Chapter 12 Zang Yaozong
The spirit ship was like a flying leaf, about to land on the sect square, but was stopped.
An outer sect steward, wearing a black robe with silver flying swallows embroidered on the cuffs and hem, said in a businesslike manner, "Those who are undergoing this spiritual root test will all go to Feiyan Pavilion. They will be assigned there after the test."
Qiu Xinglun frowned slightly, then immediately relaxed, stepping forward and slipping something into the sleeve of the outer sect steward. Third Sister Yi took a closer look and discovered it was a stone with a white-blue halo.
The outer sect deacon calmly put the spirit stone into his sleeve, his expression still not changing much, but he spoke again: "Two days ago, we caught a lackey of Heaven in the sect square, he was sent from Xuanchengzhou. Something was found under the sect square, and no one is allowed to approach the sect square in the next few months." After saying that, he raised his head and took in the situation on the spirit ship. He found that there were only nine people, and he couldn't help but frowned, waved his robe and left.
Qiu Xinglun let out a sigh and continued to steer the spirit ship. Yi Sanmei and the others bravely stepped onto the deck, wanting to get a glimpse of where they were approaching. Yi Sanmei climbed to the side of the ship and stood on tiptoe for a closer look. She saw the spirit ship sailing amidst a vast sea of clouds. Amidst the swirling mist, peaks of varying heights formed a single, ethereal, and majestic mass. The mountains seemed so sharp that it was impossible to tell how many tens of thousands of feet tall they were.
This spirit ship was the only one traveling, the others mostly swift flashes of sword light. There were also birds and beasts flying, but they were very different from what Third Sister Yi had seen before. Some had six wings, and some even had three heads. Third Sister Yi was shocked. For a moment, the sky seemed to darken and darken. Startled, Third Sister Yi looked up to see if the sun was still in the sky. Only then did she realize that it wasn't nightfall, but rather a magnificently decorated chariot soaring through the air.
Unfolded, the chariot was nearly the size of a hundred spirit boats, its every detail meticulously carved, bringing the flowers, birds, fish, and insects to life. Pulling the chariot were two bird-headed monsters with four wings and three legs, their feathers resembling golden. The chariot was supported by a white cloud, but upon closer inspection, it became apparent that it was not a cloud, but rather a gathering of tens of millions of long, white-scaled snakes. Their smooth, pure white scales reflected the sun's rays, creating a hazy halo that made the snakes resemble a cloud.
The person sitting in this chariot must be either wealthy or noble. Under the shadow of the chariot, Third Sister Yi suddenly felt a small spark of hope ignite within her heart. So close yet so different. She was determined to find a way out of this quagmire. One day, she would live a life free from the dictates of others!
But now, they were nothing more than playthings in Zang Yaozong's hands. Qiu Xinglun sailed the spirit boat to a lower mountain. A gust of wind from the mountain, accompanied by dew, swept over the spirit boat from head to toe, and suddenly a ripple formed, sucking the spirit boat in. In the blink of an eye, the spirit boat stopped in front of the stacked attics.
Qiu Xinglun pinched his sleeve, and the spirit boat transformed back into a small boat-shaped wooden piece. Two crooked characters were painted on it with cinnabar. They were exactly the same characters that Yi Sanmei had seen on the plaque hanging in front of the attic. Thinking back to the conversation she had just written down, Yi Sanmei realized that the two characters were "Fei Yan."
The nine children obediently formed a line and followed Qiu Xinglun into Feiyan Pavilion. Once inside, they saw a completely different scene from the outside. From the outside, the attics appeared to be stacked and squeezed together, seemingly without any planning. But once inside, they realized they had a completely different world.
Entering the small Feiyan Pavilion, there were no fewer than a hundred people bustling about on the first floor alone. Both sides were lined with various compartments, each hung with different wooden signs and curtains. Those wearing the same disciple uniforms as Qiu Xinglun were coming and going in these compartments. Qiu Xinglun walked forward without looking around, finally stopping in front of a huge desk in the back of the hall, facing the entrance to Feiyan Pavilion.
"Senior Brother Jiao Xing." Qiu Xinglun greeted politely and handed the boat-shaped talisman to Jiao Xing, the outer sect deacon who guarded Feiyan Pavilion all year round.
Jiao Xing, who had been bent over a pile of books and bamboo slips on his desk, looked up at the words, revealing two large, dark bags under his eyes, making him look particularly terrifying. Between the bags lay a pair of narrow eyes, devoid of emotion. He only spoke weakly, collected the talisman, and quickly found the corresponding records on the desk. After putting the spiritual palace away, he spoke in a low, halting voice.
"The talisman has been returned. However, I'm sorry, Junior Brother. The Pavilion is very short of manpower recently. You can take this batch and go to the Jiazi Room to test your spiritual roots. Then come back."
Listening to Jiao Xing speak was truly exhausting. Third Sister Yi even suspected he had a hole in his lung, which was why he was so breathless. Although Jiao Xing was tired from talking, his hands moved quickly. He accurately pulled out a book titled "Lofts and Pavilions" from the pile and spread it out in front of Qiu Xinglun. The page he opened had the words "Room A" written on it.
Qiu Xinglun stood in front of Jiao Xing somewhat awkwardly, not moving for a moment.
"Junior Brother, is there anything else you want to ask?" Jiao Xing looked up at him, a little puzzled, and pondered carefully. "Junior Brother Qiu, were you born in the Path? If not, since we are now fellow disciples, you must have taken the spiritual root test, right? Or did you join in later?"
With the recent incident of an internal enemy being apprehended, Qiu Xinglun would never dare to have anything to do with the outside world. The Demonic Path isn't a place to reason with you. He quickly lifted his sleeves and pointed to the old scar on his arm to show Jiao Xing.
"I came from the Ninety-Seventh Path. When I left, I was sent to the First Copper Mountain to mine. I never had my spiritual roots tested in the sect. Although I was lucky enough to enter the Dao later, my spiritual roots were tested by a senior brother before I left the mines, and I only had three spiritual roots. Later, I went back and forth between Feiyan Pavilion to take on missions, and I never saw anyone test my spiritual roots again. Therefore, I really don't know much about this matter of spiritual root testing."
Sister Yi San touched the "Gu San" branded on her arm. She was born in the valley, and although she had not learned much about writing, she knew the differences between the original valley paths.
Only infants who have undergone rigorous selection are sent to the incubation center. There are even special recipes for cleansing the marrow and strengthening the bones. The meat and supplementary medicines are not directly produced by the human body, but rather young men and women who are over fifteen years old and still in the valley. Because of the strict training, the number of incubation centers is small. It is said that there are only three incubation centers at present.
The valley produces medium to high-quality meat and medicinal embryos in batches, such as those of Yi Sanmei. The mother takes the Fumu Fruit and the father's body is also well-maintained, but the children born may not live long. However, they have strong absorption and adaptability under the age of fifteen.
For example, to cultivate a weapon, one needs a weapon embryo that has been cultivated for over a hundred years. Using elixirs and prescriptions such as Guanding, Tongmai, or Ranming, one can quickly ripen the children in the valley to a hundred years of cultivation and avoid death from body explosion within ten years. These are the best embryos that the Zang Yao Sect has finally cultivated after thousands of years, and there are about two hundred valleys producing them in large quantities.
The Paths are the lowest quality food and medicinal materials, also produced in bulk, but unable to even test spiritual roots. Shiploads of them are sent directly to the furnace, also used to fill formations and repair human blood. There are about a hundred Paths, but the output of each Path is equivalent to that of ten Valleys.
To emerge from the Path and become an outer disciple of the Zang Yao Sect was like crawling out of purgatory, and one would have to endure countless hardships beyond the reach of ordinary people. Not to mention that even after finally surviving and receiving the opportunity to test their spiritual roots and enter the Dao, due to the Path's lack of quality control, it was unknown if there was even one person with three spiritual roots among a hundred thousand people.
If the test revealed four or mixed spiritual roots, they would be thrown back into despair, with no chance of escaping purgatory. Even Jiao Xing, who grew up in the Zang Yao Sect, couldn't help but admire Qiu Xinglun.
"It's easy, don't worry, Junior Brother. Just have them place their hands on the Spirit Detection Stone one by one. If the Spirit Detection Stone emits a gray light, then it means they have four spiritual roots or mixed spiritual roots, which are useless. If it emits a different light, use the spectrum disk to shine on the Spirit Detection Stone, and the specific spiritual roots will appear on the spectrum disk. After everyone has been tested, pull the bell in the room, and I will lead you out."
Qiu Xinglun carefully noted the words, finally thanked Jiao Xing, and placed his hand on the line of characters that read "Room A" in the Pavilion section. Yi Sanmei was still wondering how they were going to get to Room A when she felt a sudden dizziness. By the time she had regained her footing, she was in front of a stone house with no door and five curtains. On the wall outside hung a wooden plaque with the three characters "Room A" written in bold calligraphy.
Sister Yi San followed Qiu Xinglun into Room A and saw the huge spirit-testing stone placed in the middle of the room. Her heart began to beat fast.
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