334: Chapter 334: Chaotic Spiritual Root

Early the next morning, the morning sun began to rise.

Golden sunlight spilled onto the glazed tiles of the Supreme Dao Palace, refracting thousands of beams of light, enveloping the entire Dao Palace in a solemn and peaceful atmosphere.

The square was already crowded with people. Nearly a thousand applicants were lined up in order of their number plates, silent as the grave.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the trial to begin.

Zhou Han stood in the queue, his palms slightly sweaty.

He had hardly slept last night, his mind constantly replaying the words Elder Qingyang had spoken.

"It is fine to be nervous, but do not let that nervousness crush you."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

Zhou Han noticed Lin Xue standing not far ahead, expressionless as always, like an ice sculpture.

Shi Gandang was squatting in a corner, fiddling with a pebble he had picked up from somewhere, tossing it back and forth in boredom.

Captain Zhao Wuji stood at the very front, head held high and chest out, looking back at the crowd from time to time, as if searching for prey.

Li Changsheng walked out slowly onto the high platform in front of the square.

Today, he had changed into a white Daoist robe, embroidered with golden cloud patterns and Taiji symbols, looking exceptionally solemn under the sunlight.

Behind him, Ling Jianxin, Su Qinghan, Jian Wuchen, and others followed, standing in a row.

"Everyone."

Li Changsheng spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly transmitted to everyone's ears.

"Today, the Immortal Ascension Assembly officially begins."

"The three trials, the first stage — Seeking the Truth of the Spiritual Root."

He raised his hand and pointed to the center of the square.

A beam of light rose from the ground, and a massive azure stone tablet emerged within the light pillar.

The stone tablet was three zhang high and one zhang wide, crystalline in its entirety, with countless fine runes flowing across its surface, emitting a faint spiritual glow.

It was like a giant prism, refracting colorful halos in the sunlight.

"Seeking the Truth of the Spiritual Root tests your Spiritual Root attributes and innate potential."

Li Changsheng's voice came from the high platform.

"Whether you are in the Golden Core Stage or the Foundation Establishment Stage, whether you come from a noble family or are unaffiliated, the Spiritual Root is the foundation of immortality."

"Stand before this stone tablet and inject your spiritual power into it. The tablet will provide three results."

"Spiritual Root attributes, innate grade, and Dao Heart purity."

A commotion stirred in the crowd.

"Spiritual Root attributes? What if I have a multi-attribute Spiritual Root?"

"How is the innate grade calculated? Grade A? Grade B?"

"What is Dao Heart purity?"

Discussions arose one after another.

Li Changsheng raised his hand to signal for silence: "Spiritual Root attributes determine the direction of your Cultivation Technique, innate grade determines your growth speed, and Dao Heart purity determines how far you can go."

"The most important of the three is Dao Heart purity. Even if a person has excellent Spiritual Roots and high innate potential, if their Dao Heart is impure, they will ultimately not go far."

"Conversely, those with a pure Dao Heart can achieve extraordinary feats even if their Spiritual Roots are ordinary."

His gaze swept across the crowd below.

"Listen well, the Immortal Sect does not determine life and death based on innate potential, so no one will be eliminated in the first stage, but scores will be recorded."

"The difficulty of the second and third stages will be allocated based on your scores."

"The higher the score, the greater the challenge; the lower the score, the smaller the challenge."

"But remember, the greater the challenge, the greater the harvest."

"A trial without risk is not worth participating in."

Zhou Han felt Elder Qingyang vibrating slightly within the ring.

"Kid, this concept of Dao Heart purity is actually quite interesting. It seems this Supreme Dao Palace truly has some real substance."

As soon as he finished speaking, the trial officially began.

The first to walk towards the stone tablet was a young man in brocade robes, at the last stage of Golden Core, looking every bit like a descendant of a noble family.

He walked to the stone tablet with high spirits, placed his hand on it, and injected his spiritual power.

The stone tablet shone brightly, and a line of text appeared.

"Spiritual Root: Gold and Fire dual Spiritual Root; Innate Grade: Upper Grade B; Dao Heart Purity: 70%."

The crowd stirred slightly: "Dual Spiritual Root? Upper Grade B innate potential? That's not bad."

The young man in brocade robes frowned slightly, seemingly unsatisfied with this result, but he retreated with some dignity.

Then came the second, the third... Some were happy, some disappointed, some expressionless.

Most people's scores were around Grade B, and occasionally a Grade A would appear, drawing low whispers.

Those who performed well secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while those with mediocre performances clenched their fists.

"Next, Captain Zhao Wuji!" the presiding Elder shouted.

Captain Zhao Wuji straightened his robes and strode forward, his movements carrying a clear air of showing off.

He walked to the stone tablet, took a deep breath, placed his hand on the stone surface, and poured all his spiritual power into it.

The stone tablet lit up with a piercing light, a beam of light shot into the sky, and the text that appeared caused the entire crowd to fall silent.

"Spiritual Root: Heavenly Spiritual Root (Single Gold Spiritual Root); Innate Grade: Middle Grade A; Dao Heart Purity: 80%."

The crowd was in an uproar.

"Heavenly Spiritual Root?! It's actually a single Heavenly Spiritual Root!"

"Middle Grade A potential! 80% Dao Heart purity! When did the Zhao family produce such a Genius?"

"No wonder the Zhao family is so arrogant; it turns out they have the confidence to back it up."

A triumphant smile curled the corner of Captain Zhao Wuji's mouth as he turned to look at the crowd, looking down on everyone.

After Captain Zhao Wuji returned to the queue, more than ten others tested, but their scores were not as dazzling as his.

Until a figure walked forward — Lin Xue.

Her red clothes were like fire, her expression cold and stern.

She walked to the stone tablet, made no unnecessary movements, and placed her hand directly on the stone surface.

The stone tablet shone with a soft white light, and the light even carried a trace of biting cold, causing those around to involuntarily take a step back.

"Spiritual Root: Mutated Ice Spiritual Root; Innate Grade: Lower Grade A; Dao Heart Purity: 93%."

The crowd was in an uproar again.

"Mutated Ice Spiritual Root? This is even rarer than the Heavenly Spiritual Root!"

"Lower Grade A, although not as good as Captain Zhao Wuji's Middle Grade A, it is very good. But 93% Dao Heart purity! It's higher than Captain Zhao Wuji's!"

Captain Zhao Wuji's smile froze on his face.

He looked back at Lin Xue, a flash of crisis in his eyes.

But after seeing Lin Xue's Realm, he smiled contemptuously again.

Oh~

So the Realm is this low!

That's fine then.

Lin Xue ignored everyone's gazes, withdrew her hand, and retreated expressionlessly.

After a few more people, the next to walk forward was Zhou Han.

Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

A low murmur came from the crowd: "Foundation Establishment Stage? This level dares to come?"

"He must be here to try his luck. He'll likely have to leave after the first stage."

Captain Zhao Wuji leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, with a mocking smile on his face, waiting to see a good show.

Zhou Han walked to the stone tablet and took a deep breath.

Elder Qingyang's voice sounded in his mind: "Kid, don't worry about what others think."

"Just do as I said, divide your spiritual power into three strands and inject it slowly. Don't rush, take your time."

Zhou Han followed his instructions, divided his spiritual power into three, and slowly injected it into the stone tablet.

The stone tablet lit up with a pale golden light, soft and steady, unhurried, like a quietly flowing river.

"Spiritual Root: No-Attribute Spiritual Root (Chaos Spiritual Root); Innate Grade: Upper Grade A; Dao Heart Purity: 95%."