Immortal Master Bai did not spare Madam Lu-Wang so much as a glance. In their eyes, mortals were no different from ants. They had no sympathy for Lu Qinghe’s plight—they had seen far too many scenes of the starving dead scattered across the land.
Only those who possessed Spiritual Roots warranted a second look.
Immortal Master Bai turned to the old village chief. “These two are children of your village?”
The old village chief nodded. “They are. I must trouble Immortal Master Bai to test them as well.”
Immortal Master Bai wasted no words. He patted a cloth pouch at his waist, and dozens of white lights shot out, each one drifting to a stop before one of the gathered children.
Once everyone could see clearly, they realized each was a pill, hovering in the air and releasing a fragrance so rich it made mouths water.
Lu Qinghe stared, stunned. When had he ever witnessed anything like this? The scent hit him and he swallowed involuntarily. He hadn’t eaten a single thing all day.
But he didn’t dare act on impulse. He waited for the Immortal Master to speak.
By now, he was utterly certain—these three truly were Immortals.
Immortal Master Bai explained, “This is the Spirit Awakening Pill. Once swallowed, it will rouse the Spiritual Roots within your bodies. Then we shall know whether you possess them or not.”
His voice was soft, yet every word reached each person’s ears with perfect clarity.
At his words, the children snatched up their pills and swallowed them one after another.
Lu Qinghe could hold back no longer. He swallowed the pill before him and felt a warm current flow through his entire body.
What happened next was even more wondrous—the gnawing hunger that had clawed at his belly vanished in an instant. His body felt light, buoyant, indescribably comfortable.
This is an immortal pill. Lu Qinghe turned the thought over in his mind.
Then a cry of shock rang out. “Look! Shi Rou—three colors of light are coming from her body!”
All eyes turned to the girl. Three distinct lights radiated from her small frame—green, blue, and yellow—each color sharply defined, unmistakable.
The three Immortal Masters’ eyes brightened at once.
Immortal Master Bai smiled. “Junior Brother Liu, Junior Sister Lin—it seems our luck is quite good this time. We’ve found a seedling with three Spiritual Roots.”
Junior Brother Liu and Junior Sister Lin broke into broad grins. Bringing back a cultivation seedling with decent roots meant a generous reward in Merit Points from the Sect. The trip had not been wasted.
“Senior Brother Bai speaks truly.”
Junior Brother Liu mused with curiosity, “I wonder if there are any other Spiritual Root seedlings among them.”
No one was happier than the village chief. The girl was his own granddaughter. From the Immortals’ conversation, he could tell she had been chosen.
He stepped forward eagerly. “Three Immortal Masters, this is my granddaughter—Shi Rou.”
Immortal Master Bai’s expression softened, just slightly, as he regarded the old man.
“Not bad. Water, wood, and earth—three Spiritual Roots, with the water root being relatively strong. Upon entering the Taixuan Sect, she may directly become an Outer Sect Disciple.”
The old village chief did not understand what an Outer Sect Disciple truly meant, but the Immortals’ approving manner told him his granddaughter’s aptitude was quite decent.
Then light bloomed again—this time from two other children. But instead of three colors, four distinct hues shone from their bodies.
Immortal Master Bai nodded, composed. “Four Spiritual Roots. Barely qualified to enter the Taixuan Sect. They may become Menial Disciples.”
“It’s that little fatty Wang Shan and Zhao Xiaowu! So anyone whose body glows gets chosen—gets to enter a cultivation sect!”
“Look—it’s Lu Qinghe! His body is glowing too! Five colors! Does that mean he can become an Immortal as well?”
Every pair of eyes turned to Lu Qinghe in disbelief. No one had imagined he could possess the aptitude for cultivation.
Five colors of light radiated from his thin frame—gold, blue, green, red, and yellow.
The most terrified person present was Madam Lu-Wang. Her head swam. Words tumbled from her lips in a low mutter. “Impossible… how could this little beast become an Immortal?”
“A trick of the eyes. It must be a trick of the eyes.”
Those standing near her heard and scrambled backward, opening a wide gap between themselves and the woman—drawing a clear line, terrified that if Lu Qinghe truly became an Immortal one day, they might share in her punishment.
She could only fix her desperate gaze on her own children, praying that one of them would also shine, would rise above Lu Qinghe.
But time dragged on, and not a single flicker of light appeared from any of them. The hope drained from her eyes, leaving them dull and ashen.
The three Immortal Masters regarded Lu Qinghe. There was no delight in their expressions—only deep frowns.
Senior Brother Bai’s face was heavy with disappointment. “Five Spiritual Roots—a Mixed Spiritual Root, and perfectly balanced at that. Not a single dominant element. He barely qualifies to cultivate, but in all likelihood he will never achieve anything of note. He may not even reach the middle stage of Qi Condensation in his entire life.”
Lu Qinghe had already emerged from that wondrous state of immersion.
He stood before the Immortal Masters. He had heard every word. He did not know what a Mixed Spiritual Root meant, or what the middle stage of Qi Condensation was.
But he understood the disdain in their tone. And he knew—if they did not take him, after the way he had just defied Madam Lu-Wang, disaster would surely find him.
He hurriedly dropped to his knees and kowtowed, pleading, “Please, Immortal Master, take me into the immortal sect. Otherwise, this boy will never survive this year’s winter.”
Immortal Master Bai frowned at the sight of Lu Qinghe like this. He turned his gaze toward the other two.
“Junior Brother Liu, Junior Sister Lin, what do you think?”
Junior Sister Lin said lightly, “Senior Brother Bai may decide.”
Senior Brother Bai looked toward Junior Brother Liu. Junior Brother Liu studied Lu Qinghe, who was kneeling before them, with some surprise. From Lu Qinghe’s skeletal frame, his clothing, and what the villagers had said earlier, he had already pieced together most of the situation.
If this were an ordinary mortal, he would not spare him another glance. But this child possessed Spiritual Roots. Although they were only Mixed Spiritual Roots, he had already crossed the Divide between Immortal and Mortal.
Junior Brother Liu said to Lu Qinghe, “Your Spiritual Roots are far too poor. Entering an immortal sect is not as wonderful as you imagine.”
Five Spiritual Roots were also known as useless roots. In the cruel cultivation world, not only would it be extremely difficult to achieve anything in cultivation, he might even become someone else’s stepping stone.
Lu Qinghe bowed again and again. “Please, Immortal, show mercy!”
Immortal Master Liu considered for a moment. “How about this? I will give you two choices. First, according to the conditions for recruiting disciples into the immortal sect, we can give you one hundred taels of silver. That will be enough for you to live a wealthy life.”
“Second, you may enter the immortal sect and pursue that illusory chance. But it is far more likely that you will waste your life away until your life ends and Dao vanishes.”
Lu Qinghe did not hesitate at all. “Please, Immortal Master, grant my wish. I want to enter the immortal sect.”
One hundred taels of silver was indeed tempting, but Lu Qinghe understood even more clearly that with his ability, he could not protect one hundred taels of silver at all.
Immortal Master Liu nodded, then turned to Senior Brother Bai and said, “Although this child has Five Spiritual Roots, he possesses a firm heart for seeking immortality.”
“Moreover, this Heavenly Grace Token concerns Ancestor Ouyang’s karma. If the ancestor blames us for this one day, we will have no way to excuse ourselves.”
“This junior believes we can bring this Five Spiritual Roots child back to the Sect and make him a Menial Disciple. When the time comes, no matter what unexpected situation arises, Ancestor Ouyang will not be able to blame us.”
After hearing Immortal Master Liu’s words, the female Immortal Master also felt they made sense.
“Senior Brother Bai, I think Junior Brother Liu is right.”
After Junior Brother Liu laid it out, Senior Brother Bai also understood the seriousness of the matter. If they handled this poorly and Ancestor Ouyang blamed them, their outcome would not be pleasant.
Senior Brother Bai immediately decided, “In that case, we will bring him back to the Sect.”
Hearing Senior Brother Bai’s decision, Lu Qinghe was overwhelmed with gratitude. “Many thanks, Immortal!”
Immortal Master Liu said calmly, “There is no need to thank me. Whether this is fortune or disaster is still unknown. Just do not blame me in the future.”
After saying this, he spoke no further. No one knew whether he had spoken up out of pity for Lu Qinghe, or because he feared being blamed by Ancestor Ouyang.