24: Han Yunzhi's Choice

The chaos on the arena continued, with shouts of battle and the clanging of Magical Artifacts echoing ceaselessly. Figures rushed forward, one after another, towards the faintly glowing Spiritual Root Measuring Stone.

Finally, a Loose Cultivator, relying on his ruthlessness and reckless abandon, managed to break out of the melee and grab the Spiritual Root Measuring Stone.

He injected his spiritual power, and the Spiritual Root Measuring Stone lit up with a thin yellow light pillar, followed by an equally thin green light pillar, and finally a blue light pillar. The three light pillars, like three thin threads, barely rose about a foot high.

“Three Spiritual Roots…” On the high platform, a white-haired old Cultivator shook his head, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

The Loose Cultivator’s originally expectant expression instantly froze, then turned to ash.

Three Spiritual Roots, while perhaps not too bad among Loose Cultivators, were considered only barely acceptable Aptitude in the eyes of the Seven Sects.

He waited for a moment, unwilling to give up, but still no Sect Elder transmitted a message to him. He dejectedly put down the Spiritual Root Measuring Stone and was immediately knocked off the arena by the people rushing up behind him.

Then, another Cultivator snatched the Spiritual Root Measuring Stone.

“Four Spiritual Roots, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire…”

“Four Spiritual Roots, Earth, Metal, Fire, Wind…”

“Still three Spiritual Roots, the light pillar is too thin…”

One thin light pillar after another, either three or four Spiritual Roots, continuously lit up and quickly dissipated. The expressions on the faces of the Core Formation Cultivators from the Seven Sects on the high platform grew increasingly bored.

They had held great expectations for this test due to the astonishing anomalies that appeared during Lin Feng and Mo Fengwu’s tests, thinking that this Ascension Gathering would produce a large number of Geniuses. They hadn't expected that only those two were exceptions. The Aptitude of the subsequent Cultivators tested was all too ordinary.

“The average Aptitude of this batch is too poor,” the white-haired Elder of Huangfeng Valley whispered to the beautiful woman beside him.

“Indeed, after that pseudo-Spiritual Root and Ice Spiritual Root, not a single single or dual Spiritual Root has appeared,” the middle-aged beautiful woman from Tianque Fortress frowned in response. “If this continues, how many usable Disciples will our Seven Sects be able to recruit this time?”

“We might barely get three to five slightly more solid three Spiritual Roots; that can count as making up the numbers,” the old woman from Spirit Beast Mountain said with a hint of helplessness in her tone.

In a corner of the valley entrance, Lin Feng and Mo Fengwu stood quietly. Mo Fengwu leaned against Lin Feng, whispering via Divine Sense, “Young Master, these people’s Spiritual Roots all seem very ordinary.”

Lin Feng gently stroked her soft hair, transmitting back, “Aptitude is just the foundation; perseverance and Opportunity are also very important. However, for a Sect, the better the Aptitude, the less effort it takes to Cultivate them.”

He looked at the Cultivators on the arena who returned disappointed, feeling no pride. Cultivating Immortality was inherently a Heaven-Defying act; those with mediocre Aptitude had to put in much more effort than Geniuses, and the results would not always be satisfactory.

After about half an hour of continuous chaotic fighting, the arena quieted down slightly, perhaps because the outstanding Loose Cultivators and Family Disciples had all completed their tests. Two middle-aged male Cultivators, both only at Qi Refining Layer Seven, surprisingly managed to grab the Spiritual Root Measuring Stone while protecting a young female Cultivator.

The one being protected was a young woman, dressed in an elegant light blue long dress, with a slender figure and delicate features, her eyes showing gentleness. Beside her were two middle-aged male Cultivators, one with a serious face, the other with a fawning smile, carefully protecting her.

When Lin Feng saw this woman, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

“It’s her?”

It was Han Yunzhi, with whom Lin Feng had formed a bond at the Tai Nan Small Meet. The two middle-aged male Cultivators beside her were likely her Clan Uncle from her Family, clearly having rushed to escort her to the Ascension Gathering.

Han Yunzhi, protected by her two Clan Uncle, seized the Spiritual Root Measuring Stone without being overly demure. She took the Spiritual Root Measuring Stone, took a deep breath, and with a gentle squeeze of her jade hand, activated it.

Immediately, two light pillars, as thick as calves, shot into the sky! One was blue, and one was green!

“Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Root!”

The Core Formation Cultivators on the high platform finally showed some emotion, each sending out a Divine Sense to investigate the Dual Spiritual Root woman on the stage!

The first Dual Spiritual Root! Although not comparable to a Heavenly Spiritual Root, within the Seven Sects of Yue Country, a Dual Spiritual Root was already considered a Core Disciple prospect!

“Haha, finally a good prospect has appeared!” The white-haired Elder of Huangfeng Valley stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

“Excellent, excellent, Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Root, most suitable for Cultivating my Tianque Fortress’s 《Jade Fortress Formless Scripture》!” The beautiful woman from Tianque Fortress’s eyes sparkled with delight.

The old woman from Spirit Beast Mountain also smiled. “Dual Spiritual Root, excellent Aptitude, also quite suitable for Cultivating my Spirit Beast Mountain’s Beast Taming Technique.”

The Elders of the Seven Sects on the high platform, especially those from the lower-ranked Sects like Tianque Fortress and Spirit Beast Mountain, began to secretly compete, determined to win over this promising prospect.

As the Seven Sects successively transmitted messages to the three on the stage, extending olive branches.

The middle-aged male Cultivator with the fawning smile beside Han Yunzhi showed an uncontrollable excitement on his face. Although their Family was not large, to now have a Dual Spiritual Root clansman was simply an ancestral blessing!

The serious-faced middle-aged male Cultivator leaned close to Han Yunzhi’s ear and quickly transmitted something to her, his face showing urgency and expectation.

Han Yunzhi listened, then gently nodded. She raised her head and looked towards the high platform, her delicate face showing a hint of hesitation, but she quickly made a decision.

“Junior Han Yunzhi, thank you, Seniors, for your kindness.” Her voice was not loud, but it clearly spread throughout the venue. “Junior is willing to join… Spirit Beast Mountain.”

At these words, the smiles on the faces of the originally enthusiastic Elders from Huangfeng Valley and Yanyue Sect on the high platform instantly froze. Especially Nangong Wan, her expression immediately darkened, a hint of displeasure in her eyes.

On Nangong Wan’s cold face, the expression that had softened slightly upon seeing the Dual Spiritual Root now became somewhat unnatural.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her gaze towards Han Yunzhi carried a hint of confusion. A Dual Spiritual Root, and a female Cultivator at that, would usually prioritize a top-ranked Sect like Yanyue Sect, which offered superior resources and Cultivation Techniques. Although Spirit Beast Mountain was also one of the Seven Sects, it ranked lower among them, so choosing Spirit Beast Mountain was quite unexpected.

Mo Fengwu at the valley entrance also seemed puzzled upon hearing this. “Young Master, why did she choose Spirit Beast Mountain?”

Lin Feng held Mo Fengwu’s hand, feeling the warmth of her palm. He looked at Han Yunzhi on the arena, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness.

Why did Transmigration to the Immortal Realm also involve this kind of Family education, overly interfering with the next generation’s future?

“Perhaps… she didn’t have a choice either,” Lin Feng transmitted. He roughly guessed that Han Yunzhi’s choice of Spirit Beast Mountain was likely related to her Family members beside her. Perhaps there were acquaintances in Spirit Beast Mountain, or perhaps the benefits offered by Spirit Beast Mountain were more attractive.

Regardless, the School Han Yunzhi ultimately joined was still the same as in the original work. Lin Feng couldn't help but begin to consider whether it would be appropriate to take Han Yunzhi away before Spirit Beast Mountain defected to the Demonic Path.