As soon as Yu Xiaogang finished speaking, someone on the Ascension Platform straightened the hem of his robe, stepped forward, and pressed his palm firmly against the sphere.
Yu Xiaogang held his chin high, waiting for his claim to be proven right. Then the entire stone lit up in an instant with three different colors of light: metal, wood, and water. The three lights flowed and intertwined, illuminating the whole Ascension Platform.
The smile froze on Yu Xiaogang's face. His mouth moved before he could stop it. "That's not right... How could there be three... Wouldn't three mean..."
Before he could finish, Ye Lingtian spoke from the raised platform, his tone calm. "Metal-Wood-Water Triple Spiritual Root. Your aptitude is passable. Wait to the side for now."
Those words brought instant silence to the people from Douluo Continent.
Yu Xiaogang stared in disbelief at the stone sphere flashing with three colors. What on earth was this? What were Spiritual Roots? He didn't understand at all!
Yu Xiaogang's cheek twitched almost imperceptibly. His face had truly been slapped swollen.
Unwilling to lose face as the Grandmaster in public, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly cleared his throat and strained to patch up his faulty reasoning.
Stroking a nonexistent beard, he forced himself to sound composed. "Oh... I see, I understand now! These Spiritual Roots don't work the same way as the Martial Souls on our Douluo Continent. The more colors there are, the greater the talent. That must be it."
How could Flender and Liu Erlong undermine him? They hurriedly nodded in agreement. "Xiaogang really is quick! He got to the heart of it right away!"
At their words, Yu Xiaogang straightened his back again and held his chin high, waiting for the next person to prove him right.
Before long, another young man in plain clothes stepped forward and placed his hand on the stone. The spiritual testing stone instantly lit up with four colors: metal, wood, water, and fire. The dazzling display made everyone's eyes blur.
Yu Xiaogang immediately slapped his thigh and called out, "Look! I said the more colors, the better the aptitude! These four-color Spiritual Roots definitely belong to a genius one in ten thousand. He might even be snapped up by the inner sect!"
Everyone from Douluo Continent held their breath, staring at the sky screen as they waited for Ye Lingtian to speak from the raised platform. When he did, his tone was perfectly even.
"Four-Color Mixed Spiritual Root. Your constitution is mixed and your Spiritual Qi impure. You may choose to join as a menial disciple or leave. The sect will cover your travel expenses."
The smile froze on Yu Xiaogang's lips.
Such magnificent colors, yet he was to become a menial disciple?
Before he could recover, another youth dressed like a young master from a wealthy family rushed forward. The moment he pressed his palm down, the spiritual testing stone lit up with five shimmering colors, even more dazzling than the four before.
Yu Xiaogang murmured without thinking, "These five-color Spiritual Roots... Surely they must be..."
Before he could finish, Ye Lingtian's voice rang out again. "Five-Color Mixed Spiritual Root. Your Spiritual Qi is scattered and difficult to condense. Like the previous candidate, you may choose to stay here as a menial disciple or leave."
The whole of Shrek Square fell silent. Dozens of gazes turned to Yu Xiaogang in unison, making his cheeks burn. He was just about to speak up and salvage the situation when another slender youth stepped forward.
When the youth placed his palm on the stone, only two clear lights appeared, one scarlet and one green. They were clean and pure, far less dazzling and showy than the four or five colors before them.
Yu Xiaogang steeled himself and spoke, his tone somewhat strained. "Only... only two colors. They surely can't compare to four or five. At best, he'll be a menial..."
The moment he finished, a faint smile appeared on Ye Lingtian's face. "Fire-Wood Dual Spiritual Roots. Your constitution is excellent. You are approved for direct admission as an outer sect disciple. Go to the outer sect deacon later to collect your cultivation technique and clothing."
Yu Xiaogang then saw Yao Qingtang, the Pill Peak elder, smiling and beckoning to the youth. "Good child, come here quickly! Pill cultivators need Fire-Wood Spiritual Roots like yours most of all. You'd be a fine seedling for my Pill Peak!"
His aptitude was actually good enough for them to compete over him!
Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, but for a long time he couldn't utter a complete sentence. The hand that had been stroking his beard froze in midair, and his expression was a sight to behold.
Flender coughed awkwardly and hurried over to smooth things over. "Ahem... Well, you can't really say Xiaogang was entirely wrong!"
"They're both stones used to test aptitude, aren't they? Their main purpose is still the same... They just have different names and work differently, that's all..."
Only then did Yu Xiaogang find his voice. With a dark face, he snorted. "It's just that this other world has gone down the wrong path. They treat someone with three Spiritual Roots like a treasure, but how could that compare to my Tang San's Twin Martial Souls, with roots upright and sprouts red..."
That was what he said, but everyone around him could see that the Grandmaster had been thoroughly slapped in the face by another world's Spiritual Root testing, in the field he knew best.
Meanwhile, the line on the Ascension Platform moved forward bit by bit, and soon it was Qian Renxue's turn. She looked at Ye Lingtian standing tall in his green robes on the raised platform, clenched the hem of her clothing, and took a deep breath before walking toward the spiritual testing sphere.
"Why is there a barbarian here too?"
"A barbarian dares to join the Primordial Sect?"
"Could this person be a spy?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Anyone who passed the Primordial Sect's great formation's screening surely harbors no ill intent."
Seeing that even a barbarian had come, the people on the platform began discussing her.
Qian Renxue's expression grew uglier as she listened to the disparaging voices around her, but now that things had come to this, there was no avoiding it.
When she reached the spiritual testing sphere, she glanced instinctively at Ye Lingyun.
But Ye Lingyun merely pointed calmly at the sphere and said, "Place your hand on it."
He did not single Qian Renxue out because her hair was the wrong color.
"Mm." Qian Renxue answered softly, took a deep breath, and placed her hand on it.
The next second, two colors burst from the spiritual testing sphere, one gold and one scarlet. They were unmistakably Metal-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots.
The clear, pure light brightened the entire Ascension Platform, and the surrounding discussions on the platform stopped at once.
Qian Renxue loosened her grip on her clothing slightly. A trace of anticipation passed through her heart as she looked up at the green-robed youth on the raised platform, waiting for him to announce his decision.
The corners of Ye Lingtian's mouth had already curved upward, and he was about to announce the result when the sect master's deep voice suddenly sounded in his mind, forcing the words back down his throat:
"Lingtian, take that golden-haired woman into Sword-Seeking Peak."
Ye Lingtian raised an eyebrow slightly and sent a reply without betraying any emotion. "Her Metal-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots give her good aptitude. Wouldn't Pill Peak or Artifact Peak suit her better? Sword-Seeking Peak hasn't recruited anyone in fifty years. It's long been used to being empty."
"Her origins are unclear. She crossed over from the mortal world. The mountain-guarding formation could only determine that she meant no harm; it couldn't uncover her background."
"I wouldn't feel at ease sending her to another peak. I'm afraid she might disrupt order in the sect." The sect master paused, then continued, "Sword-Seeking Peak is quiet and has few people. You're the best person to keep an eye on her. Don't take her in as a disciple; make her your maid for now."
"We'll decide what to do once we've investigated her background. You live alone on Sword-Seeking Peak and really could use someone to take care of your daily needs. This works out perfectly."