The Liuyun Sect

“I'm thirteen this year, and I have a mixed spiritual root.”

After saying this, Jiang Lu lowered her head shyly.

Hehehe—

She definitely deserved an Oscar. Her masterful acting skills would surely fool them.

Thirteen years old?

A mixed spiritual root?

Late-stage Qi Condensation?

This...

The others exchanged looks. They understood every single word, but why did it make no sense when put together?

Were they supposed to believe that she, a cultivator with a mixed spiritual root of varying purities, had managed to reach late-stage Qi Condensation at only thirteen years of age through her own cultivation and the guidance of a master who had already passed away?

Surely, they had misheard.

They stared at one another in disbelief.

Two stones appeared in Lu Lingfeng's palm. “This one tests age, and this one tests spiritual roots. Give them a try.”

Hearing this, Jiang Lu looked up at the two spiritual stones in his hand.

“Master, you can hide your Chaos Spiritual Root and only display the spiritual roots you want them to see,” Chi Li's voice echoed.

This was the unique trait of the Chaos Spiritual Root.

As one of the only two innate spiritual roots, it would be pointless if anyone could easily identify it.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lu calmed her mind. She set the purity of her five-elements spiritual root to between sixty and seventy percent. Any lower would make it hard to explain her current strength, but any higher would draw too much attention.

She placed her hand on the age-testing stone. A white light flashed across it, displaying thirteen lines.

“She really is thirteen,” whispered a disciple behind Fu Yao.

Jiang Lu lifted her hand and placed it on the other stone. It showed her five-elements spiritual root, along with their respective purities.

The purities were similar, but all slightly lacking. Everyone shook their heads.

They figured her current strength must be entirely due to her own hard work.

Seeing that the spiritual roots had been displayed, she immediately withdrew her hand and let out a breath.

In the eyes of the others, she looked self-conscious because of her impure spiritual roots.

They shook their heads inwardly. If the purity of a five-elements spiritual root was uniform, even if it was only sixty percent, she would still be considered a genius.

In the cultivation world, single spiritual roots were not inherently superior, nor were multiple spiritual roots inferior.

Spiritual roots were categorized into single spiritual roots, multiple spiritual roots, and mixed spiritual roots.

Multiple spiritual roots referred to having multiple elements of the same purity. During cultivation, these roots balanced one another, so the cultivation speed was not slow.

Mixed spiritual roots, on the other hand, were multiple spiritual roots of varying purities. Because of the difference in purity, they required constant balancing during cultivation, which naturally slowed down the speed.

Cultivation depended on both the spiritual root type and its purity. The fewer the roots and the higher the purity, the faster one could cultivate.

However, in the long run, a single spiritual root was not entirely a good thing. Disciples with multiple spiritual roots had a larger capacity for spiritual energy, allowing them to endure longer in battle and master a wider variety of arts.

For example, alchemy required both fire and wood spiritual roots, while armaments crafting required fire and metal spiritual roots. Such requirements were common among the hundred cultivation arts.

“Would you be willing to return to the Liuyun Sect with me? Since you already have a master, we won't force you to apprentice under anyone else. I simply cannot bear to see your talent go to waste.”

The moment Fu Yao spoke, the others wore expressions that said as expected. Their Eldest Senior Sister was cold on the outside but warm on the inside; she was not a narrow-minded person. None of them were surprised by her decision.

Jiang Lu was slightly surprised.

Is it really this easy to enter one of the Three Great Sects?

Other cultivators: Hehe—

Jiang Lu pinched her fingers inside her sleeve to perform a quick divination. This trip was an extremely auspicious sign!

Opportunity was beckoning her.

She looked up, her expression shy, her voice carrying a hint of pleasant surprise and uncertainty.

“Is... Is that true?”

Seeing her tear-stained cheeks and hearing her cautious, tentative tone, Fu Yao nodded. She was a pitiful child.

Although the girl's spiritual roots were worse than expected, she looked like a cultivator who could endure hardships. Sharing the same philosophy, she would surely achieve great things under Fu Yao's guidance.

Seeing the flash of excitement on Jiang Lu's face, the others sighed. At this moment, she had no idea what she was about to face.

“Eldest Senior Sister, this little cultivator's background is unclear. If you bring her back, what if...”

Liu Qingqing stepped forward, her tone filled with suspicion.

“Little Junior Sister, if I recall correctly, Master picked you up in the exact same way, didn't he?”

Fu Yao's forehead throbbed as she spoke with some impatience.

Since her Little Junior Sister found fault with her in everything anyway, she didn't need to humor her at every turn.

“Hmph!”

Choked by Fu Yao's words, Liu Qingqing fumed. Master brought me back personally. How could it be the same?

Hmph!

She then glanced at Jiang Lu. Just an ordinary disciple who couldn't even formally apprentice under anyone—she wasn't worth her attention.

“Let's go. We're heading back,” Fu Yao said, leading them away. Jiang Lu immediately followed.

When they reached an open area, a spiritual boat appeared in Fu Yao's palm. The boat had two decks, and several high-grade spirit stones were embedded right in the center.

Grabbing Jiang Lu with her right hand, Fu Yao tapped her toes and flew onto the spiritual boat. The other disciples followed immediately.

Perhaps because she had obtained her inheritance, Liu Qingqing didn't cause any more trouble along the way, quietly cultivating inside her cabin instead.

This was Jiang Lu's first time riding a spiritual boat, and she was full of curiosity.

She stood on the deck, looking around in all directions.

The Liuyun Sect was located in the southwestern part of the Illusionary Forest. From here, this vast expanse belonged to the sect's territory. By spiritual boat, the journey would take only three days.

The terrain across the Jiangwu Domain didn't vary much; ninety percent of it consisted of karst landforms, with only a few basins. After watching it for two days, Jiang Lu felt dizzy and immediately returned to her room to rest.

“We've arrived.”

Hearing the bustling noise outside, Jiang Lu put away her magic tool, which she always used to form a barrier for cultivation when traveling. She opened the door and stepped outside.

She spun around, taking in her surroundings. It felt as if she had entered an entirely different world. Every pore on her body seemed to open, bathing her in the wash of rich spiritual energy.

High in the heavens, a sea of clouds rose and fell. Rosy clouds flowed, and scattered light filled the sky, reflecting off the churning clouds. Occasionally, golden cranes and seven-colored spiritual luan spread their wings and soared across the sky, their feathers trailing stardust-like immortal light. Clear, resonant cries of cranes echoed through the mountains, ethereal and distant, reverberating throughout the nine heavens.

Standing behind Fu Yao, Jiang Lu watched the immortal mountains draw closer and closer.

In the center, an ancient sect gate sat perched atop a ten-thousand-zhang immortal vein, monopolizing the most concentrated spiritual essence of heaven and earth.

The sect's mountain gate was a towering jade archway carved from a single piece of ancient Nine Heavens Mystic Jade. Standing over a thousand zhang tall, it was magnificent and grand, instantly inspiring awe in anyone who looked upon it.

In the center of the jade archway hung a dark ink-jade plaque. The three characters for 【Liuyun Sect】 on it had no gold inlay or complex decorations. The calligraphy was vigorous and ancient, each stroke carrying the heavy weight of time.

Each character hovered above the jade plaque, shrouded year-round in a faint golden glow. The pressure was restrained yet vast and boundless. Without needing to make a show of it, the gate naturally exuded the supreme aura of a great sect.

Jiang Lu felt the profound, ancient heritage wash over her, a majestic immortal energy that shook the nine heavens.