Chronicles of the Green Vine: A Mortal’s Path to Immortality

"Those cultivators who meet the requirements for spiritual roots, cultivation level, and temperament all have a chance to join the Nine Great Sects. I won't say much more. The rules remain the same, and the conference begins now."

After the Deputy City Lord finished speaking, the law enforcement cultivators began organizing the rogue cultivators to test their spiritual root aptitude.

Everyone was a cultivator, and spiritual roots determined the quality of one's aptitude. Every disciple recruitment conference had this segment, ostensibly to give rogue cultivators a chance, but in reality, it was an opportunity for the Nine Great Sects to recruit cultivators with excellent resources.

The rogue cultivators formed ten long queues.

At the front of each queue was a cultivator, all of whom were at the peak of the Qi Refining stage, members of Falling Star City's law enforcement team.

Each of them held a compass-like disc in their hands. It looked like it was made of bronze, with a semi-transparent crystal embedded in the center.

This was the magical artifact for testing spiritual roots, the Spiritual Root Compass. Zhang Ling was at the end of one of the queues. He was also very curious about his own spiritual root aptitude.

The spiritual root test was very fast, taking only a few breaths for each cultivator to complete. The queues were moving quickly when suddenly, a commotion broke out at the front of a nearby queue.

"A unique spiritual root!"

"A cultivator with a unique spiritual root aptitude has appeared!"

Zhang Ling also looked over with curiosity. At the very front of that queue, a middle-aged man in gray robes was staring in astonishment at the light on the Spiritual Root Compass.

The semi-transparent crystal in the center of the Spiritual Root Compass emitted wisps of azure light, and strands of clear wind rotated on the compass. Although slow, they were clearly visible.

"A wind-attribute unique spiritual root, congratulations to this fellow cultivator." The law enforcement cultivator holding the Spiritual Root Compass was also stunned for a moment, then gave the middle-aged man a kind smile.

"Fellow cultivator, you are qualified to directly join one of the Nine Great Sects, without needing to participate in the Blazing Flame Valley trial."

"Haha, I have a unique spiritual root, a unique spiritual root, haha!" The middle-aged man laughed loudly.

For a time, he attracted the attention of all the cultivators present. With the appearance of a unique spiritual root aptitude, the cultivators in the area began to discuss it.

Next to Zhang Ling, a cultivator at the eleventh level of Qi Refining said coldly.

"What if it's a unique spiritual root? Looking at this person's age, he's almost forty. Discovering he has a unique spiritual root now is a bit late. And looking at the spiritual light on his body, he cultivates a fire-attribute technique and has already reached the tenth level. If he switches techniques now, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

"You're just jealous, aren't you? Even if this person is a bit older, joining one of the Nine Great Sects is a certainty. With a sect as a backer, he might even be able to become a disciple of a Golden Core cultivator. This person's future is limitless. As for the technique problem, after he joins the sect, there will naturally be experts to sort out the spiritual power in his body. It won't take more than two or three years to successfully switch."

"Although a wind-attribute unique spiritual root is not as good as a heavenly spiritual root, it is still a superior cultivation aptitude. Once he reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, his strength will greatly increase, and dealing with two or three cultivators of the same rank will not be a problem. The sect will not waste such an aptitude."

The cultivators' discussions continued. Some were disdainful, some revealed contempt, but most people showed envious expressions.

The commotion caused by the unique spiritual root only lasted a short time, and the spiritual root test did not stop. Half an hour later, it was finally Zhang Ling's turn.

"Fellow cultivator, just place your hand on the Spiritual Root Compass." The cultivator holding the Spiritual Root Compass said to Zhang Ling expressionlessly. Zhang Ling nodded and placed his right hand on the Spiritual Root Compass.

Then, he felt a stream of spiritual power fly out of the Spiritual Root Compass and enter his body. This stream of spiritual power circled in his body and returned to the compass.

Then, he saw the originally transparent crystal in the center emit various colors of light. The light constantly changed. Some weakened, and some strengthened.

After a few breaths, only yellow, black, and white light clusters remained. Among them, yellow was the brightest, black was the second brightest, and white was the least.

"Fellow cultivator's aptitude is a three-spiritual-root aptitude of earth, water, and metal, which is a medium aptitude. Your sensitivity to earth-attribute spiritual energy in the world is the strongest."

As the law enforcement cultivator spoke, he pointed at the Spiritual Root Compass, and the words "Earth, Water, Metal Three Spiritual Roots" appeared on it. Then, he took out a jade token. These shining words turned into streams of light and floated into the jade token.

Zhang Ling took the jade token and, guided by a law enforcement cultivator, came to a side hall in the City Lord's Mansion.

Inside sat a Foundation Establishment stage black-robed old man. This person seemed to cultivate a special technique. The old man's eyes flashed with golden light as he observed him up and down for a while, then he opened his mouth and said.

"Bone age twenty-seven or twenty-eight, age meets the requirements, cultivation level is at the tenth level of Qi Refining, meets the requirements. Will you participate in the Blazing Flame Valley trial?"

"Yes," Zhang Ling replied calmly. The old man asked for his name and Falling Star City's entry and exit token and recorded this information on the jade token.

Then, he dismissed him and told him to come to the City Lord's Mansion again in three days, at which time someone would take them to the Blazing Flame Valley.

After returning to his cave dwelling, Zhang Ling did not cultivate but instead lamented his spiritual root. A three-spiritual-root aptitude was neither good nor bad; it was indeed a medium aptitude.

However, the Thick Earth Sutra he cultivated was precisely suited to his earth spiritual root, which was most sensitive to spiritual energy. It could be considered a lucky coincidence, and he did not need to switch techniques.

...

Early this morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, hundreds of cultivators gathered in the huge square in front of the City Lord's Mansion. There were men and women, old and young.

Some were alone, while others were in groups of two or three. Some were expressionless, some sat cross-legged directly, conserving their energy, some took out magical artifacts and wiped them non-stop, and some were in a daze, looking worried.

In a remote corner, Zhang Ling and a black-clothed woman stood together.

"Yan'er, once you get to the Blazing Flame Valley, find a place to hide. With the help of the treasure Old Mu gave you, I'll be able to find you quickly."

"Hehe, Brother Zhang, Yan'er also has some strength. I've already cultivated to the eighth level of Qi Refining, and I have several magical artifacts that Grandpa gave me to protect myself. Don't worry."

"Yan'er, cultivation level is one thing, but the fighting between cultivators is dangerous. Don't underestimate these people. They are all competitors, and none of them are easy to deal with."

"Yan'er remembers."

Zhang Ling and Mu Xiaoyan were communicating using sound transmission. This girl was only seventeen or eighteen years old. At this time, she was wearing a black outfit, and her face was wrapped in a silk scarf, making it impossible to see her original appearance.

This was a special magical artifact that Old Mu had prepared for Yan'er, which could prevent cultivators from probing with their divine sense. If he hadn't known in advance, he wouldn't have recognized Mu Xiaoyan.

In these past few years, the little girl's cultivation level had already reached the eighth level, showing that her cultivation talent was also very good. If she were in other places, joining a sect with this kind of aptitude would not be difficult.

However, the Nine Sects Disciple Recruitment Conference held in Falling Star City was special, and the requirements for rogue cultivators were extremely harsh. Not only were there requirements for cultivation level, but they also had to be able to come out of the Blazing Flame Valley to obtain the qualification to enter a sect.

At this time, the cultivators gathered here were mostly not weak, and the eighth level of Qi Refining was indeed not enough to be considered impressive. He didn't know why Old Mu insisted on letting the little girl enter the Blazing Flame Valley.

However, looking at Mu Xiaoyan's attire, Old Mu must have given her many life-saving items.

Zhang Ling was only at the tenth level of Qi Refining now, which could only be considered good among this group of cultivators. He didn't have complete confidence in whether he could come out of the Blazing Flame Valley.