"Ten Paths Formula"

After Zhang Zhengyuan and Liu Chuansheng finished handing over the assignment, the latter shifted his gaze to Xu Changshou. "This junior brother looks unfamiliar. Is he a new recruit?"

Zhang Zhengyuan hurriedly replied, "Yes, Senior Brother Liu. His name is Xu Changshou, and I'm his guide."

"Changshou, hurry and greet Senior Brother Liu."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Liu!" Xu Changshou respectfully cupped his hands.

"Hello, Junior Brother Xu."

Liu Chuansheng made a perfunctory salute with cupped hands and smiled. "I'll register you with the sect now, Junior Brother. Before you join, we need to test your Spiritual Root."

As he spoke, Liu Chuansheng took out a white glowing rod and handed it to Xu Changshou. "Junior Brother, this is a magical instrument for testing your Spiritual Root. Just channel your spiritual energy into your palm."

"Yes!"

Xu Changshou channeled his spiritual energy into his palm as instructed.

The glowing rod changed. A dark green halo formed around it, followed by four more halos: pale green, red, yellow, and gold.

Dark green represented wood.

Pale green represented water.

Red represented fire.

Yellow represented earth.

Gold represented metal.

The appearance of all five colors meant that Xu Changshou's Spiritual Root possessed all five attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Bzz, bzz, bzz...

Then five more colored halos appeared: cyan, purple, black, white, and crystal-clear.

These five colors represented wind, lightning, light, darkness, and ice.

That meant he possessed metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, light, darkness, and ice-all ten attributes that existed between heaven and earth, without a single one missing.

"Heavens!"

"A Ten-Element Mixed Spiritual Root!"

Liu Chuansheng and Zhang Zhengyuan exchanged looks. Neither had expected Xu Changshou to possess a Ten-Element Mixed Spiritual Root.

They had seen mixed Spiritual Roots before, but never one this mixed. He truly was a freak rarity under heaven.

Wait.

"Is a Ten-Element Mixed Spiritual Root good?" Xu Changshou asked curiously.

Zhang Zhengyuan gave a bitter smile. "Let me put it this way: the fewer attributes a Spiritual Root has, the purer it is, and the faster you cultivate.

"For example, someone with only a fire Spiritual Root cultivates faster than someone with both water and fire Spiritual Roots.

"Someone with water and fire Spiritual Roots cultivates faster than someone with water, fire, and wood Spiritual Roots.

"In short, the more attributes your Spiritual Root has, the slower you cultivate.

"Three or more attributes make it a mixed Spiritual Root. A Qi Refining Cultivator with three attributes has practically no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. And your ten attributes..."

"This..."

Xu Changshou's heart sank to rock bottom.

If even a three-attribute mixed Spiritual Root couldn't reach Foundation Establishment, then his Ten-Element Mixed Spiritual Root...

Foundation Establishment was already difficult enough, yet his would be harder still.

At that moment, he felt his entire life had been plunged into darkness.

Zhang Zhengyuan rubbed his hands together and said eagerly, "Senior Brother Liu, according to the sect's rules, recommending a disciple earns a reward of five spirit stones. So..."

Liu Chuansheng shook his head. "Junior Brother Zhang, I don't mean to criticize you, but the disciple you've recommended has a Ten-Element Mixed Spiritual Root. He isn't worth much to the sect. I can only give you three spirit stones."

"What?!"

Zhang Zhengyuan bristled, his face reddening. "Senior Brother Liu, do you know how much I put into recommending Junior Brother Xu? I spent months painstakingly training him! I'll take a huge loss if you only give me three spirit stones. No, absolutely not. You have to give me at least four."

"Three. I said three, and I mean three."

"Four."

"Three."

"Four."

"I don't want him anymore. Take him away!"

"Fine, three it is."

Zhang Zhengyuan nodded in frustration and gave Xu Changshou a dissatisfied look, as though blaming him for failing to measure up.

Xu Changshou wore a strange expression. He had never imagined that Zhang Zhengyuan, with his air of an immortal sage, would argue himself red in the face over a single spirit stone like a street peddler.

"Here are your three spirit stones."

Liu Chuansheng placed three milky-white, diamond-shaped pieces of jade on the counter. With a sweep of his broad sleeve, Zhang Zhengyuan tucked them into his Storage Bag.

"Junior Brother Xu, I'll be leaving now. Until we meet again."

After one last glance at Xu Changshou, Zhang Zhengyuan strode away.

"Senior Brother Zhang, don't go! What am I supposed to do without you?" Xu Changshou panicked, feeling as though Zhang Zhengyuan had sold him to the Green Immortal Sect.

"Junior Brother Xu, I've brought you into the sect. Our fated connection ends here. Senior Brother Liu will arrange your admission. Goodbye!"

By the time he finished speaking, Zhang Zhengyuan had already disappeared through the hall's entrance, as though afraid Xu Changshou might change his mind about joining the Green Immortal Sect.

After Zhang Zhengyuan left, Liu Chuansheng's expression turned serious. Adopting a strictly businesslike manner, he tossed Xu Changshou a sheet of paper.

"Write down your personal information."

"Yes!"

Xu Changshou picked up the brush on the counter and wrote a crooked line:

Xu Changshou, twelve years old, Xu Family Village, Laiyang Commandery, Song Kingdom.

"Xu Changshou, male, twelve years old, five-element mixed Spiritual Root, native of Laiyang in the Song Kingdom."

Muttering to himself, Liu Chuansheng wrote Xu Changshou's personal information in midair with a seal-script brush. Then he took out a yellow wooden plaque and inscribed the information into it.

"Senior Brother Liu, don't I have a Ten-Element Mixed Spiritual Root? Why did you..."

"If anyone asks you in the future, say you have a five-element mixed Spiritual Root. Never say it's a Ten-Element Mixed Spiritual Root."

"Why?"

"We can't afford that embarrassment."

"Uh..."

Xu Changshou was speechless. Is my Spiritual Root really that shameful?

"Here. This is your identification plaque."

"Oh!"

Xu Changshou took the identification plaque and examined it. It was made of hard yellow peach wood, with the words "Green Immortal" written on the front and nothing on the back.

Xu Changshou studied it for a long while but discovered nothing.

Liu Chuansheng reminded him, "Your personal information has already been recorded inside. Your cultivation is too low to read it now. You'll be able to see it once you reach the Seventh Level of Qi Refining."

"Just remember that this is your identification token. From now on, you're a Servant Disciple of the Green Immortal Sect."

Servant Disciple...

The title made Xu Changshou somewhat uncomfortable.

A servant is a servant, and a disciple is a disciple. Why a Servant Disciple? Am I a disciple or a servant?

After thinking it over, Xu Changshou concluded that the sect recruited people like him to serve as menials. Giving them the title of disciple was probably just a way to soothe their hearts.

A menial it was, then. He had started out as a cowherd, after all, so he could accept the title.

Soon, Liu Chuansheng gathered several items and placed them on the counter.

A Storage Bag, a spirit stone, a Fine Steel Sword, a Disciple Handbook, two sets of small Daoist robes, and an identification plaque.

After checking everything, Liu Chuansheng glanced at Xu Changshou and said, "Junior Brother Xu, the cultivation method Junior Brother Zhang taught you was the Everlasting Spring Art. It's a wood-attribute cultivation method suited to wood Spiritual Roots. Do you want to keep practicing it? If so, I'll give you the subsequent sections."

Xu Changshou thought for a moment, then smiled bitterly. "Senior Brother Liu, I don't know whether I should keep practicing it. Could you give me some advice?"

Liu Chuansheng replied impatiently, "Most Qi Refining Cultivators choose a cultivation method based on the attributes of their Spiritual Roots."

"I see..."

Xu Changshou understood.

According to Liu Chuansheng, a cultivation method should match the attributes of one's Spiritual Root.

That meant Zhang Zhengyuan most likely had a wood Spiritual Root, which was why he had taught him the wood-attribute Everlasting Spring Art.

His own Spiritual Root included wood, so he could practice a wood-attribute cultivation method too.

He could practice the Everlasting Spring Art, but it wasn't the best choice.

"Senior Brother Liu, is there a cultivation method that cultivates all ten attributes together?"

"There is."

"Then I'll practice the one with all ten."

"Are you sure?" Liu Chuansheng looked surprised, then seemed to remember something and shook his head indifferently.

"Yes."

"Here!"

Liu Chuansheng tossed over a small booklet. Xu Changshou hurriedly glanced at it: "Ten Paths Formula."

He flipped through it briefly. The Ten Paths Formula was complete, covering everything from the Qi Refining First Layer to the twelfth.

At last, I have a cultivation method for the levels ahead.

A great stone finally fell from Xu Changshou's heart. This was what he needed most right now.