What Lucy had mentioned earlier became evident to Liam now. Using Qi was comparable to working out. Its abuse led to an exhaustion that was more mental than physical, muddling his mind, but that didn't prevent him from focusing on the issue at hand.
Liam was confident a tenth root had been about to sprout, but the sphere had broken thanks to the Ancestral Snake's help, keeping it stuck at nine. He didn't know whether that development meant that he had to redo the test, but he dared to harbor some hope.
The hope soon turned out to be justified, but the challenge was far from over, and nothing could have prepared Liam for what followed.
"How did the sphere break?" The sitting woman wondered, her voice almost a whisper that couldn't hide its melodious nature.
"Overuse?" The sitting middle-aged man suggested, his hand on his long black beard, seemingly stuck in a caress. "It hasn't been maintained in decades."
"It never tests disciples with an advanced foundation," The Disciplinary Elder pointed out, "But that final flash …"
The three had kept their voices down, but the silence the spectacular conclusion had enforced made them reach the crowd outside the hall anyway.
Moreover, many among the crowd could see the test's result drawn on the broken sphere, which soon sparked murmurs.
"Nine spiritual roots,"
"Who? The outsider?"
"Is this real? Can cultivators truly have nine spiritual roots?"
"A pereless genius!"
The murmurs grew increasingly louder. Restlessness and excitement built up, and Liam heard it all, but he wasn't alone in that.
The three people around Liam had yet to solve their confusion, but something else took priority.
"Liam, right?" The woman called, wanting to appear graceful, only for her hurry to be evident as she stood up and approached Liam. "I'm Elder June from the Sect's Botanical Hall. It would be my honor to take you as my personal disciple."
Elder June also wore a smile and gently moved her blonde hair away, batting her green eyes. She was a beautiful woman and wanted to use that to her advantage, but Liam didn't even notice that attempt to seduce him.
"I apologize for the intrusion, Elder June," The middle-aged man said, also standing up, finishing caressing his long black beard before joining his hands under his long, ample sleeves.
To Liam's surprise, the man actually bowed at him, some of his long black strands falling past his ears as he addressed him. "Liam, I'm Elder Lewis. I strongly suggest you join the Scripture Hall to receive the best education the Pale Moon Sect has to offer."
Liam was utterly speechless, stunned by that respectful behavior and bombardment of words he didn't understand, and the process wasn't over.
"Nonsense!" The Disciplinary Elder scoffed, stepping to his right so that Liam could see him. "I'm Elder Logan, head of the Disciplinary Hall. Liam, you want to become strong. If you join my disciplinary committee, I'll teach you how to fight and even give you a martial art."
The Disciplinary Elder had mostly guessed that point from his previous interactions with Liam, but his reaction told him he had been right.
"A martial art like the Fiery Fists?" Liam exclaimed, his eyes lighting up in excitement, before a doubt showed itself and prompted another question. "But didn't you say that I have to become an alchemist?"
The Disciplinary Elder cursed himself in his mind, feigning ignorance toward the two Elders' glares. He had indeed given that advice, and he stood by it, but his past words had still ruined his and his fellow Elders' chances of recruiting Liam.
Of course, Elder Logan couldn't have predicted that Liam had nine spiritual roots. Such a cultivator was nothing short of a walking miracle. He would have never given the advice otherwise, not in such a definitive manner at the very least.
"The Botanical Hall is your best choice then," Elder June intervened, trying to exploit the situation to her advantage. "We work in close contact with the Alchemical Hall. It's we who grow most of the ingredients they rely upon."
"The Scripture Hall has all the knowledge a cultivator might ever need," Elder Lewis insisted. "Liam, I heard you are wise enough to acknowledge your ignorance in the cultivation world. We can fix that."
"Strength is paramount for a cultivator," The Disciplinary Elder joined that trend. "Liam, no matter what you choose to do and become, you need the strength to survive the cultivation world. That's what the Disciplinary Hall stands for."
Liam's speechlessness persisted. That insistence hammered the point of his talent's rarity, but he didn't expect the Elders to fight for him. In his mind, he only wanted to become a member of the Sect.
However, organizations like the Sects were complicated monsters, caught in layers upon layers of political infighting.
Liam obviously was unaware of that. He truly knew nothing, and his life had failed to provide him with lessons he could apply to his current situation, or at least give him ideas of what was happening.
Theoretically, Liam leaned heavily toward the Disciplinary Elder's offer. It wasn't just about the innocent excitement of receiving a martial art. He wanted to become strong to stop being at the mercy of others and seize the power to enforce his goals on the world.
Nevertheless, Liam's confusion was another glaring sign of his ignorance, making him consider whether joining the Scripture Hall would be his best choice.
After all, Liam had to admit that getting lost as soon as people started talking had grown old. He clearly had a lot to learn before he could embark on and gain the confidence to survive the cultivation world.
Besides, Liam's goal involved secretive topics like the Ancestral Beasts. The Scripture Hall was probably the ideal place where he could investigate them and learn how to better approach his goal.
'I want to talk to Lucy,' Liam couldn't help but think in front of the three eager Elders, only for his animal instincts to suddenly tingle to no end.
That reaction wasn't limited to Liam. The Elders' eyes went wide as the atmosphere turned dense but not heavy, silencing them and the crowd.
Something boundless and incredible seemed to have descended upon the hall, luckily carrying no ill intent, but triggering different reactions.
The braziers on the building's corners lit up on their own, flickering with grey flames, and a deep, almost ancient male voice surprisingly resounded from them simultaneously.
"Alchemical Hall," The voice said, echoing in the silence the dense atmosphere had created, those mere sounds seemingly hiding the secrets of the world.
And the Elders wore defeated expressions for a second before cupping their fists and performing deep bows, which culminated in joint shouts. "Yes, Sect Leader!"