Mortal To Immortal

Chapter 4 Identifying Spiritual Roots

The Dragon Profound Sect is located in the Yandang Mountains.

Yandang Mountain is a famous mountain in northern Yan. Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, at sunset, one can see a purple aura rising from the mountaintop, an auspicious sign!

Legend has it that when the Venerable Xuan Shang traveled here, he saw this mountain and felt a connection to it, thus establishing the Dragon Profound Sect.

At this moment, at the foot of the mountain, two disciples were preparing to change shifts when they saw three children stumbling towards them from afar.

The three children supported each other, all pale and thin, covered in dust. Before they even reached the bottom of the steps, two of them fainted, leaving only the middle child, with the larger head, to drag them on.

"Er Dan! Gou Dan! Hold on! We're almost there! We're really almost there this time!"

However, Shu Han himself was also exhausted and almost fainted.

After leaving the bamboo grove, the three children were lost in confusion.

Gou Dan cried and begged to go back, while Er Dan also wanted to go home, but waited for Shu Han to make a decision.

Having survived a bloody battle, and with Zhang Xianchang dead, Shu Han desperately wanted to go home.

However, he knew they were far from Canglang Mountain, and there was no way the three of them could return. After much persuasion, he finally managed to drag Gou Dan along, asking for directions everywhere, step by step heading towards the Longxuan Sect.

The children's stamina was limited; what should have been a two-day journey took them five days and five nights, with frequent stops and starts.

The three of them relied almost entirely on handouts from the roadside, barely having enough to eat.

Many times, Er Dan and Gou Dan fainted from hunger along the way, and Shu Han had to find tree bark and leaves to revive them.

Two disciples guarding the mountain immediately ran over upon seeing this and asked, "Who are you children, and what are you doing here?"

Shu Han mustered his strength and weakly replied, "Immortal Master... we are children from Shu Village on Canglang Mountain... we have come to join the Dragon Profound Sect..."

"Shu Village on Canglang Mountain?"

The two disciples exchanged glances. "Isn't that under Senior Brother Zhang's jurisdiction? Where is Senior Brother Zhang?"

A look of sorrow appeared in Shu Han's eyes. "Immortal Master Zhang was ambushed by a group of bandits and died in the Green Bamboo Forest."

"What!"

One of them shook his head. "You little brats, talking nonsense! Senior Brother Zhang was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, how could he die at the hands of a group of mountain bandits!" Shu Han's mind raced, and he tried his best to describe the scene of that day to them, which slowly dispelled their doubts.

"This is terrible! We must report to the elders immediately!"

"Liheng, take these three children to Qiling Pavilion and hand them over to the Third Elder. I'll go to the back mountain to report to the First Elder right away! These Jianghu gangs really don't want to live, daring to provoke our Longxuan Sect!"

Soon, the one named Liheng came over, carrying the unconscious Erdan and Gouwa on his shoulders. Another disciple took the lead and went up the mountain, climbing dozens of steps at a time, like a swift flying close to the ground, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Shu Han perked up and followed Liheng up the stone steps.

Seeing Shu Han panting, Li Heng chuckled, "Little one, do you want me to carry you?"

Shu Han gritted his teeth, "No need, I have the strength to walk myself."

"Not bad, to be able to bring these two children from the bamboo forest all the way here, that's quite remarkable for someone so young. Kid, what's your name?"

"Shu Han!"

Li Heng squatted down and pointed to a pavilion in the distance, saying, "Little Shu Han, do you see that? That's the Qiling Pavilion of the Dragon Profound Sect! If you want to walk yourself, I won't wait for you. Go report to the Qiling Pavilion, and the Third Elder will assess your spiritual roots."

"Thank you, Immortal Master!"

"Haha, don't call me Immortal Master anymore, just call me Senior Brother Li Heng!"

With that, Li Heng moved with lightning speed, carrying Gou Dan and Er Dan, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Shu Han couldn't help but feel envious, but the image of Immortal Master Zhang's death still lingered in his mind, constantly reminding him that even immortals weren't completely carefree.

The sun set.

Shu Han scrambled and crawled, finally arriving at the Qiling Pavilion.

At this moment, Gou Dan and Er Dan, the two boys, sat in front of the Qiling Pavilion. Having washed away their fatigue and feeling refreshed, they saw Shu Han finally approaching. The two boys immediately rushed forward, each supporting the trembling Shu Han on either side.

Although Gou Dan harbored hostility towards Shu Han, it was merely harmless childhood jealousy—jealousy of Shu Han's prestige among the village children.

Shu Han's encouragement and care during this journey had made him realize where he truly fell short compared to Shu Han.

Er Dan excitedly told Shu Han, "Big Head Brother, guess what my spiritual roots are! Earth and Wood dual spiritual roots! The Third Elder said I'm a rare genius of the Dragon Profound Sect!"

Gou Dan added, "I'm a little worse than Er Dan, with Water, Wood, and Fire triple spiritual roots! The Third Elder said my aptitude isn't bad either!"

Shu Han smiled weakly at them, happy for his fellow villagers, but also worried about his own talent.

He knew very well how many Fu Fang Grasses he had used to awaken his spiritual roots, and at this moment, he prayed inwardly that his talent wasn't too bad.

Inside the Qiling Pavilion, the Third Elder, whose white beard was thicker than his hair, sat cross-legged on a futon.

Shu Han's first impression was that he was extremely old.

He had never seen such an aged old man before. The people of Shu Village ate grains year-round, toiling in the fields day in and day out, and most of them died in their fifties. The village chief was the oldest, but

he was only fifty-nine this year. Yet, this old man before him seemed to Shu Han to be over a hundred years old.

The Third Elder slowly opened his eyes and clicked his tongue, saying, "Shu Village sent quite a few children this year, and each one is more talented than the last. It's a pity that Junior Nephew Zhang died so young; otherwise, he would have certainly accomplished a great feat. Come, child, stretch out your hand, let this old man examine your spiritual root."

The Third Elder grabbed Shu Han's small hand, and that hand, which looked like a withered tree branch, possessed an irresistible strength.

The Third Elder stroked his beard and closed his eyes in deep thought.

"A fire elemental root..."

"A water elemental root..."

"And an earth elemental root... Three elemental roots, not bad."

"Hmm? A wood elemental root too! It's an ordinary four elemental roots."

The Third Elder suddenly opened his eyes, staring at Shu Han with a surprised look, and said strangely, "There's even a gold elemental root! Five elemental roots! What?! Five elemental roots can awaken? I've lived for so long, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like it."

Shu Han asked weakly, "Elder, my talent..."

"Your talent is also top-tier, but it's top-tier but bad. I've cultivated for 150 years, and I've never seen anything worse than you. It's a miracle that you, little brat, could awaken it."

Shu Han's eyes dimmed: "Elder, can I cultivate immortality?"

“Cultivation is possible, but even with a lifetime of effort, it's difficult to break through to the third level of Qi Refining. Forget it, we've taken in two good children; we can't expect to get another. You can stay at the Dragon Profound Sect as a menial servant; your fortune depends on yourself.” Then, the Third Elder beckoned Li Heng over and said, “Take these two children to the Heavenly Cloud Pavilion tomorrow and have them become disciples of the First Elder, so he can teach them well

. As for this child, send him to the Second Elder and see what kind of work he can do.”

“Disciple obeys!”