"Good! Good! Good!! What's your name?" The old man said "good" three times in a row, staring at Han Yu with eyes gleaming with brilliance, as if he couldn't wait to devour him.
The young boy, with an air of arrogance between his brows, calmly replied, "Han Yu!"
"Good name! And a good child too, come, come over here!"
The old man nodded, smiling as he beckoned Han Yu over. He gently held Han Yu's small hand, beaming with joy, as if afraid someone might snatch away a treasure.
Han Yu stood by the old man's side, head held high, chest out, exuding a sense of pride. Though young, he appeared more mature and composed than his peers.
This reaction made the old man nod in approval, feeling even more satisfied.
The testing continued, and the old man's face showed more anticipation.
However, among mortals, those who could naturally awaken their Spirit Roots were few and far between.
In the blink of an eye, another thirty children were tested, but none had Spirit Roots.
The old man remained calm, not too disappointed. From time to time, he glanced at Han Yu, eyes filled with fervor.
To him, whether there were others didn't matter anymore. As long as he could nurture this seedling well, it would surely change the status of Luofu Peak within the Cloud Song Sect.
At this moment, only two were left in the field, Su Shi'er and a chubby boy.
Su Shi'er noticed that the chubby boy was dressed in luxurious clothes, with a rosy complexion, clearly a child from a wealthy family.
Before he could step forward, the chubby boy rushed ahead, running to the Spirit Testing Stone, nervously placing his chubby hand on it.
In the next second, the Spirit Testing Stone trembled slightly, but nothing changed.
Seeing this, the old man said expressionlessly, "Unqualified, leave!"
The chubby boy, however, seemed prepared and did not leave. Instead, he knelt down with a thud, kowtowing several times to the old man, "I am Zhu Hanwei, son of the mayor of Dragon Return Town, paying respects to the Immortal Lord! I am devoted to the Dao and hope the Immortal will give me a chance.
This is a gift from my father to the Immortal Lord!"
As he spoke, Zhu Hanwei hurriedly took out a sandalwood box from his bosom.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Hmph!" The old man's face darkened, and the temperature in the air dropped a few degrees.
Zhu Hanwei shivered, and the box fell from his hands.
The old man was about to scold him, but when he saw the cracked box, his pupils shrank. He grabbed the box, and upon closer inspection, his face lit up with joy, "Hmm? Hundred-Year Cold Jade? I didn't expect your mortal father to gather such a treasure."
The old man smiled slightly, secretly pleased.
Hundred-Year Cold Jade is a material for crafting artifacts, and even for him, collecting it wasn't easy. In comparison, accepting a boy without Spirit Roots into the sect wasn't a big deal.
Without a change in expression, he put away the Cold Jade and continued, "Very well, since you are devoted to the Dao, I'll give you a chance."
Zhu Hanwei was overjoyed, bowing repeatedly, "Thank you, Immortal Lord! Thank you, Immortal Lord!"
The old man waved his hand, "Alright, go stand aside."
Zhu Hanwei got up and walked to the old man's right side. As he passed Han Yu, he smiled friendly, but Han Yu ignored him, staring straight ahead. Zhu Hanwei awkwardly smiled, not daring to get angry. From the old man's attitude towards Han Yu, he knew Han Yu's future status was not someone he could afford to offend.
At this moment, Su Shi'er nervously approached the Spirit Testing Stone.
Hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and placed his hand on the stone.
The Spirit Testing Stone shook violently, then emitted a brilliant colorful light. However, the light was dim and flickering.
Seeing the light, Su Shi'er was delighted, thinking, "Luckily, I have Spirit Roots too."
But just as he was about to relax, he noticed the old man's displeased expression, and his heart sank.
At this moment, a woman beside him exclaimed, "Master, this child has the rare Omni Spirit Root?"
The old man scoffed, "What Omni Spirit Root? Each of his Spirit Roots is weak, equivalent to none, clearly the worst Mixed Spirit Root! Such a person, in his lifetime, can only cultivate to the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining."
With that, the old man looked at Su Shi'er, "Unqualified! Leave!"
Hearing the old man's conversation with the woman, Su Shi'er's heart had already grown cold. Hearing this, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
To him, if he couldn't join the Immortal Sect to learn Immortal Techniques, how could he avenge his grandfather?
Su Shi'er was momentarily flustered, hesitating, his body trembling slightly, unwillingly saying, "Immortal, but I... I have Spirit Roots. Isn't it said that having Spirit Roots allows one to join the Immortal Sect?"
The old man coldly replied, "What kind of lousy Spirit Root do you have? In my two hundred years of cultivation, I've never seen a worse Spirit Root. With your aptitude, accepting you into the sect would just waste resources and your time!"
Su Shi'er gritted his teeth, quickly glancing at Zhu Hanwei, feeling indignant but not daring to act out. He quietly said, "But he... has no Spirit Roots, yet he joined the Immortal Sect?"
A person without Spirit Roots could join the Immortal Sect by giving gifts, which greatly shocked Su Shi'er. The legendary Immortal Sect wasn't as perfect as he imagined.
The old man seemed lofty, but his actions were no different from Er Gou's father in the village, who always wanted to take advantage of others.
"Boy, are you teaching me how to do things?" The old man showed anger, releasing an invisible pressure.
Su Shi'er's breath hitched, his heart racing, face showing fear, unable to speak. This powerful aura reminded him of being oppressed by the black-clothed person in Small Stone Village.
The woman beside him frowned slightly, looking at Su Shi'er, and said, "Grandfather, this child has Spirit Roots after all, why not give him a chance? Cultivation is not easy, if he can't persist in a few years, we can send him down the mountain then!"
With his granddaughter pleading, the old man's expression softened slightly, saying to Su Shi'er, "Fine, go stand to the right. Your aptitude is just a bit better than that chubby boy, you can both be servants!"
Hearing this, Su Shi'er breathed a sigh of relief, casting a grateful glance at the woman, then stood aside.
With Su Shi'er's test complete, there were no other children left.
In total, only five passed the test. Among them were Zhu Hanwei, who got in through connections, and Su Shi'er, who was helped by others' pleas.
The old man turned to them, saying indifferently, "Though you have Spirit Roots, don't celebrate too soon! The path of cultivation is long!
Next, I will take you to the sect for training! The path of cultivation separates immortals from mortals, if you regret now, it's still not too late."
With that, the old man waved his hand, and a Flying Sword shot out from behind him. Driven by True Essence, the sword grew to over ten meters long in the blink of an eye.
The Flying Sword hovered a meter above the ground, and the old man, with Han Yu, leaped onto it.
The others, under the woman's guidance, climbed onto the Flying Sword one by one.
As they were about to leave, except for Su Shi'er and Han Yu, the other three children were teary-eyed, reluctantly looking at their families in the distance.
The old man's expression was indifferent, having cultivated for many years, such farewells were a common sight.
True Essence surged from his body, forming a protective shield around them. The long sword then soared into the sky, carrying them towards the distance.