THE RULE KING

Jin Yangqiu looked suspicious and said, "You said you've been practicing for a month... Have you never practiced before?"

Xu Shan replied, "I've never practiced. Elder Cao can testify to that."

All the elders were in an uproar.

"This is not a month's practice at all! Even if one practiced for a year, they couldn't achieve such an effect, right?"

"What's going on with this kid? He's been in the Outer Sect for so long, but he never discovered his own talent?"

"Anyway, it's a good thing we found him. At least the cultivator with the Celestial Luck Divine Ability is really among us. We've made a great gain this time."

Listening to the whispers around him, the corners of Jin Yangqiu's mouth twitched wildly, constantly wavering between losing his temper and holding it back.

Damn it, I didn't expect things to turn around like this all of a sudden. Wonderful! It's really wonderful!

Ye Qingbi said, "Elder Sun, bring the array plate and test his spiritual root aptitude."

Xu Shan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, looking dazed and at a loss. "Why? Why do you want to test my aptitude?"

Jin Yangqiu interrupted, "Boy, did you cook the dishes in the back mountain?"

"I did... but it was an accident. Master, please listen to my explanation."

"What explanation do I need to listen to? You thought it was a bad thing, but let me tell you, you're wrong. You might have awakened the Celestial Luck Divine Ability. Such an opportunity may not come to even one person out of a hundred thousand. After confirming your aptitude again, you can just wait to be cultivated with great emphasis. Don't worry too much."

"Celestial... Celestial Luck Divine Ability." Xu Shan stammered, "What does that mean?"

"The so-called Celestial Luck Divine Ability is an innate ability..."

As Xu Shan listened to Jin Yangqiu's explanation, his eyes sparkled with excitement.

Goodness... After all this trouble, he had tried so hard to hide himself, but in the end, they even made up a reason for him.

The Celestial Luck Divine Ability... There's actually such a miraculous existence in the world of cultivation. It perfectly matches the attributes of the Azure Seal item. Using this reason to cover up his special items is the best thing.

In the end, Jin Yangqiu couldn't help but wonder, "Your ability is cooking. I've never heard of such a thing. Didn't you notice any signs of this ability before?"

Xu Shan nodded continuously, "Now I understand, Master! My father's name is Xu Yan. I've been connected with fire since I was a child. I was born in the kitchen, unfortunately fell into a brazier, and I have a Fire Spiritual Root. So I might really have talent in this aspect."

Jin Yangqiu was overjoyed when he heard this.

It all fits! Everything fits!

... After a while, Elder Sun flew over on his sword from a distance and landed directly in front of Xu Shan, holding out the array plate.

"Put your hand on it."

Xu Shan obediently put his hand on it, but the white jade array plate showed no reaction.

Elder Sun scratched his head and put his own hand on it. A greenish light lit up.

This is strange. There's nothing wrong with the array plate. He had already replaced it with a new one. Why can't it detect anything when it's Xu Shan's turn...

Under the gaze of the crowd, Elder Sun motioned for Xu Shan to put his hand on it again.

Xu Shan hesitated for a moment and then put his hand on it again.

The array plate probably couldn't detect anything. His spiritual root was already problematic. But at this crucial moment, Zhang Biao couldn't be allowed to step forward. Zhang Biao absolutely couldn't be exposed in front of others. He still needed Zhang Biao for his future cultivation. As for any questions from others, he could only wait for them to voice their doubts and then figure out how to deal with it.

In the second test, the array plate still showed no reaction.

Elder Sun narrowed his eyes, leaned closer to the array plate, and cupped his hands together...

Jin Yangqiu immediately became unhappy, "Lao Sun, what are you doing? You're so slow in testing the aptitude! You don't need to be like this even when testing an ordinary person. Why is there still no reaction?"

Elder Sun observed for a long time before standing up. He said with a serious expression, "This is no longer a low-grade spiritual root... It's simply the lowest among the low-grade ones. There's no aptitude for cultivation at all."

A dark cloud instantly covered the hearts of several people.

The array plate used for testing spiritual root aptitude is one of the most common magical treasures in the world of cultivation, and every sect has one. It's very rare to hear that there's something wrong with it... Not to mention that it has been tested several times in a row. Elder Sun is also a prudent and experienced person and wouldn't joke about such a thing.

Jin Yangqiu said, "Don't be too hasty to draw a conclusion. No one has ever seen a cultivator with the Celestial Luck Divine Ability. The Sect Master still has a better array plate. Sect Master, why don't you test him again?"

Ye Qingbi frowned tightly and suddenly asked, "Xu Shan, how did you feel after cooking in the Inner Sect last time?"

Xu Shan said, "All my spiritual power was exhausted. I felt as if my waist had been emptied, and my whole body was weak and limp."

Ye Qingbi's face immediately changed greatly.

After a long time, Ye Qingbi sighed regretfully, "The Celestial Luck Divine Ability is very special... It consumes a huge amount of spiritual power. If the spiritual power is insufficient, it will consume the spiritual root. It should be that the spiritual root has been damaged."

Xu Shan's heart skipped a beat. The Celestial Luck Divine Ability is becoming more and more like the item of the Azure Seal. It's almost like a power of the same origin and nature. He hopes to have the opportunity to see it in the future.

Jin Yangqiu opened his eyes wide and said unwillingly, "This is impossible! How can the spiritual root be damaged? Sect Master, how do you know that the Celestial Luck Divine Ability will damage the spiritual root?"

He had been cultivating for a lifetime and had never heard of anyone ruining their own spiritual root. He had just learned that he had accepted a talented disciple, but before the disciple could even start to develop, he had ruined himself? Jin Yangqiu was extremely anxious.

"I've naturally seen it." Ye Qingbi replied casually and raised her right hand to rest on Xu Shan's shoulder.

"Circulate your spiritual power."

Xu Shan immediately started to circulate his spiritual power.

After a while, Ye Qingbi put down her hand, her eyes filled with endless regret. If they had known about his talent earlier and given him a reminder, this might have been avoided. But now it's too late.

"With such aptitude, it can't even be considered a low-grade spiritual root anymore... If it gets any worse and the spiritual root completely disappears, even forming a Foundation Establishment will be a wild hope."

In an instant, everyone's eyes were fixed on Xu Shan, with expressions of sympathy, sorrow, and regret.

Xu Shan turned his head and asked, "Can it be remedied?"

"It can be remedied. The secret treasure pills of the top Pill Cultivation sects can improve the spiritual root aptitude, but the Xinglan Sect is not qualified to get access to such pills." Ye Qingbi observed Xu Shan and said, "Why aren't you in a hurry?"

"There's nothing to be in a hurry about. Just solve the problem when there's a problem. Actually, I've already noticed that there's a problem with my cultivation. Thank you, Sect Master and all the elders, for giving me an answer." Xu Shan bowed slightly.

This made all the elders look at him with new respect.

The spiritual root is the foundation of cultivation and is as precious as one's life to any cultivator. It's really rare to be able to remain so calm now that his foundation is almost ruined.

"Good boy, just based on this state of mind, you should continue on your path."

"He's a good candidate to be a freelance cultivator."

"Just keep going slowly. There are all kinds of opportunities outside. Maybe there will be a turning point someday."

"Alright, stop talking. Everyone, disperse." Ye Qingbi added with a sigh and then looked at Jin Yangqiu, "Elder Jin, you've accepted this disciple. He's now in your care."

Jin Yangqiu stood there until the crowd had all left. After saying a few words to Lu Xiangjun, he turned around expressionlessly and left.