Chapter 17: Chapter 17: The Selection of The Azure Dragon Sect [3]

When they reached the testing ground, Elder Alder planted his foot into the earth. A tremor rolled outward before the soil split apart, a colossal pillar erupting from below, rising well over ten meters into the air.

"This is a Spiritual Roots test pillar. Four levels in total — the colors it displays will reflect the grade of your spirit root. As you are no doubt aware, spiritual roots determine one’s talent and define the ceiling of one’s cultivation. With that said..."

"This stage is different from the test before. Only the top 25 spiritual roots will advance."

Damon absorbed the words without any particular unease. He knew precisely where his spiritual root stood, more than sufficient to see him through without difficulty.

A high-grade Mortal spiritual root was uncommon enough on its own. That both he and Ariel sat at peak level made it rarer. He had every reason to be confident.

"The testing begins," the elder announced, as the inner disciples began arranging the groups.

The first to be tested took a step forward.

A young man appeared to be in his end of his teens, and his cultivation of the Fifth Level of the Elementary Spirit Realm was exactly right at the requirement.

"Place your hands upon the pillar." The elder’s voice pulled him back to the present.

The young man obeyed the order by pressing his hands on the pillar, then the pilar immediately blazed into flames as a few lights began to light up.

"Oh..." The man’s eyes twinkled, thinking he had succeeded, but the world of cultivation was cruel.

"Fire spiritual roots, Mortal Grade - Mid, Next!" Elder Alder called out, his voice echoing through the tense silence that dominated the place.

Hundred more were called, and most of them is Mortal Grade - Low or Mortal Grade - Mid.

Until Jack stepped forward. Stopping in front of the pillar, he took a slow breath and pressed his hand, releasing his Qi.

The pillar was light up with a silver aura and trembling as the three lights slowly light up.

Elder Alder’s eyebrows rose slightly, and soon a smile took over his face.

"As expected of Young Master Jack. Sword spiritual root, Mortal Grade - High. Next!"

As he joined the rest of the passers, Jack cast a teasing glance in Damon’s direction again.

’Let’s see if your spiritual roots are better than mine. You are just a commoner who has had a lucky encounter!’ Jack thought, trying to convince himself to think that he was better than Damon.

Then the test continued until there were only Ariel and Damon left.

"Next!" Elder Alder’s voice rang out as Ariel stepped forward with a graceful step.

Ariel placed her palms against the cold stone. For a moment nothing was happening.

Then the pillar light up into deep azure light. A low hum filled the surrounding air as four lights light up in swift succession, each one with watery blue light.

Elder Alder’s eyes went wide as he moved forward toward the pillar. "Sea Spiritual Root... Mortal Grade — Peak." Genuine shock colored his voice.

’A true genius, as anticipated!’

A murmur swept through the remaining candidates.

’As expected, my future wife, she is so talented.’ Jack’s Smug face change into a wide smile.

’Heh, Keep that smug face of yours for a while. It’s time to show them what a commoner can do.’

"Next!" Elder Alder called.

Damon walked forward and ignore the stares. Then he pressed his hands to the pillar.

The response was instant and violent. The pillar then blazed with a riot of color.

Flame red, earth brown, ice white, watery Azure, lightning white-blue, light yellow, and vibrant green all swirl together in a brilliant rainbow color. Four lights ignited simultaneously, burning brighter than any before.

Elder Alder sees the pillar with a stunned look.

’What is this? There is no way there is a spiritual root with multiple affinities... And at Peak Mortal Grade?’

Then he raised his hand, and a figure appeared next to him.

"Call the vice sect leader, tell him the situation." Elder Alder whispered to the figure, and after that, the figure disappeared.

"Mortal Grade - Peak." Elder Alder announces the result.

The crowd stirred, whispers rippling through the gathered candidates.

"Why didn’t Elder Alder announce the affinities?"

"Did something go wrong?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Who was that figure?"

"Silence!" But Elder Alder cut off those whispers, and a voice rang out.

"With this, the spiritual root test finishes; those who only have spiritual roots with Mortal Grade - Low, fail."

The candidate who called out began to leave, since they had already seen Elder Alder throw out a guy, and they didn’t raise any complaints.

The numbers continue to drop again. From one hundred and twenty to only one hundred were left.

"Follow me," Elder Alder’s voice rang out across the testing ground, cutting through the murmurs of the remaining candidates with practiced authority.

"We proceed to the Sect arena for the combat test." Without waiting for a response, he turned and began walking, his robes trailing behind him.

The arena reserved for the Azure Dragon Sect was an imposing structure, a vast platform of polished white marble that stretched nearly five hundred square meters across.

The surface had been worn smooth by countless battles fought upon it over the years, yet it remained immaculate, gleaming faintly beneath the open sky.

Surrounding it rose a grandstand of tiered stone seating, constructed on a scale grand enough to accommodate thousands of spectators, though today only the candidates and their observers filled its lower rows.

"The final test for entry into the Sect will be conducted through individual combat against our outer disciples with the same cultivation," Elder Alder announced once everyone had gathered, his hands clasped behind his back as his gaze swept across the assembled candidates.

"I do not expect that you will defeat them. What I do expect is that every last one of you gives everything you have. The fifty candidates who perform best will earn their place among us."

His gaze then shifted deliberately toward the outer disciples assembled on the far side of the arena, standing in neat rows with expressions ranging from bored indifference to quiet curiosity.

There were roughly a hundred of them in total, each one seasoned enough to serve as a reliable measure of a recruit’s true capability.