After Yin Qingyuan announced the age restriction, no one present left.
Those who could make it here couldn’t possibly be unaware of whether they met the age requirement. Falling Cloud Valley was secluded deep in the mountains, a long and arduous journey. If someone couldn’t even meet such a basic, hard requirement, they wouldn’t have idly traveled all this way to endure the elements for nothing.
Having come all this way, how could they be willing to leave without trying?
Yin Qingyuan wasted no more words. At a wave of his hand, two disciples brought over a wooden table bearing a transparent piece of jade about a foot across.
Seeing the Spirit Testing Stone on the table, Qi Yuan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The quality of the Spirit Testing Stone used by Falling Cloud Valley wasn’t high; it was a relatively basic method for testing spiritual roots. Using the 【Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing】 talent granted by the system would easily allow him to slip through.
If he encountered the kind of massive, top-grade Spirit Testing Stone used by the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary, that would be troublesome.
Of course, top-grade Spirit Testing Stones were extremely precious and rare; a small sect like Falling Cloud Valley couldn’t obtain one.
“Spiritual root aptitude is the foundation of the Great Dao. Without spiritual roots, no matter how great your abilities, you cannot set foot on the path of cultivation.”
“The first test determines your spiritual roots. Only those with four spiritual roots or better aptitude may advance to the next round.”
“Next, please form an orderly line. Place your hand on the Spirit Testing Stone in turn. The stone will automatically display the tester’s aptitude.”
Yin Qingyuan’s voice carried across the entire area, making everyone’s spirits lift.
Soon, a short and thin youth was the first to step up to the table, carefully placing his hand on the Spirit Testing Stone.
The next moment, faint five-colored light slowly appeared on the stone.
“There’s a reaction!”
The short, thin youth’s face was full of excitement as he eagerly turned to look at Yin Qingyuan.
“Five Spiritual Roots. Unqualified. Next.”
Yin Qingyuan’s expression remained impassive.
“Huh?”
The youth wilted at those words and trudged back to his place, head bowed.
Then, one tester after another stepped forward nervously to receive their judgment. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Triple spiritual roots: metal, earth, and fire. Good aptitude. Pass.”
“You possess no spiritual roots. Unqualified.”
“You possess no spiritual roots. Unqualified.”
…….
The vast majority present were from ordinary mortal families. Apart from some rogue cultivators and young masters from wealthy clans like Wang Luchuan who had cultivators serving their families, others had no way of knowing beforehand if they had any aptitude.
The test was a nerve-racking lottery. Those who qualified were ecstatic at the prospect of cultivation; those with no roots or useless ones could only leave in dejection.
Soon, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Wang Luchuan strode forward spiritedly and placed his hand on the Spirit Testing Stone.
A cyan-blue light burst from the stone, several times brighter than the light produced by the earlier candidate with triple spiritual roots.
Seeing this, Yin Qingyuan nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile:
“Wang Luchuan. Wood-Water Dual Spiritual Roots. Exceptional aptitude. Pass.”
“Dual spiritual roots! So it is true!” Someone gasped.
“Impressive, Young Master Wang!”
“Young Master Wang is awesome!”
……
Amidst a wave of flattering applause, Wang Luchuan cast a provocative glance at Lin Zhen, who was standing dumbfounded not far away, before swaggering off with great satisfaction.
After Wang Luchuan, several more individuals whose spiritual roots met the requirements passed successively.
Qi Yuan walked calmly up to the front and unhurriedly placed his hand on the Spirit Testing Stone.
The next moment, a distinct four-colored light bloomed from the stone.
“Big Qi. Four Spiritual Roots. Pass.”
His test passed without incident, drawing as little attention as his plain appearance. Only Bai Xirou gave him a second look, a barely perceptible trace of regret in her eyes.
Bai Xirou had a rather good impression of this “righteous” rogue cultivator. She had arrived late yesterday; if he hadn’t intervened in time, that youth she wanted to save would have died.
Although this man’s looks were somewhat plain, he was at least a kind-hearted person willing to help others—a breath of fresh air in this cultivation world where virtue was increasingly lost. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
It was just a pity that Four Spiritual Roots aptitude destined one for a rough and difficult path on the Dao, forever barred from Foundation Building.
Noticing Bai Xirou’s gaze upon him, Qi Yuan nodded at her with a smile in return, while inwardly sighing with emotion.
I have kept such a low profile and even disguised myself to look this ugly, yet I still draw a beautiful cultivator’s attention. This damn charm of mine… there is just no hiding it.
The system’s intended host had possessed five spiritual roots—the so-called useless roots. A single enhancement would raise them to four, just enough to pass Falling Cloud Valley’s test.
Although simply revealing his true aptitude would shock everyone present and dazzle them instantly… one mustn’t forget his purpose here wasn’t to show off. His goal was to complete his mission without exposing his identity; naturally, he couldn’t stand out too much.
……
“Liu Yingying. Four Spiritual Roots. Pass.”
“Lin Zhen. Three Spiritual Roots. Pass.”
At this moment, when Yin Qingyuan announced Lin Zhen’s spiritual root aptitude, Qi Yuan was momentarily stunned.
Out of curiosity about this Child of Destiny yesterday, he had specifically taken advantage of Lin Zhen’s inattention to secretly probe his spiritual root aptitude using an arcane method.
But last time’s result was clearly Four Spiritual Roots… How had it become Three Spiritual Roots overnight?
As if thinking of something, he looked thoughtfully at Lin Zhen’s right hand and noticed that the mysterious ring of unknown origin had disappeared without a trace at some point—as if it had never existed at all.
Truly worthy of being a Child of Destiny… Even I misjudged him earlier! How terrifying!
After everyone completed the first stage, less than thirty percent qualified to remain for the next round—a frightening elimination rate.
Of course, this result was already quite satisfactory for Falling Cloud Valley. The entrance test was held every three years; last time, those with qualifying spiritual roots numbered less than twenty percent.
Apart from certain cultivation clans with special bloodlines, fewer than one in ten mortals possessed spiritual roots, and most of those had five.
Five spiritual roots encompassed all five elements, but the spiritual energy they sensed was mixed and impure, making it difficult to draw qi into the body. Hence their reputation as useless roots.
Therefore, even though Four Spiritual Roots weren’t much better, many small-to-medium sects would still accept them. After all, being able to cultivate meant there was the slightest sliver of hope for nurturing, which was stronger than doing nothing and waiting for the legacy to die out.
“Now we proceed to the next round.”
With those words, Yin Qingyuan flicked his sleeve, causing the dense fog at the valley entrance to rapidly disperse, vaguely revealing a winding, narrow path.
Beyond it, trees cast cool shade, birds sang, and flowers bloomed. Everything looked peaceful.
“Complete the test of character by making your way along this path, and you will become disciples of Falling Cloud Valley.”