Lin Chen, along with the other aspiring cultivators, followed the examination elder to the temporary residence courtyard.
There were many buildings and courtyards on Changchun Mountain.
Only a few aspiring cultivators passed the first round of the assessment, so each person was given a private room.
Not long after, a disciple arrived with dinner.
It wasn't the spiritual food they might have imagined—Changchun Sect was not so extravagant as to provide spiritual food to disciples who hadn't formally entered the sect.
Instead, there was a bowl of plain porridge, two steamed buns, and a few pieces of meat.
Lin Chen ate heartily. Having been in the cultivation world for over five days, he had been relying on strength-replenishing potions.
Although these potions could replenish the essential nutrients the body needed, their taste was... well, indescribable.
As the sky darkened and the moon rose above the branches, Lin Chen lay in bed, gazing at the night sky through the window.
Unlike Blue Star, which had been polluted by technology and demon beasts, the night sky in the cultivation world was beautiful. The moon was bright, and the stars twinkled in the sky.
At this moment, Lin Chen was lost in thought.
"With Wang Xinyu's help, I successfully overcame the cultivation crisis."
"I also passed the first round of the Changchun Sect assessment. Whether I can officially step onto the path of cultivation depends on tomorrow's spiritual root aptitude test..."
Lin Chen still felt a bit nervous.
Whether or not he had spiritual roots would determine his future survival in the cultivation world.
Although he had made it to the sect temporarily, without spiritual roots, he would be sent back to square one tomorrow.
In this chaotic cultivation era, without the protection of a sect, his future would not be safe.
After all, this cultivation world was far crueler than Blue Star. There was no unified government, and all kinds of demonic cultivators and rogue cultivators wreaked havoc.
Just like the rogue cultivators Lin Chen had encountered earlier, if he had been a little weaker, he might have already become a soul lost to their blades.
"Ah... forget it. Even if I can't cultivate, I can still rely on martial arts to survive!"
"Since I haven't cultivated today, I might as well practice breathing exercises for now..."
With that thought, Lin Chen sat cross-legged, his hands resting on his knees, breathing rhythmically.
The breathing technique Lin Chen practiced was called Seventh Set Martial Breathing Technique.
It was a breathing method promoted across the entire Great Xia Kingdom to help martial artists strengthen their bodies and unleash their physical potential.
In Great Xia, everyone, regardless of gender, was required to practice this breathing technique starting at the age of sixteen.
Human bodies were weak and could not compete with demon beasts.
Only by practicing this breathing technique could one continually strengthen their body and become a powerhouse capable of moving mountains and seas.
Lin Chen had also relied on this breathing technique to break through to the ninth level of martial apprentice in just over a year.
After half an hour, when Lin Chen had completed a full cycle of the breathing technique, he suddenly noticed something unusual.
"Hmm? What's going on...?"
"Why do I feel that my strength has increased?"
Lin Chen looked at his wrist with some confusion.
On his wrist, there was a watch designed to be worn with the A-57 lightweight combat suit, which displayed the martial artist's vitality and blood value.
At that moment, Lin Chen's vitality and blood value read: 10.1!
A look of surprise flashed across Lin Chen's face, and then he felt a surge of joy.
"I've broken through to the primary martial artist level!"
Martial artists were ranked by their vitality and blood value.
To reach the primary martial artist standard, one's vitality and blood value must exceed 10 points!
A vitality and blood value of 10 points roughly equated to a punch force exceeding 500kg, with an explosive speed of over 20 meters per second.
Lin Chen had originally been a ninth-level martial apprentice, with a vitality and blood value around 9.5. Although the difference seemed small, there was a world of difference.
There was a small bottleneck between the ninth level of martial apprentice and the primary martial artist level.
This bottleneck usually took a year or more to break through.
It was considered a talent if someone could break through to the primary martial artist level before the age of 20.
Even for Lin Chen, his initial estimate was that he would break through to the primary martial artist level within three months.
And now, not only had he advanced three months ahead of schedule, but his vitality and blood value had even exceeded by 0.1!
"Could it be because of the 30,000 steps I climbed today, stimulating my potential and breaking through my own limits?"
Lin Chen shook his head slightly.
It might have something to do with it, but it probably wasn't that simple...
"The cultivation world is different from Blue Star. The air here contains spiritual energy... Could it be the spiritual energy that helped me break through ahead of time?"
Lin Chen's thoughts shifted, and he wanted to test this hypothesis, which was easy to verify.
All he needed to do was continue practicing the breathing technique.
So, Lin Chen practiced the breathing technique for another two hours.
By late at night, Lin Chen was exhausted, but he was suddenly startled awake by his vitality and blood value reading on his wristwatch.
Vitality and blood value: 10.2
"It really is the spiritual energy!" Lin Chen exclaimed.
"Hiss… in just two hours, I increased my vitality by 0.1! If I practice for six hours a day, that's 0.3 vitality in a day!"
"By this rate, I'll be able to break through to a mid-level martial artist in a month!"
Lin Chen's face lit up with excitement.
Unlike martial apprentices, who were divided into nine levels, martial artists were divided into three levels: primary, intermediate, and advanced.
The corresponding vitality and blood values for these levels were 10, 20, and 30 points, respectively.
Once one reached 20 points of vitality and blood, they were considered an intermediate martial artist, with punching power exceeding 1000kg and peak running speed reaching 25 meters per second.
Breaking through from a primary martial artist to an intermediate martial artist typically took two to three years for an ordinary person.
However, for a genius like Lin Chen, who was well-suited for practicing the breathing technique, it would take about six months.
But now, with only a month...
He could go from a primary martial artist to an intermediate martial artist!
This speed was unheard of to Lin Chen.
"Tsk tsk, the cultivation world... is really perfect for martial artists to train!"
Lin Chen couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Looking at it this way, even if he didn't have spiritual root aptitude, with his martial arts progression speed far beyond ordinary people, he could still make a name for himself in the cultivation world.
At the very least, survival shouldn't be an issue.
With this realization, Lin Chen felt a weight lift from his heart and soon fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Lin Chen woke up on time.
The exhaustion from yesterday was completely gone.
Dong, dong, dong!
With the sound of a bell echoing across Changchun Mountain, all the youths who passed the first round of the assessment gathered in the disciple square.
Over three hundred youths, some anxious, some expectant.
Lin Chen stood in the square, a slight nervousness on his face.
Even though his martial arts aptitude was exceptional, he still hoped he had spiritual root aptitude.
Soon, the voice of the examination elder was heard from the square.
"All those whose names are called, come to the Spiritual Root Test Platform to verify your spiritual root aptitude…"
"First, Qi Changwei."
A tall, muscular youth with dark skin walked toward the platform.
As he placed his hands on the enormous Spirit Root Stone, two beams of light—one gold, one red—shot up, reaching a height of seven feet six inches.
The elder's face brightened, and he called out:
"Top-tier Golden Fire Dual Spiritual Root, excellent aptitude!"
Upon hearing the elder's words, the surrounding youths were filled with envy.
The Changchun Sect's spiritual root assessment had only two rounds.
The first round, climbing the thirty thousand steps, tested their temperament and gave a preliminary screening of their aptitude.
The second round verified their spiritual root aptitude.
A top-tier dual spiritual root was already an extraordinary aptitude, one in a thousand.
It was almost a guarantee that this youth would join the Changchun Sect.
After this initial success, the spiritual root tests proceeded steadily.
Half an hour later, a young girl wearing a light yellow gown walked up to the platform.
She was about thirteen or fourteen years old, already showing signs of beauty, with skin like snow, almond eyes, and cherry lips—truly a striking appearance.
What caught Lin Chen's attention wasn't just her beauty, but the fact that he could clearly sense the change in the expressions of the disciples around him.
The examination elder's expression also shifted from cold to warm, and he said kindly:
"Next, Jiang Liqian!"
As the girl placed her hands on the Spirit Root Platform, a tremendous blue light shot up from the Spirit Root Stone.
The light column reached nearly two meters in height. The elder, seeing this, gasped and exclaimed:
"Top-tier Earth Spiritual Root! Hiss... The affinity with spiritual energy is close to that of a Heavenly Spiritual Root!"
For a moment, the entire square erupted in astonishment.
An Earth Spiritual Root was incredibly rare—Changchun Sect had only encountered one in the past century.
Lin Chen couldn't help but look curiously at Jiang Liqian, his mind filled with questions.
"This girl... who is she?"
Soon, Jiang Liqian lifted her chin slightly, and amidst everyone's gaze, she gracefully stepped down from the platform.
After this moment of spectacle, the spiritual root testing continued.
From the morning until past noon, more than three hundred youths took their turns for the spiritual root test.
Aside from a few unfortunate ones with inferior spiritual roots, the rest had at least mixed spiritual roots or higher.
According to Changchun Sect's rules, those with Five Element Mixed Spiritual Roots could become outer sect disciples.
To become inner sect disciples, one had to have dual spiritual roots or higher…
Out of the more than three hundred youths, about ten had dual spiritual roots.
Apart from Jiang Liqian, whose aptitude was unmatched, there was also a youth named Li Zhenqian who had True Spiritual Root aptitude.
Lin Chen had been one of the last to ascend the mountain, so his name appeared later on the list.
It wasn't until the afternoon that the elder finally called his name.
"Next, Lin Chen…"
(End of Chapter 4)