The next day, Li Yi took a day off, and the family of three set out early to the city's center testing hall.
Today was Datang City's monthly Element Testing day, where all six-year-old children came to test their Primordial Spirit and determine their aptitude level. Li Xing's current bone age was just six, placing her within the testing range.
The whole family squeezed into Li Yi's small flying device, heading to the city center early.
Li Yi said that on the Qianyuan Continent, there were twelve upper cities, forty-eight mid-tier cities, one hundred and twenty-four lower cities, and countless satellite towns and villages on the outskirts. Datang City's overall strength was considered mid to lower tier among the lower cities.
Even so, Li Xing felt that the place looked more developed and expansive than the big cities on Blue Star.
Because every household needed a vegetable garden, the residential area was extensive, and from a bird's-eye view, the adjacent gardens formed a continuous patch, roads were white ribbons, and each standalone building was like a colorful shell scattered in a green ocean, full of a dreamy quality.
Contrasting with the pastoral vibe of the housing area, the city center was filled with towering buildings and a rich commercial atmosphere, with various holographic ads dazzling the eyes.
Since today was Element Testing day, the streets were unusually crowded, and it was impossible to find a landing spot. Li Yi could only park farther away, and the family walked over.
Along the way, Li Xing increasingly felt the world's grandeur:
The patches of roadside weeds, casually trampled and crushed by passersby, were scarce ingredients for refining the Great Rejuvenation Pill, a precious first-grade purple-flowered lichen;
The welcoming flowers at the entrance of shops were the White Fox Tail, a top-grade Spirit Plant that had long been extinct on Blue Star;
The small vendor selling cotton candy used a bundle of sticky candy sticks made from Immortal Bamboo Branch, top-grade…
Tough wildflowers and weeds growing persistently in roof tiles, brick cracks, and corners were all Spirit Grass and Spirit Plant.
Strangely, these Spirit Plants showed some degree of mutation; besides growing larger, their colors were also different.
Li Xing muttered to herself, not knowing how effective these mutated Spirit Grass were; even if they had half the effectiveness of normal Spirit Grass, she would be satisfied.
Thinking back to the Li Family Land, where young Dan Cultivators like herself were always deducted from their portions by the elder in charge of Spirit Grass, who lectured repeatedly, warning against opening the furnace without absolute certainty?
Li Xing understood the family's difficulties. After all, it was the twilight of the age, with nature's spiritual energy scarce and Spirit Plants becoming rarer. From the family's perspective, it was natural for the elders to hope for a high pill formation rate.
But the pill formation rate of Dan Cultivators was something improved through accumulated experience, even if extraordinarily talented like Ancestor Zhan, they faced setbacks during the novice period with exploding furnaces.
Li Xing still remembered, every time those novices produced a wasted pill, the elder in charge of the Alchemy Room would always frown and make a "tch" sound of disappointment, reproach, and with long-standing sarcasm.
This "tch" sound was like a thorn, piercing Li Xing's heart, almost giving rise to her Heart Demon.
The path of cultivation couldn't stop, she didn't want to hear the "tch," so she sought an alternative by using all the herbs she could find to replace Spirit Plants for practice, improving pill recipes, using ordinary herbs in place of Spirit Plants, gradually stopping that "tch."
Now, in this world full of Spirit Grass, even pulling some weeds by the roadside could yield a few exquisite strains. With such good conditions, if she couldn't achieve alchemy freedom, where every batch was superior, she would truly deserve to "tch" herself.
The days of looking at others' expressions to refine pills were over, the grand vows she made in her youth could finally be realized. She intended to refine all the extraordinary Spirit Grass in the world and become the most skilled Dan Cultivator in history!
Not only that, but she also wanted to use the finest Spirit Grass to refine the most ordinary elixirs, wasteful and extravagant, simply to retaliate against the stingy days of the past!
Li Xing queued up, observing the surrounding Spirit Grass without feeling bored, and finally, after two hours, it was her turn. By rule, only one family member could accompany her, and Li Yi, understandably, took Li Xing's hand, leading her into the testing hall.
The testing hall was large, with the internal dome reaching fifty meters high, rows of giant crystal chandeliers hanging down from the dome providing lighting. Long and wide corridors were adorned with archway decorations on both sides, inside were stone carved murals depicting Qianyuan people gathering Spirit Grass, hunting Star Beasts, and battling with Star Beasts, telling the history of the Qianyuan people.
Every ten meters, there was a brazier, burning incense, curling up in smoke, the sunlight shining through the dome's side windows, hitting the smoke, forming a Tyndall effect, adding a touch of sacredness to the great hall.
At the end of the corridor was a spacious high platform with a huge white jade sculpture in the middle—a group of thirty-six beautifully dressed in ancient attire, some standing on flying swords, others slashing at approaching Star Beasts with a blade, and others smiling while holding Spirit Grass in a playful gesture. Each of the thirty-six had different expressions and movements, vivid and lifelike.
The statue caught Li Xing's attention, and she couldn't help but stop her steps. Li Yi whispered an explanation:
"These are the Thirty-Six Sages, the deities of Qianyuan Continent."
Li Xing was astonished; these looked like cultivators, could this place be involved with the immortals' realm's cause and effect?
She wanted to ask, but an impatient voice urged: "What are you dawdling for, hasten up!"
Only then did Li Xing notice, on the platform were two others in similarly styled gray robes, serving as Element Testing officers.
The one who urged her was relatively young with a pale complexion, as if he hadn't seen sunlight for years; the other was slightly older, giving off a less arrogant vibe than the first.
Behind the testing officers was an iron booth resembling a phone booth, presumably the machine for testing aptitude levels.
Li Yi nudged Li Xing lightly, whispering: "Go on. Don't be nervous, follow the Element Testing Instrument's prompt instructions." Li Xing nodded.
"No matter the result, don't feel stressed; after all, ordinary people make up the majority in this world."
"Mm." Li Xing gave Li Yi a big smile, trotting up the steps towards the gray-robed men.
The pale-faced testing officer verified Li Xing's ID, then gestured to the iron booth, saying: "Go in."
Li Xing opened the door and stepped inside. While the machine appeared large, its interior was narrow, only enough for one person. In front was an operation panel, devoid of buttons, with only a hand-shaped recess.
Li Xing followed the prompt instruction, placing her hand in. As the machine buzzed, an electric sensation tingled in her palm, simultaneously, Little Fatty in her Dantian seemed to sense something, the oil lamp-sized flame slightly expanding and then continuing its slumber.
At this moment, the display outside of the machine suddenly lit up with a red glow, the color becoming denser and brighter, the expressions of the two gray-robed men turned from solemn to surprised, the younger one gulped, looking at Li Yi with eyes no longer arrogant.
Finally, the redness stabilized, the center of the screen slowly revealed a golden dazzling character—A!
The slightly older testing officer nodded slightly towards Li Yi, but unfortunately, Li Yi was too excited, his heart and eyes entirely captivated by that "A" character, not noticing.
"Fire Elemental Spirit, Grade A."