Lightning-Fire Dual Spirit Roots

"Next."

Qin Yi walked into the array under everyone's gaze. A moment later, two streams of light appeared, stirring everyone present into excitement.

"Two. A Dual Spirit Root." Zhao Qian's mouth trembled slightly. He had discovered a genius with a Dual Spirit Root on his first assignment as a recruiting envoy, and he could almost see himself taking another step forward in cultivation.

The youths all cast envious looks at Qin Yi. Even Qin Shiyu and Qin Peng were no exception.

When the radiance faded, two clusters of light, one red and one purple, circled Qin Yi.

Zhao Qian was finally stunned. "A Variant Spirit Root, and a lightning attribute at that! This, this must be reported to the elders at once."

"Qin Yi, Lightning-Fire Dual Spirit Roots. Eligible to become a personal disciple."

"Personal disciple?" Qin Yi looked somewhat surprised. "Thank you, Envoy Zhao."

"No need to thank me. I'll have to rely on you a great deal in the future."

No one else who followed had talent like Qin Yi's. There was only one Triple Spirit Root and two Quadruple Spirit Roots; the rest were all Quintuple Spirit Roots.

It was almost dark before the square grew quiet again. The Grand Elder was still standing in midair, but the two people who had been behind her had vanished.

"This assembly is now over. Deacons will come shortly to take you to the inner and outer sects. Wait here."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Grand Elder turned into a stream of light and appeared before Qin Yi in the blink of an eye. Qin Yi instantly felt the temperature around him drop. A breeze blew past, and he felt as though he were standing in the depths of winter.

The Grand Elder sent a strand of spiritual power into Qin Yi, and only then did he return to normal.

"Qin Yi pays his respects to the Grand Elder."

The Grand Elder nodded and said, "Are you the one with Lightning-Fire Dual Spirit Roots?"

Zhao Qian immediately answered, "Yes, Grand Elder. This is Qin Yi."

"Mm, not bad. I wonder if you would be willing to..."

"Ahem, Xiao Yueyue, that's hardly fair, is it? Can't you wait until all us old fellows get here before you start fighting over him?" Before the Grand Elder could finish, a voice rang out abruptly.

An old man with the bearing of an immortal came riding through the air on a black ox.

When the Grand Elder saw who it was, her expression immediately darkened. "Hmph. You tricked the last Dual Spirit Root into going to the inner sect. Are you trying to snatch this one too?"

The old man bristled, his beard bristling and eyes glaring. "Hey, you can't put it like that. By taking him to the inner sect, couldn't we give him more cultivation resources and help him build a better future?"

The Grand Elder couldn't be bothered to wrangle with the old fellow over his crooked reasoning. "In any case, as long as I'm here today, no one is taking him away. He can only join my lineage."

Watching the Grand Elder "reason" with the old man, Qin Yi recalled something his father, Prince Qing, had taught him: Yi'er, remember, the prettier a woman is, the more dangerous she is. When you're away from home, you must be careful in everything you do.

Qin Yi stole a glance at the Grand Elder's pretty face and wholeheartedly agreed with his father's words.

While the two argued without end, several more streams of light flashed past. Clearly, more mighty experts had arrived. Qin Yi had fantasized about being this sought after one day, but he hadn't expected the day to come so soon.

Several figures appeared: two old women, two old men, and a middle-aged man. They flew straight above the square and began wrangling over their respective grand arguments.

Zhao Qian, standing to the side, was utterly stunned. "Good heavens! In all my years in the pavilion, I haven't seen as many mighty experts put together as I have in this one hour."

Qin Yi scratched his head sheepishly. After all, he was only a ten-year-old child and had never seen such a scene.

Just as the mighty experts above were arguing in full swing, a token flew over from afar, and a gentle voice sounded in Qin Yi's ear: "Bring Qin Yi to the great hall."

The mighty experts finally stopped arguing and turned to leave. Only the Grand Elder flew down to Qin Yi's side, her expression complicated. "Come on. The Pavilion Master wants to see you."

Qin Yi suppressed his excitement and was about to follow the Grand Elder when she suddenly grabbed his shoulder. Before he could react, he was flying through the sky. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a great hall. The Grand Elder and the mighty experts who had just appeared were seated around him, along with several figures who had not appeared earlier.

Seated in the highest position was a middle-aged man with delicate features and luxurious clothes. His eyes, however, held a trace of age and wear, as though he had weathered much in life. Qin Yi looked up and met his gaze, then hurriedly lowered his head. In that instant, he felt as though those eyes would see straight through him, leaving him with no secrets before the man.

The Pavilion Master nodded, seemingly quite pleased with Qin Yi. He then looked around and saw the undignified behavior of the elders. A faint smile appeared on his face. "It's been many years since things were this lively, hasn't it?"

"Ahem." The elders finally turned their gazes to the Pavilion Master. After all, he was the one with the greatest say.

"Since you're arguing so fiercely and none of you will yield, I think we might as well let Qin Yi choose for himself. The one he chooses cannot refuse, and the rest must have no further complaints. How about it?"

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Pavilion Master, can I choose anyone present?" Qin Yi asked cautiously.

"My word is my bond."

"Oh."