6: Starting today, Tianjiao

"Li Cai, Five Spiritual Roots, unqualified."

"Chen Cheng, Four Spiritual Roots, eligible to be a Utility Disciple."

"Wang Yu, no Spiritual Root, unqualified."

Atop a high platform stood a massive stone tablet.

Beside the platform sat a young man in green robes, pen in hand, recording something.

Finally, unable to suppress his frustration, the young man slammed his pen onto the table and complained:

"Those of you further back, come up and write your own names in the ledger. After testing, if you have no Spiritual Root or Five Spiritual Roots, then get lost immediately! Don't waste my time!"

After speaking, he used his magical power to condense the words into text, making them appear floating nearby.

"Sigh, in this middle of nowhere, where are there any good prospects? I don't know what the Sect was thinking, insisting on recruiting here."

"Even the best talent is only good enough to be a utility worker, and they aren't even willing to go."

"It's been so long, and I've only recruited two Utility Disciples. Isn't this just a waste of my time?"

The more he complained, the angrier he got. Looking at the ledger filled with names from the past two days, he estimated there were roughly three to four thousand people.

Among them, only 20 had Spiritual Roots, and only 8 had Four Spiritual Roots. In the end, only two were willing to join.

This young man was named Jiang Hongyue, an Outer Sect Disciple of the top-tier Immortal Sect, Qingxu Grotto-Heaven.

Although he was in the outer Sect, he was young and his strength had already reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. He was at the peak in this Hanning Kingdom and even an elite within the Great Qian Dynasty. He had only come out because he had accepted a Sect mission that required him to recruit a certain number of Disciples.

Before taking the mission, he had been too slow, and all the good locations were snatched up. He was forced to come to this small kingdom.

His mission quota was 10 Disciples. But in this desolate place, let alone 10, he had already traversed half of Hanning just to scrounge up these two.

Knowing the mission would likely fail, he no longer sought Sect contribution points. He only hoped that with the few people he recruited, it would count as completing his periodic mission quota so he wouldn't have to take another mission and waste more of his time.

"I've signed my name. Can I test now?" a handsome young man asked.

Just as Jiang Hongyue was feeling irritable, the next tester had already stepped forward and signed his name.

"I know, I know. Hurry up and put your hand on the stone. Test quickly, don't waste my time." By now, Jiang Hongyue had entered a state of apathy, harboring no hope for the remaining testers.

"Hmph, how can a shallow pond produce a true Dragon?" Jiang Hongyue smiled helplessly, propped his feet up on the table, leaned back, and made himself as comfortable as possible.

The handsome young man was not offended by this. He calmly stepped forward and placed his palm on the stone tablet.

Boom— With a loud roar, a pillar of green light erupted from the stone tablet, soaring into the sky. The surrounding crowd stood dumbfounded at the sight. The previously apathetic Jiang Hongyue fell straight off his chair, staring at the scene in shock.

"A... A Single Spiritual Root!" This sudden stimulation left Jiang Hongyue momentarily unable to process what was happening. Just as he finished complaining and gave up, a Single Spiritual Root appeared!

Unable to believe his eyes, he rubbed them and looked closely at the characters formed by Spiritual Qi on the stone tablet. Six large words were written: "Wood Attribute, Single Spiritual Root."

"Yes! Good! I hit the jackpot! I actually recruited a Single Spiritual Root Genius in a small border kingdom?"

Seeing this scene, the handsome young man's lips twitched slightly. This person was none other than Zhou Yan.

Just a few days ago, Zhou Yan had accidentally discovered that Spiritual Roots could be detached. At that time, he had intended to focus on his cultivation and wait until he broke through to Qi Refining before finding a way to seek revenge on The Dong and Zhou Families.

But then he thought about it. Although his talent was much better now, the quality of the Spiritual Root was still low, meaning it would still be very difficult for him to reach Foundation Establishment here.

Furthermore, using Qi Refining to fight two others at the same stage wasn't guaranteed. He couldn't stay here for over a decade just for revenge.

So, he came up with a brilliant idea: the Fake Prodigy Plan.

According to the original host's memories and gathered information, those top-tier Sects would recruit from the entire world.

Because only top-tier Sects had the strength to afford so many resources, as long as he had the chance to join one, then as a Sect Prodigy, dealing with The Dong and Zhou Families would be a piece of cake.

As for being exposed? He had the System, after all. Although he might not necessarily match a real Prodigy, a small cheat should be able to make up for some of it.

Thus, the current scene unfolded. The Single Spiritual Root had indeed fooled the stone tablet; the soaring pillar of light could not be faked.

The way this Disciple was dancing with joy further proved that the talent of a Single Spiritual Root was considered quite good even in top-tier Sects. He had gambled correctly.

Watching the Disciple celebrate foolishly for a long time, Zhou Yan was genuinely afraid he had lost his mind and considered going up to slap him back to his senses.

However, the Foundation Establishment Stage was still the Foundation Establishment Stage. After a few moments of crooked eyes and drooling, he recovered.

His brain finally back online, Jiang Hongyue wiped away the drool with his left hand and jogged over to Zhou Yan, extending his left hand.

"This brother, please, you must join our Sect."

Looking at the drool-covered left hand, Zhou Yan almost failed to maintain his Prodigy's poise. He first took two steps back and then cupped his hands in a salute.

"That is exactly why I came. I will have to ask for Senior Brother's guidance."

Jiang Hongyue also remembered the drool on his hand and hurriedly cast a small cleaning Spell. He then said sheepishly, "Not at all, not at all. You don't need to call me Senior Brother; just call me Xiao Jiang."

"A Prodigy like you will definitely start in the Inner Sect once we enter Qingxu Grotto-Heaven. A bunch of Elders and Peak Masters will be fighting to be your master. You might even become a True Disciple shortly after joining."

"I am just an Outer Sect Disciple. You don't need to be so polite, brother."

Zhou Yan: "I cannot say that. Although I have some talent, it was Fellow Daoist who discovered it. If not for you, I might still be idling in this small kingdom, wondering how I could cultivate."

"While there's nothing wrong with Hanning, going to Qingxu Grotto-Heaven would mean a much broader horizon for me."

After hearing this, Jiang Hongyue's smile grew so wide his face almost warped.

"As expected of a true Dragon hidden in shallow waters. Your bearing is extraordinary; you truly look like a child of destiny."

"Since you call me Fellow Daoist, then I shall boldly call you Fellow Daoist as well. However, once we enter the Sect, I will have to change back to calling you Senior Brother. Etiquette cannot be discarded."

This guy's face changes really fast; that's not what he was saying just a moment ago.

"Then, Fellow Daoist, please join me on the flying boat. We shall head to the Great Qian Dynasty immediately and take the Teleportation Array back to the Sect."

"Wait, Fellow Daoist. I still have a troublesome matter to attend to. I would like to handle it before returning to the Sect with you."

"I wonder what it is? Could you tell me about it?"

"It goes like this..."

Zhou Yan quickly recounted the actions of The Dong and Zhou Families and how he had been framed and hunted. When he reached the emotional parts, he even gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, looking full of indignation.

Jiang Hongyue: "Rage! This infuriates me! Those beasts! It's bad enough they secretly practice demonic arts and plague the region, but to actually persecute such a kind, righteous, and extraordinary... (omitting 5 minutes of excessive flattery) young talent like you, Fellow Daoist, is truly detestable!"

Seeing this, Zhou Yan knew he had succeeded. Through their conversation, Zhou Yan had learned that this man was in the Foundation Establishment Stage, with strength and background—he could basically walk sideways in Hanning Kingdom.

This man also intended to befriend him. As long as he obtained some resources from him to raise his Rank, he could easily seek revenge. He could even just ask this man to take action, and wouldn't the Zhou and Dong families be easily wiped out?

Having planned this in his mind, Zhou Yan explained the situation to Jiang Hongyue. Who would have thought that the plot wouldn't develop as he imagined?

He did give resources, and he was indeed willing to help.

But he said there was no need for Zhou Yan to lift a finger. He then released the flying boat and took Zhou Yan toward the capital of Hanning Kingdom.

The crowd witnessed this scene, knowing they had seen a legend. It would definitely be a valuable topic of conversation in the future.

Just as the crowd was about to disperse, the flying boat turned back. Everyone was confused. Hadn't the Immortal left? Why was he back?

Jiang Hongyue stepped out from the cabin to the bow. With a wave of his hand, he swept up the high platform, the stone tablet, and the two bewildered prospective Utility Disciples who had been left behind. He even scolded:

"What's wrong with you two? Don't you know how to be a bit more alert? You didn't even know to shout when you weren't on the boat. Why don't you learn from Fellow Daoist Zhou Yan? You don't have a shred of cleverness."

After confirming nothing was missing, the flying boat set sail once again.