Xiaoyi said cheerfully, "There's a way!"
"I'll help you fake the five spiritual roots, so that you won't attract attention when you learn other Taoist techniques."
"Actually, the five spiritual roots can't be said to be completely useless."
"A few exceptionally talented individuals can master one or two spiritual roots and become powerful figures in their own right."
"A person who can integrate the five spiritual roots can be called a natural genius and is destined for great things!"
After speaking, the fortune-telling device scanned the spiritual roots of a disciple with five spiritual roots present at the scene.
They faked Tu Longjian's spiritual root as a similar five spiritual root.
At that moment, an old man with a white beard hurried over.
He opened his mouth and made a sound that didn't match his appearance.
He said impatiently, "Hehe...who just tested it and found no color?"
Hearing his hoarse voice, everyone couldn't help but chuckle.
The old man was somewhat displeased, gesturing with a huff and a glare.
A gust of wind swept through with a flick of his sleeve, causing tree branches to fall haphazardly.
The swirling dust filled the mouth of the person who was snickering.
No one dared to laugh anymore, and for a moment, all was silent.
In the dead silence, Tu Longjian had no choice but to step forward and respectfully reply, "It is I."
"I beg the elder to give me another chance to be tested."
"Perhaps... we're just seeing things."
She tentatively coaxed.
The old man stroked his shoulder-length white beard, glared at everyone, and thought what she said made a lot of sense.
The testing stone was under his control; there was no way it could have gone wrong.
These people are so rude, they must have seen wrong!
He was in a fit of anger and subconsciously ignored the fact that it was actually the consul's disciple who had asked someone to call him over.
So Tu Longjian stood up again.
The test stone flashed with faint five-colored light alternately, the colors of which were so faint that they could not be detected without careful observation.
The white-bearded old man nodded and said:
"As expected, you were all blind!"
After saying that, he turned and left, ignoring the rude freshmen.
Although everyone found it strange, they had been rebuffed by the admissions elder and had no intention of thinking about it further.
The elders have spoken, so could there be a problem with the testing stone?
The group said listlessly, "So it's the most useless of the five spiritual roots."
"I thought there would be something new and interesting."
"The color is so light, I thought it was colorless."
A man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks chuckled.
"The depth of color is related to talent. So it turns out to be the worst of the worst—the most useless of the five spiritual roots."
Tu Longjian left the scene amidst the jeers of the crowd, his expression calm.
I've seen all sorts of storms, so what's a little ridicule?
To borrow a classic line from Long Aotian:
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river!
Tu Longjian's imagination ran wild, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
Gan Xiuming looked unwell, gave her a wry smile, but did not approach her.
Fang Milu looked indignant and somewhat angry.
"What do you mean 'useless'! At least you have spiritual roots. Do you? Did you even get them detected?"
The man with the pointed mouth and monkey-like face was only there to observe because he hadn't been able to detect any spiritual roots, which is why he made those sarcastic remarks.
Faced with the probing gazes of the crowd, he blushed and slunk away.
With the spiritual root testing concluded, the three of them, led by Senior Brother Li, arrived at a small secluded courtyard.
Senior Brother Li pushed open the door, stood in the courtyard, and gently introduced them:
"This is where you will be staying temporarily during this period."
"After you pass the new student assessment, you will be assigned to different factions and then you will live in the disciples' residences on each peak."
“There is a restaurant about a mile from here. Since you haven’t started fasting yet, you can eat there on weekdays.”
"Starting tomorrow, attend classes at the main peak freshman academy."
Gan Xiuming hurriedly thanked Senior Brother Li with the two women.
"You two are exceptionally talented, so the entrance exam should be a piece of cake for you."
"I expect to be able to draw qi into my body soon."
Senior Brother Li offered his congratulations to Gan Xiuming and Fang Milu.
He then turned to face Tu Longjian, a hint of worry in his eyes.
"It's Chunxiang..."
"We still need to work harder; diligence can make up for lack of talent."
"These are my notes from when I first started practicing Qi cultivation. Take a look."
Senior Brother Li took out a small booklet.
Tu Longjian accepted the gift with both hands, bowed gracefully and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."
Senior Brother Li's ears turned slightly red, and he explained to Gan Xiuming and Fang Milu:
"It's not that I don't want to show it to you."
"You can watch it together if you want."
He scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"But my senior brother only has three spiritual roots. His talent is limited."
"It took me a full eighteen days to figure it out. I'm afraid I'm just a slowpoke and I'm holding you two back."
Gan Xiuming took a small step forward and stood in front of Tu Longjian.
His face was warm, yet it carried a hint of coldness that was barely perceptible.
"Thank you for thinking of Xiangxiang, senior brother. I will help her."
Senior Brother Li's eyes were somewhat dim.
Tu Longjian said earnestly, "Senior brother is a man of noble character, and you should not belittle yourself."
"Everyone has their own path."
"Even without extraordinary talent, one can find their own goals."
"I will study hard, thank you for your guidance, senior brother."
Senior Brother Li was originally just an outer disciple whom Chang Gu had called upon to help.
It's truly remarkable that he could still find time to look after a good-for-nothing like himself, even with two exceptionally talented disciples.
After listening, Senior Brother Li nodded with satisfaction and told the three of them to rest there.
Gan Xiuming stepped into the main house, while Fang Milu and Tu Longjian each went into the adjacent rooms.
Lying on the bed, Tu Longjian finally relaxed.
Finally, I can be alone!
These past few days have been arduous and dangerous, but thankfully it's all over now.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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