The sun was slowly sinking, casting long shadows across the open field of the Quiet Peak, where Ling Ye stood with a group of anxious youths.
He remained motionless, his expression as calm and unreadable as ever. A short distance to his left stood the old man, clearly impatient, his face creased with annoyance at having waited so long. Beside him stood his disciple, fidgeting nervously, whispering complaints to his master about the endless wait.
"They should arrive soon. Be ready," Ling Ye muttered in his usual steady tone.
The words spread through the group behind him, making the nervous and excited youths shift uneasily. They all knew what awaited them. Today was the Day of Spirituality. the day that would decide their fate.
Either they would awaken a spiritual root and step onto the path of cultivation, or remain mere mortals for the rest of their lives. Today, their destinies would be revealed.
Li Mo sat cross legged on the ground, his gaze fixed on the wide blue sky above. His Brother, Feng Wei, sat beside him, chattering endlessly about the past, about their childhood, and about all the things they would do once they became cultivators.
Though they had heard countless tales of cultivation, Li Mo never fully believed in the glorified stories. Even Zhou Wu, who often spoke of cultivators' greatness, seemed to exaggerate in his eyes. The world was full of hardship, how could anyone simply stride through it effortlessly?
Still, Li Mo didn't let those doubts trouble him. Like the others, he was confident. They had trained relentlessly for an entire year, and now the time had come to see if their efforts would be rewarded.
Some of the youths regretted not starting their training earlier. Others, indifferent, hadn't cared about becoming cultivators at all and would have skipped this day entirely, if not for the command of the village head.
In the end, every youth who had reached the age of fifteen was required to stand here, facing their fate.
Soon, the sun had completely fallen, and the moon rose high above the mountains. At last, a figure appeared in the distance, flying through the night sky. His robes were green, embroidered with delicate floral patterns, and behind him hovered a large jade plate carrying a group of youths about the same age as Li Mo and the others from the village.
The young passengers leaned over curiously, their eyes filled with wonder as they looked down at the scene below.
The moment the flying figure drew closer, excitement rippled through the village youths. All of them stared wide eyed, their hearts racing at the sight of a true cultivator soaring through the skies. Only Ling Ye, the old man, and his disciple remained unmoved, watching calmly as the man descended.
When the cultivator finally landed on the Quiet Peak, they could see him clearly. He appeared to be in his thirties, his gaze steady and serene, his smile warm and inviting. Handsome and refined, he gave off the aura of someone both approachable and dignified.
With a casual wave, he brought the floating plate to rest in the air above the peak, allowing the youths upon it to remain seated.
"Haha, Senior Brother! It has been quite some time since we last met. If I recall correctly, the last time must have been around thirty years ago, wasn't it?" The man greeted the old cultivator with familiarity, his voice light and cheerful.
Ling Ye's eyes flickered in surprise. Senior Brother? He had assumed the old man's status to be far beneath that of this elegant cultivator, yet it seemed the opposite might be true. Still, he kept silent, observing carefully.
"Hehe… Brother Wu, you're trying to embarrass me before my disciple, aren't you?" The old man chuckled, scratching his cheek with a sheepish look. "Calling me Senior Brother after you've already become a High Outer Disciple… you're showing disrespect to the other High Outer Disciples by lowering yourself so far."
Ling Ye's gaze sharpened slightly. He had just learned something important, the old man himself was not a High Outer Disciple.
The disciple rankings of the Ling Clan weren't overly complicated. At the core were three major ranks, Outer Disciple, Inner Disciple, and Elite Disciple.
These were the major ranks of disciples, each divided into three sub ranks, low, middle, and high. The sub ranks didn't grant additional authority within the clan, but they served as a clearer indication of one's strength and progress in cultivation.
Ling Ye silently recounted what he knew about the disciple system. Though the Ling Clan had countless disciples, they weren't the true foundation of its power. The clan's true strength lay within the Ling Family itself, and that was where things grew far more complicated, distinctions of lower bloodline and pure bloodline, heritage, and politics that outsiders could barely comprehend.
Beyond this, Ling Ye knew little. All he truly understood was that he was considered pure blooded, like his father, even though his mother had not been part of the Ling Family.
"Haha, please, Senior Brother," Wu said warmly, his smile genuine. "Although I may now hold the status of a High Outer Disciple, you were kind to me in the past. No matter how high my position rises, you will always be my Senior Brother, the very same one I first came to respect during the Silver Tiger Mission!"
As Senior Brother Wu spoke, his face shone with heartfelt sincerity. The old man, however, could only sigh and shake his head, clearly unsure how to respond. In the end, he simply chose to let his junior continue addressing him in that way.
"Alright, alright, Junior Brother Wu," the old man said at last, his tone gentle but firm. "But now, shouldn't you get to your duties? You can't shift your responsibilities to others. Work does not wait, and the day is short. What would happen if you failed to reach a village in time? I would not want to become the reason you were punished. We can reminisce another time."
Hearing these words, Senior Brother Wu froze for a moment, instantly realizing what the old man meant. His smile turned awkward, and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
After a brief moment, Senior Wu coughed lightly and turned his gaze toward Ling Ye. Yet his interest in Ling Ye seemed fleeting; almost immediately his eyes shifted past him to the group of waiting youths.
They were already standing, tense and eager, ready to learn whether they would be blessed or remain mortals forever.
With a warm smile, Senior Wu stepped forward and addressed them. "Haha, greetings everyone. As you may have already heard from my senior brother, I am Senior Wu. I'm here today to determine whether you are blessed by the heavens, or not."
The youths stirred with excitement, their faces alight with anticipation. Without further delay, Senior Wu reached into his sleeve and drew out a long metal staff.
Holding it upright, he pressed it firmly into the dirt before him. The staff gleamed faintly in the moonlight. "Alright," Senior Wu announced, "each of you will come forward and grasp this staff. When you do, I will know whether or not you carry heaven's blessing. Form a line, and step up one by one."
At once, the youths hurried to obey, quickly arranging themselves into a line. The first boy stepped forward, determination written across his face. He clenched the staff tightly with both hands.
For a moment, the polished silver began to shimmer and change color, yet just as quickly, the glow faded and the staff returned to its dull silver hue.
The youth looked up at Senior Wu with shining eyes, full of desperate hope. But the man remained unmoved. He shook his head lightly.
"You are not blessed with a spiritual root. Next."
His words were flat, almost mechanical, spoken as though he had repeated them countless times before. The boy froze, unwilling to move. With a casual wave of his hand, Senior Wu forced the youth aside, making room for the next in line.
Ling Ye observed the scene in silence. A faint nervousness crept into him, mixed with a trace of disappointment at seeing the first result. Still, his gaze lingered on the silver staff.
"Interesting… this is different from the last time," Ling Ye thought, recalling something Wang Xin had once told him.
"There are many ways to test for a spiritual root," she had said. "But large clans like the Ling Clan have their own special methods, like the Hall of Spirituality. I can't explain in detail, but once you become a cultivator, you'll understand."
Though she had promised he would only grasp it after becoming a cultivator, Ling Ye had already formed a guess.
"She said the Hall of Spirituality is special… and it's said that outside of it, being blessed is much harder. Does that mean the Spiritual Drowning Blessed Pond somehow strengthens the chance of awakening a spiritual root? Perhaps it even increases the quality of the blessing itself…"
Ling Ye longed to know the answer to his suspicion, but deep down he knew he probably never would. The thought left him slightly irritated. He had always been the type who, once curious, couldn't let go until he uncovered the truth.
It was this very trait that often got him into trouble back in the clan, but it was also why he knew far more than most mortals, and even more than many newly initiated cultivators.
"Sigh…" Ling Ye exhaled softly, pushing the thoughts aside as he refocused on the testing.
One by one, the youths came forward. Most left disappointed, their hands trembling as they stepped aside. Hope dimmed with each rejection, until finally, one of Ling Ye's most promising candidates grasped the staff.
A soft glow pulsed, and Senior Wu's eyes brightened a little and then nodded his head.
"Oh, the first one," he said calmly. "Congratulations. You have been blessed with a Mixed Spiritual Root. Stand behind me. Once the testing is complete, we'll visit two more villages, then return to the clan. From there, you will be accepted as an outer disciple of the Ling Clan!"