"Ah? How could this happen? Is there any explanation for this?"
The senior disciple shook his head and looked at the elite disciple.
"Senior Brother, do you know the reason?"
The elite disciple shook his head. "I only know that this seems to be related to the Demon race."
The disciples looked at each other in confusion, unable to make sense of it.
Another disciple changed the subject.
"All of that is too far away from us. Let's focus on the present instead. I wonder which lucky person will become the chief disciple of Forgetful Peak."
Envy filled the eyes of everyone who heard this.
There are five tiers of disciples in the Taiyi Holy Land: outer disciples, inner disciples, elite disciples, personal disciples, and holy children.
Outer disciples rarely receive true teachings from the holy land. They can only search the Scripture Pavilion for some divine abilities and cultivation techniques, and usually take on sect missions in exchange for cultivation resources.
Once outer disciples reach a certain level in their cultivation, they can participate in grand tournaments to enter the jurisdiction of the seven peaks, becoming inner disciples with a fixed monthly stipend.
However, even under the seven peaks, cultivation still depends on oneself. If fortune smiles upon them, they might receive guidance from a peak master.
If a peak master deems a disciple worthy of shaping, they will take them in as a personal disciple and teach them directly.
However, between inner disciples and personal disciples lies a special group: elite disciples.
They are often much stronger than inner disciples. Perhaps due to their aptitude, temperament, or other reasons, they are not suited to inherit the mantle and legacy, so they simply hold nominal status under a certain peak master and enjoy relatively more freedom.
Finally, there are the holy children. The personal disciples of the seven peaks engage in grand tournaments to select the most outstanding individuals as candidates for the next generation of sect masters of the Taiyi Holy Land.
These candidates are known as holy children or holy daughters.
Only in this way can the holy land endure through the ages.
For these outer disciples to climb to the rank of personal disciple, they had to pass numerous trials. But the lucky person chosen by Guliang Yuan as a disciple would become a personal disciple directly, naturally arousing their envy.
Moreover, as the chief disciple of Forgetful Peak, there was a very high probability of inheriting Forgetful Peak in the future!
It was no exaggeration to call it a step straight to the heavens!
They really wanted to see what kind of proud talent this lucky person possessed.
Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, the ritual elder of the holy land pinched his fingers to calculate. Sensing that the auspicious hour had arrived, he gathered his vital energy into his dantian and spoke in a booming voice:
"The auspicious hour has arrived! Present the holy image of the Patriarch!"
The voice crashed like heavenly thunder, echoing across Forgetful Peak and lingering for a long time.
The discussions in the arena ceased all at once.
Amidst the collective gaze, Lü Qingmei raised her hand, and a huge painting measuring ten feet square suspended itself in mid-air.
The painting depicted a Daoist with white eyebrows and a white beard, holding a whisk, riding backward on a green ox, with a relaxed, natural, and lifelike expression.
Thirty thousand feet of purple Qi billowed from the east behind him, fully displaying boundless divine power.
Guliang Yuan had seen this painting before, but his memories had not awakened at that time, so he hadn't thought much of it.
Yet looking at it now, why did it feel so familiar?
The Taishang... Taishang Laojun?
Without giving Guliang Yuan time to think deeply, the ritual elder interrupted him by speaking again:
"Where is Qianqiu?"
As the words fell, Qianqiu, standing amidst the crowd, took a few deep breaths to forcefully suppress the nervousness in her heart, and walked step by step toward the high platform.
At first, the crowd paid her no mind, until Qianqiu reached the Patriarch's portrait, and they finally noticed her.
For no other reason than that Qianqiu's appearance and everything else were far too ordinary at this moment.
Someone spoke with considerable disappointment:
"I thought the Grand Uncle-Master was going to take in some proud prodigy. Her appearance and temperament are truly not much to look at."
"Indeed. As someone on the path of cultivation, her appearance is even inferior to an ordinary Mortal; it really is somewhat..."
"Wait! What person on the path of cultivation? This is just a plain Mortal!"
"Huh, I feel like I've seen this person somewhere before..."
"I remember now! Isn't this one of the handymen from our holy land?"
"Her name should be Qianqiu. She had a scar on her forehead before, which must have been healed by the Grand Uncle-Master now."
"A handyman?"
"Ah, I used to be a handyman disciple too, and I have an impression of this Qianqiu. If I remember correctly, she shouldn't have any spiritual roots and can't cultivate, right?"
"What? No spiritual roots?"
An uproar swept through the crowd at these words!
Chapter 17: Master, it hurts~
"What? Why would the Grand Uncle-Master take a Mortal without spiritual roots as a disciple?"
"Isn't this going to cut off the inheritance of Forgetful Peak?"
"No, on what grounds? I have spiritual roots, and I'm also a handyman, so why didn't he take me?"
"I actually feel that the Grand Uncle-Master must have his reasons for doing this. Let's wait and see."
"See my foot! The sect's testing stone can't be wrong. No spiritual roots means no spiritual roots. A hundred years from now, she will just be a pile of withered bones. How can someone like this become a personal disciple!"
"I refuse to accept this!"
"That's right, I don't accept it either! Why take a Mortal as a disciple?"
"Unacceptable!"
"Unacceptable!"
At first, the voices were scattered, but by the end, nearly half of the disciples began to shout in unison!
Most of the disciples making trouble were outer disciples and handymen who had recently entered the sect.
Their cultivation was insufficient, and their temperament had not been elevated either.
Precisely because they could not have it, they didn't want anyone else to have it either!
They were all handymen, so why should she be the one to ascend to the heavens in a single step?
It harmed others without benefiting themselves, but it brought joy to their hearts!
There was also a portion of them who lacked independent thought and only knew how to follow the crowd.
Seeing everyone else shouting, they shouted along too.
Qianqiu lowered her head, not uttering a word, biting her lips tightly until they bled!
She wasn't afraid of losing face. When she had the scar on her forehead, she had heard far harsher words than this, and had long since grown thick-skinned.
What she feared was losing face for Guliang Yuan because of her.
Listening to the collective shouts of the disciples, Lü Qingmei's expression also changed slightly as she sat in her seat.
She projected her divine sense to carefully investigate Qianqiu's body, discovering that Qianqiu indeed possessed no spiritual roots within her.
Retrieving her divine sense, Lü Qingmei knitted her delicate brows and looked at Guliang Yuan, seemingly demanding an explanation.
The rest of the peak masters guessed the result upon seeing Lü Qingmei's expression, and all turned to look at Guliang Yuan, awaiting his explanation.
The holy land had no rule stating that Mortals could not be taken as disciples; this was because, unless someone was a fool, no cultivator would take someone without spiritual roots as a disciple.
Clearly, Guliang Yuan was not that fool.
Amidst the gazes of the crowd, Guliang Yuan smiled faintly, stood up, walked to Qianqiu's side, patted her shoulder, and said softly:
"Lift your head. Don't be afraid, your Master is here."
Listening to Guliang Yuan's gentle words and feeling the warmth radiating from his palm, the nervousness and anxiety in Qianqiu's heart instantly vanished.
She slowly raised her head and looked at Guliang Yuan.
Meeting Guliang Yuan's kind smile, her gaze gradually grew resolute!
Guliang Yuan felt immensely satisfied inwardly; Qianqiu's supreme Dao heart began right at this moment!
Having appeased Qianqiu, Guliang Yuan looked at the jeering disciples below, his gaze instantly turning icy:
"Whoever utters another word shall have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the holy land!"
Though his voice was not loud, augmented by magical power, it clearly entered everyone's ears.
The moment Guliang Yuan's voice fell, the arena fell into absolute silence!
Under the pressure of Guliang Yuan's Nascent Soul might, those disciples who had just been making a ruckus lacked even the courage to meet his gaze, let alone retort.
They also suddenly realized that the world of cultivation was different from the mortal world, where this kind of tactic might still work.
Yet in the face of absolute strength, such actions of theirs seemed only to bring disaster upon themselves!
As for the senior disciples, they had anticipated all of this long ago and maintained a detached, indifferent demeanor.
Seeing that the situation had stabilized, Guliang Yuan glanced around and spoke in a ringing voice:
"There is a kind of spiritual root in this world known as a hidden spiritual root."
"This spiritual root cannot be detected by testing stones, nor can it be probed by divine sense. Many people live until their dying day without ever knowing they possess a spiritual root."
"However, there are also those with hidden spiritual roots who awaken by sheer coincidence and step onto the path of cultivation."
"For example, Elder Chenyun of the Taiyi Holy Land accidentally ingested a spiritual treasure, awakening the twin wind and thunder spiritual roots within his body. After five hundred years of cultivation, he went from a mere rogue cultivator to an elder of the holy land."
"And Qianqiu possesses precisely a hidden spiritual root!"
Upon hearing this, understanding dawned on the disciples. So that was how it was—no wonder the testing stone couldn't detect any spiritual root.
The masters of the other six peaks also brightened visibly. They had thought as much: how could Guliang Yuan, possessing the bearing of an Immortal, possibly take an ordinary Mortal as a disciple?
To think it was a hidden spiritual root; that truly was a rare sight.
In truth, they still had doubts: since divine sense couldn't detect it, how did he perceive it?
Yet these disciples dared not ask, and those who had stirred up trouble earlier didn't even dare to look Guliang Yuan in the eye.
As for Lü Qingmei and those of her realm, they deeply understood one principle: in the world of cultivation, no matter how close two people were, prying too deeply was strictly taboo, so none of them had any intention of asking.Behind Guliang Yuan, Qianqiu's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and she subconsciously straightened her spine a little more!
So, I have spiritual roots too!
Guliang Yuan continued speaking:
"Right now, I am going to awaken Qianqiu's spiritual roots on the spot!"
As soon as Guliang Yuan said this, whether it was the disciples below or the six peak masters above, their interest was thoroughly piqued.
Hidden spiritual roots were rare to begin with, and the awakening process of a hidden spiritual root was even more extraordinary.
Even these six peak masters had never witnessed such a spectacle.
When his voice trailed off, Guliang Yuan looked at Qianqiu: "Sit cross-legged and clear your mind."
At that moment, Qianqiu felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say, so in the end, she just nodded heavily.
Actually, there was still a risk if someone disturbed the process during the awakening of spiritual roots, but Guliang Yuan was not panicked at all.
With the six peak masters standing guard here, it was far safer than any cultivation chamber!
Seeing Qianqiu sit cross-legged and steady herself, Guliang Yuan casually waved his hand to set up a soundproofing grand array to prevent any noise from disturbing Qianqiu later, and immediately took out the ten-thousand-year vermilion fruit required to awaken the spiritual roots:
"Come, eat this ten-thousand-year vermilion fruit."
Qianqiu took it: "Thank you, Master."
"Ding! The host has bestowed a ten-thousand-year vermilion fruit upon his disciple, triggering a ten-thousand-fold return. System reward: Peach of Longevity."
"Peach of Longevity: Regardless of realm or cultivation level, even a mere mortal can have their lifespan extended by two thousand years!"
Looking at the brief description of this immortal medicine, Guliang Yuan almost failed to control his facial expression, nearly showing an look of intense excitement!
In the world of cultivation, among all spiritual items, those that extended lifespan were the rarest! This was because there were far too many cultivators whose lifespans were exhausted just as they were on the verge of a breakthrough.
Perhaps an extension of thirty or fifty years was all they needed to break through to the next realm and defy the heavens!
Therefore, spiritual items and pills that increased lifespan were always in high demand.
Moreover, as far as Guliang Yuan knew, the top lifespan-extending spiritual item in the cultivation world—known as the immortal medicine, the Purple Ginseng King—could only extend one's life by eight hundred years!
Yet this Peach of Longevity directly extended life by two thousand years!
If this peach were to become known to the world, countless old monsters whose lifespans were nearing their ends would probably lose their composure!
The entire Dongzhou would go crazy because of it!
This item was simply too precious!
Guliang Yuan took two deep breaths to forcibly suppress the turmoil in his heart, and then turned his gaze back to Qianqiu.
By this time, Qianqiu had already swallowed the vermilion fruit, and a powerful surge of Dharmic power was gathering within her Dantian.
Guliang Yuan hurriedly projected his divine sense, guiding this surge of spiritual energy along her meridians toward the location of her hidden spiritual roots.
"Qianqiu, if it starts to hurt later, just call out to me."
Qianqiu let out a soft "Understood."
Inside her Dantian, as Guliang Yuan continuously guided the energy and the spiritual Qi increased, a trace of a crimson spiritual root phantom gradually emerged.
Having never been exposed to cultivation before, Qianqiu only felt a burning pain in her meridians caused by the rapid circulation of spiritual energy.
So she softly called out to Guliang Yuan:
"Master, it hurts."
"Oh."
Guliang Yuan replied, but the speed at which he controlled the circulation of spiritual energy did not decrease in the slightest.
Seeing that Guliang Yuan did not stop, Qianqiu called out again:
"Master, it hurts~"
Guliang Yuan still did not stop his actions.
"Master..."
Guliang Yuan suddenly raised his head and smiled: "I told you to call me if it hurt, but I didn't say I would stop."
"Hopefully, calling my name can help ease your pain a little."
"I'm going to push harder now, hold on!"
Qianqiu: ……
This logic seemed bulletproof...
With Guliang Yuan's push, the faint spiritual root inside Qianqiu's body instantly solidified.
The Qi of thunder and fire between heaven and earth shifted accordingly, converging into a giant red cocoon of light that firmly protected Qianqiu inside.
Seeing this, Guliang Yuan withdrew his divine sense with satisfaction and quietly waited to the side.
The gazes of everyone present converged upon that cocoon of light, not daring to blink even for a second, afraid of missing anything.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
Ten minutes passed quickly. Just as the crowd was starting to grow impatient, the cocoon of light shattered with a loud crash, revealing Qianqiu's figure!
At that moment, Qianqiu had directly broken through to Qi Condensation Level 3. Although she was still wearing coarse, plain clothes, her appearance and temperament had undergone a heaven-shaking, earth-even transformation.
First was her height; from a little over one meter six, she had directly reached one meter seventy-five, holding her head high and standing proudly and independently!
Next was her skin; the slightly dark complexion of before was completely gone, replaced by skin as fair and rosy as an infant's.
Three thousand strands of dark hair were casually gathered up, glossy and smooth, completely devoid of their previous withered yellow.
Her eyes held autumn waves, and her brows resembled willow leaves.
Her eyes held autumn waves, dotted with a red mole at the outer corner, adding a touch of allure.
Her brows resembled willow leaves, the tips completely free of clutter, even greener than the distant mountains!
Without the need for powder and rouge, she naturally possessed a hibiscus face.
Without applying lipstick, her crimson lips were brighter than cinnabar!
What a beauty, pitied by the heavens and loved by the earth—three thousand years of creation had birthed such a stunning woman!
Everyone present, regardless of gender, was completely entranced at that moment, entirely forgetting about the matter of the spiritual roots they were supposed to be watching.
Sensing the gazes of the crowd, Qianqiu felt what self-confidence was for the very first time!
She took a few quick steps forward to stand before Guliang Yuan, blinking her expressive, speaking-like eyes:
"Master, do I look good now?"
Guliang Yuan gave an affirmative answer: "You look good."
Qianqiu smiled, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly as she faced the morning sun, resembling an immortal consort.
Hearing Guliang Yuan's acknowledgement made Qianqiu feel even happier than waking up her spiritual roots.
Listening to the two of them converse, the elders in the seats also snapped back to their senses. Lü Qingmei stood up and clapped:
"Putting aside her aptitude for a moment, just looking at Qianqiu's appearance alone, if outsiders were to see her, her name would shake all of Dongzhou!"
"People always describe the beauties of certain places as being like immortals from the heavens."
At this point, Lü Qingmei paused, glanced around, and spoke in a clear voice:
"In my view, it is not that Qianqiu resembles an immortal, but rather that the immortals resemble Qianqiu!"
"Well said!"
As soon as Lü Qingmei said this, cheers erupted from the crowd below, clearly in deep agreement with her words.
Lü Qingmei pressed her hand down into empty space, silencing the commotion below, and then looked at Qianqiu:
"If I'm not mistaken, Qianqiu, the spiritual root you awakened must be the mutated lightning spiritual root."
Hearing Lü Qingmei's words, Qianqiu did not answer immediately, but instead looked at Guliang Yuan first.
After Guliang Yuan nodded, Qianqiu then replied: "Replying to the Sect Master, my spiritual root is indeed the lightning spiritual root. But for some reason, although I only have a single spiritual root, I can still wield the power of the fire spiritual root."
Before Lü Qingmei could reply, Wanyan, the red-haired brawny man who was the peak master of the Peak of Alchemy behind her, looked at Qianqiu with a complex expression and answered:
"Though rare, this kind of situation has been recorded before. My master was in the exact same situation, belonging to the category of mutated heavenly spiritual roots. The lightning spiritual root is derived from the fire spiritual root; because the two share the same origin, they can produce such an effect."
Hearing Elder Wanyan mention his master, the peak masters in a daze seemed to once again see that towering figure who, with the strength of a single individual, had beaten all the old monsters of Dongzhou until they couldn't lift their heads.
That old master of his was a being who was only a single step away from becoming an immortal!
Didn't that mean Qianqiu's future achievements could be just as great?
The peak masters looked at Qianqiu, then looked at Guliang Yuan, green with envy and jealousy in their hearts!
Why hadn't they ever run into a disciple with such aptitude!
Wanyan, in particular, even had the impulse to snatch her away!
This was simply the perfect candidate to inherit his master's mantle!
Thinking about how Qianqiu used to be a mere errand runner in the Holy Land made his heart ache even more—why hadn't he noticed her before?!
A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, ultimately turning into a sour, envious remark:
"Elder Guliang is truly fortunate."
Guliang Yuan more or less guessed what Wanyan was thinking, and generously waved his hand:
"It's fine, I can lend Qianqiu to you when the time comes. You can return her to me after she receives the inheritance."
Wanyan's mouth twitched—this calculation was loud enough to be heard!
You want me to train your disciple for free, right? In your dreams!
Listening to the discussion among the group, Qianqiu's uplifted mouth corners refused to drop.
She could bring glory to her master too, how wonderful.
Guliang Yuan had been keeping an eye on Qianqiu's expression. Seeing her smile hadn't stopped, he knew her self-confidence had been completely established at this moment.
Not bad, not bad, her future was promising!
The disciples below, who had just snapped out of the shock of Qianqiu's beauty upon hearing the conversation of the peak masters, were once again stunned by her aptitude!
A heavenly spiritual root, and a mutated one at that!
Just moments ago she was a totally ordinary mortal, but now, in a sudden twist, she had transformed straight into a peerless talent who overshadowed all others!
The turns of fate were truly sigh-inducing.
Some female disciples looked at the current Qianqiu, and the envy and jealousy they had felt earlier simply vanished like smoke.