Ten Thousand Years in Seclusion
Chapter 25:Spirit-Assessment Stele Just Happened to Break?

Chapter 25: Chapter 25:Spirit-Assessment Stele Just Happened to Break?

The burly elder lifted his chin toward the youth in fine robes and said in a deep, resonant voice, "You. Go first."

Hearing this, the youth unhurriedly straightened his collar and stepped forward with his head held high. When he reached the Spirit-Assessment Stele, he raised the hand bearing a white-jade thumb ring and pressed his palm firmly against the cold surface.

Light swirled within the spirit orb. Blue, red, and white radiance lit up in succession, intertwining into a rather brilliant glow. It was not particularly pure, but it was still impressive.

"Three-Element Spiritual Root. True Spiritual Root."

The disciple made a mark in the register.

The burly elder nodded, his voice booming like a great bell. "You may enter the inner sect and skip the next test."

He then waved a hand toward a disciple beside him. "Take him to the Heart-Questioning Stone for testing."

The disciple acknowledged the order and led the youth toward the left side of the mountain gate.

As he walked, the youth’s lips curled into a faint smile. The pride he could no longer conceal was already showing in his eyes and brows.

The burly elder’s sharp gaze fell on the boy in coarse hemp clothes. He pointed at him with his broad, fan-like hand.

"You. Come up and test."

The country boy took two steps forward, then stopped. He wiped the sweat from his palms hard against the hem of his clothes. He looked up at the towering Spirit-Assessment Stele, took a deep breath, straightened his back, and pressed his palm against its surface.

The stele trembled slightly.

A dazzling emerald light suddenly burst from within the spirit orb—pure and crystal-clear, like ten thousand miles of clear sky condensed into a single ray, yet also like the first stir of life in early spring breaking through frozen earth. There was not a trace of impurity, and its brilliance was so intense that no one could look directly at it.

"Heaven... Heaven Spiritual Root!"

The disciple responsible for recording the results suddenly shot to his feet. The booklet slipped from his hand and hit the ground, and his voice cracked.

The entire plaza fell deathly silent.

Then it exploded.

"Heaven Spiritual Root! It’s actually a Heaven Spiritual Root!"

"This is the first time I’ve ever seen a Heaven Spiritual Root with my own eyes!"

No wonder everyone was so shocked. A Heaven Spiritual Root was the pinnacle of spiritual aptitude. Even the Seven Great Sects of the Sacred Domain would compete to take one as a disciple.

Qi Tian, however, remained completely unmoved.

A Heaven Spiritual Root?

Of his five junior brothers and sisters, which one wasn’t a Heaven Spiritual Root?

Oh, no. His youngest junior sister was even rarer—a Variant Spiritual Root, something even rarer than a Heaven Spiritual Root.

Back then, he had even wondered about it himself. Every time his master went out, how was it that he always seemed to come back with a Heaven Spiritual Root, as casually as if he had simply picked up some firewood along the way?

And he couldn’t help thinking—perhaps his master had taken in those Heaven Spiritual Root disciples precisely to answer those few "what ifs" he had asked when he first became his disciple.

The technique his master had passed down to him was the Five-Element Cycle Art, an Earth-grade cultivation technique created specifically for those with Five-Element Spiritual Roots. It drew upon the principle of the Five Elements generating one another, allowing the mixed and cumbersome spiritual roots within his body to circulate endlessly like a wheel, transforming their sluggishness into harmony.

He had indeed been diligent, cultivating day and night without rest. In the beginning, his cultivation speed really wasn’t much slower than that of his Heaven Spiritual Root junior brothers and sister.

But when it came to that final threshold—

Damn it. He was the last one in the entire sect to reach Foundation Establishment.

Back then, he had complained to his master in frustration, "I told you long ago! No matter what, a Five-Element Spiritual Root can’t compare to a Heaven Spiritual Root. Look at me. I was the last one."

His master had replied flatly, "Then that proves your comprehension isn’t good enough. Go cultivate!"

And once again, he had been kicked straight out the door.

——

"How many years has it been... The Falling Cloud Sect has finally produced another Heaven Spiritual Root!"

The burly elder’s voice trembled with excitement. Beside him, the lean elder’s eyes also lit up, his delight impossible to hide.

He suddenly slapped his thigh.

"I’ll take him as my personal disciple!"

Before the words had even faded, he strode hurriedly toward the boy.

"Senior Brother Wei, wait!"

The lean elder’s figure flashed like a drifting dead leaf, and he appeared in front of the Elder Wei, blocking his way.

"Senior Brother Wei, your cultivation is centered on Metal and Fire techniques, both fierce and aggressive. Metal overcomes Wood, and Fire burns Wood. Taking a Wood-attribute Heaven Spiritual Root as your disciple won’t just make it difficult for you to teach him—it may even delay his cultivation! This won’t do. I am clearly the more suitable one to take him."

Elder Wei flew into a rage.

"You specialize in Water, so you think you can take him?!"

The lean elder slipped the green jade ruyi into his waistband and said coldly,

"Water generates Wood. It nourishes it naturally and goes with its inherent nature. I am the one who truly understands how to follow the natural order!"

"Bullshit!"

Elder Wei roared. "If you want to take him as your disciple, you’ll have to ask my fists first!"

Before the words were even finished, his fist, as large as a cooking pot, came crashing toward the lean elder’s face, wrapped in blazing crimson flames!

The force of the punch sent the air exploding with a sharp boom. Waves of heat surged outward, and the disciples and cultivators taking the test nearby cried out and hurriedly backed away, even the hair on their heads curling from the scorching heat.

No one had expected that they had come merely to take part in a sect recruitment test, only to witness two mid-stage Foundation Establishment elders actually come to blows over a single disciple.

Nearly a thousand people in the square held their breath, staring intently at the scene before them. For a moment, it seemed they had even forgotten how to breathe.

Qi Tian, however, paid no attention to the two elders. His gaze swept across the surroundings.

Suddenly, his eyes settled on a figure just inside the mountain gate.

It was a female disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect. She had delicate features, and the Falling Cloud Sect robe she wore accentuated her graceful figure. Her brows were tightly furrowed. She reached into her robes and pulled out a jade communication slip, brought it to her lips, and hurriedly whispered a few words before quickly putting it away again.

Qi Tian quietly extended his divine sense and swept it over her.

Perfected Qi Condensation.

The spiritual energy within her dantian had already thickened to the consistency of syrup, faintly beginning to transform into a liquid state.

She was clearly at the Half-Step Foundation Establishment stage.

At the same time, other Falling Cloud Sect disciples around the square gradually realized what was happening. One after another, they pulled communication talismans from their sleeves, condensed spiritual energy at their fingertips, and hurriedly wrote on the talisman paper.

Once finished, they casually tossed the talismans into the air.

The sheets of paper transformed into streaks of spiritual light and shot toward the mountain at high speed.

In an instant, more than a dozen streaks of spiritual light shot into the sky like meteors chasing the moon, creating a spectacular sight.

Before long, figures began moving along the mountain path.

More than a dozen cultivators dressed in elder robes came rushing down the mountain, their sleeves whipping in the wind, their momentum fierce and imposing.

Qi Tian swept his divine sense over them, and his heart finally eased.

They were all at the Foundation Establishment realm. The strongest among them was only at the mid-stage, and there was no late-stage Foundation Establishment expert among them.

Only then did Qi Tian secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Just then, a figure flashed between the two fighting elders.

It was a lean, dignified old man. He formed hand seals with both hands, condensing Water in his left palm and gathering Wood in his right. With a forceful push, he held Elder Wei’s flaming fist and Elder Liu’s jade-green light a full three feet away from each other.

Spiritual energy collided, sending waves of force surging through the air. The old man’s sleeves billowed violently, and he slid half a step backward before speaking in a deep voice.

"Junior Brother Wei, Junior Brother Liu, stop! What kind of conduct is this, fighting in front of the mountain gate?!"

Elder Wei withdrew his fist, the crimson flames receding into his palm, though he still glared angrily at Elder Liu.

Elder Liu gave a cold snort and folded his hands behind his back.

Behind the old man, the other elders had already grown restless, their eyes searching through the crowd.

Suddenly, a sharp-eyed, portly elder spotted a figure cowering behind the Spirit-Assessment Stele. His eyes lit up, and he hurried around the stele, bending down to peer at the boy.

"You’re the one with the Heaven Spiritual Root?"

When had the country boy ever seen a scene like this?

The auras of more than a dozen Foundation Establishment elders were as vast and unfathomable as the sea, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe. He opened his mouth, his throat dry, but could only give a stiff nod.

The elders immediately crowded around him, their eyes burning with excitement, as though they were looking at a priceless piece of uncut jade.

The dignified old elder frowned.

"None of you are allowed to fight over him anymore. A Heaven Spiritual Root isn’t yours to take just because you want him. We’ll wait for the Sect Master to return and let him decide."

A sallow-faced elder suddenly lowered his voice and added quietly,

"I’m afraid the Sect Master will come back and take him for himself."

"..."

The air fell still.

The elders wore various expressions. Some coughed awkwardly and looked away, while others stroked their beards in silence.

After a moment, the portly elder laughed loudly, breaking the awkward silence.

"Since we’re all here, why not see what other promising seedlings we have this time?"

"Right, right! Let’s see the others!"

The elders readily agreed, crowding around the boy as they escorted him toward a pavilion beside the mountain gate.

One took him by the arm, another patted him on the shoulder, while yet another gently asked his name and whether he had any elders in his family.

Surrounded in the very center, the country boy stood stiff as a board, utterly unsure what to do with his hands and feet. His dark, weathered face flushed bright red, and he was so overwhelmed by the unexpected attention that he looked ready to faint.

Elder Wei’s chest rose and fell several times. He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the heat in his chest back into his dantian. Then he turned and waved to the disciple responsible for recording the results.

"Continue the test."

"Yes!"

The disciple hurriedly answered, opened the book, and called out loudly,

"Number One!"

The spiritual-root testing continued in an orderly stream.

The spirit orb lit up, then dimmed. It dimmed, then lit up again.

More than half of those tested turned out to have Five-Element Spiritual Roots. Their wooden tokens were reclaimed on the spot, and they were dismissed and sent back down the mountain. No matter how much they cried and pleaded, the Falling Cloud Sect disciples did not even lift their eyes.

Those who were found to have Four-Element Spiritual Roots, on the other hand, looked as though they had been pardoned. The gloom vanished from their faces, and some even laughed aloud on the spot. Clutching their wooden tokens, they withdrew to the edge of the square and quietly congratulated one another. Although a Four-Element Spiritual Root was merely a False Spiritual Root, it had at least gotten them across the threshold of the Falling Cloud Sect. The next test would only determine whether they would ultimately become outer sect disciples or inner sect disciples. This was no secret.

The crowd was filtered away like sand through a sieve, layer by layer. Cries, cheers, and sighs mingled together, and more than half the square had already emptied.

In the midst of it all, a promising talent emerged—a graceful young woman with delicate features. When she placed her palm against the stele, two colors of radiance intertwined within the spirit orb, pure and brilliant.

"Two-Element Spiritual Root. Earth Spiritual Root!" The disciple’s voice rose slightly.

Elder Wei said, "Exempt her from the next test. Take her to undergo the Heart-Questioning Stone test."

A disciple led the young woman away, while a murmur of envy rose from the crowd.

Aside from her, eleven others were found to have Three-Element Spiritual Roots, all of them True Spiritual Roots. They too were exempted from the remaining tests and taken directly to undergo the Heart-Questioning Stone test.

The testing continued without the slightest pause. Before long, they had reached Number Nine Hundred.

"Number Nine Hundred Thirty!"

"Number Nine Hundred Thirty-Five!"

"Number Nine Hundred Thirty-Six!"

Qi Tian held the wooden token engraved with 936, hesitating.

At last, it was his turn.

Test himself or not?

If the Falling Cloud Sect tested him, found that he had a Five-Element Spiritual Root, and sent him down the mountain in disgrace—if word got out, his master would kill him for bringing such shame upon him.

Oh, right.

His master was already gone.

That old man who used to stroke his beard and lecture him about the Great Dao, who would then kick him straight out the door, had long since turned to nothing more than a handful of earth.

He would never get the chance to slap his embarrassing disciple again.

"Number Nine Hundred Thirty-Six!"

The disciple responsible for recording the results raised his voice impatiently, his brows drawing together.

"What are you waiting for? Stop dragging your feet and get up here!"

Qi Tian fell silent for a moment.

Forget it.

A useless spiritual root was the lowest-grade aptitude in the cultivation world. Having it exposed in front of everyone would indeed be embarrassing.

But a cultivator with a Five-Element Spiritual Root who had reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment?

That would probably shock everyone present.

If things really came to that, he could simply reveal his cultivation and explain why he had come. There was no need to keep playing along with this sect recruitment test.

Holding his wooden token, he walked toward the black Spirit-Assessment Stele one step at a time.

The elders’ gazes were drawn toward Qi Tian almost in unison.

"Which clan does this young man belong to?" the short, portly elder murmured, narrowing his eyes.

"Judging from his robes, he hardly looks like an ordinary person," another elder said thoughtfully, stroking his beard.

Several strands of divine sense quietly extended toward him.

But the moment they touched Qi Tian, all the elders froze.

"Only the third layer of Qi Condensation?"

"With that bearing, those robes... how could he be...?"

"Don’t be so quick to judge."

A glint flashed through the sallow-faced elder’s eyes as he lowered his voice.

"Perhaps he possesses a good spiritual root."

At those words, the elders nodded one after another, their gazes growing heated once more.

Qi Tian paid no attention to any of this. He walked straight to the Spirit-Assessment Stele.

He lowered his gaze to the black surface, took a deep breath, raised his hand, and pressed his palm firmly against it.

The stele trembled slightly.

Inside the spirit orb, five-colored radiance suddenly burst to life.

Azure, crimson, yellow, white, and black—the five colors of the Five Elements surged forth together.

Yet unlike the murky, tangled glow normally produced by a Five-Element Spiritual Root, these five colors tore at and collided with one another with terrifying violence, as though five enraged dragons had been trapped inside the orb, devouring one another in a desperate struggle.

The elders frowned.

Then the five-colored radiance abruptly froze.

In the next instant, every last trace of light inside the spirit orb went out.

Everything fell into a dead, pitch-black silence.

The entire square was utterly silent.

"...What just happened?"

The short, portly elder blurted it out.

Elder Liu’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared at the now-dark spirit orb, his voice hoarse.

"No... No Spiritual Root?"

"Impossible!"

Elder Wei’s sharp shout rang across the square.

"Since the creation of the Tianyan Realm, every person born into this world has possessed a spiritual root. There has never been such a thing as someone with ’no spiritual root’!"

Qi Tian stood before the stele, just as bewildered as everyone else.

Listening to the elders’ confused and alarmed voices behind him, he slowly withdrew his hand and turned around.

His gaze calmly swept across their stunned and bewildered faces.

Then he spoke.

"You know..."

He paused.

His tone was as calm as though he were discussing the weather.

"Is it possible... that this Spirit-Assessment Stele just happened to break?"