After receiving the task, Song Changsheng quickly set off for the Garrison Hall. His steps were hurried, and so was his heart he had waited nearly a year for this moment.
Song Luding was well aware of this, which is why he had deliberately set the Ascension Ceremony for three days later to give Song Changsheng more time with his mother.
"Who are you looking for?" At the entrance of the Garrison Hall, a cultivator with thick eyebrows and large eyes looked Song Changsheng up and down, his expression guarded.
"I'm Song Changsheng, one of the hosts of this Ascension Ceremony. I'm here to pay my respects to the Fifth Elder," Song Changsheng said with a respectful cupped-fist salute.
The cultivator's demeanor changed instantly, his wariness melting into a cheerful grin. "Ah, so it's Cousin Changsheng! Elder Five talks about you all the time. Wait here, I'll go report"
Before he could even turn around, Song Changsheng saw a blur of motion. A woman dressed in a light yellow flowing gown, her hair tied in a casual cloud-like bun, appeared before him.
She had an oval face and wore only a simple jade hairpin no other adornments. Her face was bare of makeup, but her gentle smile gave her an unforgettable warmth. Though not a great beauty, she exuded a comforting presence.
"Your son greets you, Mother!" Song Changsheng moved to kneel in formal greeting, but she quickly reached out and stopped him.
This was none other than the Fifth Elder of the clan and his mother Xia Yunxue, a Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator.
She was not only the clan's only mid-tier second-grade winemaker, but also the only elder who had married into the family from another surname.
"I felt your aura in the estate earlier and thought I was imagining things. I didn't expect it to be you! You've already reached the late stage of Qi Refining?" Xia Yunxue said joyfully as she took his hand and led him inside.
"Yes, Mother. I broke through four months ago. I've also made progress in formations and artifact crafting," Song Changsheng replied proudly, shedding his usual humility in front of her.
"Good child. Your talent is no less than those with rare spiritual roots Foundation Establishment is just around the corner." Xia Yunxue's heart was filled with emotion. The little boy from back then had now grown up enough to carry out missions on his own.
A smile spread across Song Changsheng's face. He had heard such words from many people, but hearing them from her made them feel completely different.
No sooner had he sat down than Xia Yunxue began fussing over him asking about his meals, whether he was doing well, and if he lacked any cultivation resources typical motherly concerns.
Once she started, it was as if she couldn't stop. But rather than being annoyed, Song Changsheng found it incredibly comforting.
In his previous life, he had been an orphan who never knew the warmth of a family. It had always been a deep regret of his. He never imagined that, in this second life, that emptiness would be filled.
As Xia Yunxue continued to fuss over him, night slowly fell, and the sounds of insects began to chirp outside the window.
Suddenly, Song Changsheng said, "Mother, I'm craving fish."
Xia Yunxue paused, only then realizing that the sun had already set. She quickly stood and said, "Alright, I'll go make something delicious for you right away."
Less than an hour later, Xia Yunxue had prepared a full table of dishes all of Song Changsheng's favorites. The sight made his nose sting slightly with emotion. The old saying couldn't be more true: "A child with a mother is like having a treasure."
Throughout the meal, Xia Yunxue did most of the talking. Song Changsheng focused on eating, occasionally responding with a few words. Simple and warm that was the kind of evening they shared.
Three days passed in a flash, and Song Changsheng returned to regroup with Song Luding and the others.
The long-awaited Ascension Ceremony, watched by hundreds of thousands, was about to begin.
Because there were only two compasses to measure spiritual roots, they split into two teams. Song Luding took Song Changsheng and Song Changjiu to handle the four cities in the east.
Meanwhile, Song Luzi and Song Changying were assigned to the three cities in the west.
"Uncle, what kind of reward do you think the clan will give us if we discover a Heavenly Spiritual Root this time?" Song Changjiu asked with wide-eyed excitement.
Song Luding laughed heartily. "You cheeky brat, your ambition sure is big. I'd be content if we find just a dual spiritual root, let alone a heavenly one!"
"Cousin Changjiu," Song Changsheng added with a grin, "in nearly 500 years since the clan was founded, there hasn't been a single recorded case of a Heavenly Root from Lingzhou. I'm afraid your wish may not come true."
Spiritual roots were incredibly rare. Even saying one in a thousand would be generous more like one in eight hundred at best. Most people only had mixed roots.
A Heavenly Spiritual Root? That was practically a fantasy.
"Well, people need to have dreams, right?" Song Changjiu muttered under his breath.
As they chatted, they arrived at the Spiritual Root Testing Hall in the first city. A line had already formed, stretching as far as the eye could see.
"With this many people, how long are we going to be here…" Song Changjiu stared at the dense crowd and was immediately overwhelmed.
"It's not that bad, just a few thousand. Let's get started, no time to waste," said Song Luding calmly. He took out a token and activated the testing chamber.
The chamber wasn't large and was simply furnished with just a meditation cushion and a half-height stone pillar covered in intricate carvings.
"Changsheng, you'll assist me inside. Changjiu, stay outside and let people in when I tell you to. Got it?"
"Oh…" Song Changjiu's excitement deflated. He had hoped to see how the testing worked.
Song Luding took out a large compass the size of a washbasin and secured it onto the stone pillar. Then he placed a green crystal into the pillar's slot.
"This is a Celestial Profound Stone an essential item for measuring spiritual roots," he explained to Song Changsheng as he worked.
Soon, the first child was let into the room. He looked around eight or nine years old and was nervous.
Song Luding stroked his beard and said kindly, "Come, child, place your hand on the center of this compass."
The boy timidly extended his hand and placed it on the compass. Within moments, a faint glow radiated from the device. Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. An auspicious start the very first child had a spiritual root.
"Let's see how good the aptitude is," he thought to himself.
Soon, the stone pillar beneath the compass lit up with red, green, and yellow lights.
"Three inches of fire root, five inches of wood root, four inches of earth root. Mid-tier aptitude," Song Luding nodded in satisfaction. A decent start.
"I… I have a spiritual root?" the boy looked at his hands in disbelief.
"That's right. Go wait over there."
"Awesome! I have a spiritual root!" The child was so excited he nearly jumped with joy. He had always known how important spiritual roots were and now he had a future full of possibilities.
After a while, Song Changjiu noticed no one was coming out and figured this one must have spiritual roots. Due to the chamber's restrictions, he couldn't see inside.
"If only it were a Heavenly Root," he mumbled, still dreaming.
More children followed, but maybe the luck had run out with the first one. Nearly a thousand kids came through afterward, and not a single one had a spiritual root.
Just as Song Changsheng was getting bored, a little girl finally tested positive but she had four spiritual roots, which meant the chances of her ever reaching the Foundation Establishment were slim.
It's not that someone with four roots can't reach Foundation Establishment it's just that the required resources are overwhelming. Raising someone like her would cost many times more than raising a child with three roots.
Resources within the clan were limited, and couldn't be spent so freely. Her cultivation would most likely cap at the Qi Refining stage.
Sometimes, Song Changsheng wasn't even sure if leading them into the path of cultivation was truly the right thing...
Two days passed quickly. Out of over 2,000 children in the first city, only three had spiritual roots.
On the third day, they were luckier in the second city four children out of 3,000 had roots. Unfortunately, they were all four-root or five-root types. Not even one three-root child among them.
That was still within expectations, and no one was too surprised until they reached the third city, where a quiet, withdrawn little boy suddenly brought them a surprise…