A massive crystal ball floated within the main hall.
A white-robed old man with an immortal aura stood behind the crystal ball, holding a thick volume of ancient texts and a peculiar brush.
Each person who stepped forward to be tested would touch the crystal ball, and it would glow with different colors.
Afterward, the white-robed old man with an immortal aura would use his brush to write something in the thick volume.
Finally, it was Yang Che’s turn.
Yang Che took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and walked to the crystal ball.
“What is your name?” the white-robed old man asked, his expression calm.
“Yang Che.”
“Which Yang, which Che?” the old man continued to ask.
“The Yang of ‘Mu Yi’ (wood-easy), and the Che of ‘Qing Che’ (clear).”
“Hmm.” The old man immediately wielded his brush and wrote the characters ‘Yang Che’ in the ancient texts.
“Place your hand on the testing crystal,” the old man’s voice remained flat, devoid of joy or sorrow.
Yang Che placed his right hand on the crystal ball as instructed.
The entire crystal ball suddenly began to flicker erratically, then, with a ‘bang,’ it shattered.
The white-robed old man was greatly astonished, a look of confusion on his face.
Then, he lightly tapped a peculiar grey cloth pouch at his waist, and another crystal ball identical to the previous one appeared.
“Continue and test again.”
As the old man spoke, his eyes were fixed on Yang Che’s hands.
Yang Che was also greatly puzzled, thinking that perhaps the crystal ball had been tested too many times and just happened to break when it was his turn?
He once again placed his right hand on the crystal ball as instructed, only to see the crystal ball suddenly flicker erratically again, then, with a ‘bang,’ it shattered once more.
“This…”
A look of disbelief flashed in the old man’s eyes.
He pondered for a moment, took out a yellow paper, and muttered a few incantations. The yellow paper quickly transformed into a stream of light and vanished without a trace.
After a while, another white-haired, blue-robed old man walked into the main hall.
Upon seeing the blue-robed old man, the white-robed old man immediately cupped his hands and bowed, saying, “Junior Martial Uncle Mu, this child’s Immortal Root is quite strange. My crystal ball cannot test his Aptitude at all. Please, Junior Martial Uncle, test him personally.”
The blue-robed old man let out an ‘oh’ of surprise, then turned his gaze to Yang Che and said, “Stretch out your hand.”
Yang Che felt a little uneasy, but extended his right hand as instructed.
The old man placed his hand on Yang Che’s wrist, closed his eyes to sense for a moment, and when he opened them again, a brilliant light burst forth from his eyes.
However, a look of regret then appeared on his face as he said, “What a pity, what a pity, it’s truly a pity. Such a great pity.”
The blue-robed old man’s string of ‘what a pity’ left not only Yang Che bewildered, but the white-robed old man was also confused. He cupped his hands and asked, “Junior Martial Uncle Mu, what is the pity?”
The blue-robed old man stroked his grey beard and said, “This child actually possesses the rare Mutated Dual Immortal Roots. It is truly too rare.”
“Mutated Dual Immortal Roots? Can two types of Mutated Immortal Roots appear at the same time?” The white-robed old man with an immortal aura was perplexed.
“If these Mutated Dual Immortal Roots had appeared in the ancient Cultivation era, they would absolutely be a Heaven-Defying Aptitude. But in the current era, resources are truly scarce, and with such Immortal Root Aptitude, Foundation Establishment is truly hopeless, making it an ‘ominous’ Aptitude. That is why this old man said it was a pity. This young man was born in the wrong era.”
The blue-robed old man still shook his head regretfully, his tone full of sighs.
“Junior Martial Uncle Mu, how should this young man be arranged?” the white-robed old man asked, cupping his hands.
The blue-robed old man stroked his beard, pondered for a long while, then slowly said, “After all, he came with my Wulong Valley’s dragon order, so he should still be admitted into the Valley normally. You can arrange his Immortal Cave and miscellaneous tasks.”
“Yes, Junior Martial Uncle Mu.”
The white-robed old man respectfully saw off the white-haired, blue-robed old man.
He then looked at Yang Che with great pity, finally shaking his head helplessly, and said:
“Yang Che, you possess the ‘Mutated Dark Thunder’ Dual Immortal Root Aptitude. Even if you had one less Immortal Root, you could directly become a Core Disciple of our Valley. But you just heard what your Grandmaster Mu said; precisely because you have an extra Mutated Immortal Root, you have no hope of Foundation Establishment. This Aptitude is just…”
The old man with an immortal aura picked up the peculiar brush and wrote ‘Mutated Dark Thunder Dual Immortal Roots, Aptitude: Ominous’ after Yang Che’s name in the ancient texts.
Then, after some thought, he handed Yang Che an identity token representing a Disciple within the Valley, and continued, “From this moment on, you are an official Disciple of my Wulong Valley.”
“However, you can only choose an unoccupied courtyard in ‘Sunset Gorge’ to be your Cultivation Immortal Cave.”
As he spoke, the white-robed old man handed Yang Che a Jade Slip, and continued, “This Jade Slip specifies the items you can claim, as well as the miscellaneous tasks you need to complete each month.”
Yang Che silently accepted it.
Ever since the white-haired, blue-robed old man had spoken those words, he had fallen silent, not speaking a word.
The phrase ‘no hope of Foundation Establishment in this life’ greatly struck him, making his mood heavy.
Although he couldn't fully understand its meaning, he vaguely comprehended something.
Walking out of the majestic and solemn main hall, another person led him and some newly registered Disciples to collect a few items, after which this person specifically escorted him to Sunset Gorge.
A sense of desolation washed over him.
Sunset Gorge, within the entire Wulong Valley Sect, was the furthest and also the place with the worst Spiritual Qi.
Walking into Sunset Gorge, Yang Che found it to be very quiet; he couldn't even see a single person.
At this moment, after collecting a few items earlier, his mood had already improved considerably.
Regarding the matter of Aptitude, he had also figured it out; at least for now, he felt he had no problems with his Cultivation.
As for living in Sunset Gorge, it was only temporary.
The Jade Slip stated that as long as enough miscellaneous tasks were completed to reach a certain amount of Sect Contribution Points, he could move out of here and establish an Immortal Cave in a better place.
Yang Che quickly found an unoccupied courtyard nestled by a mountain and stream to be his current Cultivation Immortal Cave.
The plaque on the courtyard gate read ‘Wangxi Residence,’ apparently the name of this courtyard.
After tidying up, the entire courtyard looked brand new.
The courtyard was divided into a front and back yard, with a total of four wooden houses, three large and one small.
There was a main hall, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a small outhouse.
In the front yard, there was an unused medicinal field. According to the Jade Slip, one could choose to plant medicinal herbs as a miscellaneous task option.
To plant medicinal herbs, one first needed to go to the Sect’s ‘Hundred Crafts Hall’ to collect a required quantity of Seeds and register them. As long as the corresponding mature medicinal herbs were handed over to the Sect every six months, a certain amount of Sect Contribution Points could be obtained.
However, if the minimum required quantity for submission was not met, the next time the amount to be submitted would be doubled, or previous Contribution Points would be deducted.
Yang Che was well-versed in the Alchemy Notes and also Cultivated the Heaven and Earth Chaos Art, so he naturally chose to plant medicinal herbs without hesitation.
In the bedroom.
Yang Che took out the items he had received earlier, one by one.
The names and functions of these items were all explained in detail in the Jade Slip.
A common low-grade Storage Pouch, a low-grade long sword Magical Artifact, a low-grade leaf-shaped flying Magical Artifact, and a set of daily refining tools.
Yang Che quickly familiarized himself with the use of the Storage Pouch. He injected a trace of magical power, then aimed it at the items. A ray of light sprayed from the pouch's opening, enveloping the items, which then immediately shrunk and were sucked into the Storage Pouch.
After trying it a few times, Yang Che lost interest. He began to carefully consider how his Cultivation should proceed next.
Yang Che deeply felt the lack of knowledge, so he decided to first go to the Sect’s library and read for ten days to half a month before making any further plans.
In his heart, he actually wanted to understand more clearly what exactly was going on with his Mutated Dual Immortal Roots.
After settling down and resting, Yang Che immediately left ‘Wangxi Residence,’ preparing to head straight to the Sect’s ‘Library Pavilion.’