To a Nascent Soul Major Sect, the definition of a genius was vastly different from what a Cultivation Family would consider one. Even the Qingfeng Sect fell far short of that standard.
Only those disciples who could truly break through limits and achieve the impossible were considered part of the True Inheritance in the Naihe Sect.
One of the Inheritance Stele's main functions was to discern a disciple's talent and conduct the first round of selection based on a score.
Bai Zichen placed his hand on the Inheritance Stele. An ancient, desolate aura washed over him. Closing his eyes, he felt as if he were standing in the great, heavy river of history.
As he infused a stream of Chang Chun Skill Power into the stele, an inexplicable connection formed between him and the stone. It was as if, in the unseen heavens above, something had turned its gaze upon him.
"Bone age: twelve full years. Meets inheritance requirements. Commencing assessment!"
An emotionless, ethereal voice echoed directly in Bai Zichen's mind, so cold that it seemed to slow his thoughts.
"Earth, Fire, Wood Three Spirit Roots, Low Grade!"
"Cultivation: Qi Refining Fourth Layer, Mid Grade!"
"Magic talent assessment... Low Grade!"
"Comprehension assessment... Mid Grade!"
"Comparing against 1,302 bloodlines in the database... No special bloodline detected. Inferior Grade!"
"Comparing against fifty-two Spirit Bodies in the database... No special Spirit Body detected. Inferior Grade!"
The ethereal voice sounded every few breaths, delivering its judgment from different aspects.
Just as Elder Peng had suspected, one's cultivation level alone didn't have a major impact on the Inheritance Stele's rating. His cultivation at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer at age twelve, a feat that would astound outsiders, was merely deemed Mid Grade.
Bai Zichen's thoughts grew hazy, and the ethereal voice began to fade. Just as the connection between his body and the Inheritance Stele was about to break, the voice suddenly rang out again.
"Cultivation speed does not match Spiritual Root. Suspected unregistered Spirit Body. Re-assessing... Comparison failed. Dissolves bottlenecks, effect similar to a Merit Golden Body. Can be considered an undiscovered special Spirit Body."
"Fake Merit Golden Body Spirit Body, Top Grade!"
This time, the ethereal voice fell completely silent. It was followed by two pleasant, crisp sounds, and for some reason, the image of a sweet, juicy fruit being plucked from a tree appeared in his mind.
Two golden lights flew from the distance, shooting straight into Bai Zichen's mind. A massive amount of information instantly flooded his brain, causing a splitting headache.
'Two inheritances? Which one should I memorize first... If I pass out, I won't be able to remember the contents, will I?!'
While Bai Zichen struggled internally, the waiting crowd stared wide-eyed at the Inheritance Stele. One moment, it rippled like a vast blue lake; the next, golden rays darted about everywhere.
Finally, the lights split into two distinct streams. The blue light surged into the body of Qingfeng Sect's Su Li, while the golden light condensed into fine specks, like grains of sand, and merged into Bai Zichen's limbs.
"In the final round, two people actually triggered a phenomenon!"
A sharp glint flashed in Elder Peng's eyes as his gaze shifted back and forth between the two.
'Su Li is one thing, but for this brat from the Ink Bamboo Bai Family to also trigger a phenomenon... That's truly unexpected!'
"How incredible!"
Bai Ling nervously tugged at her sleeves. The small bit of pride she had just felt from obtaining the Taiyin Su Yun Xuan Shui True Skill vanished without a trace. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Bai Zichen, unmoving.
This cousin of hers was a true genius. He had dominated his peers within the clan, and now, even here at the Five Mountains Temple, in front of all the young talents from the Cultivation Families and the Qingfeng Sect, he still managed to stun the entire crowd.
"Sister Honggu, that young man from your Bai Family is truly incredible! Besides the Qingfeng Sect disciples, he's the only one who managed to trigger a phenomenon from the Inheritance Stele. In a few decades, the Bai Family will have two Foundation Establishment Cultivators in one generation! Your clan will become prosperous and powerful, joining the ranks of the new Top Five Families!"
Her previous words might have carried a hint of jest, but now, Chen Yixue was completely sincere, thoroughly shocked.
"Zichen isn't betrothed yet, is he? I have a niece who just turned eight this year. She was tested to have Three Spiritual Roots Talent, and you can already tell she's going to be a beauty. Why don't we discuss it? We could have them sign a marriage contract first. As for the dowry, that's easy to talk about. We'll go by the highest standard..."
Honggu beamed but did not reply.
After an unknown amount of time, Bai Zichen finally managed to cram both inheritances into his mind. The connection broke, and he slowly made his way back to his original spot.
"Chenn'er, are you feeling unwell?" Honggu asked with concerned urgency when she noticed his pale face.
Bai Zichen shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, Elder Peng of the Qingfeng Sect used the Sound Transmission Technique to project his voice across the entire area.
"Fellow Daoists, the comprehension at the Inheritance Stele concludes now. In one week, you may copy the opportunities you've obtained into a Jade Scroll and submit it to the Qingfeng Sect. After our Sect Leader has appraised them, we will offer a suitable price. Of course, if any of you are unwilling to share, our sect will not force you."
"Additionally, the bottom five families will be eliminated. The list will also be sent to your respective clan grounds in one week. In ten years, you need not come!"
After those few simple sentences, Elder Peng hastily left with Su Li, Chen Wei, and the other disciples.
Among the fifteen clans, some were joyous, others despondent.
This was especially true for the few clans whose disciples had failed to obtain an inheritance. Their faces were ashen; the five eliminated families would surely be chosen from among them.
As expected, the Bai Family became the center of attention among the Cultivation Families. Even cultivators from the Top Five Families came over to offer greetings. After a few words of small talk and agreeing to visit one another in the future, they departed.
Bai Zichen was still groggy and could only go with the flow, exchanging pleasantries and greetings. Thankfully, Bai Ling was supporting him, preventing him from stumbling and embarrassing himself on the spot.
Once they returned to their courtyard, Honggu described what everyone outside had seen. Only then did Bai Zichen learn that besides him, Su Li of the Qingfeng Sect had also triggered a phenomenon.
"Chenn'er, what kind of inheritance did you receive?"
"Hmm... a very strange Auxiliary Cultivation Technique. It has the effect of prolonging one's life, but its true purpose is to burn that lifespan."
Bai Zichen rubbed his temples hard. He knew that from the outside, no one could tell he had actually received two inheritances, so he decided to hide one of them.
'Triggering a phenomenon is one thing; at least someone else did it too. But everyone else got one inheritance, while I got two. If that got out, it would cause another huge stir.'
'I've already stood out enough. It's better to keep an ace up my sleeve.'
"It's called the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique. Only Foundation Establishment Cultivators can practice it. It's divided into three layers. Mastering each layer increases your maximum lifespan by ten years, so completing it adds half a 60-Year Cycle. The most crucial part is that it allows you to burn all that extended lifespan at once, converting it into resources for Core Formation and adding a flat ten percent to your chances of success!"
Honggu and Bai Ling were dumbfounded. How could cultivators from the Bai Family have ever heard of such a Profound Mysterious Technique?
In other words, a normal Foundation Establishment Cultivator could increase their lifespan by thirty years by practicing the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique.
A Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator, however, would practice this technique for that extra ten percent chance at Core Formation.
Any Spiritual Object related to Core Formation was astronomically expensive.
One could get a glimpse of this from the price of a Foundation Establishment Pill.
He believed that when this cultivation technique was handed over to the Qingfeng Sect, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the sect would surely treat it like a supreme treasure.