Inside the opulent tent, dignitaries were seated around an oval table. The central seat was occupied by a stern-looking middle-aged man in a black brocade robe embroidered with fiery red patterns—City Lord Ouyang Shu of Flame City.
Around him sat various cultivators from across the realms. Some wore the black official robes of the Qin Dynasty, adorned with colors and patterns denoting their state realms.
The elderly official seated beside the City Lord, for instance, wore black robes with earthy-yellow accents, marking him as a representative from the Central State Realm.
About half of those present wore no official robes at all, indicating they were from independent sects, powerful families, or territories outside the Qin Dynasty's direct governance.
At that moment, the elderly official from the Central State spoke in a calm, measured tone that brooked no argument.
"The child with the medium-grade earth spiritual root shall join my Profound Yellow Sect. I trust everyone will grant me this courtesy."
A few of the dignitaries had been on the verge of protesting, but the old man spoke first. Their faces soured as if they had caught a fly in their mouths.
There were multiple children with medium-grade spiritual roots, but everyone knew whom he meant: Jiang Dali. The boy's excellent body-refining aptitude had been confirmed by a secondary test inside the tent. While body refining depended less on spiritual root quality than Qi refining, and it was even possible for those without roots to practice martial arts, the inability to absorb ambient spiritual energy made cultivation prohibitively inefficient. Thus, even body-refining sects used spiritual roots as a key assessment criterion.
The Profound Yellow Sect was one of the foremost body-refining institutions in the world and operated directly under the royal family. Most of its disciples entered service to the Qin Court after graduation. Therefore, though many coveted Jiang Dali, no one voiced an objection. *After all,* they thought, *it's not a high-grade root.*
Satisfied, the old man nodded.
Just then, the female official's voice carried clearly into the tent.
"Yu Xin, low-grade wind-element spiritual root."
The dignitaries showed obvious surprise.
Their voices rose within the quiet tent.
"Unbelievable!"
"Who would have thought?"
"A Heaven-Favored spiritual root!"
"Only slightly less rare than the mythical thunder element!"
Their faces displayed a mix of envy and shock. While wind was common in nature, as a spiritual root it was exceptionally rare. The five base elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—were standard. The ice element was somewhat rarer.
But wind and thunder were anomalies, considered manifestations of the heavenly Dao within the cultivation world. Thus, they were termed "Heaven-Favored" and held nominally higher standing among spiritual roots of the same grade. This was not a claim of inherent superiority, but rather the human tendency to impose hierarchy on all things.
In the center seat, Ouyang Shu's expression remained unchanged. He took a slow sip of tea and said lightly,
"It is still a low-grade spiritual root at the end of the day. A heavenly typhoon and a light gale may both be wind, but they are not comparable."
The old man beside him nodded.
"What the City Lord says is wise. A low grade cannot accomplish much, no matter its rarity."
The others quickly came to their senses, their expressions shifting to pity.
"What a pity..."
"This assessment would be much more interesting if it were a medium-grade root."
"Wasted potential."
Their initial surprise had faded into pragmatic dismissal. Cultivating a low-grade spiritual root was notoriously inefficient. The resources required to raise one such cultivator to Foundation Establishment could train three with medium-grade roots—and the disparity only grew at higher realms.
Ouyang Shu continued as if no one else had spoken.
"There is no point wasting breath on that child. Let us proceed."
The others could only nod in agreement.
"Indeed, let us continue."
They turned their attention back to discussing the distribution of the remaining students.
Meanwhile, Little Yu Xin stood on the assembly ground. A burst of joy had flared within him—his root was rare! Perhaps he would still be chosen by a sect. But in almost no time, a minor official gestured for him to rejoin the other children. His fate was already sealed.
In the blink of an eye, his happiness vanished. Little Yu Xin couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
The assessment, indifferent to his feelings, continued.
Just as it seemed to be winding down, a loud, clear voice shattered the routine silence.
"Song Jian, high-grade metal-element spiritual root!"
The boy was slightly taller than his peers, with sword-like eyebrows and piercing eyes. One look suggested a future sword immortal.
Finding a high-grade spiritual root was exceedingly rare in public assessments. Perhaps one in a hundred medium-grade roots might be high-grade, but such prodigies were usually identified early and groomed within private institutions or great families, not left to attend public enlightenment classes.
The venue fell silent for a moment, then erupted into chaotic exclamations.
"What the hell!"
"It's unbelievable!"
"I'm so jealous!"
The envy directed at him far surpassed what Jiang Dali had received. Young Song Jian was swiftly ushered into the tent, where the raised voices of the dignitaries became audible.
"My Myriad Sword Sect possesses the finest sword arts in the Western State Realm! You look born to be a swordsman; you should join us!"
"Nonsense! The Heavenly Blade Sect is more suitable! Consider carefully..."
"Well, I think..."
The debate continued for some time until the supervisor, himself visibly distracted, remembered his duty and called the final few names.
Dejected, Yu Xin felt a hand tap his shoulder. He turned to find Jiang Dali wearing a self-satisfied grin, hands on his hips.
"Bro! Such a good day! I got a medium-grade spiritual root, and you didn't even notice me behind you!"
Yu Xin mustered happiness for his friend.
"Congratulations, Brother Dali. I hope you become a powerful cultivator."
Jiang Dali then proudly showed him an ancient-looking yellow jade slip inscribed with two words: **Profound Yellow**. It was his sect entry token.
"And I got into the Profound Yellow Sect! Isn't that amazing?"
In truth, neither boy knew the sect's formidable reputation. They simply assumed any sect participating in the official assessment must be respectable.
Little Yu Xin bobbed his head in agreement.
"Amazing!"
Jiang Dali's expression then softened with guilt.
"How… how did your assessment go?"
Little Yu Xin tried to sound nonchalant.
"Oh, just a low-grade wind-element spiritual root."
Jiang Dali patted his shoulder comfortingly.
"It's a good spiritual root! At least you're still a citizen. There's hope for Foundation Establishment."
Yu Xin felt a little better.
"Let's just leave early. We can wait for Old Mr. Feng by the gates."
Jiang Dali agreed happily, feeling light and unburdened now that the assessment was over.
At that moment, an official's voice rang out again. Though similar in tone to the others, its impact was like a thunderclap that silenced the entire venue.
"Xiao Yan, top-grade fire-element spiritual root."
A winter-cicada hush fell over the grounds. Xiao Yan looked like an average boy, but his eyes blazed with a confident, heroic spirit.
From within the tent, City Lord Ouyang Shu himself stood and walked onto the stage. He stopped before the boy and spoke with solemn gravity.
"In the Southern Region, all bearers of a top-grade fire spiritual root are granted the honor of joining the foremost sect beyond our borders: the **Phoenix Nirvana Sect**."
He paused, his gaze intense.
"If you choose to join, I shall personally escort you to your destination. If you do not wish to join, speak now."
The young Xiao Yan replied without hesitation, his voice clear.
"I wish to join the Phoenix Nirvana Sect."
A flash of profound joy crossed the City Lord's stern face—a priceless connection had just been made.
"Good!"
After Ouyang Shu and the prodigy departed, the supervisor formally addressed the crowd.
"The Unified Spiritual Root Assessment of Flame City, on the 24th day of the First Month, year 6005, is now officially concluded. You may leave the venue."
The students began filing out, their minds churning.
"I can't believe it!"
"One high-grade *and* one top-grade root in the same assessment?"
"I can't believe *I* don't have a top-grade root and that kid does. Now my parents won't buy me all those spirit-beast toys…"
Little Yu Xin and Jiang Dali walked among them.
"That kid Xiao Yan is so lucky," Jiang Dali chattered. "Now my medium-grade root doesn't feel as special."
Little Yu Xin said nothing, silently cursing his friend for unintentionally rubbing salt in his wound.
Finally, he murmured, "Let's just go home. I just hope Mom and Dad aren't disappointed in me."