The Spirit Root Testing Pavilion fell into silence. "Let's go," Sage North Thunder said to Spark, "we'll head to the Inner Sect to choose a master for you."

Spark responded with a muted grunt, his golden eyes fixed on Flint's retreating figure as she walked through the main gate. He guessed she would probably make her way to the Abyssal Pavilion now - it was her choice to make, after all. She had no place in the Celestial Sword Sect, and that wasn't something he could change. Yet somehow, her departure left an inexplicable hollow in his chest. It was absurd, really - they'd known each other for barely more than a day...

Sage North Thunder seemed oblivious to Spark's melancholy, muttering under his breath as he stroked his neat black goatee. "It's quite remarkable to see someone with all Deficient spirit roots..."

His mind wandered back several hundred years, to when the Celestial Sword Sect had been desperately seeking new disciples. He'd searched through mortal cities for children with cultivation potential, finding mostly those with two or three Basic-level spirit roots. While Basic-level roots weren't ideal for cultivation, they were common enough. But all six elements at Deficient level? That was something he'd never encountered before.

"It's almost as if her body naturally resists natural aura," he mused, his scholarly curiosity piqued even in this solemn moment.

Sage North Thunder had just opened his mouth to introduce the his own exclusive Cultivation Methods and Secret Arts - his usual strategy to spark interest in potential disciples - when a figure appeared at the entrance of the Spirit Root Testing Pavilion. A young woman in white robes glided in, her black hair falling just above her waist, adorned with silver hairpins that caught the morning light. Despite her delicate appearance, there was something in her clear eyes that spoke of hidden depths.

Sage North Thunder's stern demeanor softened slightly as he inclined his head. "South Rain?" A hint of warmth crept into his usually formal tone. "What a rare sight during recruitment month. Did news of a Top-tier spirit root disciple draw you out?"

Though this was the Celestial Sword Sect's quinquennial recruitment period, Sage South Rain, despite her status as a Legend-level elder qualified to take disciples, was seldom seen within the sect grounds.

"I happened to have some matters to attend to," Sage South Rain approached, offering Spark a gentle smile that seemed to carry a calming presence. Her movements held an otherworldly grace as she drew closer. "So this is the disciple with the Transcendent-level spirit root? The Celestial Sword Sect grows stronger indeed."

Spark met her gaze with his distinctive golden eyes, still distracted by thoughts of Flint's departure. The tranquil autumn-lake quality in Sage South Rain's expression stirred something familiar - a hint of carefully concealed sorrow that reminded him of his own masked feelings.

North Thunder had just raised his hand, about to introduce Sage South Rain with his customary formality, when she lifted her own hand in a gentle but firm gesture to stop him. "When we reach the Inner Sect, I'll introduce myself properly. No need to trouble yourself, North Thunder." Her voice carried the same tranquil quality as her demeanor.

Then her clear eyes focused on Spark with unexpected intensity. "However, I do have a question for our new disciple - who was that young woman who just left?"

The mention of Flint seemed to jolt Spark out of his private sorrow. His usual tough facade wavered as he responded, a hint of trembling in his voice, "Her name is Flint Winter..."

"And why did she leave?" South Rain's question was soft but direct.

Spark's golden eyes flickered with emotion he couldn't quite suppress. "Because her spirit roots don't meet the Celestial Sword Sect's requirements. All of her roots are Deficient..." He paused, struggling with something inside himself. "But... but..." His usual composed and confident demeanor gave way to genuine confusion and concern. "She managed to shatter a puppet using natural aura. How is that possible? Why would someone with all Deficient roots..."

North Thunder nodded thoughtfully, stroking his neat black goatee. "Indeed, it is peculiar. She seems to resist all six types of natural aura, yet somehow she can utilize natural aura?" His scholarly curiosity was evident in his tone, but there was something else there too - a hint of uncertainty that was rare for the typically self-assured elder.

The tranquil surface of Sage South Rain's gentle demeanor suddenly rippled with unexpected urgency, like a stone disturbing a calm lake. "Where did Flint come from? Why did she want to join the Celestial Sword Sect?" Catching herself, she softened her voice back to its usual gentle cadence, though a hint of tension remained. "Where is she heading now?"

Spark startled at her sudden intensity, though he seemed more collected than before, his earlier raw emotion settling into something more controlled. "She's lost all her memories," he explained, his golden eyes distant. "Joining the Celestial Sword Sect... I think she hoped to find a way to recover them..." He hesitated, his voice dropping slightly. "Now, she's probably heading to... the Abyssal Pavilion."

He faltered over those last words, his wolf's instinct making him acutely aware of the weight they carried within these hallowed halls. Speaking of the Abyssal Pavilion here, in the heart of a major Immortal Alliance sect like the Celestial Sword Sect, felt almost like painting a target on Flint's back. The thought made his chest tighten with an unfamiliar protective instinct.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

North Thunder's hand stilled on his goatee, his scholarly demeanor giving way to something more guarded. But it was South Rain's reaction that truly caught Spark's attention - beneath her composed exterior, something sharp and urgent flickered in her clear eyes, like lightning glimpsed beneath still waters.

South Rain tucked away her urgency like a letter sealed within an envelope, smoothly changing the subject. "Which element is your Top-tier spirit root?" she asked Spark.

"Light Element," Spark replied, thrown off by this abrupt change in conversation. His golden eyes narrowed slightly, the wolf prince's instincts sensing something beneath the surface of this seemingly casual inquiry.

A gentle smile graced South Rain's features as she nodded. "You wouldn't be suited to my Cultivation Methods, but you're perfectly matched for Sage North Thunder here." Her clear eyes held a hint of something unreadable as she continued, "I'm afraid I won't be able to introduce myself in the Inner Sect after all. I wish you well in your journey at the Celestial Sword Sect. Perhaps we'll meet again."

Before either could respond, she summoned her sword - a striking weapon with a blade as dark as obsidian, its surface gleaming with an otherworldly luster. In one fluid motion, she stepped onto the blade and soared through the doorway, leaving only stirred air in her wake.

Spark and North Thunder stood in bewildered silence, the wolf prince's golden eyes fixed on the empty doorway while the Elder's hand hung forgotten at his goatee. The sudden departure left an atmosphere thick with unspoken questions, like a room full of scattered puzzle pieces that didn't quite fit together.

"Well," North Thunder finally broke the silence, his scholarly composure slightly ruffled, "that was... unusual, for South Rain."

———

Flint hadn't anticipated the thousands of steps leading down the mountain. When they'd ascended earlier, North Thunder had carried both her and Spark on his sword. Now, with each hint of fatigue, she felt that strange intangible force flowing from her fingertips into her body, giving her strength to continue.

As she descended, her mind wandered: If all my spirit roots are Deficient, how am I able to absorb this power? What exactly is this force? She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something fundamental she was missing, like trying to recall a word that danced just at the edge of memory.

Finally reaching a level stretch at the mountain's midpoint, Flint decided to rest for a moment. The forest around her was quiet save for the whisper of wind through ancient pines.

"Flint Winter."

The feminine voice behind her cut through the silence. Flint turned to find herself facing an elegant woman in white robes, her black hair adorned with silver hairpins - the same cultivator she'd glimpsed earlier at the Spirit Root Testing Pavilion.

Even though the woman looked poised and elegant, Flint's gut instinct urged her to proceed cautiously. Yet, as she gazed into this stranger's eyes, an inexplicable feeling of recognition washed over her.

As if seeing through her wariness, Sage South Rain smiled gently. "I am the South Rain of Celestial Sword Sect. I heard your spirit root testing didn't qualify you to join the Celestial Sword Sect?"

South Rain? The same naming format as North Thunder - she must be an Elder too, Flint thought to herself as she replied, "That's correct."

"I have a way to get you into the Celestial Sword Sect..." Sage South Rain offered, "I wanted to ask if you're still interested in joining?"

The warmth in Sage South Rain's tone left Flint puzzled. Why would someone of such high status seek out a nobody like her? Especially given her Deficient spirit roots. Instead of answering whether she wanted to join or not, Flint asked cautiously, "What kind of way?"

The wariness in Flint's tone brought a bitter smile to Sage South Rain's face. She was trying her best not to superimpose the face from her memories onto Flint's, yet there was something about the girl before her that overlapped with that remembered visage.

Forcing down her reminiscence, South Rain maintained her composed demeanor as she replied, "What I'm about to suggest might feel... insulting. I hope you won't take offense."

Flint nodded. Unlike Spark, she had no noble dignity to maintain. "Please, go ahead."

"Sign a blood contract with me, become my Bloodbound Beast. You would enter and leave the sect as my Bloodbound Beast... not as an official disciple," Sage South Rain laid out her plan.

"But I'm not a Spiritual Beast," Flint's first response wasn't to take offense at South Rain's suggestion, but rather to seriously consider the feasibility of this plan.

"See you're not angry about this plan," Sage South Rain let out a relieved breath. She continued to explain, her clear eyes carrying that same autumn-lake tranquility, though something deeper stirred beneath their surface. "Blood contracts aren't limited to controlling Spiritual Beasts. They can bind a person to a Spiritual Beast's control, or even work between two Spiritual Beasts or two humans... It's just that they were primarily used to control Spiritual Beasts initially, which is why the bound party is called a Bloodbound Beast."

Her hand absently touched one of her silver hairpins as she spoke, a gesture that seemed almost unconscious. "The contract can be time-limited, or the controller can dissolve it midway - like how a human controlling a Spiritual Beast can release their control..." She paused, her elegant features carrying a hint of anticipation. "So, would you be willing?"

Flint processed the plan with her characteristic practicality, her head slightly tilted in that way she had when working through a puzzle. But something still didn't add up. "I don't seem to... know you," she said, her voice carrying that direct, unadorned quality that was so uniquely hers. "Why would you help me?"

Sage South Rain hesitated, unsure if "I think you're her reincarnation" would sound credible. Masking her uncertainty behind her characteristic gentle demeanor, she explained, "Actually... people with all six Deficient spirit roots are extremely rare. I'm curious about why this happens. So I'd like you to stay... to... study this phenomenon. My cultivation partner is a scholar in the Immortal Alliance. And since I heard you're searching for your memories, perhaps I could help with that as well."

Flint nodded, accepting this logical explanation. Then, addressing the topic of her memories, her voice carried a hint of deep contemplation. "Actually, it might not be simple amnesia. I might be searching for memories from my past life - there's this... urge in my soul pushing me to do so."

At the mention of 'past life', South Rain froze completely. A thousand words seemed to crowd behind her lips, yet she couldn't voice any of them. The thought she'd been harboring seemed to be confirming itself... or perhaps not...

"Also," Flint studied her, quietly curious about why the Elder seemed so startled, "I seem to be able to use some kind of 'intangible force'..." She raised her fingers, which emitted a faint white light. "Since I don't have spirit roots, perhaps it isn't natural aura..."

The light dancing from Flint's fingertips cast subtle shadows across South Rain's face, where shock, hope, and uncertainty played out in rapid succession beneath her usually serene expression. The autumn-lake calm of her eyes had given way to ripples of emotion she couldn't quite conceal.

Sage South Rain nodded with determination. "I'll help you understand this power too... So, will you return to the Celestial Sword Sect with me?"

Flint thought about how hard Spark had tried to convince her to stay, and a rare smile crossed her face - slightly self-mocking at how she'd been defeated by something as simple as insufficient spirit roots. She nodded. "Yes, I will."

In that moment, as she was lost in thoughts of Spark, she missed the glimmer of tears that flickered through South Rain's clear eyes. The Elder's autumn-lake gaze held volumes of unspoken emotion, like raindrops disturbing a still surface, but Flint, characteristically focused on her own practical considerations, didn't notice the brief display of vulnerability from the usually composed cultivator.