Zhang Zhengyuan and Liu Chuansheng concluded the task handover. The latter’s gaze shifted, landing on Xu Changshou. “This Junior Brother’s face is unfamiliar. Is he a new disciple?”
Zhang Zhengyuan quickly replied, “Indeed, Senior Brother Liu. His name is Xu Changshou, and I am the one who guided him here.”
“Changshou, quickly pay your respects to Senior Brother Liu.”
“Greetings, Senior Brother Liu!” Xu Changshou respectfully cupped his hands.
“Greetings, Junior Brother Xu.”
Liu Chuansheng offered a perfunctory, symbolic bow of his own, a polite smile touching his lips. “I shall process Junior Brother’s registration at once. But before formally entering the Sect, we must first test your Spirit Root.”
With a flick of his wrist, Liu Chuansheng produced a white glowing rod, offering it to Xu Changshou. “Junior Brother, this is a Magical Artifact designed to test Spirit Roots. Simply channel your Spiritual Qi into your palm.”
“Yes!”
Xu Changshou obeyed, circulating the Spiritual Qi to his palm.
The rod reacted instantly. A halo of deep emerald light flared to life, coiling around the shaft. In rapid succession, four more rings manifested: pale green, blazing red, earthen yellow, and metallic gold.
Deep emerald represented the Wood attribute.
Pale green represented the Water attribute.
Red represented the Fire attribute.
Yellow represented the Earth attribute.
Gold represented the Metal attribute.
The simultaneous manifestation of these five colors proved that Xu Changshou’s Spirit Root harbored all five primary attributes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Immediately after, the rod vibrated violently as five additional rings of light erupted: cyan, purple, pitch black, white, and translucent crystal.
These five colors signified the attributes of Wind, Thunder, Light, Darkness, and Ice.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Light, Darkness, Ice-the only ten attributes present between the heavens and the earth. He possessed every single one.
“Heavens!”
“A Ten-Element Mixed Spirit Root!”
Liu Chuansheng and Zhang Zhengyuan stared at each other in utter disbelief. Neither had anticipated that Xu Changshou harbored a Ten-Element Mixed Spirit Root.
They had seen their fair share of Mixed Spirit Roots, but never one this muddied. It was an unusual case.
Wait.
“Is a Ten-Element Mixed Spirit Root a good thing?” Xu Changshou asked curiously.
Zhang Zhengyuan squeezed out a bitter smile. “Let me put it this way. The fewer and purer your Spirit Root attributes, the faster you can absorb Spiritual Qi and cultivate.”
“For instance, a cultivator with a pure Fire Spirit Root will cultivate much faster than someone harboring both Water and Fire attributes.”
“And someone with dual Water and Fire attributes will cultivate faster than a cultivator burdened with a triple Water, Fire, and Wood Spirit Root.”
“In short, the more attributes your Spirit Root contains, the slower your cultivation speed.”
“Spirit Roots polluted with three or more attributes are classified as Mixed Spirit Roots. For a Qi Condensation cultivator cursed with three attributes, reaching Foundation Establishment is basically all but impossible. As for your ten attributes..”
“This..”
Xu Changshou’s heart plummeted into an icy abyss.
If even a triple-attribute Mixed Spirit Root barred the gates to Foundation Establishment, then wouldn’t his Ten-Element Mixed Spirit Root..
In that bleak moment, he felt as if the sky had collapsed, plunging his entire future into absolute darkness.
Zhang Zhengyuan rubbed his hands together, his eyes lighting up. “Senior Brother Liu, according to Sect regulations, for every new disciple recommended, the guide receives a reward of five Spirit Stones. As you can see..”
Liu Chuansheng shook his head flatly. “Junior Brother Zhang, I am not trying to be difficult, but this disciple you brought in possesses a Ten-Element Mixed Spirit Root. His value to the Sect is limited. I can authorize a payout of three Spirit Stones, no more.”
“What?!”
Zhang Zhengyuan bristled, his face flushing dark red with indignation. “Senior Brother Liu, do you have any idea the price I paid to bring Junior Brother Xu here? I exhausted myself training him for months! Handing me a measly three Spirit Stones puts me deep in the red. Absolutely not. Four is my absolute bottom line.”
“Three. I said three, and I mean three.”
“Four.”
“Three.”
“Four.”
“Then I do not want him. Take him away!”
“Fine, three it is.”
Zhang Zhengyuan nodded in deep aggravation, shooting Xu Changshou a resentful glare, as if the boy’s muddied potential was a personal insult.
Xu Changshou’s face contorted in sheer disbelief. He never could have imagined that the ethereal, worldly “Supreme Immortal” who had awed his village would end up haggling red-faced over a single Spirit Stone like a street peddler.
“Here are your three Spirit Stones.”
Liu Chuansheng slapped three milky-white, rhombus-shaped crystals onto the counter. Zhang Zhengyuan swept his sleeve, snatching them up and instantly stowing them into his Storage Bag.
“Junior Brother Xu, I take my leave. We shall meet again.”
Sparing Xu Changshou one final, dismissive glance, Zhang Zhengyuan turned and strode briskly away.
“Senior Brother Zhang, wait! If you abandon me here, what am I supposed to do?” Xu Changshou panicked. He felt exactly like he had been sold to the Green Immortal Sect.
“Junior Brother Xu, I have successfully guided you through the gates. Our time together is over. Senior Brother Liu will process your entry. Goodbye!”
Before his voice even finished echoing, Zhang Zhengyuan vanished out the grand doors of the hall, as if afraid Xu Changshou might regret joining the sect.
With Zhang Zhengyuan gone, the polite smile vanished from Liu Chuansheng’s face. He adopted a businesslike expression and tossed a sheet of paper toward Xu Changshou.
“Write down your personal details.”
“Yes!”
Xu Changshou grabbed the ink brush resting on the counter and scrawled a crooked, clumsy line:
Xu Changshou, twelve years old, Song Kingdom, Laiyang County, Xu Family Village.
“Xu Changshou. Male. Twelve years of age. Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root. Origin: Laiyang, Song Kingdom,” Liu Chuansheng muttered dryly.
Using a specialized seal brush, Liu Chuansheng inscribed the information directly into the air. He then produced a blank yellow wooden plaque and commanded the glowing characters to brand themselves into the wood.
“Senior Brother Liu, didn’t you say I possessed a Ten-Element Mixed Spirit Root? Why did you record..”
“Listen to me closely. If anyone ever asks, you have a Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root. Do not ever breathe a word about having ten attributes.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s a massive humiliation to the Sect.”
Is my innate talent seriously that shameful?! Xu Changshou was utterly speechless.
“Here. Take your identity token.”
“Oh!”
Xu Changshou accepted the yellow peach wood plaque. The words “Green Immortal” were carved into the front, while the back remained completely blank.
He flipped it over and over, squinting hard, but couldn’t deduce anything more.
Liu Chuansheng explained, “Your information is stored in the token. Your cultivation is too low to read it. Once you reach the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, you’ll be able to view it. For now, just remember that this plaque proves you are a Miscellaneous Disciple of the Green Immortal Sect.”
Miscellaneous Disciple..
The label grated heavily against Xu Changshou’s ears.
If I’m a servant doing miscellaneous chores, call me a servant. If I’m a disciple learning the Dao, call me a disciple. Why ‘Miscellaneous Disciple’? Am I here to study, or am I here to do chores?
He thought the sect had recruited people like him to do menial work and gave them the title of disciple to make it easier to accept.
So be it. Having grown up as a cowherd, he could accept the title.
With practiced efficiency, Liu Chuansheng tossed several items onto the counter.
One Storage Bag, a single Spirit Stone, a steel sword, a disciple’s handbook, two sets of small Daoist robes, and his newly minted identity token.
After tallying the items, Liu Chuansheng leveled a stare at him. “Junior Brother Xu. I’m told the primer technique Junior Brother Zhang taught you was the Eternal Spring Art. That is a Wood-attribute manual. Since your Spirit Root contains Wood, you can technically use it. Do you wish to continue cultivating it? If so, I can issue you the subsequent chapters.”
Xu Changshou chewed his lip, offering a bitter smile. “Senior Brother Liu, my knowledge is shallow. I honestly don’t know if I should continue. What would you advise?”
“A standard Qi Condensation cultivator selects a technique based on their Spirit Root attributes,” Liu Chuansheng said.
“I see..”
Pieces clicked together in Xu Changshou’s sharp mind.
Based on the elder’s impatient lecture, a manual needed to match a cultivator’s root element.
That meant Zhang Zhengyuan was likely a Wood-attribute cultivator, which was why Zhang Zhengyuan only had the Eternal Spring Art to teach.
Since Xu Changshou’s chaotic Spirit Root included the Wood attribute, his body hadn’t rejected the technique.
He could practice the Eternal Spring Art, though it was not his best option.
“Senior Brother Liu, does the Sect possess a technique that cultivates all ten attributes simultaneously?”
“There is.”
“Then I will take that one.”
“Are you certain?” Liu Chuansheng arched an eyebrow in genuine surprise, before he shook his head, seeming to remember something and deciding it did not matter.
“Yes.”
“Catch.”
Liu Chuansheng tossed a small booklet across the counter. Xu Changshou scrambled to catch it, his eyes devouring the cover: The Ten Daos Mantra.
He quickly thumbed through the pages. The manual was complete, containing the cultivation methods from the first to the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation.
Finally, a complete path forward.
A crushing boulder lifted from Xu Changshou’s chest. This was what he needed most right now.