Chapter 3, Spiritual Roots

Suddenly, the young man seemed to sense that someone was watching him, and a cold gaze was directed towards Xiao Yao, landing on her face

The elder nodded in satisfaction: "You first take the child to stand aside, and after it concludes, there will be arrangements made."

Xiao Yao was also filled with anticipation and envy. Previously, she was too far away to see clearly, but now, at such a close distance, she discovered that among these immortal masters, there was actually a boy who appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old

Xiao Yao had never seen anyone as handsome as the young man before; even the beautiful men depicted in books could not compare to him. Moreover, he was flying alone on his sword. She couldn't help but fix her gaze on the young man, feeling an indescribable envy in her heart

However, with just a faint glance, Xiao Yao felt somewhat hesitant to meet the gaze of the young man. Looking again at her own dirty and tattered clothes, she lowered her head in shame and dared not look up again

The beautiful master smiled without speaking, stroking the beautiful beard on his chin to one side, watching his senior brother envelop Xiao Yao in a beam of white light

The gentle Master Mei smiled and said, "Well, little girl, what is your name? Would you be willing to become my disciple, Lü Buqun of the Qingfeng Dao?"

Before Xiao Yao could respond, the elder beside him exclaimed in surprise: "Oh? How is it that my junior brother has so quickly chosen another disciple? Could it be a sudden whim? You must know that our Xianyu Sect does not take the selection of disciples lightly; let me take a look first."

The plump Master Li suddenly pointed at a child and asked the old man

Can I also be like Brother Fang and Master? Xiao Yao could hardly dare to think about it. Looking down at the golden lotus flower beneath her feet, suspended in mid-air, all the people below were gazing up at her, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy. Meanwhile, Old Master Xiao stared wide-eyed, somewhat unwilling, yet had no choice but to lower his stance and look at her.

The old man looked at the child and then at his father's hopeful gaze, and said softly: "After all, he possesses spiritual roots. Although he cannot enter the inner sect as a disciple, taking him back to be an outer sect disciple, guarding the spirit and the beast of the diagram, is also a good option. Given time, if he encounters the right opportunity, he may not be unable to enter the inner sect and cultivate the immortal arts. I wonder if you would be willing?"

At a tender age and just entering the cloud realm, Xiao Yao, who has leaped to greatness, cannot yet comprehend her grandmother's concerns. How could the young girl understand that this long path of immortality is exceedingly cruel? Even if one possesses extraordinary talent and brilliance, what does it matter if one cannot reach the shores of eternal life? It is far better to live as a carefree rustic in the simplicity of the mountains.

At this moment, Xiao Yao felt an unprecedented sense of pride and superiority. She seemed to understand why both her master and senior brother were so arrogant; it turned out that mortals appeared so insignificant, like ants, in the eyes of immortals. Yet now, she had crossed that threshold and leaped over the dragon gate, becoming a dragon.

Just as I was thinking, the middle-aged beautiful fairy on the left suddenly spoke up: "Little girl, come here."

Suddenly, Xiao Yao remembered that her grandmother was still below, so she proudly lifted her little head and happily waved to her grandmother, conveying her joy. However, she noticed that her grandmother seemed to let out a gentle sigh, her face bearing a hint of concern.

In the past, there was a queue waiting over there

As soon as the person shouted, he did not pause for a moment and continued running to another place to convey the message, leaving the grandmother in a state of confusion in the kitchen, asking: "Young man! Why didn't you clarify what you meant by a master recruiting disciples?"

Little girl, have you considered whether you are willing to take me as your master

The celestial master smiled and nodded at her, causing Xiao Yao's heart to tighten with a mix of unease and anticipation as she approached the immortal master and looked up, asking: "May I ask if you called for me, esteemed immortal?"

Lu Buqun saw Xiao Yao with her head lowered and looking uneasy, and he shook his head: "Xiao Yao, lift your head up."

Upon hearing this, the child's father hurriedly pulled the child and knelt before the old man, repeatedly bowing his head, saying: "Thank you, Master, my child is indeed very willing!"

The white light illuminated, and the old man initially paid it no mind. Suddenly, he furrowed his brow, his expression grew serious, and finally, he was astonished, his eyes widening in shock, his face turning pale. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Is it really such a pure single spiritual root?! And it's a mutated lightning attribute?! Junior brother, you..."

Upon hearing this, Lü Buqun burst into hearty laughter and said, "Hahaha, very good, very good, what a remarkable Xiao Yao! This extraordinary talent is indeed on par with your senior brother Fang Yan, and in terms of attributes, it even surpasses him. It seems that my fortune is quite favorable today; you may rise."

The young man glanced at Xiao Yao, nodded in acknowledgment, while Xiao Yao, blushing and lowering her head, dared not look at him, softly said: "Xiao Yao has met Senior Brother Fang."

Lu Buqun pointed to the young man and said to Xiao Yao: "This is your fifth senior brother, Fang Yan, who is also a disciple I recently accepted. Even before entering the sect, he had already practiced on his own. Your senior brother Fang Yan possesses extraordinary talent similar to yours, and he is also very perceptive. Now, he has reached the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage and can already control magical tools on his own. In the future, you should learn a lot from him."

Where is this, but merely a side technique, unable to stand on the grand stage, only able to gain some small advantages in this regard; how can it compare to the senior brother's 'drawing a boundary,' which is truly a method for the great ones

When she looked up again, the young man had already averted his gaze. Not far from him, Xiao Yuhe was saying something to him, her face flushed. The young man occasionally nodded or replied with a word or two.

Grandma led Xiao Yao to stand in the line. Xiao Yao looked around for a moment and then realized that standing in the colorful clouds high above at the front of the line were the immortal masters she had just seen by the old well. They stood like sturdy pines, their garments billowing, with an air of arrogance. Almost all the villagers gazed up at them with immense reverence, their expressions filled with excitement, wishing that their children could be taken away by these immortal masters to embark on the path of immortality, bringing glory to their families.

Anyway, Grandma, just take Xiao Yao to the courtyard and it will be fine

A look of ecstasy appeared on the old man's face for just a moment, before transforming into an expression of annoyance and gloom. It is known that spiritual roots are categorized into three types: triple roots, double roots, and single roots. Only those with spiritual roots can gather energy for cultivation, and the purity of the spiritual root determines the speed of cultivation. Triple roots are the most mixed; although they can cultivate, their achievements are generally not high. Double roots are next, but they often also stop at the Golden Core stage. Only single roots have greater potential for development, and single roots are further divided by purity; the fewer impurities, the more powerful they are. The spiritual roots are also associated with the five elements, namely metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Variations of the five elements can give rise to attributes such as thunder, ice, and wind.

The elderly man who had just received Xiao Yuhe looked down at the child enveloped in white light and shook his head, saying, "You have no spiritual root, you may go back."

The young boy had his hair tied up high, dressed in white garments that resembled snow. Standing with his hands behind his back on the sword, although he was merely eleven or twelve years old, one could still discern his extraordinary handsome features, refined demeanor, and tall stature. Even without standing on the sword, his appearance alone was enough to captivate the crowd and make him the center of attention.

If a single, high-purity normal five-element spiritual root is already considered extraordinary, then a mutated high-purity spiritual root is almost an impossible existence. This is not only due to the extremely low probability of mutation, but more importantly, all mutated spiritual roots are exceptionally pure. Such qualifications can even lead various sects to fight over them. Now, this kind of opportunity has allowed my junior brother to obtain it twice. Although the elder harbors thoughts of taking it for himself, they are still from the same sect. After all, it is still within their own sect, and he is even less willing to tear the facade. He can only suppress the jealousy in his heart and, with a slightly sour tone, say: "It seems that my junior brother's ability to read fortunes has improved greatly; I am truly in awe."

Indeed, among these celestial masters, there are also other children around the age of ten, including the third young lady of the Xiao family, Xiao Yuhe. However, those children are scattered and traveling on the same celestial vessel as the adult celestial beings, clearly indicating that they are newly recruited disciples. Only that young man is independently wielding a flying sword, standing out distinctly from the others.

Xiao Yao suddenly felt a sense of loss, but it was only for a moment. She then focused all her attention on the three leading immortal masters in front of her.

The sound was captivating, drawing everyone's attention to the direction in which the immortal master was looking. Xiao Yao also came to her senses, realizing that the immortal master seemed to be gazing in her direction

Xiao Yao then raised her head and looked at her master with a puzzled expression

Xiao Yao clenched her small fists, thinking that no matter what, she must try her best; otherwise, such an opportunity would indeed be lost forever

Glancing at the senior brother beside her, Xiao Yao unconsciously raised her chin. Seeing that she had already understood, Lu Buqun finally revealed a satisfied smile

Many years later, as time flew by countless times, when she suddenly looked back, she realized that her grandmother's sigh had long expressed the hardships of her arduous path in cultivating immortality

After pointing with his finger, in the blink of an eye, Xiao Yao found herself standing beside Lü Buqun on his flying magical artifact, simultaneously drawing closer to the coldly handsome young man.

A servant saw Xiao Yao and the grandmother enter, and stepped forward to point to the area over there where a crowd was lined up.

By the time Xiao Yao helped her elderly grandmother to the courtyard, it was already filled with people, mostly parents bringing their children. The oldest of these children was no more than about 15 years old, while the youngest was still in need of nursing.

Xiao Yao observed everything with keen eyes and thought to herself: It seems that whether one can become a disciple or servant of an immortal master depends on the presence of spiritual roots. It appears that only those with sufficiently good spiritual root qualifications can become formal disciples, while those with three spiritual roots can only become outer disciples. What exactly are these spiritual roots? She was completely in the dark and felt quite anxious, unsure if she possessed what is referred to as spiritual roots.

At this moment, Xiao Yao felt that her luck had arrived. Just a moment ago, she was contemplating how to meet the immortal master and seek to be taken in by him. Now, an opportunity had presented itself; the immortal master was selecting disciples. This was a rare and fortuitous event. Even if she ultimately was not chosen as a disciple, she wondered if she could request the immortal master to allow her to stay by his side as a servant.

This has already been dozens, and they are basically all without spiritual roots. Not to mention single spiritual roots like Xiao Yuhe, even those with three or two spiritual roots have not appeared.

Although the old man's complexion was unpleasant and he regretted it deeply, he had to give up for the sake of his pride. He merely pretended to nod and turned to look at the other children, fearing that his junior disciple might take advantage of the situation.

Grandma turned back again, and in just those two sentences, Xiao Yao had already helped her cover the pot on the stove, extinguished the fire, and was looking at her with an excited face, urging: "Grandma, let's hurry, or it won't be good if we keep the immortal master waiting too long!"

Hmm? This child possesses three spiritual roots, embodying the elements of gold, water, and wood, with considerable impurities. What do you think, Senior Brother?

One could see that his master, with an air of pride and a serious tone, said: "All disciples under my invitation to the Moon Peak are endowed with extraordinary talents and exceptional wisdom, each a rare talent in the realm of cultivation. Therefore, what is wrong with looking down upon the world and standing tall among the heroes? Now that you are also a disciple under my invitation to the Moon Peak, you should hold your head high and stand proud, and not allow others to look down on you"

Lü Buqun subtly expressed his modesty, not forgetting to give some face to his senior brother, as he had indeed taken a significant advantage this time

Having resolved the issue with his senior brother, Lu Buqun continued to look at Xiao Yao

I did not expect that person's ears to be so sensitive; they could still hear even after running several zhang away

Xiao Yao was still in a daze, not realizing that her wish had been so easily fulfilled. She thought she was dreaming. When this immortal once again inquired of her, she finally came to her senses, excitedly kneeling down and bowing three times to him: "Xiao Yao is willing to take the immortal as her master! Please accept my bow, Master."

She pointed at herself with some uncertainty and asked, "Me?"

The man stood aside with his child, amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the crowd

Upon hearing this, the child's mother, with an expression of profound disappointment, led her child away. Among the crowd, expressions varied; some sighed, some felt a sense of luck, others sensed their precarious situation, and there were also those who took pleasure in the misfortune of others