31: A quiet and shady place.

Gu Changsheng watched his panicked departing figure before finally picking up the wooden box filled with Spirit Stones.

Weighing it in his hand, his face remained calm, but his mind was racing with calculations. This Wang Tianba had truly spent a fortune to keep his mouth shut.

The night passed in silence.

The next morning, before the sky was fully bright, there was movement outside the courtyard of the City Lord's Manor again, and it was even noisier than yesterday.

This time, not only the Wang Family, but also the heads of the other two major families in Yunhe Commandery, the Li Family and the Zhao Family, had brought their confidants and were waiting outside the courtyard with gift boxes even heavier than the ones Wang Tianba had presented yesterday.

"Immortal Master, the head of the Li Family, Li Changqing, requests an audience!"

"Immortal Master, the head of the Zhao Family, Zhao Wuji, requests an audience!"

Their voices carried an urgency, as if they were unwilling to fall behind.

Gu Changsheng slowly opened the courtyard gate and saw the two smiling faces outside, understanding everything in his heart.

These shrewd people, seeing Wang Tianba act alone, were afraid of being excluded and had rushed here early in the morning to show their loyalty.

The head of the Li Family was a lean middle-aged man, while the Zhao Clan Chief was an old man with a goatee. As soon as they saw Gu Changsheng, they bowed, their attitude extremely humble.

"Immortal Master, these humble gifts are a small token of our respect. We hope the Immortal Master can provide some guidance for our Li Family!"

"Immortal Master, everyone in the Zhao Family holds the Immortal Master in the highest regard. This is a small token from our Zhao Family!"

Two red sandalwood boxes, even larger than the ones sent by the Wang Family yesterday, were held high.

Gu Changsheng didn't take them immediately but simply looked at them indifferently.

Seeing this, the Li Clan Chief, Li Changqing, rolled his eyes and spoke up first, "Immortal Master, we mortals are dull and do not know the rules of the immortal Sects. We heard that the Immortal Master has come to select talents for the Sect. To ensure fairness, why not have the Immortal Master condescend to perform a collective bone-reading for all the eligible children of our three families?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Tianba, who was following at the back, saw his forced smile instantly collapse on his fleshy face.

Collective bone-reading? What a poisonous scheme Li Changqing had!

The children of the Wang Family spent their time near the ancestral hall all year round, so their bodies were more or less tainted with a trace of the yin essence of the great moon.

An ordinary Cultivator might not notice, but the one before them was an Immortal Master from the Taiqing Sect! Once he noticed it in public, the secret of the spirit well could no longer be hidden!

At that time, the Li and Zhao families would surely seize the opportunity to kick them while they were down!

Wang Tianba felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet to his forehead, and his gaze toward Li Changqing's back was filled with resentment.

Gu Changsheng took in Wang Tianba's reaction and sneered inwardly. This open scheme was well-played, but unfortunately, they were facing him.

He feigned contemplation, then showed a hint of difficulty on his face.

"Performing bone-reading and investigating Spiritual Roots for dozens of children one by one is a great drain on the mind. This envoy has just arrived and is exhausted from the journey, I'm afraid..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Li Changqing and Zhao Wuji exchanged a look; both were old foxes and could easily hear the underlying meaning.

"The Immortal Master has worked hard! How could we let the Immortal Master be exhausted!" Li Changqing immediately chimed in and gave a look to those behind him.

Soon, two smaller brocade boxes were brought forward.

"This is the 'spirit-calming incense' cherished by my Li Family, which will help the Immortal Master recover his mind."

Zhao Wuji was not to be outdone and also presented a generous gift.

"Immortal Master, this is the hundred-year-old stone milk found by my Zhao Family, which is best for replenishing Origin Qi."

Seeing this, even though his heart was bleeding, Wang Tianba could only grit his teeth and take out another Storage Pouch from his robe, offering it with both hands. The Spirit Stones inside were almost his last savings.

Only then did Gu Changsheng "reluctantly" nod and accept all the gifts one by one.

"In that case, I shall do as you say."

In just two days, without making a sound, he had received over three hundred Spirit Stones, not counting the rare medicinal herbs and Heaven And Earth Treasures. This was already more than the stipend he would get from two years of hard work in the inner Sect.

The taste of power was indeed intoxicating.

But his mind remained perfectly clear. These were all fleeting things, ill-gotten wealth obtained by borrowing someone else's authority.

Only the cultivation and Lifespan etched into his own body were the eternal and indestructible truth.

In the afternoon, the three families brought all the eligible children to the Training Ground of the City Lord's Manor. There was a dense crowd of about forty or fifty people.

Gu Changsheng sat high in the main seat, holding a cup of spiritual tea. He seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his mind had already immersed itself in the System.

"character panel, scan the entire area."

The information of each child transformed into pale golden panels in his mind, flashing by rapidly. Spiritual Root Aptitude, physical condition, and even some hidden diseases had nowhere to hide.

These mortal families had indeed kept something back.

Most of the children brought here had Pseudo Spirit Roots or Low Grade Spiritual Roots; at best, they were destined to be servants.

Not a single truly promising talent had been brought.

After all, once sent to an immortal Sect, the bond with the Family would fade after a hundred years. It was better to keep them at home and nurture them themselves to better ensure the Family's Legacy.

But how could he give them the chance? With the strength of his Divine Sense at the Second Layer of Qi Refining, combined with the System, Gu Changsheng could cover most of the commandery city.

[Name: Wang Hu]

[Cultivation: None]

[Aptitude: Medium Spiritual Root]

[Status: Nourished by the yin essence of the great moon, physique is stronger than ordinary people]

[Name: Li Yan]

[Cultivation: None]

[Aptitude: High Grade Spiritual Root]

[Status: Healthy, Spiritual Root is hidden]

[Name: Zhao Kun]

[Cultivation: None]

[Aptitude: Medium Grade Spiritual Root]

[Status: Suffering from 'Li-Fire Syndrome', blood and Qi are depleted, Lifespan will not exceed fifty years]

As expected, they were hiding the good stuff!

Information was the greatest weapon.

The testing began, and the children lined up to come forward.

Gu Changsheng merely brushed his hand over each child's head symbolically, while in reality, the results were already clear to him.

When it was the turn of Wang Tianba's little grandson, Wang Bao, he deliberately let out a "Huh?", looked at him a few more times, and even nodded.

"The bone structure is acceptable."

These four words made Wang Tianba's heart jump into his throat, and his expression became extremely stiff.

The one he brought was a piece of trash; what did the Immortal Master mean by "acceptable"? Had he seen through something, or was he warning him?

And when those children with mediocre Aptitude from the Li and Zhao families came forward, Gu Changsheng also gave evaluations like "passable" or "not bad," making Li Changqing and Zhao Wuji's hearts start to drum, unable to grasp the Immortal Master's true intentions.

After the testing session, all three parties were filled with questions and felt restless.

When the testing ended, Gu Changsheng put down his teacup and slowly stood up.

He glanced at Li Changqing, who was full of joy, thinking his daughter had been chosen, and casually mentioned something.

"I observe that above your Li Family manor, there seems to be a particularly abundant wisp of water vapor. There should be a young girl with an extremely Yin horoscope. Why didn't you bring her for this envoy to see?"

The smile on Li Changqing's face instantly froze, turning deathly pale.

That daughter was his most beloved youngest daughter, whom he had never let outsiders see. How did this Immortal Master, staying in the City Lord's Manor, know about her?

Gu Changsheng didn't look at him again, knowing when to stop.

He turned his head and looked at the frowning Wang Tianba.

"This place is crowded and noisy, and the Spiritual Qi is chaotic. This envoy has exhausted too much mental energy and needs a clean and cool place to meditate for a few days before making a final decision for you all."

"A clean and cool place."

These words were like a heavy hammer, striking hard at Wang Tianba's heart.

His whole body shook, and he understood instantly.

The Immortal Master had already laid his cards on the table.

This was not asking for benefits, but asking for the secret itself.

Large beads of sweat broke out on Wang Tianba's forehead as an internal struggle raged within him.

To refuse would be to deceive the immortal Sect; the other party could find any excuse to plunge the Wang Family into eternal damnation.

To agree would mean handing over the ancestral secret to someone else.

But did he still have a choice?

After a long time, Wang Tianba took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying.

He bowed deeply to Gu Changsheng.

"If the Immortal Master doesn't mind, there is an ancestral hall in the back mountain of my Wang Family where our ancestors are enshrined. It is the quietest place. Please, Immortal Master, move to my Wang Family's Forbidden Ground to rest."