Chapter 9: Illuminating the Spirit

The Lingzhen Sect is located within a deep valley, surrounded by three mountains. Two cliffs stand opposite each other to form a "sky-sliver" gap, through which the smoke-boat traveled to enter the valley.

It was as if they had entered another world. Hills and rivers were densely packed here, and lakes were embedded in the landscape like stars. The territory was vast and self-contained.

A waterfall cascaded down from the center, and a magnificent, broad river divided the valley into two. Cao Wenguan explained, "This is the Guantian River. The east side is the Outer Sect, and the west side is the Inner Sect."

The deacons steered the smoke-boat to a stop outside a hall with green tiles and said, "We have arrived at the Zhaoling Hall. Follow us inside!"

The disciples disembarked, followed their respective deacons, and walked into the hall.

Wang Fang had already been initiated into the sect, so he did not participate in the subsequent matters and left first with Wang Chuyan.

The interior was extremely spacious, with gray-robed disciples moving to and fro. The four walls were sealed, and a skylight in the center focused the sunlight onto a pure white shadow wall.

Zhao Chun knew that this was the Zhaoling Shadow Wall that Cao Wenguan had mentioned, used for testing spiritual roots.

"The disciples from the Flying Gourd Small World have arrived. We trouble Elder Lin to come forward and examine the spiritual roots of the new disciples."

Hearing this, a gray-robed disciple bowed and invited an elderly man with a crane-like appearance and a youthful face, who was short and stout, to come out.

Elder Lin waved his large hand, acknowledging the deacons' salutations. He pressed his right hand onto the shadow wall, and only after seeing a faint white light emerge from its surface did he withdraw his hand and say, "Begin!"

The deacons arranged the disciples in the order they had arrived and led them to the shadow wall one by one. Zhao Chun’s group was third from the last.

The first was Cheng Tan’s group. The leader was a boy, quite thin and weak. As he stood before the shadow wall, the wall first flickered with white light, which finally condensed into a swirling pattern of four colors: red, brown, green, and yellow.

Elder Lin said, "Four spiritual roots, the four elements are evenly balanced."

A gray-robed disciple stepped forward and handed a wooden plaque engraved with the character "Four" to the boy. He did not yet know what had happened, and in his ignorance, he was led to the side.

Several more followed, all with four or five spiritual roots. Cheng Tan’s expression grew increasingly grim. By the time the last girl was also tested as having four spiritual roots, his face turned from black to pale, as if he had fallen gravely ill.

"Deacon Cheng Tan, recruitment mission, rated as low-grade."

Elder Lin shook his head and said, "Next!"

The children went up one by one. After the second deacon was also rated as low-grade, the third group finally produced a seedling declared to be "three spiritual roots, with strong wood and earth elements, and weak water elements"—a boy as thin and dry as a monkey.

Knowing his talent was superior to others, he happily accepted the wooden plaque engraved with the character "Three," bowed deeply to Elder Lin and the deacon who led him, and waited to the side.

With this three-spiritual-root disciple, the deacon was rated as mid-grade, and he looked somewhat satisfied.

Following that was the deacon who had retorted to Cheng Tan. He had quite a large number of people behind him, thirteen in total, but unfortunately, only one three-spiritual-root disciple appeared, leaving him sullen and silent.

Cao Wenguan only brought six people. If it weren't for that Yuan-mei, who had even fewer with only four, he would have been at the bottom.

Recruiting from small worlds was a task that no deacon wanted to take on. The spiritual energy there was thin, and it was difficult to produce geniuses. Therefore, obtaining one three-spiritual-root disciple to be rated as mid-grade was enough to earn the full reward.

But Cao Wenguan was an elder's disciple; by all rights, he should have been assigned to recruit within this world, where he could have brought back five three-spiritual-root disciples and earned a double reward.

If it weren't for being squeezed out by petty people, how could he have fallen to this point? Cao Wenguan gritted his teeth and thought to himself.

Liu Ziyi usually vied to be the head of the group, and naturally, he wanted to be the first one now. After the shadow wall flashed, he stared fixedly at the four-colored vortex on the wall as if he couldn't believe it.

How could he be a four-spiritual-root? It shouldn't be like this!

"Four spiritual roots, biased toward water and wood. Step down!" Elder Lin waved his hand. He had seen too many people like Liu Ziyi—those who held too many expectations for themselves, yet lacked the courage to face reality when it finally arrived.

Liu Ziyi looked as if he had been crushed, his face deathly pale. He was dragged away by the gray-robed disciples, who stuffed the wooden plaque into his sleeve for fear he would refuse to take it.

Xie Baoguang and Zhang Mingzhan became nervous instantly. They received the "Four" and "Five" plaques one after another. The three of them stood together, all with their heads hung low, showing no spirit at all.

Peng Zheng’s heart hammered like a drum. He closed his eyes and kept chanting, "Gods bless me! Gods bless me! Gods bless me!"

It seemed as if a deity truly helped him. He opened his eyes to see the brown, red, and yellow colors appear on the shadow wall, and heard Elder Lin say, "Three spiritual roots, the three elements are evenly balanced."

"Thank you, Elder! Thank you, Deacon!" Peng Zheng was ecstatic. Cao Wenguan also nodded slightly; although it was an evenly balanced three-element root, it was enough to earn him a mid-grade rating.

Afterward, Zhou Pianran only had five spiritual roots. She was dejected for a moment, but then calmly accepted the wooden plaque and stood beside Peng Zheng.

Zhao Chun was not exactly un-nervous. She naturally hoped her talent was outstanding so she could have a smooth, unobstructed path. However, if she placed all her expectations on this result, which was akin to a gamble, she feared the disappointment would outweigh the hope.

Nothing is absolute. Even with five spiritual roots, she would carve out a path for herself.

After calming her mind, she resolutely stepped forward to the shadow wall. A dazzling white light flashed, and several colors appeared: first a brilliant bright yellow, followed by a bright red, and finally a thin, pale green at the end.

It was three spiritual roots!

Seeing Elder Lin’s expression when the previous three-spiritual-root disciples appeared, Zhao Chun knew this was likely a standard, average level in the cultivation world.

That was good enough!

She could not change her innate conditions, but as long as she was diligent, the path of cultivation would still be passable!

"Three spiritual roots," Elder Lin nodded and added, "Strong gold and fire elements, weak wood element."

"Many thanks, Elder, Deacon." Zhao Chun accepted the wooden plaque and bowed to the two of them.

Seeing that she had tested for three spiritual roots, Zhou Pianran felt envious and said, "You are truly amazing! You will surely achieve success in the Dao in the future."

"Spiritual roots only affect the upper limit of cultivation; they cannot replace personal effort. Even with spiritual roots, without years of hard work, it is difficult to succeed," Zhao Chun said softly. She knew this might sound hypocritical, but it was her sincere opinion; if others couldn't take it to heart, there was nothing she could do.

Sure enough, Zhang Mingzhan said coldly, "Pretentious!"

Zhou Pianran hurriedly tugged at Zhao Chun’s sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Don't listen to him. I know you are sincerely advising me, it's just that I really have no interest in these things."

She lowered her eyes and said in a very small voice, "I... I miss home so much. I don't want to be some disciple here. The deacon said we could be released to go home after five years. My talent is so poor, so I can just go home when the time comes."

"During that month in the Daoist temple, my mother secretly came to see me. She said she often missed me so much she couldn't sleep. I have never been away from home for so long..."

Her eyes gradually turned red. Zhao Chun raised her hand to help her wipe away her tears and heard her say, "I was really happy to be chosen. My two older brothers are not very capable, and my parents have been looked down upon because of it. I thought entering the temple was just to become a nun, and I wanted to earn some face for them, but I didn't know I would have to come to such a far-away place."

Zhao Chun comforted her, "Everyone has their own aspirations. If you don't want to cultivate, no one will force you. If you change your mind later and want to, that's fine too. There are many paths; it all depends on how you decide to walk."

After thinking for a moment, she added, "Don't cry. Your parents surely hope their daughter can be happy while away." This finally stopped Zhou Pianran’s tears.

They were all children who hadn't grown up much. Zhao Chun herself had no attachments, but she couldn't assume everyone was as solitary as she was. Among those selected, there were likely many like Zhou Pianran. Zhao Chun only hoped they could maintain their original intentions and achieve their wishes soon.

While they were talking, another group finished their test. The leading deacon was Bao Yu, the tall and handsome cultivator. At this moment, he let out a long sigh. Looking at the line of children with four or five spiritual roots, he couldn't force a smile and disappointedly accepted the low-grade rating.

Yuan-mei had a close relationship with him and leaned by his side to comfort him softly. The four children behind her also stepped forward in turn. The first three were all five-spiritual-root, but the last one changed.

The shadow wall did not show a vortex; instead, it was filled with ink-green, with some light blue star-like spots around the edges. Elder Lin was immediately overjoyed: "Wood-water dual spiritual roots! Wood is dominant, water is secondary, and the water element is extremely subtle! Good! Very good!"

The Lingzhen Sect had thirty thousand outer disciples and one hundred thousand preparatory disciples, and every year they recruited several thousand more from the outside. Among them, those with four or five spiritual roots made up the majority, while those with three spiritual roots accounted for about twenty percent.

Prodigies with heaven-grade spiritual roots were too scarce and were usually snatched up by major sects; they never reached the Lingzhen Sect. Therefore, dual spiritual roots were considered key talents to be cultivated within the sect.

One must know that while there were nearly thirty thousand disciples with three spiritual roots in the sect, those with dual spiritual roots dropped sharply to fewer than one thousand!

The five existing cultivators at the Ningyuan stage and above, including the Sect Master, were all dual-spiritual-root cultivators, with the exception of Elder Qiu. It could be said that having dual spiritual roots meant at least reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, with the hope of reaching the Ningyuan stage!

Elder Lin looked the boy over with satisfaction and said, "Not bad. You are the third dual-spiritual-root disciple in this year's recruitment, but those two were both balanced in their two attributes; in terms of talent, they are not as good as you. What is your name? How old are you?"

"This junior is Zheng Chenqing, twelve years old this year!" The boy was steady; his face showed joy, but he did not lack the proper etiquette.

He had handsome features and a tall, straight posture. Elder Lin felt more and more that he was a good seedling and said, "The sect has rules: anyone with outstanding talent enters the Inner Sect directly. You don't need to be with the others; follow me to meet the Sect Master first."

"Also, Yuan Minru, rated as high-grade. The rest of you, disperse immediately!"

There was no one left after Zheng Chenqing. Elder Lin conjured a smoke-boat and left with him. Regardless of what they were thinking, the deacons all congratulated Yuan Minru. Bao Yu was especially radiant, his previous disappointment completely dissolved.

The other disciples were even more envious, wishing they were the ones in Zheng Chenqing's place.

"Our mission is concluded. Inside the Zhaoling Hall are the disciples' quarters. Just take your wooden plaques to the people inside for inspection," Cao Wenguan said, pointing inward.

They had spent half a year in that small world with thin spiritual energy and were exhausted. After instructing the disciples to go in on their own, they also conjured their smoke-boats and left one after another.

The remaining disciples gathered in groups and walked inside.

Zhao Chun noticed that, apart from herself and Peng Zheng, the other two with three spiritual roots were the most sought after, followed by a dozen people each, looking glorious.

Even Peng Zheng had replaced Liu Ziyi as the leader of their trio. He had regular features, and having shed his previous submissive manner, he actually looked quite spirited.

Zhao Chun was naturally with Zhou Pianran. Only Xie Baoguang was left; he had bad blood with the other three and didn't dare go over, and he wasn't familiar with Zhao Chun. It was only when Zhou Pianran saw Zhao Chun nod that she called him over to join them.

"Thank you," Xie Baoguang said, his face slightly red, mumbling.

To Zhao Chun, this was just a small favor. She shook her head to indicate no thanks were needed, and the three of them walked inside.

The disciples' quarters was a room similar in layout to the Zhaoling Hall, only simpler. Inside was a row of long tables where several gray-robed disciples sat, and people were already lining up in front of them.

The total number of the eight groups was only a little over a hundred people. After splitting into a dozen lines, the number of people in each line was small. Zhao Chun waited for a while before reaching the table.

She handed over her wooden plaque. Seeing the "Three" engraved on it, the gray-robed disciple’s attitude was much better than it had been for others. He first handed her a set of keys, then neatly packed her things and handed them to her, saying, "Female disciples live in the Xuancao Garden. Go straight east after leaving the door and you will arrive. You have three spiritual roots, so you get twenty pieces of Essence Stone every month, and ten portions each of Mind-Clearing Powder and Qi-Enhancing Powder. You may count them yourself."

Zhao Chun opened the cloth bag. Inside were twenty thumb-sized, greenish-blue pebbles, which should be the Essence Stones, and twenty small yellow paper packets, each labeled with Mind-Clearing Powder and Qi-Enhancing Powder. She nodded, counted them briefly, and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

The gray-robed disciple’s face showed even more kindness as he replied, "It is nothing, just my duty."

Zhao Chun led the way back with her things. Zhou Pianran and Xie Baoguang had also finished. One had four spiritual roots and received ten Essence Stones and five portions of each medicine powder; the other had five spiritual roots and was even more meager, receiving only five Essence Stones and one portion of each medicine powder.

Since Zhou Pianran’s ambition did not lie in cultivation, she didn't care much about these things, saving Zhao Chun the trouble of finding words to comfort her.

Male disciples lived in the Qingzhu Garden to the west. The two of them bid farewell to Xie Baoguang before walking together toward the Xuancao Garden.