The Recruitment Begins

Before long, the group arrived at the designated location.

Wen Jingshu casually swept her divine sense over the area and discovered that there were actually forty to fifty thousand people in this small square. They were all between the ages of five and ten. Some wore luxurious silk robes, some wore clean but plain clothes, and some were in tattered rags, clearly homeless beggars at a glance.

Without exception, an unusual light flickered in the eyes of these children. They were clearly full of anticipation, hoping they would be found to possess a spiritual root.

Looking at their eyes, Wen Jingshu could not help but recall her own distant past.

The talisman cultivator Wen Jingshu had also come from the mortal realm. Back then, she had also dreamt of soaring to the heavens in a single bound...

Unfortunately, while ideals were beautiful, reality was cruel. The cultivation world looked like a fairyland, but in truth, it was a trial ground that devoured people without leaving even their bones.

Only by fighting through layer after layer of slaughter and standing out from millions of cultivators could one obtain the qualification to ascend to immortality.

Though countless thoughts swirled in Wen Jingshu's mind, she showed none of it on the surface and sat steadily in the main seat.

Lu Hao from the Heavenly Sword Sect looked at Wen Jingshu's ostentatious manner and spoke up:

“Tch, I haven't seen you in a few years, yet the Qingyun Sect is still as pretentious as ever. Couldn't you have arrived a day earlier? Did you really have to make everyone wait for you?”

Hearing Lu Hao's sarcastic words from beside her, Wen Jingshu replied without even lifting her head, “You could have also chosen not to wait.”

Lu Hao was choked by her retort.

Of course he didn't want to wait, but did he dare not to?

The leader of the Four Great Sects was truly annoyingly frustrating. He also really wanted to live like that, bullying others with his backing just once.

The one who had come from the Xiaoyao Sect was a female cultivator. Hearing the dialogue between the two, she could not help but let out a soft chuckle.

This damn sword cultivator, Lu Hao, always liked to give his unsolicited opinions on everything just because his cultivation was high. She had long found him an eyesore.

“Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Zhao Miaomiao of the Xiaoyao Sect, fifth level of the Qi Refining stage.”

Hearing her voice, Wen Jingshu looked over and saw a woman with a graceful figure and a pretty face.

Among the Four Great Sects, the Qingyun Sect had many factions, and its sect atmosphere was the most upright.

The disciples of the Pill Sect had the lowest combat power, but they made up for it with a massive number of Dao protectors. If the Four Great Sects truly went to war, the Pill Sect's Dao protectors alone would be enough to give the other sects a massive headache.

Perhaps because alchemists spent their days accompanied by spiritual plants and devoted most of their time to studying, the disciples of the Pill Sect were mostly calm and easygoing in character.

The Heavenly Sword Sect was primarily composed of sword cultivators. If the lightning spiritual root sword cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect had not been inferior to Beili in every aspect, the young Wen Jingshu might have chosen the Heavenly Sword Sect back then.

It was just that sword cultivators all had stubborn tempers. Not only did the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect frequently have friction with other sects' disciples when they went out, but they also fought among themselves—minor scuffles every two or three days, and major brawls every ten days to half a month. It was said that the Heavenly Sword Sect did not even have a single decent mountain peak.

As for the Xiaoyao Sect...

Its sect atmosphere was just like its name. From top to bottom, the cultivators and disciples in the sect did as they pleased, doing whatever they wanted.

Dual cultivation, which others spoke of with flushed faces, was a proper orthodox cultivation method to them.

Consequently, among the Four Great Sects, the Xiaoyao Sect had the most scandalous gossip.

Hearing Zhao Miaomiao's self-introduction, the Pill Sect disciple, Shen Kuo, followed suit and said, “Shen Kuo of the Pill Sect, fifth level of the Qi Refining stage.”

Lu Hao did not want to be left behind either. Swallowing his previous frustration, he said, “Lu Hao of the Heavenly Sword Sect, sixth level of the Qi Refining stage.”

The Zhou State was only the first stop of their recruitment journey. The four of them would still have to travel together for the next two months. Hearing their words, Wen Jingshu did not put on airs either and said:

“Wu Zhuang of the Qingyun Sect, seventh level of the Qi Refining stage.”

“Since that is the case, let us begin.”

Having said that, Wen Jingshu waved her hand, and the spiritual-testing stone landed in front of everyone.

The mere act of taking out the spiritual-testing stone caused a small commotion.

Fetching things from thin air! Was this the power of immortals?!

Seeing the shocked expressions of the mortals, the others raised their heads even higher, as if they were practically writing “I am superior to you” on their faces.

Wen Jingshu glanced at Shen Kuo...

Sure enough, he also had his nose in the air.

Was this what it meant to be young and aggressive? It had been a long time since she had dared to show off like this.

The talisman cultivator Wen Jingshu believed that when one's strength was insufficient, keeping a low profile was the way to go.

The spiritual root testing officially began. The first to step forward were the royalty and nobles of the Zhou State.

The children clad in luxurious silk robes wore various expressions—some were excited, some nervous, some confident, and some apprehensive.

“First, bone age of six, Luo Yunting.”

Luo Yunting was an unfavored prince of the Zhou State. To secure a spot for this test, he and his mother had resorted to every possible means.

If he was found to have no spiritual root, what awaited him and his mother would be the frenzied vengeance of those wolves and tigers!

Luo Yunting took a deep breath and placed his hand on the stone, which was taller than he was.

Behind him were the princes and princesses who were watching the spectacle.

He could not lose!

The spiritual-testing stone trembled slightly. In the next second, eight red light pillars burst forth, though the eighth pillar was slightly weaker and not as dazzling as the ones before it.

Shen Kuo stood up abruptly and said excitedly, “Seventy-five percent fire spiritual root! He's excellent material for alchemy!”

However, just as his voice fell, the eight pillars of light vanished, and three blue pillars of light appeared at the same time.

The moment the water spiritual root appeared, the expression on Shen Kuo's face froze.

A dual spiritual root was also a top-tier aptitude, but water and fire conflicted with each other. The cultivation speed would be even slower than that of a five-element mixed spiritual root. Therefore, a water-fire dual spiritual root was also known as a heavily crippled spiritual root.

Luo Yunting did not miss the transition from surprise to regret on their faces. He looked at them somewhat nervously.

From what just happened, he should have a dual spiritual root. Was a dual spiritual root not a good thing?

Luo Yunting did not understand the intricacies, but the princes behind him who had received private tutoring did.

Luo Cheng burst into laughter and said, “A piece of trash is still a piece of trash. Even if you have spiritual roots, they are mutually conflicting ones.”

“So what if you racked your brains to get the qualification for the test? Aren't you still going to be rejected?”

“With mutually conflicting dual spiritual roots, unless you have a Marrow-Cleansing Pill, you won't be able to establish your foundation in this lifetime!”

Listening to Zhou Cheng's words, Wen Jingshu could not help but frown.

The talisman cultivator Wen Jingshu had also belonged to a royal family and knew that there were all kinds of factions fighting and vying for power within the imperial court.

Those children who were unfavored or lacked a background indeed lived lives worse than those of commoners.

However, to outsiders, these were considered family scandals and secrets. Generally, they would not make such a scene, let alone speak of them so openly.

Yet the people in front of her not only showed no restraint, but were even more rampant, practically wishing for everyone to see their ugly attitudes.

Shen Kuo was equally speechless.

Listening to the harsh words of those children, Shen Kuo could not help but release his pressure on them.

In just an instant, several children felt as though they could not breathe, and they shut their mouths resentfully.

Luo Yunting had long grown accustomed to their mockery and disparagement. However, at the thought that if he could not become a cultivator, the end awaiting him and his mother would only be more terrifying than death.

No, even if he had a trash spiritual root, he still had a trump card to protect his and his mother's lives!

Unaware of his thoughts, Shen Kuo said to him, “Are you willing to come to my Pill Sect?”

Luo Yunting, however, fixed his gaze on Wen Jingshu.

The young boy, with a look of absolute determination, knelt directly in front of Wen Jingshu and said:

“I beg the immortal to take me away!”

The four of them: ?

Wait, weren't they representing their respective sects to recruit disciples? What was the meaning of this little fellow heading straight for Wen Jingshu and begging her to take him away?

Did he want to become a disciple under 'Wu Zhuang'?

But 'Wu Zhuang' was only an outer sect disciple and had not even established his foundation. Where would he get the qualification to take in a disciple?