Chapter 6: Xia Yunxue (Please keep reading)

After receiving the mission, Song Changsheng set off for the garrison office immediately. His footsteps were hurried, and his heart was just as restless; he had been waiting for this reunion for nearly a year.

Song Luding had taken this into account, which was why he had deliberately set the start date for three days later, allowing Song Changsheng more time to spend with his mother.

"Who are you looking for?" At the main gate of the garrison office, a cultivator with thick eyebrows and large eyes looked Song Changsheng up and down, asking with a vigilant expression.

"I am Song Changsheng, one of the organizers of this Immortal Ascension Assembly. I have come to pay a visit to the Fifth Elder," Song Changsheng said, cupping his hands in a salute.

Upon hearing this, the cultivator’s attitude did a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. He smiled warmly and said, "So it is Clan Brother Changsheng! The Fifth Elder is always mentioning you. Please wait a moment, I will go in and report right away."

Before he could even turn around, Song Changsheng felt a blur before his eyes, and a woman dressed in a light yellow flowing cloud dress with her hair styled in a simple bun appeared before him.

The woman had an oval face, and her hair was adorned only with a single jade hairpin, with no other decorations. Her face was devoid of makeup, and she wore a warm, gentle smile. While she could not be called a peerless beauty, she gave off an incredibly warm and comforting feeling.

"Your child pays respects to Mother!" Song Changsheng was about to kneel in a formal salute, but before he could move, the woman caught him.

This was the family’s Fifth Elder, his biological mother, the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator Xia Yunxue!

She was not only the family’s only second-tier mid-grade brewer but also the only elder from outside the main bloodline.

"I sensed your aura while I was inside the residence just now. I thought it was an illusion, but I didn't expect it to really be you. You’ve already broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining?" Xia Yunxue pulled Song Changsheng into the residence, her eyes filled with joy.

"Replying to Mother, I broke through four months ago. My skills in formations and artifact refining have also improved," Song Changsheng said, abandoning his usual modesty in front of Xia Yunxue, sounding quite proud.

"Good child, your talent is no weaker than those with variant spiritual roots. Foundation Establishment is just around the corner." Xia Yunxue was filled with emotion; that little one from back then had grown up in the blink of an eye and was now able to go down the mountain to carry out missions.

A smile appeared on Song Changsheng’s face. He had heard these words from many people, but hearing them from different people brought a different feeling to his ears.

As soon as they sat down in their chairs, Xia Yunxue began to chatter, asking about this and that—mostly mundane things like how he was eating, whether he was doing well, and if he was lacking cultivation resources.

Once she started, it seemed she couldn't stop. Far from feeling annoyed, Song Changsheng felt a deep sense of warmth.

In his previous life, he was an orphan who had never enjoyed the warmth of a family—a lifelong regret. He never expected that in this new life, he would fill that void.

Amidst Xia Yunxue’s chatter, night slowly descended, and the sound of insects began to rise outside the window.

Song Changsheng suddenly said, "Mother, I want to eat fish."

Xia Yunxue paused, only then realizing the sun had set. She hurriedly stood up and said, "Alright, Mother will go and make you something delicious right now."

In less than an hour, Xia Yunxue had prepared a table full of dishes, all of which were Song Changsheng’s favorites. It made his nose sting; a child with a mother is like a treasure, and this was exactly why.

During the meal, Xia Yunxue did most of the talking while Song Changsheng buried his head in his food, responding every now and then. It was simple and heartwarming...

Three days passed in a flash, and Song Changsheng hurried back to rendezvous with Song Luding and the others.

The Immortal Ascension Assembly, which had attracted the attention of hundreds of thousands, was about to begin.

Because there were only two compasses for measuring spiritual roots, they split into two groups. Song Luding took Song Changsheng and Song Changjiu to be responsible for the four cities in the east.

Song Luzi took Song Changying to be responsible for the three cities in the west.

"Clan Uncle, if we happen to measure a Heavenly Spiritual Root this time, what kind of reward do you think the family will give us?" Song Changjiu asked, his face full of longing.

Song Luding laughed heartily: "You brat, you’re small but your ambitions are big. Forget about a Heavenly Spiritual Root; I’d be satisfied with just one Dual Spiritual Root."

"Clan Brother Changjiu, our family has been established for nearly five hundred years, and there has never been a record of a Heavenly Spiritual Root appearing in Lingzhou. I’m afraid your wish is going to fall through," Song Changsheng said with a smile.

Spiritual roots aren't just one in a thousand; it takes seven or eight hundred people to produce even one, and most of those are Impure Spiritual Roots.

A Heavenly Spiritual Root? It was something one didn't even dare to dream of.

"A person should always have dreams," Song Changjiu muttered.

As they talked, they arrived at the spirit-testing room of the first city, where an endless line had already formed.

"So many people, how long will it take us to test them all..." Song Changjiu was dumbfounded as he looked at the sea of heads.

"It’s not much, just a few thousand people. Let’s start quickly and not waste time." Song Luding was as calm as could be, taking out a token to open the spirit-testing room.

The room was small and simply furnished, containing only a meditation cushion and a pillar half a person's height, engraved with dense, intricate patterns.

"Changsheng, stay inside and assist me. Changjiu, guard the outside. Let people in when I tell you to. Do you understand?"

"Oh." Song Changjiu immediately wilted; he had wanted to see how the spirit testing was done.

Song Luding took out a basin-sized compass, fixed it onto the pillar, and placed a cyan crystal into a groove on the pillar.

"This is a Heavenly Profound Stone, a necessary item for measuring spiritual roots," Song Luding said to Song Changsheng while he worked.

Soon, the first child was let in. He was about eight or nine years old and looked very nervous.

Song Luding stroked his beard and said kindly, "Come, child, place your hand in the center of this compass."

The child timidly reached out and placed his hand on the compass. Within a moment, the compass emitted a faint glow. Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow—a good start; the first one already had a spiritual root.

"I just wonder what the quality is," Song Changsheng thought to himself.

Soon, the pillar beneath the compass gave the answer, lighting up in three colors: red, green, and yellow.

"Three-inch Fire Spiritual Root, five-inch Wood Spiritual Root, four-inch Earth Spiritual Root. Mid-grade aptitude." Song Luding nodded with satisfaction. The first one was mid-grade; his luck wasn't bad.

"I... I have a spiritual root?" The child looked at his own hands, seemingly unable to believe it.

"That’s right. Go wait to the side."

"Great! I have a spiritual root!" The child was so excited he almost jumped. Since he was small, he knew how important spiritual roots were, and now, he had grasped a different future.

Song Changjiu waited for a while and, seeing no one come out, knew there was a spiritual root, but because the room had restrictions, he couldn't see what was happening inside.

"If only it were a Heavenly Spiritual Root," Song Changjiu muttered, still unable to let go of the thought.

Soon, children were called in one by one. Perhaps the first one had used up all their luck, as nearly a thousand people followed without a single spiritual root appearing.

Just as Song Changsheng was starting to feel bored, a little girl finally tested positive for a spiritual root, but unfortunately, it was a Four-Element Spiritual Root, with almost no possibility of reaching Foundation Establishment.

It wasn't that those with Four-Element Spiritual Roots couldn't reach Foundation Establishment, but the resources required were too vast; the difficulty of cultivating her to Foundation Establishment was several times harder than cultivating someone with a Three-Element Spiritual Root.

The family’s resources were limited and could not be squandered like that. Her limit in this life would likely be the Qi Refining stage.

Sometimes, Song Changsheng didn't understand whether leading them onto the path of cultivation was right or wrong...

Two days passed quickly. In the first city, over two thousand people produced only three individuals.

On the third day, in the second city, their luck was slightly better—three thousand people produced four, but they were all Four-Element or Five-Element Spiritual Roots; not a single Three-Element Spiritual Root was found.

This was normal, and everyone was mentally prepared for it, until in the third city, the appearance of a quiet, taciturn little boy brought them a surprise...

...

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(End of chapter)