Chapter 6 Shizhong Shitao

The convening of the Immortal Ascension Conference turned the usually quiet town of Qingtao into quite a bustling place.

And the atmosphere reached its peak after the son of the town head was discovered to have a Spirit Root.

Whether it was the parents or the children, it seemed as if the confidence on their faces had increased by a few notches.

However, only Lin Shiming who was on the stage knew that most of the people here would return disappointed, as Spirit Roots were also known as "destiny with immortals."

And such destiny was hardly easy to come by!

After learning from Lin Yang that his Third Spirit Root son was named Lin Zhong, Lin Shiming asked Lin Yang to prepare more and spend more time together.

Once he went up the mountain, it would be a separation between the immortal and the mortal; if Lin Zhong were to come back down the mountain, it would not be until he was at least twenty years old.

As for before that, he would not be allowed to come down from Fangmu Mountain.

As a Third Spirit Root, Lin Zhong was naturally given considerable importance on Fangmu Mountain; barring any surprises, his name would be entered into the clan records as Lin Shizhong.

"Next!"

…

"Next!" As Lin Shiming continued to call for replacements, one after another, the disheartened and bewildered children left.

The scene began to quiet down.

Twenty-nine in a row, and still no new Spirit Root bearers emerged.

Lin Shiqi also took the Spirit Testing Plate from Lin Shiming.

"Old Seven, take it easy, even the Immortal Ascension Conference held once every five years wasn't this strong."

Lin Shiming nodded and didn't say much but took out a Spirit Stone and slowly began to absorb the Spiritual Energy.

It was not until the hundredth person that the second Spirit Root bearer finally appeared—a boy named Lin An. He had just a Quintuple Spirit Root, barely having the chance to become a cultivator.

Still, it caused a great stir at the venue.

The children being tested and the accompanying adults regained their light once again.

From early morning until near dusk.

The more than one hundred fifty times of Spirit Root testing made both Lin Shiming and Lin Shiqi appear exceptionally weary.

Lin Shiming still held some expectations, while Lin Shiqi had already started to go through the motions, no longer believing that the remaining thirty-some people would produce a good Spirit Root bearer.

Most of the children had already been tested, with one Third Spirit Root and two Quintuple Spirit Roots emerging in total.

"Third Sis, you go rest for a bit, I'll take care of the rest!" Lin Shiming could see Lin Shiqi's weariness and depleted hope.

Lin Shiqi nodded and went to the side to quietly recover her magic power.

"Eh!"

Lin Shiming suddenly looked surprised. In front of him, Wang Mazhu appeared sneaking glances, pulling along a shy little girl.

It was the same little girl who had brought him tea yesterday.

Her timid appearance was no different from the day before.

"Immortal Master, this humble one is Wang Mazhu; this is my young daughter. Please trouble the Immortal Master!" Wang Mazhu performed a full prostration with repeated kowtows.

Lin Shiming did not pay attention to Wang Mazhu but instead waved the little girl over.

The little girl placed her hand on the Spirit Testing Plate, and Lin Shiming immediately began guiding with his own Spiritual Energy.

However, in the next moment, red and green lights burst forth from within the girl's body, creating waves of rosy glow, mysterious and extraordinary.

The firewood dual nature aura was unmistakably revealed!

"A Dual Spirit Root genius!" Even Lin Shiqi was left with her eyes wide and her mouth gaping. She had only seen such a halo of light on their eldest brother, Lin Shijie. It was at that moment she realized that not all people are the same.

Some are destined to traverse the path of immortal cultivation, to take a step that allows them to look down upon their peers, while others are meant to be just a backdrop.

That was why she chose to become a Spirit Plant Master, to contribute to the family clan. Even if she turned into a pile of dry bones a hundred years later, with every step the Lin Family took forward, her footprints would remain. She had no regrets; born into the family, she embraced the duty to revitalize it.

Lin Shiming was also somewhat surprised, his expression changing for quite a while.

No matter how hard he racked his brain, the Dual Spirit Root genius turned out to be this timid little girl.

The mortals weren't too bothered, merely aware that another Spirit Root had appeared. In their eyes, Dual and Quintuple Spirit Roots were all the same since no one's Spirit Root could grow legs. Hence, they lacked the concept of better or worse and could only join in the shouts.

Wang Mazhu was the most excited, continuously giving thanks here and there, even to his ancestors and everyone present in a rather exaggerated manner.

But in this moment, no one would ridicule him, and it was even possible that the name Wang Mazhu would cease to exist, replaced by Mr. Mazhu of Qingtao Town.

For every mortal born with a Spirit Root, the Lin Family would ensure a lifetime of glory and wealth, even securing an official position.

Like this time, if Lin Yang and Wang Mazhu wished, Lin Shiming could arrange for them to take up a minor official position in Xing County under the control of the Lin Family, living even more freely and leisurely.

"Girl, do you have a formal name?" Lin Shiming examined the little girl carefully, who clearly still didn't know what the Spirit Root would actually bring her.

She only knew that her life would be much better from now on, and her father would be more satisfied, nothing more.

"No!" the little girl shook her head.

"Your window faces the Spirit Peach Tree, showing your fondness for peach blossoms. Then, let's call you Wang Tao. But after you enter Fangmu Mountain, you'll be called Lin Tao, with the full name Lin Shitao. You can become the first female cultivator of the Shi generation!" Lin Shiming didn't care if the little girl understood what he meant by the first female cultivator of the Shi generation, he simply gave her the concept.

"Lin Tao?" the little girl murmured to herself, repeating it several times. Then she nodded firmly and smiled as she spoke:

"Immortal Master, I am willing to be called that, it sounds nicer than 'girl'!"

"Hmm, but from now on, don't call me Immortal Master, call me Seventh Brother!" Lin Shiming continued chatting with Lin Tao for a while, then called over Lin Zhong and the two other Quintuple Spirit Root bearers to briefly describe life in Fangmu Mountain.

He gave them two days to enjoy a brief reunion with their parents.

As for the dozen or so children yet to be tested, they aroused Lin Shiqi's curiosity, who volunteered to do the testing herself.

However, the results? Not a single one was successful.

After sending everyone away, Lin Shiming took Lin Shiqi and flew towards Qingtao Mountain.

It was getting late, and both had expended a lot of their magical powers, so naturally, they returned to the Formation at Qingtao Mountain to cultivate and replenish.

But all the way, Lin Shiqi bombarded him with questions. In front of mortals, she had held back.

Now, she persistently followed Lin Shiming, asking non-stop, with Lin Shiming becoming greatly troubled, trying to evade her questions.

But a woman's curiosity is clearly beyond Lin Shiming's imagination. In the end, she blurted out an astonishing question:

"Do you like that little girl? Did you specially organize the Immortal Ascension Ceremony for her?"

In an instant, Lin Shiming almost dropped his jaw. He couldn't believe she could come up with such a preposterous guess and say it out loud!

Lin Shiming could only keep explaining, but the more he explained, the more Lin Shiqi became convinced.

She even swore solemnly that she would keep his secret.

Lin Shiming could only silently regret not testing the fifty by himself, which would have drained Lin Shiqi's magical power and left her with no time to bother him.

Indeed, there's truth in the saying that one should not eat too much.

And for cultivators, one's magical powers should not be too abundant!