"Hurry! All children under ten years old in the village, gather at the village entrance right now!"
A rushed shout carried all the way from the eastern end of the village, startling the sparrows in the trees into fluttering wildly into the air.
"The immortal sect is here to recruit disciples!"
The previously quiet Great Tree Village instantly erupted into chaos.
"An immortal sect? Is that for real?"
"Of course it's real! The immortal master is right at the village entrance, and we only have a quarter of an hour—no late admittance. Anyone with little kids should hurry and bring them over, who knows, they might have a predestined fate with cultivation!"
"This old man has lived for more than sixty years, and this is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing. Could this be a scam?"
"Can a scammer fly down from the sky?"
Those words immediately silenced all the villagers who still harbored doubts. In just a few moments, the hundred-year-old old pagoda tree at the village entrance was packed full of people.
A dozen still-ignorant children were pushed to the front by their parents, all craning their necks, looking at the blue-robed woman under the tree with a mix of fear and curiosity.
The woman looked no more than twenty years old, her long hair held back only by a single jade hairpin, the hem of her spotless robe completely free of dust. Even though she was standing right in the middle of the crowd, she seemed separated from the surrounding dirt and noise by an invisible barrier.
A slightly bold little boy asked in a soft voice, "Are you an immortal master?"
The woman glanced down at him, her expression calm, not haughty in the slightest.
"I am not an immortal, just a cultivator."
The moment her voice fell, she waved her hand, and everyone's vision blurred for a second before a half-human-tall gray-white stone platform appeared out of thin air under the old pagoda tree. A collective gasp rose from the crowd.
Chen Su paid no mind to the crowd's amazement, and simply said, "Line up, place your hands on the stone platform one by one. We will find out immediately if you have spiritual roots."
The adults quickly herded their children into a long line.
The first child stepped forward trembling, placed a hand on the platform, and the stone did not react at all.
Chen Su glanced at them, and said calmly, "No spiritual root. Next."
The second, the third, the fourth.
"No spiritual root."
"No spiritual root."
"Still no spiritual root."
The same words repeated over and over.
The villagers, who had been full of hope at first, gradually fell quiet. Some of the children who had been tested were still confused, while others had already understood they had not been selected, and walked back to their parents with their heads hanging low.
Before long, the last child stepped back, and the stone platform had not lit up with even the tiniest glimmer of light the entire time. Chen Su was not surprised by this—among ordinary mortals, those with spiritual roots were one in ten thousand.
"Fine then."
Chen Su raised her hand, just about to put away the spirit testing platform, when a rush of footsteps suddenly came from the distance.
"Immortal Master! Wait, Immortal Master!"
A tall, broad-shouldered man came running from the end of the village path, huffing and puffing, holding two little girls in his arms.
He had run so fast that his forehead was covered in sweat, and the front of his tunic was soaked through, but he did not even bother to catch his breath before speaking urgently, "Immortal Master, my two daughters were playing by the river earlier, and I wasted time looking for them. Please give them one more chance!"
Chen Su glanced up at the sky. The quarter of an hour had already passed.
But in the end, she did not refuse, and only said softly, "Come forward."
"Thank you Immortal Master, thank you so much Immortal Master!"
Qin Ye thanked her repeatedly, quickly setting his elder daughter down. The two little girls looked nearly seven years old, sharing seven out of ten similar facial features. The older girl was quiet and composed, while the younger one stared at the spirit testing platform with wide round eyes, full of unmasked curiosity.
"Zhenzhen, you go first."
Qin Ye held his elder daughter's hand and led her to the stone platform. Qin Zhen glanced up at Chen Su, then placed her palm on the platform as she was told.
A few moments passed, and the platform did not react at all.
Chen Su said, "No spiritual root."
The light in Qin Ye's eyes dimmed for a second, but Qin Zhen simply pulled her hand back quietly, showing little disappointment, and instead turned to look back at her little sister.
"Jiajia, it's your turn."
"Okay."
Qin Jia leaned out from her father's arms, stretched out her small, fair little hand, and pressed it smack onto the stone platform.
"It's cool."
The second her words ended, the stone platform shook violently. Chen Su's originally calm expression changed drastically, and in the next instant, a dazzling white light shot straight up into the sky from the platform! A biting cold spread out in all directions, and the noisy village entrance fell completely silent in the blink of an eye.
Chen Su stared intently at the spirit testing platform, her breath catching for a split second. Pure white spiritual light, cold aura seeping out, not a single trace of any other attribute mixed in.
"A top-grade ice spiritual root!"
Her usual steady voice carried a clear, obvious fluctuation for the very first time. To make sure she had not misread it, Chen Su poured another wisp of spiritual energy into the spirit testing platform.
It really was a top-grade ice spiritual root. Waves of shock surged through Chen Su's mind. The Qingyun Sect had not taken in a disciple with such exceptional talent in nearly a hundred years. As long as this child did not meet an untimely death halfway through her cultivation, she would at least reach the Nascent Soul realm in the future, and might even have a shot at touching the path of Soul Transformation.
She had come down the mountain only to complete a routine sect mission, never expecting to find such a once-in-a-generation unpolished jade in this remote little village.
"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!"
Chen Su said three "wonderful"s in a row, a rare hint of joy appearing in her eyes. She put away the spirit testing platform, squatted down, and did her best to make her voice sound gentle.
"What is your name?"
"My name is Qin Jia."
The little girl blinked, then corrected earnestly, "The Jia that means praise, not the jia that means home."
The corners of Chen Su's lips lifted into a faint smile.
"Qin Jia, would you like to come with me to the Qingyun Sect to practice cultivation?"
"What is cultivation?"
"Once you cultivate, you can fly on a sword, cast magical spells, and even pull items out of thin air the way I did just now."
Qin Jia's eyes lit up instantly.
"Is that like doing magic tricks?"
Qin Ye, who was holding her, turned bright red with panic, terrified that his daughter's innocent, childish words had offended the cultivator, but he did not dare to interrupt rashly. Chen Su was not offended at all.
"Something like that."
Qin Jia immediately clapped her hands excitedly. "I want to learn! I want to learn how to whoosh things out of nowhere!"
Seeing that more and more villagers were gathering around, and the murmurs of discussion were growing louder, Chen Su frowned slightly.
"This is not a good place to talk. Take me to your home."
Qin Ye nodded hurriedly. "This way, Immortal Master."
The Qin family's home was not far from the village entrance. Before the group had walked even a few steps, most of the villagers in the whole village had followed after them. After all, for such a remote mountain village, an immortal sect recruiting a disciple was a once-in-a-hundred-year event, especially since the one chosen was the Qin family’s younger daughter that everyone knew.
Once they stepped through the Qin family's courtyard gate, Chen Su lifted a finger and tapped gently, and an invisible barrier instantly wrapped around the entire house. The chattering voices of the villagers outside cut off abruptly, leaving Qin Ye both shocked and awed.
Just a moment ago, it had been as noisy as a market outside, but now not even a sliver of sound could get through. Such a feat was completely beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals.
Before long, all the members of the Qin family had gathered in the main hall. The Qin family did not have a complicated household structure.
The grandfather Qin Huai, grandmother Wang Sumei, the eldest son Qin Ye and his wife Liu Zhen, and the second son Qin Wen. The two little girls Qin Zhen and Qin Jia were each held tight in one of Qin Ye's hands.
Chen Su got straight to the point. "I am a disciple of the Qingyun Sect. Qin Jia possesses a top-grade ice spiritual root, with exceptional cultivation talent. If she joins our sect, she will be able to walk the great path of eternal life in the future."
The Qin family did not fully understand exactly what a top-tier ice spirit root entailed, but they could tell from Chen Su's earlier reaction that such a natural gift was extraordinarily rare.
Qin Ye remained silent for a long time before he spoke hesitantly. "Immortal Master, Jiajia is only six years old. Could we wait a few more years until she is a bit older before she leaves with you?"
Liu Zhen's eyes immediately turned red the moment she heard this. Qin Jia was still so young that she would occasionally wake up crying for her mother in the middle of the night. How could she bear to let her daughter go off all alone to a completely strange place?
"Cultivation must begin at a young age. The Qingyun Sect only accepts children under ten years old, and the younger the child, the easier it is for them to draw qi into their bodies. If this window of opportunity is missed, their path to immortality could be cut off entirely."
The room fell completely quiet in an instant.
"Then maybe she just won't go."
Qin Ye spoke out of the blue, leaving everyone stunned, even Chen Su who lifted her eyes slightly in surprise.
Qin Ye held his little daughter tighter in his arms, his voice growing tight with emotion. "I'm just an unlearned hunter. I don't know anything about the great path of cultivation, nor do I understand the pursuit of immortality and long life. All I know is that she is still too young. She can't bear to leave her parents, and we can't bear to be separated from her either."
Liu Zhen could no longer hold back her tears and turned her head to wipe them away. Qin Jia did not understand why the adults had all gone quiet all of a sudden, so she simply reached out and wiped the sweat off her father's forehead.
"Don't be sad, Daddy."
Qin Ye's eyes grew warm with tears.
Chen Su was silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "If Qin Jia only had an ordinary spirit root, I would not say another word. But a top-tier ice spirit root is extremely rare. If she stays in the mortal world, she will turn to nothing but a handful of loess a hundred years from now. But if she embarks on the path of cultivation, she could live for hundreds of years, or even far longer than that."
"On top of that, she will not be left all alone in the cultivation world. The sect will arrange for her housing, food, clothing, and personal instruction, and she will take a master as her teacher."
Qin Huai hesitated for a moment before he could not help but ask, "Immortal Master, can we go with her together? Jiajia is really too young. Even if only her mother is allowed to stay by her side to take care of her, that would be enough."
Chen Su frowned. In the cultivation world, most ordinary families who learned their child possessed such a rare gift would be overjoyed beyond words, rushing to send their child to the immortal sect as soon as possible. This was the first time she had ever come across a family that, faced with such a tremendous opportunity, only cared about their child being too young. But then she thought to herself that the mortal world was after all different from the cultivation world, and her tone softened a little.
"Mortals are not permitted to enter the cultivation world where the Qingyun Sect resides. The spiritual energy there is so dense that those without spirit roots cannot withstand it with their physical bodies, and anyone who ventures in rashly will end up with their meridians shattering completely."
The faces of all the Qin family members turned pale at once.
Chen Su continued, "However, just outside the cultivation world, there is a city called Neighboring Immortal City that is connected to Qingyun Sect's teleportation array. You can settle down near Neighboring Immortal City. After Qin Jia enters the sect, she can use the sect's teleportation array to travel and meet you once every year."
A flicker of emotion crossed Qin Ye's face. Meeting once a year, though still a long stretch of time apart, was far better than never seeing each other for the rest of their lives.
"Then she will go. Now that there is still a chance for us to meet again, I cannot stand in the way of my daughter's great opportunity," Qin Ye said, his throat tight with emotion.
"I want to go!"
Qin Jia, who had been standing quietly to the side, spoke up all of a sudden, drawing everyone's gaze to her.
She clearly did not truly understand what parting meant, and said excitedly, "I want to learn magic tricks from Fairy Sister. Once I learn them all, I will come back and perform for Daddy, for Mommy, for Grandfather and Grandmother, and also for my elder sister!"
As she spoke, she wriggled about in Qin Ye's arms, nearly slipping right out of his hold.
"Jiajia, be still."
Qin Zhen spoke suddenly, and Qin Jia froze immediately, quickly covering her mouth with both hands, leaving only her big bright eyes darting around. She was fearless of everyone else in the family, but she was just a little afraid of this usually quiet elder sister of hers. Qin Zhen gently patted her father on the arm.
"Daddy, put me down."
Qin Ye did as she said and set her on the ground. Qin Zhen did not look at Chen Su, but turned to her grandfather Qin Huai first.
"Grandfather, let us all go to Neighboring Immortal City."
Qin Huai was slightly taken aback.
"Our Qin family only moved to Big Tree Village a few years ago. We have no farmland here, no ancestral property at all. Daddy and my uncle are skilled hunters, Grandfather can make fine bows and arrows, and Mommy and Grandmother are good at sewing, mending, and cooking."
Though she was still young, she spoke in a clear, orderly manner.
"If we could make a living in Big Tree Village, we can make a living in Neighboring Immortal City too. If we stay here, my little sister will have to leave all by herself. But if we move to Neighboring Immortal City, she can come see us every year, and our family will never truly be separated."
She paused for a moment, then turned to look at Qin Jia. The little girl still had her hand over her mouth, her eyes shining brightly as she looked back at her.
Qin Zhen said softly, "My little sister has such a precious chance. We should not let her give it up just because we cannot bear to part with her."
Chen Su glanced at Qin Zhen. Earlier during the spirit root test, this girl had shown no resentment at all when she learned she had no spirit root of her own. Now that her younger sister had obtained such an extraordinary natural gift, she felt not a hint of jealousy, but had immediately come up with a perfect plan that satisfied everyone.
Such strength of character was even more precious than a spirit root, Chen Su thought to herself with a quiet sigh, it was truly a pity.
Qin Huai did not say a word for a long time after listening to his granddaughter's words, until at last he let out a heavy sigh.
"Zhenzhen is right."
He looked over at his eldest son.
"Ye'er, we will go with Jiajia."
Wang Sumei nodded through her tears. "Yes, let's go. It's far better than being separated by thousands of miles, never getting to see each other for the rest of our lives."
Liu Zhen held Qin Ye's hand. Tears were still rolling down her cheeks, but her tone was firm.
"We will all go together."
Qin Ye looked down at the little daughter in his arms, then over at his elder daughter standing beside him, his eyes filled with nothing but reluctance.
After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice. "All right."
"We will go to Neighboring Immortal City."
Qin Jia finally let go of her hand covering her mouth and cheered out loud.
"Hooray! We're all going together!"
The heavy, oppressive atmosphere in the main room finally lifted a little with her cheerful cry, and Chen Su quietly let out a breath of relief. Such a top-tier talent had not slipped through her fingers after all. At that moment, Chen Su had no idea that the fate that would be changed by this encounter with immortal opportunity that day would not be limited to Qin Jia alone.
Seeing that the Qin family had made their decision, Chen Su said no more. She swept her hand over her storage bag, and two pale green jade pendants appeared in her palm.
The pendants were shaped like crescent moons, identical in size and pattern. If the two were fitted together, they would form a perfect full moon.
"This item is called the Concentric Pendants."
Chen Su handed one pendant to Qin Jia, then held the other out to Qin Zhen.
"They were originally low-grade artifacts used by sect disciples to locate their traveling companions. I have made some modifications to them, and inscribed a mutual sensing formation inside."
Qin Zhen did not take it right away, but looked up at her and asked earnestly, "Can they let us find my little sister?"
"They can only sense the general distance, not point out the exact location. The farther apart you are, the dimmer the light from the pendants will grow. The closer you are, the brighter the light will shine. Even if you are thousands of miles apart, the light will be almost invisible to the naked eye, but if you calm your mind and focus, you will still be able to see a faint glimmer."
Qin Ye could not help but ask, "What if the light goes out completely?"
Chen Su fell silent for a brief moment.
"These pendants have already recognized each of the two girls as their respective masters."
"As long as the other owner of the jade pendant is still alive, there will remain a wisp of light within the jade pendant. If one owner passes away, the light in the other jade pendant will be completely extinguished, and cracks will begin to form on the pendant's body right after."
The main hall fell completely silent in an instant, and Liu Zhen subconsciously hugged the little daughter in her arms tighter.
Qin Jia, however, did not grasp the gravity of the situation at all. She only held up her own half of the jade pendant high, and asked excitedly,
"Then if I put mine together with my sister's, will it turn into a full moon?"
Chen Su nodded.
"When they are close enough, the two pendants will draw towards each other. If they are pressed together, they will briefly merge into one whole."
Qin Jia immediately leaned out from her father's embrace, and held her jade pendant out to her elder sister.
"Sister, let's try it!"
Only then did Qin Zhen take the other half that belonged to her. The moment the two crescent-shaped jade pendants drew near, they both lit up with a pale cyan glow. As the light blended together, the two pendants gently pulled against each other, fitting together seamlessly to form a full round moon, making Qin Jia's eyes sparkle with delight.
"It really turned into a full moon!"
Qin Zhen looked down at the round moon formed in her palm, her fingers tightening slightly around it. After a few moments, the two jade pendants separated on their own. Chen Su threaded thin cords through the small holes on each pendant, and fastened them around the two sisters' necks respectively.
"Keep them close to your bodies, and do not take them off lightly."
"The United Hearts Pendants can only sense distance and life and death. They cannot transmit voices, nor can they shield you from danger, but as long as the light in the pendant remains, you will know that the other person is still safe and sound."
