"Why does the common name sound more like a proper name than the proper name?" Lu Yang quietly complained from behind.
"Because the first pure Yang spirit root senior called his spirit root the 'Single Spirit Root,'" Yun Zhi replied, her cultivation level unfathomable. Lu Yang's quiet muttering was as clear to her as if he were speaking directly in her ear.
Yun Zhi paused for a moment and added, "In the cultivation world, there is a tradition of respecting the old seniors who are single."
It seemed that saying this added some weight to her argument.
Meng Jingzhou naturally passed the first test, followed by Lu Yang.
"Huh?! Another single spirit root?!" Dai Bufan's pupils shrank. Just a moment ago, he had complained about not encountering a single spirit root all day, and now there were two in a row.
"Me? A single spirit root?" Lu Yang pointed at himself, his heart racing. He thought he might be hearing things, and a smile crept onto his face.
"That's right, you have a mutated single spirit root, the Sword Spirit Root," Dai Bufan confirmed with a nod. He had never made a mistake when assessing spirit roots.
The Sword Spirit Root was a natural sword type, sharp and powerful, with unmatched attack potential!
Senior Sister Yun Zhi looked at Lu Yang with mild surprise. She had agreed to ride in the carriage just on a whim and didn't expect that both people in the carriage were top cultivation geniuses.
Everyone's eyes grew more eager as they began to think of suitable young women for Lu Yang, wishing they could take him away to join their forces.
Unlike Meng Jingzhou, who had the backing of the Meng family, Lu Yang clearly came from a common background with no support behind him.
With excellent talent and no backing, he was practically the perfect candidate for marrying into a family.
The most important thing was that he could marry and have children!
Lu Yang felt the strange looks from everyone and quickly moved on to the second test.
Behind Dai Bufan was a bamboo forest, and the second test would take place in this bamboo grove.
"So, what kind of spirit root do you have?" Meng Jingzhou quickly stepped out of the shadow of the single spirit root and eagerly asked Lu Yang.
So what if he had a single spirit root? The path to immortality was littered with bones, and beautiful women were just red-skinned skeletons. He didn't need any enchanting fairies by his side!
On the other hand, Lu Yang had passed the first test, but he figured that someone with his extraordinary talent would be a rare find, and he was only at the level of a dual spirit root.
As a single spirit root genius, he should care for the mediocre talents.
"Sword Spirit Root."
"Damn it."
"Huh?" Lu Yang was confused.
After a little while, the people behind him gradually entered the second test, while Dai Bufan eliminated those who didn't meet the requirements.
Hearing discussions from the back, it seemed a few people with special physiques had appeared. Before Lu Yang could inquire about the details, Senior Sister Yun Zhi appeared before everyone, lightly saying, "Let's begin the second test," and then she vanished, leaving everyone puzzled.
Thick fog began to rise, swirling like smoke and waves, enveloping the bamboo forest like a giant net.
Everyone instinctively wanted to struggle, but it didn't help much. They felt weak, and their consciousness began to fade.
This was the Illusion Bamboo Forest, part of the protective formation of the sect, far beyond what these people could resist.
Yun Zhi casually drew a circle, dispelling the fog and clearing a space where the disciples of the sect stood behind her.
Dai Bufan chuckled, "Falling into the Illusion Bamboo Forest will make them forget their identities, the test, everything. They'll react in the most genuine way. I wonder how many will pass the second test this time."
"I hope more can pass. There are several good prospects in this batch; it would be a shame if they fell in the second test."
Yun Zhi hadn't eliminated Meng Jingzhou and Lu Yang from the test because the questions Meng Jingzhou received were not from this year, but from twenty years ago.
"I wonder which elder sold those."
"Who do you think will pass the second test, Dai Junior Brother?"
"Of course, that ancient barbarian. The ancient barbarians are known for their pure hearts and unquestionable nature."
"I think that single spirit root and sword spirit root are also good; they seem like honest people."
Yun Zhi recalled the scene of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou discussing how to cheat in the carriage and thought they were anything but honest.
...
"Where am I?" The ancient barbarian named Mang Gu looked around in confusion, having forgotten what had just happened.
He held a worn-out axe and stood by a river, where the water sparkled beautifully.
Mang Gu accidentally dropped the old axe into the river. Just as he was about to retrieve it, he saw bubbles rising in the water, growing larger and larger, until a celestial figure appeared, floating before him with three different axes.
"Young man, I am the River Spirit. Did you drop this worn-out axe, or this spirit tool, the Mountain-Cleaving Axe, or this immortal tool, the Heaven-Cleaving Axe?"
The Mountain-Cleaving Axe and the Heaven-Cleaving Axe were famous axes in the Central Continent. Even an ordinary person without talent could soar to greatness if they obtained one of these axes.
Mang Gu blurted out, "It was the worn-out axe."
The River Spirit smiled slightly, "You are truly an honest young man. Then I'll give you all three axes."
Mang Gu passed the second test.
"See? I told you Mang Gu would definitely pass the second test. Let’s see how the single spirit root and sword spirit root choose," Dai Bufan said eagerly.
The second test was about honesty, and the standard for passing was to obtain all three axes.
The River Spirit was not an illusion; it was a being born from the river surrounding the bamboo forest, a creature nurtured by nature.
It took on many forms and entered the illusion to test everyone.
The River Spirit favored honest people. The only way to pass the second test was to answer the River Spirit's questions honestly and receive the three axes.
...
"Huh? How did the axe fall into the river?" Lu Yang wondered. He felt as if some unseen force had made him drop the axe.
The River Spirit appeared again, gently asking Lu Yang, "Young man, I am the River Spirit. Did you drop this worn-out axe, or this spirit tool, the Mountain-Cleaving Axe, or this immortal tool, the Heaven-Cleaving Axe?"
Lu Yang crouched down, scanning the three different axes, then looked up at the River Spirit as if he were looking at someone slow-witted, with a hint of pity in his eyes: "Two of these axes are yours. Don't you know which two are yours? Why are you asking me?"
The River Spirit's smile froze, unsure of what to say, and could only follow Lu Yang's words: "I truly don't know which two axes are mine."
Lu Yang watched the River Spirit warily: "If I choose one of the axes, you better not suddenly regain your memory and claim you remember which two axes are yours."
"I absolutely won't," the River Spirit vowed earnestly.
"Let me see all three axes."
The River Spirit handed all three axes to Lu Yang.
Lu Yang immediately threw all the axes into the river: "Can you ask that question again?"
The River Spirit reflexively asked, "Did you drop the worn-out axe, or the spirit tool, the Mountain-Cleaving Axe, or the immortal tool, the Heaven-Cleaving Axe?"
Lu Yang smiled broadly: "I dropped all of them."
The River Spirit: "..."
The River Spirit gritted its teeth and said, "You are truly an honest young man. Then I'll give you all three axes."
(End of Chapter)