Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a dazzling streak of light tore through the sky and suddenly hovered high above the square.

The city's clamor fell silent instantly, and everyone looked up at the sound, their gazes fixed on the sky.

As the radiant light slowly dissipated, an ancient and exquisite flying boat appeared in the air, hovering quietly above the square.

The boat's hull shimmered with layers of luminous light, radiating a divine aura and exuding an otherworldly charm; at first glance, it was clearly no ordinary object.

The ordinary people watching were amazed and exclaimed in admiration at the sight of such divine aura.

As the airship slowly descended, the crowd in the square instinctively moved to the sides, automatically clearing a large open space.

Finally, the airship hovered steadily in mid-air, several feet above the ground, without moving.

Behind the crowd, in an inconspicuous corner, Gou An, disguised as a human, hid among them, quietly overlooking the grand sect selection ceremony before him.

In the next instant, several figures in white robes emerged from the flying boat, each riding a sword, their robes fluttering, their figures upright, standing in neat formation high above.

The group of cultivators possessed an otherworldly air and a dignified bearing, which once again caused a stir among the crowd below, with endless exclamations of praise.

Looking at their dashing and unrestrained figures standing in mid-air, Gou An couldn't help but feel a little envious.

If I hadn't been reborn as a stray dog, but instead as a human, would I be able to ride the wind on a sword with such extraordinary grace now?

At this moment, at the very front of the white-robed cultivators' line, the oldest man slowly stepped forward and flew into the air to the front of everyone.

"I am Mo Wuhai, an elder of the Tianxing Sect." The old man's voice boomed like a bell, echoing throughout the entire plaza: "The Tianxing Sect disciple selection will begin immediately! Everyone, step back and clear the area!"

Before he finished speaking, he waved his wide sleeves, and dozens of spiritual light flying swords shot out from the sky, arranged in an orderly array, transforming into a sharp sword wall that completely separated the people from the testing area.

Immediately afterwards, Mo Wuhai clenched his fist, and a bright white crystal floated in his palm, its spiritual light contained within.

He casually tossed it into the air, and the crystal swelled in the wind, landing with a bang and transforming into a towering boulder several meters high.

The stone is covered with fine, ancient runes, with a constantly flowing spiritual light. It is profound and mysterious, and is the core of the Spirit Testing Ceremony: the Spirit Testing Stone.

Mo Wuhai raised his hand again to signal, and the disciples of Tianxing Sect behind him immediately split into two rows and stood in an orderly manner on both sides of the field to maintain order.

"The sect's selection rules stipulate that only eligible men and women aged eight to eighteen are accepted."

"Everyone step forward in turn, placing their palms on the spirit-testing stones to assess their aptitude. If the three stones glow, only those whose aptitude meets the requirements may join our Heavenly Star Sect!"

After giving his instructions, Mo Wuhai moved swiftly, hovering beside the spirit-testing stone, and commanded in a deep voice, "The test begins."

Guided by the sect disciples, the eligible young men and women in the square lined up and stepped forward one by one to touch the boulder.

Lai Pi was also mixed in with the long queue, his figure cramped and his expression extremely nervous. Faced with such a grand scene of thousands of people gathering and immortals descending, he was already uneasy.

Gou An, who was in the distance, had been watching the men and women queuing up for the test for a long time and figured out the mystery of the spirit stone test.

Three core crystals are embedded in the boulder, each corresponding to one of the three foundations of cultivation: spiritual root, comprehension, and Dao heart.

A cultivator's spiritual root determines their upper limit of talent, their comprehension determines their cultivation speed, and their Dao heart determines whether their temperament is suitable for the long road of cultivation.

The bottom line of the Tianxing Sect is very clear: without spiritual roots, one is like a rootless duckweed, and no matter how good one's comprehension or Dao heart is, one is still destined to be an immortal.

Those who initially stepped forward to test found all three crystals dull and lifeless, with no one awakening their spiritual roots. They could only leave with regret and disappointment.

When the team had traveled one-fifth of the way, the first qualified person finally appeared.

It was a boy of twelve or thirteen years old. The moment his palm touched the boulder, the three crystals lit up at the same time, their three colors of spiritual light intertwining and flashing.

Mo Wuhai's gaze narrowed slightly as he slowly announced, "A superior-grade human-level spiritual root, a mid-grade mortal-level comprehension, and a mid-grade spiritual-level Dao heart—you are permitted to join the outer sect."

Cultivation aptitude is clearly categorized into levels, with spiritual roots divided into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human.

Comprehension and the Daoist mind are divided into three realms: Heaven, Spirit, and Mortal.

Upon hearing that he had been able to enter the immortal realm, the young man's eyes instantly reddened, and he was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes.

With the first person successfully selected, the probability of subsequent qualified individuals increases significantly.

Gou An understood that most of the people who had lost earlier were older than the other children and had squeezed to the front of the line.

It is precisely because they are older, some even approaching or exceeding eighteen years of age.

This world has its own rules. If a mortal reaches the age of eighteen and has not yet begun to nourish himself with spiritual energy, his spiritual roots and opportunities will wither away on their own.

Even if one possesses exceptional talent, it is difficult to detect, thus completely missing the path to immortality.

Gou An watched the nervous and flustered Lai Pi from afar, secretly worried for him, wondering if this idiot could pass the selection.

The selection criteria of the Tianxing Sect are extremely clear.

A person with a mid-to-high-grade spiritual root in the human realm, coupled with normal comprehension and Dao heart, can enter the outer sect.

With a low-grade human-level spiritual root, one can only become a menial disciple.

Only those with Earth-rank spiritual roots can be directly admitted to the inner sect without any special requirements.

As for Heavenly Rank Spiritual Roots, let alone one in ten thousand, even one in a hundred thousand or one in a million would be considered quite good.

More than half of the team, all over 800 people, have completed the test.

Besides a few people with human-level spiritual roots being detected, only a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy was detected with a mortal-level earth-level spiritual root, which was outstanding and attracted the attention of the entire audience.

Soon, it was Lai Pi's turn in the line.

The previous test taker only tested positive for a low-grade human-level spiritual root. Although he was not destined to become a formal disciple, he was still able to enter the sect as a servant. Although he was disappointed, he could only accept the result helplessly.

"Next!"

The sect disciples standing next to the spirit-testing stone called out loudly.

Lai Pi's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward, imitating the person in front of him, and steadily placed his palm on the cold boulder.

After a brief two-second silence, the entire spirit-testing stone suddenly emitted an unprecedented low hum, the vibrations reverberating throughout the entire area, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

Even Lai Pi himself was startled by this sudden phenomenon, and his whole body stiffened.

The next moment, one of the crystals on the spirit-testing stone emitted a burst of spiritual light!

Mo Wuhai, who was high in the sky, had been calm at first, but when he saw that it was a crystal representing a spiritual root that suddenly burst forth with an extremely dazzling purple light, his brows furrowed and his expression changed drastically.

He exclaimed in disbelief, "It's actually a high-grade Earth-rank spiritual root!"

These words immediately caused a stir in the entire venue.

Such spiritual talent is extremely rare.

Even the other disciples from the sect who came with them looked on with envy.

Upon seeing this, Gou An smiled slightly.

It seems that this fool should have no problem joining the sect.

So Gou An didn't linger any longer. He tightened his disguise, turned around, and squeezed through the crowd to leave.

Then find a good place to slowly study the newly acquired spirit stone.