88: Chapter 88 Fish Fry Fusion with Dragon Blood

The wind and snow of the Yunmeng Great Marsh fell and melted, then melted and froze again.

"Phew..."

On the wooden house's terrace, Lin Ze, clad in green robes, stood with his hands behind his back, slowly exhaling a breath of white mist.

The breath was like a sword, condensing in mid-air without dissipating, emitting a faint sword hum before finally merging into the cold wind.

It had been three years.

The thin youth who was once stuck at the Second Level of Qi Refining, burdened with a Four-Element Mixed Spiritual Root, and who had burned his bridges at the Family square to accept the wasteland reclamation mission, was now a guarding grand cultivator with a presence as steady as deep waters and high mountains.

[Cultivation: Fifth Level of Qi Refining (Middle Stage)]

Lin Ze looked inward at his Dantian, where that Heavy Water Vortex was rotating deeply. The Limit-Breaking Heavy Water Origin, refined by the deep sea ten-thousand-year marrow, emitted a deep blue divine glow.

"The three-year stationing period... today is the final day."

Lin Ze's gaze crossed the light screen, looking toward the main island, Feiyun Island.

According to the Linghu Lin Clan's rules, the period for Qi Refining stage Cultivators sent out to guard was three years.

Once the term expired, the Family would send an Inspection Galley to verify the results of the reclamation, conduct position rotations, and settle accounts.

For these three years, he had cultivated bitterly day and night on this island.

From the bountiful harvest of spirit fish to reaching Major Achievement in Artifact Refining, from setting up the Canglang Sword Array to hatching the Wind-Thunder Sea Flood Dragon, he had long since turned this isolated island into an impregnable fortress and accumulated a deep foundation.

"However, before leaving, there is one last thing to do."

Lin Ze's eyelids drooped slightly as his gaze fell upon the Mortal fishing village below.

Population was the cornerstone of the Family and the continuous source of fresh blood for the cultivation world. It had been over a year since he last tested the Spiritual Roots of these five hundred Mortals.

That time, the Water-Earth Dual Spiritual Root he discovered in Lin Shan had caused a sensation within the Family and earned him both prestige and rewards of Spirit Stones.

Now, another batch of children in the fishing village had reached six years of age; their Meridians were initially set, meeting the threshold for Spiritual Root testing.

"Lin Cang."

"This old one is here!"

Before the water walkway, the old village chief, Village Chief Lin Cang, heard the call and immediately led several Mortal leaders to rush beneath the wooden house, kneeling heavily.

"Pass on my decree: gather all children in the village who have reached six years of age and have not yet been tested at the Bluestone Square."

Lin Ze's green robes flared as he drifted down from the eaves. His toes lightly touched the water's surface, creating ripples.

"Today, this seat shall test their immortal affinity one last time!"

"We obey the Immortal Master's decree!" Village Chief Lin Cang trembled with excitement, kowtowing repeatedly.

The sound of gongs rang out through the fishing village.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the Bluestone Square was crowded with people. All five hundred Mortal clansmen had changed into clean clothes, their expressions solemn as they watched the green-clad figure in the center of the square.

A table was set in the center of the square.

On the table, the spirit-testing plate, inscribed with array patterns, was emitting a faint light.

Exactly eighty-six children who had just turned six years old formed a long line under the anxious and expectant gazes of their parents.

Spiritual Root testing was the most cruel judgment of fate in the cultivation world.

Whether one would ascend to the heavens in a single step or remain in the mud for a lifetime was decided within the few inches of this white jade disc.

"Begin." Lin Ze stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm.

"First one, Lin Erzhu." Village Chief Lin Cang called out the name loudly.

A young boy stepped forward and tremblingly pressed his hand onto the spirit-testing plate.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

The spirit-testing plate did not light up at all.

"Mortal bone, step down." Lin Ze spoke indifferently.

The boy withdrew his hand in confusion. In the crowd, his parents let out a sigh and silently pulled the child back to their side.

"Next, Lin Xiaohua."

"Mortal bone."

"Next..."

Ten, thirty, fifty...

A full hour passed, and over sixty children had taken their turns.

The spirit-testing plate never showed even a hint of color.

On the square, many parents lowered their heads.

They knew that producing Lin Shan, who had Dual Spiritual Roots, had already exhausted decades of this Mortal fishing village's Luck. To produce another hidden dragon was simply a pipe dream.

Even in the depths of Lin Ze's eyes, a trace of waning interest flashed.

"In the end, it's just Mortal Bloodlines; the base population is too small, it cannot be forced." Lin Ze sighed inwardly.

He had originally just planned to take the opportunity to do a side task before leaving; finding even a four-element Pseudo-Spiritual Root would be a gain, and finding nothing wouldn't matter.

"Next, Lin Shuanger."

Village Chief Lin Cang's slightly tired voice rang out.

From the end of the line, a striking little girl walked out.

It wasn't because she was exquisitely beautiful, but because she was too frail.

On Reed Island, where every household drank spirit water and had vigorous blood and Qi, she was pale.

Even more strangely, it was early summer, yet she was wrapped in a thick padded coat.

Even so, her thin body was still shivering in the wind.

Lin Ze's gaze fell on her, and his Major Achievement level Water Wave Perception activated instantly.

"Hmm?" Lin Ze's brow twitched slightly.

In his microscopic vision, there was no poison of the common cold within the girl's body.

On the contrary, a strand of yin-cold Qi lay dormant deep within her Meridians.

"This cold Qi isn't an illness, but rather..."

Lin Ze's breathing slowed.

Lin Shuanger walked to the table.

She looked up and glanced at Lin Ze.

"Lord Immortal Master, I... I always feel cold." Her voice carried a sob, fearing her strange illness might offend the Immortal Master.

"No matter. Place your hand on it and close your eyes." Lin Ze's voice was gentle, even carrying a slight tremor.

Lin Shuanger nodded obediently, stretched out her small hand, and gently pressed it against the spirit-testing plate.

On the square, everyone had already lost hope; Village Chief Lin Cang was even prepared to call out the next name.

However.

Just one-thousandth of a breath after Lin Shuanger's small hand touched the white jade disc.

"Buzz!"

A sharp hum exploded from deep within the spirit-testing plate.

Immediately afterward, profound ice condensed on the surface of the spirit-testing plate at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What's happening?"

Village Chief Lin Cang was so frightened he took two steps back.

Boom!

Before anyone could react, a dazzling ice-blue light pillar erupted from the spirit-testing plate, piercing straight into the clouds.

The moment it soared into the sky, the early summer warm breeze above Reed Island was instantly frozen.

In mid-air, blue snowflakes actually began to fall out of thin air.

Within the Water-Moon Heaven-Blurring Array that spanned several miles, the temperature plummeted in an instant.

The water walkway froze, and even the First-Grade Medium Grade Cold Spring Spirit Eye below emitted a cracking sound.

"This... what is this?"

The five hundred Mortals were terrified, their faces turning pale as they knelt, feeling as if their very bone marrow was being frozen stiff by this extreme cold.

Before the table.

Lin Ze stared fixedly at the ice-blue light pillar that seemed to pierce the firmament; his usually calm face was now distorted by a manic sense of shock and wild joy.

Pure and flawless! Without a single trace of impurity!

This wasn't a Dual Spiritual Root at all, let alone a Heavenly Spiritual Root!

In the common knowledge of the cultivation world, the Five Elements—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—were the foundation of heaven and earth.

However, creation was vast; occasionally, rare Bloodlines would mutate in the womb, causing the basic Five Elements to sublimate and fuse.

This kind of Spiritual Root was called a Variant Spiritual Root.

"Ice. It's an Ice-attribute Variant Spiritual Root."

Lin Ze's hands clenched tightly, his nails sinking into his palms.

His cultivation at the Middle Stage of the Fifth Level of Qi Refining erupted. A layer of deep blue Limit-Breaking Heavy Water transformed into a light shield, protecting Lin Shuanger, who was about to be frozen by her own extreme cold, within it.

Lin Ze took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the wild joy in his heart.

With a wave of his wide sleeve, he picked up Lin Shuanger.

"Child, you are not ill."

Lin Ze looked at the girl in his arms.

"You are a natural-born Fairy, a true Phoenix destined to soar above the Nine Heavens!"

Below, although Village Chief Lin Cang and the five hundred Mortals did not understand what a Variant Spiritual Root was, seeing the Immortal Master's expression and the world-changing phenomenon just now, how could they not know that a truly extraordinary living deity had emerged from their village?

"Congratulations, Lord Immortal Master! Congratulations to the Lin Family!"

Deafening cheers echoed through the wind and snow.