The bright sun shone down, blazing like fire.
Red Maple Valley, White Stone Town.
The annual Spirit Testing Ceremony had arrived as scheduled.
A massive crowd of mortals gathered at the outskirts of the town's grand square, all eyes fixed on its center, not daring to breathe heavily.
This was because there, an Immortal Master from the valley was testing the spirits of the town's eligible youths.
"Qi Chuan, Lower Eighth Grade Spirit Root."
In the center of the square, upon seeing the results of this batch of youths, the Immortal Master spoke in a calm voice that echoed in all directions.
Upon hearing this, there was a stir among the crowd surrounding the square, accompanied by some soft gasps.
For they all knew that possessing a spirit root meant the possibility of cultivating immortality.
From now on, this young man named Qi Chuan could shed his mortal status and become one of the esteemed Immortal Masters.
They also once had the opportunity, having participated in the Spirit Testing Ceremony at the age of ten. Unfortunately, not everyone is fortunate enough to have a spirit root.
They could only remain in White Stone Town for life, having more children in hopes of one of their descendants possessing a spirit root.
"I... I really have a spirit root!"
Meanwhile, in the Spirit Testing Array at the center of the square, encompassed by a faint glow, a handsome young man opened his eyes, murmuring to himself, a look of disbelief and joy in his eyes.
The young man was named Qi Chuan, not originally from this world but from a blue planet, a web novel writer who spent his days burning the midnight oil writing until he died suddenly. Ten years ago, he transmigrated and was born into a Cultivation Clan, the Qi Family of Red Maple Valley, in a mortal town.
Ever since learning that this was an Immortal World, Qi Chuan had yearned for cultivation and eternal life.
But the odds of having a spirit root were too low; among ordinary mortals, it was one in ten thousand.
Although he was a member of the Qi Family, with cultivator blood flowing through his veins, more likely about one percent, the hope was still slim.
Thus, for the past ten years since he transmigrated, Qi Chuan's heart has been filled with anxiety over whether or not he had a spirit root.
If not, he would remain a mortal for life.
Of course, even as a mortal, with the protection of the cultivators from the Qi Family, barring any surprises, he could live a peaceful life, marry, have children, and eventually die of illness.
But this was not what Qi Chuan truly desired.
Fortunately, perhaps due to his identity as a transmigrator, there was some trace of providence at work; he was not left without a spirit root.
"But this Lower Eighth Grade Spirit Root is a bit too low!"
As Qi Chuan understood, spirit roots were divided into nine grades: one to three were the highest, four to six were average, and seven to nine were the lowest.
An Eighth Grade Spirit Root was not the worst, but it was close.
This didn't quite match his identity as a transmigrator.
As a transmigrator, shouldn't he have a First Grade Spirit Root, astonishing everyone by seizing first place in the Spirit Testing Ceremony, and thereafter, smoothly cultivating immortality toward the pinnacle of the path?
Something must be wrong with this Spirit Testing Array...
"Forget it, Eight Grade is Eight Grade. At least I can cultivate; as long as I have some luck and gather some opportunities, immortality shouldn't be a problem."
Qi Chuan ended his reverie and accepted reality.
However, just then, before his eyes, a line of text slowly appeared.
[Hundredfold Critical Strike Loading: 0%]
"This is..."
Upon seeing this, Qi Chuan was stunned.
In the next moment, the numbers on the text fluctuated again.
[Hundredfold Critical Strike Loading: 1%]
"So it's a Golden Finger..."
A moment later, Qi Chuan came back to his senses and then smiled slightly.
It's widely known that transmigrators have a Golden Finger, except for the unlucky ones.
A Lower Eighth Grade Spirit Root didn't match his transmigrator status, but with this Golden Finger, it greatly matched.
With a Golden Finger, immortality was just around the corner!
"However, this Golden Finger still needs some time to load. Hundredfold Critical Strike... Hmm, I wonder what kind of Golden Finger it will turn out to be?"
Qi Chuan felt a little curious inside.
He hoped it would be a good Golden Finger, preferably one that let him take it easy and lie flat, avoiding battles outside—a notable danger of the cultivation realm.
He glanced at the loading progress, noticing it jumped occasionally, loading quickly; it might just take less than half a day to fully load, at which point the effect would become clear.
Thus, Qi Chuan set his mind at ease.
Then, he turned his gaze to the Spirit Testing Array.
This Array was not very large; the actual area for testing spirits could only accommodate a few people at a time.
At present, besides Qi Chuan, there were two others, both around ten years old, bearing expressions of disappointment.
The faint glow around Qi Chuan was gradually fading away, while there was no movement beside the other two—could it be they had no spirit roots?
"Qi Chuan stays; you two may leave."
Indeed, not far from the array, a Qi Family Immortal Master in a Daoist Robe stood with hands behind his back, calmly announcing their fate.
The two dared not disobey, respectfully bowing before leaving, crestfallen.
Qi Chuan then stepped out of the array and stood to the side.
He wasn't in the first group tested; there stood another boy with a dark complexion.
"Hello, brother, you also have a spirit root, right?"
Upon seeing this, Qi Chuan clasped his hands slightly curious.
"Elder Brother Qi, I am Qi Li, with a Lower Ninth Grade Spirit Root, not comparable to your Eighth Grade Spirit Root. As fellow Qi Family members, I hope you can take care of me in the future."
Qi Li saluted seriously, directly addressing Qi Chuan as elder brother, with a glint of envy in his eyes.
"Uh... I am Qi Chuan, well, well, we should look after each other."
Qi Chuan hesitated; whether it's Eighth or Ninth Grade, there isn't much difference, is there? The two are both ten years old; who's to say who is elder or younger.
The two stood in awkward silence.
The Spirit Testing Array was still in operation, testing in groups of three, with the Immortal Master's voice occasionally echoing.
"No spirit root, all step back."
"All step back."
"All step back."
"Lower Ninth Grade Spirit Root can stay."
...
"Dear Elder Brothers, I am Qi Fire, with a Lower Ninth Grade Spirit Root. As fellow Qi Family members, I hope you will look after me."
Soon, another boy in black robes stepped out of the array, clasping his hands toward Qi Chuan and Qi Li.
"Qi Li, Lower Ninth Grade Spirit Root, we should take care of each other." Qi Li looked at Qi Fire and raised his hand in return.
"Well said, I'm just a Lower Eighth Grade Spirit Root, after all; Eighth and Ninth are the same, let's look after each other in the future." Qi Chuan clasped his hands in return.
"Elder Brother, you have an Eighth Grade Spirit Root!"
Hearing this, Qi Fire gaped at Qi Chuan before nodding and standing aside.
Now, Qi Li and Qi Fire stood to Qi Chuan's left and right, giving an impression that he was subtly taking the lead.
Qi Chuan stood with hands at his side, scanning left and right, feeling a bit unnatural.
In the perilous cultivation realm, standing out too much is never good; as the saying goes, "The tall tree in the forest bears the brunt of the wind."
He furrowed his brows and quietly stepped back, retreating behind them.
Given White Stone Town's size, at most perhaps a hundred or two ten-year-old children attend each year, testing three at a time finishes quickly.
Four more people emerged one after another from the array, both male and female, all possessing Lower Ninth Grade Spirit Roots.
After exchanging brief pleasantries, they stood aside, forming a sort of cohort with Qi Li and Qi Fire, vaguely centering around Qi Chuan.
"What kind of Seven-Star Array is this?!"
Qi Chuan, seeing himself encircled, leaving no room to retreat, was at a loss for words.
Originally, he thought that with a Lower Eighth Grade Spirit Root, he was already pretty bad, that with so many people at the ceremony, there would naturally be others with better roots to overshadow him.
But to his surprise, he ended up taking first place!
"Congratulations, Brother Qi Chuan, for taking first in the Spirit Testing Ceremony. Should you become prosperous, don't forget us!" Qi Li couldn't help but offer heartfelt congratulations.
"Congratulations, Brother Qi Chuan, for taking first in the Spirit Testing Ceremony. Should you become prosperous, don't forget us!"
Hearing this, Qi Fire was taken aback and spoke up as well, not wanting to be outdone.
Witnessing this, the remaining four exchanged glances and promptly echoed their congratulations to Qi Chuan.
Qi Chuan fell silent, not knowing how to respond for a time.
Aren't these people a bit out of their minds?
He looked around, hoping for another Immortal Seed to emerge, even a Lower Seventh Grade Spirit Root to steal his thunder.
But the spirit testing had concluded; there could be no more Immortal Seeds found.
"Alas, it seems I'm just too outstanding..."
Qi Chuan couldn't help but sigh, accepting reality.