With the conclusion of the Yan Family Fortress’s annual spiritual root testing assembly, the news spread like a hurricane across the Yue Cultivation World, impossible to contain: A Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root!
In Lin Prefecture, Yue Country, the Yan Family Fortress—the premier cultivation clan—had produced a prodigy with a Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root. For a time, every cultivation clan within the borders of Yue, and even the Seven Sects of Yue Country, could not help but envy the Yan family’s incredible fortune.
It is common knowledge that cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots face no bottleneck restrictions before reaching the Core Formation stage. They need only cultivate step-by-step to condense a Golden Core and become high-level Core Formation Cultivators, capable of presiding over a region as an ancestor of a cultivation family. The magnitude of such potential is self-evident.
Without hesitation, one could say that a possessor of a Heavenly Spiritual Root is destined to be at least a Core Formation Cultivator. This is a monumental boon for any cultivation clan or sect. Furthermore, this specific Heavenly Spiritual Root was of the Metal attribute—something that had not appeared in the Yue Cultivation World for thousands of years—making it all the more enviable. While Heavenly Spiritual Roots are rare, Yue Country, being a mid-tier nation in Tiannan, typically sees one or two every hundred or two hundred years. But a Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root had not emerged in thousands of years; the shock it caused far surpassed that of any other Heavenly Spiritual Root. It triggered a significant seismic shift in the Yue Cultivation World.
The Seven Sects of Yue Country, in particular, were all eager to recruit Yan Taibai. Because the Yan Family Fortress was one of the few great cultivation clans that did not rely on the Seven Sects and held an entire prefecture as its own territory, they were rightfully recognized as the premier cultivation clan of Yue. Yan Taibai had become the most brilliant star in the entire Yue Cultivation World today.
Numerous cultivation clans were waiting to see what the Yan Family Fortress would choose, as the Seven Sects had immediately dispatched representatives to the fortress upon hearing the news. Their intentions were obvious: everyone wanted to bring this proud son of heaven with the Heavenly Spiritual Root into their own sect.
...
Feiyun Pavilion is the tallest structure in the entire Yan Family Fortress. In the command chamber of this pavilion, an old man with a head of red hair stood with his hands behind his back, his face devoid of expression. At a glance, he did not seem particularly happy about the emergence of a Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root disciple within his family.
In reality, however, as the current ancestor and helmsman of the Yan Family Fortress, he was more delighted than anyone. Yet, happy as he was, the guests who had arrived left him unable to smile.
The Moon Masking Sect, Yellow Maple Valley, Giant Sword Sect, Spirit Beast Mountain, Heavenly Imperial Fort, Clear Void Sect, and Huadao Dock—the Seven Sects of Yue Country had all arrived. Moreover, they had all sent Core Formation Cultivators in person. Their goal was clear: to take Yan Taibai into their respective sects. This was not merely to check and balance the Yan Family Fortress, the premier cultivation clan of Yue, but also to nurture a pillar for their own sects.
The Yan Family Ancestor understood the intentions of the Seven Sects well, but refusing them was not an option; the Yan Family Fortress lacked a Nascent Soul cultivator to hold the line. Thus, his only choice now was to decide which sect to gift him to, thereby securing the greatest benefits for the entire Yan Family Fortress.
"Mr. Xuanye, what is your view on this?"
As always, when facing a dilemma he could not resolve or decide upon, the Yan Family Ancestor would seek the opinion of the middle-aged Confucian scholar by his side, Mr. Xuanye. This man was the mastermind of the entire Yan Family Fortress, and having almost never made a wrong judgment, he possessed the absolute trust of the ancestor.
"Reporting to the Ancestor, my view is that we should let the little one choose for himself. We need only assist from the sidelines to secure sufficient benefits for him and for the Yan family."
The answer from Mr. Xuanye caught the Yan Family Ancestor off guard. He stopped in his tracks, staring at the middle-aged scholar with shock, clearly finding the response unbelievable and entirely unexpected.
"Xuanye, have you lost your senses? The child is only a few years old. You would let him decide for himself? For all we know, the Seven Sects could just offer him a few trinkets and lure him away. How would that secure enough benefits for the family?"
A moment later, after regaining his composure, the Yan Family Ancestor spoke with clear dissatisfaction.
"Forgive me, Ancestor. It is my fault for not explaining clearly. Though the child is only three, ever since he learned to read, he has spent his time in the family’s Scripture Pavilion and has almost never left. His intellect is already mature, not inferior to that of an adult."
"Before coming here, I went to see him personally. Does the Ancestor know what I discovered on him?" Mr. Xuanye asked with a feigned, mysterious smile. There were very few in the Yan Family Fortress who dared to speak to the ancestor this way; Mr. Xuanye was one of them.
"He has never left the Scripture Pavilion, and you discovered something? Could it be that the child possesses some special constitution?" the Yan Family Ancestor asked, his expression full of astonishment.
For a child to have never left the Scripture Pavilion alone was enough to show a level of intellect impossible for a three or four-year-old. But Yan Taibai had not yet started cultivating and was still technically a mortal; he could not have been possessed. Even if someone tried to possess him, a body so young could not withstand the strain, so that possibility was virtually non-existent.
"The Qi of Awe-Inspiring Righteousness. The Ancestor should know that even I, despite being obsessed with the Scripture Pavilion for over a dozen years, could not cultivate this Qi of Awe-Inspiring Righteousness. Yet, it has already appeared on that little one. Though faint, if he continues to nourish it, it will be no less potent than any special constitution. Combined with his Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root, his potential is so vast that in the future, he might truly have the opportunity to condense a Nascent Soul and advance to the Nascent Soul stage."
"As a Core Formation Cultivator, Ancestor, you should know well what one fears most when condensing a Nascent Soul and breaking through to that stage: the tribulation of the inner demons. If this Qi of Awe-Inspiring Righteousness reaches perfection, it can weaken this very tribulation. Therefore, no matter how much the family values and invests in this child, it is worth it."
Mr. Xuanye explained calmly with a smile. These words left the Yan Family Ancestor so stunned that he stood frozen, his expression rigid.
"The Qi of Awe-Inspiring Righteousness? A little child like him has actually cultivated the Qi of Awe-Inspiring Righteousness? Xuanye, you are certain you didn't see wrong!"
Once he recovered, the Yan Family Ancestor blurted out his skepticism. He knew too well what the Qi of Awe-Inspiring Righteousness signified; it was practically a "special constitution" unique to the cultivators of the Haoran Pavilion within the Righteous Alliance of Fengdu Country. Once cultivated, it is of immense benefit to the practice of the righteous Confucian techniques of the Haoran Pavilion. It is also the specific "constitution" that most Confucian scholars like Mr. Xuanye desire most.
"Perhaps it is related to his Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root. After all, the better one’s innate spiritual root aptitude is, the higher the probability of cultivating it. I only have a three-attribute spiritual root, and having already been a cultivator, it was too difficult for me to foster this Qi; it is normal that I failed, so it is of no great concern," Mr. Xuanye replied, the joy on his face dimming slightly as he voiced his deductions.
The main obstacle was the lack of "books" for nurturing this Qi—something the Haoran Pavilion of the Righteous Alliance had in abundance. Ordinary books and ancient texts could potentially spark it, but it was far too difficult.