Chapter 57: Testing Spiritual Roots

“Line up to test your spiritual roots.” Xiao Haoran tossed these words to the group, then floated back to join the ranks of the immortals. The villagers’ gazes followed the immortals as they moved.

The teams of Yun Qing and Ye Wei queued at the very end, awaiting their turn for the spiritual root test.

Yun Qing scanned the crowd but did not spot Ye Qiu Yue, the girl who hated her.

On the platform at the front of the square, the testing had begun.

A cultivator stood beside a crystal stone. Villagers needed only to step forward and place their hand upon it; it would reveal whether they possessed spiritual roots, and if so, what kind.

Another cultivator held the roster from the last spiritual root test in Ye Family Village. The deputy village chief organized the villagers according to the names on the roster.

The testing process was swift. Most villagers already knew whether they had spiritual roots and which kind, so the cultivators merely compared the results with previous records, checking for any changes.

The order of the roster differed from the current queue, so Ye Xiaolang and his companions were shifted around. Yun Qing, like several newcomers to the village in the past two years, stood at the very end.

The test had come so suddenly that Yun Qing hadn’t had the chance to earn spirit stones to conceal her spiritual roots. In fact, she was only guessing that the original owner of her body might have spiritual roots—she wasn’t certain.

Outwardly calm, she was troubled within. She feared having spiritual roots and being mistaken for an extraterrestrial demon, yet also dreaded not having spiritual roots, making the path to immortality arduous.

The line moved quickly; each person was tested in mere seconds.

“Liuliu, what should I do?”

“One thousand low-grade spirit stones can hide your spiritual roots or display a designated root, but you need at least a thousand.”

“Can I owe you?”

“No, even if you gave up all your energy and possessions, you wouldn’t have enough.”

“If I’m deemed an extraterrestrial demon, we could all be doomed.”

Liuliu replied, “That’s you, not us.”

Yun Qing’s unease grew, but there was nothing she could do—she would have to improvise when the result came.

Ahead, it was Ye Wenjing’s turn. At last, the pace slowed; after her test, a cultivator announced, “Ye Wenjing, seventeen, triple spiritual roots, ninth level of acquired stage. Are you willing to join my Lingyun Sect?”

“I am,” she replied.

Ye Wenjing remained on the platform, standing with the immortals. This outcome had been expected, but when it truly happened, envy was inevitable.

Below the platform, murmurs arose among those in line: “Miss Wenjing has been chosen by the immortals—she’ll leave Ye Family Village to cultivate now.”

“So enviable. If only I’d reached the acquired stage before turning eighteen, I could have cultivated too.”

“Lingyun Sect is a major sect, unlike those that came before. Miss Wenjing is truly lucky.”

The whispers lasted only a moment. Two more youths within the age requirements who had reached the acquired stage were invited to join Lingyun Sect.

When Ye Xiaolang’s turn came, Yun Qing saw him touch the white crystal stone. It showed no reaction, yet Lingyun Sect extended an invitation: “Ye Xiaolang, no spiritual roots, ninth level of acquired stage. Will you join my Lingyun Sect?”

“Thank you for your kindness,” Ye Xiaolang answered, “but I wish to remain in the village as an ordinary villager.”

Each has their own aspirations; the cultivators did not press him further, and Ye Xiaolang jumped off the platform.

The villagers couldn’t understand his refusal to join Lingyun Sect, but it wasn’t the first time he’d declined a sect. Yun Qing guessed it might be related to the peculiar pair of ears atop his head.

The testing continued rapidly. Soon, all the villagers had been tested, and it was time for those who’d joined Ye Family Village in the past two years. Yun Qing, having returned late, was last in line.

The few ahead of her had finished; none possessed spiritual roots. As she stepped onto the platform, Yun Qing still hadn’t devised a solution.

If she were found to have excellent spiritual roots, she was unfamiliar with this world and wouldn’t know which powerful force to claim as her own, risking misidentification as an extraterrestrial demon. Besides retreating into a cave-dwelling for temporary refuge, she had nowhere else to go.

If she were merely the nemesis of darkness, she wouldn’t be mistaken for an extraterrestrial demon, but which power should she claim affiliation with? Would she be valued and cultivated as a high-level talent, or would she be subjected to soul-searching?

Yun Qing approached the testing stone, scrutinizing the half-meter crystal, firmly lodged in its stand, flawless and translucent.

Imitating the villagers, she stretched out her hand to touch the crystal stone.

The moment her hand hovered above it, the stone flashed white. Yun Qing felt an unknown force enter her hand, rush through her meridians to her dantian, then exit her body and return to the crystal stone.

Despite her anxiety, the crystal stone showed no reaction.

No reaction at all!

That signified the absence of spiritual roots!

Yun Qing’s heart chilled—she, astonishingly, had no spiritual roots!

She had considered many outcomes if spiritual roots were detected, but never imagined not having any at all.

The original owner had been tested as well—none found.

Yet the original owner’s behavior before death didn’t seem lacking spiritual roots.

“Liuliu, did you tamper with anything?”

“No.”

“Do I really have no spiritual roots?”

“Perhaps the testing stone is faulty.”

To have crossed to a world of cultivation and not possess spiritual roots—Yun Qing couldn’t accept it. No one was left in line behind her; she switched to her left hand and placed it on the stone again. This time, she felt no energy enter her body, and the crystal stone remained unresponsive.

She wore a look of dejection; many children had cried during the test, but few at her age lost composure.

The immortal overseeing the test, seeing that she was the last and none were deemed extraterrestrial demons, was in good spirits and comforted her: “No spiritual roots? Train hard in martial arts. If you reach the acquired stage by eighteen, you can still join a sect.”

“Thank you, Immortal Master.” Yun Qing withdrew from the platform, more upset about lacking spiritual roots than about the complications spiritual roots might bring.

Once the final person finished, the immortal from Lingyun Sect asked the routine question: “Have all surviving members of Ye Family Village participated in the spiritual root test?”

Ye Wenjing, now eligible to join Lingyun Sect, replied, “Three have left the village as half-soul beings, and one girl, Ye Qiu Yue, age fifteen, is missing.”

Yun Qing arched her brow—she wasn’t the only one paying attention to Ye Qiu Yue. Ye Wenjing appeared gentle, but in truth, she bore grudges.

Liuliu had told her that greyed-out names in the favorability list indicated death. Ye Qiu Yue’s name remained normal, meaning she was still alive.

Lingyun Sect allowed those selected the time it takes a stick of incense to bid their families farewell.

The tale of Ye Qiu Yue was made known to all in Ye Family Village during this interval and recorded in both the roster to be taken away and the one to remain.

Before departing, Ye Wenjing made a point of saying goodbye to everyone in the hunting group, including Yun Qing.

The incense burned quickly; Lingyun Sect’s immortals came swiftly and departed just as fast, taking away the five qualified individuals from Ye Family Village.