“…Why does the common name sound more like a scientific name?” Lu Yang muttered softly from behind.
“Because the first ancestor with a Pure Yang spiritual root called his own spiritual root a ‘single spiritual root’,” Yun Zhi, whose cultivation was unfathomably deep, heard Lu Yang’s soft muttering as if he were speaking right next to her ear, clear as day.
Yun Zhi paused, then added: “There’s a custom in the cultivation world to respect the single elders.”
It seemed that adding this sentence would strengthen her persuasiveness.
Meng Jingzhou naturally passed the first trial, and after him, it was Lu Yang’s turn.
“Huh?! Another single spiritual root?!” Dai Bufan’s pupils contracted slightly—just a moment ago he was complaining that after all the hustle not a single spiritual root had been encountered, and now two appeared in a row.
“Me, a single spiritual root?” Lu Yang pointed at himself, his heart thumping wildly, feeling as if he was hallucinating, his lips curling up unconsciously.
“Yes, you have a variant single spiritual root, a Sword spiritual root,” Dai Bufan confirmed with a nod, never having made a mistake in assessing one’s spiritual root.
Sword spiritual root, innately a sword species, incredibly sharp and unbeatable in offense!
Big Sister Yun Zhi looked at Lu Yang with a touch of surprise. She had agreed to ride in the carriage on a whim, not expecting that the two people in the carriage would be top cultivation geniuses.
Everyone became even more eager, starting to consider girls of suitable age to match with Lu Yang, wishing they could snatch Lu Yang away to marry into their backing forces.
Unlike Meng Jingzhou, who had the support of the Meng family, Lu Yang was clearly of mortal birth, with no one to back him up.
With excellent talent and no power behind his back, he was simply the best candidate for marrying into a family.
The key was that he was capable of marriage and having children!
Lu Yang felt that everyone was looking at him with strange eyes and hurriedly entered the second trial.
Behind Dai Bufan was a bamboo forest where the second trial would take place.
“How about you, what’s your spiritual root?” Meng Jingzhou quickly recovered from the shadow of the ‘single spiritual root’ and asked Lu Yang excitedly.
How did it matter if it was a single spiritual root? Along the path to immortality lie countless dry bones, and the love of a woman was nothing but a skeleton cloaked in beauty. Why would he need any beautiful fairy by his side? He didn’t need them!
On the other hand, although Lu Yang was able to pass the first trial, he was probably only at the level of having a double spiritual root like himself.
As a unique genius with a single spiritual root, he should care for mediocre talents.
“Sword spiritual root.”
“Your grandmother’s…”
“Huh?” Lu Yang was confused.
Half a day went by, and those lined up behind gradually entered the second trial, with Dai Bufan weeding out those whose qualifications didn’t measure up.
Listening to the discussions behind him, it seemed that a few more individuals with special constitutions had appeared, and before he could inquire about the specifics, Big Sister Yun Zhi appeared before everyone and casually stated, “We’ll start the second trial now,” before vanishing, leaving everyone baffled.
A dense fog began to rise, like smoke or waves, sweeping over like a giant net covering everything in the bamboo forest.
Everyone instinctively tried to struggle, but it was to no avail. They felt weak, and their consciousness began to sink.
This was the Illusory Bamboo Forest, part of the protective sect formation, which was not something these people could withstand.
Yun Zhi casually drew a circle, dispersing the mist, and made a space for the Questioning Dao Sect disciples to stand behind her.
Dai Bufan chuckled, “Falling into the Illusory Bamboo Forest will make them forget their identities, forget the test, and forget everything to reveal their truest responses. It’s just that we don’t know how many will pass the second trial this time.”
“Hopefully, more pass. There are several good seedlings in this batch, and it would be a pity if they fell here.”
Yun Zhi had not expelled Meng Jingzhou and Lu Yang from the trials because the test paper Meng Jingzhou received was not from this year but from twenty years ago.
“I wonder which elder sold it.”
“Dai Junior Brother, who do you think will pass the second trial?”
“Of course, that ancient barbarian. The ancient barbarians are famously simple-hearted, and their nature is undoubtedly pure.”
“I think the single spiritual root and Sword spiritual root are also good. At a glance, they both seem to be honest people.”
Yun Zhi thought of the scene where Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were discussing how to cheat in the carriage. She felt that neither of them seemed to have any connection with being honest people.
…
“Where am I?” The ancient barbarian named Man Gu, puzzledly surveyed his surroundings, having forgotten what had just occurred.
He held a worn axe, standing by a river which glimmered beautifully in the light.
Man Gu’s hand slipped, the worn axe falling into the river. Just as he was about to retrieve it, he saw the river bubble and churn, bubbles bursting more and more, culminating in a geyser, from which emerged a celestial being surrounded by an aura of immortality, floating before him with three different axes.
“Young man, I am the spirit of the river. Was this worn axe the one you just dropped, or was it this spiritual treasure, the Mountain Splitting Axe, or perhaps this divine weapon, the Sky Cleaving Axe?”
The Mountain Splitting Axe and Sky Cleaving Axe were two famous axes in the Central Continent. Even someone without any talent could soar to the skies and become a prominent figure if they obtained either of these axes.
Man Gu blurted out, “It was the worn axe.”
The river spirit smiled faintly, “Such an honest young man, then all three axes are yours.”
Man Gu passed the second trial.
“You see, I told you Man Gu would surely pass the second trial. Let’s see how the single spiritual root and Sword spiritual root choose.”
The second trial tested honesty. The criteria for passing were to obtain all three axes.
The river spirit was not an illusion; he was born from the river surrounding the bamboo forest, a naturally occurring spiritual being.
He took on countless forms, entered the illusion, and tested everyone.
The river spirit favored honest people. The only way to pass the second trial was to honestly answer the river spirit’s questions, earning all three axes as a gift.
…
“Huh? How did the axe fall into the river?” Lu Yang found it strange, feeling like some inexplicable force compelled him to drop the axe.
The river spirit reappeared and kindly asked Lu Yang, “Young man, I am the spirit of the river, could you tell me which axe…”
Lu Yang squatted down, his gaze sweeping over the three different axes, then looked up at the river spirit as if he were looking at an idiot, his eyes filled with pity, “Two of these axes are yours; don’t you know which two they are that you’re asking me?”
The river spirit’s smile froze, unsure of what to say but then went along with Lu Yang’s remark, “Indeed, I’m not sure which two axes are mine.”
Lu Yang eyed the river spirit warily, “If I pick an axe, you better not suddenly remember which two are yours.”
“Absolutely not,” the river spirit promised earnestly.
“Let me see all three axes.”
The river spirit handed all three axes to Lu Yang.
Lu Yang immediately threw all the axes back into the river, “Now, ask me that question again?”
The river spirit reflexively asked, “Did you drop the worn axe, or was it the Mountain Splitting Axe, or perhaps the Sky Cleaving Axe?”
Lu Yang’s face formed a smile, “I dropped them all.”
River spirit: “…”
Gritting his teeth, the river spirit said, “You truly are an honest young man; then all three axes are yours.”
