Chapter 3

At first glance, he's an honest guy."...Why does the common name sound more like a scientific name than the actual scientific name?" Lu Yang muttered quietly from behind."Because the first pure Yang spirit root senior called his own spirit root the 'single spirit root'," Yunzhi, whose cultivation level was unfathomable, heard Lu Yang's quiet mutterings as clearly as if he had spoken directly into her ear.Yunzhi paused before continuing, "The cultivation world has a habit of respecting single senior citizens."It seemed that adding this sentence enhanced her persuasiveness.Meng Jingzhou naturally passed the first round, and after him was Lu Yang."Huh?! Another single spirit root?!" Dai Bufan's pupils contracted. Just now, he had been complaining that he hadn't encountered a single spirit root after working hard all day, but now there were two in a row."Me, single spirit root?" Lu Yang pointed to himself, his heart pounding. He felt like he was hearing things, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up."Yes, you have a mutated single spirit root, the sword spirit root," Dai Bufan nodded affirmatively. He had never made a mistake when it came to assessing spirit roots.The sword spirit root, a natural sword seed, unstoppable and the most aggressive in attack!Senior Sister Yunzhi looked at Lu Yang with some surprise. She had agreed to ride in the carriage on a whim, not expecting that both people in the carriage were top-notch cultivation geniuses.The eyes of the crowd grew even more enthusiastic as they began to calculate the eligible young ladies for Lu Yang, wishing they could abduct him and make him marry into their factions.Unlike Meng Jingzhou, who was backed by the Meng family, Lu Yang was clearly of mortal origin with no support behind him.Extremely talented and without a faction, he was the perfect candidate for marriage.Most importantly, he could marry and have children!Feeling the strange looks from the crowd, Lu Yang quickly proceeded to the second round.Behind Dai Bufan was a bamboo forest, where the second round would take place."So, what spirit root do you have?" Meng Jingzhou quickly shook off the shadow of the 'single spirit root' and asked Lu Yang excitedly.So what if it's a single spirit root? Many die on the path to immortality. Female charm is nothing but a skeleton in makeup. He didn't need beautiful fairies by his side!On the other hand, Lu Yang, although he had passed the first round, was probably just a double spirit root level at best, like himself, the only one with such transcendent talent this year.As a single spirit root super genius, he should care for average talents like Lu Yang."Sword spirit root.""D*mn it.""Huh?" Lu Yang was confused.After another half a day, those who were queued up behind entered the second round one after another, with Dai Bufan eliminating those whose spirit roots were not up to standard.From the discussions of those behind, it seemed that there were a few more with special constitutions. Before they could inquire about the specifics, Senior Sister Yunzhi appeared in front of everyone, casually saying, "Now, let's begin the second round," and then disappeared, leaving everyone puzzled.A thick mist rose, swirling like waves, spreading like water, covering the bamboo forest like a huge gauze net.Instinctively, everyone tried to resist, but it was to no avail. They felt powerless, and their consciousness gradually slipped away.This was the Illusion Bamboo Forest, part of the protective formation of the sect. How could they resist it?Yunzhi casually drew a circle, dispelling the mist and creating a space. The disciples of the Way Sect stood behind her.Dai Bufan chuckled and said, "Falling into the Illusion Bamboo Forest will make them forget their identities, the tests, and everything, revealing their true reactions. I wonder how many will pass the second round.""I hope more can pass. There are several good seedlings in this batch. It would be a shame if they fail at the second round."Yunzhi had not exempted Meng Jingzhou and Lu Yang from the test because the test question Meng Jingzhou received was not from this year, but from twenty years ago."I wonder which senior sold it.""Dai junior brother, who do you think will pass the second round?""Naturally, the ancient barbarian. Ancient barbarians are known for their simple hearts. Their disposition is unquestionable.""I think the single spirit root and the sword spirit root are also good. They look like honest guys at first glance."Yunzhi thought of how Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had discussed how to cheat in the carriage and felt that neither of them could be considered honest...."Where am I?" The ancient barbarian, named Mangu, looked around in confusion, forgetting what had just happened.Holding a worn-out ax, he stood by the river, which sparkled beautifully.Mangu's hand slipped, and the worn-out ax fell into the river. Just as he was about to retrieve it, the river bubbled and gushed like a fountain, and a celestial figure emerged, with three different axes floating in front of him."Young man, I am the River Spirit. Did you lose this worn-out ax, this spiritual artifact, the Mountain-Splitting Ax, or this celestial artifact, the Heaven-Splitting Ax?"The Mountain-Splitting Ax and the Heaven-Splitting Ax were two famous axes in the Central Continent. Even a talentless mortal could soar to greatness and become a giant-like figure once they obtained these two axes.Mangu immediately answered, "The worn-out ax."The River Spirit smiled slightly, "You are truly an honest young man. Then you can have all three axes."Mangu passed the second round."You see, I knew Mangu would pass the second round. Let me see how the single spirit root and the sword spirit root choose," Dai Bufan continued excitedly.The second round tested honesty, and the criterion for passing was to obtain all three axes.The River Spirit was not an illusion. He was born in the river that surrounded the bamboo forest and was a naturally nurtured creature.He manifested in countless forms, entering the illusion to test everyone.The River Spirit liked honest people. The only way to pass the second round was to honestly answer the River Spirit's questions and receive all three axes as a gift...."Huh? How did the ax fall into the river?" Lu Yang was puzzled. He felt like some mysterious force had forced him to drop the ax.The River Spirit appeared again, gently asking Lu Yang, "Young man, I am the River Spirit. Did you lose this worn-out ax, this spiritual artifact, the Mountain-Splitting Ax, or this celestial artifact, the Heaven-Splitting Ax?"Lu Yang squatted down and scanned the three different axes before looking up at the River Spirit as if he were looking at an idiot, with a pitying look in his eyes. "Two of these axes are yours. Don't you know which two are yours? Why are you asking me?"The River Spirit's smile stiffened, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. He could only follow Lu Yang's words and said, "I really don't know which two axes are mine."Lu Yang looked at the River Spirit warily and said, "If I choose an ax, don't suddenly remember which two axes are yours.""Absolutely not," the River Spirit said confidently."Let me see all three axes."The River Spirit handed all three axes to Lu Yang.Lu Yang immediately threw all the axes back into the river and said, "Ask your question again."The River Spirit instinctively asked, "Did you lose the worn-out ax, the Mountain-Splitting Ax, or the Heaven-Splitting Ax?"Lu Yang's face lit up with a smile, "I lost all of them."The River Spirit: "..."Gritting his teeth, the River Spirit said, "You are truly an honest young man. Then you can have all three axes."