Chapter 5: Earth and Wood Dual Spiritual Roots? Entering Dan Peak!
Lin Chen strode forward and quickly stepped onto the Spirit Root Testing Platform.
Now that he was closer, he could clearly see the structure of the Spirit Root Stone.
It was a transparent crystal-like stone, about half the height of a person, clear and gleaming like water, with intricate patterns etched across its surface.
Lin Chen placed his hands on the Spirit Root Stone.
Soon, he felt a stream of gentle energy flowing into contact with him.
In the next second, two beams of light burst forth from the stone.
One green, one brown — both stood about ten feet high.
"Dual spiritual roots?" Lin Chen was inwardly delighted.
Though not a top-tier talent, dual spiritual roots — one in a thousand — already exceeded his expectations.
Lin Chen turned to glance at the assessment elder nearby.
However, what he saw was a look of surprise on the elder's face. After a moment, the elder spoke with uncertainty:
"Lin Chen, top-grade Earth and Wood dual spiritual roots!"
As Lin Chen passed by the elder, he faintly heard the man muttering to himself:
"Strange… Top-grade Earth and Wood dual spiritual roots, just a step away from a true spiritual root… But why are both beams of light the same height?"
Above dual spiritual roots lies the rare True Spiritual Root.
A cultivator with a true spiritual root possesses only one type of spiritual affinity and has an extremely strong resonance with that single type of spiritual energy.
Logically, if it were a top-grade dual spiritual root,
the two beams of light should differ greatly in height — one should be tall (indicating high affinity, nearing a true root), and the other much shorter (lower affinity, nearing inferior root).
But Lin Chen's Earth and Wood spiritual root beams were both nearly ten feet tall — an anomaly.
Even the elders of Changchun Sect couldn't explain the reason and simply assumed Lin Chen's roots were unusual.
Only the girl watching from below the stage — Jiang Liqian — seemed to be lost in thought, as if something had occurred to her.
——
Soon after, the sect's entry assessment concluded, and the elder announced the results.
Lin Chen and about a dozen others with dual spiritual roots or better were accepted as inner disciples.
The remaining two hundred or so became outer disciples.
After the test, the sect leader of Changchun Sect made his appearance.
His name was Wang Changchun, a tall, lean middle-aged man with a kind expression.
But in truth, he was a renowned expert in the region — a genuine Golden Core stage cultivator!
Standing atop a high platform, Wang Changchun addressed the crowd:
"Congratulations, disciples, on joining Changchun Sect."
"Our sect is divided into five main peaks: Sword Peak, Formation Peak, Artifact Peak, Talisman Peak, and Dan Peak…"
"Outer disciples will temporarily reside in the market town at the foot of the mountain. Those who perform outstandingly can enter the Inner Sect via the triennial Sect Tournament…"
"As for inner disciples, you may soon choose the peak you wish to enter…"
Wang Changchun paused, then turned his gaze to the dozen or so inner disciples and added:
"Except for Jiang Liqian… the first among you to draw spiritual energy into your body and reach the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage will receive a reward."
"The reward: 100 spirit stones, one three-foot storage pouch, and 100 sect contribution points…"
"The second to reach Qi Refining will receive 50 spirit stones…"
"The third will receive 10 spirit stones…"
The entire plaza of disciples erupted into commotion at his words.
Spirit stones were extremely valuable in the cultivation world.
Just one could be traded for a thousand taels of silver…
Many of the disciples came from wealthy families, but even so, Wang Changchun's offhand mention of 100 spirit stones surpassed the value of their entire family fortunes.
Storage pouches were also highly precious — typically only cultivators in the later stages of Qi Refining owned them, and each was worth dozens of spirit stones.
As for sect contribution points, they were even more valuable.
In Changchun Sect, one contribution point was roughly equivalent to one spirit stone in value, but they could also be exchanged for rare treasures and pills that money couldn't buy.
Such as… Foundation Establishment Pills!
Lin Chen took note of the shock on the faces around him and fell deep into thought.
Although he didn't yet fully understand the purchasing power of spirit stones…
He had only managed to collect about twenty spirit stones after killing more than ten rogue cultivators before, which was enough to tell him how valuable they were.
"With my spiritual root aptitude… the spot for the first to reach Qi Refining Stage… might be within reach!" Lin Chen thought to himself.
Wang Changchun finished announcing the rewards and, after energizing the disciples, took his leave.
Only the remaining disciples and elders remained in the square.
The outer disciples, under the guidance of the assessment elder, left Changchun Mountain and made their way to the market town at the foot of the mountain.
Meanwhile, the dozen or so inner disciples remained on the spot, preparing to choose which peak they would join.
Aside from the Sword Peak, represented by the sect leader, the other four peaks—Formation, Artifact, Talisman, and Dan Peaks—each specialized in one of the four major cultivation arts.
Clearly, the peak one joined would determine what kind of skillset they would develop in the future.
At this moment, the elders and peak masters of the major peaks had begun recruiting inner disciples with enthusiasm.
"Our Formation Peak is the largest peak in Changchun Sect! The sect's grand protective array was personally laid out by our peak master… Join us and enjoy the most cultivation resources!"
"Our Artifact Peak focuses on crafting magical tools. If you're a fire-element cultivator, it's the perfect fit! A single artifact can sell for dozens of spirit stones — ideal for making money…"
"Our Talisman Peak disciples excel in survival and combat. Even if you face stronger enemies, you can use talismans to fight across realms…"
The elders, all at the Foundation Establishment stage, sounded like vendors at a marketplace, frantically advertising and trying to win over new talent.
These dual spiritual root disciples were all potential Foundation Establishment seeds — future core pillars of the sect.
Some… might even become Core Formation cultivators one day.
If they didn't recruit them now, when would they?
Before long, several inner disciples had already been invited and had chosen to join the Formation, Artifact, or Talisman Peaks.
Among them was the true spiritual root disciple named Li Zhenqian, who chose to join Formation Peak.
Lin Chen didn't rush to make his decision. He instead weighed the pros and cons of each peak.
"Formation Peak is the largest in the sect and enjoys the best resources… definitely worth considering."
"But... will formation arts even work back on Blue Star?"
Lin Chen was deep in thought. In truth, his heart leaned toward Dan Peak.
After all, he possessed a Wood spiritual root, giving him a natural affinity for spirit herbs and alchemy.
Moreover, alchemy was one of the most respected disciplines in cultivation, and the pills refined could still be highly effective even on Blue Star.
The only downside? Dan Peak was the weakest of the five, and had limited resources...
Just then, a kindly white-haired elder approached him.
"Lin Chen, I am Han Jihai, Peak Master of Dan Peak…"
"Would you be willing to join Dan Peak and become my personal disciple?"
Hearing this, Lin Chen looked up and recognized the friendly old man from the previous day.
He was surprised — this old man was the Dan Peak Master?!
Just as Lin Chen was about to agree, another voice rang out across the plaza:
"Lin Chen, would you consider joining Formation Peak?"
Lin Chen looked over — the speaker was a late Foundation Establishment elder from Formation Peak.
After a brief moment of thought, Lin Chen shook his head and replied:
"Apologies, elder. I still intend to join Dan Peak."
The Formation Peak elder's expression darkened slightly at the rejection but said no more.
After all, disciples had the right to choose their own path, and he wasn't about to offend the Dan Peak Master by pressing further.
Hearing Lin Chen's decision, many of the disciples present showed expressions of surprise.
They were clearly shocked by his choice.
Before joining the sect, many had already done their homework.
Among the four auxiliary peaks — Formation, Artifact, Talisman, and Dan — Dan Peak was known to be the weakest.
Its peak master had failed a Core Formation breakthrough years ago and was now nearing the end of his lifespan. The peak was in decline, with dwindling disciples and limited resources.
Thus, none of the other inner disciples chose Dan Peak — only Lin Chen.
Even Li Zhenqian, the only true spiritual root disciple, shook his head and whispered:
"Lin Chen's talent is second only to mine — I once saw him as a strong rival…"
"But now, seeing him choose Dan Peak… he's no threat."
The other inner disciples thought the same.
In cultivation, the most critical factor was "wealth, companions, techniques, and land" — with wealth, meaning resources, being the top priority.
In their eyes, by joining Dan Peak, Lin Chen would fall far behind in cultivation resources.
But Lin Chen saw things differently.
He was not of this world.
Behind him stood an entire high-martial world.
As long as he could prove his value and bring precious cultivation resources back to the high-martial world…
He would receive unimaginable support.
In comparison, a mere peak's worth of sect resources meant little.
Upon hearing Lin Chen's decision, Han Jihai beamed with satisfaction and nodded:
"Good! From today on, you are my personal disciple…"
"Your senior brothers and sisters are currently in closed-door seclusion refining pills. In a few days, I'll have them prepare greeting gifts for you."
"For now, I'll take you to Dan Peak for the night. Tomorrow morning, I'll begin teaching you how to draw spiritual energy into your body…"
(End of Chapter)