Chapter 546: Spirit Root Testing

On this day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, the Martial Arts Arena was already packed with people.

When Cheng Feng and Zhou Tieyi arrived, the blue-white plaza was teeming with heads; a rough glance revealed at least several thousand people.

These people came from different nations and wore varied attire: some from the Northern Border still wearing furs, some from Donghai in fluttering gauze robes, some from the Western Regions in strapped armor with swords at their waists, and others from the Southern Frontier with bare feet and tattoos.

With talent from a hundred nations gathered in one place, it was as if half the world had been stuffed into the outer sect plaza of the Shangqing Immortal Sect.

"My goodness," Zhou Tieyi said, standing beside Cheng Feng, his eyes wide with shock. "So many people with Immortal Fate? I thought the people on our Flying Boat were already carefully selected, but just looking across this crowd, there are dozens of times more than on the boat."

"We were just one of the Flying Boats," Cheng Feng said, looking at the crowd with a calm expression.

"The Flying Boats only pick up students from a few border nations. The people here come from a hundred nations, and many came here to take the assessment on their own. We are just one small group among them."

Saying this reminded Cheng Feng of the college entrance exams from his past life.

It was the same: thousands of troops and horses crossing a single-plank bridge.

The same tension.

Zhou Tieyi swallowed hard and stopped speaking.

In the center of the plaza stood a massive blue-black stone stele, about three zhang tall, its surface as smooth as a mirror; suspended above the top of the stele was a transparent crystal bead the size of a fist, refracting a seven-colored halo in the morning light.

Seven Deacons wearing gray-blue Daoist robes sat before the stele, each with a small table in front of them, upon which were registers and Jade Rulers.

Further away, a middle-aged Daoist in a moon-white robe sat with eyes closed on a high platform, his demeanor composed and heavy; he was the Outer Sect Elder presiding over the spirit testing today.

"The first item: test for Spirit Root," a Deacon on the high platform announced in a loud, clear voice that drowned out the noise of the crowd. "When your name is called, step forward and place your palm upon the Spirit Testing Stele. Calm your mind and focus your spirit; do not circulate your Qi."

"If the stele surface lights up with a different color, you possess a Spirit Root."

"The purer and brighter the color, the higher the grade of the Spirit Root."

"If the stele surface shows no reaction, you have no Spirit Root."

"Those without a Spirit Root shall retreat to the Outer Sect Miscellaneous Service Courtyard and may follow the path of Martial Dao techniques."

As the words fell, a low stir rippled through the crowd.

Although they had known the rules, hearing the four words "retreat to the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard" still made many hearts tighten.

One wrong step, and every step thereafter is wrong.

This was no joke!!

The spirit testing began.

The first batch of people whose names were called stepped forward in turn and pressed their palms against the stele.

As soon as one person's hand touched the stele, the surface glowed with a pale red, like sunset clouds reflecting on water. The Deacon glanced at it and announced loudly: "Fire Spirit Root, low grade."

That person's face showed joy; they let out a long breath and stepped to the side.

The next one was brighter; the firelight on the stele flared up, red mixed with gold, and the Deacon's voice rose a notch: "Fire Spirit Root, middle grade!"

A low murmur of admiration broke out in the crowd.

But Cheng Feng only glanced at the person; it was a stranger, and their strength was only at the initial stage of the True Qi Realm, not even in the top fifty if they were back on the Flying Boat.

Yet, because the other party had a middle-grade Spirit Root, they might go further than most in this outer sect in the future.

The testing proceeded quickly. Some were happy, some were dejected.

Before the stele, lights of various colors constantly flared: red, blue, cyan, yellow, gold—all kinds of Spirit Roots were present.

The dimmest were low grade, the spiritual light like fireflies, flickering in and out of existence.

The best one was a youth from Donghai; when he pressed his palm against it, the entire stele glowed with a rich golden light, and even the Elder on the high platform opened his eyes slightly.

"Gold Spirit Root, top grade!"

The whole arena was in an uproar.

Cheng Feng glanced at the youth; he looked only fifteen or sixteen, with a thin frame and a look of timidity on his face, as if he did not know what an incredible thing he had done.

People around him had already begun to inquire about his background, wanting to step forward and curry favor.

Zhou Tieyi watched from the side, his eyes burning with envy: "Top-grade Spirit Root, damn it, this is the truly heaven-chosen one."

"Whether they are heaven-chosen or not, wait and see," Cheng Feng said.

The testing continued from early morning until the sun was high in the sky, and it finally reached the group Cheng Feng was in.

Because they had all arrived on the same batch of Flying Boats, they were ranked earlier and were arranged to be tested in the middle segment.

Lu Zhen, Mu Qing, Bai Wugou, Chen Jiuling, and Zhou Yanran had all already been tested.

Among them, Zhou Yanran had a Water Spirit Root, top grade leaning toward lower; Chen Jiuling had a Wind Spirit Root, middle grade; and Mu Qing had an Earth Spirit Root, middle grade.

Bai Wugou did not need to test; his Cold Abyss Body was proof enough, but the Deacon still had him press the stele, and the surface glowed with a brilliant white light, nearly transparent.

"Different Body White Flame, enter the Outer Sect Fire Pulse," the Deacon noted simply, without giving a grade.

Lu Zhen also did not show any strange phenomena; her Cold Abyss Body caused the stele to glow with a faint blue light, but it also formed fine frost flowers on the surface.

The Deacon looked up at her and wrote down: "Different Body Cold Abyss, enter the Outer Sect Water Pulse."

By the time it was Cheng Feng's turn, the sun was already quite scorching.

He walked to the stele and, as instructed, pressed his right palm against it.

The stele was ice-cold, like pressing against a piece of jade that had been soaking in a cold pool for a long time.

He closed his eyes and focused to sense it.

The True Qi within his body moved ever so slightly, and then there was nothing.

He did not circulate his cultivation, nor did he actively urge anything; he simply placed his hand there.

After a few breaths, a faint trace of blue finally lit up on the stele, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, spreading out and then fading.

The Deacon leaned in to look, then picked up his brush and wrote: "Water Spirit Root, low grade... hmm, why is there another streak?"

Cheng Feng opened his eyes and saw that beside the streak of cyan Qi in the center of the stele, there was also a layer of extremely obscure dark gold floating there; if one did not look closely, it was almost invisible.

The dark gold seemed to move slowly as if it had a life of its own, seeping out from deep within the stele, carrying a faint, fishy scent.

The Deacon frowned, took a Jade Ruler and tapped the surface of the stele, then looked at Cheng Feng and asked: "Does your ancestry have any Different Bloodline inheritance? Something like a Flood Dragon Bloodline?"

Cheng Feng's heart stirred, but he remained expressionless on the surface: "My ancestors have lived in the countryside for a long time, and I have never heard of any inheritance."

The Deacon stared at him for a moment, then looked at the stele surface, and finally picked up a brush to record: "Low-grade Water Spirit Root, mixed exotic blood, low-to-mid Root Bone. Next."

The voice was not loud, but it was clear enough for the people in the nearby rows to hear distinctly.

A few low murmurs rose from the crowd.

Zhou Tieyi's expression changed, and just as he was about to say something, he was stopped by a look from Cheng Feng.

He withdrew his hand, nodded slightly to the Deacon, and turned to walk back into the crowd. He did not even pause when he passed by Zhou Tieyi.

"Finished testing. It's your turn," he said.

Zhou Tieyi opened his mouth, wanting to offer some comfort, but was lightly patted on the back by Cheng Feng: "Go, don't delay."

Zhou Tieyi gritted his teeth and walked up.

Cheng Feng stood in the crowd, his expression calm.

It was good enough to have a Spirit Root.

It was better than having none at all.

It was just that he hadn't expected it to be a Water Spirit Root...

The Flood Dragon Bloodline was his greatest opportunity aside from the Panmian.

That was his greatest reliance during his lowest point.

Cheng Feng did not feel there was anything bad about his physical body being strong.

If one is to be a man, one must be a real man.

This Water Spirit Root reminded him of his Water Control Talent.

He didn't know if they were truly related.

That could only be considered an unexpected joy for Cheng Feng.

Low-grade Water Spirit Root, low-to-mid Root Bone; to the ears of others, this was almost equivalent to a half-death sentence.

But Cheng Feng was not in a hurry.

As long as there was a path, he would walk it to the end.

His greatest reliance remained the Panmian.

And the Fairies on the long road of life, who could be sweet or salty, and with whom he could cultivate both the loli and the mature.

On the high platform in the distance, that Elder in the moon-white robe opened his eyes at some unknown moment, his gaze piercing through the crowd and landing on Cheng Feng's back. That glance lasted only an instant before he closed them again.

As if nothing had happened.