When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

I rushed to the secret realm early in the morning, only to find myself in a long queue.

This is truly the first line of defense against eroding the willpower of young people.

While waiting, Chu Xianlan quietly used her mind to connect with her wrist and chatted softly with her master.

"Master, is this a test of spiritual roots?"

From his perspective, the light on the side of the Ten Thousand Swords Monument was flashing and bustling, and the color changed according to the people who came. After the light flowed, those who passed through disappeared on the spot, while those who did not pass through could only leave in disappointment.

Currently, it seems that the majority of those who were not selected are still the majority.

"Yes. Different colors represent different spiritual roots."

"The Myriad Swords Monument will sense the specific circumstances of those who come and determine their qualifications." After a moment's thought, Yi Chen added, "After entering, there will be a trial of mental fortitude. The scenarios in the trials are all different, and the purpose is to test whether one's will is firm."

Chu Xianlan listened with great interest. Oh right, Master had already visited the Myriad Swords Immortal Realm once!

"Does this sound a bit like the trials of inner demons during the Nascent Soul stage?" he asked again.

"It's not quite the same. Even if you fail the mental trial, it won't have any negative effects; you'll just be sent out of the secret realm."

As the two chatted back and forth, Chu Xianlan noticed that it seemed her master would answer whatever she asked.

Why does it feel like... Master is intentionally giving me a heads-up?

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the front of the procession. Looking up, they saw several people being carried away by palace guards.

"What's going on?" Chu Xianlan patted He Jingxuan in front of her.

He Jingxuan frowned. "It seems like the evil cultivators from the Mysterious Hands Empty-Handed Sect are up to no good."

The "Handsome Empty-Hand Sect," as the name suggests, is an evil sect known for its itch-to-fight tactics.

Stealing elixirs, magical treasures, intelligence—he steals everything, making him unique in the cultivation world and exuding a strong sense of thievery.

Because the thief sect infiltrated and caused trouble, the subsequent inspections became significantly more stringent.

To demonstrate the Heavenly Sword Sect's innocence and integrity, He Jingxuan didn't wait for the elders to say anything and directly untied the storage pouch from his waist and dumped it on the ground with a clatter!

Eight low-grade spirit stones, the most basic healing pills, and a large, dark bottle.

Gone.

"Hiss, are all sword cultivators this poor?"

"So the senior disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect is so poor?"

"What's in that bottle? It seems like everyone in the Heavenly Sword Sect has one."

Not only were the cultivators in the group discussing amongst themselves, but several merciless mocking voices also emerged from the Xuan Yang Sect's seats.

"..."

Sitting on the high platform, Sect Master He of the Heavenly Sword Sect rubbed his forehead and pretended not to hear.

Ten years of sword practice went unnoticed, but the rebellious son's poverty is known to all.

He Jingxuan's dark bottle rolled to Chu Xianlan's feet. He bent down and picked it up. It seemed to contain some kind of viscous liquid. There was also a yellow paper on the bottle with three big characters written on it: "Eight in One".

Eight in one?

"Brother He, what is this?"

He Jingxuan revealed a smug look on his face, "This is an essential item for sword cultivators of our Heavenly Sword Sect. It is extremely sacred. Please turn it over and take a look."

Chu Xianlan did as she was told and turned the bottle over.

The back of the bottle lists the following in smaller print:

Washing face, removing dirt, lubricating, washing dishes.

Magical tool polishing, talisman-drawing elixir, sword blade maintenance, and barbecue seasoning—all in one.

Oh, so it's this eight-in-one... wait a minute!

Barbecue seasoning!?

Are you sure you won't get poisoned?!

Chu Xianlan suddenly remembered that he had been treated to a lavish meal of roasted beast meat by the Heavenly Sword Sect in Youxin Valley, and his face immediately turned pale.

However, just as he was about to ask the other party for clarification, a flash of yellow light appeared from the earth-elemental spiritual root, and He Jingxuan successfully passed the screening and disappeared from the spot.

Immediately, exclamations of praise rang out:

"He Jingxuan passed as expected."

"Of course, this child has a bright future."

Sect Leader He, trying to save face, stopped pretending to be busy and gave a strong, resounding snort!

Below, Xiao Huandu gave Chu Xianlan, who was disheveled in the wind, a push.

"Go ahead, it's your turn."

As the young man stepped out of the Taiyi Sect's ranks, the surrounding chatter gradually turned towards him.

"Look, he is the personal disciple of Immortal Lord Jixue."

"I heard he was accepted despite not meeting the usual requirements? To be chosen by that immortal lord, he must have some extraordinary abilities, right?"

"Just looking at his appearance, he's quite outstanding; he's very handsome."

"Tsk tsk, what's the use of being good-looking? It's a pity... I heard that his spiritual root is flawed, and his aptitude isn't that good. He might not be able to pass the selection."

"What's wrong with him? I think you're just jealous! He's so young yet he's already formed his Golden Core, has a Golden Spiritual Root, and is a rare dual cultivator of weaponry and swordsmanship!"

"you……!"

Chu Xianlan walked to the Ten Thousand Swords Monument, her shadow stretching long.

Countless eyes and voices, high and low, transformed into pressure, as if they were tangible, slowly pressing down on the boy's thin back.

Sensing her disciple's increasingly rapid breathing, the white snake gently hooked his little finger with its tail, tenderly entwining it.

Chu Xianlan paused, her left hand already raised.

What's there to panic about? His master is right beside him.

The boy's lips curved slightly, his posture composed, as he placed his right hand, adorned with a bracelet, on the stone tablet.

The onlookers all held their breath.

After waiting for a long time, the stone tablet did not light up.

What happened?

Logically speaking, regardless of whether a cultivator can ultimately pass the qualification test of the Myriad Swords Stele, as long as they touch the stele, there will be a reaction, with a light flashing that corresponds to the spiritual root attribute of the one who touches it.

But after the boy touched it, the monument did not change at all.

The initial anticipation gradually turned into confusion, leaving everyone bewildered.

"What happened?"

"Why isn't it responding? Is something wrong?"

"Impossible! He's not an ordinary person; he's a Golden Core cultivator, after all. There should be some spiritual energy fluctuations!"

On the high platform, Pei Fang'an put down his waving fan and looked down: "This..."

Ji Ran also seemed somewhat surprised. She whispered something to the elder beside her, who nodded and walked towards Chu Xianlan, "Young friend, please remove your hand and examine it again."

"What's the point of testing? If you fail, just come down already. Don't waste time." The demons were getting impatient.

Compared to the varying attitudes of others, Chu Xianlan was not panicked. He was using telepathy to explain the situation to his master.

Yi Chen said calmly, "Don't rush, try again."

The moment the boy moved his hand away, a golden light burst forth from the Myriad Swords Monument!

Chu Xianlan's bangs were all blown up by the shockwave. She raised the back of her hand to shield her eyes, staring in astonishment at the amazing scene before her.

The dazzling golden beam of light did not last long; the light suddenly receded, and the colors began to change rapidly!

A soft, deep aquamarine light emerges, its aquamarine spiritual power as gentle as a ribbon, encompassing all things.

"Hey! It's changed color!" someone exclaimed.

"Am I seeing things? How did my metal spiritual root turn into a water spiritual root?!"

"This...this Ten Thousand Swords Stele is broken, isn't it?!"

However, what they didn't know was that the shock was far from over.

As if the sky had cleared after the rain, a vibrant green light swept by like a gentle breeze.

Emerald green covered the entire surface of the monument, exuding a rich and vibrant wood-based spiritual energy.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to her, Hua Ling covered her mouth and chuckled. She roughly understood what was going on. After laughing, she immediately straightened her face and pretended to be an expert.

Okay, seriously.

The crowd was in an uproar, as such a situation had never occurred before.

Many people are well aware that Immortal Lord Jixue's disciple clearly has a single metal spiritual root; this is a fact that is almost universally known!

How could someone with a metal spiritual root possibly trigger the water and wood elemental auras of the Myriad Swords Stele?!

The elder standing next to Chu Xianlan asked, "Young friend Chu... what... what exactly did you do to the Myriad Swords Stele?"

Chu Xianlan turned her head, her expression a hundred times more astonished than his: "How could this be! It's amazing!"

The elder looked completely bewildered.

The next second, the boy smiled slightly and disappeared from everyone's sight.