Sixty years of blacksmithing, a single hammer blow forging a celestial being.

After saying this, the city lord immediately ordered the city guards to organize the crowd in an orderly manner.

Arrange for children under the age of twelve to participate.

Furthermore, their birth age must be strictly verified; even a day's difference is unacceptable.

This is to prevent those who are already twelve years old from taking advantage of the situation.

Even so, children under the age of twelve still formed a long queue.

There were roughly at least a thousand people.

The boy at the head of the group walked excitedly up to the platform and placed his small hand on the spirit stone.

A moment later, the spirit stone flashed with a white light and then vanished without a trace.

The bearded Taoist priest glanced at it, then, without changing his expression, casually uttered a sentence.

"No spiritual root! Get out of here!"

Upon hearing this, the boy's face turned pale.

He glanced at the bearded man with some disbelief.

He then walked off the stage with a look of disappointment on his face.

Then another child went up on stage, still eager to try.

However, when he placed his hand on the spirit stone, a flash of white light appeared and then there was no further movement.

"No spiritual root! Get out of here!"

In this way, they tested a dozen or so people in succession, and all of them were people without spiritual roots.

Seeing this scene, the initially excited crowd below gradually calmed down.

It seems that obtaining a chance to become a celestial being is not so easy after all.

The probability is frighteningly low.

The children, who were initially overjoyed, thought that the path to immortality had been opened.

Everyone became nervous.

Li Ping'an stood in the crowd, looking at the orderly testing of spiritual roots.

I couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

Decades ago, he was recruited into the Tongtian Sword Sect by a Taoist priest who descended to the mortal realm to recruit those with spiritual roots.

Lu Xue was with him.

In the blink of an eye, decades, almost a hundred years, have passed.

Time truly flies, and life is fleeting.

However, Li Ping'an was tested for having mixed spiritual roots of the five elements, so he was assigned to the menial disciple class.

But it can also be considered as starting a connection with the immortals.

Recalling the past, Li Ping'an glanced at He Wangshu, who was watching with great interest beside him.

Somewhat puzzled, he asked, "Why aren't you going up to have your spiritual roots tested?"

He Wangshu glanced at Li Ping'an, then said with a smug look on his face.

"I have already passed the alchemy apprentice assessment test of the Danxian Sect, so I don't need to go up and have my spiritual root tested again! The Daoist will naturally take me to the Danxian Sect then!"

Li Pingan nodded upon hearing this.

No wonder He Wangshu looked so calm and relaxed.

It turns out they were already pre-selected.

While people chatted idly below the stage, over a hundred people had already passed the spiritual root test on stage.

There is still not a single person with a spiritual root.

The bearded monk was getting impatient.

"Why are the aptitudes of this year's disciples so poor? Not a single one has a spiritual root yet. If we don't recruit a single disciple with a spiritual root this time, how are we going to explain ourselves?"

Just then, the boulder suddenly lit up with a burst of multicolored light.

Three spiritual roots lit up: green, yellow, and gray.

The bearded monk's eyes lit up, and he announced.

"Three spiritual roots! Excellent aptitude! Wait here! Return with us to the Pill Immortal Sect immediately to begin your immortal destiny!"

The child stared at his hands in disbelief.

He murmured, "I have spiritual roots! I can cultivate immortality!"

He jumped up in excitement.

The audience below the stage was filled with envy.

"This guy actually has spiritual roots! That means he can become an immortal in the future!"

"He's so lucky!"

"Damn it! Why isn't it my child who has spiritual roots?"

Amidst envious, jealous, and resentful gazes from all around.

The child whose spiritual root was detected also showed a look of pride and satisfaction.

He strode to one side.

When he looked down at the crowd below, his expression changed completely.

It transformed into a haughty, condescending gaze.

His arrogant expression gathered in his eyes.

The test continues.

When only a few children remained, there were already seven or eight children with spiritual roots standing on the stage.

There were more than two thousand children in total, and seven or eight were finally selected.

That's a pretty good chance.

The bearded monk was somewhat satisfied; he could finally report back this time.

The test continued until the last child finished testing his spiritual root.

The bearded monk announced in a loud voice.

"Alright! This spiritual root test is complete! Eight children are qualified to cultivate immortality! We will soon hand them over to their parents, and they will then join us at the Danxian Sect for cultivation! The parents of these children will receive one hundred taels of silver as a settlement allowance!"

Hearing this, the people below became even more envious.

"Damn it! Why wasn't it my child who had spiritual roots? That's a hundred taels! A hundred taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family to live a life of luxury for decades!"

Ignoring the audience below, a commotion and noise erupted.

The bearded monk continued his announcement.

"Besides these eight disciples, a pre-selected alchemy apprentice will also be accompanying us up the mountain!"

"The pre-selected alchemy apprentice?"

Upon hearing this, the audience erupted in uproar.

"Who managed to secure a spot in advance?"

"The alchemy technique must be incredibly powerful, to have caught the eye of an immortal so early!"

Amidst envious glances from all around.

The bearded monk took out a roster and prepared to begin the announcement.

At this moment, He Wangshu's face was filled with smugness and pride.

He straightened his clothes and prepared to go on stage.

However, the bearded monk announced loudly.

"The designated alchemy apprentice for this round is Chen Zhi!"

Upon hearing this, He Wangshu, who was about to go on stage, froze completely.

Her little face was filled with shock, doubt, and bewilderment.

He muttered to himself, "Chen Zhi? How could it be Chen Zhi? No... Could it not be me? Didn't I already pass the immortal's test?"

He stared blankly at the stage, his face full of confusion.

He Han was also stunned and stood there.

He was initially very excited about his son becoming a disciple of alchemy.

But the bearded monk was not calling out his son's name; instead, he was calling out a man named Chen Zhi.

"What...what happened?"

But then a smug-looking young man strode onto the stage.

He was dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, with a jade pendant tied around his waist.

It gives people a very wealthy feeling.

With a cupped hand and a smile, the bearded Taoist priest thanked him, saying, "Thank you very much, Immortal Master!"

The bearded Taoist priest sized Chen Zhi up and down and said, "Go, stand at the back! Come up the mountain with us!"

"Alright!"

Chen Zhi stood behind the eight boys, his face full of excitement and pride.

"How could it be him?"

He Wangshu's eyes were filled with despair as he shook his head and murmured.

"It was me! I clearly eliminated him! How could it be him?"

Seeing this, Li Ping'an frowned and asked He Wangshu in a low voice.

"What happened?"

He Wangshu said in a desperate tone.

"Chen Zhi participated in the alchemy apprentice assessment with me. But I clearly eliminated him in the final round. Although the immortals chose me, why did it turn out to be him?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ping'an immediately understood.

It seems that He Wangshu got a favor with Chen Zhi.