The next day.
Before dawn, Huilong Town was already boiling with activity, bursting into an uproar.
Countless vendors flooded the streets, loudly hawking their wares.
Figures emerged in groups of three or five, some on foot, others riding ox carts or horse-drawn carriages, converging on Huilong Town from all directions.
The immortals of Cloudsong Sect’s Luofu Peak accepted disciples once every three years, taking only children between the ages of ten and twelve. This had long been an established custom. Whenever the day for disciple recruitment arrived, it was also time for Huilong Town’s grand gathering.
From all the surrounding villages, any household with a child of suitable age would bring them to try their luck.
First, they could buy daily necessities. More importantly, if their child was chosen as an immortal’s disciple, it would bring the family more honor than placing first in the imperial examinations—enough to bring glory to their ancestors.
Su Twelve mingled with the crowd and entered the town.
The road from Little Stone Village to Huilong Town was rugged and difficult. Su Twelve had only walked it once as a child with his grandfather. Fortunately, his memory was sharp. Stumbling and staggering through the night, he finally arrived at dawn.
However, his clothes were torn beyond recognition and he was covered in dirt, looking exactly like a little beggar.
Su Twelve walked along, pricking up his ears and looking around.
He had come alone and did not know where the immortals were taking disciples. But he knew for certain that among the parents leading children around his age, someone would definitely be heading to the selection.
Soon, Su Twelve followed the flow of people to an open square in the center of town. It was surrounded by adults, and nearly a hundred children around his age were gathered in the middle.
From the conversations of passersby, Su Twelve learned that this was where the immortals would shortly recruit disciples.
All the children hoping to join the sect were waiting here for the immortals to test their talent.
Su Twelve ducked his head, squeezed through the crowd, and found an empty corner where he plopped down on the ground.
After walking mountain paths all night, he was exhausted and hungry, his feet swollen. Right now, he just wanted to rest.
Just then, the clouds above suddenly scattered as a flying sword pierced through the sky like lightning.
The flying sword was broad and wide, and two elegant figures stood atop its blade.
“It’s the immortals! The immortals are here!”
On the ground, the crowd raised their heads to look up. Regardless of age or gender, everyone’s expressions turned solemn as they held their breath.
The entirety of Huilong Town, which had just been boiling with voices, fell completely silent in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the flying sword passed over the square. The two elegant figures leaped, descending from the sky to land squarely in the center of the open space.
In midair, the flying sword radiated brilliance, rapidly shrinking into a three-chi blade that slotted itself neatly behind one of the figures.
“Immortals?”
Su Twelve’s spirit jolted, and he quickly turned to look at the arrivals.
One was an old man in a long green robe, with white hair and beard but a ruddy, youthful face. He looked to be in his sixties or seventies. His eyes were bright and piercing, and he carried himself with an ethereal air.
The other was a beautiful young woman of seventeen or eighteen.
The woman had graceful arched brows, bright red lips, and pearly white teeth. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her pale cyan dress fluttered in the wind, making her look as ethereal as a true fairy.
“Is that a fairy? She’s unbelievably beautiful!”
“To think this old man would live to see such a gorgeous fairy in my lifetime.”
“I heard the princess of the Song Kingdom is as beautiful as a heavenly immortal, but compared to this fairy, she’d likely still fall short!”
…
The moment the woman landed, a stir ran through the crowd. Faced with such breathtaking beauty, the mortals present all lost their composure.
In the square, the nearly hundred children, Su Twelve included, stared dumbfounded.
Upon landing, the woman curiously surveyed her surroundings and sighed with emotion, “A decade gone in a flash. I’ve finally come down the mountain!”
“I never imagined that in just ten years, Huilong Town would gain so many more people!”
The old man smiled at the woman. “All right, save your sighing for later. Let’s get down to business. If we can’t outdo Tianhua Peak this time, that old bastard Fu Boren will never let me hear the end of it!”
The woman smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, Grandfather. I won’t hold you up! Quite a few children are taking the test this year. We’re sure to find some promising talents.”
As she spoke, the woman waved her hand, and a square table appeared before the two of them.
Placed upon the table was a strangely shaped stone. That was the Spirit Testing Stone the sect used to examine a disciple’s spirit roots.
The old man nodded. His gaze swept over the children in the square, his eyes suddenly turning cold and sharp. In a voice devoid of any emotion, he said, “Among you, only a very few will be selected to join our Cloudsong Sect.”
His icy, merciless tone immediately frightened everyone present into dead silence.
Su Twelve shrank his neck, his heart growing even more uneasy.
“Spirit roots are the foundation of cultivators. Next, I will test your spirit roots one by one. Now, all of you form a single line. Come forward one at a time and place your hand upon this stone.” The old man spoke indifferently, casually pointing at the Spirit Testing Stone on the table.
As his words fell, the children shuffled into a scattered line.
Su Twelve stood at the very back of the line, nervously clenching his fists as he craned his neck to watch.
At the front of the line, a somewhat bold child cautiously stepped forward and placed his hand on the Spirit Testing Stone.
The Spirit Testing Stone trembled slightly, lighting up with a dim red glow.
The old man remained expressionless as he declared calmly, “Low Grade Fire Spirit Root! Qualified, go stand on the right!”
The child’s eyes lit up with delight. He hurried to the right and stood quietly, while a couple in the crowd grew visibly excited.
Then, another child stepped forward. This time, the Spirit Testing Stone had no reaction at all.
“Unqualified! Leave!”
“Unqualified!”
“Low Grade Earth Spirit Root, go stand on the right!”
…
In the blink of an eye, more than half of the children had been tested, but only two more with low-grade spirit roots had joined the group beside the old man.
Looking at the few remaining children, the old man’s brows visibly furrowed, his expression showing hints of impatience.
Low-grade spirit roots were the most common and ordinary type in the cultivation world. With such aptitude, one’s future prospects were extremely limited.
To travel all this way just to recruit a handful of such children—he would surely become a laughingstock upon returning to the sect.
At this moment, a dark-skinned little boy in coarse hemp clothes walked up to the Spirit Testing Stone.
The moment his hand pressed against it, the Spirit Testing Stone shuddered violently. Immediately, a dazzling golden light and a brilliant red light flared up simultaneously.
The radiance shot in all directions, faintly emitting a sharp, intimidating pressure.
This scene left everyone entirely stunned.
The old man’s face lit up with joy, and he involuntarily cried out, “What?! A Top-Grade Metal Spirit Root and a Top-Grade Fire Spirit Root?! Dual spirit roots! Haha, my trip this year was not in vain!”
The old man was beside himself with excitement. His voice trembled as he spoke, making no effort to conceal his joy.
It was no wonder he was so thrilled. For those who sought to cultivate immortality, spirit roots were the foundation of everything. They determined a cultivator’s speed of cultivation. If one’s spirit roots were poor, cultivation would require twice the effort for half the result.
For an ordinary person, possessing a Middle-Grade or High-Grade spirit root was already quite impressive. A Top-Grade spirit root made its bearer a one-in-ten-thousand genius.
A Top-Grade dual spirit root was a genius among geniuses. Such aptitude could not merely be described as rare; it was practically unheard of. In the hundreds of years of Cloudsong Sect’s history, such a talent had appeared only once: the founding patriarch, Venerable Cloudsong!
Beside him, though the beautiful woman remained silent, her gaze as she looked at the little boy was clearly filled with joy.