Chương 4: The Spirit Root Test

Hu Tieniu, the Outer Sect Deacon Elder of the Xuanxiao Sect, descended from the high platform with the measured gait of an old predator. His withered, calloused fingers clamped onto Reyn's wrist like a vice. A strand of temperate yet surging spiritual energy pierced Reyn's skin, snaking through his meridians with clinical precision, verifying every inch of his internal foundation. As he sensed the faint, flickering wisp of spiritual aura, Hu Tieniu's brow furrowed slightly.

Days of presiding over the Immortal Ascension Trial had left him physically and mentally drained. He spoke with a voice as dry as parchment: "Low-grade spirit root." He paused, adding a final verdict that seemed more like a dismissal than a congratulations: "Barely qualified. You just made the cut." The cacophony in the plaza died down, replaced by a heavy, suffocating silence. Thousands of gazes remained locked onto Reyn—a volatile mixture of shock, jealousy, and thinly veiled greed.

Deep within the crowd, several gazes were different; they were sharp, icy, and carried a lethal intent. Reyn's spine stiffened. He could feel three distinct, cold stares pinned to his back like poisoned daggers hidden in the dark. Hu Tieniu slowly released his grip. Seeing Reyn's tattered robes, his gaunt frame, and his wretched, solitary state, a rare flicker of pity stirred in the old man's heart. His stern expression softened ever so slightly.

"What is your name? Where do you hail from? Do you have any kin left?" Reyn's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. He knew with terrifying clarity that he was born a mortal with no spirit root. His survival today was entirely due to the mysterious jade pendant hidden against his chest, which had masked his true nature. He didn't dare relax. The Breath-Concealing Technique hummed deep within his meridians, working in tandem with the pendant to suppress his presence to the absolute limit.

"Lei... Lei Niuniu," Reyn stammered, pitching his voice to sound desperate.

"From Blackwater River Village. My parents are dead. I have no one."

"Lei Niuniu?" Hu Tieniu's brow twitched at the vulgar, common name, but he quickly dismissed it.

"No matter. If you successfully enter the Xuanxiao Sect, you may choose a more refined Daoist title later. Follow me. You have passed the first round of the Spirit Root Test. Whether you can stay and take your first true step onto the path of cultivation depends on your own destiny from here on." He turned to lead Reyn off the stage, but a sharp voice cut through the air like a whip.

"Elder Hu!" The crowd parted like a tide as a youth in silken robes sauntered forward. A jade crown bound his hair, and a gold-inlaid saber hung at his waist. Behind him followed four black-clad guards, each carrying the signature Tiger-Head broadsword of the Lei Clan. Reyn's pupils contracted into pinpricks. Lei Tianqi. The only son of Lei Wanjun. Those narrow, predatory eyes—identical to his father's—were currently raking over Reyn with the amusement of a hunter watching a trapped rabbit.

"Lei Tianqi of the Lei Clan," the youth said, clasping his hands in a respectful gesture that didn't reach his eyes.

"Greetings, Elder Hu. My father, Clan Leader Lei Wanjun, shares a long-standing friendship with your sect's Outer Sect Elder Zhou. It is an honor to meet you today." The smile on Hu Tieniu's face faded. The Lei Clan was a prominent power in the North; while not a top-tier cultivation clan, they had deep roots with the Xuanxiao Sect. He didn't want to offend them, but he also had no intention of breaking sect rules in front of thousands.

"Young Master Lei is too kind. The rules of the Immortal Ascension Trial are absolute. Even scions of great clans must be treated equally. Since you have a spirit root, go and line up for testing. If there is nothing else..."

"Elder Hu misunderstands," Lei Tianqi interrupted with a smile that felt like a snake's tongue licking skin. His eyes remained locked on Reyn.

"I am not seeking favoritism. It's just that this... Lei Niuniu brother looks remarkably familiar. He bears a striking resemblance to a distant relative my father has been searching for. I would be so bold as to ask this brother to wipe the filth from his face so I might identify him." The air in the plaza turned to ice. Reyn's right hand, hanging at his side, clenched into a fist. His nails dug into the old scars on his palm, the sharp sting keeping his mind focused.

He kept his head low, his voice raspy and cowardly.

"This lowly one... is ugly. I fear I would offend the Young Master's eyes..."

"I don't mind," Lei Tianqi said, taking a predatory step forward. The four black-clad guards shifted simultaneously, sealing Reyn's paths of retreat. His finger reached out toward Reyn's cheek, stopping barely three inches away—"Enough." A cold, clear voice descended from the heavens, sounding like ice shattering on a jade plate. Everyone looked up to see a streak of azure light piercing the clouds, landing squarely on the high platform.

As the light dissipated, a middle-aged woman in profound-black Daoist robes appeared. Her face was serene, marked only by a cinnabar mole between her brows. Her aura was as vast as the ocean—a Golden Core Middle Stage powerhouse.

"Greetings, True Person Qingluan!" Hu Tieniu and the other deacons bowed instantly, while the outer sect disciples knelt in unison. True Person Qingluan, the third disciple of the Sect Master and the Grand Overseer of this trial. Her gaze swept the plaza, lingering on Reyn for a heartbeat before settling on Lei Tianqi.

"This is the sacred ground of the trial. No brawling or disruptions will be tolerated. Disciple of the Lei Clan, withdraw." The voice wasn't loud, but it carried the crushing weight of a Golden Core cultivator's pressure. Lei Tianqi's face paled. He didn't dare defy her. He bowed low and backed away, but as he turned, his lips moved in a silent, telepathic transmission: Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Little bastard, do you really think a change of name will save you?" Reyn read the lip movements perfectly. He kept his head bowed, but a faint, razor-sharp curve touched the corner of his mouth. It wasn't a smile; it was the glint of a blade leaving its sheath. The Spirit Root Test dragged on until dusk. By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, ninety-nine percent of the thousands of applicants had been culled. Only twenty-seven remained standing on the right side of the platform.

Reyn stood in the front row. Beside him were three scions of great families: Ji Yueli, the primary daughter of the Ji family with a High-tier Wood Spirit Root; Sun Leng of the Sun family with a High-tier Water Spirit Root; and Lei Tianqi, who had barely secured a spot as a candidate for a Registered Disciple through a Fire-attribute Pseudo-Spirit Root and heavy political maneuvering.

"Tomorrow at the Hour of the Dragon, the Ascension Path shall open," True Person Qingluan announced, her voice echoing across the city.

"The path consists of three thousand steps. Every hundred steps, the pressure will double. Those who reach the summit within four hours will be recorded as Outer Sect Disciples. Those who do so within two hours will be Inner Sect Disciples. And those who reach the top within one hour..." She paused, her gaze sweeping over the twenty-seven survivors.

"... shall be taken directly under the Sect Master as True Inheritance Disciples." The crowd erupted. A True Inheritance Disciple meant the absolute peak of sect resources and personal guidance from a Nascent Soul old monster. It was the ultimate dream. Among the candidates, looks of envy, hostility, and ambition began to clash. Lei Tianqi stood at the back, fiddling with a jade pendant at his waist. The jade was carved with a blood-red eye that shimmered ominously in the twilight.

He whispered a few words into the pendant and then crushed it between his fingers. The jade dissolved into a wisp of green smoke, vanishing into the night wind. Reyn's pulse hammered against his temples. That scent of green smoke was identical to the icy, murderous gaze he had felt back on the frozen surface of the Blackwater River. That night, Reyn was assigned to a Grade A guest room in the Yunxiao City Relay Station.

The room was opulent, furnished with silk quilts woven by spirit silkworms and tables laden with spiritual fruits. Reyn touched nothing. He sat cross-legged on the bed, pushing his Breath-Concealing Technique to its limit while guiding the two strands of spiritual energy through his meridians according to the Qi Induction Manual. As the energy circulated, his meridians throbbed with a dull, aching pain. He gritted his teeth, refining his meager strength over and over again.

Finally, he stopped and pulled out the jade pendant his parents had left him. To any observer, it looked ordinary, but Reyn knew the truth. He had no spirit root; the pendant had tricked the testing orb. It was his only hope for revenge. Outside, the moonlight was like spilled silver. At the third watch, a faint sound came from the roof—the subtle click of a tile being stepped on, like a cat moving in the dark. Reyn's eyes snapped open. His hand darted under his pillow for his short blade.

But a second later, he let go and closed his eyes again. He suppressed his aura until his heartbeat slowed to once every ten breaths. His body temperature dropped to match the room. He became a stone—lifeless, flawless. The window creaked open, and a dark shadow slid inside. The intruder was clad in night-gear, a black mask revealing only cold, murderous eyes. He held a poisoned dagger that shimmered with a sickly blue venom. The assassin approached the bed and raised the blade high— Thwack!

The dagger plunged through the quilt and deep into the wooden bed frame. The assassin froze—the bed was empty.

"Looking for me?" The voice came from behind him, cold as the breath of a grave. The assassin spun around, but Reyn lunged with everything he had. He funneled every drop of his spiritual energy into his right fist and slammed it into the man's chest. There was a sickening crunch of ribs. The assassin was sent flying like a broken kite, smashing through the window and landing on the stone courtyard below. He convulsed twice and went still.

Reyn stepped out of the shadows, walked to the corpse, and ripped away the mask. The face was unfamiliar, but the thick calluses on the webbing of the thumb and the scar on the left index finger were the unmistakable marks of a Lei Clan Execution Hall enforcer.

"The first one," Reyn whispered. He looked toward the north. In the night sky, a blood-red streak of light flickered behind the clouds like a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head. Lei Wanjun had arrived. And the Ascension Path would be nothing less than a meticulously prepared death trap. At the Hour of the Dragon the next morning, they stood at the base of the Ascension Path. Three thousand stone steps wound up the mountain into the clouds, each etched with glowing golden runes.

"The Ascension Path is open!" At the command, the twenty-seven candidates charged. Reyn stayed at the back. He didn't rush; instead, he used the Qi Induction Manual to distribute his energy evenly through his limbs. The first ten steps felt like a light breeze. By the fiftieth, it was like carrying a ten-pound weight. At the hundredth, the pressure tripled, feeling like an invisible mountain pressing on his shoulders.

"Agh!" A scream erupted ahead. A youth was blown off the eightieth step by the sheer pressure, tumbling down with broken bones. Reyn moved steadily. One hundred steps. Two hundred. Three hundred. His pace was slow but unbreakable. His dual spiritual energies neutralized the weight, and the constant pressure was actually tempering his meridians, making them tougher. Ahead, Lei Tianqi's figure was visible.

The pseudo-root scion was using a jade charm hovering over his head to ward off the pressure, maintaining a decent speed. But at the three hundred and fiftieth step, the charm cracked with a sharp snap. Lei Tianqi's face twisted. The pressure slammed into him like a tidal wave, pinning him to the stone. His knees hit the ground with a bloody thud. He snarled, pulling out a second charm, and glanced back with a venomous look—straight into Reyn's eyes.

"Little bastard,"he transmitted, his voice like a viper's hiss.

"You think you can reach the top? This path will be your grave." Reyn didn't answer. He overtook Lei Tianqi. Four hundred steps. Five hundred. Six hundred. The pressure was now a physical weight that made the stone steps tremble. Blood leaked from the corners of Reyn's mouth, and his ears rang, but he didn't stop. At the thousandth step, the gravity exploded threefold. Reyn dropped to one knee, his joint screaming in protest. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

The crimson droplets hit the runes on the steps and were instantly absorbed, causing a faint golden glow to pulse.

"Interesting," True Person Qingluan murmured from high above.

"Using blood to resonate with the array... this boy has an exceptional will." Reyn didn't hear her. He pushed himself up and kept climbing. Eleven hundred. Twelve hundred. Suddenly, a scream echoed from above. A boy in black was shoved sideways by a blurring figure, sent hurtling off the path. The culprit—Lei Tianqi—pulled back his hand, a cruel smirk on his face.

"My apologies," Lei Tianqi called out to the deacons below, his voice dripping with fake sincerity.

"My foot slipped." Reyn's eyes turned murderous. He had seen it clearly—the glint of blue venom on Lei Tianqi's sleeve as he struck.

"You're next." Lei Tianqi mouthed the words to Reyn before turning back to the climb. Reyn clenched his fists, blood dripping from his palms. He suppressed his rage, forging it into a cold, singular intent to kill.

"The Ascension Path..." Reyn looked toward the summit hidden in the mist.

"... will be your road to the Yellow Springs."