"Hmm?" Lin Feng's request caused a stir. The Biquan Sect disciple quickly recovered. "Of course. Do you wish to join our sect, friend?"
"No," Lin Feng stated plainly. "I only wish to test my spiritual root aptitude."
"..." The Li-named youth's mouth twitched. If not for Lin Feng's association with Zheng Kai, he might have lost his temper. Such a blunt refusal? Does he look down on Biquan Sect? Zheng Kai hurriedly intervened. "This is my good friend Lin Feng. He is a fourth-grade honorary Artificer with Wanbao Pavilion."
"Oh?" Li's expression instantly shifted, annoyance replaced by respect. "Of course, fellow Daoist. Testing your aptitude is no issue. Please proceed." Yet a doubt nagged him: A fourth-grade Artificer must have a powerful master. How could he not know his own roots? Similar confusion clouded Zheng Kai and the others' eyes as they watched Lin Feng.
"Thank you." Lin Feng stepped forward. Placing his right hand on the crystal orb, he channeled soul force into it. A flicker of nervousness and anticipation stirred within him. Humm… A soft resonance filled the air. A dim red light bloomed within the crystal – signifying Fire as his strongest root. But its brilliance… …was faint. Fainter even than Yao Wangtian and Xu Rong's results moments before.
"Low-grade Fire Spiritual Root?" The Li-named cultivator couldn't hide his surprise. This defied expectation. A young fourth-grade Artificer… surely he should possess at least a high-grade Fire root? "Low-grade Fire? Impossible…" Others murmured, equally stunned by the revelation.
"Hmm?!" Just as disbelief settled, another shift occurred. The red light abruptly contracted, gathering in the crystal's left half. Simultaneously, a weak golden glow flickered to life on the right... Then, almost instantly, both red and gold shrank back, making way for a small patch of blue light. Orange followed... then purple, green, cyan... Like a revolving lantern, the crystal flared with seven distinct colors, segmenting itself. Red dominated slightly wider; the other six hues were narrower, dimmer.
"This…" A stunned silence fell. Everyone stared at the multi-hued crystal beneath Lin Feng's hand, disbelief radiating off them.
"Seven-element… Seven-element mixed spiritual roots?!" Li blurted out again, looking up at Lin Feng, his expression profoundly strange. Lin Feng's own eyes mirrored shock. His face paled slightly. A bitter tang of disappointment welled up inside. He knew his aptitude wasn't stellar… but this…? This was worse than his worst fears. The seven colors weren't a mark of greatness – they signaled disaster.
Theoretically, every cultivator possesses potential for all roots. Usually, only the strongest one or two manifest dominantly. Other latent roots are suppressed, often never surfacing. Like Zhang Fangzhou's high-grade Water root – the crystal showed only blue. Other roots were overpowered, posing no hindrance. Possessing two high-grade roots could be a double-edged sword. Advantage: dual-path cultivation could grant significant power over peers. Disadvantage: cultivation becomes vastly harder; incompatible roots risk mutual interference – slowing progress or even causing Qi deviation. Furthermore, multi-root cultivation grapples with elemental generation and restraint. If the dominant roots are mutually generating (e.g., Metal-Water), cultivation is relatively smoother. Mutually restraining roots (e.g., Fire-Water)? Dual cultivation is nearly impossible, and one must avoid cultivating the restrained element to prevent self-sabotage. Multi-root cultivation is inherently complex and perilous, far exceeding the difficulty of a single pure root. Lin Feng's result? His best was only low-grade Fire. The other six roots weren't suppressed at all. This wasn't a special case. This was… ...trash-tier aptitude.
Seven mixed roots. Only Fire at low-grade. The other six? Not even low-grade. How did such aptitude even reach Foundation Establishment? Li's only plausible explanation: immense wealth, forcibly pushing through cultivation via sheer resources – spirit stones and pills.
"Seven-element mixed roots?! And Fire only low-grade?! Impossible!! There must be an error! Yes! This testing crystal is faulty!!" Zhang Fangzhou stared defiantly at the crystal, refusing to accept Lin Feng possessed such "trash roots," grasping for any justification.
Li frowned, a flash of displeasure in his eyes.
"Zhang Fangzhou, enough." Lin Feng withdrew his hand. The crystal's glow vanished instantly. He forced calm into his voice, pushing down the turmoil. "It's done. Let's go."
"But, Boss! Something must be wrong! How could you possibly—"
"I said enough. I understand. Let's go." "..." Lin Feng strode out of the crowd without looking back. A heavy silence hung over his friends. They exchanged worried glances, then silently followed him out.
Seven-element mixed roots... Trash, huh? Heh... Lin Feng pushed through the throng ahead, a faint, self-mocking smile touching his lips. Deep in his eyes flickered disappointment... and a stubborn refusal to yield.
Emerging from the packed square brought relief. The streets grew quieter as they walked, but the atmosphere remained heavy. Everyone sensed Lin Feng's low spirits, yet words of comfort failed them. His aptitude result was just too shocking, too hard to reconcile with the Lin Feng they knew.
"Lin Feng..." Zheng Kai finally broke the stifling silence. "I... I also think there might have been an error. Don't dwell on it too much. Spiritual root aptitude isn't everything."
Lin Feng shoved the disappointment aside, forcing a smile. "Heh, relax. I'm not that fragile. Even if my roots are truly this poor... didn't I still cultivate this far?"
Zhang Fangzhou spoke with fierce conviction. "Boss! I know you'll become a mighty cultivator! Forget this stupid root nonsense! With enough effort, you will surpass anyone!"
"Yes! Boss Lin! We all believe in you!!" Yao Wangtian and Xu Rong echoed, unwavering loyalty in their eyes. Lin Feng was their idol. They couldn't accept his aptitude was truly poor. And even if it was… hadn't he already defied odds? What were a few more miracles?
"Absolutely! I believe in you too!" Zheng Kai slapped Lin Feng's shoulder heartily. "Remember, you're a fourth-grade Artificer! You possess Strange Fire! And you're already Foundation Establishment, second layer! How is that inferior to anyone?"
Feeling the warmth of their support, the sharp edge of Lin Feng's disappointment softened considerably. He realized he'd let the test shake him too deeply. A genuine, grateful smile touched his lips. "Mnn. Thank you, all of you. Truly. I'll be fine."
Zheng Kai smoothly changed the subject. "Right, Lin Feng. Come to my place for lunch? My father heard you're leaving soon. Insisted I invite you before you go."
Lin Feng chuckled. "Oh? Really? Alright then. We accept the invitation."
"Heh, no burden at all! More than welcome! Let's go!!"
Changgong Linglan and Kou Xuyun were also guests at the Zheng residence today. Thus, Changgong Xiaojing and Kou Tingting accompanied them. The group of seven made their way toward Zheng Kai's home. The streets were deserted, most citizens still at the central square. As they approached the avenue housing the Zheng Manor, a figure came into view walking leisurely towards them from the opposite direction – a middle-aged man in white robes, hands clasped behind his back.
"Patriarch!!" Zheng Kai spotted the man first, visibly startled. He exclaimed in surprise and immediately hurried forward.
"What?! That's the Zheng Family Patriarch?!" Lin Feng jolted with shock. He'd initially mistaken the man for a mortal! He quickly followed the others toward the legendary figure.
"Patriarch, what brings you outside?" Zheng Kai inquired, bowing respectfully before Zheng Xulin.
Zheng Xulin gave a slight nod. "Merely walking." Having been absent from Azure Cloud City for two centuries, nostalgia filled him. A whim had brought him out alone today. His gaze shifted to Lin Feng and the others. Zheng Kai hastened introductions. "Patriarch, these are my friends. This is Lin Feng, the one I mentioned to you."
Facing such an overwhelmingly powerful figure for the first time, Lin Feng felt a wave of nervousness. He bowed deeply. "This junior, Lin Feng, greets Senior Zheng."
"Mnn." Zheng Xulin acknowledged with another nod. His eyes swept over Lin Feng, evaluating. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. A piercing, almost imperceptible flash of light sparked deep within his pupils. He looked... genuinely startled.
"Step aside. I wish to speak with him alone." His calm tone brooked no argument as his gaze swept past Zheng Kai and the rest.
"Ah?" Zheng Kai was dumbstruck. But meeting Zheng Xulin's eyes, his heart leapt. He immediately acquiesced. "Yes... Patriarch." "..." Zheng Kai, Zhang Fangzhou, and the others retreated cautiously, confusion etched on their faces. Only Lin Feng and Zheng Xulin remained. Lin Feng's heart pounded like a drum, anxiety rising. What could this powerful figure possibly want to say to me?
As Lin Feng's mind raced with unsettling possibilities, Zheng Xulin spoke. His next words nearly stopped Lin Feng's heart cold...
"Young man... You killed a Corpse Sect disciple?"