Chapter 17: He Fell Down

“Among you, whose spiritual root is the weakest?”

These words rang out like thunder, leaving everyone present exchanging bewildered glances.

Why would she ask that?

Those suppressed by the formation and lying unable to rise naturally felt too embarrassed to admit their poor talent, so no one responded.

Seeing the silence, Jiang Baiqiu’s expression darkened further. “If someone can assist me, I will give them a chance to claim the scroll.”

In an instant, most of those pinned to the ground by the formation raised their hands.

Yet Jiang Baiqiu ignored them and strode toward those who didn’t raise their hands.

—The truly talentless couldn’t even lift a hand at this point.

She tied a long strap to one of them. Once secured, she grabbed the other end and suddenly leapt, darting toward the sky.

“I’m coming.”

Inside the formation, where gravity and repulsion balanced each other, Jiang Baiqiu used the initial thrust from the ground to glide through the air like a swimming fish, soon reaching Qin Xi’s side.

Their eyes met, and they instantly understood each other.

Jiang Baiqiu tied the long rope to Qin Xi, then kicked him in the stomach and flew back.

A sacrifice was made.

But it was necessary; without borrowing his momentum, she truly couldn’t return.

Meanwhile, the fortunate individual with five spiritual roots on the ground suddenly felt his body lighten, as if something was pulling him.

Gradually, he seemed able to stand.

Then, buoyed by this lift, he began moving.

One step, then two...

He had never imagined that, as one with five spiritual roots, he could walk within the spiritual root testing formation of the Great Thousand Sect.

He had come hoping to try, but was immediately pinned to the ground, unable to move.

With such an opportunity, how could he not seize it?

Growing more excited, he started running toward Shi Jun!

At this moment, Jiang Baiqiu also returned to the ground, frowning as she looked at Qin Xi, who hovered in the sky like a kite.

He was only maintaining altitude—he wasn’t being brought back to the ground.

Then Qin Xi’s voice sounded in her ear.

“Make him roll.”

“Huh?” Jiang Baiqiu didn’t understand. “He helped you, so don’t insult him.”

“It’s not an insult. Literally, make him roll! Roll him to where the scroll is claimed!”

Jiang Baiqiu looked puzzled, then walked behind the running five-root individual and kicked him down.

The man was stunned, rolling several times on the ground, the rope made of belts winding around him multiple times.

Meanwhile, Qin Xi’s height above ground decreased.

Jiang Baiqiu’s eyes lit up. “Wow, what a clever idea!”

“You’re just slow-witted... Hurry, push him to roll.”

Jiang Baiqiu began pushing the man on the ground.

Bu Weiwei saw and rushed over to help, and together they pushed, making it much easier.

The five-root man hadn’t yet grasped what was happening as the rope kept wrapping around him.

Shi Jun watched, dumbfounded.

Are you guys flying kites here?

Soon, Jiang Baiqiu, with a mummy in tow, and Qin Xi, hovering three feet above ground, arrived before Shi Jun.

“We’ve passed the test, right?”

“Yes, yes,” Shi Jun quickly wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling these three were far from ordinary.

“Oh, him too,” Qin Xi pointed to the mummy on the ground.

This was his lifesaver, after all, someone he had to repay.

“Ah... fine,” Shi Jun reluctantly agreed.

Those still pinned to the ground looked on with burning envy.

Why couldn’t they have such fortune?

Suddenly, a gentle breeze wafted by.

“Truly astonishing, child,” an elder appeared at the center of the formation—the third elder of the Great Thousand Sect and the formation’s designer.

“Greetings, senior!” Shi Jun bowed immediately.

The third elder’s mood was mixed.

He was pleased because this young man’s spiritual root was extremely rare in the world.

But he was worried too: with so many eyes here, many had witnessed the young man’s flight within the formation. Such a prodigy would surely become a target. Worse, some shameless old monsters might covet the spiritual root inside him, resorting to murder and theft.

Even though the Great Thousand Sect could protect him, it couldn’t guarantee his safety for life; one day, he would leave the sect.

Moreover, merely passing the spiritual root test didn’t guarantee discipleship—there were three more trials ahead. Whether he would pass was still uncertain.

The rule that one must pass all trials to join the Great Thousand Sect was established at its founding and would never change.

It was unbearable for the elder to think that someone might lose their life just for taking part in the test.

While the elder contemplated how to explain this to Qin Xi, Qin Xi stared at his flying sword for a long moment. Scratching his head, he said in confusion, loudly enough for all to hear, “Why has my flying sword gone out of control? It flew me so high up!”

“That was a lucky accident!”

He laughed wildly, a smug look on his face.

Everyone around heard this and couldn’t help but envy Qin Xi’s luck.

The third elder was momentarily stunned but then smiled quietly to himself.

This kid is truly clever.

“Well, well, although it was the flying sword’s fault, you are still a single spiritual root—your future is boundless.” The elder patted Qin Xi on the back. “I look forward to your performance in the upcoming tests.”

“Got it!” Qin Xi nodded.

“Senior...” Shi Jun scrambled to his feet and approached the elder. “Just... a single spiritual root?”

“What’s wrong with a single spiritual root? You look down on it? A single root is ten thousand times stronger than you!” The elder slapped Shi Jun’s head. “Go, go, go, hand out the scrolls!”

“Oh, oh!”

Shi Jun hurriedly produced four scrolls and handed them to the four onlookers: one flying, one floating, one standing, and one lying.

Truly, each displayed their own talents.

After receiving the scrolls, Bu Weiwei and Jiang Baiqiu resumed pushing and rolling the five-root man until he was pushed beyond the formation’s boundary.

“Finally down.”

Qin Xi, who was not originally afraid of heights, now carried a mental shadow from the ordeal.

The exhausted five-root man trembled and bowed with difficulty. “Thank you... everyone... I am Ji Yan. I will repay this kindness in the future...”

“No need for the future. Do you have any spiritual stones now?” Qin Xi squatted before him earnestly.

He intended to spare no effort to earn spiritual stones!

“...” Ji Yan was stunned, then pulled out five spiritual stones from his pocket. “This is all I have... take it all.”

Qin Xi looked at the pitiful amount and only took one.

“I’ll keep one as a memento; you take the rest back.”

“This...” Before Ji Yan could speak, Qin Xi waved to Jiang Baiqiu and Bu Weiwei.

“Let’s go, Yue Bei is on duty!”

...

After the chaos, Shi Jun sat again at the table distributing scrolls.

Unlike before, those struggling in the formation now had to pull up their trousers while struggling.

“Just a single spiritual root... but a flying sword losing control does tend to fly everywhere. Especially those who tinker with forging always come up with strange things...”

Shi Jun recalled his last visit to the forging workshop. He was tricked into buying a fishing rod inlaid with a wooden fish. When he caught a fish and reeled in, it automatically clapped loudly, rapidly increasing merit points.

Everyone who used it praised it.

At this moment, a figure appeared within the formation.

A young girl, her face bruised in blue and purple, carrying a huge stone tablet on her back that clanged loudly with every step.

It was A Ling.

She waded through the formation straight to Shi Jun.

“Here to get your scroll?”

“Ah... yes.”

“Thanks.”

A Ling took the scroll without a word and left.

Shi Jun was a bit stunned. Who was this woman? What was going on today?