripped his heart!

Thank goodness I didn't offend this man or his friend earlier, he thought. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

With a scene like this, even thinking with one's backside would be enough to realize that this man's spiritual root must be extraordinary!

Zhao Ting hurriedly bowed. "Immortal Master, my name is Zhao Ting."

Shen He, however, gave a slight start and quickly helped Zhao Ting straighten. "Zhao Ting, there's no need for such formalities!"

With Zhao Ting's aptitude, he would undoubtedly be promoted straight to Purple-Robed Disciple upon returning to the sect!

That meant becoming a so-called Core Disciple, with a rank and status above his own as a deacon.

Moreover, he, Shen He, had discovered Zhao Ting and would be bringing him back. This was surely a great achievement, giving him hope of a future promotion. Zhao Ting truly was his lucky star!

Yet Zhao Ting still asked somewhat anxiously, "I-Immortal Master, with my aptitude... can I enter the Heavenly Dao Sect to cultivate? And... my age..."

Zhao Ting knew nothing about spiritual roots. Although the old man's reaction suggested that he could probably join, he still asked again to be safe.

Most importantly, he was rather old, after all, and that genuinely made him anxious.

At his words, the square fell quiet. The townspeople all pricked up their ears, wanting to hear exactly how good Zhao Ting's aptitude was. Everyone had seen the Heavenly Dao Sect immortal master's reaction.

Some who had mocked Zhao Ting at the beginning fell silent, even lowering their heads for fear that he would notice them.

Of all the possibilities they had imagined, they had never expected Zhao Ting to have the best aptitude of anyone tested this time.

As for exactly how outstanding he was, they still had to hear what the immortal master said.

"Zhao Ting, with your aptitude, age is no issue at all. The age limit exists because those with poor aptitude and false spiritual roots would only be wasting their time if they began cultivating in their twenties. But you are different..."

Shen He took a deep breath and looked at Zhao Ting as though gazing upon a peerless treasure, then continued:

"Among mortals, scarcely one in ten thousand possesses a spiritual root. Yet your aptitude ranks among the very best in the entire Northern Mystic Cultivation World! You possess a metal-attribute heavenly spiritual root!"

Such exceptional aptitude would send countless great sects flocking to him, not merely in Northern Mystic, but throughout the entire mortal cultivation world. Even in the Heavenly Dao Sect, he would have to be enshrined like a treasure!