The room remained quiet beneath the faint scent of herbs and dried medicine.
Village Head Wa Shi stared silently at the Blue Spirit Berry resting atop the wooden table.
And beside it—
the claws.
The fangs.
The remains of a Rank Two spiritual beast.
His aged fingers tapped lightly against the wood once.
Slowly.
Thoughtfully.
Inside his mind—
calculation moved rapidly.
A Rank Two beast.
Mid-stage Spirit Refinement strength.
Even for him—
killing such a creature would not be easy.
Not at his current cultivation.
Not at his age.
Yet according to Lian—
the beast had died instantly.
Killed by a single earth spike.
Cleanly.
Effortlessly.
Wa Shi's eyes narrowed slightly.
That meant only one thing.
The person who intervened was far beyond ordinary wandering cultivators.
At minimum—
mid or late-stage Spirit Refinement.
Possibly even higher.
The thought made his expression become cautious.
Then—
his gaze shifted back toward the Blue Spirit Berry again.
A mid-tier spiritual herb.
Valuable within a place like this.
Even for small sect cultivators.
For a brief moment—
greed flashed quietly through the old man's eyes.
Very briefly.
The invisible white lizard beneath the earth noticed immediately.
Golden eyes calm.
Observing.
Then Wa Shi exhaled softly.
The greed disappeared as quickly as it came.
His gaze returned toward Lian.
"…I accept your offer."
Lian froze.
Then his eyes widened instantly.
"R-Really?!"
The old village head nodded slowly.
"As promised."
"You bring me something valuable enough—"
"I teach you cultivation."
Joy exploded across Lian's face immediately.
He nearly laughed aloud before quickly bowing deeply toward the old man.
"Thank you, Village Hea—"
"Do not celebrate too early."
Wa Shi's calm voice interrupted him instantly.
Lian stopped.
The smile faded slightly.
The old man leaned back slowly.
Though I accept your offer…"
"…whether you can truly walk the path of cultivation depends on something else entirely."
Lian's hands tightened slightly.
His expression stiffened.
Spiritual roots.
The very thing he feared most.
The room became quieter afterward.
Even Auntie Xu's expression softened slightly with pity.
Because everyone understood.
Without spiritual roots—
cultivation was impossible.
No matter how determined someone was.
No matter how badly they desired it.
Wa Shi observed the nervous look on Lian's face before speaking again.
"…You do not need to panic yet."
"If you possess cultivation talent, I will personally guide you."
"And if you do not…"
The old man glanced briefly toward the herb and beast materials on the table.
"…I will still compensate you properly for these items."
Lian lowered his head silently afterward.
Trying to calm himself.
But the nervousness remained obvious.
Beneath the earth—
the invisible white lizard listened quietly.
Golden eyes thoughtful.
Spiritual roots.
Another human concept.
Interesting.
Then—
Wa Shi slowly raised one aged hand.
A faint spiritual glow gathered around his fingertips.
Weak compared to true cultivators.
Yet still enough to stir the spiritual energy within the room faintly.
"Come closer."
Lian swallowed nervously before immediately obeying.
Step by step—
he approached the table.
Wa Shi extended two fingers slowly toward the center of the boy's forehead.
"…Relax your mind."
Lian nodded stiffly.
The old man's fingers touched his forehead gently.
At once—
spiritual energy flowed outward.
A faint pale light spread softly across Lian's body.
The room became completely silent.
Even Auntie Xu held her breath slightly.
The invisible white lizard beneath the earth watched carefully as well.
Several moments passed.
Wa Shi's brows slowly began narrowing.
Then narrowing further.
A strange look appeared in his aged eyes.
Confusion.
Surprise.
Lian noticed immediately.
His heart tightened.
"…Village Head?"
But Wa Shi didn't answer immediately.
The old man continued examining him silently.
Then finally—
very slowly—
his eyes lifted back toward Lian's face.
"…Interesting."
Beneath the wooden floor—
the invisible white lizard remained perfectly still within the earth.
Golden eyes calm.
Watching silently.
Spiritual roots.
An interesting concept.
Then inwardly—
he questioned the system.
Does the child possess spiritual roots?
The response came immediately.
[Confirmed.]
The lizard listened quietly.
[Target possesses low-grade Five Element Spiritual Roots.]
[Detected affinities: Water, Earth, Fire, Metal, and Wind.]
The lizard became thoughtful afterward.
Five elements.
Low-grade.
So his qualifications were poor.
The more elemental affinities a cultivator possessed—
the harder cultivation became.
Energy impurities.
Slow absorption.
Conflicting elemental circulation.
At least according to the fragmented information he had gathered from observing cultivators so far.
The lizard asked again inwardly.
Any special bloodline?
Spiritual body?
Unique constitution?
The system responded immediately.
[Negative.]
[No detectable bloodline inheritance.]
[No spiritual physique detected.]
[No innate constitution abnormalities detected.]
Ordinary.
Entirely ordinary.
The lizard's attention returned toward the room above afterward.
At the center of the hall—
Village Head Wa Shi had already retrieved a cloudy crystal sphere from beneath the wooden table.
The object emitted faint spiritual fluctuations.
Lian stared at it nervously.
"…Place your hand on it."
Lian immediately obeyed.
His palm touched the crystal carefully.
For several seconds—
nothing happened.
Then—
faint light slowly appeared within the sphere.
Blue.
Yellow.
Red.
Silver.
Green.
One color after another glowed dimly within the crystal before stabilizing weakly.
The light was not bright.
Not pure.
But unmistakably present.
Lian froze briefly.
Then his eyes widened completely.
"I… I have spiritual roots?!"
Joy erupted across his face instantly.
"That means I can cultivate right?!"
Wa Shi nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"You do possesses a spiritual root."
Lian's smile widened even further afterward.
Relief.
Excitement.
Disbelief.
All mixed together visibly across the boy's face.
Even Auntie Xu smiled softly nearby.
But then—
Wa Shi's expression became more serious.
"…However."
Lian's smile paused slightly.
The old man looked toward the crystal again before speaking calmly.
"Your spiritual roots are not particularly good."
Lian stiffened slightly.
Wa Shi continued.
"You possess Five Element spiritual root."
"Water."
"Earth."
"Fire."
"Metal."
"And Wind."
The old man sighed softly afterward.
"Ordinarily, cultivators prefer fewer elemental affinities."
"The purer the root—"
"the easier cultivation becomes."
"The faster spiritual energy can be absorbed and refined."
He tapped the crystal lightly.
"But your roots are mixed."
"And low-grade at that."
Lian's excitement dimmed slightly afterward.
Though he still listened carefully.
Wa Shi continued calmly.
"Low-grade Five Element roots cultivate slowly."
"Very slowly."
"Your spiritual absorption efficiency is poor."
"Your circulation pathways are impure."
"And breaking through realms will be significantly harder compared to talented cultivators."
The room became quieter afterward.
Lian lowered his head slightly.
The earlier excitement weakened.
But only briefly.
Because moments later—
his hands slowly tightened into fists.
Then he looked back up again.
"…But I still can cultivate."
Wa Shi paused briefly.
Then nodded once.
"Yes."
"You can."
Lian smiled again immediately.
Smaller than before.
But far more determined.
The old village head watched him silently for a moment afterward.
Then unexpectedly—
a faint approving look appeared in his aged eyes.
"…Good."
"Talent matters."
"But temperament matters as well."
"You at least possess determination."
The boy had just learned his talent was poor.
Yet instead of despair—
he was happy simply because the possibility still existed.
Beneath the wooden residence—
the invisible white lizard remained submerged silently within the earth.
Golden eyes thoughtful.
Humans truly were strange creatures.
Then inwardly—
he asked another question.
What about the old one?
The system responded immediately.
[Target: Human]
[Possesses low-grade Six Element Spiritual Roots.]
The lizard listened quietly.
[Detected affinities: Water, Earth, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Wind.]
The lizard became thoughtful afterward.
Six elements.
Even worse.
No wonder the old human remained stuck at only the Third Stage of Spirit Refinement despite his age.
With roots that poor—
simply absorbing spiritual energy efficiently would already be difficult.
The lizard's attention returned upward again.
Inside the room—
Lian still looked excited despite learning about his poor talent.
Then suddenly—
he spoke eagerly.
"So when can I begin?"
Wa Shi looked at the boy for a brief moment.
Then toward Auntie Xu.
The older woman smiled faintly before giving a small nod.
The village head slowly stood afterward.
His old bones creaked softly beneath his robes.
"…Follow her."
Lian immediately rose to his feet.
"Yes, Village Head!"
Excitement had completely returned to his face.
Auntie Xu chuckled softly at the boy's reaction before motioning for him to follow.
"Come."
She began walking toward a side room deeper within the residence.
Lian hurried after her instantly.
Meanwhile—
Wa Shi remained behind near the table.
His aged gaze lowered toward the Blue Spirit Berry and the harvested beast materials resting there silently.
The room became quiet again.
Then slowly—
the old man reached down and picked up the spiritual herb carefully.
His expression complicated.
Greed still lingered faintly within his eyes.
But also caution.
Because he had not forgotten Lian's earlier words.
A Rank Two beast killed instantly by an unseen cultivator.
An earth spike.
Clean.
Effortless.
Wa Shi narrowed his eyes slightly afterward.
"…Passing immortal…"
he murmured quietly to himself.
Beneath the earth—
the white lizard watched silently.
Then his attention shifted again toward Lian as the boy disappeared into the inner rooms.
Curiosity remained.
Strangely enough—
he still wanted to watch.
The invisible white lizard moved silently beneath the earth as Lian followed behind Auntie Xu deeper into the residence.
After passing through a narrow wooden corridor—
they emerged into a small fenced backyard.
Clean.
Quiet.
Sunlight spilled softly across packed earth and short green grass while medicinal herbs grew neatly along the wooden fencing nearby.
Lian glanced around curiously.
He had visited the village head's residence before—
but never this far inside.
…I didn't know there was a place like this here…
Then—
his attention shifted suddenly toward the side of the yard.
A young girl sat quietly beneath a tree.
Cross-legged.
Motionless.
Long black hair flowed softly behind her while faint spiritual energy circulated naturally around her small body in slow invisible currents.
To cultivators—
the energy was obvious.
But to Lian—
she merely looked strangely calm and quiet.
Still—
something about her felt different immediately.
His gaze lingered slightly longer than intended.
The girl appeared around seven years old.
Small.
Pretty.
With pale skin and delicate features.
Lian blinked briefly afterward before asking quietly.
"…Who's that?"
Auntie Xu followed his gaze immediately.
Then smiled.
"Oh?"
"That's Mei."
"Xu Mei."
Her smile widened slightly afterward.
"My granddaughter."
"She's seven this year."
Lian's eyes widened faintly.
Granddaughter?
Then—
his gaze shifted back toward the girl again.
A cultivator…
Auntie Xu looked toward him mischievously afterward.
"…Do you like her?"
Lian froze instantly.
Then his face turned red.
"I-I—!"
Before he could finish—
another voice interrupted calmly from behind them.
"Stop teasing the boy."
Lian jumped slightly before quickly turning around.
Village Head Wa Shi had appeared near the doorway silently at some point.
Hands folded behind his back.
Expression calm.
Auntie Xu laughed softly afterward.
"What?"
"I'm only asking."
Lian looked like he wanted the earth itself to swallow him whole.
Beneath the ground—
the invisible white lizard observed silently.
Golden eyes calm.
Humans truly behaved strangely.
Meanwhile—
under the tree—
the young girl slowly opened her eyes.
Clear black pupils shifted quietly toward Lian.
Watching him silently for several seconds.
Then—
very calmly—
she spoke.
"…You're the one who almost died yesterday."
Lian froze immediately.
The embarrassment from earlier vanished from his face almost instantly.
"…You heard about that already?"
Xu Mei blinked once beneath the tree.
Then nodded calmly.
"The village is small."
"Everyone heard."
Her tone remained completely flat.
Almost emotionless.
Unlike ordinary children her age—
she seemed strangely quiet.
Steady.
The faint spiritual energy surrounding her body gradually settled as she uncrossed her legs slowly and stood up beneath the tree.
Lian stared slightly.
Though he still couldn't sense spiritual energy—
he could instinctively feel something different about her.
The way she moved.
The way she spoke.
Even the way she looked at him calmly without nervousness.
Village Head Wa Shi stepped forward afterward.
"…Mei began cultivating two years ago."
Lian's eyes widened slightly.
"So early?"
Wa Shi nodded once.
"She possesses better talent than I do."
Auntie Xu smiled proudly nearby.
"Much better."
Xu Mei, however, showed little reaction to the praise.
Her eyes simply remained on Lian.
"…You're injured."
Lian scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"…Yeah."
"It's nothing serious."
The girl stared at him for another moment before speaking again.
"You shouldn't enter the forest alone."
Lian laughed nervously.
"…I know."
Beneath the earth—
the invisible white lizard listened silently.
Golden eyes thoughtful.
This girl was calmer than most humans he had observed.
Interesting.
Then inwardly—
he questioned the system again.
What about this one ?
The response came immediately.
[Target: Human'.]
[Possesses mid-grade dual spiritual roots.]
[Detected affinities: Water and Wind.]
The lizard listened quietly.
Mid-grade.
Dual element.
Far better than both the old man and the boy.
The system continued.
[Current cultivation: First Stage Spirit Refinement.]
The lizard understood immediately afterward.
So despite her young age—
she already possessed cultivation.
No wonder the old human valued her highly.
Meanwhile—
Wa Shi walked toward the center of the yard slowly before stopping.
Then his gaze shifted toward Lian again.
"…Sit."
Lian immediately obeyed.
Cross-legged.
Nervous excitement returned visibly to his face.
Wa Shi stood before him calmly.
"You possess spiritual roots."
"That means your body can absorb spiritual energy."
"But possessing roots alone does not make one a cultivator."
The old man raised one hand slowly.
A faint strand of pale spiritual energy gathered above his fingertips.
Lian stared at it with complete fascination.
"To cultivate—"
"You must first learn how to sense spiritual energy."
"How to guide it."
"And how to draw it into your body without losing control."
Wa Shi's voice remained calm and steady.
"This first step is called Spiritual Sense Opening."
"If your perception is insufficient—"
"You may sit for days and accomplish nothing."
Lian swallowed slightly.
Still listening carefully.
Then the old man pointed toward the ground in front of him.
"Close your eyes."
"Calm your breathing."
"And empty your thoughts."
Lian immediately obeyed.
Eyes closing tightly.
Wa Shi watched him silently afterward.
Then spoke again.
"…Now."
"Try to feel the world around you."