Chapter Forty-One: The Spiritual Root Transforms Into a Tree

The warm sun was set into the deep blue sky, crawling across the heavens at the pace of a snail.
Rain had fallen last night, moistening not only the city but also the soft hearts of its wandering sons.
A gentle drizzle heralded the day—a sign that today would be grand and unforgettable.
The assembly for the new students had begun!

Upon the Eight Trigrams Plaza, the first test was about to commence.
An elder, standing above all others, produced a palm-sized Black Tortoise Tablet, resembling a turtle shell.
Though the tablet appeared small, its surface was inscribed with countless runes.
When the runes were activated, the divine patterns of the sacred spirit manifested, allowing cultivators to attain sudden enlightenment.

“Begin!”
The elder tossed the Black Tortoise Tablet into the air, pouring his abundant spiritual power into it.
With the combined magic of eight elders, the six thousand participants were divided into six sectors.
Each sector held a thousand candidates, arranged in twenty-five rows and forty columns, spaced five meters apart.
Under the crimson sun, the Black Tortoise Tablet began to expand, until it matched the size of the Eight Trigrams Plaza itself, looming above everyone present.
The oppressive weight made it hard to breathe, and the evenly distributed cultivators fell into a strange, inexplicable panic.
Though the participants were not far from one another, they all, in silent agreement, looked up at the tablet eclipsing the sky.
Ziyan was different. She tilted her head, adjusting her hairpin, and gazed at the place where the sun rose. She stared for a long while and sighed softly:
“Perhaps he truly won’t come after all...”

Restless, Ziyan stamped her foot in frustration, her heart in turmoil; a faint blue water membrane surfaced upon her skin.
“What’s this? Have I transformed water into spirit? Could it be because I absorbed Xu Xing’s blood essence?”
Startled, Ziyan recalled her memories.

The five spiritual roots represent affinity with the five elements. In the past, her ignorance had prevented her from manifesting her water spirit.
It seemed that after consuming Xu Xing’s blood, she had undergone a transformation, though it could not dispel the disappointment in her heart.
“Look! Someone’s already comprehended the divine patterns of the Black Tortoise Tablet—their spiritual root has become a tree! Their fire affinity must be extraordinary!”
A guide exclaimed in awe.

From within a cultivator, a fiery sapling sprouted, growing until it reached three zhang in height.
A leaf from the spiritual root tree drifted down and adhered itself to the cultivator.
He radiated a powerful, blazing aura.

Ziyan glanced around. Everyone with a messenger talisman had closed their eyes in meditation beneath the power of the Black Tortoise Tablet.
“Ah, Xu Xing, if you were here, you’d surely shine bright. You mustn’t fail to come—you’re of the Sin Clan! You’re the heir of the Sin Clan!”
She looked at the empty spot behind her and smiled wryly.

This place today belonged only to the youth who rode his sword beneath the moon, and to no one else.

—

“Sister of the Water Faction, we’re all from the Water Spirit branch of the academy. There’s no need to fall out over an outsider. Why not help us drive Xu Xing out of the academy?”
Li Chunyi stood up from a pool of blood, miraculously unscathed, the seared brand on his body already vanished.

“In your dreams! You’ll never understand the brilliance of hard-won success. The ones you recruit are beyond your control! You’re nothing but a dog.”
Ziyan glared at him, her lips red and tongue white, her voice fierce.

“So what? As long as I get the reward. These are just the new students’ prizes—don’t you know what we guides receive? Tell you what: if you promise to help drive him out of North Sea Academy, I’ll share with you the second volume of the Divine Origin Secret Art. How about it?”

“Don’t even think about it. I’d risk my life to support Xu Xing. I want him to walk my path and become a god. I don’t care about your damned rewards. All I want is for him to grow and for you rats to be cast out!”

These were the true feelings in Ziyan’s heart; her resolve had already changed.
Ever since learning Xu Xing was of the Sin-blooded line, she had sworn to help him blaze a brilliant trail.
Even if Xu Xing could not attend the new student assembly, she would use all her strength to ensure he stood on a greater stage in the future.
Even if it meant sacrificing her own interests!

Words unspoken spoke volumes, though Li Chunyi muttered on endlessly.
Ziyan would not be swayed by him; she only wished for the assembly to end so she could return to the residence and find Xu Xing.
She wanted to do something—however small—to make up for his absence at the North Sea Academy’s initiation.

Beneath the Black Tortoise Tablet, all the new students began to shine, some comprehending the divine patterns and seeing their spiritual roots shoot up like bamboo after rain.
The tablet eclipsed most of the crimson sunlight.
The six sectors glowed resplendently, dazzling lights bursting forth in all directions.
Thousands revealed their spiritual roots, the brilliance illuminating the Eight Trigrams Plaza with majestic radiance.

Before long, an hour had passed.
Most spiritual roots had ceased growing, stopping at three zhang after insight into the tablet’s mysterious totems.
At this moment, names began to be engraved, one after another, on the Black Tortoise Tablet.

Ordinary cultivators whose roots reached three zhang would see a sturdy sapling appear, emanating a faint glow.
But a youth in the fifth sector stood apart. His spiritual root did not stop at three zhang, but kept growing—
Three, five, ten zhang.
Thirty, a hundred, a hundred and ten.
Only at one hundred and ten zhang did it halt, the sapling transformed into a towering ancient tree, commanding awe.
The tree radiated golden light in abundance.

The sight moved Ziyan deeply—the ancient tree was magnificent, awe-inspiring.
Looking down at its massive roots, her heart jolted, and she exclaimed in astonishment:
“Why is it him?”

The one whose spiritual root had become an ancient tree was none other than the young father who had sold candied hawthorn in the city.
Now, his entire being glowed with bright golden light, piercing and radiant.

—

Ziyan owed her recognition of him to Zhou Lingya, who had taken her to buy his candied hawthorn one day; otherwise, she would not have remembered the humble street vendor.

The Black Tortoise Tablet trembled, some of its characters cracking and becoming permanent upon its surface, visible to all.
Cang Kun, rank eight, spiritual root length: one hundred and ten zhang. Root type: composite.

An uproar swept through the crowd, and the guides whispered excitedly among themselves.

“What? A spiritual root tree of a hundred and ten zhang is only ranked ninth? What other monstrous geniuses are yet to emerge? Last year, such a height would have placed in the top five!”

“No, what’s truly terrifying is his composite root—he can command several elements.”

“He’s stronger than anyone in our year.”

“Ah, to think of those few luminaries in the past—they were truly the ones who shook North Sea Academy. But lately they’ve all gone into seclusion and rarely appear.”

“What does that mean? Go curry favor with her! If you succeed, our lives here will be much easier.”

The crowd marveled at the extraordinary talent on display.

“If only I could go back, I’d be sure to get close to this seemingly ordinary boy.”

The first towering tree had appeared. The plaza grew restless, everyone speculating where the next ancient tree would emerge.

Ziyan was not interested in Cang Kun’s achievement; instead, she anxiously watched the youth standing behind Li Chunyi.
The boy, eyes closed, radiated a strength that even those who had cultivated in the academy for a year found daunting.
A surging, scorching aura flowed from within him.

Ziyan couldn’t help but fear that he might seek revenge on Xu Xing.
She had investigated this youth: the people behind him were connected to the sect masters of the three great sects. The thought made her scalp tingle.

Seeing Ziyan’s timid glance, Li Chunyi pressed his advantage:
“You see? I wasn’t lying. Young Lord Mo’s strength and talent are unmatched. I advise you to join us and help expel Xu Xing from North Sea Academy!”

“Never—unless you step over my corpse, he will never leave North Sea Academy.”

“Stupid bitch.”

Turning away, Ziyan looked a little haggard. She knew that opposing Li Chunyi would make her cultivation harder in the future.
But there was no turning back! She had no choice.

For the one she pinned her hopes on was of the Sin Clan—Xu Xing!
A bloodline destined for miracles!

Outside the plaza, in the sky where earth met heaven, a sea of clouds drifted by, briefly veiling the last rays of the crimson sun.
Radiance still pierced through the white clouds to the ground below.

“Xu Xing, I believe in you. You will come!”