As time passed.
The team that was originally out of sight was now clearly visible, and through the tests, more and more youths with qualified Aptitude appeared, totaling fifteen youths.
Cheng Bu Zheng roughly estimated the time in his Heart-Nature; it would be over in another hour, which would be around sunset.
From morning until sunset, a total of six hours had passed.
Suddenly.
A strange sound echoed among the crowd of youths who had passed the test.
"Gugu.."
The sturdy youth, who had endured hunger for a long time, showed a look of shame on his face; although he didn't speak, his stomach uncooperatively expressed its need for food.
Upon hearing this.
The youths standing beside the Immortal looked at each other, and instantly, it was as if an invisible pact had been formed.
"Gugu.."
"Gugu.."
"Gugu.."
Cheng Bu Zheng's stomach also voiced its opinion, and with a tacit understanding, they all looked towards the Immortal on the side.
Immediately.
That strange sound was like a symphony.
The young Immortal was stunned when he heard the strange sound, then as if he remembered something, he smiled slightly and said.
"I forgot that you are still Mortals and need to eat every day. This is a Bigu Pill, one per person, enough for you not to eat for a month!"
As he spoke, he touched the small pouch at his waist, holding a long-necked porcelain bottle in his hand, poured fifteen Spirit Pills into his palm, and then flicked his hand.
The fifteen Spirit Pills seemed to have eyes, floating in front of each youth, no more, no less, one for each person.
"We thank the Immortal!"
The young Immortal waved his hand and said:
"There's no need for that. From now on, we are all fellow disciples. You are all my Junior Brother. You can just call me Elder Huang!
Immortal is what Mortals call us. We are cultivators whose goal is Immortal Ascension.
You all rest for a bit; I still need to continue testing here!"
"Thank you... Elder Huang!"
The youths eagerly took the Spirit Pills in front of them and consumed them.
Cheng Bu Zheng suppressed his curiosity and likewise took the Spirit Pill floating in front of him. This was the first time he had seen one, so he didn't rush to consume it but carefully examined it.
He knew that this Spirit Pill was definitely the lowest-grade Spirit Pill, but it was not something a Mortal could possess.
This Spirit Pill was unremarkable, appearing dark black with a faint glow emanating from its surface, clearly showing the magical means of an Immortal.
At this moment, his stomach protested again.
"Gugu.."
Cheng Bu Zheng no longer delayed and consumed the first Spirit Pill he had ever obtained in his life. The Bigu Pill melted upon entering his mouth, like a warm current, warming his entire digestive system.
Instantly, he no longer felt any hunger.
The Medicinal Pills of cultivators were indeed incredibly miraculous and highly effective.
As the sun set, over half an hour passed in a blink of an eye. There were only a few scattered teams left in the square, with an occasional youth anxiously jogging in from outside.
The testing speed was very fast. After two quarters of an hour, no more youths entered the square.
At this moment, the black-robed elder, who had been sitting cross-legged in the center and had not spoken a single word from beginning to end, opened his eyes and scanned the youths who had passed the test.
When the seemingly Immortal-like elder's gaze fell on him, Cheng Bu Zheng's hair immediately stood on end, feeling as if he had been targeted by a primeval beast. If he hadn't known that this elder was on their side, he estimated he would have run as far as possible.
As the black-robed elder's gaze left him, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "Is this a cultivator? I can barely withstand just a glance!"
The black-robed elder said hoarsely: "How many people were recruited this time?"
"Reporting to Uncle-Master Ding, Ping'an County recruited fourteen Four Spiritual Roots and two Three Spiritual Roots this time, totaling sixteen people," Elder Huang respectfully replied.
"Not bad. To be able to recruit so many promising candidates this year has exceeded my expectations. In the past, it was only three to five people. It's a pity there isn't a single Dual Spiritual Root!"
Uncle-Master Ding looked regretful as he gazed at the youths.
"You now have one hour to go back and bid farewell to your relatives. After one hour, we will depart immediately. Those who don't need to say goodbye can wait here!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
A handsome youth respectfully bowed and said:
"Junior Martial Uncle, I'm going out to bid farewell to my parents!"
Uncle-Master Ding casually glanced at the youth and said indifferently:
"It's too early to call me Junior Martial Uncle now. Call me that after you officially join the School!"
Upon hearing this, the handsome youth was stunned, then immediately reacted and said:
"Yes, Senior, I will withdraw!"
Uncle-Master Ding closed his eyes again, no longer bothering with the youths who had just passed the test.
Before long, seventeen youths, one after another, had basically left. Before leaving, they still respectfully bowed to Uncle-Master Ding, who was sitting cross-legged and resting with his eyes closed, before departing.
Cheng Bu Zheng, however, did not leave. What if he encountered an accident at this moment? Wouldn't he lose a great Opportunity? Moreover, his relatives were not by his side, and the clothes left in the inn were all worthless items. It would be a pity to abandon the dyes made from medicinal herbs.
But it was not enough for him to leave at this critical moment to retrieve the three porcelain bottles of dye.
He believed that the Immortal possessed enough deterrent power to prevent those powerful Families from acting rashly. Although the possibility of an accident was very small, it was still better to be safe.
As Cheng Bu Zheng secretly lamented the few bottles of dye in his Heart-Nature, he noticed that only one youth, dressed in coarse linen, had not left, just like him.
This youth was quite sturdy and had a somewhat simple and honest face. This person had Four Spiritual Roots. Was it that his relatives were not in the county town, or was this person cautious in his Heart-Nature?
There were only two youths with Three Spiritual Roots: one was him, and the other was the handsome youth who spoke first.
He still understood the principle of 'rarity makes value'. Three Spiritual Roots should have better Aptitude than Four Spiritual Roots.
The Spiritual Root Aptitude was exactly the same as the setting in the popular web novel "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" in his previous life, but he wondered what differences there would be later.
Miscellaneous thoughts constantly flashed through his mind.
After more than half an hour, all the youths returned to the square one after another. They dared not wait until the last moment to arrive.
The wrath of a Junior Martial Uncle was not something they, as newcomers who had just joined the School, could afford to bear.
Uncle-Master Ding, who had been sitting cross-legged and resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes the moment all the youths had arrived, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.
Uncle-Master Ding stood up, looked at the youths, and said expressionlessly: "Since everyone is here, let's depart!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
Uncle-Master Ding brushed his hand over the small pouch at his waist, and a palm-sized jade boat appeared in his hand. He flicked his hand, and the jade boat expanded against the wind.
In the blink of an eye, a giant jade boat, over a hundred zhang long, quietly floated above the square.