Chapter 16: The Gentle Breeze and the Bright Moon

Wang Miao could not fathom, no matter how hard he tried, why someone with a useless spiritual root could cultivate so quickly. Even with an abundance of pills, the cultivation bottleneck that appeared every three levels was notoriously difficult to break through. Having personally broken through the third meridian, Wang Miao knew well the arduousness of the process. Despite the Elder’s careful guidance and ample supply of elixirs, he himself had only reached the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refinement after all these days.

By his calculations, it would take twenty days to reach the tenth level of Qi Refinement. He had thought that this speed would allow him to stand above his peers, even surpassing Lin Feng, who had been accepted as the sect leader’s disciple. Who could have predicted that reality would betray his hopes—he was actually outdone by someone with a useless spiritual root.

In his frustration, Wang Miao flung his sleeves, burning with resentment, and stormed back to his chambers to begin a closed-door cultivation. He swore that the next time he emerged, he would surpass Qingxi.

Unknowingly, even Wang Miao failed to realize that his goal had changed. He was no longer competing with Lin Feng, but rather with a youth who possessed a useless spiritual root.

...

Qingxi, unaware that he had become someone else’s rival, had already, under Tu Yongsheng’s guidance, arrived at Black Cloud Peak, one of the nine inner peaks. The Inner Sect Elder, Ouyang Changfeng, resided in a pavilion halfway up the mountain.

Knock, knock, knock...

Tu Yongsheng rapped on the door. It was answered by a youth clad in pristine white garments, with rosy lips and gleaming, intelligent eyes.

“So it’s Elder Tu. Master has been expecting you.” The youth, seeing Qingxi behind Tu Yongsheng, quickly clasped his hands in greeting. “This must be the young master. Please, come to the second floor.”

“Young master?” Qingxi felt uneasy at the title.

Tu Yongsheng, accustomed to such things, explained, “This young man is called Qingfeng, one of only two servant disciples here, responsible for Elder Ouyang’s daily affairs.”

“By the way, where’s that girl Mingyue? Tell her to brew me a cup of the finest Jade Mountain tea,” Tu Yongsheng called into the courtyard, clearly quite familiar with the place.

“Here I am!” came a clear, gentle voice. A young girl, bearing a striking resemblance to Qingfeng, approached gracefully with a teapot in hand, her smile warm and soft.

Qingxi watched Qingfeng and Mingyue, lost in thought. After using the reading function earlier, he had discovered they were siblings. Although they possessed no cultivation, they had practiced a special body-forging technique, developing a robust internal energy. In the mundane world, they would be considered top-tier martial artists.

According to the system assistant’s evaluation, the siblings were on par with a tenth-level Qi Refiner. Yet what truly astonished Qingxi was that both Qingfeng and Mingyue bore the exceedingly rare Hidden Spirit Root.

“Assistant, what is a Hidden Spirit Root?” Qingxi asked silently.

The assistant quickly replied, “Generally, those with all five elements present will manifest a spirit root. But for some, due to special bloodlines or constitutions, the spirit root remains concealed and cannot be used for cultivation—hence, a Hidden Spirit Root.”

With the explanation, Qingxi once more activated the reading function, but found himself unable to discern the reason for the siblings’ concealed roots.

“There’s no need to try further,” the assistant advised quickly. “These two harbor a great secret. With the host’s current cultivation, it’s impossible to extract more useful information.”

Qingxi was even more surprised. At his current tenth level of Qi Refinement, he could read even a Spirit Gang realm master like the sect leader, yet he could not read anything from these two seemingly powerless siblings.

Their origins must be extraordinary. But then why would such people willingly serve as menial disciples for Ouyang Changfeng?

“My precious disciple, you’ve finally arrived.”

A gentle, aged voice sounded from above. Today’s main figure, Inner Sect Elder Ouyang Changfeng, had appeared. His face glowed with health. He ordered Qingfeng and Mingyue to serve tea before settling in the seat of honor, his expression turning solemn, as if about to announce something of great importance.

Qingxi sensed the shift in atmosphere and respectfully bowed. “Disciple Qingxi greets Master!”

He bent at the waist, about to perform the ritual.

But Ouyang Changfeng lightly flicked his sleeve, and a gentle yet irresistible force held Qingxi upright, preventing him from bowing.

“As you are now, you can only be counted as my registered disciple. To become my true personal disciple, you must pass all the tests.”

Qingxi let his hands fall naturally and straightened his back. “Disciple Qingxi is willing to undergo all tests.”

“Good, very good—such spirit!” Ouyang Changfeng praised him thrice, his gaze sharp. “The first trial: within three days, defeat either Qingfeng or Mingyue.”

“Defeat us?” Qingfeng and Mingyue, busy with the tea, paused in their movements.

Tu Yongsheng narrowed his eyes but said nothing more. Others might not know, but he was well aware that Qingfeng and Mingyue were far from ordinary servants. He had once witnessed the two of them subdue a lesser human-grade beast together. Such power could easily crush an ordinary tenth-level Qi Refiner.

Would Qingxi be a match for them? Tu Yongsheng felt a twinge of concern. Deep down, he still hoped Qingxi could defeat one of the siblings and pass the trial smoothly.

“I accept the challenge,” Qingxi said without hesitation, already stepping into the open space in the courtyard, ready for battle.

“Decisive. Very well, Qingfeng, you go,” Ouyang Changfeng intoned from his seat, his gaze falling approvingly on Qingfeng. “I took in Qingfeng and Mingyue as children. Though they have no spirit roots, they have trained in supreme martial arts.”

He looked intently at Qingxi. “Their strength can suppress a tenth-level Qi Refiner. Do not underestimate them.”

“So they were brought back... It seems Master is unaware that both siblings have Hidden Spirit Roots,” Qingxi thought. Having already read their information, he knew they were anything but ordinary.

Qingfeng set down his teacup and stepped into the courtyard, standing five meters from Qingxi, their gazes locked.

“Please,” Qingfeng said, left hand behind his back, right hand extended gracefully—a pose as refined as a martial arts grandmaster. Indeed, with his martial prowess, he might not match seasoned grandmasters in the mundane world, but he could certainly be called a prodigy.

Qingxi, facing a peer in white, did not dare show the slightest contempt. He called upon his reading function, analyzing Qingfeng’s abilities.

“Because Qingfeng has yet to make a move, the system’s current capacity is insufficient to deduce his weaknesses,” the assistant’s voice sounded in his mind, prompting Qingxi to form a plan.

He took the initiative, and from several meters away, unleashed a power-hungry technique: Gale Palm.

A thunderous roar erupted, dust and stones flying. Qingfeng’s eyes sharpened; with a light step, he glided across the ground like a swallow, dodging the attack with ease.

Then, he counterattacked.

“Dragon Capture!”

Qingfeng’s movements were true to his name: arriving like a breeze, seemingly slow but in reality swift as lightning. The gap between them closed to a meter before Qingxi could react.

For two combatants, this was perilously close.

A five-fingered hand, supple yet strong, shot forward like lightning toward Qingxi’s shoulder.