Ninth In the World

When he saw the sorrowful look on Geng Jihua’s face, Di Jiu patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, there are still many other sects. You wait for me. I will get tested first and then come with you to check out the other sects.”

Geng Jihua, who finally came back to his senses, nodded without saying a word.

Di Jiu sighed. Before he could speak, he heard the cultivator of the True Li Sword Sect, who was responsible for the test, say, “Hurry up, you should just be worrying about yourself.”

Di Jiu knew that the man was a bit unhappy, not only because he was moving slow, but also because he had actually suggested seeing other sects in front of the True Li Sword Sect.

Regardless of his Spirit Root potential, Di Jiu naturally needed to get tested first. He walked up to the dharma treasure instrument to measure his Spirit Roots and placed his hands on it.

A clear black light beam rose straight up to the top. The test cultivator suspected that if the dharma treasure had not been only about two feet, the black light beam would have rushed up even higher.

The light beam behind Di Jiu could be seen clearly. The test cultivator looked at it in shock.

A black light beam? What kind of Spirit Root was this?

No one in the True Li Sword Sect, or even the entire polar night mainland, had ever heard of a Spirit Root that produced a black light beam.

As the test cultivator tried to call the elders, the black light beam began to fade until it disappeared completely.

“That was a Collapsing Spirit Root!” a cultivator responsible for recruiting disciples called out.

“What is a Collapsing Spirit Root?” someone asked.

“As soon as the Collapsing Spirit Root absorbs Spirit Qi, the Spirit Qi collapses,” a thick voice said. “It can’t be condensed, so it’s transformed into a cultivation level instead.”

As the voice spoke, a middle-aged man in a gray cultivator gown walked over.

“Deacon Ming.” Several cultivators responsible for recruiting disciples bowed quickly.

The middle-aged man told Di Jiu, “Get down. Then get back up and get tested again.”

Di Jiu was a little confused. His qualifications were very good, so it would take him almost no time to attain the seventh-stage Qi Refinement realm. Based on the time necessary to advance according to the cultivation jade slip, his cultivation speed was definitely fast. His qualifications were just as good. What was the meaning of the Collapsing Spirit Root, though?

“Okay.” When he heard that the Deacon of the True Li Sword Sect would allow him to get tested again, Di Jiu got on the instrument without hesitation.

As another black light beam rose up to the sky, Di Jiu’s eyes were fixed on the Deacon. If he said yes, Di Jiu would enter the True Li Sword Sect, one of the most prestigious sects. If the Deacon said no, then maybe he wouldn’t be able to get into any of the sects.

It was really a black light beam. What kind of Spirit Root was this? The Deacon was just as confused.

He had been cultivating for more than 100 years, yet he had never seen a black light beam. There were only five kinds of roots, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, which were represented by gold, cyan, pale white, red and yellow respectively. The colors for variant Spirit Roots, such as Wind, Thunder, and Ice, were gray, blue, and snow white.

That day was really an eye-opener.

Soon, he noticed that the black light beam behind Di Jiu started to collapse, just like it had during the first test.

Usually, the light beam would not collapse while the tester was still testing the dharma treasure. If it did, then it was a Collapsing Spirit Root. No matter how fast a Collapsing Spirit Root absorbed Spirit Qi, it would eventually collapse, thus making it impossible for the Spirit Qi to be converted into a cultivation level. Even if one worked harder and slower, 90% of the Spirit Qi absorbed would still collapse every time.

Deacon Ming signalled for Di Jiu to put down the dharma treasure and said, “Your Spirit Root is too mottled, which is what causes it to turn black. You also use a Collapsing Spirit Root, so you have obviously failed the test.”

Di Jiu put down the dharma treasure, but did not try to defend himself. If he did not have a black Spirit Root, he would have told the deacon that he could cultivate by himself very fast.

Could a black Spirit Root allow one to cultivate? What if the other party saw his Spiritual Sea? His Spiritual Sea was where his secrets were kept. Even Di Jiu was confused as to why his Spirit Root was black.

“Let’s go visit another sect, Brother Jiu.” Geng Jihua, whose mood had improved a lot, walked over.

“Alright, I will try another sect with you.” Di Jiu did not intend to have another test. If he wanted to enter an immortal sect, he had to first figure out why his Spirit Root color was black.

He didn’t care about having a Collapsing Spirit Root, because he knew that he actually did not. He could absorb Spirit Qi without wasting any of it.

Di Jiu accompanied Geng Jihua to the Thunder Feather Sect, the Tumultuous Sea Sect, the Myriad Dharma Palace, and the Numinous Luo Gate.

Almost all the sects told Geng Jihua the same thing. His variant Spirit Root was too mottled, so he did not qualify.

When all this hustle was over, Geng Jihua looked down in disappointment. He knew that he had no chance.

“There are two more sects. If they don’t accept you, then we’ll find another way.” Di Jiu decided that if Geng Jihua did not pass the test, he would teach him the Major Conduit Internal Records so that they could cultivate together. Geng Jihua still had a Spirit Root, even though its impurities would cause it to cultivate slower.

“Have you passed the test, Moshuang?” Di Jiu took Geng Jihua to the Galaxy Sect’s test area, where they came across Jing Moshuang.

Jing Moshuang was standing in the garrison of the Galaxy Sect, so she had apparently passed the test.

Jing Moshuang sighed as she walked on the first two steps and said, “Yes…”

She did not know what to say. Her triple Spirit Roots were not good, but she fortunately had one pure Spirit Root, so she had been accepted by the Galaxy Sect as an outer sect disciple.

Unlike Di Jiu and Geng Jihua, before she had come to the square to find a sect, she had already known that she possessed a triple Spirit Root and a prominent Water Spirit Root. One of her triple Spirit Roots was pure, so it had not been difficult for her to enter an immortal sect.

She had already chosen the Galaxy Sect beforehand. Most people who knew their spiritual status chose a sect in advance, just like Jing Moshuang. Di Jiu and Geng Jihua were like headless flies. They’d had no prior plans, which made it obvious that they were rookies who did not understand how immortal sects worked.

Jing Moshuang stood there and watched as Di Jiu and Geng Jihua underwent a round of tests on the square.

“Di Jiu, would you like me to help you negotiate so both of you are allowed into the Galaxy Sect as miscellaneous disciples?” Jing Moshuang said, feeling a little embarrassed deep down. She was unsure whether an outer sect disciple like her would be able to persuade the sect to allow Di Jiu and Geng Jihua in as miscellaneous disciples.

Di Jiu was only an acquaintance anyway.

“Ha ha…” Before Di Jiu could answer, a hearty laughter was heard. “Do you know these two, Moshuang? I am the master… What is your name?”

The hearty laughter belonged to an elegant old man who stood like a scholar instead of a cultivator.

“I am Di Jiu. This is Geng Jihua,” Di Jiu said quickly.

“Okay, okay…” the elegant man said repeatedly before he turned and told the cultivator who recruited disciples, “Di Jiu and Geng Jihua are acquainted with Moshuang, so they will be recruited as outer sect disciples, alright?”

“Yes, Elder Yu.” Although the cultivator did not understand, he still stood up quickly and bowed.

Elder Yu nodded at Di Jiu and Geng Jihua before he turned around and left. He was very happy deep down, as he’d had his eye on them for very long. The two of them had visited all the sects on the square before approaching the Galaxy Sect, so he had been really worried that some other sect would recruit them.

The other sects had thought that Di Jiu had a Collapsing Spirit Root, while Geng Jihua had an impure root. However, Yu Jingyan did not agree. Although he did not know what type of Spirit Root was black, it certainly was not an ordinary root. Plus, he had seen a Collapsing Spirit Root before, so he knew that it did not collapse the way Di Jiu’s did.

Geng Jihua’s Thunder Spirit Root might be impure, but its impurity was not that bad. He was sure that his Spirit Root was actually the best on the square.

“Thank you, Senior Sister Moshuang,” Di Jiu told Jing Moshuang quickly. “If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid that Jihua and I would not even have qualified as outer sect disciples.”

Although he thanked Jing Moshuang, deep down Di Jiu was very suspicious. He did not understand how Jing Moshuang, who had just joined the Galaxy Sect, could influence an elder to recruit him and Jihua as outer sect disciples.

Jing Moshuang waved her hand quickly and said, “It was your sincerity that moved the elder. He made an exception by letting you two join the sect. This had little to do with me.”

Jing Moshuang was very intelligent, so she was sure that Di Jiu and Jihua had not joined the Galaxy Sect because of her. Every slot in this immortal sect was very valuable, so no one would have added two outer sect disciples just because of her. Not when she was also a newcomer.

“We finally joined an immortal sect, Brother Jiu!” After registering with the cultivator that recruited disciples, Geng Jihua grabbed Di Jiu excitedly. His whole body was shaking.

He could not believe that he had actually become a disciple of an immortal sect. In the past, even beginners had used to look down on him in his village. Actually, even his own brother and sister had looked down on him.

Di Jiu was just as relieved. He had successfully entered a cultivation sect!