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Chapter 64: Testing the Entire Village for Spiritual Roots
🕑 Added 2025-04-07 09:11:27 +0000 UTCChen Xiao didn’t think it was an exaggeration at all to say the whole village had turned out.
The people of the Changjia Village were thrilled. To them, the idea of an Immortal Sect choosing disciples was something they’d only heard of in stories passed down from the elders. Hidden away deep in these remote mountains, they had little to no chance of ever venturing out. Even those who practiced the cultivation techniques passed down through the generations could only occasionally visit Hanshan City. Every time they went to buy supplies, they had to keep a low profile, terrified someone would recognize them as fugitives.
It wasn’t that no one had considered leaving. Some had thought of escaping through the seaport in Hanshan City to reach the lands of ordinary people. But boarding a ship required proper identity documents. Everyone in the village lived off the record. The older generation still had their name tags, but they were all on the blacklist, completely useless.
Being chosen by an Immortal Sect was like being given a new life. How could they not be overjoyed? Even though the Immortal Master from the Chongxuan Sect, who had come upon the village by chance, had said he was only here to test spiritual roots as a gesture of gratitude for their hospitality, the village chief and elders remained hopeful. Since he was testing spiritual roots, maybe, just maybe a few lucky children might actually be chosen.
Some of the older villagers, more sentimental, wiped their eyes. They’d lived in this village all their lives, their days dull and monotonous to the point of numbness. But the children were still so young, how could they bear to see them trapped here forever?
Some of the kids were only seven or eight years old and didn’t yet understand how rare the opportunity to leave the mountains really was. They just laughed and played with their friends, excited by the rare buzz of activity in the village. Their parents, however, were deadly serious, dragging their unruly little ones over and whispering stern instructions: behave, don’t fool around, make a good impression. If their child ended up being chosen by an Immortal Master, what a blessing that would be!
Following the crowd, Chen Xiao made his way to a large open area outside the village. Just about everyone, young and old, had already gathered there. Overnight, a bamboo platform had been built in the center of the clearing. The village chief and a few elders stood atop it, speaking quietly among themselves.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Chen Xiao looked around. Soon, he spotted Ah Shou, Du Rong, and Tong Nuonuo heading over, clearly unaware of what was going on. Chen Xiao quickly went to meet them.
Ah Shou saw him and immediately asked, “What’s happening? Someone came to my place at the crack of dawn and told me to drop everything and come here. Didn’t even have time to ask questions before they ran off.”
Chen Xiao paused, then asked, “Do you know what your spiritual root is?”
The day before, when they’d gone to pick cane-lantern grass, Du Rong had mentioned that Ah Shou was quite skilled and had cultivated to a deep level, likely someone who had trained before.
Ah Shou gave a wry smile. “Not a clue. In our village, only the elders know what spiritual roots they have. The younger generation born after we came here never got tested. Our ancestors were cultivators, so they left behind some basic cultivation techniques. When kids were still young, families would have them start practicing. If someone showed promise, they’d be sent to the elders. I was the same when I was little.”
Du Rong couldn’t help chiming in, “If you don’t know your spiritual root, you can’t train with the techniques best suited to your talents. Since your family used to be cultivators, didn’t they have a spiritual root testing artifact? Even if it couldn’t show the strength, it should at least reveal how many roots you have and their types.”
Ah Shou shook his head. “Things were chaotic back then. Everyone was just focused on surviving, we weren't thinking about bringing something like that. The techniques we practice now don’t require a specific spiritual root, but that only gets you so far. Once you reach the Foundation Building stage, it’s impossible to break through to the Golden Core stage without the right match.”
Chen Xiao smiled. “Well, now’s your chance to find out. Today’s spiritual root testing doesn’t have any age restrictions anyone can come forward.”
When they learned that Immortal Immortal Master Xi was offering free spiritual root testing as thanks, Ah Shou couldn’t hold back anymore. He immediately left the three of them and squeezed into the crowd.
The other three stood at the edge of the gathering, thinking they’d just watch. But moments later, a teenage boy came over and invited them to sit in the front. The village chief, though not experienced with the outside world, knew how to treat people well. He held Immortal Immortal Master Xi in the highest regard and showed the same respect to his companions. Seats had been arranged for them on the bamboo platform.
The three were caught off guard. They’d never sat so prominently in front of so many people before. But the chief’s enthusiasm left them no room to refuse, so they steeled themselves and walked up the platform, nerves jangling under the gaze of over two hundred pairs of eyes. After a while, Chen Xiao calmed down. It wasn’t like the crowd could do anything to him, let them stare. Du Rong soon relaxed too. Only poor Immortal Immortal Master Tong remained painfully stiff, clearly unsure of what to do with his hands or feet. Chen Xiao kept chatting with him to distract him and help him loosen up.
The sun rose, golden light spilling across the sky. A faint chill hung in the morning mist as Xi Yunqing descended from above, landing beside Chen Xiao like an ethereal immortal stepping down from the heavens.
The moment he appeared, the crowd fell silent. The villagers, who had been buzzing with excitement, instantly stopped speaking.
Xi Yunqing gave a small smile and turned to the three of them, who were still a little stunned by his arrival. “Just finished my morning training. I’ve kept you waiting, my apologies.”
Du Rong quickly waved his hands. “No, no! We haven’t waited at all… We only just got here.” Then he immediately regretted how flustered he sounded. It wasn’t his fault every time they saw Immortal Immortal Master Xi, he looked relatively normal. Impressive, sure, but not like this. Today, he radiated power, far beyond what they’d seen before.
Chen Xiao had seen him like this a couple of times already and was a little more immune. He knew that in public settings like this, Immortal Immortal Master Xi was representing the Chongxuan Sect, which was why he had fully unleashed his aura to awe the crowd.
Xi Yunqing stood tall on the platform and swept his gaze across the gathered villagers. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly to every ear.
“I happened upon this spiritually gifted village and was generously hosted by its people. As a gesture of gratitude, I offer to test the spiritual roots of all who wish it, to assist in their cultivation journey. I won’t speak further, let’s begin.”
He nodded at the village chief and stepped aside. A few sturdy villagers brought up a wooden chair and table for him to sit at. The village chief personally stepped up to maintain order, while several others organized the villagers into lines based on age and gender.
After beginning cultivation, one’s lifespan is extended, so the oldest elders in the village, those who were well aware of their own talents did not join in the excitement. Instead, they quietly watched from beneath the platform.
These elderly villagers, born during the early decades of the village’s founding, were already quite advanced in age. The oldest had just passed a hundred, and the youngest were still in their eighties or nineties. The younger villagers, out of respect for their frailty, allowed them to go first for the test. These elders didn’t expect to be chosen by any Immortal Sect. But having lived their entire lives without ever knowing their innate spiritual aptitude, now that they had the chance, of course they wanted to find out.
Seated behind the table was Xi Yunqing. Chen Xiao leaned in curiously, and a clever villager quickly fetched a stool for him. Chen Xiao sat down and gave Xi Yunqing a slightly ingratiating smile.
“I'll help you out, Immortal Immortal Master Xi. Is there anything I can do?”
Xi Yunqing gave him a brief glance. There was something in that look… Why did it feel meaningful to Chen Xiao?
Without saying anything more, Xi Yunqing lowered his gaze to the spiritual root testing device on the table, which resembled an inkstone. Then he said, “In that case, you can record the results.”
Chen Xiao agreed immediately. “Sure, no problem.”
Tong Nuonuo, curious as well, stood behind him and began grinding some ink. Du Rong fetched paper from someone nearby and cut it into neat sheets so they could be compiled into a booklet later.
One by one, the elders stepped forward and placed their hands on the device. As they channeled their inner energy or true essence, the edges of the inkstone would begin to glow sometimes with faint multicolored lights, sometimes a bit brighter with mixed hues. Chen Xiao observed carefully. The colors varied: five-color lights, four-color, and three-color were most common; two-color was rare, and pure single-color never appeared.
As he watched, Chen Xiao worked diligently. He softly asked each elder their name and age, then carefully recorded the results that Xi Yunqing dictated. Xi Yunqing explained that spiritual root aptitude was divided into five grades: inferior, moderate, superior, high-grade, and excellent.
There weren’t many elders, so the testing was completed quickly. Looking at the records, most results were either inferior or moderate, nothing beyond that.
During the tests, Xi Yunqing remained focused and professional, not uttering a single unnecessary word. Chen Xiao was curious about the outcome but didn’t dare interrupt him. Luckily, Tong Nuonuo noticed his puzzled expression and explained, “In ordinary villages, most people have inferior or moderate spiritual roots. That’s normal. Those with inferior roots can usually still become cultivators, and those with moderate roots might reach Foundation Establishment, but very few ever advance to the Golden Core stage.”
She didn’t think much of it, but Chen Xiao noticed something unusual. Tong Nuonuo called this a typical village, but Changjia Village was founded by refugees who had escaped through perilous terrain, suffering heavy casualties along the way. According to Ah Shou, those who survived and made it to the basin were mostly ordinary people and cultivators who couldn’t pass through more dangerous areas, just a few families in total. Under those circumstances, the natural course should have been to focus on survival and population growth. And yet, within a few generations, the village had produced a population with enough people bearing moderate or inferior spiritual roots to rival a much larger settlement.
Judging from this, the first-generation settlers of Changjia Village had already begun to absorb the local earth energy but not to a deep degree just yet.
After learning the nature of their spiritual roots and innate talent, the elders seemed quite content. Once they stepped down, the village’s youths took their place. As much as the villagers wanted to fulfill their own lifelong wish, they were even more eager to know what the future held for their children.
The children lined up obediently as instructed, with the youngest at the front. The first in line was a little boy, only six or seven years old. He was shy and fidgeted for a long time before finally being nudged up onto the platform by the people behind him.
Immortal Immortal Master Xi’s serious expression frightened the child a little, and he instinctively stepped away from him and walked over toward Chen Xiao instead.
Chen Xiao had a soft spot for young children. He gently asked, “What’s your name? How old are you?”
The little boy was barely tall enough to see over the table. Clutching the corner of his shirt, he spoke in a small voice, “My name is Ah Shu. I’m six and a half.”
Chen Xiao gave him an encouraging smile and wrote down his name and age. Then he said, “Alright, Ah Shu. Just place your hand here, and channel your energy like you do when you practice.”
But Ah Shu’s arms weren’t long enough to reach the testing device on the table. Chen Xiao had to bring it down for him. The boy gave a shy smile, then placed his small hand on the inkstone’s recessed surface. He concentrated for a moment, and soon, two bright lights lit up around the edges of the device.
Xi Yunqing raised an eyebrow and glanced at Chen Xiao before announcing, “High-grade dual spiritual roots; Water and Wood attributes.”
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