Lin Xian climbed the stone steps toward the altar. The gazes of the other participants followed his every step—some surprised, some sneering. They all knew he had surpassed the age limit. Some had already begun whispering about Lin Xian cheating.
"That's Lin Xian, right? The one who failed three years ago."
"Why is he allowed to join again?"
"His father's an elder. Of course he got special treatment. Completely unfair."
Lin Xian ignored it all. He stood in front of the crystal orb and raised his hand. Elder Feng Luchan watched him with a blank expression. Some of the examiners even looked like they were holding back laughter. They thought Lin Xian would fail again this time.
Calmly, Lin Xian placed his hand on the crystal orb. For a few moments, nothing happened. The tension rose. Some people were ready to laugh.
"That..." one of the examiners said, pointing at the orb.
Then, slowly, a light appeared inside the crystal. It was red with a hint of blue—not too bright, but stable and consistently glowing. A thin wave of heat lingered in the air.
The supervisors went silent. Some participants who had mocked him now watched seriously.
"High Root," one of the supervisors said.
Feng Luchan looked more closely. "Fire element affinity. No pure body, but stable. Potential is quite high."
Silence fell for a moment. No applause, but no ridicule either. The only reaction was surprise. Even those who had mocked him earlier now bowed their heads in shame. They were ranked even lower than Lin Xian.
"High Root? Isn't that one level below Spirit Root?" a boy whispered.
"Yeah… not amazing, but far from bad."
Lin Xian lowered his hand and stepped down. His gaze remained calm. He didn't smile, didn't challenge anyone. But everyone knew: this wasn't the same Lin Xian they had known.
Liang Fei, who stood to the side of the arena, glanced at him briefly. His expression was unreadable. Then he turned his face away, showing no interest in Lin Xian.
"Just a High Root. What's there to praise?" Liang Fei said.
Meanwhile, Feng Luchan watched Lin Xian's back with a sharp gaze. In his heart, he muttered, "This boy… since when did he have a Spiritual High Root?"
The panel called the next name, but many participants still had their eyes on Lin Xian. In one simple step, he had erased a significant portion of the doubt surrounding him.
And the examination had only just begun.
***
Several more students went up, none of them remarkable. Until finally, a girl with a blank stare walked up to the platform. The people around her were confused. No one recognized her face.
Some wondered who the girl was, while others admired her beauty—the girl with white hair.
"Ahn Yue, place your hand!" Feng Luchan instructed.
In just one second, the entire place suddenly felt cold, as if they were in a snowy region. The light inside the crystal orb shone extremely bright.
People began to shiver as the temperature dropped further. Some even collapsed due to their weak bodies.
"Enough!" Feng Luchan quickly pulled the girl's hand away.
Moments later, the temperature returned to normal. However, many had already fallen. Even the examiners near the girl named Ahn Yue had collapsed.
Ignoring Feng Luchan's words, the girl turned and walked down. She disregarded the elder—something normally considered disrespectful—but Feng Luchan didn't seem to mind.
"She has a Spiritual Heavenly Root with a pure ice body. And she possesses both water and wind affinity. This child will become a terrifying asset in the future," said Feng Luchan.
There was no way he would scold such a talented girl. Instead, Feng Luchan smiled widely. He saw a glorious future for the Misty Sky Sect.
"This year we have two with Heavenly Roots and pure bodies at once. Two children blessed by the heavens are here. Other sects will be speechless."
***
The first test was still ongoing, with over a thousand children present. Naturally, it would take a long time to finish.
The crowd should've been focused on the altar, watching those being tested, but their attention was fixed on Ahn Yue and Lin Xian.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Xian snapped.
He didn't like the way Ahn Yue stared at him. Her gaze was empty, yet annoying. Lin Xian felt like he was being stared at by a dead fish.
"You... who are you?" Ahn Yue asked.
Lin Xian was startled. Her question made his eyes widen, and he even swallowed hard. His fists clenched, as if ready to attack.
"What do you mean?" Lin Xian asked, his gaze sharp and murderous.
"You have two souls inside your body. One is asleep, and... the one speaking to me right now," Ahn Yue explained.
Lin Xian didn't understand. He believed there was no other soul inside him. This was his body, he was born naturally. He wasn't a soul transfer.
Ahn Yue's words truly left Lin Xian puzzled.
"I don't understand."
Ahn Yue lowered her hand. She turned and began to walk away from Lin Xian. But before completely leaving, she paused. She glanced back briefly.
Then said, "I want to fight you."
After saying that, she left. Leaving Lin Xian in confusion. He stared at Ahn Yue for a long time before finally averting his gaze.
"Why would she say that?" Lin Xian touched his own body. Nothing felt strange. "Do I really have two souls?"
He didn't know.
***
The first test finally ended. Only 98 children received above-average scores. Fewer than in previous years. It should've been a bad sign, but the presence of Liang Fei and Ahn Yue made it feel ordinary.
"You will now take the knowledge test. Work hard this time, because it can boost your previous poor scores. This is your only chance if your earlier result was low," Feng Luchan explained.
The children were divided into three groups, and each group was split into three sessions. There were too many children, so the tests were conducted this way.
Lin Xian was placed in group two and was part of the first session. He would be tested earlier than most others.
"A written exam?" Lin Xian smiled.
This was the one he excelled at before. In the previous test, he had scored nearly perfectly in the knowledge test, but due to low results in the talent and skill tests...
He had failed. Written tests could boost your score, but it wouldn't help if you failed the other two.
Still, talent and skill were two things that could not be overlooked.
"I want to fight you," someone said.
Lin Xian turned—and it was Ahn Yue, who was in the same session as him.