A Plan and Astonishing Talent
The pillar of light quickly surpassed second grade, then third grade.
Only when it reached fourth grade did it begin to slow.
Just before it reached fifth grade, the pillar of light came to a complete stop.
"Fourth-grade Root Bone, close to fifth grade. Not bad."
Li Yunjing was surprised.
He hadn't expected someone among the people Zhang Hanpeng had recruited to possess such talent.
Talent of this level was already considered middling in the cultivation world.
After all, the highest grade of talent was only ninth grade.
This was already infinitely close to fifth grade.
Even third-grade and fourth-grade sects would scramble to recruit someone with such talent.
She could even join a fifth-grade sect.
Thus, according to the grading of Root Bones,
a fourth-grade Root Bone meant one had the potential to reach Nascent Soul.
And Hu Ruizhu's talent
gave her hope of reaching Spirit Transformation.
Naturally, those sects would scramble to recruit her.
Though it was only potential, and didn't mean she was certain to realize it.
Behind Li Yunjing, both Mo Xuan and Shui Yao stared wide-eyed.
Hu Ruizhu's talent far exceeded anything either of them had imagined.
At the same time, they both felt a sense of defeat.
Their own Root Bones were merely second grade, close to third.
Now, a Luozhen Sect disciple's talent far surpassed theirs.
They were elders of the Luozhen Sect, after all.
Zhang Hanpeng was even more dejected.
He had thought that Hu Ruizhu and the others would have talent similar to his.
At most, they would be a little stronger.
But first came a series of resounding slaps to the face.
Zhang Hanpeng couldn't take it.
But then he remembered what Li Yunjing had said.
In the Luozhen Sect, Root Bone wasn't the most important thing.
Zhang Hanpeng immediately regained his confidence.
After Hu Ruizhu's talent had been tested, it was Hu Ruiyang's turn.
Hu Ruiyang was nervous.
After he placed his hand on the Root Bone Ruler,
his hand trembled constantly.
Li Yunjing offered a few words of comfort, then activated the Root Bone Ruler.
A pillar of light shot upward,
coming to an abrupt stop just as it reached fourth-grade Root Bone.
"Fourth-grade Root Bone. Not as good as your sister's, but still not bad."
Li Yunjing wasn't surprised.
They were twins, after all, so it was only natural for their Root Bones to be similar.
After Hu Ruiyang came Lü Hong.
Lü Hong chuckled and said directly,
"Sect Master, this disciple only has a second-grade Root Bone. I won't make a spectacle of myself."
Li Yunjing smiled and shook his head, gesturing for Lü Hong to obediently take the test.
With no choice, Lü Hong came over and placed his hand on the Root Bone Ruler.
Just as he had said, he did indeed have an ordinary second-grade Root Bone.
The pillar of light stopped halfway between second and third grade.
Last was Ge Shuyuan.
Ge Shuyuan was calm.
It was as though the quality of his Root Bone mattered little to him.
He placed his hand on the Root Bone Ruler.
A pillar of light quickly appeared.
It swiftly surpassed first grade,
but just before it reached second grade,
the pillar stopped.
"First-grade Root Bone, close to second grade. Acceptable."
Li Yunjing was neither pleased nor disappointed.
Under normal circumstances, this was more like it.
How could he have stumbled upon so many overlooked talents?
Li Yunjing was already perfectly satisfied to have two talented young people like Hu Ruizhu and Hu Ruiyang join the Luozhen Sect.
Putting away the Root Bone Ruler, Li Yunjing looked at the four newcomers.
"Good. Now that you've joined the Luozhen Sect, go familiarize yourselves with the surroundings. Starting tomorrow, you'll have plenty to keep you busy."
The four bowed to Li Yunjing, then left the Patriarch Hall.
Li Yunjing then looked at Zhang Hanpeng.
"Hanpeng!"
"This disciple is here!"
Zhang Hanpeng responded at once.
"Well done. These are what I promised you earlier."
Li Yunjing took out fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
After handing them to Zhang Hanpeng, Li Yunjing took out another five Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
"You exceeded your assignment. This is an extra reward," Li Yunjing said.
Zhang Hanpeng beamed. "Thank you, Sect Master."
Li Yunjing then turned to Mo Xuan.
"Junior Brother Mo, make a note of it. Award Zhang Hanpeng three Minor Merits."
Mo Xuan froze.
Clearly, he had yet to adjust to his role as an elder.
Besides, he didn't even know what a Minor Merit was!
Shui Yao reacted more quickly and hurriedly spoke up.
"Senior Brother Sect Master, I'll make sure Senior Brother Mo gets it done."
Li Yunjing nodded and waved Zhang Hanpeng away.
Zhang Hanpeng bowed and left the Patriarch Hall.
Only then did Mo Xuan come to his senses.
"Senior Brother, what did you mean just now? What is a Minor Merit?"
Li Yunjing could only explain some of the current basics to Mo Xuan.
After learning that Minor Merits were Merit Points,
Mo Xuan slapped his forehead.
"I remember Master mentioning it. Ah, this memory of mine."
"Junior Brother Mo, you need to settle into your role quickly. The Luozhen Sect now has five outer sect disciples.
"If you can't quickly adjust to being an elder, it'll be a problem," Li Yunjing said.
Mo Xuan nodded. "Don't worry, Senior Brother. I won't disappoint you."
Li Yunjing nodded slightly, then told the two of them
to explain the Luozhen Sect's rules to the four newcomers once they had familiarized themselves with the surroundings,
and make sure the four committed those rules to memory.
Mo Xuan and Shui Yao nodded.
Before leaving, Mo Xuan voiced a question that had been puzzling him.
"Senior Brother, why was it that after I offered incense to the patriarch just now, I felt... that I could draw in Spiritual Qi much faster?"
Li Yunjing smiled mysteriously. "The patriarch's spirit manifested."
Li Yunjing offered no further explanation and left the Patriarch Hall.
Mo Xuan and Shui Yao remained where they were, utterly dumbfounded.
The patriarch's spirit had manifested?
None of the Luozhen Sect's patriarchs had become immortals. They had all died long ago, so how could their spirits manifest?
Time flowed on,
and ten days passed in a hurry.
On the eleventh of July,
Li Yunjing finished cultivating in his cave abode.
Opening his eyes, Li Yunjing inspected the Law Power within his Dantian.
"I've already condensed enough Law Power to fill half my Dantian. I still need some more..."
Li Yunjing murmured to himself.
For a change, Li Yunjing had taken no responsibility for any matters over the past ten days.
He had devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
By cultivating in his cave abode,
Li Yunjing could increase his cultivation speed by twenty-five percent.
Added to that were the twenty percent from the Patriarch Hall and the fifteen-percent group buff granted each month by the Sect Grand Hall.
Li Yunjing's cultivation speed had increased by nearly sixty percent.
Unfortunately, the Patriarch Hall had a cooldown period.
It could only take effect roughly once every two days.
Otherwise, Li Yunjing could have received a sixty-percent cultivation speed buff every day.
Even so, it had allowed Li Yunjing to condense enough Law Power to fill half his Dantian in ten days.
Once he had filled the other half, Li Yunjing could attempt to compress his Law Power and turn it into liquid, thereby reaching Foundation Establishment.
But at present, Li Yunjing was troubled.
Even with the cultivation speed buff,
Li Yunjing found it increasingly difficult to draw in Spiritual Qi.
It was becoming harder and harder to condense Law Power in his Dantian.
Li Yunjing estimated that, without relying on any outside help,
it would be impossible for him to reach Foundation Establishment by September fifteenth.
At the very least, he would need until the end of the year.
"Looks like I'll have to use that chance at sudden enlightenment." Li Yunjing quickly made his decision.
Earlier, when he had upgraded the herb garden to level 1,
the Luozhen Sect had acquired a full ten buildings of at least level 1.
As the sect's prosperity increased, Li Yunjing had also gained a chance at sudden enlightenment.
Once he entered a state of sudden enlightenment, the problem troubling him would be solved as easily as splitting bamboo.
Li Yunjing was confident he could reach Foundation Establishment before September fifteenth.
With that thought, Li Yunjing walked out of his cave abode.
When he arrived at the Luozhen Hall, Mo Xuan and Shui Yao were discussing the Luozhen Sect's future development.
Li Yunjing had previously entrusted some matters to the two of them
so they could familiarize themselves with the work in advance.
Li Yunjing, meanwhile, had left everything in their hands and devoted himself to cultivation.
"Senior Brother, you're just in time. Xiao Yao and I were discussing the Minor Merit exchange list. Take a look and see if it's suitable."
Mo Xuan came over and handed Li Yunjing a sheet of paper.
Li Yunjing took it and looked it over.
According to Li Yunjing's earlier plan,
one Minor Merit could be exchanged for three Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
That had not been changed.
Besides that, one hundred Minor Merits could be exchanged for one Major Merit.
That hadn't changed either.
The rest was the result of Mo Xuan and Shui Yao's discussion.
For example, one jin of spirit rice cost one Minor Merit.
An ordinary Yellow Sprout Pill, on the other hand, cost five Minor Merits.
It could only be exchanged for three times a month, and only one pill could be obtained each time.
A Fine-Grade Yellow Sprout Pill cost as much as eight Minor Merits. It could only be exchanged for once a month, again with only one pill per exchange...