Every five years, Lingyun Sect held a grand Immortal Ascension Ceremony in each of the marketplaces under its rule.
At Lingyun Market, just outside the sect's headquarters, crowds surged like waves. Voices rose in excitement, and the entire place buzzed with energy.
Most of the people had eager, expectant looks on their faces. For ordinary cultivators in the marketplace, this was a rare chance to break past their current class and leap toward a better life.
"I heard there'll be inner sect disciples attending this year's ceremony. No one knows who yet, but I hope it's Fairy Qingling. One glance back then, and I was never the same," a refined cultivator in a blue robe whispered to the friend beside him.
"It's said that some of the big families in Lingyun Market have direct descendants participating in the spiritual root test this year. The sect holds them in high regard, so they sent inner disciples," added a handsome cultivator holding a jade fan, eyes full of admiration and envy.
"Hmph, what do you know? It's the Yu family. A genius with a single spiritual root emerged from them, so an inner disciple came personally," another young cultivator in tight-fitted clothes jumped in confidently, clearly proud of what he knew.
"Oh? Fellow Daoist, you seem quite informed. Are you perhaps from the Yu family?" asked a sharp-eyed man with a sword on his back, cupping his fists politely.
"Hehe, not much really. I'm just from a side branch of the Yu family."
As the sun climbed higher, a group of disciples in Lingyun Sect robes walked out from the station. Behind them came a middle-aged cultivator in ornate robes. He slowly made his way to the spiritual roots testing stone.
Their appearance silenced the noisy crowd in an instant. Only the sound of quiet breathing remained.
"Fellow cultivators, welcome to the Lingyun Market Immortal Ascension Ceremony. Today, we will witness ordinary youths from the marketplace break past the mundane and step onto the path of cultivation."
The man in fine robes spoke in a strong, booming voice that echoed across the square. His words stirred something deep inside everyone.
"May each of you achieve your dreams and live up to your youth. For us cultivators, immortality is our goal. March forward with courage!"
A gentle, graceful female voice followed as a beautiful woman stepped up beside him. Her tone was soft but just as stirring.
The man gave a nod, and the woman bowed slightly in response.
The Lingyun Sect disciples standing in formation all spoke in unison.
"Greetings, Uncle Master Liu."
This was Liu Yujun, a third-level Foundation Establishment cultivator and the stationed guard of Lingyun Market.
"Greetings, Senior Sister Mu."
Mu Qingling, at the peak of Qi Refining, was an inner disciple.
After the two nodded, a bell rang from above. The Immortal Ascension Ceremony officially began.
Under the guidance of the stationed disciples, boys and girls lined up one by one and stepped onto the stairs, forming a line at the entrance of the main courtyard. Some looked nervous, others confident. Every young face was full of longing and dreams of the immortal path.
Meanwhile, Cheng Qian brought Xu Luoshui to Feng Sen's side. The man looked her up and down, a little surprised.
"You didn't even give her a bath?"
"She just arrived today. I didn't want to risk missing the time," Cheng Qian replied.
Feng Sen gave a slight nod and led the girl to a central spot in the line.
Seeing her safely in the queue, Cheng Qian finally let out a deep breath of relief.
"Where'd this beggar come from?" a fat boy pinched his nose and poked Xu Luoshui with his finger from behind, speaking in a quiet voice.
"Yeah, showing up like this for the Immortal Ascension Ceremony? Isn't that disrespectful to the senior cultivators?" said the child in front, trying to cozy up to the boy.
'Stupid brats, making a big deal out of nothing.' Xu Luoshui rolled her eyes.
"There's only my brother and me left. I didn't know I had to bathe first. We're spiritual farmers, we're used to this."
The fat boy and the kid ahead of her both looked at her with contempt.
A filthy farming girl thinking she could rise above her fate.
If this weren't the ceremony, they would never have allowed a farmer's child to stand this close to them. But they couldn't break the sect's rules. Even disciples from prominent families had to follow them.
'The Sect is way too kind to these spirit farmers,' they thought. Then both snorted and backed away slightly, not bothering to say more.
The line inched forward bit by bit. From the crowd surrounding the place, occasional gasps and sighs could be heard. The kids grew more nervous with each step.
Xu Luoshui, however, stayed calm. As long as the spiritual roots testing stone was working properly, she was confident she'd outshine everyone here today.
Not far from the stone, Liu Yujun was speaking softly to Mu Qingling.
"How has your master been lately?"
"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Liu. She's doing well."
"You came today for that boy from the Yu family?"
"Yes. Grandmaster Yu asked Ancestor Haoyu to take him in as a disciple. My master asked me to personally escort him."
"The Yu family... heh, they're about to leap straight to the top."
"It still depends on the quality of the spiritual root. Not all single roots are equal."
Liu Yujun chuckled. "Right. You'd know more about that than I would. By the way, your aura... are you preparing for a breakthrough?"
"Master told me not to rush it. She wants me to hold it down a bit longer and keep building my foundation."
"Ah, I really envy geniuses like you."
"You flatter me, Uncle Master."
As the line drew closer to Xu Luoshui's turn, a commotion broke out in the crowd.
"Look! Look! It's the Yu family's prodigy. He's about to take the spiritual roots test!"
"Just look at that presence. He's bound to become someone big. And he's from our own Lingyun Market too. What an honor!"
"Honor my foot. What's that got to do with you? It's the Yu family that's on its way to becoming a thousand-year clan."
Cheng Qian, paying no attention to the chatter around him, stood on his toes and craned his neck, trying to get a better view.
A handsome, well-groomed young man stepped up to the testing stone, and placed his palm into the imprint on the surface.
Whoosh!
A red glow lit up on the face of the stone, then a number lit up on the scale behind it.
The crowd buzzed immediately.
"A single spiritual root! It's a single spiritual root! Heaven bless me, I actually got to see it with my own eyes!"
For many of them, this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Something they could brag about for years.
Liu Yujun glanced at the woman beside him, then asked the disciple recording behind the stone, "What's the number?"
The spiritual root score, or its quality, was usually kept private. It was considered the sect's and the cultivator's own business.
"Seventy-five."
He turned to Mu Qingling. "Well?"
"Average. Barely counts as high-grade fire root."
She herself possessed a high-grade water root, said to be just shy of Earth-grade. Even among Nascent Soul sects, someone like her was incredibly rare. She was one of Lingyun Sect's brightest stars.
"Silence. Continue."
Mu Qingling brought Yu Dazhi to her side and gave a soft but clear command.
The restless crowd quieted down instantly. The Yu family members, the other participants, everyone in line—all fell silent.
Finally, it was Xu Luoshui's turn. She stepped up to the spiritual roots testing stone.
People started whispering again.
"Who's that messy-looking girl?"
"She didn't even bother to wash up. Isn't that disrespectful to our fairy and the senior?"
"Heh, probably some farmer girl dreaming about a shortcut to the top."
"She's overestimating herself. Can a phoenix really fly out of a chicken coop?"
Xu Luoshui ignored the scornful looks from a few disciples and the murmurs around her.
She reached out her small, filthy hand and pressed it into the imprint on the stone.
Whoosh!
A golden light suddenly burst across the surface.
"No... no way! How is this possible? That dirty girl, how could she have a single spiritual root?"
The boy who had tested just before her stared in disbelief. He only had a triple root. Why should some wild girl be better than him?
Even Liu Yujun and Mu Qingling, who had been chatting idly, were caught off guard.
"What's the number?" The latter asked at once.
"N-no... no number..."