Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Cultivation Through Copulation.

Episode 10: Entrance Exam (2).

Once the people over thirty descended from the mountain, the real test began.

Under the gaze of the immortal-like middle-aged man, the inner disciple sent to examine our Spiritual Roots stepped forward.

He exuded an aura distinctly different from the outer disciples.

He gave the impression that he was above the outer disciples. Even to Yuk-gyeong, the inner disciple appeared more confident and extraordinary than the outer ones.

The inner disciple gestured, calling forward those who were not yet twenty.

The group, huddled together, maintained their line as they came forward to stand before the inner disciple.

The inner disciple grasped the wrist of the child at the very front of the line. Then, in his characteristically indifferent tone, he announced the Spiritual Roots.

“Five Spiritual Root!”

“Four Spiritual Root!”

“Oh, Three Spiritual Root!”

“You have no Spiritual Root! Descend the mountain!”

As long as a child under twenty had a Spiritual Root, they were able to cross the line.

Under the stern gaze of the middle-aged man, the inner disciple seemed unable to even dare to lie.

Except for a few, most of the children had no Spiritual Root, leaving only a handful who could be counted on both hands, and the rest had to descend the mountain.

Occasionally, some children would cry after being determined to have no Spiritual Root.

In such cases, a few outer disciples came out to gently console them and send them down.

They even console the children? Well, sure. If you have an abundance of humanity, that’s possible. Even I can’t stand seeing children cry.

Yuk-gyeong’s suspicion about the demonic sect still lingered without subsiding.

Next were the young adults who were over twenty, but not yet thirty. There were about ten of them.

The young adults swallowed nervously.

The maiden named Yeong-yeong, who had spoken with Yuk-gyeong earlier, was also in this line. She was right behind Yuk-gyeong.

“Those over twenty! Unless you have a Spiritual Root that is three or lesser, you must descend the mountain.”

“Five Spiritual Root! Descend the mountain!”

“Four Spiritual Root! Descend the mountain!”

“You’re over thirty! Descend the mountain!”

At the word ‘descend’, a young man protested loudly. Was he sweating nervously since before because he was lying about his age?

“I’m just thirty-one! Please just let me take the test!”

“Get lost!”

The man who lied about his age walked away with slumped shoulders.

Yuk-gyeong was surprised at this point. Very surprised.

He had dared to deceive the sect, yet they let him go without punishment? How lenient? Is this really a demonic sect? Cheating is a serious matter!

For the first time, Yuk-gyeong doubted whether this was truly a demonic sect.

It was a suspicion that had been growing.

They let those over thirty descend the mountain without much fuss, and they comfort crying children.

So he quietly asked Yeong-yeong behind him, full of suspicion.

“Miss, is the Dark Moon Sect really a notorious demonic sect?”

Yeong-yeong responded to Yuk-gyeong’s question, as if it was absurd.

“What?”

“The Dark Moon Sect. How can a notorious demonic sect be so lenient…”

“Of course, it’s not a demonic sect. The Dark Moon Sect is a major sect that follows the righteous path. How did you think the Dark Moon Sect was a demonic sect?”

“Someone on the road said it was a notorious sect…”

“Well, whoever it was, they were malicious. Where else can you find a sect as righteous as the Dark Moon Sect? The Dark Moon Sect follows the righteous path even more than the Moon Essence Sect, which is one of the three major righteous sects…”

What? It’s not a demonic sect?

Then what about my cultivation?

What about this Harvesting Yin to Replenish Yang technique?

None of that is allowed in a righteous sect!

As Yeong-yeong and Yuk-gyung whispered to each other, the outer disciple’s eyes flashed in warning, cutting them off mid-conversation, but Yuk-gyeong, who was still in shock from the revelation, didn’t notice the sound.

“Quiet!”

Meanwhile, the Spiritual Root examination continued. The examiner was calmly sending the young men down the mountain one by one.

“Four Spiritual Root! Descend the mountain!”

Among those over twenty but under thirty, none had entered inside the line.

To think that so few possessed a ‘three’ Spiritual Root.

A ‘three’ Spiritual Root was rare even among those with Spiritual Roots, so it was understandable. Moreover, among the older ones, finding a ‘three’ Spiritual Root was even harder.

In Manho, those who hadn’t been examined for Spiritual Roots at this age were either from outside or clung to hope despite being told they had no Spiritual Root.

As no one with a ‘three’ Spiritual Root appeared, the young men swallowed nervously. With no one with a ‘three’ Spiritual Root emerging, they feared the same fate.

Only Yuk-gyeong remained unbothered. He knew he had a Single Spiritual Root.

Even among the outer and inner disciples, there was a sense of indifference.

Knowing how rare a ‘three’ Spiritual Root was, they assumed no one over twenty would be admitted today.

Then, an unexpected event occurred.

The anomaly was someone five places ahead of Yuk-gyeong.

Suddenly, the inner disciple examining the Spiritual Roots let out a gasp. People were startled as the usually indifferent and calm examiner reacted.

Of course, the most surprised was the inner disciple who had inadvertently shouted.

“This, this is! Two Spiritual Root! You, go over there.”

Two Spiritual Root!

The mention of Two Spiritual Root quickly stirred the surroundings.

The young man who was unexpectedly recognized as having a Two Spiritual Root looked bewildered, but couldn’t hide his joy.

“Two Spiritual Root? It’s been so long since we’ve seen one.”

“If he’s got a Two Spiritual Root, it’s certain he’ll become an inner disciple.”

“As long as his five elements align and he progresses smoothly, he might even become a direct disciple under one of the elders.”

The outer disciples who came to assist with the examination were buzzing with excitement.

Even the other inner disciples, forgetting Elder Geum was nearby, couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

When a clearing of the throat was heard, the inner disciples quickly composed themselves, and the outer disciples also quieted down.

The young man with the Two Spiritual Root smiled contentedly, enjoying the attention as he stepped across the line.

The entrance examination continued.

Next person, next person…

“No Spiritual Root! Leave the mountain!”

Before long, an inner disciple arrived in front of Yuk-gyeong. Besides the young man with the Two Spiritual Root, no one else was selected.

The initial surprise at the appearance of someone with a Two Spiritual Root had largely dissipated.

While it’s true that having a Two Spiritual Root is rare, occurring only once in several decades, the sect had a few such individuals.

Thus, the attention that initially focused on the young man had significantly waned.

The five people before Yuk-gyeong were all eliminated.

Now it was Yuk-gyeong’s turn.

Yuk-gyeong had managed to steady himself from the shock of realizing this wasn’t a demonic sect. Well, so what if it’s not a demonic sect? I just need to cultivate.

Things like being a sex fiend and demonic cultivation are all trivial. Becoming an immortal and achieving longevity is what’s important.

What’s the big deal about Harvesting Yin to Replenish Yang? One needs to follow the righteous path to reach the way of the immortals. If the sect I’m joining is a righteous one, I can cultivate calmly and slowly.

Yuk-gyeong earnestly rationalized to himself.

Having made up his mind, Yuk-gyeong swallowed nervously. Tests always make me tense. Even knowing that mine’s a singular Spiritual Root, I’m still feeling nervous.

The inner disciple, as before, mechanically grasped Yuk-gyeong’s wrist to check his Spiritual Root.

As the Spiritual Qi was injected to examine Yuk-gyeong’s Spiritual Root,

Yuk-gyeong keenly felt the Spiritual Qi entering his body. The flow of Qi traveling from his wrist was as clear as if he could grasp it.

This was possible thanks to the remarkable Spiritual Qi sensitivity of a Single Spiritual Root.

The Qi released by the inner disciple traveled through the wrist, entered the chest, and probed the illusory Spiritual Root within.

Knock, knock!

There was no actual sound, but to Yuk-gyeong, it felt as if he heard the Spiritual Qi knocking on his Spiritual Root.

The inner disciple, who was inspecting Yuk-gyeong’s Spiritual Root, was momentarily speechless.

He was so astonished that his face turned pale with shock.

Then, with an expression of disbelief, he shouted loudly.

“A, a, a Single Spiritual Root?”

A Single Spiritual Root! Yuk-gyeong’s Single Spiritual Root!

The atmosphere was different from when it was a Two Spiritual Root. If they looked at him as a genius then, now everyone seemed to view Yuk-gyeong as an indescribable being.

Perhaps that’s why the murmuring erupted after a long silence.

The outer disciples marveled and chattered like in a marketplace, and the inner disciples couldn’t hide their shock either.

It was as if they had all forgotten they were in front of Elder Geum.

“A Single Spiritual Root holder? Really?”

“A Single Spiritual Root! A Single Spiritual Root? Are you sure it’s not a mistake?”

“A Single Spiritual Root… The Single Spiritual Root, known as the treasure of cultivation sects? The legendary Single Spiritual Root!”

The population of the Yue Kingdom is about ten million.

Among them, only about a thousand had Spiritual Roots. That’s a probability of one in ten thousand.

Most of them had a ‘five’ or ‘four’ Spiritual Root, and even those with a ‘three’ Spiritual Root were rare.

A Two Spiritual Root was almost impossible to find, with perhaps one discovered every few decades.

What about those with a Single Spiritual Root?

An incredibly rare existence that might appear once in several centuries!

The cultivation sects immediately regard someone with a Single Spiritual Root as a core disciple.

This is because those with a Single Spiritual Root can easily advance to the Core Formation stage.

In essence, recruiting someone at the Core Formation stage, or even higher, was possible with a Single Spiritual Root practitioner.

“How long has it been since a Single Spiritual Root appeared in our Dark Moon Sect?”

“The previous grandmaster had a Single Spiritual Root, so it’s been over several hundred years.”

“My goodness. Is the Dark Moon Sect becoming a sect with a Single Spiritual Root again?”

Both the inner and outer disciples buzzed with excitement.

The waves of excitement refused to settle down.

The influence of a Single Spiritual Root was that immense.

The entrance of one with a Single Spiritual Root cultivator stirred not only the outer disciples but also the inner ones.

This agitation didn’t seem like it would subside easily.

Only the young man, who was judged to have a Two Spiritual Root, glanced bitterly at the appearance of someone with a higher Single Spiritual Root.

To think all the attention and recognition he should have received were taken away. Otherwise, he would have been the most talented disciple of this generation as one with a Two Spiritual Root.

Regardless, the disciples ignored the person with a Two Spiritual Root and kept their eyes fixed solely on Yuk-gyeong.

But soon, the disciples realized they were in front of Elder Geum and cautiously watched his reaction. Would he signal them to stop making a fuss with a cough?

Elder Geum…

“A Single Spiritual Root!”

was utterly astonished.