"Could it be... I have the Chaos Spiritual Root?" Ye Wuji was so shocked he was almost at a loss for words.
He hurriedly flipped to the detailed description of spiritual roots in the Hunyuan Formula and began to read carefully about the Chaos Spiritual Root. The book described it: "Those with the Chaos Spiritual Root embody the primordial state when heaven and earth first opened; they encompass all things and are bound by no single pattern. Holders of this spiritual root can absorb the energy of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams without bias or limitation. Yet, as heaven and earth maintain a balance in all creation, while such a spiritual root can master ten thousand techniques, its cultivation speed falls far short of those with single spiritual roots."
Ye Wuji quietly sensed the marvelous changes within his body. Those multicolored strands of Spiritual Qi coexisted harmoniously inside him, flowing slowly like a colorful stream. He attempted to guide this Spiritual Qi along the pathways described in the Hunyuan Formula, and sure enough, he met with no obstruction whatsoever.
"It really is the Chaos Spiritual Root!" Ye Wuji was both surprised and delighted. "When that old man said I was a genius, was this what he meant?"
Recalling the old man's meaningful parting words, his determination to cultivate grew all the more resolute. According to the Hunyuan Formula, the Qi Condensation stage was divided into nine levels; with each level gained, the Spiritual Qi within the body would grow more abundant, and the cultivator's strength would correspondingly increase.
Ye Wuji resolved to work harder at his cultivation, striving to break through to Layer 1 Qi Condensation as early as possible.
In the days that followed, aside from helping his father at the blacksmith's forge and studying pharmacology with his mother, he seized every spare moment to cultivate. In less than a month, he felt the Spiritual Qi in his body form a complete, minor circulation loop—meaning he had officially entered Layer 1 Qi Condensation.
That evening, just as Ye Wuji finished his cultivation, he suddenly heard a commotion echoing through the village. He hurriedly stood up and went outside to investigate, only to see the villagers running toward the village entrance, excitedly discussing something as they ran.
"What's going on?" Ye Wuji stopped a villager and asked.
"The immortal masters of the Qingyun Sect have arrived! Once every ten years they descend the mountain to take in disciples, and this time they've actually come to our Green Mountain Village!" the villager said excitedly before rushing on toward the village entrance.
"The Qingyun Sect?" Ye Wuji remembered hearing from traveling merchant caravans that the Qingyun Sect was the largest cultivation sect in the region, boasting countless experts and serving as a sacred immortal land of which countless mortals dreamed.
Driven by curiosity, Ye Wuji followed the villagers to the entrance of the village. From afar, he saw a group of people dressed in cyan robes standing at the village entrance, led by an elderly man with white whiskers who possessed a thoroughly ethereal, immortal aura and was conversing with the village chief.
Yet Ye Wuji's gaze was drawn to the young people behind the old man. Those youths appeared to be around twenty years of age, each possessing an extraordinary bearing and a straight, upright posture. What shocked Ye Wuji even more was that he could clearly sense the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi radiating from them—far more powerful than his own.
"Are these cultivators?" Ye Wuji marveled to himself.
At that moment, the village chief announced in a loud voice: "This time, the Qingyun Sect has descended the mountain to take in disciples and will hold selections right here in our village. Any youths between the ages of twelve and eighteen have the opportunity to participate in the trial. Those who are chosen will have the fortune of following the immortal masters up the mountain to cultivate and become true cultivators!"
A cheer erupted among the villagers. For this remote, tiny hamlet, having the chance to become a cultivator was undoubtedly the supreme path to changing one's destiny.
"Wuji, you're sixteen this year, aren't you? You fit the requirement perfectly—aren't you going to go give it a try?" A familiar voice came from behind. Ye Wuji turned around to see that it was Uncle Li, the owner of the village blacksmith shop.
"I..." Ye Wuji hesitated. Although he had already begun cultivating, he was after all entirely self-taught and had just stepped into Layer 1 Qi Condensation; compared to those disciples of the Qingyun Sect, the gap was likely far too vast.
Just then, Ye Tieshan and Lady Lin also hurried to the scene. Hearing the village chief's announcement, Lady Lin excitedly grabbed her son's hand. "Wuji, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You must go give it a try!"
Ye Tieshan nodded in agreement as well. "That's right, son. Though your mother and I hate to part with you, if you can become a cultivator, that would bring great honor to our ancestors!"
Looking into his parents' expectant eyes, Ye Wuji could not bear to refuse and could only nod in consent. "Alright, I'll go give it a try."
Early the next morning, all the youths in the village who met the age requirement gathered in the central plaza. Counting them, Ye Wuji saw there were a little over thirty people. The white-whiskered elder of the Qingyun Sect stood upon a temporarily erected high platform, smiling as he looked down at the youths below.
"All of you destined souls, I am Zhao Yuanbai, an outer sect elder of the Qingyun Sect. Today, I have come down the mountain on the orders of the Sect Master to take in disciples." The elder's voice was resonant, carrying across the entire plaza without the aid of any amplification tools. "The Qingyun Sect was founded a thousand years ago, with strict sect rules and numerous disciples. This time, we will select individuals of superior aptitude from various places and bring them back to the mountain gate to nurture them."
He paused, sweeping his gaze across the surroundings: "The path of cultivation is arduous and long; it requires both talent and perseverance. Today's trial will be divided into two parts: the first part tests your spiritual root attributes and Spiritual Qi affinity, and the second part tests your comprehension and perseverance."
As soon as his voice fell, the Qingyun Sect disciples began setting things up across the plaza. They brought out crystalline stones, arranging them in a row upon tables.
"These are spirit stones, rare treasures condensed from the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth," Zhao Yuanbai explained. "The first round of testing is very simple: each of you need only place your hand upon a spirit stone, and it will display different colors according to your spiritual root attribute. If there is no reaction at all, it indicates that your spiritual root aptitude is insufficient and you cannot cultivate."
Hearing this, quite a few youths grew nervous. If they failed even the first round, it meant they had no affinity with the Dao of cultivation.
The testing began. The youths stepped forward one by one and placed their hands upon the spirit stones. Most of the spirit stones showed no reaction whatsoever, causing those youths to step back with faces full of disappointment. Only a tiny handful of spirit stones flashed with a faint glow, drawing nods of approval from the Qingyun Sect disciples.
Finally, it was Ye Wuji's turn. He took a deep breath and placed his hand upon a spirit stone.
A bizarre sight occurred! The moment the spirit stone came into contact with Ye Wuji's palm, it immediately burst forth with multicolored brilliance, shining far brighter than that of any tester before him. The light was so intense that it even drew gasps of astonishment from those around.
Zhao Yuanbai's previously somewhat weary expression instantly turned utterly astonished. He strode quickly over to Ye Wuji, examined the spirit stone closely, and then looked Ye Wuji up and down.
"Impossible..." Zhao Yuanbai muttered to himself. "The Chaos Spiritual Root? How can this be..."
He immediately ordered his disciples to fetch several other spirit stones and had Ye Wuji test them one by one. The result was that every single spirit stone displayed the exact same reaction—multicolored brilliance, signifying that Ye Wuji was capable of absorbing Spiritual Qi of all attributes.
Zhao Yuanbai's expression gradually shifted from shock to ecstatic joy. "Young man, what is your name?"
"Replying to the immortal master, my name is Ye Wuji."
"Good, good!" Zhao Yuanbai nodded repeatedly, unable to conceal the excitement in his voice. "Ye Wuji, do you know what kind of talent you possess?"
Ye Wuji's heart tightened. If he were to say that he had long known he possessed the Chaos Spiritual Root, wouldn't that expose the fact that he had already begun cultivating? He decided to feign ignorance. "I do not know, immortal master."
Zhao Yuanbai did not press further, merely smiling. "Just wait here. Once everyone has finished testing, I will explain it to you in detail."
The remaining tests were quickly completed. Aside from Ye Wuji, spirit stones for only two other youths in the village lit up with a faint glow—one possessed a wood attribute, and the other an earth attribute; both were relatively common spiritual roots.
The second round of testing involved Qingyun Sect disciples posing common riddles from the cultivation world to test the youths' comprehension. Most of these riddles touched upon the natural laws of heaven and earth, requiring a certain degree of flexible thinking to solve.
During his process of cultivating the Hunyuan Formula, Ye Wuji had already gained a preliminary understanding of the laws of heaven and earth. Coupled with his inherent brilliance, these riddles posed little difficulty for him. He easily passed the second round of testing, winning the admiration of everyone present.
After the testing concluded, Zhao Yuanbai stood upon the high platform and announced the results: "In this test, a total of three individuals met the Qingyun Sect's criteria for taking in disciples." He read out the three names in succession, among which was Ye Wuji.
However, Zhao Yuanbai's next words left everyone completely stunned:
"Among them, Ye Wuji possesses exceptional aptitude and holds the once-in-an-epoch Chaos Spiritual Root—truly a rare prodigy of the cultivation world. According to sect rules, he will be directly enrolled into the inner sect and will depart immediately with me for the Qingyun Sect."
Ye Wuji had not expected things to develop so swiftly. He had originally thought he would have at least a few days to bid farewell to his parents, not anticipating that he would have to leave right away.
In the crowd, Ye Tieshan and Lady Lin were both overjoyed and reluctant to part. They squeezed through the crowd and came to Ye Wuji's side.
"Wuji, this is a tremendous stroke of good fortune!" Ye Tieshan patted his son's shoulder, tears welling in his eyes. "Though your mother and I hate to see you go, you must seize this opportunity well."
Lady Lin could not help hugging her son and weeping. "My boy, you must take good care of yourself. Although we don't know what a Chaos Spiritual Root is, judging by the immortal master's tone, you are certainly extraordinary."
A lump formed in Ye Wuji's throat, and his eyes reddened as well. "Dad, Mom, I will definitely cultivate diligently, and one day, when I have achieved success and fame, I will come back to see you both."
Following the brief farewell, Zhao Yuanbai personally brought Ye Wuji back to his dwelling to pack his belongings. Looking around the humble little cottage, Ye Wuji felt a pang of reluctance. Here lay all the memories of his growing years; from this day forth, he would leave the place where he had lived for sixteen years and step onto an entirely new path.
After packing his simple belongings, Ye Wuji carefully concealed the Hunyuan Formula inside his tunic. He hesitated, wondering whether he ought to tell Zhao Yuanbai that he had already begun cultivating.
On second thought, since they considered him a genius, they likely wouldn't mind his early start. Moreover, the Hunyuan Formula might have been intentionally left behind for him by that mysterious old man, perhaps for some special purpose. Ye Wuji decided to keep it secret for the time being and figure out his next move after learning more about the situation.
When he stepped outside, Ye Wuji found that Zhao Yuanbai and the other Qingyun Sect disciples were already waiting at the village entrance. The two village youths who had likewise been selected were there as well, their eyes brimming with excitement and anticipation.
"Are you ready?" Zhao Yuanbai asked.
Ye Wuji nodded. "I am ready, Elder Zhao."
Zhao Yuanbai smiled with satisfaction and withdrew a palm-sized cyan wooden tablet from his tunic, carved with three archaic characters reading "Qingyun Sect". He handed the tablet to Ye Wuji. "From today onward, you are an inner disciple of the Qingyun Sect. This is the symbol of an inner disciple's identity; be sure to keep it safe."
Ye Wuji accepted the wooden tablet, sensing the trace of Spiritual Power fluctuations contained within it. He bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Elder."
Zhao Yuanbai then turned to the two other youths, issuing each of them a similar wooden tablet, though the color was light green. "You are outer disciples. Once we return to the sect, someone will be specifically assigned to arrange your cultivation and daily life."
Having made all the arrangements, Zhao Yuanbai waved his hand. "Let us set off. In three days, we shall reach the Qingyun Sect."
The party departed from Green Mountain Village, embarking on the journey to the Qingyun Sect. The villagers all came out to see them off, naturally including Ye Wuji's parents. Ye Wuji cast one last backward glance, deeply imprinting his parents' reluctant expressions into his mind, and then resolutely followed Zhao Yuanbai onward.
During the journey, Zhao Yuanbai took special care of Ye Wuji. When they made camp to rest that evening, he called Ye Wuji aside alone and questioned him in detail about his upbringing.
"Little Friend Ye, have you truly never been exposed to the arts of cultivation?" Zhao Yuanbai's eyes carried a probing look.
Ye Wuji's heart tightened, but he kept his expression calm and replied smoothly, "Replying to the Elder, before your arrival, I had only heard legends of cultivators from merchant caravans, but I had never laid eyes on a true cultivation manual."
Zhao Yuanbai nodded thoughtfully. "The Chaos Spiritual Root is a once-in-an-epoch occurrence. The last cultivator to possess it was reportedly the 'Taishang Daoist' of three thousand years ago, who later ascended to immortality, leaving behind countless legends. To think I would encounter a prodigy like you in this remote little village—it is truly the blessing of our Qingyun Sect."
"Taishang Daoist?" Ye Wuji mentally noted the name, secretly resolving to learn more about this senior's exploits whenever he had the opportunity in the future.
Zhao Yuanbai continued, "Possessing the Chaos Spiritual Root means you can absorb Spiritual Qi of any attribute without restriction. In the cultivation world, this is a supreme talent. Although your early cultivation speed might not match that of a single-attribute spiritual root cultivator, once you reach high and profound realms, your advantages will fully manifest."
Ye Wuji feigned a look of sudden realization. "So that's how it is. Elder, what kind of nurturing will I receive in the Qingyun Sect?"
"As for that..." Zhao Yuanbai stroked his beard. "According to sect rules, you ought to be assigned to one of the inner sect elders as a personal disciple. However, considering your special spiritual root, the Sect Master may personally inquire about you. The exact arrangements will have to wait until we return to the sect."