Thousand Peaks Mountain Range, Peach Wood Peak, there lies a Tier One Middle Grade Spirit Vein.
This is the land of a Qi Cultivation Clan—a branch of the Zhang Clan.
The Zhang Clan Ancestral Hall is ancient and solemn, with faded cloud patterns carved on the beams. Ancestral tablets are placed on the offering table as the incense burns, releasing a solemn aura.
Today is the Zhang Clan's triennial Spirit Testing Ceremony!
In the center of the hall stands a half-human height Spirit Testing Compass, engraved with five-color runes, and its edges marked with scales from one to fifty, the gauge for judging the grade of Spiritual Roots.
Over forty children lined up in a row, each wearing new clothes, their faces filled with tension and anticipation.
Their parents stood on both sides of the ancestral hall, eyes fixed on the Spirit Testing Compass, palms sweating.
For the Zhang Clan of a Qi Cultivation family, the Spirit Testing Ceremony, whether they can produce a child with a Spiritual Root, is directly related to the family's future prosperity or decline.
"Zhang Chengqiao, No Spiritual Root!"
The middle-aged cultivator of the Zhang surname conducting the testing shook his head. His voice was calm, yet it was like a heavy hammer on the hearts of the girl's parents.
The woman's eyes instantly reddened. She quietly pulled her sobbing daughter aside.
"Zhang Chengyou, No Spiritual Root!"
"Zhang Chenghua, No Spiritual Root!"
Several children in a row were tested with no Spiritual Root, and the atmosphere in the ancestral hall gradually turned heavy.
Deze simpele truc verwijdert alle parasieten uit het lichaam!Open
The middle-aged cultivator's brow furrowed with disappointment, deepening the wrinkles on his face.
The Grand Elder of the Zhang family, Zhang Yaozu, sat at the main seat, his expression still calm, but his fingers unconsciously rubbed together, revealing the anxiety in his heart.
It wasn't until a tiger-headed boy came forward that the middle-aged cultivator's spirit was lifted:
"Zhang Chenglin, Lower Grade Gold Spirit Root!"
The golden light column on the compass, although short, steadily hovered above the tenth scale.
The boy's father was so thrilled he bowed repeatedly, and a low murmur of admiration filled the ancestral hall—finally, a remarkable child emerged.
In the latter half of the line, three boys distinctly taller than the others drew particular attention.
Dressed in identical blue short jackets, two of them stood with heads held high, basking in the admiration of the surrounding children, their eyes full of pride.
The boy standing in the middle also followed his companions' example and lifted his chin, concealing an uncharacteristic calmness beyond his years.
This boy was none other than Chen Sheng, who just resolved the mystery of his past life. In this life, he was named Zhang Chengping.
He could feel the gazes of several adult cultivators in the hall frequently falling on the three of them, filled with unmistakable expectation.
Chen Sheng understood well—they were the Dragon Vein seeds the Zhang family had invested heavily in from outside several years ago.
The clan spread tales of them.
Some said that Hua Xiu, the current Sect Leader of the Qinghua Sect, had descended from this vein.
Others suggested that many Masters Fake Pill in the Qinghua Sect were also descendants of the Dragon Vein.
The Zhang family's actions clearly aimed to harness the power of the Dragon Vein to produce a cultivator of merit.
But Chen Sheng was not optimistic, for those legends, though true, were mere facts.
Why had the high-end market always been occupied by Chen Sheng himself?
Those failed children and grandchildren lacked the capability!
"Next, Zhang Chengyu!"
The eldest of the three children, Zhang Chengyu, suddenly lifted his head, his young face full of arrogance, as if he had already secured a Celestial Grade Spiritual Root.
At this moment, Zhang Chengyu's young mind was imagining whether he would be tested with a Celestial Grade Spiritual Root or an Earth Grade Spiritual Root.
At worst, it would still be a High Grade Spiritual Root!
Though somewhat displeased, thinking that the clan hadn't had such a talent for many years, he thought he could reluctantly accept it.
From a young age, his elders had pampered him, and all he heard were words like "Dragon Vein Seed" and "Future Golden Core."
He had high expectations for himself!
Zhang Chengyu stepped up to the compass, and the middle-aged cultivator carefully pricked his fingertip with a Silver Needle. A drop of bright red blood fell in the center of the compass.
The runes of five colors slowly lit up, but the light column rose extremely slow.
The golden, earthy, blue, green, and red lights were uneven, with the highest blue pillar only reaching up to the fifth scale before stopping.
"Gold: Three, Earth: Two, Water: Four, Wood: Two, Fire: One, No Spiritual Root!"
The middle-aged cultivator's voice was full of undisguised disappointment.
Zhang Chengyu's arrogance cracked instantly, his big eyes wide in disbelief.
He couldn't understand how his "Dragon Vein Golden Core Seed" could lack a Spiritual Root.
The words of praise and the hopeful glances of his elders now stabbed at him like sharp needles. He felt that he could never lift his head again.
With a loud cry, he could no longer hold back and burst into tears, the large teardrops splashing onto the compass and spreading into a small pool.
Sitting at the main seat, Grand Elder Zhang Yaozu helplessly waved his hand, and two middle-aged women in gray clothes hurriedly came forward to take away the sobbing Zhang Chengyu.
He watched Zhang Chengyu's retreating figure, sighing inwardly:
"The Dragon Vein, after a hundred and ten years, is ultimately unreliable."
"Back then, I went against the odds to bring in the Dragon Vein seeds, but now it seems the effort was in vain."
"Oh well, after all, it's the Dragon Vein passed through countless generations; a temporary loss is acceptable."
"Once the Dragon Vein spreads throughout the clan, there will surely be benefits."
...
"Next, Zhang Chengjiao!"
With Zhang Chengyu's prior experience as a cautionary tale, the originally proud Zhang Chengjiao immediately became much more restrained, lowered his head, and quickly walked to the compass.
Though his nature was lively, he was a bit more clever than Zhang Chengyu.
The blood bead fell, and the blue light pillar on the compass quickly ascended, soon surpassing the tenth mark and steadily stopping at the sixteenth mark.
The other four colored light pillars were much weaker, clearly suppressed by the blue.
"Zhang Chengjiao, Lower Grade Wood Spirit Root!" The voice of the middle-aged cultivator softened somewhat.
Zhang Chengjiao's tense little face instantly relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
Though it was just a lower-grade spiritual root, it was worlds apart from Zhang Chengyu's no spiritual root.
Zhang Yaozu also nodded slightly; although a lower-grade spiritual root wasn't outstanding, reaching mid-stage Qi Cultivation wouldn't be a problem and could become a backbone of the family, not a total loss.
"Next one, Zhang Chengping!"
Chen Sheng stepped forward calmly.
He had long anticipated the nature of his spiritual root—the "Lower Grade Spiritual Root" talent granted by the Hundred Generations Book wouldn't be worse than that.
He just didn't know what attribute it was; he preferred it to be a fire spirit root so that the cultivation techniques he practiced in his previous life might be quickly grasped.
The blood bead from his fingertip fell onto the compass, and five colored runes lit up simultaneously, the light pillars climbing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The golden light pillar was particularly dazzling, quickly breaking through the twentieth mark and finally stopping at the twenty-seventh mark, far surpassing the other four light pillars.
"Gold twenty-seven, Wood nine, Water twelve, Fire fifteen, Earth thirteen, Middle Grade Gold Spirit Root!"
The middle-aged cultivator's voice carried a tinge of surprise, and he looked at Zhang Chengping with noticeably softened eyes.
Chen Sheng was slightly astonished within—was it actually a Middle Grade Gold Spirit Root?
This, of course, wasn't the talent endowed by the Hundred Generations Book but the innate talent of this body itself.
This was the first time it exceeded the baseline of the talent, surpassing his expectations.
A low murmur of amazement rose from the sides of the ancestral hall.
The three elders exchanged glances and nodded lightly!
Among them, only Zhang Yaozu had a Middle Grade Spiritual Root, which he had cultivated to Qi Cultivation Perfection.
Zhang Chengping's spiritual root surpasses Zhang Yaozu by a hair; as he grows, he will become another pillar of the family.
At this moment, Zhang Yaozu straightened up from his seat, beaming with a smile, lovingly beckoning to Zhang Chengping:
"Ping'er, come over here to your grandfather."
Chen Sheng obligingly walked to the side of the main seat, slightly bowing his head in salute.
He knew that in the coming years, he would spend his time in the Zhang family, and it was always right to remain obedient and sensible.
Zhang Yaozu reached out and patted his head, the rough hand bringing a warm touch:
"Good lad, you have potential!"
The spirit testing continued, and four more children with Lower Grade Spiritual Roots were identified, reigniting the lively atmosphere within the ancestral hall.
Right until the last few children.
"Zhang Cheng'an."
A fair-faced boy walked forward obediently, standing before the compass.
This was a child from a collateral branch of the family; his parents had passed away early, and the clan had always taken care of these children, managing them uniformly without any neglect.
Zhang Cheng'an was introverted and usually very quiet, with few people noticing him.
The moment the blood bead fell, the compass suddenly exploded with a brilliant earthen-yellow light, the light pillar shooting up like a sword, quickly breaking through the limits of the thirtieth mark, casting a faint glow on the beams at the top of the ancestral hall.
"High Grade Earth Spirit Root!"
The middle-aged cultivator conducting the test exclaimed, his voice trembling.
Zhang Yaozu jumped up, rushed to the compass, and stared intently at that earthen-yellow light pillar, then burst into laughter after a while:
"Good! Good! Our Zhang family has produced a Qilin Child!"
The crowd hurriedly completed the spirit testing for the remaining children, with no other promising seedlings.
Zhang Yaozu turned and sternly addressed the two elders beside him:
"Second elder, third elder, immediately seal the ancestral hall! No one is allowed in or out!"
The Second Elder Zhang Yaode and Third Elder Zhang Yaogong dared not slack off and immediately stationed themselves at the entrance of the ancestral hall, clasping their hands towards the crowd:
"Please remain calm, everyone. The matter of the High Grade Spiritual Root is of utmost importance. We apologize for any inconvenience and ask you to wait here until the clan has made arrangements."
The cultivators participating in the testing were all visibly excited—it was rare to witness the birth of a High Grade Spiritual Root firsthand, and they all expressed understanding.
In a corner, Zhang Chengjiao watched Zhang Cheng'an, who was surrounded by the elders, his little face flushed with indignation as he grumbled:
"So what if it's a High Grade Spiritual Root? I'll surpass him sooner or later once I start cultivating!"
The cultivators nearby couldn't help but laugh at these words!
This kid hasn't learned the hard way yet and doesn't understand what a High Grade Spiritual Root means; once he experiences the harsh realities of the Cultivation Realm, he probably won't say such things anymore.
Chen Sheng didn't join the conversation; he walked to the corner of the ancestral hall and asked a middle-aged female cultivator for a clean hemp mat.
The female cultivator knew he was a promising Middle Grade Spiritual Root, so she was very kind, smiling as she handed him the mat:
"You're quite at ease; such a big event happened, yet you can still fall asleep."
Chen Sheng smiled, laid the mat on the ground, and lay down quietly.
From his speculation, they wouldn't be leaving the ancestral hall anytime soon, so he prepared in advance.
In his previous life, he had grown accustomed to seeing Earth Grade Spiritual Root cultivators.
But for a small clan, a High Grade Spiritual Root was a heaven-sent treasure, and Chen Sheng had seen many examples—Zhao Jinhua, Huang Qingxu, Zhao Yi...