As the test began, Disciples stepped forward one by one to retest their Spiritual Roots.
The initial selection used relatively crude Spiritual Root testing tools, which could only detect Mystic Spiritual Roots at most. Anything beyond a Mystic Spiritual Root could not be detected, hence the need for this retest.
Initially, there weren't many surprises; most were Mystic Spiritual Roots. A few were quite good among Mystic Spiritual Roots, but none reached the Earthly Spiritual Root level.
These Disciples had clear goals. After completing their tests, most directly applied to the Peaks they wished to join, and the Elders of those Peaks were quite satisfied.
Dozens of Disciples were tested in a row, but not a single one wished to join Seven Stars Peak.
Qin Xiao also knew that these Disciples came with specific goals, and there was no need for him to try and snatch them, which would only bring humiliation. His main targets this time were the undecided Disciples; as long as he could offer enough Spirit Stones, there was still a good chance to secure them.
Soon, most of the Disciples had completed their retests, with only one person left. No Earthly Spiritual Root Disciples appeared in between; all were Mystic Spiritual Roots.
Fortunately, there were still some wavering Disciples who hadn't made an immediate choice, so Qin Xiao wasn't too flustered. He only needed to recruit one Disciple to save Seven Stars Peak.
The last Disciple was a woman. She slowly walked to the retest platform, gently extended her left hand, and placed it on the testing stone.
Immediately, a purple light shot into the sky, a reaction more intense than anyone else's before.
"Heavenly Spiritual Root?"
The first to react was Sect Master Lin Tiancheng, because he too had entered Tian Yuan Sect with a Heavenly Spiritual Root. In just a few decades, he had already reached the Late Stage of Soul Transformation and successfully ascended to the position of Sect Master.
"Yun Man, Heavenly Spiritual Root."
After his initial surprise, Tenth Elder Lu Wenrui immediately announced the result.
"What? Heavenly Spiritual Root?"
"Heaven truly helps our Tian Yuan Sect! Our Tian Yuan Sect is about to gain another Heavenly Spiritual Root Disciple."
"Excellent, excellent! This Disciple, my Immortal Sword Peak wants her."
"My Immortal Cloud Peak wants her too."
As Lu Wenrui's voice faded, the Elders all spoke up, expressing their desires.
"I should have been more reserved. I can't believe even a remote place like this gets so excited over a Heavenly Spiritual Root."
Looking at the expressions of the Elders, Yun Man felt a touch of regret.
"What? Heavenly Spiritual Root? No, I must secure her! This is a Heavenly Spiritual Root!"
Qin Xiao hadn't held much hope initially. This time, he simply wanted to recruit one or two Disciples to ensure Seven Stars Peak's survival first. He never expected a Heavenly Spiritual Root Disciple to appear directly. Wouldn't that allow him to unlock new resources?
"Yun Man, are you willing to join my Immortal Sword Peak? This old man will certainly provide you with the best resources."
Grand Elder Yao Tiansheng was the first to ask.
"My Immortal Cloud Peak is no worse than Immortal Sword Peak. If you join my Immortal Cloud Peak, this old man will take you as a Personal Disciple, and your resources will certainly not be less than others'."
Second Elder Yao Yongzhi also quickly said.
"Second Brother, what do you mean? Are you trying to snatch her from me?"
Grand Elder Yao Tiansheng immediately said, displeased.
"Big Brother, what do you mean by snatching? This is the Sect's Disciple recruitment; every Peak has the right."
Yao Yongzhi had no intention of backing down.
From their names, it could be seen that these two were related and both shared the surname Yao. In fact, both were adopted sons and Personal Disciples of Grand Elder Yao Zhan, and both possessed top-tier Earthly Spiritual Root talent.
"Second Elder is right. My Immortal Artifact Peak also wishes to accept her as a Disciple."
Kang Zhengye quickly chimed in. A Heavenly Spiritual Root Disciple was even more important than lifting the restriction on Seven Stars Peak.
Other Elders also joined the discussion, all wanting to secure Yun Man.
Sect Master Lin Tiancheng also wanted to speak, but seeing the Elders arguing so heatedly, he felt it was inappropriate to intervene further.
"Yun Man, I wonder if you'd be interested in joining my Seven Stars Peak? The benefits are absolutely generous, certainly no less than what they're offering."
While the other Elders were arguing, Qin Xiao walked directly in front of Yun Man and asked her.
"Oh? Although this is my first time entering the Sect, I have heard rumors about Seven Stars Peak. I wonder what kind of benefits Seven Stars Peak can offer?"
Since Yun Man had decided to join Tian Yuan Sect, she had naturally done some basic research.
She needed to quickly improve her Cultivation. As for Cultivation Techniques, Spiritual Artifacts, and the like, she had her own. What she needed was a large amount of Cultivation resources. This was also why she hadn't made an immediate choice; as long as she didn't make a decision, those Peak Masters would surely bid against each other, maximizing her benefits.
"No matter what price they offer, I'll offer more than them."
Qin Xiao didn't dare to be overconfident, so he could only give a vague answer first.
After all, the System had only been activated for just over an hour, and he currently only had a little over four thousand Spirit Stones.
"Qin Xiao, what are you doing? Come back! As a Peak Master, what kind of decorum is that?"
The Grand Elder, with his sharp eyes, saw Qin Xiao talking to Yun Man and immediately shouted.
"Exactly! Your Seven Stars Peak is dirt poor, yet you still want to compete with us for a Heavenly Spiritual Root Disciple? Are you crazy from wanting Disciples so badly? Is a Heavenly Spiritual Root something your Seven Stars Peak can even touch?"
Seeing this, Kang Zhengye stopped arguing with the other Elders and directly shouted at Qin Xiao.
The other Elders also stopped arguing. They knew that arguing further would yield no results; ultimately, it still depended on Yun Man's decision.
"Don't be so quick to agree. What if my offer is even higher?"
Seeing that both the Grand Elder and the Third Elder were scolding him, Qin Xiao could only return to his seat dejectedly after leaving that remark.
"Everyone, since you all wish to accept her into your respective Peaks, let's adopt a fair method: each of you present your conditions, and the Disciple will choose for herself."
Sect Master Lin Tiancheng, seeing that the Elders had stopped arguing, proposed this.
"That's excellent. The conditions my Immortal Sword Peak offers are: one High Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Azure Spirit Sword, a monthly stipend of one thousand Spirit Stones, and three hundred Medicinal Pills for Cultivation at the same Realm."
Grand Elder Yao Tiansheng was the first to present his conditions.
"Big Brother, what a generous hand! A High Grade Spiritual Artifact is worth no less than fifty thousand Spirit Stones, plus a thousand Spirit Stones monthly, and three hundred Medicinal Pills for the same Realm. Even if they're not top-grade Qi Cultivation Pills, even High Grade Qi Cultivation Pills are worth thirty each, so three hundred would be nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones."
Second Elder Yao Yongzhi, upon hearing the price offered by his Elder brother, couldn't help but feel a pang of pain, because he had to offer an even higher price than his Elder brother.
"Second Brother, this isn't my final offer. Your Immortal Cloud Peak can't even afford this much, can it?"
Grand Elder Yao Tiansheng replied with a look of determination.
"Big Brother, who said my Immortal Cloud Peak can't afford it? Your offer is only around sixty thousand Spirit Stones. I won't be as complicated as you, listing so many things. My Immortal Cloud Peak offers seventy thousand Spirit Stones. Within seventy thousand Spirit Stones, she can exchange for any resources she wants."
Yao Yongzhi naturally wouldn't admit defeat. It was only a few tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, and it wasn't a long-term expenditure. The subsequent monthly expenses would only be a little over ten thousand.
"That's good. My Immortal Artifact Peak offers seventy-five thousand, and as her Cultivation improves, my Immortal Artifact Peak will also reward her with High Grade Spiritual Artifacts."
Kang Zhengye naturally wouldn't back down. He immediately added five thousand and also included the subsequent addition of High Grade Spiritual Artifacts.
Once Kang Zhengye's price was announced, the other Peaks dared not bid. The High Grade Spiritual Artifact alone was already worth over one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. It wasn't that the other Peaks couldn't afford it, but it was just the beginning, and they didn't want to enter the bidding at this point, as it would only increase the price without any real benefit.
Qin Xiao's scalp was already tingling a bit at this point. In such a short time, the bids had already reached over a hundred thousand. Fortunately, he had activated the System; otherwise, these hundred thousand-plus Spirit Stones would undoubtedly be an astronomical figure for him.
"My Seven Stars Peak offers two hundred thousand Spirit Stones."
After a moment's deliberation, Qin Xiao also made an offer. He had to let Yun Man know that he could afford it, otherwise, she really wouldn't consider him.