Lin Chen and a group of Immortal Seedlings followed the Assessment Elder to a temporary courtyard.
Many houses and courtyards were built on Changchun Mountain.
The number of Immortal Seedlings who could pass the first stage of the assessment was not many, so each person had their own room.
Before long, a disciple brought dinner.
There was no imagined Spiritual Food; the Changchun Sect wasn't extravagant enough to prepare Spiritual Food for disciples who hadn't yet joined.
A bowl of clear porridge, two steamed buns, and a few pieces of meat.
Lin Chen ate with great pleasure. He had been in the Cultivation Realm for more than five days, relying only on Physical Potion.
Although it could replenish the basic nutrients needed by the human body, the taste of Physical Potion... truly beyond words.
The sky gradually darkened, and the moon was high in the tree branches.
Lin Chen lay on the bed, admiring the starry sky of the Cultivation Realm through the window.
Unlike Blue Star, which was polluted by technology and Demon Beasts, the night sky of the Cultivation Realm was beautiful, the moon was bright, and the stars in the heavens twinkled.
At this moment, Lin Chen was lost in thought.
"With Wang Xinyu's assistance, I have successfully survived the Tribulation Cultivator crisis."
"And I successfully passed the first stage of the Changchun Sect assessment. Whether I can formally set foot on the path of cultivation depends on tomorrow's Spirit Root qualification test..."
Lin Chen was still a bit nervous in his heart.
Whether he had Spirit Root qualifications was crucial to his survival in the Cultivation Realm.
Although he had temporarily climbed the Immortal Sect, if he lacked Spirit Root qualifications, he would be sent back to his original form tomorrow.
In this tumultuous Cultivation World, without the shelter of a Sect, his future would not be too safe.
After all, this Cultivation World was far more brutal than Blue Star, lacking a unified regime, and various evil Tribulation Cultivators wreaked havoc everywhere.
Just like the group of Tribulation Cultivators Lin Chen previously encountered; if he were slightly weaker, he would already be a ghost under their knives.
"Phew... best not to think about it for now. Even if I can't cultivate, I can rely on Martial Arts Cultivation to survive!"
"I haven't cultivated today, so I might as well practice the Breathing Technique for a while..."
Thinking of this, Lin Chen sat cross-legged, hands on knees, and began to breathe rhythmically.
The Breathing Technique Lin Chen practiced was called the "Seventh Set of Martial Arts Breathing Technique."
It was a Breathing Technique promulgated uniformly across the Great Xia Country, which could help Martial Artists enhance their physique and unlock their potential.
In the Great Xia Country, everyone, regardless of gender, had to practice this Breathing Technique upon turning sixteen.
Human flesh bodies are weak; how can they contend with Demon Beasts?
Only by practicing the Breathing Technique can one continually strengthen oneself, becoming a mighty being capable of moving mountains and seas.
Lin Chen also relied on this Breathing Technique to break through to a Ninth-Level Martial Disciple in just over a year's time.
Spending half an hour, when Lin Chen had operated a Grand Circulation of the Breathing Technique, he suddenly sensed something unusual in himself.
"Huh, what's going on..."
"Why do I feel stronger all of a sudden?"
Lin Chen looked at his wrist with some confusion.
There, a wristwatch that came with an a-57 light combat suit showed the Qi and Blood Value of a Martial Artist.
And now, Lin Chen's Qi and Blood Value was: 10.1!
A look of astonishment flashed across Lin Chen's face, followed by a burst of joy.
"I've broken through to a Basic Level Martial Artist!"
Martial Arts are categorized into Realms by Qi and Blood Value.
And the standard for reaching a Basic Level Martial Artist is a Qi and Blood Value exceeding 10 points!
A Qi and Blood Value of 10 points equates to a strength of over 500kg in Fist Power and an explosive speed exceeding 20 meters per second.
Lin Chen was originally a Ninth-Level Martial Disciple, with a Qi and Blood Value around 9.5. Although it appeared to be only a slight difference, it was a stark contrast like clouds and mud.
There is a small bottleneck between a Ninth-Level Martial Disciple and a Basic Level Martial Artist.
This small bottleneck often takes over a year and a half to break through.
For an ordinary person to break through to a Basic Level Martial Artist before the age of 20 is already considered a genius.
Even Lin Chen estimated it would take three months to break through to a Basic Level Martial Artist.
And now, not only had he advanced by three months, but he even exceeded 0.1 in Qi and Blood Value!
"Is it because I ascended over thirty thousand steps today, stimulating my potential and breaking my limits?"
Lin Chen shook his head slightly.
Perhaps it had something to do with it, but it shouldn't have been that easy...
"The Cultivation Realm is different from Blue Star; there is Spiritual Energy in the air... Could it be that this Spiritual Energy allowed me to break through early?"
Lin Chen was heartened by the thought, and it's easy to verify this hypothesis.
He just needed to continue practicing the Breathing Technique.
So, Lin Chen continued practicing the Breathing Technique for another two hours.
Until late at night, Lin Chen, already very fatigued, was suddenly startled awake by the Qi and Blood Value shown on the watch.
Qi and Blood Value: 10.2
"It really is because of the Spiritual Energy!"
"Hiss... just two hours can raise the Qi and Blood Value by 0.1. Practicing for six hours a day means 0.3 in Qi and Blood Value!"
"At this rate, I can break through to a Middle Level Martial Artist within a month!"
Lin Chen had a slightly joyful expression on his face.
Unlike Martial Disciples who are divided into nine levels, Martial Artists are only divided into three levels: Basic Level, Middle Level, and High Level.
The corresponding Qi and Blood Values are 10, 20, and 30 points.
As long as you reach 20 points in Qi and Blood Value, you are a Middle-Level Martial Artist. Your fist power can reach 1000kg, and your peak running speed can reach 25 meters per second.
Ordinary people need two or three years of accumulation to advance from Basic Level Martial Artist to Middle-Level Martial Artist.
And even a prodigy like Lin Chen who is well-suited for practicing the Breathing Technique needs about half a year.
But now, in just a short month…
You can advance from Basic Level Martial Artist to Middle-Level Martial Artist!
This kind of speed, Lin Chen had never heard of.
"Tsk tsk, the Cultivation Realm… is really too suitable for martial artists to practice!"
Lin Chen thought emotionally.
Looking at it this way, even if he doesn't have Spirit Root aptitude.
Thanks to the far superior speed in advancing on the Martial Path, he can make a mark in the Cultivation Realm.
At the very least, survival shouldn't be a problem, right?
Having thought this through, the stone in Lin Chen's heart finally dropped, and he fell into a deep sleep soon after.
...
The next morning, Lin Chen woke up on time.
The fatigue from yesterday was swept away.
Dong dong dong!
As the bell sounded on Changchun Mountain, all the youths who had passed the first round of assessment gathered at the Disciple Plaza.
Over three hundred youths, their faces either nervous or full of anticipation.
Lin Chen was also on the plaza, with a slight hint of nervousness on his face.
Even though his aptitude on the Martial Path is outstanding, he also hopes to have Spirit Root aptitude.
Soon, the voice of the assessment elder spread across the plaza.
"Everyone, come to the Spirit Testing Platform when you hear your name to verify your Spirit Root aptitude…"
"First, Qi Changwei."
Soon, a sturdy, dark-yellow skinned youth walked over.
As he put his hands on the giant Spirit Testing Stone,
two beams of light, one gold and one red, rose from the Spirit Testing Platform, and the light column stood seven feet and six inches high.
The elder, upon seeing this, smiled and announced:
"Upper Grade Gold and Fire Dual Spirit Roots, outstanding aptitude."
Upon hearing the assessment elder's words, a wave of envy spread among the surrounding youths.
The Immortal Seedling assessment at Changchun Sect has only two rounds.
The first round, Thirty Thousand Steps of Ascension, tests the mental state and preliminarily screens aptitude.
The second round verifies the precise Spirit Root aptitude.
An Upper Grade Dual Spirit Root is already a one-in-a-thousand aptitude.
Securing a place at Changchun Sect is practically guaranteed.
After the auspicious start, the subsequent Spirit Root detections progressed steadily.
After half a two-hour period, a young girl in a light yellow dress stepped onto the Spirit Testing Platform.
This girl was only thirteen or fourteen years old, yet already showed signs of becoming a beauty, with skin as white as snow, apricot eyes, cherry lips, and stunning features.
What attracted Lin Chen was not the girl's beauty, but the noticeable change in the surrounding disciples' expressions when she stepped onto the platform.
Even the assessment elder changed his usually cold demeanor and spoke with kindness:
"Next, Jiang Liqian!"
As the girl placed her hands on the Spirit Testing Platform, the Spirit Testing Stone immediately emitted an astonishing blue light column.
The light column was nearly two Zhang high, causing the elder to exclaim:
"Top Grade Earth Spirit Root! Hiss… Look at this Spiritual Qi affinity, it's close to Celestial Spirit Root!"
For a moment, the entire plaza was in an uproar.
Earth Spirit Root aptitude, this is a once-in-a-century encounter for the entire Changchun Sect…
Lin Chen couldn't help but curiously look at Jiang Liqian, feeling somewhat puzzled.
"What's the background of this girl?"
Soon, Jiang Liqian slightly raised her chin and stepped down from the Spirit Testing Platform amidst the gazes of the crowd.
After that episode, the Spirit Root aptitude detection continued.
From morning to past noon, over three hundred youths completed their Spirit Root aptitude detections.
Aside from a few unlucky ones with Inferior Spirit Roots, the rest of the youths mostly had Mixed Spirit Roots or better.
According to Changchun Sect's rules, reaching Five Elements Mixed Spirit Roots is enough to become an Outer Sect disciple.
And to become an Inner Sect disciple, one must have Dual Spirit Roots or better…
Among the three hundred youths, about ten achieved Dual Spirit Roots.
Aside from Jiang Liqian's overwhelmingly outstanding aptitude, there was also a youth named Li Zhenqian, who possessed a True Spirit Root aptitude.
Lin Chen was one of the last to climb the mountain, so his name was ranked low on the list.
It wasn't until afternoon that the assessment elder called his name.
"Next, Lin Chen…"