The Qingyun Sect.
On the Spirit Testing Platform.
The three-zhang-high black monolith pulsed faintly as one disciple after another pressed their palms upon it. Each touch brought forth a different glow.
A flash of green—Wind Spirit Root, common yet respectable.
A surge of crimson—Fire Spirit Root, fierce and powerful, drawing murmurs from the crowd.
One by one, the young men and women stepped forward with trembling hands and left with either bright smiles or darkened faces.
On the high platform, several elders sat cross-legged, their gazes calm and unreadable. Only when a rare talent appeared did a ripple of emotion pass through their eyes.
"Next, Lin Feng."
The steward's cold voice echoed.
The crowd stirred. Dozens of gazes turned toward a thin youth in a washed-out coarse robe. His frame was slight, but his eyes were calm and steady.
He took a deep breath and stepped onto the platform.
"Look, that's him. Three years in the sect, still stuck at Body Refinement Stage One."
"Tch, admirable perseverance. I'd have gone home to farm."
"Shh, maybe he's been holding back for a comeback?"
"Hah! Comeback? He's hopeless trash!"
The whispers buzzed like mosquitoes, but Lin Feng didn't flinch. After three years of mockery, he had long grown used to it.
He stood before the monolith, pressed his palm onto the cold, black stone, and silently vowed:
This time… I must succeed.
One breath.
Two.
Three.
Nothing.
The monolith stayed dead and dark.
A long silence—then laughter burst out.
"Hahaha! I knew it! Not even a spark of light!"
"A mortal! A total mortal! Worse than ordinary people!"
"In all of Qingyun Sect's history, has anyone ever failed to trigger even a flicker?"
"What a waste of the sect's food!"
On the platform, the elders shook their heads. The white-haired Grand Elder sighed and waved his hand.
"Enough. Step down, Lin Feng. Perhaps living a peaceful mortal life is a blessing of its own."
Lin Feng's hand froze midair, fingertips pale from strain. His heart clenched tight, as if crushed by an invisible hand.
Three years of sweat and pain… and this is all I get?
Mortal bones… Am I truly destined to remain a mortal forever?
Unwillingness burned inside him—so fierce it nearly tore him apart.
And just as despair threatened to swallow him whole—
BOOM!
A thunderclap exploded deep within his soul!
A thin yet domineering streak of violet lightning burst out from his dantian, like an ancient Thunder Dragon awakening from slumber. It roared through his meridians, blasting open every blockage, flooding him with searing power!
In that instant, his palm blazed with blinding purple light!
"Weng——!"
The testing stone trembled violently, releasing a deep hum. A pillar of violet radiance shot skyward, painting the entire plaza in divine brilliance.
Within the light, arcs of lightning coiled and danced, exuding an aura of pure destruction.
The world fell silent.
Every whisper, every laugh—vanished.
Not just purple.
At the core of the light, some sharp-eyed disciples caught faint traces of azure wind and a spark of crimson fire, before they were swallowed by the roaring lightning.
"Th–Thunder Spirit Root!" an elder cried, his beard trembling. "And such pure essence… an Innate Thunder Spirit Root!"
"An omen! The ancient texts say only top-grade spirit roots can make the testing stone resonate like this!"
"Heaven bless the Qingyun Sect!" The Grand Elder rose, face flushed with excitement.
On the platform, Lin Feng stood frozen. The lightning in his body slowly calmed, curling back into his dantian and forming a faint Thunder Seal.
Despair vanished—replaced by awe and disbelief.
Thunder Spirit Root… I actually possess one of legend?
Then why was there no reaction at first?
And that flicker of wind and fire—was it my imagination?
No one could answer him.
All eyes were on him now—filled with awe, jealousy, and fear.
The steward stammered, voice trembling, "L–Lin Feng, Innate Thunder Spirit Root… Rank—rank unknown!"
Unknown!
The word sent another shockwave through the plaza. The monolith could measure up to Earth-grade spirit roots, yet Lin Feng's exceeded even that!
As the light faded, Lin Feng felt countless burning gazes pierce his body.
He lifted his head—and his eyes met hers.
A woman in white stood among the elders—beautiful and cold as winter frost. Su Lingshuang, the sect master's direct disciple, known as the Ice Fairy of Qingyun Sect.
For once, her calm eyes trembled. She stared straight at Lin Feng, her gaze filled with shock, curiosity… and something far more complex.
Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat.
It felt as if her gaze pierced through his body—straight into his dantian, at the newly-formed Thunder Seal pulsing there.
What… did she see?