Chapter 232: Dao-grade Spiritual Root, the Doubts of a Failed Disciple

After the first sword light appeared, sword lights kept coming one after another, and Wang Ping collected them all with his Five Elements Divine Light.

The whole process seemed effortless, but he could not deal with those thirty-two early-stage Golden Core cultivators; his Five Elements Divine Light had just been created and had not yet reached the peak realm where nothing could withstand it.

For now he can only absorb some attack techniques and treasures; he has no way to deal with living people.

"It's time to test the results of these ten years of practice!"

Facing the predicament before him, Wang Ping whispered.

During these ten years, besides gradually merging his soul with his Golden Core, he also imprinted the Gravity Technique onto the Fan Tian Seal, and fused the Fan Tian Seal with Yellow Divine Light; at the moment the fusion succeeded, Wang Ping felt this move was very powerful, but he had no chance to use it.

This time, he could fully unleash it.

As Wang Ping's thought moved, the Fan Tian Seal appeared in his hand, and then a brilliant yellow light burst from his palm.

This light gradually merged into the Fan Tian Seal; in an instant, the crystal-clear Fan Tian Seal turned into a bright yellow appearance.

"Go!"

Wang Ping

With a low shout, the Fan Tian Seal trembled in midair, vanished from its original spot, and reappeared above the heads of the thirty-two Golden Core cultivators.

Strands of yellow light rained down, easily piercing the Dao Intent Barrier fused by the thirty-two Golden Core cultivators.

Having lost the Dao Intent Barrier, the thirty-two Golden Core cultivators in an instant

were pressed flat onto the ground.

"Fall!"

Wang Ping gave a soft shout, the Fan Tian Seal suddenly expanded to ten zhang in size, then crashed down with a boom; in an instant, all thirty-two Golden Core cultivators fell.

Watching the battle, Wang Ping nodded in satisfaction; after the Yellow Divine Light fused with the Fan Tian Seal, plus the boost from the Gravity Technique, it could burst forth with extremely heavy yellow light—just now those falling strands of yellow light had pierced the opponent's Dao Intent Barrier.

Wang Ping had tried before; a single strand of yellow light was incredibly heavy, and even he could barely absorb one strand with his spiritual power.

The Fan Tian Seal itself is extremely heavy; after fusing the Fan Tian Seal, the Yellow Divine Light seems to have taken on its nature, and with the Gravity Technique's boost, it becomes even heavier.

For now, Wang Ping can only control the Fan Tian Seal to drop nine strands of yellow light; moreover, the nine strands can merge into one, but this time he had no chance to experiment.

Because after he slew the thirty-two Golden Core cultivators, this stage ended and he again received full marks.

As the instructors were observing the examinees' score changes, they suddenly saw on the stone stele a red character appear again: full marks.

Before they could inquire, an instructor exclaimed: "Again it's Wang Ping; he has already obtained two full marks!"

"I wonder how many points Wang Ping scored in this examination?" an instructor asked.

"If I remember correctly, he scored seven in the Dao Intent Test, nine point nine in the Comprehension Test, seven in the Dao Technique Test, and full marks in both the Will and Combat Power Tests. Even without the Talent Test, he would have passed; I wonder how many points his talent could earn!"

An instructor said with a hint of anticipation.

"Don't expect too much from the Talent Test; I think getting six points would already be good," said an instructor.

"Six points is a bit low, isn't it? With such results, if one's talent isn't good, how could they get such a score? I think at least it's infinitely close to a Heavenly Spiritual Root, at least seven points," said an instructor dissenting.

While the instructors were arguing among themselves, Wang Ping had already left the examination space and arrived behind the examination hall.

Beside him, cultivators occasionally came to this place, and ahead of him stood a white stone stele one zhang high; cultivators exiting the examination space were guided one by one by white-robed disciples to the front of the stele.

"Junior apprentice brother, please go forward to test your qualifications!" a white-robed disciple who had noticed Wang Ping's presence reminded him with a smile.

Wang Ping nodded in thanks and stepped toward that stone stele.

As he walked, he also heard shouts coming from there.

"Supreme Spiritual Root, Swift Wind Battle Body bonus, 6.2 points, average score 6.3 points, passed!"

"Supreme Spiritual Root! Gold-devouring Battle Body, 6.8 points, average score 5.4 points, failed!"

"Heavenly Spiritual Root, no physique, 7 points, average score 7.9 points, passed!"

By the time Wang Ping reached the end of the line, he already understood the method of the talent test.

It is obvious that a Supreme Spiritual Root scores six points, a Heaven-grade Spiritual Root seven points; if one has a physique, there will be bonus points. The highest he has heard so far is that of the eliminated cultivator with the Gold-devouring Battle Body, which gave a full 0.8 point bonus, yet because his average score failed to pass, he was miserably eliminated.

Next, Wang Ping discovered that the gray-robed disciples' examination had an astonishing elimination rate; without exception, all the disciples tested ahead of him were Supreme Spiritual Roots or Heavenly Spiritual Roots, not a single Upper-grade Spiritual Root.

Noticing this scene, Wang Ping couldn't help touching his nose, feeling that he was about to become famous.

Even if he scored zero in the Talent Test, his current score would already reach the average line.

The testing proceeded quickly; among the thousands ahead of Wang Ping, only half an hour had passed when most had already been tested.

During this process, almost all were Supreme Spiritual Root and Heavenly Spiritual Root qualities; Wang Ping was curious, besides the Heaven-grade Spiritual Root, what other spiritual roots exist?

Soon, he obtained the information he wanted!

That stone stele that had been flickering with a faint dao light suddenly burst into blinding white light; before Wang Ping could figure out what was happening, he heard a shout:

"Dao-grade Spiritual Root, Golden Flame Dao Body, 8.9 points! Average score 9.2 points!"

"The Dao Institute lives up to its name; it actually has Dao-grade Spiritual Roots, a score of 9.2 points—terrifying talent; he must have obtained extremely high marks in the other stages!"

"In every examination, the average score can reach nine or above; after becoming a white-robed disciple, one will be given special attention! I don't know how to address this senior apprentice brother, but we should keep in touch more!"

"This year's recruits from the Ninth Dao Institute are strong; in this period alone, ten have exceeded nine points, with the top scorer averaging 9.5 points!"

"I've heard that the Ninth Dao Institute, because it has long ranked low, has opened many astonishing benefits this time, attracting many amazingly talented pride of heaven."

"Hehe, I am increasingly looking forward to seeing how this cohort's rankings will turn out after the examination ends."

Wang Ping silently listened to the surrounding discussion; it turned out that above the Heavenly Spiritual Root there is the Dao Spiritual Root, which is a spiritual root containing a trace of Dao Intent; normally, those who possess this root are almost certainly descended from a great ability.

In the Spirit Realm, those in the Void Refinement Realm are called Great Abilities; they have fully comprehended a Great Dao, although they cannot achieve the Union Cultivator's state of body and dao united, yet their blood also contains the imprint of the Great Dao; if their descendants have affinity, they will inherit the fragments of that imprint.

Generally, descendants who have inherited those fragments will, at the moment the spiritual root is fully formed, be absorbed by the root and then transmute into a Dao Spiritual Root.

Of course, the prerequisite for forming a Dao Spiritual Root is that one's own spiritual root must be a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

If a cultivator with an Upper-grade Spiritual Root possesses fragments of the Great Dao imprint within his body, when the spiritual root forms and after absorbing and merging the fragments, he can only reach the level of a Supreme Spiritual Root.

After waiting another span of time to finish a cup of tea, it was finally Wang Ping's turn; during this interval, no Dao-grade Spiritual Root appeared, nor any genius scoring above nine points.

Having just seen how the white stone stele tests qualifications, he directly placed his hand upon it.

Wang Ping's gaze focused, staring at the stone stele's eyes without blinking.

Only after he placed his hand on it did the white stone tablet seem to flicker faintly, then immediately go out; the flash was so brief and dim that, had it not been for Wang Ping's focused mental power, he probably wouldn't have noticed the change.

He was like that, let alone the white-clad disciple nearby who hadn't paid much attention to Wang Ping's test.

He blankly glanced at the testing tablet, then said, "This junior brother, you need to place your hand..."

Before he could finish speaking, the white-clad disciple's eyes widened suddenly, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

Wang Ping observed his nose, observed his heart, remained calm, knew exactly what would happen next, and had already prepared himself.

"Upper-grade spiritual root?"

That white-clad disciple suddenly shouted, his voice echoing around; whether they had finished the assessment or not, and even the white-clad disciples nearby tasked with maintaining order were all drawn over by that cry.

They doubted their ears had misheard—upper-grade spiritual root? Could that white-clad disciple have misspoken? Can a disciple with an upper-grade spiritual root even enter the Dao Institute?

"Jiang Fan, what joke are you pulling?!"

At that moment, a yellow-clad disciple beside him frowned and shouted coldly.

The disciple named Jiang Fan said, feeling wronged:

"Senior Brother Huang! It's not my fault! The testing tablet shows an upper-grade spiritual root!"

The disciple called Senior Brother Huang, annoyed, looked toward the testing tablet, and indeed it read:

Wang Ping, upper-grade spiritual root, Yi Wood physique, five point eight, average score eight point two!

At that moment, a disciple finally reacted, exclaiming, "Did I hear wrong? Upper-grade spiritual root? That's rarer than an immortal-grade spiritual root!"

"Hehe, it's not just rarer than an immortal-grade spiritual root—since the Dao Institute was founded, there has never been a case of an upper-grade spiritual root disciple entering the institute!"

"Hey! I'm telling you, fellow Daoist, just leave! I don't know where you came from, daring to enter the Dao Institute with an upper-grade spiritual root, and I don't know where the cultivator who recommended you got the gall!"

A disciple behind Wang Ping gave a thumbs up and said, "Fellow Daoist, you're bold—daring to take the test with an upper-grade spiritual root!"

Wang Ping, his face calm, said, "May I pass the test now?"

As soon as he spoke, bursts of laughter erupted, but only the yellow-clad and white-clad disciples didn't laugh; they stared at the glaring eight point two score, feeling somewhat speechless.

But now wasn't the time to discuss it; hearing Wang Ping's voice, Huang Yi glanced at him with a hint of curiosity and immediately said, "You've passed—go claim your identity jade talisman at the back!"

Wang Ping nodded, stepped straight over the testing tablet, and walked toward the rear.

All the disciples watched in bewilderment as Wang Ping slowly walked past the testing tablet and headed up the mountain.

At that moment, a disciple who had just failed the assessment suddenly shouted, "Corruption! Corruption! Absolutely corruption! How could a mere upper-grade spiritual root disciple pass, while I, a heavenly spiritual root, am not allowed? The Ninth Dao Institute's assessment is definitely corrupt!"

"Exactly! We at least have ultimate-grade spiritual roots—how could we fail while a piece of trash with an upper-grade spiritual root passes? The Ninth Dao Institute owes us an explanation!"

As Wang Ping was moving forward, he suddenly stopped, his gaze calmly falling on the gray-clad disciple who had just called him trash.

Seeing Wang Ping look at him, the gray-clad disciple sneered without restraint: "What? You, a piece of trash with an upper-grade spiritual root, dare to glare at me? Don't think slipping through a back door lets you pass scot-free—the Dao Institute's duty is to cultivate genius for humanity, yet the Ninth Dao Institute has such corruption; I will surely go to the Human Emperor City to file a complaint!"

"Exactly! I'm going too—what gives a mere upper-grade spiritual root disciple the right to pass? There's definitely corruption; I also want to go to the Human Emperor City to file a complaint!"

"Count me in!"

Instantly, the disciples who had failed the assessment all shouted loudly, declaring they would go to the Human Emperor City to file complaints.

The disciple named Jiang Fan glanced at the astonishing score and couldn't help shouting loudly: "Wang Ping, your average score has reached eight point two; according to the Dao Institute's assessment rules, that meets the standard for promotion to white-clad disciple!"

Little did he know, his words sparked an even greater uproar, with even some disciples who had originally passed the assessment casting doubtful glances.

Eight point two—how could that be? How could a mere upper-grade spiritual root disciple achieve such a good score?

Just then, Huang Yi bellowed: "Enough! The Dao Institute's assessment is not for you to question; a heavenly spiritual root talent can't even pass the assessment—disgraceful! Dare to make a ruckus here—it seems we've been too lenient with you!"

Having spoken, he released an aura far surpassing that of a Golden Core cultivator, suppressing the failed-assessment disciples to the point they couldn't speak.

The named heavenly spiritual root disciple, hearing this, turned red in the face but didn't dare act rashly in the Dao Institute; instead, he fixed his gaze on Wang Ping, his face ferocious, and said resentfully:

"I don't believe a piece of trash like you with an upper-grade spiritual root can pass the assessment; if the Dao Institute truly wants us to be convinced, then let me challenge him—if he beats me, I'll accept the institute's results. Wang Ping, dare you?"

All the cultivators' gazes flicked toward Wang Ping, watching how he would respond.

Wang Ping's heart brimmed with killing intent, yet his face remained calm and composed.

Being provoked like this, how could he not feel killing intent? But Wang Ping, having endured many fiery trials, had already learned to control his emotions, so he turned his gaze to the yellow-clad disciple.

Huang Yi looked at Wang Ping's gaze, slightly startled—those eyes were too calm, so calm it was chilling.

He also understood what Wang Ping meant by his look, so he said, "Disciples' sparring requires going onto the fighting platform."

"No need! Let's fight right here." A middle-aged cultivator with a stern face flew out from the assessment hall.

All the white-clad and yellow-clad disciples Zhijie bowed and greeted: "Greetings, Instructor Meng!"

Meng Zhengyang, his face cold, said to those failed disciples: "The fighting platform is for Dao Institute disciples; since you've failed the assessment, just fight here."

Seeing the Dao Institute instructor step forward, the failed-assessment disciples dared not speak, but the heavenly spiritual root disciple showed a hint of joy.

At this moment, Wang Ping said, "I don't know whether the Spirit Realm Dao contest allows killing!"

His words were light and casual, giving the impression that killing was an extremely easy matter.