Chapter 18: The Sect Selection Begins

The group halted instantly, their gazes all converging on Song Zhiyou.

The Young Master did the same. He glanced sidelong at Song Zhiyou, his tone cocky: “How did you know?”

Song Zhiyou pointed at the fluorescent green on the attendants’ black robes.

“It’s written right there.”

From the attendant on the right to the one on the left, they formed a line: “Seeking the Number One Wooden Token of the Xunzong Sect Grand Selection. Those who provide clues or exchange tokens will be generously rewarded!”

Li Xiaoye suddenly perked up: “You know who has the token?”

“Provide clues, and there’s a reward?”

“That’s right! A hundred spirit stones for a clue, and three hundred if you take me to that person!”

Song Zhiyou was curious: “Then what? Do you want to exchange tokens with her? What if she doesn’t agree?”

Li Xiaoye said confidently: “Impossible. This young master has plenty of spirit stones.”

Song Zhiyou understood. ‘He’s a gullible fool.’ She held out her hand.

Li Xiaoye was puzzled: “What are you doing?”

“Give me the spirit stones—three hundred—and I’ll take you to meet her.”

Li Xiaoye was skeptical: “You really know?”

“Of course.”

“Fine,” Li Xiaoye waved his hand, and the attendant beside him immediately handed three hundred spirit stones to Song Zhiyou.

Nearby, Song Qingyao watched Song Zhiyou’s actions, her mouth hanging open in shock. ‘Song Xiaoliu… what kind of ridiculous luck is this?’ Now she reasonably suspected that Song Zhiyou’s previous spirit stones had been obtained the same way…

Song Zhiyou accepted the spirit stones without getting up. Instead, under Li Xiaoye’s suspicious gaze, she cheerfully pulled out a wooden token. On it was written a large ‘One.’

Li Xiaoye’s eyes widened, and he looked at Song Zhiyou in disbelief. “You… you are the owner of this token?”

Song Zhiyou nodded.

“Then why did you still take my three hundred spirit stones?” Li Xiaoye protested.

“Didn’t I lead you to the token’s owner?”

Li Xiaoye: “…” That seemed correct, after all.

Just as Li Xiaoye was about to think further, Song Zhiyou spoke again. “What price are you willing to offer to exchange for the Number One token?”

Li Xiaoye instantly cast aside his previous thoughts but remained cautious: “One thousand spirit stones?”

Song Zhiyou held up two fingers. “Two thousand.”

“Deal!” Li Xiaoye sighed in great relief. “Take the storage pouch too!” He waved grandly and directly stuffed the storage pouch containing two thousand spirit stones into Song Zhiyou’s hand, then took the Number One token.

The Young Master was in a good mood and cheerfully led his attendants upstairs.

Song Zhiyou looked down and saw that the token’s number was six. ‘If he cared so much about Number One, he must have rushed to participate as soon as he got the news. But he wasn’t faster than me, who received the news early. Still, besides me and Song Qingyao, there are eight others who got the news early. Who are they?’

The storage pouch Li Xiaoye gave was even the type that sold for two thousand five hundred in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion and could hold six thousand spirit stones.

Song Zhiyou changed her opinion of Li Xiaoye. ‘He’s not a fool; he’s a philanthropist!’

After eating and drinking their fill and having a good sleep, the two went early the next day to the Fengling Dojo. The Fengling Dojo was abuzz with noise. Song Zhiyou looked out and saw countless little ‘radish heads’ about her height chattering away on the dojo, creating a clamorous scene. Until a dignified voice rang out: “Silence!” In an instant, the pressure of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator spread, and the entire dojo fell silent.

After an Elder Wei of the Xuantian Sect announced the rules, the sect selection officially began. The entire dojo was divided into two parts, with the testing area for ages ten to twelve on the right.

But for some reason, Song Zhiyou felt that several little ‘radish heads’ dressed in uniform moon-white robes were staring at her with a gloomy gaze. Their eyes carried a lot of resentment, as if she owed them hundreds of spirit stones. And among them, one gaze was particularly intense.

Song Zhiyou couldn’t help but look again, confirming it wasn’t her imagination. ‘I… I don’t seem to have had any contact with these little radish heads, do I?’

On the stage, there were several stone steles that could test bone age, cultivation, and spirit root. According to the token order, Li Xiaoye was the first to step forward. The moment his hand pressed onto the testing stele, a green pillar of light representing a Wood spirit root soared upward, reaching the top of the stele and even slightly overflowing.

“Li Xiaoye, age ten, Qi Refining tenth layer, superior-grade Wood spirit root, pass!” As the recording elder’s voice sounded, the audience erupted in commotion. Among mortals and descendants of low-level cultivators, those with spirit roots were already one in a hundred. And among those, the probability of a single spirit root was less than one percent. Among single spirit roots, lower and middle grades accounted for the vast majority; superior-grade spirit roots were one in ten thousand. Not to mention among these cultivators over ten who had already been screened once.

Lin Yue, however, paid no attention to this. Standing in the crowd, the moment Li Xiaoye went on stage, a stone suddenly fell from his heart. He knew that girl whose cultivation was inferior to his couldn’t have arrived before him. He wasn’t wrong.

Just then, the announcer’s voice sounded from the stage, and a familiar figure stepped up onto the platform step by step. Lin Yue was completely stunned. He recognized Song Qingyao. ‘Song Qingyao’s token is number two, so the two of them really did arrive earlier than me. But for some reason, Song Zhiyou’s token ended up in Li Xiaoye’s hands.’

‘No… it’s because the clan disciples traveled and rested frequently, which slowed them down. Besides, this doesn’t prove anything; their cultivations are still lower than mine.’ Thinking this, Lin Yue took a deep breath and looked back at the stage. He saw Song Qingyao press her palm onto the stele, and a blue pillar of light representing a Water spirit root steadily rose, stopping at the middle position. It was a middle-grade Water spirit root.

Lin Yue also heard the elder’s voice: “Song Qingyao, age eleven, Qi Refining sixth layer, middle-grade Water spirit root, pass!” Hearing the word ‘pass,’ Song Qingyao happily descended the stage. However, the elder in charge of testing looked at the stele where the Water spirit root had not yet faded, his brow slightly furrowed. He wondered if it was his imagination. When the Water spirit root had lit up, the entire stele seemed to be tainted with a chill. But when he looked again closely, the chill seemed to have never existed. The Water spirit root faded, the stele dimmed, and the next disciple stepped forward. The elder collected his thoughts: “Lin Yue, age ten, Qi Refining seventh layer, superior-grade Gold and Fire spirit roots, pass!”

Three in a row—either rare single spirit roots or superior-grade spirit roots—the entire field was electrified. Even the various sect members were somewhat surprised. In the cultivation world, children usually began cultivation at age eight, and those with talent were chosen by sects at that time, hardly waiting until after ten. If not for the fact that this selection had been advanced and the age limit relaxed, none of this would have happened. But who could have imagined that under these circumstances, such good seedlings would appear?

However, the next two candidates only barely reached the Qi Refining fifth layer and were not outstanding in spirit roots, so the crowd gradually calmed down. It seemed those few geniuses who slipped through had all clustered together, and none would follow.

Next was Song Zhiyou.

Song Zhiyou pressed her hand onto the stele and infused spiritual power. In an instant, the cyan light representing a Wood spirit root condensed like emerald, shooting up into the sky, illuminating half the heavens!

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Reincarnated Young Lady Is Trying Her Best to Tame the Villain Today Too

cultivationFemale ProtagonistGender Transformation

Read Now →
Not interested