As Fang Qing’s hands touched the crystal orb, it did not emit light. Instead, darkness began to spread.No— not only the orb; even the area around Fang Qing was suffused with a somber blackness, as if night had fallen in that instant.Watching the darkness emanate from the orb beneath Fang Qing’s touch, the elders’ faces all registered shock; some even yanked out whiskers in surprise.The elders looked astonished, while the young disciples stood utterly bewildered. They didn’t recognize this phenomenon—ordinarily the orb should glow, not shroud everything in darkness.Though the young disciples were clueless, the middle-aged Daoist beside the orb knew exactly what it meant. Feeling the darkness swirling around him, as if intent on devouring him, he trembled with excitement and proclaimed, “This is an Anlinggen!”Fang Qing’s question that followed was inevitable: before the test, she had asked Gu Yuan about the possible outcomes, knowing which colors corresponded to which spiritual roots and that brightness indicated strength—gold, filling the room, meant a gold root, A grade. But she had never heard of black.Though puzzled, she did not interrupt and kept her hands on the orb until the effect ended. As the darkness spread until it enveloped the entire hall, one elder finally spoke: “Young lady, you may remove your hands.”No sooner had he spoken than the darkness dissipated. Fang Qing then asked the elder, “What does this mean? What is an Anlinggen?”The elder, smiling kindly, answered patiently despite Fang Qing’s bluntness: “An Anlinggen is an extremely rare root. In Fire-Gold Sect’s records, only one cultivator in the past century possessed it.”Fang Qing nodded and asked, “What should I do next?”“Please wait here. When the proceedings conclude, I will personally escort you to Fire-Gold Sect’s mountain gate.” The elder gestured to the young Daoists to her left.Although their ages varied, they shared one trait: they were all girls.Fang Qing regarded the group of maidens in silence. She had once been a man!Shrugging off the thought, she strode over, face cold, hoping to deter conversation. While her demeanor did intimidate some, most of the girls pressed close, peppering her with questions.Their buzzing inquiries annoyed Fang Qing, but she remained silent and unresponsive. Though the girls resented her aloofness, they smiled on—anyone in Fire-Gold Sect might receive special training, so befriending Fang Qing seemed advantageous.Even those who held back watched her intently. One girl, however, paid Fang Qing no mind; she stared instead at Gu Yuan by the door and murmured, “He’s here too…”…When Fang Qing’s test ended, it was Gu Yuan’s turn. Having watched her, he stepped up and placed his hands on the crystal orb. Then—the orb shattered.Staring awkwardly at the fragments, Gu Yuan faced the elders. They, too, gazed at him before presenting a larger crystal orb. This time everything went smoothly; the orb withstood the test, and they determined his root: Wu Xing, A grade.The result astonished many. In the cultivation world, even dual roots are rare—yet Gu Yuan possessed the Five Elements root. It conferred vast versatility: nearly all cultivation techniques, most spells, and the power to enhance arts through elemental mutual generation. It was a extraordinarily precious root.Thus Gu Yuan received more honored treatment than Fang Qing. Male disciples and even some female disciples pressed to befriend him. After all, beyond his talent, his looks were top-tier.Fang Qing, by contrast, had unintentionally driven away male disciples with her frosty demeanor—so she had Gu Yuan to thank for drawing all the attention.…“Testing complete. Return!”As the leading elder announced, Gu Yuan was relieved. Due to his talent, he did not ride a spirit ship with the others. Instead, the lead elder personally bore him on a flying sword—an honor shared by Fang Qing and another A-grade youth named Jiang Monian.Fang Qing even recognized Jiang Monian: she was the girl Gu Yuan had been watching. Standing on the elder’s flying sword, Jiang Monian fixed her gaze on Gu Yuan and softly spoke, “Benefactor, do you remember me?”Gu Yuan turned and replied warmly, “I remember—you were at Tingxia Tower. I saved you.”Jiang Monian smiled demurely, “Yes, that was me.”Fang Qing, standing between them, felt a strong sense of déjà vu. She had read such a reunion scene in a Blue Star novel: the hero meeting the heroine just like this. Given that Gu Yuan was the world’s Progeny—the story’s protagonist—it stood to reason he’d have a heroine. By that logic, Jiang Monian must be the heroine.Deciding to make room, Fang Qing stepped back. She had no ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) desire to be a third wheel.Before she could retreat far, the flying sword halted. The elder steering it spoke: “From here, you must proceed up the mountain on your own. Within Huadie Mountain (化迭山) lies an array that will impede your ascent. But do not fear—if your hearts bear no ill will toward Fire-Gold Sect, the array will not hinder you. However, if you do…”He left the consequence unsaid, but the meaning was unmistakable.

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