Chapter 5 Spirit Testing Plate

After Lin Shiqi had taken care of all matters concerning the Spiritual Medicine Garden, she and Lin Shiming hurried to the Contribution Hall, the place where the Lin Family issued tasks.

It was here that Lin Shiming had received the task for Qingtao Mountain, and now that Lin Shiqi was leaving, it was naturally necessary to register the task here as well.

Having registered the task, Lin Shiming then took Lin Shiqi to the family's Treasure Pavilion.

The Treasure Pavilion, also known as the clan treasury, was the most important place in the entire family, where all the family's treasures and cultivation techniques were stored.

The surroundings were heavily guarded, filled with formations. Even the Lin Family's own people had to be careful not to accidentally wander into a killing formation.

It was because of this place that Lin Shiming's system had prompted him countless times, which left him rather speechless.

The first floor of the Treasure Pavilion contained spiritual materials, Spirit Grass, and Spiritual Artifacts; the second floor was the Scripture Pavilion. Of course, the most precious items were on the third floor, which only Qi Cultivation Ninth Level Elders could access.

It is said that the Lin Family's old patriarch Lin Xianzhi was in secluded cultivation on the third floor of the Treasure Pavilion.

"Shiming, weren't you supposed to be at Qingtao Mountain? How come you're back so soon?" The guard at the Treasure Pavilion was the Third Elder Lin Yushui's son, who was second in the ranking of the Hou generation, named Lin Houshou.

Lin Houshou was an expert at the eighth level of Qi Cultivation, and he also inherited the Third Elder Lin Yushui's talent for formations, already capable of setting up Intermediate Grade Second Rank formations.

However, as he had surpassed sixty years of age and his vital energy was weakening, with Foundation Establishment appearing hopeless, he took the initiative to head to the Treasure Pavilion. While managing the clan affairs, he also hoped to study the formations inside the Treasure Pavilion, aspiring to become the Lin Family's second Superior Grade Second Rank Array Master.

"Second Uncle, isn't this a small accomplishment?" Lin Shiming said with a slight smile, taking out the materials he had obtained from the beast monkey one by one.

"Good lad, your strength is increasing so fast, even able to kill a Second Rank Intermediate Grade yellow-furred beast monkey!" Lin Houshou examined the monkey skin and beast monkey claws.

"Much of that is thanks to Second Uncle's guidance." Lin Shiming replied sincerely. Due to system prompts, he learned low-level spells very quickly, so he often came to the Scripture Pavilion in the Treasure Pavilion to study. Over time, he often received care and guidance from Lin Houshou.

"Second Uncle, trade all these materials for Spirit Stones for me. Also, my third sister and I would like to use the Spirit Testing Plate once!" Lin Shiming said.

"The Spirit Testing Plate, are you sure? It's not the quinquennial Immortal Ascension gathering now, and borrowing it once will cost fifty Spirit Stones. These beast monkey materials can't be exchanged for that many Spirit Stones, at most only twenty." Lin Houshou said.

"The rest will be paid by my third sister!" Lin Shiming had long spent his Spirit Stones on Spirit Talismans and Spirit Water, naturally having none left.

Lin Shiqi, who was beside him, was still contemplating the Spirit Plants and obviously hadn't expected Lin Shiming to come up with such a wild idea.

Her face reddened for a moment, wishing she hadn't come.

She finally understood what Lin Shiming meant by letting her earn Spirit Stones—it was going to be through such a method. It was completely an unfunded promissory note, and she had to advance the payment!

She wanted to pull Lin Shiming aside by the ear to talk, but Lin Shiming didn't budge. Lin Shiqi carefully glanced at Lin Houshou and then said to Lin Shiming with a huff,

"Old Seventh, what are you talking about? I never agreed to this. And have you been fooled by your other brothers? Testing the Spirit Root only happens once every five years and doesn't yield many Spirit Stones. It's only been two years!"

"Third sister, rest assured. This trip to Qingtao Town, I sensed an individual remarkable from ordinary people. Although I cannot sense the specific Spirit Root, I guarantee you a surprise when the time comes!" Lin Shiming confidently gave the excuse he had prepared beforehand.

Fearing that Lin Shiqi would still disagree, he quickly added,

"Third sister, don't worry. Even if it fails, you will get a 15% share of the new Spirit Peach Tree's harvest!"

Only after Lin Shiming spoke did Lin Shiqi feel slightly better, while on the other side, Lin Houshou took out the Spirit Testing Plate, only waiting for Lin Shiqi to hand over the Spirit Stones.

Not to pay would have been a clear disrespect to an elder!

Although she was still reluctant and somewhat angry inside, Lin Shiqi paid the thirty Spirit Stones and then glared fiercely at Lin Shiming.

With the Spirit Testing Plate in hand, Lin Shiming and Lin Shiqi didn't delay any longer. They mounted the Flying Sword and flew toward Qingtao Town.

All the way there, Lin Shiqi was obviously giving Lin Shiming the cold shoulder, but he kept on speaking kindly to her.

As for the episode of dragging Lin Shiqi into this venture, Lin Shiming was also left with no choice.

At the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, without the Spirit Testing Plate, he could not reveal his Second Spirit Root. Furthermore, he had just located the Spirit Peach Tree and was raising an extraordinary Spirit Insect.

If he attracted too much attention, he really couldn't explain it to the Lin Family, so it would be better to pull Lin Shiqi in, share some Spirit Stones with her, and incidentally learn from her Spirit Plant techniques.

The combined goal of two people was always smaller than that of one person alone.

When they arrived in Qingtao Town, it was already the next day.

Lin Yang, as the mayor, was dressed extremely lavishly, directing people non-stop in the center of the town.

The Immortal Ascension Assembly was an opportunity to rise in a single step to the heavens, so the scene was extremely noisy. There were people with children, onlookers, and eventually, even the stall vendors took the opportunity to come over.

The children brought in, about ten years old or so, each looked different. Those dressed in fine clothes were obviously more bold and excited, even brimming with fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, the children in patchy and rough clothes were extremely timid by comparison, clearly at a disadvantage.

"The Immortal Master has arrived, everyone be quiet, line up!" Lin Yang shouted towards the crowd, swiftly moving to Lin Shiming's side, with the utmost respect.

"Immortal Master, there are 182 children between the ages of nine and thirteen who have not been tested, and all are present."

"Alright, let them come up one by one. You arrange the order, but ensure that every single one of them is tested!" Lin Shiming instructed, and then began to divide the work with Lin Shiqi.

Testing the Spirit Root with the Spirit Testing Plate was no less demanding than casting a spell. If one person completed all the testing, they could do at most fifty in one day, and it would also easily drain their magical power.

Dividing the work and taking turns with Lin Shiqi to test would be much faster and would ensure that there was enough Spiritual Power.

Testing for the Spirit Root was quite simple; children just needed to place their hands on the Spirit Testing Plate. Then, the Cultivator would use Spiritual Energy to guide it, channeling the special Spiritual Energy of the Spirit Testing Plate into the bodies of the children. Those who resonated had a Spirit Root.

The more intense the resonance, the better the Spirit Root. It was said that during the resonance of a Heavenly Spirit Root, there would directly appear a phenomenon.

The first to come up was a child led by Lin Yang, bearing a strong resemblance to Lin Yang himself, clearly one of Lin Yang's many children.

This child was obviously not at peace, with his chest heaving dramatically. He pressed both hands tightly onto the Spirit Testing Plate.

"Relax a little!" Lin Shiming reminded, then injected Spiritual Energy into the Spirit Testing Plate.

As Spiritual Energy was injected into the Spirit Testing Plate, the patterns of Spirit Patterns on its surface lit up one after another, finally forming an extremely complex symbol of Spiritual Energy.

An even more enigmatic stream of Spiritual Energy surged from the Spirit Testing Plate, following the child's hands and entering his body.

A moment later, the child's body emitted a three-colored glow, revealing the elemental aura of gold, wood, and earth.

"He has a Spirit Root!" The most excited was none other than Lin Yang, the mayoral elder. As the mayor, he naturally knew what it looked like when someone had a Spirit Root.

He almost roared it out. After having more than twenty sons, finally one of them had a Spirit Root. How could he not be overjoyed?

Eventually, seeing that Lin Shiming remained calm and composed, he quickly apologized for his outburst, forcibly calming down.

"Such luck!" Lin Shiqi at his side immediately felt it was unbelievable. Usually, at the five-yearly Immortal Ascension Assemblies, amongst five or six hundred children, there was a very high chance that not a single one with a Third Spirit Root would appear. Yet this time, out of just over a hundred people, one with a Third Spirit Root already emerged.

"Seventh brother, you were talking about this person, right? A Third Spirit Root, the quality isn't bad, indeed suitable!"

"Third sister, it's not this one!" Lin Shiming shook his head.

To be honest, he himself was also pleasantly surprised by this Third Spirit Root.

"Then who is it?" Lin Shiqi looked around, full of curiosity, and couldn't help but press for an answer.

"Just wait and see!" Lin Shiming replied vaguely, even though he too wanted to satisfy Lin Shiqi's curiosity.

But who would satisfy his own curiosity?

He also wanted to quickly find that Second Spirit Root.