Inside the Residence's Storeroom.

"Now where did I place that orb…" Servant Yang muttered to himself while stroking his chin in thought.

It had been ages since this Qi Measuring Orb was last used.

The last time he remembered was the time when Zhou Mei was eight years old, and her Qi's nature and spirit root grade were being checked for the first time.

'Sigh…my memory is turning foggier with age,' Servant Yang sighed to himself as his eyes surveyed the long shelves that were attached to the walls.

It was only after several minutes that his eye fell on a dusty orb which was placed on the higher reaches of the shelf.

"There it is!" Servant Yang exclaimed with joy apparent on his face.

He climbed a ladder and soon took out the Qi Measuring Orb.

It was a transparent orb made up of a special material sensitive to one's Qi.

Throughout its transparent exterior, specific symbols were made which completely encircled it.

Together, these symbols formed an array which helped in accurately projecting the results of the measurement.

Seeing that these very symbols were currently covered in a layer of dust, Servant Yang began wiping them up nicely with the help of a cloth.

However, while he was at it, the orb suddenly slipped from his hand and fell on the wooden floor.

Thud!

"Heavens!" Servant Yang exclaimed in fright and immediately picked it up.

His eyes thoroughly scrutinised the orb, looking for any damage.

A sigh of relief appeared on his face when he saw that nothing had happened to the external surface.

'It should still work, right?' He thought to himself and sent a portion of his Qi into it.

The next moment, his cultivation stage in the Meridian Refinement Stage was displayed along with a few other pieces of information.

"It works!" Servant Yang's mind finally turned peaceful, and he carefully cleaned the remaining portion of the Orb before finally taking it to the main hall.

However, unbeknownst to him, a subtle crack had formed in the inner layer of the orb.

A while later, along with the orb in his hand, Servant Yang soon entered the main hall.

"I've brought what you requested, Patriarch," Servant Yang informed with a bow.

"Alright, place it on the table," Zhou Tian directed, and the next moment asked Yi Chen.

"This should be your first time seeing a Qi Measuring Orb, right?"

"Yes." Yi Chen nodded.

"Then let me explain how to use it first," Zhou Tian grabbed the Orb the next moment and a trace of his Qi entered it.

The Orb absorbed the Qi, and the next moment, the array around it shone with white light, and a screen appeared on top of it.

Second Layer of Core Building Stage.

Water

Grade Seven (Upper Low Grade)

'Isn't this just a downgraded version of my system panel?' Yi Chen's expression grew weird when he saw this white screen above the orb.

However, Zhou Tian interpreted his expression as confusion and explained.

"Haha, I was also taken aback when I saw this orb at work for the first time. It looked very overwhelming.

However, it's quite simple, actually. The first row tells us our Cultivation base, the second tells us our Qi's Nature, and the third tells us the grade of our spirit root."

Zhou Tian shook the orb with his hand, and the next moment it went back to normal.

However, this very action made the subtle crack in the orb's interior wider by a few nanometers.

Making it large enough to start affecting the readings.

No one in the room, including Zhou Tian, noticed this.

"Pretty simple, right?" Zhou Tian asked Yi Chen the next moment.

"Yes, I understand it clearly now, Master Zhou. It's all thanks to your explanation," Yi Chen thanked, even though it took him just a cursory glance to understand what everything meant.

'Well, it's normal that, unlike an earthling like me, they'll find it a little difficult to understand at first," Yi Chen thought to himself.

Hearing Yi Chen's polite words, a smile formed on Zhou Tian's face as he said, "Alright then, let's test your Qi then now, shall we?"

With that said, Zhou Tian passed the orb to Yi Chen.

"Since you're still in the Elementary Transformation Stage, you would be unable to send your Qi out because of your clogged meridians.

So instead of doing what I did, place the orb right over your lower abdomen and keep it there for a while.

The orb will slowly sense the Qi within your Qi pool by this method, and within ten breaths of time, your measurement result will come."

Zhou Tian finished and directed Yi Chen to place the orb on a spot in his lower abdomen.

'So that's how it works,' Yi Chen nodded in understanding and, while keeping the orb in place with his hand, waited for the results.

He didn't have to wait for long, as just within eight breaths, the orb shone brightly, and the result appeared for everyone to see on a white panel.

Ninth Level of Elementary Transformation Stage

Fire

Grade 6 (Middle High Grade)

"Great!" Zhou Tian exclaimed with joy when he saw the results and said, "A grade six spirit root is considered above average in the kingdom!

You won't need to worry about being unable to reach the Meridian Refinement Stage in the next few months, and you can be at ease about clearing the first stage of the entrance test."

"I see…" Yi Chen responded. What Zhou Tian considered great was seen as low by Yi Chen.

He fully believed Feng Yu's words and was expecting a grade 9 or grade 10 as a result.

Therefore, when he saw that his spirit root was only at Sixth Grade, he couldn't help but feel a bit shaken.

'Did Yu'er make a mistake…' A spark of doubt rose in his mind, but before this spark could ignite, it was smothered by his next series of thoughts.

'No! How could Yu'er make a mistake? It must be that my spirit root's grade is so high that the orb malfunctioned or something along those lines. Yes, that must be the case. How can Yu'er be wrong?'

Yi Chen thought with certainty. It felt only natural that Feng Yu could not be wrong, and there must be something wrong with the reading.

Despite realising this, he decided not to pursue this matter any further.

'I'll get it tested privately later on to get an accurate result,' Yi Chen thought to himself. In a way, he felt it was beneficial to keep things under wraps for now.

"…I can be relieved with this result. I'm truly grateful, Master Zhou," Yi Chen replied the next moment with a short bow.

"Haha, don't be. Compared to what you have done for my clan, this much is barely anything," Zhou Tian patted Yi Chen's back. He loved how polite Yi Chen was.

'It's a pity, though If his spirit root was a grade higher than there would be hope for him to enter the Core Building Stage in the future,' Zhou Tian thought regretfully.

Hearing him, Yi Chen could only smile politely as he took the last sip of his tea.

The tea was finished, and the snacks that were served were also almost finished by Zhou Mei, who kept nibbling on them to pass the time.

'So Brother Chen's talent is lower than mine? Strange. How come he's so strong then?' Zhou Mei wondered to herself.

Seeing this, Zhou Tian said, "Unknowingly, I've held you here for longer than I anticipated.

Gesturing towards Servant Yang, he said, "Your items have already been sent to the guest room. Young Friend Chen, follow my servant here. He will guide you to your room."

When Yi Chen left with Servant Yang, Zhou Mei curiously asked, "Father, how come Brother Chen is so strong when his spirit root's grade is lower than mine?"

Zhou Tian smiled at his daughter's words and said while patting her head, "Always remember, Mei'er. Everyone has their own secrets, and it's considered rude to inquire about them. Especially when that person is your benefactor. You understand?"

"Mhmm," Zhou Mei nodded at her father's words and thought to herself in understanding, 'So Brother Chen is hiding a secret...no wonder,'

A while later, Yi Chen was guided to his room by Servant Yang.

"This is your room, Young Master Chen. If you need anything later, you can ask any nearby servant for help.

I'll come to call you for dinner when the banquet preparations are complete."

"Alright, thanks," Yi Chen said before entering the room.

'Looks like I'll be staying here tonight,' Yi Chen muttered to himself and went to the washroom to freshen up.

Meanwhile, Servant Yang returned to the storeroom to place the Qi Measuring Orb back at its spot.

'Now let me busy myself with the banquet preparations,' Servant Yang thought to himself, and soon got out of the room.

A few moments after he had left the storeroom, the orb, which was resting on the shelf, broke into fine powder.

A few hours later, Yi Chen heard a knock at his door.

"Young Master, it's time," Servant Yang said with a bow.

"Got it," Yi Chen nodded and soon followed after him.

He was currently wearing a white robe with blue borders. It was one of the better robes which he had bought while travelling.

It was his first time wearing this robe, and it bolstered his self-confidence like any good piece of cloth should.

When Yi Chen entered the Dinning hall. Three people were sitting on the large table and were looking straight at him.

One was Zhou Mei, who had a cheery smile on her face as she welcomed him with a wave of her hand.

The second was Zhou Tian, who too had a subtle smile on his face and welcomed Yi Chen with a nod.

The third person was an elegantly dressed woman with a mature charm to her.

Her eyes scrutinised Yi Chen with interest as he entered the dining hall.

A little confused as to who she was, Yi Chen glanced at the status panel above her head.

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