Aptitude for Immortal Cultivation, Stepping onto the Immortal Path
"His Majesty has arrived~!"
As a shrill voice rang out from afar, the youths, Qin Yi among them, all dropped to their knees and cried, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the emperor!"
The Emperor of Qin cast an unobtrusive glance toward where Qin Yi and the other two stood, then said, "Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
A faint smile curved Zhao Qian's lips. Once the Emperor of Qin and the assembled princes and ministers had taken their seats, the emperor nodded to Zhao Qian. "Envoy Zhao, please begin."
Zhao Qian put away his smile and walked to the center of the training ground. He brushed a hand over the Storage Bag at his waist, and a brown compass appeared in his hand.
With a wave of Zhao Qian's hand, several streaks of light flew from his palm. The compass slowly floated into the air, and eight Spirit Stones landed on the ground, giving off a hazy glow. As Zhao Qian chanted an incantation, runes on the compass gradually lit up.
"Form a line and enter the array one at a time. Those who make the compass shine brightly, stand to my left. The rest, stand to my right."
Qin Yi and the others quickly formed a line. Naturally, the first to stand in line was Qin Shiyu, the Emperor of Qin's third princess, followed by Qin Peng. Qin Yi had been born a few days after Qin Peng, so he stood third. Once everyone else had found their places, Zhao Qian pointed a finger and shouted, "Enter the array!"
Qin Shiyu carefully stepped into the array, and the compass hovering in the air immediately shone brilliantly. A smile finally appeared on the Emperor of Qin's face. Qin Shiyu noticed him nod at her, and the unease in her heart finally vanished. She obediently walked out of the great array and stood to Zhao Qian's left.
Qin Peng then strode confidently into the array, and the compass shone brilliantly, just as he had expected. He turned to look at Qin Yi and raised an eyebrow, as if to say, Well? Your big brother didn't lie to you, did he?
Qin Yi clenched his fists and stepped into the array. The compass immediately shone brilliantly, seemingly even brighter than it had for Qin Shiyu and Qin Peng. In the stands, the Emperor of Qin turned to Prince Qing behind him and said, "That boy of yours is quite something."
Prince Qing shook his head and immediately smiled. "Not at all. I think Shiyu's talent is better."
By the time the Emperor of Qin looked back at the training ground, the smile had already vanished from his face. After all, these three were the only ones from the imperial family. Looking at the bustling training ground, he couldn't help but make a silent resolution. I must have a few more children. Hmm, who should attend me in bed tonight?
Another nine people made the compass shine. The dozen or so remaining stood dejectedly to Zhao Qian's right, clearly without Spirit Roots in their bodies.
"Your Majesty, the test found a total of twelve people with Spirit Roots."
"Thank you for your efforts, Envoy Zhao. Please give these children some time to bid their families farewell."
At the summons of a nearby eunuch, Qin Yi and the other two walked over to the Emperor of Qin. He led them into an inner chamber before speaking. "Soon, you will follow Envoy Zhao to the Eight Gods Pavilion. Remember, the moment you leave the imperial city, you will step into the cruel world of immortal cultivation, where the strong reign supreme and the weak are ants. No matter which of you proves more talented, you must look after one another. Understood?"
The three children obediently nodded.
The Emperor of Qin nodded and turned to have the old eunuch bring over a brocade box. He opened it in front of the three, revealing three Storage Bags lying inside. After handing them out, he said, "These are rewards from the imperial family. They aren't much, but they should be enough for you at present."
"All right, Prince Qing and Prince Ping are already waiting for you outside. Go on."
Qin Yi and Qin Peng's eyes flashed. They bowed respectfully and withdrew.
After Qin Yi and Qin Peng left, the Emperor of Qin asked Qin Shiyu to accompany him on a walk. Qin Shiyu knew she would soon be leaving and couldn't help lowering her head, looking a little sad.
"Shiyu, once you enter the Eight Gods Pavilion, don't trust anyone too easily. Do you understand?"
"Why? Didn't you just tell the three of us to look after one another, Father?"
"What I said just now was only for those two. What I'm saying now is for you. Remember, once you enter the immortal cultivation world, don't trust anyone too easily. You must be on guard even against those two and not trust them too easily."
"Oh."
When Qin Yi found Prince Qing, the prince was sitting leisurely in his seat, cracking melon seeds and humming a tune. Qin Yi shook his head helplessly and said in exasperation, "Come on, Dad, aren't you worried about me? Am I really your own son?"
Prince Qing spat before getting to his feet. "I've already said everything I should. Don't I know how clever you are, boy?"
"But there's one thing I still have to remind you: wealth, companions, techniques, and land. You must be especially careful around women. The word for lust has a blade hanging over its head. There are plenty of beauties in the immortal cultivation world, so you'd better keep yourself in check. I'm still counting on you to come back, care for me in my old age, and see me off when I die. Don't go dying out there."
Qin Yi listened, black lines covering his forehead. "I know. You didn't have to go out of your way to stress that."
"All right, take care on your journey, boy. Once you're out there, I won't have the ability to help you anymore. You'll have to fight for everything yourself."
"Mm." Qin Yi nodded firmly.
Suddenly, several piercing eagle cries rang out in the distance, and a giant gray eagle landed steadily on the training ground. Zhao Qian stood aloof on its back, his hands clasped behind him.
"Prepare to depart!"