After one youth had surprisingly been blessed with a Mixed Spiritual Root, several others were soon revealed to carry Mortal Spiritual Roots. From the four promising ones, though none matched the first youth's fortune, each awakened a type of Impure Spiritual Root, still enough to leave Senior Wu pleasantly surprised.
Seeing so many of the village's youths blessed, Senior Wu chuckled with genuine happiness several times, clearly satisfied with the results. Unfortunately, however, no one else awakened a Mixed Spiritual Root.
Out of roughly a hundred tested, only ten remained, including Feng Wei and Li Mo. The two brothers waited silently. Feng Wei wore a bright, excited smile, eager to see what kind of blessing the heavens had prepared for him.
Yet every time he tried to step forward, Li Mo stopped him.
Though confused, Feng Wei trusted his brother, who had been with him since childhood. Without question, he followed Li Mo's lead, placing absolute faith in him.
Li Mo, meanwhile, kept his gaze steady on the testing, his expression unreadable. He wasn't looking at his brother at all, only observing silently, his mind recalling everything he had read in the few books available in the village and everything he had once heard from the elders.
He remembered once hearing from an elder, about a year ago, how during his own test he had suddenly felt his body burn as if he were stranded on a high mountain without water for weeks.
The sensation lasted only a brief moment before ending, leaving him collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. When he finally regained his breath, the elder had been told he bore no heavenly blessing.
Recalling this, Li Mo closed his eyes, trying to compare it with what he had seen today. Yet none of those tested had collapsed the way the elder had described. Perhaps, he thought, others might instead feel as though they were bathing in a cold river, or drowning in its depths.
Still, even with these doubts, a question nagged at him: was this truly a test at all?
As Li Mo pondered, two more youths stepped forward and finished their turn. Unluckily, neither was blessed. At that moment, Li Mo opened his eyes again and glanced at Feng Wei. Their gazes met, and for a brief second, something unspoken passed between them.
Li Mo's eyes slowly hardened, as if he had made a decision. Feng Wei noticed the change immediately; he could tell his brother was planning something. Yet when Li Mo looked at him, it wasn't quite what Feng Wei expected.
"Feng Wei," Li Mo said quietly, "I've had a strange, maybe even foolish, thought. Are you willing to take a small gamble?"
Surprised, Feng Wei raised his brow, but without hesitation he nodded. "Sure. Tell me."
Li Mo sighed softly, then leaned close and whispered something into his ear. Once Feng Wei understood, he let out a short chuckle and nodded again.
"I'll go next!" Feng Wei declared to the youths around him. Without waiting for their agreement, he boldly stepped forward.
Watching him, Li Mo muttered under his breath, barely audible, "Hopefully… what I think is true."
Though the whisper was nearly silent, and his earlier words to Feng Wei had been spoken so discreetly, there was still someone sharp enough to catch them. Senior Wu's eyes narrowed in intrigue, impressed that a mere mortal could even think along such lines.
"Interesting…" Senior Wu thought, eager to see whether these two brothers could prove him right.
Feng Wei stepped confidently toward the silver stick. Standing before it, so close now, he smiled with determination and firmly wrapped his hand around it. Instantly, the metal shone with a bright light, and his mind grew hazy, as though clouds had descended over his thoughts.
Sensing the danger, Feng Wei reminded himself to endure. He forced his mind to stay clear and immediately activated the two techniques he had practiced tirelessly for an entire year.
The Turtle Breathing Technique calmed his body and steadied his heart, while the Bending Monkey Technique sharpened his control over every muscle. In this heightened state, Feng Wei became extremely sensitive to every change within him, though he knew he couldn't maintain it for long.
Seconds stretched into minutes. To everyone's shock, he lasted far longer than any youth before him, even surpassing the endurance of the one who had awakened a Mixed Spiritual Root.
But as time dragged on, his concentration faltered. Unknowingly, he let go of the Turtle Breathing Technique, and twenty seconds later, the Monkey Bending Technique slipped as well. Barely ten more seconds passed before his mind finally cleared, and his grip on the silver stick loosened.
Breathing heavily, Feng Wei looked up at Senior Wu, his eyes filled with hope. The warm smile on Senior Wu's face was all he needed, he had succeeded. He was blessed. The only question now was… what kind of blessing would it be?
With his heart pounding, Feng Wei waited for Senior Wu's verdict. The Senior smiled warmly at him before finally speaking,
"Congratulations. You are the first youth I've ever picked up with a Pure Spiritual Root and not just any, but one of the highest quality. With this, you'll even be able to rival cultivators who possess a True Spiritual Root. Truly, I never expected to find such talent here!"
The words struck like thunder.
Li Mo's eyes widened in shock, while Feng Wei burst into joyous laughter, grinning from ear to ear. He turned to Li Mo, nodding with pride before striding confidently toward the group of youths who had already awakened their roots.
Instantly, the atmosphere shifted. The other youths looked at him with awe and respect, whispering among themselves. They already imagined his future, once Feng Wei reached the Ling Clan, he would surely rise quickly, perhaps even becoming a towering figure like the legendary ancestor of their village.
Voices rose in congratulations, smiles and compliments showering him from every side. Even the youths watching from the flying plate above called down their praises.
Meanwhile, Ling Ye stood frozen. His body remained still, but his eyes betrayed him. He stared at the celebrating crowd, at Feng Wei basking in glory, and for the first time, the cold mask he always wore shattered.
What replaced it was raw, undeniable jealousy. His gaze, usually aloof and unreadable, now looked like an open window, revealing the pure envy and bitterness festering within him.
Ling Ye bit his lip, his fists tightening until his nails dug into his palms. After a long moment, he forced himself to appear calm again. Yet the envy and jealousy did not fade, they sank deeper, burrowing into his heart like poisonous seeds.
Outwardly, he seemed composed, but inside, the truth was clear: he wanted what Feng Wei had.
Dark thoughts stirred, rising from the depths of his heart where he had long buried them.
"Why him? Why not me?"
The question echoed endlessly in his mind. His gaze fell to the ground, heavy and bitter, a shadow crossing his expression. He knew he would never have the answer. Blessings came from the heavens, and mortals like him could only look up helplessly at the sky, powerless to change their fate.
A twisted smile formed on his lips. Drawing in a long, steady breath, he pushed those thoughts down, sealing them away once more, burying the moment as though it had never happened.
When his mind cleared, his expression returned to its usual calm, and strangely, a small sense of relief followed. With Feng Wei's blessing, Ling Ye's plans finally had a foundation.
Compared to the founder of the Quiet Spring Village, Feng Wei's talent was far greater and with his character, surely he would repay kindness with loyalty and help bring Ling Ye's schemes to fruition.
But just as Ling Ye convinced himself of this, something even more shocking happened.
Li Mo stepped forward.
Confident now that his earlier guess had been correct, Li Mo seized the chance and in the next moment, he stunned everyone far more than Feng Wei ever had.
"Wow… one talent after another. Who would have thought a mortal village would hide such potential? First a youth blessed with a Pure Spiritual Root, and now brat..." Senior Wu's voice trembled with excitement. He paused, then corrected himself, his tone becoming formal and reverent. "No… Junior. Congratulations! With your True Spiritual Root, the Ling Clan will personally nurture you. Do not disappoint the heavens, or the Ling Clan, with your blessing!"
Unlike with Feng Wei, where he had shown only mild surprise, Senior Wu was utterly stunned by Li Mo's result. Two full minutes, he had endured beyond the limit of the Silver Stick. That alone marked him as one blessed with a True Spiritual Root.
The crowd was left speechless. With Feng Wei, they had thought a great figure was born. But with Li Mo, they saw the birth of someone destined for the very top, a future ruler who would stand above all smaller 'big shots.'
Even Feng Wei, who had just been praised, could not hide his shock. Yet instead of jealousy, his face bloomed into a wide smile. He stepped forward and congratulated Li Mo warmly, his voice ringing with genuine pride.
Ling Ye, however, felt his world collapse once more. Just as he had forced himself into calm acceptance after Feng Wei's blessing, Li Mo's revelation struck like a hammer to his chest. His gaze froze, his face turning utterly expressionless, as cold and distant as ice.
No one could read his thoughts.
But inside, his heart was in chaos. He cursed the heavens, cursed his fate, cursed everything. Then, after a long breath, he forced the storm down, suppressing the rage and despair deep into himself once again.
"With Li Mo and Feng Wei together, Quiet Spring Village will surely rise", he thought grimly. "They might even push it from a small village into a true clan under the Ling Clan… perhaps even to the level of a middle tier clan. With Li Mo's talent, such a future isn't impossible."