Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 127 | Testing the Roots | Novela.app

They say you get what you pay for. Although a few dozen taels of silver were nothing in the eyes of a cultivator, this restaurant was considered quite high-end for the mortal realm, and the food was indeed delicious. Nie Shiyun sampled a few bites of each dish as they were served, and Zhai Bairong followed suit, but the vast majority ended up in Xuan Yang’s stomach. "Food is so cheap here," Xuan Yang remarked as he stuffed his mouth with braised beef. His cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, completely shattering the image of the refined young master the waiter had initially perceived. "Then eat your fill. We’re leaving the day after tomorrow," Nie Shiyun said. He and Zhai Bairong stopped after a few dishes, leaving Xuan Yang to finish the rest alone. "Do I have to go to the talent assessment tomorrow too?" Xuan Yang asked with a pout. "There are so many chirping children in this city! It’s so noisy." Most sects only came to recruit children under the age of twelve. At that age, their lingering attachments to the mortal world were minimal, making them easier to raise within the sect. Unless someone possessed extraordinary talent, adults were rarely considered. "You have the nerve to call others noisy? Besides, you’re still a child yourself," Nie Shiyun said mercilessly. "I’m twenty-four!" Xuan Yang protested indignantly. Nie Shiyun glanced at him. The phoenix clan was long-lived, so their growth period was much longer than that of ordinary demonic beasts. At twenty-four, he was indeed still a child. Thinking of the many human cubs he had seen on the streets, Xuan Yang remembered something and complained, "The talent assessment is bound to be boring. My nose is very sharp; forget about high-tier talent, I haven't even sensed many people with spiritual roots at all along the way. Yet those humans leading them around all look so full of confidence." Zhai Bairong smiled. "You’ve felt it too; the spiritual energy in this mortal realm is so thin it’s almost impossible to cultivate. Perhaps a child with average talent could reach the Qi Condensation or even Foundation Establishment stage in the cultivation world by relying on pills and spirit stones, but here, it’s simply impossible." Xuan Yang asked, puzzled, "But I heard you say you were born here too!" He had been born in the cultivation world and his inheritance came from the Upper Realm, so his impression of the mortal realm was limited to this trip. Seeing Zhai Bairong hesitate for a moment, Nie Shiyun answered for him, "There’s no helping it; he’s a genius." "I see." Xuan Yang nodded without a hint of doubt. Zhai Bairong cleared his throat and took a sip of tea, offering no rebuttal. It was an indisputable fact that his talent was extremely high, but given his personality, he would never boast about it himself. "I’m a genius too!" Xuan Yang puffed out his chest proudly. He was currently at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Grade, equivalent to the late stage of a human cultivator's Golden Core, and not far from the Nascent Soul stage. After his failure at artifact forging, Xuan Yang had tried his hand at other things one after another. The result was that he truly had no talent for the auxiliary arts. His alchemy and forging always ended in exploding furnaces. As for arrays and talismans, he could follow the patterns in the books as long as the spiritual energy was sufficient, but that was the extent of it. In the end, Xuan Yang could only give up on those paths and focus solely on his cultivation. The results of his focused cultivation were quite significant. "Hmph, next time that guy comes to Yunqing Pavilion, I can mock him a bit," Xuan Yang muttered to himself. "Are you talking about Fellow Daoist Shen?" Nie Shiyun asked, glancing sideways. Xuan Yang coughed twice and gave a reluctant grunt, his attitude awkward. Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong exchanged a helpless look. Xuan Yang had disliked Shen Yan since he was little. Over the years, the Soul-Summoning Valley’s kill order had never been rescinded, but they had gradually realized that spending massive resources to hunt a cultivator with such an erratic whereabouts wasn't worth it. The situation was no longer as dire as it once was. However, among artifact forgers, Shen Yan only trusted Nie Shiyun. Since Soul-Summoning Banners were rare, he would visit from time to time. Nie Shiyun always felt that Xuan Yang’s attitude became strangely prickly during these visits, and he would go out of his way to bicker with the man. Shen Yan, for his part, always treated him like a child and didn't take it to heart, treating his provocations as thin air. In the end, it only made Nie Shiyun, the "parent," feel quite embarrassed. "Speaking of which, he hasn't been to Yunqing Pavilion in a long time. He couldn't have been caught by the Soul-Summoning Valley, could he?" Xuan Yang stopped chewing, his brows furrowing. His worried expression looked somewhat out of place on his youthful face. "He has communication crystals from both Bairong and me. If he were truly in danger, he would likely ask for help," Nie Shiyun said with a smile. However, he suspected that Shen Yan was the type who would never ask for help unless his life was on the line. "It better be that way... I have a communication crystal too, you know. And my cultivation is almost at the Nascent Soul stage, yet he still treats me like a little kid," Xuan Yang said, his voice growing quieter as he gnashed his teeth. Nie Shiyun watched Xuan Yang with amusement. He didn't think Xuan Yang actually hated Shen Yan. How should he put it? It felt a bit like a primary school boy intentionally causing trouble in front of a classmate to get attention... Once the three were full, they had the waiter pack the remaining food and tossed it into a storage bracelet. Although the waiter had heard that cultivators possessed "Universe Bags" and could ride the clouds, it was his first time seeing such a thing. He looked at them as if they were gods. When Nie Shiyun told him to keep the change from the silver, he was overjoyed, nearly dropping to his knees to kowtow. "Seniors must be here for the first time. In this city, our restaurant is the best! If you were satisfied today, please come again tomorrow!" the waiter said with utmost respect. Nie Shiyun didn't know the schedule for the next day, so he simply nodded. The three returned to their lodgings. The courtyard arranged by the local family was very quiet. In this mortal realm where spiritual energy was thin, cultivation was impossible, so the representatives from the other sects had retired early. The three of them were naturally assigned three separate rooms, but in the end, only Nie Shiyun's room remained occupied. Xuan Yang was the same as when he was little; he loved the space within Nie Shiyun’s jade pendant. As soon as they returned, he dove inside to sleep, enveloped by the abundant spiritual energy. And there was no reason for Zhai Bairong to sleep alone, so he stayed with Nie Shiyun. Being in an unfamiliar environment, the two woke up early the next day. Even before dawn, the side courtyard of the family estate was already packed with people. Lines of adults and children stretched all the way out the main gate and filled the streets. However, the cultivators' courtyard was protected by a soundproofing array, so they were not disturbed. The magical treasure used to test talent was a transparent glass orb. As long as one placed their hand on it, colored spots of light would appear within the sphere, revealing everything from mixed spiritual roots to single spiritual roots. Naturally, if a mortal without spiritual roots placed their hand on it, nothing would happen. With this item, the presence of cultivators wasn't strictly necessary for the testing. However, it was said that in the past, some families had committed the atrocity of rejecting talented children they disliked while only keeping their own kin. Had it not been for one such child working hard, saving enough money as an adult, and making it to the cultivation world, who knows how many such incidents would have gone unnoticed. Since then, various sects would oversee the entire process to prevent such things from happening again. "Senior Nie, Senior Zhai." As Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong stepped out of the courtyard, the cultivators from other sects greeted them respectfully. Usually, this task didn't require such senior figures. The conditions in the mortal realm were poor, and it wasn't guaranteed that they would find good prospects every time; it was a thankless job. Most of the other cultivators were at the Golden Core or Foundation Establishment stages. Originally, these people had heard that the representative from Yunqing Pavilion would be Nie Xing’an. They hadn't expected to find Nie Shiyun on the immortal ship, with Zhai Bairong by his side! Suddenly facing two Nascent Soul seniors, the crowd was both intimidated and pleasantly surprised, and they all tried to show their goodwill. Soon, a representative from the local family arrived to lead the way. Since the Pinyin Pavilion had handled the arrangements, Nie Shiyun stepped aside to let the others pass. The representative from the Pinyin Pavilion was a Golden Core senior sister of Qi Miaohan. Seeing Nie Shiyun show such courtesy, she nodded gratefully and walked ahead of the two, discussing the situation with the family representative as they moved toward the side courtyard. The bustling side courtyard fell into a dead silence the moment the group stepped inside; one could have heard a pin drop. The family staff arranged for the various sects to be seated in the hall. Nie Shiyun glanced at the scorching sun outside and the commoners waiting in line, then at the tables inside laden with fruit and cold tea. He couldn't help but marvel at the class disparity of this ancient-style world... Seeing Nie Shiyun looking around thoughtfully, the others thought he was dissatisfied with something, and they were all so nervous they hardly dared to breathe. Only Zhai Bairong knew that Nie Shiyun’s "modern" thoughts were surfacing again and helplessly signaled for him to sit down first. Only after Nie Shiyun sat did the others dare to take their seats. Nie Shiyun sent a voice transmission to Zhai Bairong: "No matter how much time passes, I just can't get used to this." They could transmit their voices freely without worrying about others overhearing. As they chatted, the talent assessment began. Several glass orbs were placed at the front of the hall, and batches of people were called in by the maids. Those without spiritual roots were sent home on the spot. If the glass orb reacted, they would wait in another room. The testing process was even more boring than imagined. Forget the legendary cultivators sitting in the room; simply stepping through the gates of the great family estate filled many commoners with fear and hesitation. Looking at the results, although the crowd was massive, those with spiritual roots were few and far between. When they saw that nothing appeared in the glass orb, the daydreams they had nurtured all along were shattered in an instant. The children themselves were often dazed, but the accompanying adults, having wasted travel expenses and time, could only show expressions of utter defeat. "I didn't expect so many people to want to send their children to the cultivation world," Nie Shiyun remarked with some emotion. Although becoming a cultivator was easier than living in the mortal realm, children who entered sects at a young age almost never returned. Sending them away was essentially a permanent farewell. If it were him, he would certainly be unable to part with them. Zhai Bairong sighed. "You know that people in the mortal realm lack money more than they lack children. Selling a child sounds terrible, but if they are taken by the cultivation world, it’s considered a blessing for everyone involved." Thinking of it that way made Nie Shiyun feel a bit better, and he turned his gaze back to the crowd. Gradually, some children with triple or quadruple spiritual roots appeared. Those with five-element mixed spiritual roots basically had no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in their lifetime. The sects found them troublesome as well and had stated early on that there would be no silver subsidies for taking such children. Consequently, most parents took their children home immediately if they tested for mixed roots. As more children were found to have spiritual roots, the cultivators began to exchange opinions. Each sect had different preferences, and the simplest rule was to consider the attributes of the spiritual roots. Nie Shiyun had been instructed to prioritize children with fire spiritual roots. After all, most excellent artifact forgers possessed them. Seeing Nie Shiyun occasionally whispering to Zhai Bairong, the others felt a bit awkward. Senior Zhai was now considered one of the Nascent Soul elders of the Yingyue Sect, yet from the first day of the journey, he hadn't mentioned his own sect's affairs once. Now, he was even helping Senior Nie consider the interests of Yunqing Pavilion. After a full half-day, the assessment for the children concluded. The family also set up an assessment for those over twelve, but this required a fee. It was said that for adults, sects wouldn't necessarily accept even those with dual spiritual roots unless they were rare mutated roots or single-root geniuses. Thus, few were willing to waste their money. "Please move to the courtyard. The children selected just now are already waiting there," a maid invited the cultivators to move. Although the adult assessment was still ongoing, no one cared anymore. If a one-in-a-million genius truly appeared, someone would naturally bring them over personally. "Impossible... it's impossible! I am a cultivator!" A tragic cry came from behind Nie Shiyun. The group of cultivators didn't even turn their heads; there were plenty of people like this, lost in their own fantasies. "The result is clear. This treasure was brought by the honored cultivators; it does not lie," a family servant said, heartlessly pocketing the ten taels of silver and waving his hand impatiently. "I used to be a cultivator! It's just for now... yes, just for now! I can definitely start over! Let me see the cultivators, they're still here, right? Maybe there's someone I know..." Bystanders couldn't help but stare. The person clinging to the table was already in his fifties, his face covered in wrinkles and his hair a mix of black and white. He looked completely deranged. "Don't look! Come on, we're going home," an adult said, covering their child's curious eyes and hurrying away. "Hahaha, 'someone he knows'! I heard from the elders that there are people like this every time. They dream too much and end up deceiving themselves." Hearing the laughter around him, the man called a madman began to cry in despair. His frantic appearance only confirmed to the onlookers that he was mentally unstable. "Ten taels of silver wasted... what a waste of money," some of the poorer folk said with envy. They wouldn't dream of gambling ten taels like that. Seeing that the man wasn't dressed particularly well either, they assumed he had scraped the money together with great difficulty, and many felt a sense of schadenfreude. The family staff, seeing the man making a scene, were relieved that the cultivators hadn't witnessed it and quickly called the guards to throw him out. In the distance, the man being ridiculed by the crowd walked away, his eyes vacant and his soul seemingly lost. *** | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 酱牛肉 | Braised beef | Specifically beef braised in soy sauce and spices. | | 骨龄 | Bone age | A method used by cultivators to determine a person's true age. | | 术数 | Auxiliary arts / Technical arts | Refers to specialized fields like alchemy, arrays, and talismans. | | 灵阶 | Spirit Grade | A rank for demonic beasts; Great Perfection of Spirit Grade is equivalent to late Golden Core. | | 齐妙菡 | Qi Miaohan | A character from the Pinyin Pavilion. | | 聂兴安 | Nie Xing'an | A member of the Nie family/Yunqing Pavilion. | | 琉璃球 | Glass orb | A tool used to test spiritual roots. | | 杂灵根 | Mixed spiritual roots | Low-quality spiritual roots consisting of many elements. | | 单灵根 | Single spiritual root | High-quality spiritual root consisting of only one element. |