Chapter 44: Tests - I

A few minutes later...

Qing and the others could be seen bowing respectfully before a woman standing at the end of the grand hall. The grand hall of the Nine Lotus Sect’s testing area was an enormous circular chamber supported by towering white pillars carved in the shapes of blooming lotuses.

Pale Spiritual Energy flowed through intricate patterns covering the floor and walls, while rows of elevated seats surrounded the central platform where several Elders and Grand Elders were seated. At the far end of the hall stood a massive stone monument engraved with countless ancient characters.

The four disciples had guided Qing here, where the Sect Master was already waiting as if she had expected the new disciple Yue had brought with her. Her appearance was exactly the same as Yun Xiya’s, from her long deep-blue hair and calm, elegant features to even her voice, which was completely identical.

Yet despite the perfect imitation, Qing could immediately tell that something was wrong the moment he sensed her presence. ’It’s just as Master said, the Spiritual signature I can sense is completely different from hers.’

’Although I can’t sense her cultivation realm, it must at least be the Tribulation Transcendence Realm. I need to break through the stages as quickly as possible...’

Qing had already suspected from the beginning that the woman before him was a fake, and the feeling he received from her only strengthened that conclusion. A long moment of silence passed as the Elders and Grand Elders remained seated in their designated positions.

The Sect Master, however, had left her central seat and personally come down to the testing area to see Qing, which immediately made him more cautious. ’She isn’t here simply to see me. She’s investigating me to determine whether I’m some kind of spy. Well, even my Master would have done the same thing.’

"Qing, is that your name?" Her voice was exactly the same as Yun Xiya’s, causing Qing to grit his teeth for a brief moment before quickly calming himself. He maintained his respectful bow as he answered, "Yes, Sect Master."

The Sect Master nodded slightly before continuing, "Yue brought you here herself, so there is no need to judge your character. However, we will still conduct the necessary tests, as that is one of the primary rules of our Sect."

Qing immediately nodded while remaining in the same bowing position. "I understand, and I would like to pass the tests before becoming a disciple of such a grand Sect."

The Sect Master nodded once before her figure slowly levitated from the ground. Without making any unnecessary movement, she disappeared from her position and reappeared on the central seat at the end of the hall.

Her movement was so fast that Qing couldn’t even clearly see how she had crossed the distance, further confirming the enormous difference between their cultivation realms, "Alright, let us begin the test immediately."

"We can already sense that your cultivation is at the Foundation Establishment Realm, first sub-realm, so there is no need to test your cultivation realm or the amount of Spiritual Qi you possess." Her voice echoed throughout the entire testing area as she continued after a brief pause.

"What we will test, however, are three things: Combat Ability, Elemental Affinity and Spiritual Roots, and Comprehension."

Qing finally lifted his head toward her and nodded calmly. ’Hmm, I need to be careful about revealing my Spiritual Roots. Still, I don’t think any measurement device would be capable of measuring my Primordial Roots.’

He immediately remembered the System’s description of his Twelve Sovereign Primordial Roots. They were the first Primordial Roots to ever emerge, formed through the evolution of his original Nine Sovereign Spiritual Roots, meaning there was no reason to expect an ordinary measurement artifact to recognize them.

For now, Qing simply nodded in agreement.

"I understand, when and how can I begin?"

The Sect Master raised one hand and snapped her fingers.

The moment the sound echoed through the hall, a massive Formation suddenly lit up beneath Qing’s feet. Brilliant Spiritual Energy surged through the intricate patterns covering the ground, causing the entire platform to glow with a faint white light.

Han, Yue, Mei Xue, and Wei Tianyu immediately turned toward the Sect Master and nodded. They understood that this was Qing’s test, so they quickly scattered away from the formation and moved toward the edge of the testing area.

Qing lowered his gaze toward the Formation and immediately began analyzing its structure, ’Damn, she’s going to make me fight myself? And three sub-realms above my current cultivation at that.’

Just as he thought, a figure slowly materialized before him, Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly when he saw the figure’s appearance.

It was exactly the same as him, the same face, the same body. Even the same red-colored cultivation robe he was currently wearing was perfectly replicated. The replica’s expression and demeanor were also identical to Qing’s, making it almost impossible to distinguish the two of them at a glance.

The only difference was its cultivation, it was three sub-realms higher than Qing’s current cultivation. Qing stared at his replica for a moment before a faint grin appeared on his face.

’Well, it will be good training for me before Father begins training me himself.’ He extended his hand, and Spiritual Qi immediately surged from his Dantian into his palm. The dense Spiritual Qi rapidly condensed and took the shape of a sword, forming a completely transparent blade whose extreme density caused the surrounding space to faintly bend around it.

The moment the sword appeared, the expressions of the Grand Elders, Elders, and even the Sect Master changed slightly.

They all narrowed their eyes as the same thought appeared in their minds.

’He can already materialize a Qi Sword?’

Every cultivator present understood what that meant.

Normally, a cultivator could only materialize such an incredibly condensed weapon after forming liquid Spiritual Qi inside their Dantian. If Qing could already accomplish this at the first sub-realm of Foundation Establishment, then there was little doubt that his Spiritual Qi had already undergone an extraordinary transformation.

Qing, however, paid no attention to their reactions. He simply tightened his grip around the transparent Qi Sword and looked toward his replica.

The replica also raised its sword.

A moment later, both figures moved simultaneously.

’Let’s see how I fare against myself.’