Shi Xuan remained calm and composed under the gaze of many powerful cultivators. He was not discouraged by his pitiful spiritual root value. Instead, he said loudly, "We cultivators are inherently going against the tide. If our destiny is unchanging, wouldn't entering the path be the end? What would be the point of the cultivation process then?"
She looked at the group of people in front of her, stepped forward with an air of nonchalance, and said, "Moreover, the Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Dao is forty-nine, and man escapes one. Fate is not fixed, and there is always a glimmer of hope in everything."
Shi Xuan wore a solemn expression, but what he was really thinking was: I finally found a sect that was still recruiting. I hope they won't reject me because of my worthless five spiritual roots. Then I'll have to find another place to stay. If I want to join another sect, I'll have to wait until next year. That would be a huge problem.
"Well said!" Sect Master Shi Mingxiu stood up, stroked his long beard, and laughed, "Young friend, you have great magnanimity! We have been too attached to appearances. Cultivation is about cultivating the mind. With your comprehension and temperament, why should you worry about not achieving the Great Dao! I will accept this disciple!"
"Sect Master, please don't be in a hurry. There's still one test that hasn't been done yet," Shu Yuanguan, the peak master of Baicao Peak, reminded him. Although Shu Yuanguan was a pill cultivator, he was burly, had a booming voice, and sported a messy beard. If he hadn't been introduced, he would have looked like a physical cultivator.
“Exactly,” Elder Li of the main peak echoed.
The Root and Bone Test, as the name suggests, has two aspects: root and bone. So far, only the spiritual root has been tested; the spiritual bone has not yet been tested.
Spiritual bones are generally divided into three grades: superior, middle, and inferior. As for special spiritual bones that exceed these three grades, they are extremely rare and hard to come by.
Spiritual bones and spiritual roots are generally corresponding; those with excellent spiritual roots will also have decent spiritual bones, and vice versa.
Shi Xuan's spiritual root was so weak and insignificant that no one had any hope for her spiritual bone. However, this was a necessary test for entering the Sword Sect and would be recorded in the sect's disciple file, so the required procedures still had to be followed.
When Shi Xuan heard that the sect leader had agreed to accept her, she was relieved. Her goal was just to become an outer disciple. Even without the spiritual bone, the sect would not take back what he had said. She was determined to become an outer disciple.
Shi Xuan then walked easily to the smooth stone wall where the spirit bone was tested and stood there without any sign of tension.
She thought it would take several breaths to react, like when testing spiritual roots, but to her surprise, the moment she stepped onto the stone wall, the light shone brightly, and a burst of snow-white silver light shot out, so bright that it was blinding.
Shi Xuan was hidden under the enormous light, and her figure was almost invisible.
Similar to the spiritual root test, the spiritual bone test also has colored stripes that rise. If her spiritual bone is as weak as her spiritual root, her performance will be exactly the same as her spiritual root.
In Shi Xuan's current state, it's impossible to see any lines or bars; the energy is so abundant it's blinding! If the upper limit of this magical artifact were increased, it could probably reach into the clouds!
"This is... a natural sword bone!" Shu Yuanguan exclaimed in a loud voice.
Born with sword bones?! How is that possible! Spirit and bones are one in the body, influencing each other. How could a body that is born with sword bones grow such weak spiritual roots? This is too illogical!
The sect leader, along with several peak masters and elders, stepped forward in unison, their faces showing undisguised astonishment.
As the saying goes, when you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up before you.
There is no talent more suited to swordsmanship than a natural swordsman's bone structure! Not to mention that this child's comprehension and temperament are rare in the world.
Xuan, ever since he appeared at the mountain gate, hadn't stopped. From his sudden enlightenment at the mountain gate to his weakened spiritual root and then to his innate sword bone, it was truly exhilarating. He went through several whirlwinds, from the mountaintop to the valley floor, as if he were riding on the flying sword of a disciple who had just learned to control a sword. The ups and downs were incredibly exciting!
"My Qingdai Peak is currently in need of a personal disciple. Would you be willing to join my Qingdai Peak?" The peak master of Qingdai Peak spoke first, taking the initiative before everyone was still in shock.
These words were a wake-up call. Who wouldn't want a disciple with innate sword talent? Seeing that Qingdai Peak was disregarding martial ethics and making irresponsible remarks before the invitation process even began, the other peaks couldn't sit still any longer.
Lianfeng Sword Sect has a total of six peaks. Apart from the main peak where the sect leader is located, Qingdai Peak, Siyuan Peak, and Fuyu Peak are all sword peaks. Baicao Peak and Linzheng Peak are mainly for alchemy and weapon crafting. In a sect like Lianfeng Sword Sect that takes the way of the sword as its belief, they are not highly valued.
Seeing that the peaks were about to start vying for this person with innate sword bones, the alchemy and weapon-making peaks automatically retreated to the bottom, tacitly acknowledging that it had nothing to do with them.
The peak master of Siyuan Peak snorted coldly in the direction of the peak master of Qingdai Peak and said, "In the sect's grand competition, my Siyuan Peak has won the championship for ten consecutive years. If we talk about the way of swordsmanship, none other than my Siyuan Peak can compare."
The peak master of Qingdai Peak retorted, "That's because of the road..." He omitted half a sentence and continued, "...it's an unfair victory."
Among the group of immortals, the youngest-looking peak master of Fuyu Peak was not to be outdone. He smiled kindly at Shi Xuan and said, "Tang Nong, who brought you to our sect, is a disciple of Fuyu Peak. If you come to Fuyu Peak, it will be a gathering of friends and a very lively occasion." As he spoke, he touched the wine gourd at his waist, probably wanting to take a sip but feeling that the occasion was inappropriate, he had to give up.
How despicable! He actually tried to play the favor card, and the other two peak masters looked at him with contempt.
The sect leader spoke up at the opportune moment: "Don't forget there's still the main peak. I happen to be short of a closed-door disciple to cultivate a successor for the sect leader in the future."
This is outrageous! He actually used the entire sect as bait. The three peak masters were furious, but they couldn't offer anything bigger.
Before going up the mountain, Shi Xuan had learned about the Lianfeng Sword Sect from Tang Nong, and now he had probably matched the various immortals and peak masters with their names.
Her purpose in coming to the sect was clear—to find a safe place to stay and research ways to deal with her rebellious spiritual root. From this perspective, the neglected Hundred Herbs Peak was actually the most suitable. There were plenty of spiritual herbs there, alchemy was convenient, and the academic assessments would be no problem for her.
Shi Xuan's gaze shifted and settled on Shu Yuanguan, the peak master of Baicao Peak. He bowed and asked, "Does Baicao Peak still accept disciples?"
Everyone was shocked. How could someone with innate sword bones go to Hundred Herbs Peak? This was nothing short of a waste of talent!
Shu Yuanguan felt several unfriendly gazes suddenly focus on him, and the pressure instantly increased.
He glanced at the sect leader, then at the peak masters, and at the elders who, though silent, exuded a threatening aura. Gritting his teeth, he said, "We...will accept..." The sect leader cleared his throat at the opportune moment, locking his gaze on him with a death stare. Shu Yuanguan quickly changed the subject, saying, "Or perhaps we won't accept..."
He desperately wanted to take him in. This was a once-in-a-century disciple, actively requesting to join the sect—who wouldn't want him? Before his dantian was damaged, he had been a top-tier sword cultivator himself, and he certainly had a heart that cherished talent.
But with so many people eyeing him menacingly, even a burly man like him couldn't withstand it. If he took Shi Xuan to Baicao Peak today, the mountain might be burned down by them tomorrow.
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