Chương 32: The Weight of a Wind Spirit Root

A six-year-old boy in a short dark green robe stared at the Spirit Measurement Ruler pressed against his forehead. A brilliant light erupted from the ruler, and a look of blank confusion flickered across his eyes. Meanwhile, the clansmen watching from Green Bamboo Town erupted in an uproar. Zhang Yunli and Zhang Haimo both jumped to their feet, their eyes blazing with excitement.

"This is a Wind Spirit Root! Among Variant Spirit Roots, its cultivation speed rivals a Heaven Spirit Root! There are no bottlenecks before the Golden Core Realm. Even without a Foundation Establishment Pill, he'd still have an eighty percent chance of directly establishing his foundation!" Zhang Yunli's voice trembled. Heaven was truly blessing their Zhang family. Zhang Haimo felt the same. They had both received the family's education and knew exactly what a Wind Spirit Root meant for a clan like theirs.

If this child could grow up, the Zhang family would flourish. The boy in green was stunned. Zhang Wijian was stunned, too. The hand holding the Spirit Measurement Ruler trembled. Zhang Haimo didn't know what to do. He turned to look at Zhang Huaijin. But Zhang Huaijin's expression wasn't one of joy. It was grim.

"You three," Zhang Huaijin said, "continue the testing ceremony." He walked over to the boy in green and asked gently, "What's your name?"

"My name is Zhang Renan!" The boy's eyes flashed with fear as he looked toward his parents nearby.

"I'm taking you to the family estate. Your parents will come with you," Zhang Huaijin said, his voice extremely soft. Zhang Renan, still not fully understanding what was happening, could only nod mechanically. Zhang Huaijin signaled for the boy's parents to take charge of him. Then, after a few brief instructions to Zhang Yunli, he left immediately with the three of them, heading toward the Green Bamboo Mountain Mountain. The testing ceremony in Green Bamboo Town continued, but no one's heart was in it.

Everyone was still immersed in the excitement of their clan producing a cultivator with a Wind Spirit Root. Zhang Huaijin didn't dare be careless. He sent a Messaging Talisman to inform Zhang Lixian. Before Zhang Huaijin had covered half the distance back, Zhang Lixian arrived.

"So this is..." Zhang Lixian's eyes held no trace of joy.

"Yes," Zhang Huaijin replied, his expression equally grim. The two of them traveled in silence, bringing Zhang Renan and his parents back to Green Bamboo Mountain. Zhang Chongwen's expression was also severe. All the remaining cultivators of the Zhang family on the Mountain gathered in the main hall. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Alright, everyone. Let's discuss this," Zhang Chongwen said, his voice laced with exhaustion. This gift was too big. Their family might not be able to bear it.

"Father," Zhang Lixian began, his words heavy, "we cannot protect a Wind Spirit Root prodigy. The news is already out. Other families won't just watch him rise. His only fate is dying young." The eight cultivators in the hall fell silent. Zhang Lixian was right. For a mere Qi Refining Realm clan to possess a Wind Spirit Root prodigy was like putting a gold ingot in a toddler's hand, a disaster waiting to happen. No one could have predicted that a prodigy like this would appear in their humble clan.

If they had conducted the test in secret, they might have been able to hide it for a while. But with several thousand people in Green Bamboo Town, too many eyes had seen. The secret wouldn't hold. The news might have already spread. For the Zhang family, possessing this prodigy was a curse, not a blessing. The three Foundation Establishment clans of Langya County alone would make things difficult for the Zhangs. A Wind Spirit Root prodigy represented a brilliant future.

But every time a family rises, it disrupts the established balance of power, cutting into the interests of those already on top. They would never allow it. Zhang Huaijin remained silent. This was why his expression had been so grim back at the ceremony. Even a Foundation Establishment Realm clan couldn't guarantee the safety of a Wind Spirit Root prodigy. And the Violet Mansion Realm clans above them certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch a new power grow.

The cultivation world was a ladder of ruthless suppression.

"Brother is right," Zhang Liliang said, glancing at Zhang Lixian.

"The best course of action is to send him to a sect. In return, they might give us a significant amount of resources, even a Foundation Establishment Pill. That would greatly increase Brother's chances of becoming a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator." Zhang Lixian frowned, opened his mouth as if to speak, but then fell silent, unable to find the words. A look of desolation crossed the faces of the Zhang family cultivators. This was the tragedy of a Qi Refining Realm clan.

Even when a once in a generation genius appeared, they couldn't protect him. This was the cruel reality of the cultivation world. Zhang Liliang's proposal was the most viable. The Zhang family would gain significant resources, possibly enough to finally become a Foundation Establishment Realm clan. Zhang Chongwen looked at the silent, brooding cultivators and said, "This is no time for hesitation. This is what we must do."

"Liliang," he continued, "go to the Wu family of Shangfu County. Find your brother in law. Use the Wu family's connections to contact the Heavenly Crane Sect. We need to get Zhang Renan into the sect as fast as possible." The Tang Kingdom's cultivation world was divided into nine provinces. The Heavenly Crane Sect was one of the two Golden Core Realm powers in Bing Province, a sect of the highest rank. Qingtai Prefecture fell under the Heavenly Crane Sect's domain.

If they had to send Zhang Renan away, they would send him to a Golden Core sect. Such a sect would certainly not refuse a prodigy like a Wind Spirit Root child. Langya County was one of the nine counties within Qingtai Prefecture.

"Understood." Zhang Liliang left the main hall immediately, heading for the Wu family in Shangfu. A mere Qi Refining Realm clan like theirs didn't even have the right to contact a Golden Core sect directly. If not for their connection to the Wu family, they would have no channel.

"Huaijin," Zhang Chongwen said, turning to him, "settle Zhang Renan's parents. That boy has no idea what's happening right now. For a six year old, his parents are his whole world." Zhang Huaijin nodded and left.

"Everyone else," Zhang Chongwen ordered, "be on high alert. Guard against any unexpected trouble." The sudden appearance of a Wind Spirit Root genius had thrown the Zhang family into a flurry of activity. Zhang Lixian remained silent. He knew that by sending the boy away, the greatest benefit would ultimately fall to him. But it would be a benefit bought at the cost of his own clan's future. The thought sat uneasily in his heart. In the main hall, the other cultivators had all left.

Only Zhang Lixian and Zhang Chongwen remained.

"Lixian," Zhang Chongwen said, each word piercing, "this is his fate. And it is ours. Don't let it weigh on you. Even if we could keep him, we would only be hurting him. Could we truly provide the resources he needs to cultivate?"

"Keeping Renan would harm the child and destroy the family," Zhang Chongwen continued. It pained him deeply, but it was the reality.

"Ultimately," Zhang Lixian finally spoke, "it's because our Zhang family is too weak."

"Exactly," Zhang Chongwen said, a profound sadness in his voice.

"In the cultivation world, weakness is the only unforgivable sin."