I proved immortality with thunder magic.

Heng State, Yannan City.

Yannan City, as the capital of Yannan Prefecture in Heng State, is a large city with a permanent population of over 100,000. The city is bustling with activity and all kinds of businesses.

As dawn broke, lavishly decorated carriages set off from the mansions of high-ranking officials and nobles throughout the city, all heading towards Luoyan Mountain outside the city.

Luoyan Mountain is more than 30 miles away from Yannan City. The mountain has beautiful scenery and pleasant landscape. Yunhe Temple on the mountain is particularly popular and is known as the number one Taoist temple in Yannan. It is said that the abbot is a real immortal.

The carriages that had left Yannan City arrived at the foot of Luoyan Mountain one after another after traveling for more than an hour.

"Sir, we have arrived at Luoyan Mountain. There is no road leading up the mountain, so you will have to walk."

On a carriage pulled by two large black horses, the driver brought the carriage to a stop and then whispered the situation to the host inside the carriage.

"understood."

A calm voice rang out from inside the carriage, and soon a middle-aged man with a fair complexion and dressed in blue stepped out.

The middle-aged man in blue was named Zhou Tai. He was thirty-seven years old and was a very famous wealthy merchant in Yannan City. His wealth was beyond description.

"I'm going up the mountain first. If I haven't come down by sunset tomorrow, you can go back to the manor and report to the Second Master."

Zhou Tai gave some instructions to the coachman, then jumped off the carriage and strode up the mountain along the stone steps.

Not only him, but all the high-ranking officials and nobles who came from the city were the same, even the seven- or eight-year-old children they brought with them.

Today is no ordinary day. No matter how powerful or wealthy these people are, none of them dare to ride in a palanquin up the mountain; they can only walk obediently.

Fortunately, Yunhe Temple is not located on the mountaintop, but in a valley halfway up the mountain, and it only takes half an hour to walk there.

When Zhou Tai arrived at the bluestone square in front of Yunhe Temple, he saw that there were already several hundred people gathered there, some sitting and some standing, with adults and children making up roughly half of them.

Moreover, he saw many familiar faces among them, recognizing them as gang members from several other counties in Yannan Prefecture.

He wasn't surprised by this.

After all, even a wealthy businessman like him, who has risen to prominence in less than ten years, was able to find out what was going to happen at Yunhe Temple today, let alone those gangs that have huge influence in the local area.

He didn't go over to greet the acquaintances, but simply nodded slightly to them from a distance before quietly walking to an open space to sit down and wait patiently.

They waited until nearly noon when suddenly someone said, "Look at the sky!" Zhou Tai and the others immediately looked up at the sky.

In the northwest sky, three giant bluish-black birds, arranged in a triangle, were seen flapping their wings and flying swiftly towards Luoyan Mountain.

As the giant bird drew closer, Zhou Tai and the others could clearly see the figures sitting on its back.

Just then, the Yunhe Temple, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened its middle gate, and an old Taoist priest with white hair led several young Taoist priests out quickly and came to the square in front of the gate.

The white-haired old Taoist priest waved his whisk and solemnly proclaimed, "The envoy from the Immortal Sect has arrived! All of you, quickly make way for the spirit bird to land!"

Upon hearing his words, the crowd in the square seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly retreated outwards from the center of the square, making room for him.

call!call!

Accompanied by howling gusts of wind, the three giant birds landed one after another on the bluestone square.

The sheer gale-force winds generated by the giant bird's descent caused many people to lose their footing and involuntarily fall to the ground.

Such a display of power is truly terrifying.

Zhou Tai's eyes showed some shock, but even more excitement.

He stared intently at the three giant birds, and the three people—one old and two young—who jumped down from their backs.

If his information is correct, then the three people should be disciples of the Spirit Beast Mountain, a major cultivation sect, and the three giant bluish-black birds that can carry people in flight are the legendary demonic beasts.

Just as Zhou Tai was stealing glances at the three cultivators, the white-haired old Taoist bowed to them and said in a very respectful tone, "This humble Taoist is Lu Baiyun, and greets the three fellow Daoists from Spirit Beast Mountain."

Upon hearing the white-haired old Taoist's greeting, the leading elder among the three disciples of Spirit Beast Mountain immediately smiled and waved, saying, "Fellow Daoist Lu, you are too kind. We are here today on orders to select new members for our sect, and we will have to trouble you to help us out."

Upon hearing this, the white-haired old Taoist priest immediately replied solemnly, "This is my duty, and I will do my utmost to fulfill it."

Seeing this, the elderly man in blue robes who was leading the group nodded in satisfaction and said, "In that case, let them line up and begin. The sooner they finish, the sooner they can return to the mountain."

"I understand."

The white-haired Taoist priest responded and immediately turned to Zhou Tai and the others, saying, "Those of you who meet the requirements, please come forward and line up to be tested by the Immortal Sect envoy. Regardless of the test results, loud noise is strictly prohibited!"

This white-haired old Taoist priest, Lu Baiyun, is the abbot of Yunhe Temple, a true cultivator with magical powers.

Although he was extremely respectful in front of the three disciples of Spirit Beast Mountain, he was still a terrifying existence that Zhou Tai and other ordinary people could not afford to provoke.

Therefore, as soon as he spoke, the crowd in the square immediately obeyed his instructions and had their younger relatives obediently line up.

The rules for recruiting disciples by the Immortal Sect were not entirely clear to everyone; they only knew that the Immortal Sect would not recruit people over the age of fourteen.

So the adults who came here today are all bringing their children under the age of fourteen to try their luck.

Zhou Tai came here alone, and since he has never married, he naturally has no younger generation to take care of.

But he didn't say anything at this time, and just silently observed the situation.

One by one, the children and teenagers lined up, and those in front followed the instructions to walk toward the old man in blue.

The old man in blue was sitting cross-legged behind a stone table. On the stone table in front of him was an exquisitely crafted Bagua plate with eight different colored pearls inlaid around the edge.

The first boy walked up to the stone table and nodded slightly, saying, "Don't be nervous. Just place your palm on this Bagua plate, and leave the rest to me."

"Yes, I understand."

The boy nervously responded and obediently extended his right hand and placed it on the Bagua plate.

The moment his palm touched the Bagua plate, the old man in green gave a low shout, pointed his index and middle fingers at the Bagua plate, and a beam of green spiritual light landed on it.

Suddenly, as if some mechanism had been activated, the pearls on the Bagua plate began to light up one after another, emitting various colors of spiritual light, transforming into a colorful light shield that enveloped the boy's palm.

Seeing this strange scene, Zhou Tai and many others held their breath, staring intently at the seven-colored light shield.

After a few breaths, the color of the light shield suddenly changed, from seven colors to four colors: red, blue, yellow, and green.

The old man in blue robes looked at the four-colored light barrier in front of him and said calmly, "A mixed spiritual root of four attributes, he can be considered as a candidate for a menial disciple."

After saying that, he waved his hand lightly, and the light barrier immediately dissipated.

Upon seeing this, the two disciples from Spirit Beast Mountain who had come with him immediately wrote down his words, while the other invited the boy to sit down and wait.

At the same time, the white-haired Taoist priest Lu Baiyun gave a low shout, and a girl behind the boy immediately ran to the stone table. Without the old man in green robes having to call out to her, she followed the boy's example and reached for the Bagua plate.

However, the colorful light shield that appeared this time quickly dissipated.

"No spiritual root aptitude, eliminated."

As the old man in blue robes spoke softly, the girl was immediately pulled away by a Taoist priest behind Lu Baiyun and sent back to her relatives.

And so, Zhou Tai watched as one by one, hopeful boys and girls stepped forward to be tested. Some were kept as backups because they were found to have spiritual roots, while others were eliminated and sent back to their relatives.

In less than half an hour, the group of over a hundred people had dwindled to less than ten.

Just then, as a girl who looked to be seven or eight years old was being tested, the seven-colored light shield quickly turned into yellow, green and blue.

Upon seeing this, the old man in blue robes, whose expression had remained unchanged, smiled and immediately announced, "Those with three true spiritual roots can directly become outer disciples."

Then, smiling kindly at the little girl in front of him, he asked, "Little one, what's your name? How old are you?"

The little girl was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly bowed to the old man in blue, imitating an adult, and said, "Replying to the Immortal Master, my name is Hu Qianqian, and I am seven years old."

Upon seeing this, the old man in green stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Very well, from now on I should call you Junior Sister Hu. Junior Sister Hu, please wait aside for now. I will talk to you after I have finished testing the remaining people."

This kind of differential treatment made the children who were found to have mixed four-attribute spiritual roots and useless five-attribute spiritual roots extremely envious, even jealous.

The girl's father was extremely excited. If it weren't for the instructions given by the white-haired Taoist priest Lu Baiyun, he would have burst into laughter.

Zhou Tai watched this scene with a touch of envy.

"That girl from the Hu family is so lucky! Old Hu really raised a wonderful daughter!"

His gaze fell upon the agitated middle-aged man, and he recognized him as Hu Dayou, a merchant in Yannan City who was as wealthy as he was.

The Hu family has been in business for three generations. Their wealth may not be as great as his, but their network of connections is unmatched. In the future, the Hu family is likely to soar to new heights.

Next, the old man in green continued to test the remaining people. The results showed that, apart from one person with a useless five-attribute spiritual root, the others did not even have a spiritual root.

After testing the last person, the old man in blue said in a deep voice, "Alright, this test is over. Now we will begin the selection process."

It's now!

Zhou Tai, who had been waiting until this moment, knew he had to seize the opportunity to make his move.

He immediately stepped forward from the crowd, holding a wooden box in his hands, and said loudly, "My lord, I have a treasure to offer."

This scene immediately stunned everyone present. Many people who knew Zhou Tai opened their mouths wide and then shook their heads repeatedly.

Sure enough, the next moment Lu Baiyun glared and shouted angrily, "Insolence! You mere mortal, how dare you interrupt the words of the Immortal Sect's envoy? This old Daoist thinks you have a death wish!"

Before the shout had even finished, two Taoist priests from Yunhe Temple rushed towards Zhou Tai, intending to arrest him.

Upon seeing this, the old man in green robes' eyes flickered slightly. After a moment's thought, he still spoke up and said, "Fellow Daoist Lu, wait a moment. Let him bring the treasure over for us to examine first. If it's just a charlatan, then it's not too late to take his life."

Upon hearing this, the two Taoist priests from Yunhe Temple immediately stopped.

Zhou Tai seized the opportunity and quickly knelt down, saying, "Thank you, Immortal Master! The treasure I offer is a hundred-year-old spiritual ginseng, complete with roots and in excellent condition!"

"What?! It's a century-old ginseng!"

The old man in blue was startled, then looked at the wooden box in Zhou Tai's hand with a face full of joy.

Lu Baiyun's eyes also showed shock, and he couldn't help but look greedily at the wooden box in Zhou Tai's hand.

However, when he saw the old man in blue personally approach Zhou Tai, his greed instantly turned into helplessness.

Putting aside whether it's worth making an enemy of Spirit Beast Mountain for a hundred-year-old ginseng, even if they really fought, he would most likely be no match for the old man in green!

Then, the old man in blue walked up to Zhou Tai, took the wooden box, and opened the lid.

Inside the wooden box, a nearly two-foot-long milky-white ginseng was wrapped in red cloth. Just as Zhou Tai had said, it had all its roots intact and was undamaged.

The old man in blue picked up the ginseng and smelled it briefly. He immediately knew that it was a genuine spiritual ginseng, not an ordinary wild ginseng.

"It truly is a century-old spiritual ginseng, the White Jade Ginseng. Where did you obtain this?"

He quickly took out a jade box from his waist pocket, transferred the ginseng from the wooden box into the jade box, carefully closed the lid, and asked Zhou Tai, who was still kneeling on the ground, about the origin of the ginseng.

Such a spiritual medicine is not uncommon in the cultivation world, but it is extremely difficult for mortals to obtain it, so he naturally wanted to inquire about its origin.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai immediately replied respectfully, "This humble one would not dare to deceive the Immortal Master. This item was acquired from a descendant of a family that has passed down medicine for generations. Their family has devoted three generations of effort to cultivating this spiritual ginseng!"

Upon hearing his answer, the old man in blue nodded thoughtfully and said, "Three generations cultivating a single spiritual herb—that's truly a labor of love. You must have paid a considerable price to obtain it!"

After saying that, he looked at Zhou Tai and said, "Speak, what do you want me to do for you by offering this spiritual herb?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai immediately knew that he had made the right bet this time.

Without any hesitation, he immediately said respectfully, "My esteemed Immortal Master, please grant me your assistance in testing my spiritual root aptitude and bestow upon me a suitable method of cultivation!"

Upon hearing that it was just that, the old man in blue immediately smiled and said, "This request is not difficult; I agree."

After saying that, he turned around and said, "Come with me, I'll test your spiritual root aptitude first."

"Thank you, Master Immortal."

Zhou Tai was overjoyed. After thanking him, he hurriedly got up and followed him.

After he sat down at the stone table, he took a deep breath and extended his right hand, placing his palm on the Bagua plate.

The old man in green pointed out again, and a seven-colored light shield quickly appeared, enveloping Zhou Tai's palm.

A moment later, under Zhou Tai's unblinking gaze, the color of the light shield rapidly changed, one color after another dissipating, until finally only a touch of purple remained.

"What?! It's a different-attribute lightning spirit root!!!"

The old man in blue robes suddenly stood up, staring in shock at the purple light barrier and exclaiming in disbelief.