Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

"Changming, don't rush. Before activating the spirit testing platform, there's something we need to discuss first."

Everyone looked at him.

Li Shouyi said slowly:

"Spiritual root aptitude is divided into three, six, and nine grades. Those of the top three grades are one in ten thousand, and are geniuses that major families and sects fight over. If our Li family truly finds a member with top three-grade aptitude..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present:

"Once the news gets out, it's hard to say whether it will be a blessing or a curse."

Chen Wenyuan frowned: "What does my father-in-law mean...?"

Li Shouyi said in a deep voice:

"The results of the spiritual root test should only be known to the clan leader and the person being tested. No one else, including blood relatives, should inquire about them."

Li Changming was somewhat dismissive:

"Uncle Shouyi, aren't you being overly cautious? Our Li family is united; we're all family members. Who would leak this information to outsiders?"

"Changming," Li Shouyi looked at him, his tone calm yet earnest, "Right now, of course, we are united. But what about the future? Our Li family will grow larger and larger. Some will go out to gain experience, some will make friends with cultivators from the outside world, some will marry and have children, and some will marry into other families... People's hearts will change."

He paused for a moment: "It's always better to be prepared than to mend the fence after the sheep are lost."

Li Changsheng looked at his father and secretly praised him.

The old man has lived half his life and has seen far more of the world and suffered far more losses than the young man.

He set the tone in his opening remarks:

"Do as my father wishes. In the future, when the clan members have their spiritual roots tested, I will be the only one to record the results. No one else is allowed to inquire or discuss them."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Chen Wenyuan stood up and said, "Then I'll go and draft a testing order."

Li Changsheng added, "In addition, the ordinary people should also be notified—all children who are six years old or older can register for testing. My eldest cousin will be in charge of organizing this."

Li Changming accepted the order.

Li Changsheng then said:

"From now on, an 'Ascension Ceremony' will be held every year to test the spiritual roots of clan members who have reached the age of six. Those with spiritual roots will be introduced into the Qi Refining Clan's training program; those without spiritual roots will live peacefully as ordinary clan members, and the clan will make proper arrangements for them."

Everyone's eyes lit up.

An annual ascension ceremony.

This means that the foundation of the Li family will be strengthened generation after generation, starting from this year.

"There is one more thing." Li Changsheng looked at everyone, "In the next forty years, all members of the Li family who have been found to have spiritual roots will be given the generational name 'Dao'. The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao—I hope they will be able to find their own Great Dao in the future."

...

...

The following morning, at the Ce Lingtai Square.

Fifty-two members of the Qi Refining Clan stood in a row, each with a different expression as they gazed at the gray-blue tower. Li Changsheng stood before the Spirit Testing Platform, his hands forming hand seals as he channeled spiritual energy into the array's base.

boom--

The spirit-testing platform glowed with a faint spiritual light. The dense array patterns seemed to come alive, slowly flowing along the tower's surface.

"The Spirit Testing Platform is now open." Li Changsheng turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Come one by one in order."

He paused, then said, "Remember what I said last night—the test results will only be known to me and the person being tested. No one else is allowed to inquire or discuss them."

Everyone responded in unison.

Li Changsheng was the first to step into the spirit-testing platform.

The array's protective shield then shut down.

He placed his hand on the warm, smooth jade stone in the center of the spirit-testing platform. He closed his eyes and felt a cool power surge into his palm, spreading throughout his body along his meridians.

First, there was a fog in front of me.

As the mist dissipated, a chaotic expanse appeared—gray and boundless, as if the world had never been created.

Within the chaos, five colors of light faintly flowed. Gold, cyan, blue, red, and yellow intertwined, evenly distributed, none dominating the others.

Li Changsheng opened his eyes.

On the jade tablet beside the spirit-testing platform, a line of clear text appeared:

[Eighth-grade spiritual root, possessing all five elements (balanced)]

No wonder cultivating the Chaos Primordial Scripture was so smooth.

This Earth-rank cultivation technique requires a balanced spiritual root of the five elements to reach its maximum effectiveness. If he only has a single attribute, his cultivation speed will actually slow down.

He opened the formation, and everyone stared at him expectantly, but no one dared to ask a question.

Li Changsheng simply nodded, signaling the next person.

The second person was her grandmother, née Li.

Since fusing the "Old but Vigorous" cultivation seed, Grandmother's vitality has improved day by day. Aside from caring for the unconscious female cultivator, she spends almost all her time cultivating. Li Changsheng gave Li's grandmother quite a few of the elixirs he seized from the bandits—the old woman had wasted the first half of her life, and now that she had this opportunity, she naturally wanted to catch up with everything she had.

In just over a year, my grandmother has broken through from the third level of Qi Refining to the fifth level.

She stepped onto the spirit-testing platform and placed her hand on the jade.

A moment later, text appeared on the jade tablet—

[Second-grade spiritual root - Wind attribute (mutated)]

Li Changsheng's pupils contracted slightly.

Second-grade spiritual root! Mutated wind attribute!

This is top-tier talent! In any aristocratic family or sect, such a genius would be highly sought after!

He finally understood why his grandmother, who was nearly seventy years old when she began her cultivation, had progressed so quickly. He also finally understood why the Heavenly Book, while identifying her as having "fifth-grade weaving talent," also subtly hinted that her "spiritual root aptitude was not low."

An abandoned baby girl at the foot of a mountain possesses a second-grade spiritual root and a mutated wind attribute—

His grandmother's background was probably more complicated than he had imagined.

He subconsciously glanced at the loyalty rating above his grandmother's head.

[100%]

Die-hard fan.

Li Changsheng felt a warmth in his heart.

He walked up to his grandmother and whispered, "Grandmother, once you obtain a suitable cultivation technique, your cultivation speed will be even faster."

...

...

The third person is Li's father.

Li Shouyi walked nervously into the spirit-testing platform, but emerged looking much more relaxed. Li Changsheng looked at the jade tablet—

[Sixth-grade spiritual root, dual attributes of water and wood]

Below average level.

Father Li didn't mind at all, and said with a smile, "As long as you can cultivate, that's fine. I don't ask for much, I just want to live a few more years and help you out more."

The tests are in full swing.

Younger sister Li Chang Le: [Fourth-grade spiritual root, dual attributes of water and earth]

Brother-in-law Chen Wenyuan: [Fourth-grade spiritual root, dual attributes of metal and fire]

……

When it was Li Changming's turn, this eldest cousin took a deep breath and strode into the spirit-testing platform.

Test complete.

Li Changsheng looked at the jade tablet—

[Third-grade spiritual root - Earth attribute]

Third rank.

She was only slightly inferior to her grandmother, but she was still among the top three ranks.

Li Changming stood there, stunned for a long while, then exclaimed with unbridled joy, "I...I'm a third-rank?!"

Li Changsheng subconsciously glanced at the loyalty value above his head.

[60/100]

It's an increase from 50% initially, but compared to Chen Wenyuan's 100%, my grandmother's 100%, and my younger sister's 100%, the gap is still significant.

"We still need to find a way to completely win over my eldest cousin in the future!"

After all, this is a top-grade spiritual root aptitude, with unlimited potential for the future.

Furthermore, we must take precautions against a potential internal strife like that that occurred in the Du family, since the eldest cousin comes from the clan leader's lineage.

But he didn't show it, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, eldest cousin."

Li Changming was overjoyed and quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Clan leader, you flatter me. It's all thanks to our ancestors."

Li Changsheng didn't say anything more and gestured for the next person.

When it was Li Chang'an's turn, the boy's mind was filled with thoughts of spirit fields, compost, and the thirty acres of newly cultivated land. He didn't care much about his spiritual root, because his cultivation speed was already quite fast, and he had obtained the [Abundant Harvest Destiny] from Li Changsheng, so he only wanted to farm.

He was stunned when the test results came out.

[Ninth-grade spiritual root - Wood attribute]

Ninth rank.

The worst spiritual root.

His cultivation speed was not slow because Li Changsheng had taught him the Earth-rank cultivation technique, the "Chaos Primordial Scripture." Without this technique, with his aptitude, he probably wouldn't even have been able to draw Qi into his body.

But it turned out to be the worst result, and Li Chang'an found it hard to accept.

Without other opportunities, a person with a ninth-grade spiritual root has no hope of establishing a foundation.

Li Changsheng comforted him:

"Chang'an, you are still young. The path of cultivation is about defying fate. As long as you work hard, you will eventually find an opportunity to improve your spiritual root."

"Yes, Chieftain!"

Li Chang'an suffered bullying since childhood, and he quickly accepted it and secretly made a vow in his heart.

Regardless of the circumstances, I cannot betray the precious seed of magic bestowed upon me by the clan leader.

...

The last person was Hu Xiaoyue.

Since arriving at the Li family, this little girl had been quiet and reserved, following her younger sister Li Changle around, helping out and running errands, never uttering a single word. She was grateful to Li Changsheng for rescuing her from a living hell, and also grateful to the Li family for giving her a place to stay.

But deep down, she always felt a sense of unease.

She was afraid she was useless.

They were afraid of being idle and doing nothing.

I'm afraid that one day I'll be kicked out.

Standing in front of the spirit-testing platform, her small hands trembled slightly.

"Don't be afraid," Li Changsheng said gently. "Just put your hand on it."

Hu Xiaoyue nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped into the spirit testing platform.

The instant her hand touched the jade—

A sudden change has occurred!

The spirit-testing platform erupted with a dazzling crimson light!

The light was as red as blood, instantly turning the area inside the array's light shield a crimson red!

Countless blood-red rune phantoms surged from Hu Xiaoyue's spiritual platform, swirling, dancing, and weaving together into a huge rune net around her!