“Elder He, the date for the talent assessment has already passed. But for your sake, we can make an exception. However, only those who pass the test may be added to the roster. We kindly ask that you not make things difficult for us.”

The person in charge of registration and testing was also in a difficult position.

Normally, they had connections with the major sects. Occasionally, someone with ties to a sect would bring people for the talent test. Those who passed were recorded in the register, which was then sent to the major sects on schedule.

Whenever a sect came to select new inner or outer disciples, they chose from these registers.

He Wenfeng was, after all, an elder of the Yaoyue Sect. The person he brought had the qualifications to take the test. But someone like Qin Zhou, a commoner known by all to lack any talent, would fail the test. It was simply not permitted to bypass the process and directly record him in the registry.

“Rest assured, we’re merely granting him a testing opportunity. Should he fail, we won’t make things difficult,” He Wenfeng stated calmly. Only he knew that Young Master Qin had no desire whatsoever to join any sect.

But since he was already here, he naturally intended to redeem himself.

“Then follow me.” The man glanced at Qin Zhou and Chen San, clearly harboring no expectations for Qin Zhou.

The two followed the registrar into an inner chamber.

Wen Jue naturally followed suit.

“You wish to test as well?” The man turned to Wen Jue.

Before Wen Jue could respond, He Wenfeng hastily intervened, “Ahem, the senior is merely accompanying to observe. Surely that’s acceptable?”

Senior?

The tester’s expression darkened. If even a Yaoyue Sect elder addressed him as “Senior”…

“I spoke out of turn. Please forgive my impertinence, Senior.”

Wen Jue lifted his fan indifferently.

Though called an inner chamber, it was actually a well-lit room.

A table stood before the room, its center embedded with a device for testing spiritual roots—a spherical stone. It resembled the black jade Qin Zhou had seen before. The stone was entirely pitch black, yet when directly facing the light, it seemed to reveal other colors.

“Chen San, you go first. Place your palm flat against the stone and breathe evenly.” The man glanced at the two before finally speaking.

“Young Master, then I…”

Qin Zhou nodded.

He stood to the side, quietly watching Chen San test his talent.

Though he’d encountered similar scenes in novels before, witnessing it firsthand still felt novel.

“That’s the Thousand Mechanisms Stone.”

Qin Zhou turned his head; Wen Jue was referring to the stone on the table.

“Talent tests used to be far more difficult than they are now. Only those who could attract natural spiritual energy were considered to possess spiritual roots. Without doing anything, merely standing there, natural spiritual energy from water, fire, plants, and trees would be drawn to them. Only such individuals were deemed to have spiritual roots.”

“Later, someone discovered the Thousand Mechanisms Stone. It could glimpse the will of Heaven and resonate with the spiritual energy of the world, so it became the spiritual artifact used to test ordinary people’s spiritual root talent.”

Qin Zhou: “Glimpse the will of heaven?”

“Prophecy.” Wen Jue seemed to recall something, his tone tinged with scorn. “Up in the Upper Realm, there’s the Thousand Mechanisms Divine Sect. They use the Thousand Mechanisms Stone for divination—foreseeing the fate of heaven and earth, and even human lives. Pity they’ve grasped everything except the meaning behind the words ‘Heaven’s secrets must never be revealed.’”

“What happens to those who persistently use the Thousand Machinery Stone to peer into Heaven’s secrets?”

“Their souls are damaged, reduced to ashes.” And so, the Thousand Machinery Sect cultivated nothing but a brood of short-lived ghosts.

Qin Zhou’s eyes darkened slightly.

“Even so, the Thousand Mechanisms Sect has benefited both lower realms for millennia. Our predecessors traded their lives for the prosperity and stability of this cultivation world—a sacrifice worthy of our deepest respect.”

At these words, both turned their gaze toward the person overseeing the registration and testing.

They hadn’t noticed him before, but now they saw clearly: this disciple wore blue robes, a color distinctly emblematic. Moreover, he was responsible for the tests, operating the Thousand Mechanisms Stone.

“Are you a disciple of the Thousand Mechanisms Divine Sect?” Wen Jue inquired.

“No. There is only one Thousand Mechanisms Divine Sect across the heavens. I am from the Tianxing Sect of the lower realm. Our sect’s elders are now disciples of the Thousand Machinery Divine Sect. Thus, our Tianxing Sect receives their favor.“ The man glanced at Wen Jue. At first glance, he couldn’t discern Wen Jue’s sect affiliation. However, noticing Wen Jue’s words showed little reverence for the Thousand Machinery Divine Sect, he couldn’t help but ask, ”Which sect does the senior belong to?“

”I am merely an independent cultivator.”

“A free-spirited hermit, living at ease.” Qin Zhou interjected.

Meanwhile, over at Chen San’s station, the results were finally revealed.

The ink within the Thousand Mechanisms Stone had spread. In the time it took to exchange a few words, the entire stone had completely changed color, settling between deep blue and purple, with a faint purple glow. Even so, this alone was considered extraordinary.

The Tianxing Sect disciple, seeing this, hurried over and said to Chen San, “Your… talent is exceptional. For an ordinary person, staining the Thousand Machinery Stone emerald green is already passing. Blue or above indicates outstanding aptitude. Yours, with its slight purple hue, signifies truly excellent talent.”

What the Tianxing Sect disciple didn’t voice was that with such talent, if Chen San had participated in the quadrennial talent assessment, he would likely have been among the top performers.

Chen San’s face lit up. He turned and said, “Young Master.”

Qin Zhou nodded.

This outcome had been entirely within his expectations. However, judging by the Tianxing Sect disciple’s expression, Chen San’s talent rating of 3.2 was likely exceptionally high.

“You may record it in the registry. Is there any sect you wish to join? I’ll register your choice. Once the roster is submitted, the results will follow.”

Chen San looked at Qin Zhou.

Qin Zhou: “Yaoyue Sect, then.”

The Tianxing Sect disciple nodded. Since Chen San had originally been brought by Elder He Wenfeng, there was little cause for suspicion.

After Chen San, it was Qin Zhou’s turn.

Without hesitation, Qin Zhou stepped forward.

The moment his palm touched the Thousand Mechanisms Stone, a chill instantly radiated through his hand. Soon, the stone’s color began to shift gradually.

In moments, the result appeared.

“Pure purple!” The Tianxing Sect disciple’s shocked voice pierced the rafters.

This couldn’t be right. It hadn’t been long since the last talent assessment. How could Qin Zhou have gone from having no talent to possessing a rare purple-grade talent?

The Thousand Mechanisms Stone couldn’t be faulty.

Then…

The Tianxing Sect disciple’s first thought was Wen Jue. With such a senior guiding him, Qin Zhou’s achievement of such talent wasn’t unreasonable.

A wandering cultivator from the upper realm.

After the initial shock, envy took over. Who knew what made this kid, Qin Zhou, so exceptional that he caught the eye of a senior from the upper realm?

“Congratulations. Purple signifies a rare talent—one in ten thousand among mortals.” The Tianxing Sect disciple took a deep breath, pen in hand, preparing to register Qin Zhou. “Is there a sect you wish to join?”

“No.”

The Tianxing Sect disciple froze. “Then…?”

“No need to register.”

Qin Zhou glanced at the sky outside, thinking: If the Thousand Mechanisms Stone truly connects to the heavens, then Young Master Qin up there could finally fulfill his lifelong wish.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Qin Zhou emerged from the restroom and returned to the entrance of the ‘Examination Hall’. Only Chen San remained waiting for him.

“Young Master, Senior Wen said he went to buy candied hawthorn and will return to the shop on his own. Elder He has also returned to the Yaoyue Sect first.”

Buying candied hawthorn was likely just an excuse; he probably had something else on his mind.

“Mhm. Let’s go back.”

He was now officially a successful examinee.

Unfortunately, he had no intention of reporting to any institution.

For now, he would focus on building his alchemy business.

Suddenly, Qin Zhou remembered something and asked, “Chen San, do you eat candied hawthorn?”

Chen San paused, “Candied hawthorn? I… don’t really eat it. It’s just that my younger brother at home likes it. Occasionally, when I get my monthly allowance, I buy some for him.”

“Children do love sweets.” Qin Zhou’s eyes darkened. The child he had once raised also loved them.

He seemed to imply something, but Chen San didn’t quite catch it.

Well, if the young master wants to buy some, then he’ll buy some.

Of course, Wen Jue wasn’t going to buy any candied hawthorn.

He left the provincial capital and headed deep into the bamboo grove beyond the city walls.

Fan in hand, he walked inward, lost in his own thoughts.

Behind him, the wind rustled the bamboo leaves. Someone was following him.

Finally, deep within the bamboo grove, a clearing opened up.

Wen Jue halted his steps and turned, saying, “You’ve followed me this entire way. Show yourself.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure emerged from the bamboo, slowly coming into Wen Jue’s view.

Yin-Yang Dao, the realm between black and white, the foremost of the Immortal Paths—Cangyun Sword Sect.

Wen Jue recognized that attire all too well.

The one who came was also an old acquaintance.

The Supreme Patriarch of the Cangyun Sword Sect, the sword master known as the Cangyun Sword Immortal—

Lu Er.

“Wen Jue.”

“You’ve emerged from seclusion.”

“With the millennium conflict approaching, it’s only natural to emerge and meet an old friend.” Lu Er’s tone was cold and stern. Though they were acquaintances, his eyes still held a chill toward Wen Jue. “But you… With the Immortal-Demon War imminent, you still have time to come to the lower realm for love and romance?”

“With which eye did you see this one courting?” Wen Jue suddenly laughed. “Oh, could it be you truly believed that letter your disciple Jiang Huan sent? What did it say again? My weakness? My consort? A mere mortal at the second stage of Qi Cultivation?”

“What did you do to Jiang Huan?” Lu Er frowned.

“Naturally… I couldn’t kill him.” Wen Jue looked at him mockingly. “Your son shielded him fiercely, so I gave him a thorough lesson.”

Lu Er: “…”

“You Cangyun Sword Sect folk are truly clever. Sending your little disciple to spy on your son.” Wen Jue sighed. “What do you think he was investigating? Your long-buried romance with Lu Qi?”

Even the legendary master paled at Wen Jue’s sharp tongue. He raised his voice in warning: “Lu Yi.”

“If the Immortal and Demon realms wish to clash, so be it. But I must remind you: keep your Sword Sect disciples in line. Don’t come to the lower realms looking for trouble with this one.” Wen Jue’s eyes sharpened with seriousness. “If anything happens in Qin Zhou, I’ll hold the Cangyun Sword Sect fully responsible.”

Wen Jue’s warning made Lu Er frown. “Who is he?”

When Jiang Huan relayed the message, Lu Er didn’t believe it. Even now, he still didn’t believe it. The idea that Wen Jue had a consort was utterly preposterous. Yet every word Wen Jue spoke clearly hinted that this mortal truly possessed something extraordinary.

Wen Jue narrowed his eyes. “My man.”

Lu Er: “…”

“I have no time to argue with you.” Lu Er couldn’t fight him. Not for any other reason—a battle between their powers in the lower realm would inevitably bring widespread destruction.

Thus, this meeting was merely a reunion with an old acquaintance.

And they parted ways on bad terms.