The flying boat arrived at Tianshu City on the morning of the fourth day.
When Bai Qingxue walked down the gangway, the sky had just brightened, and the morning mist had not yet fully dissipated.
In the distance, the silhouette of Tianshu City loomed in the fog. Three hundred li north of the city, the mountain gate of the Xuantian Sect was hidden within the clouds, equally obscured.
Song Yun and Zhao Ping guarded her on either side.
“Miss, shall we find an inn to settle down first?” Song Yun asked.
Bai Qingxue nodded. “Find a quiet one.”
The three of them walked toward the city. After a few steps, Ye Qingyao’s voice came from behind them.
“Sister Bai.”
Bai Qingxue’s footsteps paused slightly as she turned her head to look.
Ye Qingyao stood on the gangway, the morning light falling upon her. The hem of her pale green dress fluttered slightly in the wind. She didn't say much, only giving a slight nod. “Bon voyage.”
Bai Qingxue returned the nod and turned to leave.
...
Most of the pedestrians in Tianshu City were cultivators, their auras varying in strength.
Bai Qingxue and her guards found a secluded inn and stayed there, renting an independent small courtyard to remain quiet and undisturbed.
The entrance selection would begin in five days.
During these few days, Bai Qingxue barely stepped outside. Every day, she cultivated the 《Cold Jade Art》 in her room, adjusting her condition to its peak.
She knew in her heart that she didn't need to worry about the Spiritual Altar stage. With her Ice Spirit Physique and Heavenly Spiritual Root foundation, there were few like her in the entire Eastern Region.
However, there were two more stages afterward, so she couldn't afford to be careless.
Song Yun went out every day to gather information and returned to report to her.
“Miss, there are over four hundred people participating in the selection this year, but only sixty will be taken in the end.”
“All seven peaks will send representatives. I heard that Elder Liu Ningshuang is coming from Xueji Peak. She is at the late Golden Core stage and holds considerable weight within the sect.”
“There is one more thing,” Song Yun lowered her voice. “The Chief Disciple of Chixia Peak, Su Zhaoyan, has also come. It’s said she’s here to observe the ceremony, but some say she wants to scout this year’s promising talents in advance.”
Bai Qingxue’s brow twitched slightly. “Su Zhaoyan?”
“Yes. She has a Fire Heavenly Spiritual Root and is at the ninth level of Qi Refining. She is one of the top experts among the younger generation of the Xuantian Sect.”
Bai Qingxue nodded and didn't ask further.
In the original novel, Su Zhaoyan and Ye Feng had some interactions and she was considered a semi-heroine, but that point in time was still two years away.
But that didn't matter. What mattered was that she had to enter Xueji Peak and obtain the 《Mystic Frost Heavenly Heart Art》.
Five days later, the Xuantian Sect entrance selection officially began.
The selection site was set at Qingyun Terrace outside the Xuantian Sect’s mountain gate. It was a massive stone platform leveled by formations, spanning a hundred zhang. The ground was paved with solid slabs of white jade, polished to a mirror-like shine.
In the very center of the stone platform stood a three-zhang-tall jade pillar, translucent and white. That was the Spiritual Altar specifically used for testing spiritual root aptitude.
Observation seats were set up around the jade pillar, where an elder or a core disciple from each of the seven peaks was present. Further out were the hundreds of young men and women who had come, arranged in order according to their number plates.
Bai Qingxue stood in the crowd, dressed in plain white with the Frost Condensation Sword hanging at her waist, her expression indifferent.
She had arrived early. After receiving her number plate, she found a corner to stand in and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing. Song Yun and Zhao Ping were left at the foot of the mountain, as guards were not allowed to enter the selection area.
“Did you hear? Several peak masters have come this year, more than in previous years.”
Bai Qingxue opened her eyes slightly, her gaze sweeping across the observation seats.
Several people who looked like elders sat there, most of them aged with deep, profound auras.
She recognized one of them, a female cultivator in white—Elder Liu Ningshuang of Xueji Peak. She appeared to be in her thirties, with a clear and elegant countenance and an aura as deep as an abyss.
The original novel didn't spend much ink on this person, only saying she was a mainstay of Xueji Peak, steady in her actions and disliked being ostentatious.
Bai Qingxue withdrew her gaze and continued to regulate her breathing with her eyes closed.
“Silence!”
An old and majestic voice rang out, and the field immediately fell silent.
The speaker was the outer sect elder of Xuantian Sect presiding over the selection, named Han. His hair and beard were grizzled, and his gaze was sharp.
He scanned the area and said in a deep voice, “The first stage of the Xuantian Sect entrance selection: spiritual root testing. Spiritual root quality is divided into nine grades; Grade 4 and above qualify. Participants shall step forward in order of their number plates, place both hands on either side of the Spiritual Altar, and infuse their spiritual power.”
As his voice fell, the queue began to move forward slowly.
Bai Qingxue’s number was thirty-seven, positioned toward the front.
She waited quietly, her gaze passing over the participants ahead of her.
The first to go up was a young man. He pressed his hands against the jade pillar, and after a moment, the pillar lit up with a faint yellow light. Earth spiritual root, Grade 6.
Elder Han shook his head expressionlessly, and the boy retreated dejectedly.
The second, the third... several in a row were Grade 5 or 6. Some barely crossed the line, while others were directly eliminated.
It wasn't until the seventeenth person, a young girl in green, stepped forward that the jade pillar suddenly erupted with a lush green light, rich and pure.
“Wood Heavenly Spiritual Root, Grade 2.” Elder Han’s voice finally showed a hint of emotion. “Pass.”
A wave of low whispers broke out in the field. A Heavenly Spiritual Root was a talent that any sect would scramble to claim.
Bai Qingxue glanced at the girl and then withdrew her gaze.
The queue continued to move. There were a few more with decent aptitude, but no more Heavenly Spiritual Roots appeared.
“Number thirty-seven.”
Bai Qingxue stepped forward.
Hundreds of gazes fell upon her—some curious, some scrutinizing, and some indifferent. Her expression remained unchanged as she walked to the Spiritual Altar and raised her hands to touch the jade pillar.
A cold sensation traveled from her palms. She circulated the 《Cold Jade Art》 and infused a wisp of spiritual power into it.
In an instant.
The jade pillar erupted with a blinding white light. The light was so intense it was as if someone had pressed a full moon into the stone pillar, causing the surrounding air to be tinged with a layer of chill.
The entire field fell silent.
Elder Han stood up abruptly.
On the observation seats, several peak masters who had been indifferent all sat up straight at the same time.
“Grade 1, Ice Heavenly Spiritual Root...”
The crowd erupted into an uproar.
“A Grade 1 Heavenly Spiritual Root? Isn't that a once-in-a-century occurrence?”
“An ice-attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root is even rarer than ordinary ones!”
“Who is this girl? She is truly beautiful.”
Bai Qingxue withdrew her hand and took a step back with a composed expression.
The light on the jade pillar slowly faded, but the chill lingered for a long time.
She lowered her head slightly, her fingertips tightening slightly inside her sleeve. When she infused her spiritual power just now, the backlash of her Ice Spirit Physique had been more intense than usual, causing her meridians to throb with pain.
However, she didn't show a hint of it on her face.
On the observation seats, Liu Ningshuang’s gaze fell upon Bai Qingxue. She looked a few more times and gave a slight nod, seemingly having noted the name in her heart.
Beside her, a gray-robed old man spoke with a chuckle, “An ice-attribute Grade 1 Heavenly Spiritual Root is indeed rare. Elder Liu, your Xueji Peak is about to gain another promising talent.”
Liu Ningshuang glanced at him indifferently. “This is only the first stage of the selection. What is the rush? There are still two stages left. Whether she can make it to the end depends on her own ability.”
The gray-robed old man met a soft rebuff and gave a sheepish smile, saying no more.
“Number thirty-seven, Bai Qingxue, pass.” Elder Han regained his composure and sat back down. “Next.”
Bai Qingxue turned to leave.
Behind her, a gaze followed her back.
It was Ye Qingyao.
She was number forty-one, not far behind Bai Qingxue.
When Bai Qingxue was being tested just now, she had seen it clearly. The light bursting from the jade pillar had made Bai Qingxue’s profile look almost translucent. Her features were as picturesque as an ice lotus atop a snowy mountain—cold, yet so beautiful that one couldn't look away.
Ye Qingyao stared blankly as that plain white figure walked away, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.
“Number forty-one.”
It was her turn.
Ye Qingyao took a deep breath, withdrew her gaze, and stepped forward.
She pressed both hands onto the jade pillar and infused her spiritual power. The pillar lit up with a light that was a mix of pale green and light blue. Although it wasn't as dazzling as Bai Qingxue’s, it was still quite bright and clear.
“Wind and Water Dual Spiritual Roots, Grade 3.” Elder Han nodded. “Pass.”
Ye Qingyao breathed a slight sigh of relief and also turned to leave.
Her gaze subconsciously searched for Bai Qingxue’s figure.
She found her. At that moment, Bai Qingxue was standing alone in the furthest corner of the passing area, with no one daring to approach her.
It wasn't that no one wanted to get close, but rather that her aura, which kept everyone at a distance, made people hesitate to strike up a conversation.
Ye Qingyao hesitated for a moment before walking toward her.
“Sister Bai.”
Ye Qingyao stood beside her, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.
The shock from Bai Qingxue’s test earlier had not yet dissipated. She suddenly felt a sense of inferiority standing beside this person...
“Congratulations, Sister Bai,” she finally spoke, her voice very soft.
Bai Qingxue glanced at her and gave a slight nod as a response before withdrawing her gaze.
Ye Qingyao bit her lip and didn't speak again, just standing quietly to the side.
She thought this person was probably just like this—cold and detached toward everyone.
Yet, she somehow felt that this was also very good.
When Bai Qingxue left the testing area, she brushed past Ye Qingyao without stopping her pace or turning her gaze in the slightest.
Ye Qingyao stood where she was, watching that plain white figure grow distant, a wave of indescribable emotion rising in her heart.
Was it admiration? Yes. Such talent and such composure were indeed things to look up to.
But besides that, there seemed to be a tiny bit of... disappointment.
She lowered her head, her fingers twisting her sleeve, her thoughts unknown.
Bai Qingxue walked out of the testing area and headed down the white jade steps.
The result of the Spiritual Altar was within her expectations. With her Ice Spirit Physique and Heavenly Spiritual Root, Grade 1 was a certainty.
But she also knew that spiritual roots were only the starting point. In the original novel, Ye Feng had mediocre spiritual root aptitude but still managed to reach the top through a series of fortuitous encounters.
As she was thinking, she suddenly felt a gaze directed at her from the observation seats.
Bai Qingxue paused and looked up.
On the observation seats, a girl in red had appeared at some point. She was currently leaning back with her arms crossed, looking down at her scrutinizingly.
The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with an exceptionally striking appearance and a heroic air between her brows. Her ink-black hair was tied up high with a crimson ribbon.
Her fiery red dress was particularly eye-catching amidst the surrounding plain-colored robes.
This person was not among those seated on the observation seats earlier; she had arrived later.
Their gazes met across the distance.
The corners of the red-dressed girl’s mouth curled up slightly. She didn't look away or speak, just watched her like that.
Bai Qingxue’s expression remained unchanged. She withdrew her gaze and continued walking down.
The red-dressed girl watched that plain white figure disappear at the end of the stone steps.
A Xuantian Sect disciple leaned in from the side and asked in a low voice, “Senior Sister Su, are you interested in that girl?”
Su Zhaoyan didn't answer, simply uncrossing her arms.
“Let’s see first.”
Bai Qingxue walked out of Qingyun Terrace, the mountain wind blowing against her face and making her sleeves flutter loudly.
She stood at the end of the stone steps, looking at the continuous mountain ranges in the distance, quickly calculating the plot points of the original novel in her mind.
The Spiritual Altar was only the first stage; there were two more to go.
But with her spiritual root aptitude, her entrance was already a certainty. The key was how to enter Xueji Peak and how to obtain the 《Mystic Frost Heavenly Heart Art》.
“We’ll take it one step at a time.” Bai Qingxue withdrew her thoughts and headed down the mountain.
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