Chapter 6: Peak Grade Spirit Root
Elder Liu grabbed Xiao Chen by the shoulder.
Before Xiao Chen could even react, the world around him blurred.
A powerful gust of wind rushed against his face.
When Xiao Chen looked down, his eyes widened.
He was flying.
The ground below quickly became smaller and smaller.
The giant gates of the Azure Cloud Sect passed beneath them.
Xiao Chen stared downward in shock.
He could see countless disciples walking around inside the sect.
Some wore blue robes.
Some carried swords.
Some were practicing martial techniques in the distance.
The entire sect looked like a completely different world from the streets where he had lived.
Then Xiao Chen looked ahead.
A thick layer of mist covered the deeper parts of the sect.
The mist was strange.
It seemed unnatural.
It moved slowly, as if it were alive.
Xiao Chen frowned.
"What is that?"
Elder Liu glanced ahead.
"That is the Mist Locking Formation," he said.
"It protects the Azure Cloud Sect from outsiders."
"Without permission, ordinary people would never be able to find the true location of the sect."
Xiao Chen's eyes widened.
A formation.
A wall of mist that could hide an entire sect.
The more he saw, the more he realized that cultivation was far beyond anything he had imagined.
Soon, Elder Liu flew into the mist.
For a moment, Xiao Chen could not see anything around him.
Then suddenly, the mist disappeared.
Xiao Chen's eyes widened once more.
Seven massive mountains stood before him.
Each mountain was separated from the others.
Each mountain had countless buildings built across its slopes.
There were houses.
Training grounds.
Small rivers.
Stone bridges.
At the peak of each mountain stood a large hall.
The entire scene looked majestic.
Xiao Chen could hardly believe his eyes.
This place looked more like the home of immortals than the home of humans.
As Elder Liu continued flying, Xiao Chen spoke inwardly.
"Will this really work?"
"Will the spirit root you gave me really be enough?"
The ancient voice snorted.
"Of course it will work."
"I did not merely improve your spirit root."
"I created an entirely new one for you."
"Someone removed your original spirit root when you were born."
"Along with your dantian."
"And even your physique."
The voice sounded colder than usual.
"The person who did that was truly despicable."
"They clearly did not want you to cultivate."
"The heavens have truly played a cruel joke on you."
Xiao Chen clenched his fists.
The voice continued.
"What bothers me even more is that they did not do the same thing to your sister."
"Your sister's spirit root was completely intact."
"That is why I originally chose her."
Xiao Chen frowned.
"What are you trying to say?"
The voice became quiet for a moment.
"You and your so-called sister do not fully share the same bloodline."
"At most, you only share half of it."
"One of your parents is different."
Xiao Chen's body stiffened.
A different parent?
Could he be illegitimate?
Could one of his true parents have been the one who removed his talent?
The thought made Xiao Chen's chest feel heavy.
Before he could continue thinking about it, Elder Liu finally landed on one of the mountains.
But unlike the other peaks, this one was quiet.
There were almost no buildings.
There were only a few trees and an open stone platform.
A large stone stood in the middle of the platform.
The stone was nearly twice Xiao Chen's height.
Strange symbols were carved across its surface.
Elder Liu pointed toward it.
"Go touch it," he said.
"This is the Spirit Testing Stone."
"It will reveal the grade of your spirit root."
Xiao Chen nodded.
Then he slowly walked toward the stone.
His heart began to beat faster.
He raised his hand.
Then he pressed it against the surface of the stone.
Nothing happened.
One second passed.
Then five.
Then ten.
Elder Liu frowned.
"Why is there no reaction?"
He looked at Xiao Chen strangely.
"Remove your hand—"
But before he could finish speaking, the words became stuck in his throat.
The stone suddenly lit up.
At first, it was only a faint white light.
Then the white light became brighter.
And brighter.
And brighter.
Soon, the entire stone was shining so brightly that it was hard to even look at.
A massive beam of white light suddenly shot into the sky.
Boom!
The entire mountain shook.
Elder Liu's eyes widened.
"Peak-grade spirit root!"
His voice trembled.
At the same time, the beam of white light pierced through the sky above the Azure Cloud Sect.
All across the sect, disciples raised their heads in shock.
"What is that?"
"A peak-grade spirit root appeared?"
"Impossible!"
Even inside the halls of the seven mountains, elders suddenly flew into the sky.
One after another, powerful figures rushed toward the mountain.
Peak-grade spirit roots were incredibly rare.
In the entire history of the Azure Cloud Sect, only a few had ever appeared.
Every single one had later become an expert.
Meanwhile, the ancient voice inside Xiao Chen's mind sighed.
"This testing stone is trash."
"It can only detect the lowest level of your spirit root."
"White is merely the weakest color."
"This sect is truly pathetic."
Xiao Chen ignored the voice.
At that moment, Elder Liu slowly turned toward him.
The old man's entire body was trembling.
When he looked at Xiao Chen now, it was as if he were looking at a priceless treasure.