Volume 1, Chapter 6: The Tumultuous Disciple Selection

"Ah, my eyes!"

"My left eye is blinded too!"

"Why has the world turned blood-red? Ah, my eyes!"

[Crack]

It shattered again...

The Peak Master of Chenglin stood stunned.

This was a top-tier Enlightenment Stone he had spent two hundred thousand spirit stones to acquire! It wasn't just for testing one's aptitude; playing with it over a long period could slowly improve a cultivator's perception. Such a treasure was rare indeed, with barely a few to be found across the entire ten-thousand-mile expanse of the Yongzhou Continent.

To see it destroyed just like that filled him with profound grief.

"Ah, my treasure!"

Elder Chen asked nervously, "Is it that his aptitude is simply too high, or is there some conflicting force destroying the Enlightenment Stones?"

Everyone wore a look of utter confusion, at a loss for words. Their shocked eyes remained wide open for a long time, shedding tears—not from sadness, but from the piercing light.

"Wait, I have one more super-premium Enlightenment Stone. This is the only one of its kind in the Yongzhou Continent."

The speaker was the Sect Leader, Yu Taichong, who possessed a Golden Core late-stage cultivation.

The Peak Master of Chenglin asked, "Sect Leader, Brother, how much is this treasure worth?"

"About two million spirit stones, I should think!"

"Hiss!"

"Brother, if you had such a treasure, why have I never heard you mention it?"

"Ahem, such a treasure must, of course, be kept hidden!"

"Quick, let him try it."

Nie Feifei was feeling rather uncertain. Having already shattered two Enlightenment Stones, she worried they might think she was a saboteur and throw her out. Being cautious, she approached with great care, intending only to touch it with her fingertip.

The moment her finger brushed the stone, she quickly pulled it back.

[Stellar-explosion-like radiance]

This time, everyone had learned their lesson and closed their eyes in advance. Those with Foundation Establishment cultivation or higher activated their magical artifacts to shield themselves, lest the brilliance be too intense and blind them.

Sect Leader Yu rejoiced, "Haha, my Enlightenment Stone didn't shatter!"

"This child has super-super-premium aptitude! Truly, Heaven blesses our Liuyun Sect. Even if he lacks spiritual roots, I must take him as my disciple."

The members of the Liuyun Sect scrambled to flatter him.

"Heaven blesses our Liuyun Sect! Congratulations, Sect Leader!"

"Haha, hahahaha!"

Nie Feifei didn't think much of it, finally having a rough idea of her own level of aptitude.

"Sister, you are truly amazing. I wonder what my aptitude is?"

"Don't worry, Father said we are both geniuses, the kind seen only once in a thousand years. You will definitely be even better than your sister."

"Heehee, that’s right, whatever Father says must be true."

Hearing her sister’s words, Nie Feiyan, who had been slightly nervous, felt much more at ease.

Wang Xifeng’s face darkened. *To think this little girl has such high aptitude! She is destined to be my greatest rival in the Liuyun Sect. Fortunately, I possess a Wind Spiritual Root, a rarity in a thousand years; my cultivation speed will be incredibly fast. She is destined to fall behind me. I don't believe her spiritual roots could be better than mine, hmph!*

A quarter of an hour later, Wang Xifeng felt numb. She hadn't expected both sisters to have higher aptitude than her own. *Good heavens, how can this be?* Her self-confidence was dealt a heavy blow.

"The third stage of the assessment is complete. Two hundred people have passed."

"The final stage of the assessment: testing for spiritual roots."

Someone immediately asked, "Wasn't the spiritual root tested in the first stage?"

"This is different from the first stage. The first stage had too many people, and it was mainly to verify if one had any spiritual roots at all. This final stage is to verify the quality of the spiritual roots. Those with poor quality can only enter as battle disciples, such as those with four spiritual roots or fewer."

Han Li, standing nearby, felt very anxious, for he was a four-root cultivator.

Nie Feifei was slightly surprised to see him pass the third stage; he looked so plain and unremarkable that she had almost overlooked him. Those eliminated earlier had not yet dispersed, all wanting to see exactly what kind of spiritual roots the two sisters possessed.

"For this final stage, you must hold this Spiritual Root Testing Stone."

"This stone has five pillars of light: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The number of pillars that light up indicates the number of spiritual roots."

The first to step forward was the tall woman.

[Three pillars of light]

Elder Chen remarked, "Not bad, that counts as mid-grade talent. Stand behind me."

The woman silently moved behind Elder Chen.

The second person stepped up.

[Three pillars of light]

Next, it was Wang Xifeng's turn. She walked up confidently, looking back at Nie Feifei with a smirk, as if to say, "Let me show you what real top-tier talent looks like!"

[A single pillar of light: Water!]

"Wow!"

The crowd was in an uproar. It was a once-in-a-century occurrence. The Liuyun Sect hadn't seen a single-root disciple in many years; even the Sect Leader only possessed a single root. Having a single spiritual root meant that reaching the Nascent Soul stage was a distinct possibility. Without any mishaps, steady cultivation would basically guarantee a Golden Core.

The Peak Master of Zuowang Peak immediately began to vie for her.

"I will take this person as my disciple!"

"Wait, Brother, you cannot snatch her like this! My Yingzi Peak only has ninety disciples, while your Zuowang Peak has two hundred and twenty. You really should let me have her!"

"Hey, Brother Wang, Brother Yuan, stop arguing. We won't even mention Zuowang Peak—they have more than enough disciples—but your Yingzi Peak is full of men; why are you fighting to take a female disciple? This Wang Xifeng belongs to my Tianluo Peak!"

"Oh my, you two, stop your quarreling. She should belong to my Piaomiao Peak!"

The Peak Masters began a grand scramble for the disciple. The group of candidates waiting to be initiated were stunned—did people really fight over disciples like this? Most of them would eventually be sent away, unable to get in even if they begged.

Except for the Nie sisters, everyone else looked at Wang Xifeng with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Hmph!" Wang Xifeng was very satisfied with the crowd's reaction; her usual confidence returned! She tossed her head back, clasped her hands behind her back, and struck a haughty pose. She glanced sideways at Nie Feifei, hoping to see them shocked and envious. Unfortunately, they didn't even look at her, which infuriated Wang Xifeng.

"Hmph, let's see how long you can keep that up!"

The Liuyun Sect was still arguing.

"Enough! Everyone, be quiet. I have already discussed this with the Wang family; Wang Xifeng will be my personal disciple!" The Sect Leader finally spoke.

"Hey, Sect Leader, you can't do that. Every time there's a good seedling, you snatch it up. How are we supposed to survive?"

"That's right, Sect Leader, you can't do this!"

"Oh my, this is such a headache!" Sect Leader Yu was under siege by his peers and couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, alright! We will arrange the apprenticeship later. We'll see who Wang Xifeng chooses. For now, let's finish testing the spiritual roots."

It finally quieted down. The Peak Masters reluctantly accepted this. Privately, they were all thinking about what conditions they could offer to lure Wang Xifeng over.

The testing continued. Time passed quickly.

An incense stick later, it was Nie Feifei's turn.

Sect Leader Yu said kindly, "Don't worry, don't be nervous. Go ahead and test. No matter how poor your spiritual roots are, I am willing to take you as my disciple. Think it over carefully."

Nie Feifei thought to herself: *I wasn't nervous, but now that you've reminded me, you're just trying to mess with my head!*

She placed her hand casually onto the Spiritual Root Testing Stone.