Jiang Wanxing looked at her brother, then at that crystal-clear, strange sphere, and finally at the Immortal who wore a faint smile on his face.
Ultimately, under the silent prompting of her brother's gaze, she timidly reached out her hand, her fingertips lightly touching the cold surface of the sphere.
Then, obediently, she gave it a touch.
The very instant her palm fully pressed against the crystal sphere—
There was no sound.
Yet, it felt as if a silent roar exploded within everyone's hearts!
The originally calm crystal sphere was like ice water into which a red-hot iron had been dropped; the power slumbering within was instantly ignited!
A beam of pure, intensely golden light erupted without any warning!
It wasn't a soft halo, but a blinding sword of light!
It penetrated the crystal sphere itself without resistance, instantly filling every corner of the second-floor hall, overwhelming all the daylight streaming in from the windows!
The light was so pure, so dazzling.
It was as if a small, concentrated sun had been moved indoors, plating everyone's faces, robes, and even the dark wooden floors and walls with a layer of flowing gold leaf!
The faint smile on Xue Sheng's face instantly froze. His mouth hung open unconsciously, and his pupils dilated sharply due to the intense light and even more intense shock!
His brain buzzed, turning completely blank, leaving only four words echoing frantically in his mind!
Peerless Grade Heavenly Spiritual Root!
This... how is this possible?!
In this remote town with thin Spiritual Qi, such a level of Aptitude was actually hidden?!
And it was right under his nose?
If he had discovered this a few years earlier...
Would he still be here, wasting his years away?
This kind of Aptitude, even in the Inner Sect of the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect, would be a peerless Genius that the Elders of every peak would fight over!
She was a seed upon which the Sect's Luck for the next several hundred or even thousand years depended!
Jiang Wanxing's eyes stung from the sudden intense light. She let out a soft "ah," hurriedly let go, and covered her eyes.
The moment her palm left the crystal sphere—
The golden light that filled the room receded like a tide, vanishing without a trace.
It was as if everything just now had been a hallucination.
The hall returned to its previous brightness, though by comparison, it now seemed somewhat dim.
Dead silence.
Xue Sheng remained in that state of shock, speechless, not even noticing when the teacup he had been holding slipped from his hand.
With a soft "thud," the teacup fell onto the thick carpet. It didn't break, but merely rolled twice, the tea soaking a small patch of the rug.
Jiang Wanxing covered her eyes, peeking through the gaps between her fingers at the teacup on the floor, then at the stunned Immortal. After a moment of hesitation, she carefully bent down, wanting to pick it up.
"Don't move! I'll do it! I'll pick it up!"
Xue Sheng snapped back to his senses as if he had been burned, his voice cracking slightly from excitement.
He practically lunged forward, beating Jiang Wanxing to it, and personally picked up the tea-stained cup.
His movements were somewhat frantic, completely losing his previous sage-like, composed demeanor.
Jiang Xun stood where he was, watching this scene—watching the uncontrollable ecstasy and loss of composure on Xue Sheng's face, and then looking at his sister's still ignorant, fearful eyes.
His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally sank straight down.
It sank to the very bottom, followed by a soft "pfft" sound, like the noise of some hope being completely extinguished.
Heavenly Spiritual Root.
And a Peerless Grade at that.
Descriptions of this Aptitude from the game flashed through his mind.
Naturally attuned to Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, one could Cultivate any attribute of Cultivation Technique without any hindrance.
The efficiency of Spiritual Qi absorption and conversion was dozens or even hundreds of times that of ordinary Cultivators!
A true child of destiny. In any Sect, they would be protected like a treasure and cultivated as a future pillar with every available resource.
It's over.
Only these two words remained in Jiang Xun's heart.
After his initial shock, he quickly calmed down to analyze the pros and cons.
In all fairness, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him or Jiang Wanxing herself.
Although he felt care and responsibility for this sister, he truly didn't have very deep feelings for her; she had even tried to poison him once.
He had inherited the Original Owner's body and part of his Karma, so taking care of her was a responsibility. But if he could take this opportunity to settle her in an absolutely safe place with a grand future, it would be a proper account to the Original Owner.
Furthermore, looking at Xue Sheng's state of excitement, once his sister's title as a Genius was confirmed, the Xuanxiao Sect would surely attach great importance to her.
His mind raced, yet his face quickly put on a expression mixed with confusion, worry, and a hint of humble trepidation.
"Im-Immortal Master... is there something wrong with my sister? That light..."
At this moment, how could Xue Sheng care about the minor annoyance of Jiang Xun's Mixed Spiritual Root!
His hands trembled slightly with excitement as he carefully placed the teacup back on the side table, his eyes fixed intensely on Jiang Wanxing.
"Problem? Hahaha!"
Xue Sheng burst into laughter, his voice loud and full of the joy of finally being able to hold his head high. "Jiang Xun, oh Jiang Xun! You have an incredible sister! You two siblings—no, it's you! You just wait to enjoy a life of luxury! Hahaha!"
As he laughed, he couldn't help but circle Jiang Wanxing twice, looking her up and down.
That gaze was so fervent it could almost melt a person, and he kept muttering to himself:
"Good! Excellent! Bone age of sixteen, exactly the golden age for Cultivation! Heaven has blessed me, Xue Sheng!"
Jiang Wanxing felt her skin crawl under his gaze. Like a startled little rabbit, she instinctively shrank behind Jiang Xun, her small hands tightly clutching the hem of her brother's clothes.
Jiang Xun timely shielded his sister by half a step, his face still maintaining that confused look of someone who hadn't figured out the situation.
He followed up with cautious inquiry:
"Immortal Master, your words... this lowly one truly doesn't understand. My sister... what exactly happened to her?"
Only then did Xue Sheng calm his excitement slightly, but the joy on his face was still too thick to dissipate.
He looked at Jiang Xun with unprecedented kindness, even with a hint of excited urgency in his tone:
"It means that you two siblings might not have to wait for the Ascension Assembly a year from now!"
"In two or three days at the latest, once I report this to the Sect via Message Jade, an Elder will personally come to receive you! You can enter the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect immediately and begin true Cultivation!"
Two or three days?!
Jiang Xun's heart skipped a beat, as if struck by a heavy hammer.
He had originally thought there was at least a one-year buffer period to plan slowly.
But he hadn't expected the time to be so tight!
Two or three days?
He couldn't even walk out of the Yunqi Mountain Range in that time!
Sister, oh sister, this talent of yours has really screwed over your brother.
When Jiang Wanxing heard "enter the Immortal Sect immediately," her face was first blank, then she thought of something.
She timidly poked half a head out from behind Jiang Xun, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:
"Then... will my brother come with me?"
"Of course!"
Xue Sheng smiled so broadly his teeth showed, his voice resolute.
"You two share a deep sibling bond, so naturally you will go together! The Sect has always been generous toward Disciples with such Aptitude. Arranging for a relative to accompany them in Cultivation is no difficult task!"
He even found Jiang Xun more pleasing to the eye now. Although he had a Mixed Spiritual Root, he was at least the Genius's brother.
Bringing him in as an Outer Sect laborer or a Named Disciple would fulfill the sentiment and put the girl's mind at ease.
In high spirits, he even felt like teasing, saying to Jiang Wanxing:
"Little girl, do you know? Just now when I asked your brother if he was willing to Cultivate, guess what he said?"
Jiang Wanxing lowered her head and didn't speak, but she assumed he must have wanted to leave immediately!
Xue Sheng mimicked Jiang Xun's tone perfectly:
"'This lowly one only wants to take good care of my sister. If Cultivating means being separated from her, I would rather not go!'"
"Look at that. Such deep sibling affection is truly moving!"
Hearing this, Jiang Wanxing was momentarily stunned, and then her small face flushed bright red.
She stole a quick glance at Jiang Xun and then immediately looked down as if burned. Even the tips of her ears were red, her small hands wringing the corner of her clothes even tighter, her heart pounding like a drum.
Brother... did he really say that?
A sensation she had never felt before—a mix of massive surprise, shyness, and an indescribable warm current—instantly flooded her.
The fear of the poisoning, the despair of being sold, and the worries of the past few days seemed to be gently wiped away at this moment by that one simple sentence.
Jiang Xun, however, was in no mood to feel his sister's touched emotions.
There was only one thought roaring in his mind:
Great Immortal Xue!
Will you please just shut up!
I said that as an excuse not to go to your Xuanxiao Sect! I was still thinking about how to find an opportunity to slip away in these next two or three days!
Now look what you've done. With you saying that, my sister is dead set on taking me with her. How the hell am I supposed to run now!
He had to work hard to maintain that expression of embarrassment and honesty as if his "inner thoughts had been exposed," but his heart had already gone half-cold.
Now, he was truly being forced into a corner.
It seemed going to the Xuanxiao Sect was inevitable.
He only hoped he wouldn't run into her... Meanwhile, in the northern part of the Yunqi Mountain Range, above a small village built against the mountains.
A white figure floated quietly beneath the clouds, her robes fluttering, untainted by dust.
The morning light outlined her cold and peerless silhouette.
It was Yan Qingning.
She lowered her gaze, overlooking the village below. Her Divine Sense, like an invisible breeze, silently brushed past every house and every sleeping Mortal.
"Did you find him?" she asked softly, her voice devoid of emotion.
The shuang hua sword spirit manifested beside her. The little figure hung its head, shaking it somewhat dejectedly:
"No... Master. Daddy's aura isn't here."
Yan Qingning fell silent for a moment, offering neither blame nor disappointment.
"To the next place."
She turned, transforming into a faint white stream of light, vanishing instantly as she headed toward another location in the mountain range.
According to Frost Radiance, his Realm had fallen into a complete mess.
He must be hiding near the Yunqi Mountain Range, silently recovering.
Although the heavenly secrets were obscured, making it impossible to deduce his exact location, as long as Frost Radiance was here...
Yan Qingning's eyes darkened like a cold pool.
Within the shuang hua sword was the heart's blood he had left behind when forging it back then.
As long as the distance was close enough, Frost Radiance would be able to sense him.
Finding him was only a matter of time.
At her current speed, she could turn this ten-thousand-mile mountain range upside down in just a few days.
Once she found him, she would definitely have a good talk with him.
About what exactly a surprise is.