"Children! Take the pills and sit down where you are. When I call your number, come forward..."In an open space outside Longxing Town, an old man in a Taoist robe with a fairy-like appearance put one hand behind his back and looked at more than 30 children in front of him, with a gleam of expectation in his eyes.These children ranged from eight or nine years old to thirteen or fourteen years old. Each of them held a pill containing five colors of gold, green, blue, red and brown, and they all looked excited.The old Taoist and the children were surrounded by people from Longxing Town and surrounding villages, most of whom were parents of these children. They all hoped that their children would be selected, not only for cultivation, but more importantly, to get silver bills.Yes, Longxing Town is located in Liangzhou, a wilderness in the northeast of Dagan Country, and most of the people are hungry. Although they have almost no idea about cultivation. they know that if their children

The carriage sped forward like a gust of wind, the mountains, rivers, and vegetation rapidly retreating into the distance.Night had fallen, and the moon hung high above.With a creak, the carriage finally came to a stop at the foot of a rugged mountain.The old Taoist pulled back the curtain and took a glance outside. Nodding in satisfaction, he stepped out and effortlessly lifted Lu Li with one hand and Qin Shouren with the other. In a single bound, he landed atop a strange rock like a meteor descending from the sky. Without pause, he leapt again, rising and falling along the jagged terrain, moving with ghostly agility. Each jump carried him more than ten feet into the air.Before long, the Taoist had reached the mountaintop.There stood an ancient Taoist temple, its plaque inscribed with the words: Qingliang Temple.Without hesitation, the old Taoist kicked open the door and strode inside.Beyond the gate lay a spacious courtyard. A young Taoist, around seventeen or eighteen years

"Hope?"When Lu Li heard this, he looked at Fan Zhengping excitedly. In times of despair, nothing was more precious than hope. As long as there was even a sliver of hope, anything was possible."Yes, hope." Fan Zhengping nodded. "As mortals, you naturally have no choice. However, if you possess spiritual roots, my master may accept you as a disciple, just as he did with me."Spiritual roots.Hearing these words, Lu Li's excitement dimmed, and he muttered in disappointment, "We participated in the Qingyang Sect's awakening ceremony, but none of us awakened spiritual roots.""No spiritual roots?" Fan Zhengping frowned at first, then suddenly stared at Lu Li as if he had made an important decision. "Wait here."Without another word, he rushed into the hall. Lu Li hesitated, considering leaving, but glanced at the closed door beside him and chose to remain seated.Not only were Fatty Chen and Qin Shouren still inside, but he doubted he could escape on his own given their current circumsta

"The spiritual roots are too mixed?" Qin Shouren was stunned, then exclaimed, "You can look inside!"Lu Li concentrated, and his face lit up. "I... Wow!""What's wrong?""Nine... nine spiritual roots!" Lu Li looked at his nine-colored meridians, his face twitching. "I have nine spiritual roots..."Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, and darkness—all present. Lu Li was speechless. No wonder he had to eat over seventy awakening pills. Could there be a more useless spiritual root?"Congratulations, congratulations," Qin Shouren chuckled, rolling on the ground. "Hey, Fatty, let me tell you something."Chen Zhong, who was practicing, looked annoyed. Hearing Qin Shouren, he said impatiently, "Just say it!""Okay, okay," Qin Shouren said. "Don't tell anyone, but… Mud monkey has nine spiritual roots! Hahahahaha...""What?" Chen Zhong was stunned. "I thought my seven spiritual roots were bad enough, but Mud monkey is even worse?""You have seven spiritual roots?" Qin Shouren

Chapter 9: The Price of immorality "Done?"Zhang Song, overjoyed, stepped over Lu Li and Chen Zhong and grabbed Qin Shouren. "How is it? What does it feel like?"Qin Shouren, seeing Lu Li and Chen Zhong on the ground, feigned pain. "I… I feel so uncomfortable!" He then collapsed."Himph, you dare tease me?" Zhang Song grabbed Qin Shouren's neck. "Uncomfortable? I'll crush you!""No!" Chen Zhong cried, getting up. "I'll talk!"Seeing no way out, Lu Li stood up.Zhang Song released Qin Shouren and looked at Chen Zhong. "Tell me the truth, and I might accept you as a disciple. Lie, and you'll regret it."Then, he changed his mind. "Wait, come with me."He took Chen Zhong into a side room.After a while, he brought Chen Zhong out, then took Lu Li and Qin Shouren in. "Tell me the truth. If your stories don't match, you all die."Old fox!Lu Li cursed Zhang Song inwardly but dared not lie.After hearing their accounts, Zhang Song laughed. "Hahaha, I succeeded!"He rushed out, rummaging on