SPIRIT ROOT TEST

After drinking the medicine, a wave of heat passed through Ryan's body, and he began feeling an itch over his injury.

Ryan restrained himself from scratching the itchy area, knowing it might aggravate the wound. The itch could be a sign that the medicine was helping it heal.

Old John watched Ryan sit uncomfortably, resisting the urge to scratch his forehead. Ryan controlled his hands by gripping the edges of the bed, which made Old John laugh uncontrollably.

After laughing for a while, Old John grabbed the plow and other farming equipment from one end of the house and started walking outside.

Ryan saw this and quickly got out of bed to follow Old John to the fields.

"Ryan, you don't have to come to the field with me today. Rest for now, and you can help me again after you recover from your injury," Old John said, causing Ryan to pause.

Ryan saw Old John laboriously dragging the equipment with his bent back, which made him sad. Ignoring John's words, Ryan took some small equipment from his hand and followed.

Old John saw this and knew he couldn't persuade Ryan, so he hurriedly closed the door of the house and followed him.

Outside, Old John started washing the dirt off the equipment, and Ryan helped.

While they were cleaning, a village guard who patrolled to maintain order approached them, shouting at Old John, and informed them that the village chief had asked all the villagers to gather at the square.

After informing them, he walked away to notify others in the fields.

Perplexed by the sudden summons from the village chief, Ryan, and Old John put their farming equipment back in the house and started walking towards the village square.

While walking Ryan saw that the house in which both of them lived was located near the edge of the village where there are few houses.

In a few minutes, they reached the village square and saw many villagers gathering around the tree in the center of the village.

Ryan saw many children who usually attend the village school being eagerly dragged to the square by their parents.

The Old Doctor who had treated Ryan was also seen holding his granddaughter's hand coming towards them.

The old doctor approached them, greeted Old John and Ryan with a smile, and asked if Ryan was okay.

Ryan bowed to the doctor for treating him for free without taking a few after knowing their living conditions.

The Old Doctor felt happy seeing Ryan healthy and said it was his duty to heal the villagers. He didn't do it for free, as they had paid for the medicine which covered their medical fees.

"Old Doctor, did you know why the village chief has asked us to come here urgently?" Old John asked.

The Doctor was perplexed by the sudden question and immediately knew Old John didn't hear anything about the news as he was in the house looking after the injured Ryan.

"Old John, you don't know because you didn't see it. Yesterday evening, an immortal master came to the village to recruit children to the sect," the doctor replied.

"They are here to check if our children over 12 years old have spirit roots and take them as disciples of the sect," he said happily, placing his hand on his granddaughter's head and petting her lovingly.

Ryan was shocked to learn that immortals existed in this world and were here to accept disciples into their sect.

But then Ryan calmed down and realized it had nothing to do with him, as he was only 10 years old and couldn't participate in the testing.

"Thank you, sir, for informing us," Old John said gratefully to the doctor. He then led Ryan to a corner where they could observe the proceedings quietly.

Ryan, feeling a mix of emotions, soon followed his grandfather. He sat in the corner, waiting for the immortal to appear and begin the process.

Soon there was a commotion where the villagers had gathered, and Ryan saw the usually dignified village head flattering an old man with a few young children following him.

By the proud demeanor of the children and the old man listening to the flattery with a wry smile, Ryan immediately knew they were the immortal cultivators who had come to recruit the village children.

Soon they were at the village square, and the children were asked by the old man in charge of them to sit in the tree shade and asked the village chief to gather the children as soon as possible so they could conduct the spirit root testing. 

The village chief immediately agreed and called out to the villagers to send their children who were over 12 years old to him.

The villagers acknowledged the orders and sent their children to the village chief. The chief then asked the children to form a line, with the oldest standing at the back and the youngest at the front.

Soon Ryan saw the children who were 15 years old this year standing at the end of the line, while the 12-year-olds stood at the front. The village chief led them to the old man who was standing in the shade of the village tree.

There were about 20 children between the ages of 12 and 15, and 10 more who were under 12 years old.

The old man in charge didn't start the test but instead waved his hand, causing a table and chair to appear out of nowhere. He placed two crystals on the table and stood still, waiting like a guard.

Soon, a rainbow streaked across the sky, and a young woman in a purple robe, around 18 years old, arrived at the square, hovering on a sword.

Everyone was mesmerized by her beauty and stood in awe, watching her hover in the air on the sword in absolute silence.

Only Ryan started clapping happily, drawing everyone's attention. He stopped clapping in embarrassment when he realized everyone was looking at him.

The young woman smiled happily at Ryan's applause and stepped down from the sword. She approached the table and sat on a chair.

The old man coughed to regain everyone's attention and began the testing process.