After a good night's sleep, dawn broke.
Xue Mingzhao pushed open her door and walked out of the small courtyard. Looking up, she saw her master, Su Mingyuan, standing on a giant boulder atop the distant cliff.
She jogged over, her footsteps pattering, and sidled up to him. “Master, aren't you supposed to be in secluded meditation to heal your injuries? Why are you sitting out here in the wind so early in the morning? Your injuries haven't healed yet.”
Su Mingyuan turned to look at his young disciple, his tone still carrying a trace of lingering shock. “It is all thanks to that ancestral pill of yours. I originally thought it would take at least half a month of secluded meditation just to stabilize my injuries. I never expected that... overnight, all my old and new injuries would be completely healed. Even my meridians, which have been blocked for over a decade, are mostly cleared.”
Hearing this, Xue Mingzhao clicked her tongue in secret.
The effects of her blood were actually this heaven-defying, easily rivaling any miraculous elixir.
Su Mingyuan was clearly in a great mood. He patted her shoulder, his voice filled with anticipation. “Come, let us head to the Testing Platform. Master will test your spiritual roots.”
Xue Mingzhao followed behind her master toward the Testing Platform. Though she kept a straight face, fireworks were already going off in her heart.
A supreme spiritual root! It has to be a supreme spiritual root!
At the very least, it should be a high-grade spiritual root, right?
After all, she had transmigrated into a book. It wouldn't make sense if she wasn't given a decent spiritual root.
Upon arriving at the Testing Platform, she slapped her hand onto the testing stone, staring at it with high expectations as she waited for it to light up.
A few breaths passed.
The stone remained completely quiet, without even a speck of light appearing.
She tapped it a few more times, but it still didn't light up.
The smile on Xue Mingzhao's face began to freeze.
???
No way! Heavens, are you playing with me?!
To the side, Wen Shuxian looked away, unable to bear the sight. Su Mingyuan remained silent for a long moment before speaking softly, “Mingzhao, you do not have a spiritual root.”
Xue Mingzhao: “...Master, could you say that again?”
“You do not have a spiritual root.”
“The wind is too strong, I didn't hear you clearly.”
Refusing to give up, Xue Mingzhao slapped the stone a few more times.
Su Mingyuan sighed, reaching out to ruffle her hair. “Stop hitting it. Even if you break it, you still won't have one.”
The anxiety that had been hanging in her heart finally died.
She had transmigrated into a cultivation world, possessing a body immune to all poisons and a Heavenly Eye that could see through anyone's cultivation level.
Yet, she didn't even have a spiritual root!
Heavens, did you have too much to drink when you wrote this script?
Seeing this, Wen Shuxian quickly spoke up to comfort her, though his mouth ran faster than his brain could filter. “It's fine, it's fine. It doesn't matter if you can't cultivate. Just have your master refine more longevity pills for you. Living a few hundred years is still a win! It's just that... you won't be able to retain your youthful looks, so you might look a bit ugly when you get old—”
Before he could finish, Su Mingyuan kicked him flying.
Su Mingyuan retracted his leg and turned to look at Xue Mingzhao, his tone gentle yet solemn. “Do not listen to your Martial Uncle's nonsense. Even without a spiritual root, Master will protect you and ensure you live a peaceful and stable life.
“The path of cultivation is incredibly treacherous to begin with, and throughout history, very few cultivators have ever ascended. To be able to live out a peaceful and joyful life is also a form of fulfillment.”
Xue Mingzhao stood silently with her back to him, not making a sound for a long while.
Looking at her slender back, Su Mingyuan's heart clenched.
Oh no, the child must be secretly crying.
Indeed, anyone would find it hard to bear if they excitedly came to test their spiritual roots, only to find out they were a waste body with no spiritual roots.
He racked his brain for more comforting words, only to see Xue Mingzhao slowly turn around.
A bright, cheerful smile was plastered on her face, and her eyes weren't even red.
“I'm fine, Master. It doesn't matter if I can't cultivate. With you and Senior Brother protecting me, I'll be living the good life. I'll be more comfortable than anyone else.”
Su Mingyuan froze, feeling even more heartbroken.
This child is so sensible it hurts.
Still refusing to give up, he personally extended his spiritual energy into Xue Mingzhao's dantian to inspect it closely.
What if there was a glitch with the testing stone?
But when his spiritual energy entered, it found only a vast emptiness. There wasn't even the slightest foundation of spiritual energy.
She was indeed a waste body with no spiritual roots; there was no mistake about it.
While the atmosphere was heavy and depressing, a set of light footsteps suddenly echoed from the distance.
Having slept his fill, Su Ye quickly walked over and asked in a clear voice, “Master, Junior Sister, is the spiritual root test finished?”
Su Mingyuan suppressed the regret in his heart and seized the opportunity to change the subject. With a warm expression, he said, “You've arrived at just the right time. Come forward and test your spiritual roots as well.”
Su Ye obediently stepped forward, placing his palm firmly on the testing stone.
The testing stone immediately lit up with two beams of light, one gold and one red.
Su Mingyuan was slightly taken aback, feeling quite surprised.
He had not expected that Su Ye, despite his astonishing cultivation speed, only possessed a mid-grade spiritual root aptitude.
Ordinarily, a cultivator with a mid-grade spiritual root would be considered at their limit if they could barely break through to Foundation Establishment at his age. They certainly wouldn't have reached the third level of Foundation Establishment.
His expression softened slightly. He turned, wanting to say something to ease the mood for Xue Mingzhao, only to see that she wasn't dejected at all. Instead, she had leaned in close to Su Ye, standing on her tiptoes to peer at the two beams of light on the testing stone while mumbling, “As expected, gold and fire spiritual roots...”
Su Mingyuan couldn't hear what she was muttering, but seeing her so full of energy, he felt a bit more at ease.
After the test, he led them toward the sect library, intending to pick out a few suitable cultivation methods for Su Ye while also letting Xue Mingzhao browse some books to distract herself.
Once they arrived at the library, he settled Xue Mingzhao on the first floor and instructed her warmly, “Feel free to browse around. This floor has more than just cultivation methods; there are also miscellaneous records, anecdotes, travelogues, and spirit beast manuals. Read whatever you like. I will take your Senior Brother upstairs to pick a few cultivation methods and be right back down.”
With that, he took Su Ye up to the second floor.
The moment her master and senior brother disappeared around the corner of the stairs, the obedient smile on Xue Mingzhao's face vanished instantly, and she dove headfirst into the bookshelves.
Miscellaneous records? Anecdotes? Spirit beast manuals? She could look at those later.
Right now, she had a very clear goal—drawing Qi into the body!
So what if she didn't have a spiritual root? What if the books contained some unconventional paths, folk remedies, or ancient secret methods?
It wasn't like she hadn't experienced starting with a crippled hand before. Resigning herself to fate without even looking would be a real loss.
Most importantly, she had the Heavenly Eye!
She could see spiritual energy, distinguish the attributes of spiritual roots, and see right through a dantian.
On anyone else, wouldn't this pair of eyes be the ultimate setup for a chosen one?
Yet, in the end, she didn't even have the lowest-grade waste spiritual root?
Did that make any sense?
It made no sense at all.
No matter how much the heavens liked to play jokes, they wouldn't give her the key only to turn around and say the door didn't exist.
What a load of nonsense!
Just as she was standing on her tiptoes to reach a dusty ancient tome on the very top shelf, a slow, unhurried voice suddenly came from behind her.
“Do not waste your effort. You were born without a spiritual root. Even if you flip through books on drawing Qi into the body until they fall apart, it will be useless.”
Xue Mingzhao turned around. Elder Chen, also known as Chen Huaizhi, who was on duty at the library, was leaning back in his chair, holding a teacup without even lifting his eyelids.
Xue Mingzhao clicked her tongue inwardly.
This news had spread way too fast. It hadn't even been half an incense stick's time since her lack of a spiritual root was confirmed, yet even the library elder already knew.
The sect might have few people, but news sure traveled fast.
And she didn't even have to guess who had spread it.
There were only three people present at the time. Her master wouldn't go around talking about it, she hadn't said anything herself, so anyone could figure out who the remaining person was with their toes.
Good one, Martial Uncle Wen. You big loudspeaker!
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