Chapter 44: Heavenly Spiritual Root
In a daze, a long-lost memory surfaced in Ji Yuan’s mind.
It was the time when the original Ji Yuan participated in the spiritual root test.
The scene back then was nearly identical to the one before him now.
He still remembered that cultivator from the Water Dragon Sect with a missing left ear.
The man had cast him a cold glance before expressionlessly declaring:
"Ji Yuan, Gold, Wood, Water, Fire—Four Spiritual Roots, eliminated."
And now, the same scene unfolded before someone else.
The boy named Zhang Tie, after hearing that he had four spiritual roots, not only did not seem disappointed but instead leaped excitedly into the arms of a woman, shouting with joy, "Mother, I have spiritual roots! I have spiritual roots!"
Having spiritual roots meant one could become a cultivator.
Regardless of what the future held.
Those without spiritual roots truly had no chance of becoming cultivators.
The next four or five children tested, however, were found to have no spiritual roots at all.
In this Zengtou Market… their lives would be tough. If they had indifferent parents, they might even be sent back to the mortal world.
"Brother Ji, so you’re here after all."
A familiar voice came from behind. Ji Yuan turned around with a smile and said, "It’s less crowded here. Brother Wen, aren’t you going to try your luck at the Pill Refining area?"
Ji Yuan already knew that Wen Lin was an alchemist.
"I know my own limits. No need to embarrass myself," Wen Lin replied with a laugh.
In Wen Lin’s arms, little Wen Ling’er stared wide-eyed at the spiritual root testing area and asked curiously, "Daddy, when can I go for the spiritual root test? Ling’er wants to go too!"
"You’re still too young. You’ll have to wait until next time."
Wen Ling’er was only four years old and could only wait another three years for her turn.
While they were chatting, Ji Yuan suddenly caught sight of the on-duty cultivator at the spiritual root testing area standing up abruptly.
The man then jerked his head up and exclaimed in shock:
"Uncle-Master Xu, He—Heavenly Spiritual Root!"
"What?!"
The female cultivator in the green robe immediately lowered her head.
With a wave of her hand, formation flags fell to the ground, enclosing the entire spiritual root testing area in layers.
She also dispersed the crowd of onlookers around the area.
In the center, the dark-skinned child still had no idea what was happening.
He turned around looking confused, tears even forming at the corners of his eyes.
"To think it’s actually a Heavenly Spiritual Root."
Even Wen Lin couldn’t help but look at the scene in shock. Wen Ling’er tilted her head and asked curiously, "Mother, what is a Heavenly Spiritual Root?"
Zhao Yuechan took a deep breath and softly explained, "It’s the most powerful spiritual root of all."
Wen Ling’er clapped her little hands in delight and said, "Then Ling’er also wants to have a Heavenly Spiritual Root in the future!"
Soon, the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Water Dragon Sect boarded the magical boat with the child and his parents, taking them away.
The spiritual root tests then continued.
Barring any surprises, that family would never need to return to Zengtou Market again.
While it couldn’t be said that one person’s success would elevate their entire clan, it was certainly enough to lift their whole family.
The testing carried on, but the crowd’s attention had already been fully captivated by the appearance of the Heavenly Spiritual Root.
Even when several "True Spiritual Roots"—three-element spiritual roots—appeared afterward, no one paid much attention.
Having seen enough of the commotion, Ji Yuan exchanged a few more words with Wen Lin before heading toward the Talisman Crafting area.
Wen Lin, on the other hand, went to the Pill Refining area he was more familiar with.
Upon arriving, Ji Yuan deliberately leaked a bit of his aura, causing the surrounding fishermen to automatically make way for him.
He glanced at the old, white-haired cultivator standing beside the on-duty Water Dragon Sect cultivator.
The elderly man wore a look of joy on his face.
So far, he was the only one who had passed the Water Dragon Sect’s talisman crafting assessment.
The rules for joining the Water Dragon Sect through talisman crafting were very simple.
Out of ten pieces of medium-quality Cloud-Patterned Bamboo Talisman Paper, if one could craft three medium-grade talismans, they would qualify to join the sect.
Ji Yuan then turned his gaze toward the cultivators currently undergoing the assessment.
There were ten participants in total, each in a separate small cubicle, fully focused on crafting talismans.
This arrangement was somewhat simpler compared to the Pill Refining and Weapon Refining areas, where each participant had a private room to prevent disturbances from outsiders.
In the Talisman Crafting area, the participants couldn’t see each other, but the onlookers could clearly see all of them.
"Ah, Master Lu actually failed."
"What a pity, what a pity."
A middle-aged man, who had finished crafting ten talismans but only succeeded with two, stood up looking dejected, his face pale with disbelief.
Ji Yuan scanned the participants one by one but still didn’t spot Lu Wan.
Not only that, she was nowhere to be seen nearby either.
She didn’t come?
Ji Yuan couldn’t help but recall how he hadn’t seen her at home during his visit on New Year’s Day.
Since then, Ji Yuan had mostly stayed at home cultivating and had rarely visited Zengtou Market, so naturally, he hadn’t seen her since… Could something have happened to her?
Ji Yuan’s heart sank, but after thinking it over, he found it unlikely.
If the Wu family had intended to harm her, they would have done so long ago. If that was the case, had she perhaps moved to another market?
That seemed possible.
While Ji Yuan was lost in thought, the batch of cultivators finished their assessment. As expected, not a single one passed… Was it really that difficult?
Ji Yuan couldn’t help but feel a little doubtful, but upon reflection, it made sense.
With the boost from the [Talisman Room], he could barely manage to craft three or four talismans out of ten. Without such an advantage… it all came down to pure talent.
"Ji Yuan? You came to take the talisman crafting test too?"
A somewhat familiar voice came from beside him, followed by a commotion among the nearby cultivators as they squeezed aside, making way.
Ji Yuan turned his head, this time without a smile—because the person approaching seemed rather unfriendly.
Wu Yan had arrived, accompanied by several of his junior fellow disciples and the renowned Talisman Master Wu Wenbin himself.
When Wu Wenbin appeared, even the on-duty Water Dragon Sect cultivator greeted him with a smile and asked, "Brother Wu, are you planning to join our Water Dragon Sect this time?"
The plump Wu Wenbin rubbed his belly with a smile and replied, "These old bones of mine would rather spend the rest of my days peacefully here in Zengtou Market."
Before Ji Yuan could respond, Wu Wenbin’s gaze shifted toward him.
The smile on Wu Wenbin’s face faded as he asked, "You are that friend of Lu Wan’s, aren’t you?"
Ji Yuan glanced at Wu Yan… It was clear he must have stirred up some trouble again. Otherwise, why would Wu Wenbin know about him?
"I am indeed a friend of Lu Wan’s," Ji Yuan replied without hesitation.
"Truly, you do have some talent. Since you’ve come to take the Water Dragon Sect’s assessment, go ahead," Wu Wenbin’s expression softened a bit.
Wu Yan and his fellow disciples had already gone ahead to collect their wooden tokens and entered their respective cubicles.
Ji Yuan didn’t move; he had only come to watch the excitement.
Seeing Ji Yuan standing still, Wu Wenbin naturally assumed he was too scared to participate and couldn’t help but chuckle, "Could it be that you think I would suppress you because of your relationship with Lu Wan?"
"Let me tell you, you and she have nothing going on. And even if you did, it’s only natural for people to form bonds."
"I don’t know what others might do, but I, Wu Wenbin, am not such a petty man."
As soon as he said this, the nearby cultivators began to cheer, praising "Master Wu’s magnanimity".
Ji Yuan hadn’t expected Wu Wenbin to have such a mindset… But if that were truly the case, who had been harassing Lu Wan’s street stall all this time?
Ji Yuan was puzzled but still gave Wu Wenbin a polite cupped-fist salute.
The on-duty Water Dragon Sect cultivator, seeing this, tossed a wooden token to Ji Yuan and said, "Assessment spot number ten, hurry up and go."
Ji Yuan looked at the token in his hand… He had no choice but to go along with it.
Just as he turned to enter the assessment area, he noticed Wu Yan staring at him.
Their gazes met, and Ji Yuan saw a trace of mockery and vindictive satisfaction in Wu Yan’s eyes.
Ji Yuan couldn’t understand what had gotten into this Wu Yan, but that look made him very uncomfortable… He had been trying to avoid trouble, conducting himself with caution.
But it seemed the more he backed down, the more people looked down on him?
At last, Ji Yuan entered the only vacant cubicle and sat down. When he looked up slightly, he saw a bright line of text floating above his head.
[Talisman Room: Lv1]
What the… This actually works here too?!