txolops Chapter 45 Testing Spiritual Roots
Chapter 45 Testing Spiritual Roots
"Don't pull me away!"
"This time, the Moon Shadow Sect's disciple recruitment team arrived in Jin Su County ahead of schedule. In the past, the team was led by several unknown late-stage Qi Refining cultivators."
"But this time it was Master Lü Heng who came."
"He is not only a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, but also a very famous talisman master in the Moon Shadow Sect."
"It is said that when Master Lü Heng leaves the sect this time, he will go to the disciple recruitment ceremonies in various places within the territory ruled by the Moon Shadow Sect, and plans to take on another personal disciple."
"They don't care about spiritual roots, background, or age; they only care if you have talent in the art of talismans. Everyone's scrambling to try their luck."
"You damned old man, why did you stop me at such a crucial moment? If I don't get selected, it'll all be your fault for ruining my chance!" The passerby, who had been stopped by the old man stall owner, suddenly became a little agitated and angrily spat out a couple of sentences.
But the old man who runs the stall doesn't care who you are; he's the kind of person who won't let himself be taken advantage of.
Seeing the passerby's rudeness, he immediately retorted, "You're in your thirties or forties, why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? You look like a rotten garlic clove."
"Even if Master Lü Heng took a fancy to a mangy dog on the street, he wouldn't accept you as his disciple."
"It affects the viewing experience and mood."
The old man stall owner's insults were so vicious that they broke the guard of the passerby he had grabbed, whose face instantly turned bright red.
Overwhelmed by emotion, the man disregarded the occasion, patted his storage bag, took out a crimson flying sword, and prepared to fight the old man stall owner to the death.
Su Qingyan was standing nearby with his eldest son, Su Yuanxian. There were crowds all around, so they couldn't get too far away.
I'm fine, I can use the rattan armor technique to defend against the aftermath of the battle.
However, the eldest son, Su Yuanxian, was still a mortal and only 6 years old.
If you were to be grazed or touched by the aftershocks of their battle, you would be crippled if not killed, and you might regret it for the rest of your life if you were not careful.
To avoid this situation, Su Qingyan reacted quickly, rushing forward to grab the hand of the passing cultivator and saying, "Fellow Daoist, do not act impulsively."
"This is the territory of the Zhou family of Jin Su Mountain."
"If you make a move here, you'll not only be hunted down by the Zhou family cultivators, but you'll also miss the opportunity for Master Lü Heng to take you on as a disciple. Who knows, you might have a talent for talismanic arts and catch Master Lü Heng's eye right here?"
Don't let small gains ruin your future.
After Su Qingyan's persuasion, the passing cultivator calmed down a bit, as if he had thought of some consequences, and a look of lingering fear appeared on his face.
He immediately packed up his crimson flying sword, glared fiercely at the old man stall owner, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.
The old stall owner looked at Su Qingyan with a grateful expression.
He's certainly good at talking, but that's only because of the strict rule set by the Zhou family that fighting is not allowed in Jin Su County. That's why he dares to be so arrogant.
Now that he's really run into a hothead who's reckless and doesn't care about his life, he wouldn't dare say another word.
"Evil people need evil people to teach them a lesson." The middle-aged man who had witnessed the entire conflict spoke up and mocked the old man who was selling the goods. He shook his head and gave the old man a mocking look. His child followed suit and gave the old man the same mocking look. Then, the two figures, one big and one small, followed the crowd toward the square in Jin Su County.
It disappeared quickly.
They didn't give the old man stall owner a chance to continue attacking them with his words.
"Take it easy, fellow Daoist."
"Don't let your mouth bring disaster upon yourself and your granddaughter." Su Qingyan shook his head helplessly, reminded the old stall owner, and then took his eldest son Su Yuanxian's hand and turned to follow the crowd toward the Jin Su County Square.
After approaching the destination.
Su Qingyan looked up and saw a sea of heads everywhere he looked.
In the center of the square where these people were gathered, a three-zhang-high blue brick platform stood majestically, with an unremarkable wooden flying boat moored beside it, floating quietly without moving.
A few minutes later, a middle-aged man dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe was the first to step off the flying boat. He had a thin face, three long strands of beard swaying gently in the wind, his eyes slightly closed, and his aura was extremely restrained, giving people a feeling of unfathomable depth, making it impossible to discern his cultivation level.
Without a doubt, this was the Foundation Establishment stage talisman master—Lü Heng.
Behind him followed four disciples, all dressed in moon-white Daoist robes, each exuding a sharp aura and possessing cultivation at the late stage of Qi Refining.
"There are too many people. Go and manage the order on site. Bring up those children who have just turned 6 to test their spiritual root aptitude and talisman talent. We'll talk to the rest later."
"As for those who are too old, just send them away. Even if they have some talent in talismanic arts, they won't have the time to develop. Bringing them back to the sect would be a waste of resources," said Lu Heng, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, to his four disciples.
"Yes, Master." The four Moon Shadow Sect disciples responded and walked down from the platform in tacit agreement. They quickly led the many Zhou family cultivators who had been waiting below the platform to organize the scene together.
One by one, the children of the appropriate age lined up and followed the guidance of the Moon Shadow Sect disciples onto the high platform.
Lu Heng patted the storage bag on his waist, waved his hand, and a magic artifact shaped like a crescent moon slowly flew out. There was a natural indentation at the tip of the moon, just like an inkstone for grinding ink.
Under Lü Heng's manipulation, the inkstone ritual implement slowly rose into the air, emitting not a dazzling golden light, but a cool, clear glow like "moonlight on water".
Under the guidance of the Moon Shadow Sect disciples, the children of the appropriate age who had climbed onto the high platform walked one by one to the foot of the inkstone artifact, allowing the cool light to cover their entire bodies.
"No spiritual root, next."
"No spiritual root, next."
"No spiritual root, next."
"..."
The test was very fast, with results in just a few seconds. Dozens of eligible children ahead of them failed to show any spiritual root aptitude. Apart from a few people like Su Qingyan who knew the results, the other parents and children in line seemed somewhat worried and anxious.
"Father, will I be like them and have no spiritual root?" Even Su Yuanxian was a little flustered and tugged at Su Qingyan's sleeve to ask.
"Don't worry, spiritual roots can be inherited. Your dad, your mom, and I all have spiritual root aptitude, so you'll definitely have it too," Su Qingyan said gently, patting Su Yuanxian's head.
No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard the familiar, indignant voice of a middle-aged man behind him.
"That damned, unscrupulous merchant, he arrived after us, how did he end up in front?"
"His daughter is already lined up on stage!"
"This man is morally flawed, and his daughter will surely suffer the consequences of his actions, destined to be an ordinary person for life, unable to develop any spiritual talent."
Upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, Su Qingyan looked up and around the platform. Sure enough, he saw the old man who ran the stall, and the person next to him on the platform testing his spiritual root aptitude was his daughter.
Even the old stall owner, a master of verbal sparring, clenched his fists at this moment.
His expression showed both anticipation and extreme nervousness.
"If I hadn't known beforehand that Xian'er had spiritual roots, I'd probably be just as nervous as this old stall owner right now..." Su Qingyan glanced gently at his eldest son, Su Yuanxian, who was clutching his sleeve, and sighed inwardly.
soon.
On the high platform, it was the old man's daughter's turn to have her spiritual root aptitude tested.
……