162: Chapter 162 Fire Spirit Root, Inferior Grade

Behind the Elder followed three young Cultivators.

On the left was a burly man, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, a square face, wearing a gray-white martial robe with a short blade hanging at his waist, looking quite rugged.

On the right was a young woman with bright eyes and white teeth, appearing to be eighteen or nineteen, wearing a light purple dress, with a hint of the same arrogance between her brows as Shen Qingluan.

As for the person walking at the very back.

He was a young man wearing a dark cyan robe, about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. He had a slender build, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and extremely striking features—eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like polished lacquer, a straight nose bridge, and thin lips, his overall appearance exuding a gentle, jade-like scholarly aura.

The four of them landed, and the entire venue immediately fell silent.

The gray-robed Elder walked to the center of the martial arts stage, his gaze sweeping over the hundred or so Loose Cultivators present, and he spoke unhurriedly.

"I am Zhao Chengtuo, an Elder of the Qingyang Zhao Clan, and the host of this Talent Recruitment Meeting."

His voice was not loud, but it was evenly spread by spiritual power to every corner of the venue, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"I thank you all on behalf of the Family for coming. Without further ado, let us first discuss the rules."

Zhao Chengtuo held up three fingers: "There are three criteria for selection in this Talent Recruitment Meeting. First, one must possess a Spiritual Root, with no restrictions on quality. Second, one must have a clean background, not be an evil Cultivator, and not be a wanted person. Third, one must be no younger than sixteen and no older than thirty."

"Those who meet these three criteria may participate in the selection."

Someone in the audience raised their hand: "Elder Zhao, may I ask what the benefits are after being selected?"

Zhao Chengtuo seemed to have anticipated this question and smiled slightly: "Very well, then I shall state the benefits of joining the Zhao Clan as a Guest Elder."

"First, those selected can reside in the Guest Elder quarters by Qingyang Lake, where the concentration of Spiritual Qi is thirty percent higher than in the market, and the speed of Cultivation is far superior to any Spiritual Vein a Loose Cultivator could find on their own."

"Second, you will receive a basic annual salary of 5 Family contribution points and five bottles of Bigu Pills."

"Third, the Zhao Clan regularly issues various tasks, such as gathering herbs, escorting, patrolling, and hunting Yao Beasts. Completing tasks earns Family contributions, which can be exchanged for Spirit Stones, Cultivation Techniques, Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and other Heaven And Earth Treasure. You can even exchange them for various high-level resources, including spiritual items for refining Foundation Establishment pills. Everything is clearly priced and fair to all."

"We can even exchange for Foundation Establishment Materials? Just asking about the price of a single Ziyang Flower nearly made me faint. If we go through the contribution channel..."

You stood in the crowd, your expression calm, but you had already finished your assessment in your mind.

Once the words "Foundation Establishment" were spoken, the group of Loose Cultivators below the stage erupted into a frenzy.

You looked at those flushed Loose Cultivators, feeling no ripples in your heart. It is best to just listen to the grand promises of the noble Families; if one were to truly sell their life to them in exchange for those ethereal contribution points, in the end, not even the bone dregs would remain.

Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Zhao Chengtuo raised his hand and pressed it down, and the whole venue quieted: "Alright, let us begin the first step: testing Spiritual Roots. Come up to the stage in order, one by one."

A Zhao Clan disciple on the stage brought out a milky-white stone tablet half a person tall. The surface of the tablet was as smooth as a mirror, with a fist-sized Spiritual Root testing stone embedded in the center.

"Place your palm on the testing stone, and simply channel your spiritual power into it," the Zhao Clan disciple said loudly.

The queue began to move slowly, and one Loose Cultivator after another walked onto the stage.

"Fire Spiritual Root, Inferior Grade!"

"Wood Spiritual Root, Inferior Grade!"

"Water Spiritual Root, Inferior Grade!"

After each test, the Zhao Clan disciple would loudly announce the result, and someone nearby would record it in a register.

You were in the middle of the queue, waiting unhurriedly.

Although you had long known the quality of your Spiritual Root—an Inferior Grade Fire Spiritual Root—and there was nothing to look forward to, this was indeed your first time officially using a Spiritual Root testing tablet, so you found it somewhat novel.

The Spiritual Root testing tablets in the Cultivation World utilize the principle of resonance between the testing stone and the Cultivator's Spiritual Root. The higher the quality of the Spiritual Root, the stronger the resonance and the brighter the light emitted. High Grade Spiritual Roots shine for three zhang, Medium Grade for two zhang, Low Grade for one zhang, and Inferior Grade... as long as it lights up, it is fine.

The people in front went up and came down one by one, most of them having Inferior Grade Spiritual Roots. Occasionally, a Low Grade one would appear, causing a small commotion.

Soon, it was your turn.

You walked up the steps. The Zhao Clan disciple's gaze lingered on your face for an instant; you saw his pupils constrict slightly, then he quickly looked away, returning to his formulaic expression.

"Please place your palm on the testing stone."

You nodded and raised your hand to cover the warm, cool stone.

The moment your spiritual power surged from your Meridians and poured into the testing stone, a thin layer of dark red light appeared on the stone's surface. The light was very faint, barely covering the stone itself, unable to even spill over the surface of the tablet.

"Fire Spiritual Root, Inferior Grade," the Zhao Clan disciple announced in a flat tone.

As expected.

You withdrew your hand, walked down the stage, and returned to the waiting area to sit down.

The Spiritual Root testing stage lasted for nearly an hour. After everyone had finished testing, they entered the second stage.

Zhao Chengtuo sat in the grand master's chair in the center of the stage, with a long table in front of him. A Zhao Clan disciple stood to the side acting as a clerk. The participants were called up one by one to face Zhao Chengtuo for questioning.

The questions were not complicated: name, age, background, Cultivation level, what one excels at, whether one has enemies, and why one wants to join the Zhao Clan.

You observed the process for the people before you and roughly had an idea of what to expect.

"Lin Shuangwan."

It was your turn.

You stood up and walked forward, stopping three steps in front of Zhao Chengtuo.

The Elder was looking down at the record book. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his gaze meeting yours, and then his movements paused, a flash of amazement crossing his eyes.

Zhao Chengtuo quickly regained his amiable demeanor as an Elder and nodded: "Sit."

You sat down on the chair opposite him, your back straight, your posture composed.

Zhao Chengtuo looked at you for a few moments and nodded inwardly; this young girl had an extraordinary bearing, neither humble nor pushy—not bad.

"Name?"

"Lin Shuangwan."

"Where are you from?"

"The south, a small city within the borders of Yuezhou, called Yunjin City." You had long prepared your excuse, your face unchanging.

Zhao Chengtuo asked casually: "Yuezhou? That is far away. Did you come here all alone?"

"Yes."

"Age?"

"Nineteen."

Zhao Chengtuo's pen paused, and he looked up at you, seemingly confirming you had not spoken incorrectly. He did not press further and continued:

"Cultivation level?"

"Second layer of Qi Refining."

Zhao Chengtuo's pen stopped completely.

He put down his brush, straightened his body, and his gaze became a bit sharper: "You said Second layer of Qi Refining?"

"Yes."

"You just tested as having an Inferior Grade Fire Spiritual Root." Zhao Chengtuo's tone slowed down, as if afraid he had misheard, "Inferior Grade Fire Spiritual Root, nineteen years old, Second layer of Qi Refining?"

You nodded calmly.

Zhao Chengtuo leaned back slightly against the chair, remaining silent for two breaths.

He knew very well that even in the Zhao Clan, disciples with Inferior Grade Spiritual Roots who possessed abundant resources were mostly still struggling in the middle or Late Stages of the Opening Aperture Realm at nineteen; those who could step into the first layer of Qi Refining were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. How could this Loose Cultivator with no background in front of him possibly Cultivate so quickly?

"Do you have martial arts Cultivation?" Zhao Chengtuo asked, posing the most reasonable deduction.

You nodded: "I practiced martial arts in the Mortal world and have some foundation."

Only then did Zhao Chengtuo nod slowly, the look of doubt on his face fading a bit.

Zhao Chengtuo suddenly realized; Mortal martial arts involve cultivating Internal Energy and clearing Meridians, which has the same effect as the Opening Aperture Realm of an Immortal Cultivator. When a martial arts Grandmaster turns to the Immortal Dao, their progress in the Opening Aperture Realm is indeed far superior to that of ordinary people.