Born with immortal seed

Chapter 32: Sect's Reverse Scale
More than ten children in a row, their blood beads failed to make the compass move at all.

Compared to Bai Youfu and the ordinary town mayor's tension, Bai Zichen was somewhat unconcerned, given the proportion of ordinary people with spiritual roots.

Even though the Bai family is a family of cultivators, these mortals may have ancestors who were cultivators several generations back, and the proportion of those with spiritual roots is basically around 100%.

In times of bad luck, there have been instances where a town has not seen a single immortal seedling emerge for several years in a row.

In the Black Mountain, only the Fire Phoenix Mo clan exists, boasting that they have inherited the bloodline of the ancient immortal beast, the Fire Phoenix. Although no other special supernatural abilities have been observed, the proportion of Mo clan members with cultivation aptitude far exceeds that of other cultivation families. Basically, one in ten children possesses a spiritual root, and the vast majority of them are of the fire element.

With such an astonishingly high proportion of spiritual roots, the Fire Phoenix Mo Clan now firmly holds the position of the number one cultivation family in Black Mountain.

Only two children remained, and they hadn't come up yet to have their spiritual roots tested. Bai Youfu sighed, having run out of energy to flatter them.

The number of immortal seedlings is related to the assessment results during the period of serving as a guardian immortal master. If the standard is not met, the contribution to the family will be greatly reduced.

The boy, who was second to last in line, was tall and straight. He walked quickly to the compass, his face was pale and his clothes were washed until they were white, but his features were deep and his eyes showed a strong determination.

As his blood dripped down, the compass, which had been dormant, finally emitted a low hum, and a faint five-colored spiritual light rose up, no more than an inch long.

"Five spiritual roots... finally one has appeared, better than none, right?"

Bai Zichen was startled, but seeing the unusual phenomenon presented by the compass, he said with some disappointment.

If possible, he would certainly like to find a few more top-grade immortal seedlings for his family.

The five spiritual roots he possessed essentially determined the direction of the young man's future; he could only become a foundational figure at the very bottom of the cultivation world.

Bai Youfu sighed at first, then felt much more relieved. So what if it was a pseudo-spiritual root? It still counted as one of the quotas for Daoist Master.

“Immortal Master, this boy is named Bai Shu. His mother is a woman from the Bai family, and his father seems to be a rogue cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining. He stayed in Hutou Town for a few months and then left. The two of them depended on each other for survival, and he also took the Bai family name.”

The town mayor, with a stooped back and a fawning smile, introduced the boy's background.

"Since you have spiritual roots, come stand to the side." Bai Ling beckoned. Bai Shu's identity was now completely different from before, as he had been found to have spiritual roots.

In just a quarter of an hour, Bai Shu's fate underwent a dramatic change. A haggard woman standing by the square began to sob with emotion; it was his mother.

The last child to be tested was a pretty little girl with delicate pink skin, her hair tied in two pigtails sticking straight up. She hopped and skipped to the compass.

The moment the knife cut her finger, she burst into tears, her sobs flowing freely, a sight that evoked pity.

As soon as the blood droplet fell into the compass, it produced two clear, resonant sounds as if striking a jade plate. The next moment, red and yellow spiritual lights rose up, with the red light being more than eight inches long and the yellow light even approaching a foot.

The two kinds of spiritual light intertwined and rose, lasting for several dozen breaths before gradually fading away.

"A dual-elemental talent in fire and earth!"

Bai Zichen was somewhat incredulous. He flashed forward and grabbed the little girl's arm, channeling spiritual energy into her while simultaneously scanning her carefully with his divine sense.

"They really have dual spiritual root talent! In recent years, our Bai family has produced a number of disciples with dual spiritual root talent!"

Bai Zichen glanced back at Bai Ling, another genius with the same spiritual root as her.

Bai Ling walked over happily and hugged the little girl. She was cute and had excellent spiritual root aptitude. She looked at her like her own little sister.

“My lord, this little girl… is named Huo Feiyan, and she is nine years old.”

Under the watchful gaze of the immortal, the mortal town mayor stammered out his introduction.

"Huo Feiyan, what a nice name... Her surname is Huo, why isn't it Bai!"

Bai Zichen suddenly turned around, his aura suddenly surging, startling the mortal town mayor so much that he fell to the ground.

"In response to your question, Immortal Master, Huo Feiyan's parents were originally ordinary martial artists from outside the mountains. They fled into the Black Mountain Range to escape the pursuit of their enemies. Five years ago, they wandered to the vicinity of Tiger Head Town and were taken in by us, where they have settled ever since."

The mortal town mayor was trembling with fear, his fat face quivering, his heart filled with extreme terror. Under that sudden pressure, he had felt for a moment that he was about to be killed by the enraged immortal master.

"Regarding the search for immortal seedlings, what is the first ironclad rule of the Azure Maple Sect? Bai Youfu, a mere mortal, can't remember it. As a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, surely you understand the issues involved!"

Bai Zichen said through gritted teeth, his previous gentle and polite demeanor completely gone.

"Family spirit attraction can only absorb members of our own family. No means may be used to abduct other families' spiritual seedlings... In mortal cities, all those with spiritual roots are to be reserved disciples of my Qingfeng Sect. They may not be taken as family spiritual seedlings... Violators will have their lineage severed and will be killed without mercy!"

Bai Youfu trembled and collapsed into the chair, as if his bones had been removed.

"You knew perfectly well that someone had no blood relation to the Bai family would enter the family's spirit-summoning ceremony... Are you trying to bring trouble upon the Bai family?!"

Cultivation families can only seek out those with spiritual roots within their own bloodline and lineage; they are not allowed to overstep their bounds and extend their reach to the mortal cities beyond Black Mountain.

The twelve cities of Black Mountain Prefecture, with a population of nearly ten million ordinary people, are the very foundation upon which the Green Maple Sect can be so selective about the aptitude of its disciples.

With such a large population base, the number of genius cultivators born from it each year is also considerable.

Therefore, Qingfeng Sect has always strictly prohibited anyone from plotting against mortals.

However, there are always one or two audacious families who cannot resist the temptation of a large number of immortal seedlings. They not only recruit them as their own cultivators, but also frantically test their spiritual power to capture immortal seedlings and resell them to other cultivation families.

Of course, the final outcome was also tragic. Apart from the few children they stole, the entire family was wiped out, with heads rolling everywhere.

The reason Bai Zichen made such a big fuss was because the lessons learned by one immortal cultivation family after another in blood had taught future generations that stealing immortal seedlings was an act that Qingfeng Sect could never tolerate.

If this is not stopped, it will be undermining the foundation of Qingfeng Sect!

Therefore, once a cultivation family is found to have engaged in such behavior, ruthless and decisive measures will be taken. At best, their spiritual veins will be confiscated and they will be expelled from the Black Mountain Range; at worst, they will be charged with stealing immortal seedlings and their entire families who have been plotting for a long time will be wiped out.

This is a declaration to everyone that the matter of the Immortal Seed is the Achilles' heel of the Qingfeng Sect, and to touch it is to die.

Bai Zichen felt a chill run down his spine. He knew perfectly well that Huo Feiyan had no blood relation to the Bai family and was merely a guest in Hutou Town, yet he still allowed her to participate in the Spirit Awakening Ceremony. If someone maliciously reported this, the Bai family would be in a precarious situation and become prime suspects.

"Brother Chen, I think you're overthinking this issue."

Bai Ling untied Huo Feiyan's two high braids and quickly re-combed them into a cloud-shaped bun, liking it more and more the more she looked at it.

"Huo Feiyan has been with the Bai family for five years and is no different from the townspeople of Hutou Town. As long as we insist that they are relatives who came here to seek refuge, outsiders will not be able to find out."

(End of this chapter)