Chapter 78: Peering into the Dust-Peering Mirror, Empty Peering into the Dust

Heavenly Spirit Root!

Lingxiang had already found it strange before; although she had been nourishing Long Qi's Qi with a Medicinal Bath, there was no way he could have broken through his realm in just a month or two. Now it seemed it was not because of Lady Zhuang, but because he possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root.

Lingxiang suddenly fell into deep thought: judging by Long Qi's Spirit Root aptitude, it was indeed inappropriate for her to teach him, as she feared she might delay his future.

It was not only Lingxiang who had this thought; the various Elders and Shangqing Zhenren felt the same. Although they had just tested three Heterogeneous Spirit Roots and one True Spiritual Root, this was a Heavenly Spirit Root! The only Heavenly Spirit Root they had known since they began cultivating was Lieyang Zhenren of the Taishang Sect!

The Elders on the platform exchanged glances, each understanding what the others were thinking.

Lingxiang smiled at this moment, said only that it was very good, and instructed Hanyang to continue.

Hanyang accepted the order and told Long Qi to return to the ranks. Long Qi looked at Lingxiang, but could not guess what she was thinking.

Only Zhao Wuyang remained to have his Spirit Root tested. He was somewhat afraid in his heart, and even as he stood before the Dust-Peering Mirror, his hands could not stop trembling.

Gazing at the two Golden Clouds floating before him, Zhao Wuyang was incomparably anxious. He thought to himself that his martial arts were not refined, and his understanding of Daoist principles was muddled; what would happen if it were tested that he had no Spirit Root at all and was unfit for cultivation?

In fact, he was completely overthinking it; even a random commoner down the mountain possessed a Spirit Root, though their Spirit Root might not be settled.

After all, when the ancient god Nuwa created humans, although some were molded from clay and some were flicked from mud droplets, the muddy water used to create them ultimately contained her divine blood.

Zhao Wuyang stood before the Dust-Peering Mirror for a long time, but the Dust-Peering Mirror showed not the slightest movement. Seeing this, Hanyang could not help but knit his brows.

Could it be that Zhao Wuyang was too young and his Spirit Root had not yet settled?

Just as everyone was about to think so, they saw a patch of Chaos appear within the Dust-Peering Mirror. Hanyang was startled to see it; could it be a Chaos Spiritual Root?

The Chaos within the Dust-Peering Mirror shifted incessantly, and from time to time, purple lightning would shuttle through it. Just as everyone was astonished, they saw a beam of green light like a sharp blade cleave the Chaos apart. In an instant, the nebulae dissipated, leaving only a patch of gray mist between the two Golden Clouds in the Dust-Peering Mirror.

This is...?

Hanyang had never seen such a sight. He looked up toward the Hunyuan Platform and saw that all the Elders wore expressions of astonishment.

Lingxiang was the same. Although she had never seen it, she had once read a book among the scrolls in the Langhuan Pavilion that listed the many Spirit Roots that had appeared since ancient times. What was shown in the Dust-Peering Mirror before her, could it be...

A Fusion Spirit Root!?

If it truly were a Fusion Spirit Root, then little Wuyang would be in extreme danger!

For those with a Fusion Spirit Root, Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and all things in the world—as long as they possessed some Spirit Qi—could be absorbed to aid their cultivation. The path of the Five Elements mutual restraint that everyone else had to follow was completely meaningless to it.

Yet, although it was extremely convenient, a person with a Fusion Spirit Root was themselves a kind of miraculous medicine. Just like the Ten Innate Spirit Roots of the ancient era, they were a supreme treasure that everyone in the world desired; eating their flesh and blood allowed one to ascend and become a saint, and refining their tendons and bones allowed one to obtain divine weapons!

No wonder that a few days ago on Qingwei Peak, Zhao Wuyang was able to draw Qi into his body just by pinching a Five Elements Technique; so that was the reason!

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Zhao Wuyang nearly cried. Could it be that his type of Spirit Root was bad? Would he bring disaster to the world?

At this moment, Lingxiang gathered her thoughts and was just about to call out to warn Shangqing Zhenren and the Elders when she saw that the Dust-Peering Mirror had changed again.

Between the two Golden Clouds, there had been a patch of gray mist, but that mist gradually swirled and turned into a nebula, blue and purple intermingled, constantly shifting, with green light occasionally flashing across it—it was truly beautiful.

After this change, the Dust-Peering Mirror had no further movement, leaving only patches of nebulae in the mirror, dreamlike and illusory.

This...

From now on, she feared that nothing would surprise Lingxiang anymore. Even she herself did not know what she was thinking at this moment: was she relieved for Zhao Wuyang? Relieved that he was not a Fusion Spirit Root? Or was she happy for Zhao Wuyang? Happy that his future path of cultivation was boundless?

Or was it worry?

Jealousy?

What was shown in the Dust-Peering Mirror was clearly—

A Heavenly Star Spirit Root!

In the dead of night, Lingxiang sat alone on Wangxian Terrace, gazing at the Dust-Peering Mirror before her, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

Between those two Golden Clouds, there was nothing but darkness.

She looked up at the sky, where the stars were scattered like a chessboard, yet she did not know which one was her own life star.

The events of the day at Wuji Hall, where the new Inner Sect Disciples had their Spirit Roots tested, were still fresh in her mind. There was the Heavenly Spirit Root, the Heterogeneous Spirit Root, and not to mention that Heavenly Star Spirit Root—each one was something she could look up to but never reach. Even the Five Elements False Spirit Root was at least a complete and whole Spirit Root.

And what about her?

Lingxiang looked at the Dust-Peering Mirror before her, still unwilling to give up, but between the two nebulae, it remained a patch of darkness.

She had originally thought the Dust-Peering Mirror would be like it was for Zhao Wuyang: first showing no reaction at all, and then shifting in a hundred ways.

But she had been before this broken mirror for half the night, and it still remained completely motionless.

Forget it!

Lingxiang patted her dress and stood up.

Could she not just accept her fate?!

And just as she rose from the ground, the Dust-Peering Mirror floated up, drifted past her, and landed steadily on the Seven Treasures Platform in Wuji Hall.

Lingxiang looked at the person who had arrived and smiled.

"Is Senior Brother Qianyuan going to handle sect affairs in the middle of the night? Even with your profound cultivation, there is no need to be out and about under the stars like this."

The moonlight spilled onto Wangxian Terrace, making Lingxiang's face appear as if it were radiating light. Qianyuan Zhenren looked at the little person before him, not knowing what to feel in his heart. After a long while, he took a plaque from his sleeve and handed it to her.

Looking at the agarwood plaque in her hand, Lingxiang was silent for a moment, and only after a long time did she let out a soft laugh.

This laugh did not reveal whether she was laughing at her own persistence or laughing that the plaque for the Hidden Scroll Room was finally in her hands.

"Speaking of which, Second Senior Brother, you have really picked up a great bargain. With Wuyang's Spirit Root aptitude, I imagine he will achieve something in a few decades. That is a Heavenly Star Spirit Root, after all!"

Looking at Lingxiang, whose smile was as beautiful as a flower, Qianyuan Zhenren was momentarily dazed. He did not know when Lingxiang had grown into a young woman; it felt as if it were only yesterday that she was still a nursing babe.

Even then, no one had expected that the sect would encounter such a catastrophe, nor would they have expected that Tumi Xianzi would actually use her own child as a sacrifice to save Yuanqing.

If Tumi Xianzi had not done that, Lingxiang's path of cultivation would likely have been smooth!

While Qianyuan Zhenren was lost in thought, he heard Lingxiang say:

"Zhuzhang Laoren has sent a letter. I am going down the mountain for a few days; Senior Brother, please lend me Shoucheng for a few days."

"This is a troubled time, and the Demon Race is already active. Going down the mountain this time, I fear it is not very safe," Qianyuan Zhenren advised. "Why not wait a while?"

"I cannot wait. If I miss this opportunity, I would have to wait another hundred years, and I may not live until that day."