A sage master under the pine tree imparted the Dao and taught longevity.

In Qingxi Town, every household put down their work, and parents, holding their children's hands, rushed to the grain drying ground, afraid of being a step too late and missing their chance to become immortals.

On the threshing ground, Wang Huai'an set up a high platform, and personally burned incense and chanted scriptures, respectfully inviting Chen Chuan to sit in the first seat.

Seeing that he was efficient, Chen Chuan gave him a bottle of pills.

"This medicine is called the Nourishing Essence Pill. It can help those who cultivate Taoism to concentrate their mind and nourish their nature, and it can help ordinary people strengthen their foundation and generate essence."

Wang Huai'an accepted the pills with both hands, bowed deeply, and thanked them profusely. He was overjoyed, thinking that after being impotent for many years, he could finally take a few more concubines and regain his virility!

Another hour passed, and the threshing ground was bustling with people. Even the villagers from the twelve villages under Qingxi Town had heard the news and brought their children to gather there.

Wang Huai'an personally directed the servants to gather all the children in the center.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Chen Chuan closed his eyes slightly, flicked his fingertips, and a wisp of barely perceptible spiritual energy emanated from his fingertips, brushing against the heads of each child.

This is the simplest method of "guiding qi and probing roots," which can reveal whether one has spiritual roots with a single probe.

Time ticked by, and Wang Huai'an rubbed his hands together, looking at Chen Chuan with a tense expression.

However, as the last child was swept by spiritual energy, Chen Chuan opened his eyes in disappointment.

Of the thousands of children present, not a single one could cultivate qi; they were all mortals with no affinity for the path of immortality.

"Immortal Master... how is it?" Wang Huai'an cautiously approached.

Chen Chuan sighed softly, saying with a touch of melancholy, "None of the children in this town possess spiritual roots..."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire audience was stunned.

Wang Huai'an stood there dumbfounded, muttering, "How...how could this be? All the children in the town are here, yet not a single one of them has the destiny to become a deity?"

He originally thought that in such a large town as Qingxi, there would be at least one child with spiritual roots, so that even if he only cultivated Qi in the future, he would still remember his homeland and protect the peace of Qingxi Town.

To everyone's surprise, there wasn't even a single person with spiritual roots!

He looked at Chen Chuan, only to see Chen Chuan shake his head slightly.

The scarcity of spiritual roots far exceeded Chen Chuan's imagination.

He said no more, nodded slightly to Wang Huai'an as a farewell, and then turned and left the threshing ground.

As dusk deepened, the lights of Qingxi Town gradually came on.

Chen Chuan was walking alone on the road when he came to the entrance of a quiet alley. Suddenly, he heard a noisy shouting and cursing.

"Thief! I'll beat you to death, you thief!"

"How dare they steal my steamed buns while we were having our spiritual roots tested!"

Chen Chuan frowned slightly and walked towards the sound.

In the dimly lit alley, four or five teenagers were punching and kicking a small, thin figure.

The figure huddled in the corner, dressed in rags, with hair like dry straw, clutching two cold, hard buns tightly in his arms, enduring the blows and kicks raining down on him.

"stop."

Chen Chuan's voice swept through like a strong wind, instantly silencing all the noise.

The children were startled by the voice. When they turned around and saw that it was the immortal from earlier that day, they were so frightened that their arrogance vanished and they knelt down on the ground with a few thuds.

"Immortal...Immortal, spare my life!"

Chen Chuan glanced at them and said calmly, "Stealing is wrong, but bullying the weak is not the act of a gentleman. I will compensate him for how many buns he stole."

After saying that, he took out several copper coins from his sleeve and threw them on the ground.

The children, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to pick up the coins and ran away without looking back.

The alleyway returned to silence.

Chen Chuan slowly approached, squatted down, and, by the faint moonlight, saw the child's appearance clearly.

At only seven or eight years old, his face was sallow and thin, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

Suddenly, the instant Chen Chuan's gaze fell upon him, the quietly floating "Record of Preaching" in his sea of ​​consciousness trembled slightly.

On the blank page of the second sheet of paper, suddenly, with a flourish of his pen, he wrote several lines of large characters in clear ink:

Name: Xiao Jin

[Spiritual Root: Metal-type Single Spiritual Root]

[Main Sword: Zhan Chen]

[Background: Young Master of the Qingfeng Sword Sect. His father, Xiao Lie, was the number one swordsman among mortals. Three years ago, the sect was betrayed by a former ally and was wiped out overnight. The entire sect was slaughtered, and only this young man managed to escape, ending up on the streets, struggling to survive.]

Chen Chuan was deeply shocked and looked up at the child in front of him.

A single spiritual root! And a single spiritual root that perfectly matches one's destiny!

In this world, cultivation talent depends not only on spiritual roots but also on one's innate destiny.

This destined object is determined from the womb and can be anything in the myriad realms or non-human beings.

If one's innate destiny and spiritual root complement each other, one can achieve twice the result with half the effort in cultivation.

Chen Chuan was born with an earth elemental root, but his natal element is a wood-attribute ancient pine tree. Wood overcomes earth, and his elemental root and natal element are in a clash, making his path of cultivation much more difficult.

It can be said that Xiao Jin's talent is so exceptional that even in a major cultivation sect, he would be a core disciple chosen from among thousands!

It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to you effortlessly!

The child looked at Chen Chuan warily and asked in a hoarse voice, "You...you're that immortal from earlier in the day?"

Chen Chuan suppressed his elation, smiled, and nodded, saying:

"I, Chen Chuan, reside at Songjian Temple in the Great Wilderness Mountain. Seeing your exceptional talent and affinity with me, I wish to take you as my disciple and impart the Great Dao to you. Are you willing?"

Xiao Jin stared intently at Chen Chuan.

Becoming an apprentice? Cultivating immortality?

"I don't want to!"

His eyes reddened.

"What immortals! I won't be one! It was you immortals who killed my parents and wiped out my entire clan!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Chuan showed no anger in his eyes. He slowly rose, his whisk gently lowering.

"Young friend, the 'immortal' you speak of is certainly not a hermit like us. The path of immortals in this world is also divided into good and evil. The calamity that your Qingfeng Sect has encountered is mostly due to your allies colluding with demonic cultivators."

"I dwell in the pine-covered valley, detached from worldly affairs, and only wish to spread the teachings and impart knowledge. I am by no means a bloodthirsty and treasure-grabbing person."

He paused, his gaze falling on Xiao Jin's tightly clenched fist:

"You bear a deep-seated hatred and eke out a living in the marketplace, ostensibly to survive, but in reality for revenge."

"But you are now unarmed and powerless. How can you take revenge? If you don't cultivate the Tao and learn magic, you will only become a starving corpse and be forgotten in the dust. How can you then talk about avenging your father?"

Xiao Jin trembled upon hearing this, but still stubbornly replied, "I don't believe you! Immortals are all heartless!"

Even immortals have feelings.

Chen Chuan slowly said, "I was also born into a mortal family and know the coldness and warmth of the world."

"If you return to the mountain with me, I will teach you the art of breathing exercises and protect you. Once you have achieved mastery in your cultivation, I will not hinder your revenge. I only hope that you will guard your heart and mind and not fall into evil ways."

After speaking, Chen Chuan condensed his energy at his fingertips, drew a wisp of mysterious light from his sea of ​​consciousness, and transformed it into a pale golden talisman in his palm.

"This is the [Apprenticeship Contract]. If you sign this contract and enter my sect, you will become a direct disciple of this sect. This sect will protect your Dao heart and help you cultivate. If you disobey the sect and fall into evil ways, the contract will backfire, ruining your cultivation and making it impossible for you to move an inch. This contract will protect you from being misled by evil spirits and will also ensure that you do not forget the kindness and righteousness of the sect."

He slowly presented the rune in his palm to Xiao Jin:

"Young friend, the path is at your feet. Will you be trapped in the marketplace, dying with resentment, or will you follow me back to the mountains, to learn swordsmanship and cultivate immortality? The choice is yours."

Xiao Jin gazed at the talisman, then at Chen Chuan's calm eyes. The loneliness, hatred, and despair of the past three years collapsed at this moment.

He bit his lip hard, slowly lowered his stiff neck, and let the tears soak his toes:

"Disciple...is willing to enter into a contract."

Chen Chuan nodded slightly, and with a flick of his finger, the talisman transformed into a golden light and entered Xiao Jin's brow.

In an instant, Xiao Jin felt a warmth in his mind, and a mysterious power quietly took root.

Chen Chuan lightly flicked his whisk and said in a solemn voice:

"Now that you have entered my sect, you must uphold my teachings. From this day forward, you will be the second disciple of Songjian Temple, with the Daoist name [Jingchen]. Now, come with your master back to the mountain."