After climbing for about an hour, Qin Yu arrived at a plaza several football fields in size.

At the far end of the plaza stood an arched stone gate, above which were three grand and powerful characters engraved:

"Finally arrived, is this the main gate of Xuantian Sect?" Qin Yu looked around curiously. The plaza was packed with people, easily numbering over ten thousand.

Above, cultivators were flying on swords, and spirit beasts that covered the sky were approaching from all directions.

Only then did Qin Yu realize why he hadn’t encountered any outstanding geniuses on his way up.

It turned out that the sons and daughters of major families didn’t need to climb the mountain; they could fly directly to the sect.

Although it was possible for ordinary people to give birth to prodigies, the chances were so slim, one in tens of thousands.

Descendants of cultivators, on the other hand, had a much higher chance of possessing superior or even top-tier spiritual roots.

Qin Yu aimed at a young man sitting on a massive green bird in the sky and used the system’s talent detection.

The distance is too far, unable to detect!

"Damn."

Qin Yu grumbled and found a shaded spot, patiently waiting for the next stage of the assessment.

At noon, a bell rang from deep within Xuantian Sect, echoing through the air.

"It’s starting!"

Qin Yu immediately moved toward the sect's main gate.

Soon, two rows of Xuantian Sect disciples in white robes with blue patterns and golden boots marched out in perfect order.

At the back of the procession followed an elderly man with white eyebrows and a long white beard, exuding an aura of immortality.

"I am Elder Hu Tian, the Second Elder of Xuantian Sect. Welcome to the recruitment assessment of our sect," the elder said.

His voice was not loud, but there was an inexplicable power in it, making it resonate clearly in the ears of everyone present.

"This recruitment is for those under the age of sixteen. If you do not meet the criteria, you may leave now."

"One quarter of an hour later, the assessment will officially begin. The first test is the spiritual root test."

As the elder spoke, the Xuantian Sect disciples who had just arrived set up multiple testing stations.

"The young ones wishing to participate in the assessment can start lining up now. Accompanying persons and unrelated individuals, please wait outside the plaza."

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With the elder’s words, the crowd began to move.

A total of twelve testing stations had been set up, with two Xuantian Sect disciples in charge of each one.

Qin Yu was quick to act and took a position near the front of the line, standing on his tiptoes to get a better view of the process.

He wanted to see how Xuantian Sect tested for spiritual roots.

Just as Qin Yu was observing, a young nobleman dressed in brocade walked up beside him and casually stood in front of him.

"Cutting in line?"

Qin Yu was stunned for a moment, not expecting to encounter someone cutting in line in the cultivation world. It seemed that scum like this existed everywhere.

But to cut in front of me, you’ve really picked the wrong person!

Qin Yu immediately kicked the nobleman, unwilling to let such behavior slide.

"Get out of the way!"

The young nobleman staggered and angrily turned around.

"Lowly peasant, how dare you kick me? Do you know who I am?"

Qin Yu responded with a question, "Do you know who I am?"

The nobleman froze for a moment, puzzled, "Who are you?"

"I’m your father!"

"You..."

The nobleman realized he had been tricked and his face twisted in anger.

"I am the son of the current prime minister. If you kneel and kowtow to me now, I might let you die painlessly!"

Qin Yu nodded in satisfaction, "Ah, my son is so filial. I didn’t even know I was the prime minister of the kingdom!"

"You’re seeking death!" The nobleman clenched his fists, ready to attack.

Qin Yu wasn’t afraid of a fight.

So what if he’s the prime minister’s son? Before becoming a cultivator, everyone was just a mortal.

Besides, this guy obviously lived a life of luxury and would probably lose to a street thug in a real fight.

‘I wonder how long he’ll cry after a punch!’

Just as Qin Yu was preparing to unleash a righteous punch, a disciple from Xuantian Sect arrived to maintain order.

"Please, both of you, mind your behavior. If there’s any trouble, we’ll expel you."

The nobleman shot a glare at the disciple and then turned back to Qin Yu with a sinister smile.

"Kid, consider yourself lucky. But if you provoke me, you’re dead. Your whole family will be dead. Just wait for it!"

Qin Yu pointed behind him, "If you’re not going to fight, then move to the back."

"Just you wait!" The nobleman gritted his teeth and stood behind Qin Yu, yelling at the people watching, "What are you looking at? Do you want to die too?"

The surrounding people quickly looked away.

‘I wonder what kind of talent this foolish son of the prime minister has?’ Qin Yu decided to check.

Superior Spiritual Root (B-level): Excellent talent, cultivation speed far surpasses that of ordinary people. There’s a chance to secure a place in the cultivation world.

Extraordinary Alchemy Talent (B-level): Has a good talent for alchemy, able to refine more difficult pills with a high success rate.

Apprentice Apothecary (D-level): Has some talent in medicine, capable of treating common diseases with ease.

Qin Yu nodded in satisfaction. ‘This talent isn’t bad. He might just have enough to be a decent villain.’

The line moved forward, and soon it was Qin Yu’s turn.

"Place your hand on the crystal ball," one of the Xuantian Sect disciples instructed.

Qin Yu extended his hand and gently touched the crystal ball.

The crystal ball flickered and emitted a faint white light.

The brighter the light, the easier it was for the cultivator to resonate with the world’s spiritual energy, which meant a better talent.

Qin Yu’s faint white light indicated the weakest spiritual root—Low-Grade Spiritual Root.

"Qin Yu, Low-Grade Spiritual Root, passed!"

"Next!"

The young nobleman stepped forward, walking with an air of superiority.

"Tang Aotian, Superior Spiritual Root!"

"Please place your hand on the crystal detector."

"How troublesome. Do you really think the son of the prime minister would lie to you?" Tang Aotian said haughtily.

Tang Aotian placed his hand on the crystal ball, and it immediately shone brightly with a dazzling white light.

The people around him looked at him with envy.

"Tang Aotian, Superior Spiritual Root, next!"

Enjoying the envious gazes, Tang Aotian slowly walked up to Qin Yu and mockingly said, "A useless Low-Grade Spiritual Root like you dares to practice cultivation? You might as well go back to the fields and dig!"

His tone, combined with his arrogant demeanor, made Qin Yu grit his teeth in frustration.

"Damn it, just wait. I’ll slap that chunk of stinky tofu right in your face!"