The journey to the Emberlight Sanctum was agonizingly slow, a stark contrast to the rapid-fire chaos of Kenji's recent survival. Master Thorne, his aura of immense power subtly reined in, strode with an effortless grace that made Kenji's exhausted, injured body ache in comparison. Lyra Shadowbrook, despite her own lingering pain, kept a respectful distance, her occasional glances at Kenji a mixture of curiosity and lingering gratitude. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken questions.
As they ascended the lower slopes of the Azure Peaks, the air grew cleaner, infused with the crisp scent of alpine flora and distant, shimmering spiritual energies. The winding path, carved intricately into the mountainside, was smooth and well-maintained, a clear indication of a powerful organization. After hours of arduous climbing, the mist-shrouded peaks finally parted to reveal the Emberlight Sanctum itself.
It was breathtaking. Not a single building, but a sprawling complex of elegant, multi-tiered pagodas and serene courtyards, carved directly into the living rock of the mountain. Golden light, seemingly emanating from the very stone, bathed the structures in a perpetual, ethereal glow. Ancient, towering trees with leaves of shimmering silver dotted the landscape, their branches swaying gently in an unseen breeze. Spiritual energy, thick and palpable, hummed in the air, a stark contrast to the raw, untamed Qi of the wilderness. Cultivators, garbed in robes of various shades of green and gold, moved with practiced ease, their movements imbued with a quiet power that made Kenji feel incredibly small and insignificant. This was a realm of true power, far beyond anything he had imagined from his novels.
They were led to the outer disciple reception area, a vast, open-air pavilion bustling with aspirants. Hundreds of young men and women, of various ages and appearances, waited anxiously, their faces a mixture of hope, fear, and nervous anticipation. Some held small, personal artifacts; others practiced subtle hand gestures, their eyes alight with the dream of cultivation. The air buzzed with suppressed excitement and apprehension.
Master Thorne's arrival caused a ripple of respectful silence. He was clearly a figure of authority here. He briefly explained Kenji's presence, recounting a concise, somewhat vague version of the rescue. "This boy, Kenji Tanaka, aided my disciple, Lyra, when she was set upon by rogue cultivators. He is injured, and seeks a chance at the cultivation path. I ask that he be given the standard assessment."
A junior elder, a thin woman with sharp eyes and a severe expression, nodded curtly. She eyed Kenji with a professional, dispassionate gaze that seemed to strip him bare, assessing his humble attire and obvious exhaustion. She didn't show a flicker of recognition for Kenji's unusual feat of distracting the rogue cultivators – a testament to the sheer volume of aspirants passing through these gates. To her, he was just another hopeful, brought in by an elder's whim.
"Very well, Master Thorne. He will join the next intake for resonance assessment," she said, her voice dry as parchment. "Disciple Lyra, ensure his immediate medical attention. We do not tolerate the presence of uncultivated, injured individuals in the main hall."
Lyra, blushing faintly, nodded and led Kenji to a small, secluded corner of the pavilion, where a kind-faced medic disciple quickly attended to his remaining scrapes and bruises. The medic poured a glowing green balm onto his wounds, and Kenji watched, fascinated, as they rapidly healed, leaving no trace. This was the most effective medicine he'd ever seen.
Later, refreshed but still exhausted, Kenji found himself among a group of new aspirants, all waiting for the "resonance assessment." He had rehearsed a backstory with the System's subtle guidance: a humble orphan from a distant, forgotten village, driven by a yearning for spiritual enlightenment. It was simple, plausible enough to explain his lack of background and connections. He recounted it to a curious aspirant, a nervous young man named Elara, who listened with sympathetic eyes.
His turn came sooner than he expected. He was led into a smaller, circular chamber, its walls adorned with shimmering arcane runes that pulsed faintly. In the center stood a simple, crystalline pedestal. An elderly, robed figure with eyes like ancient pools sat before it, observing him with a gaze that seemed to pierce his very soul. This was the assessment elder.
"Place your hands upon the pedestal, young man," the elder instructed, his voice calm, yet carrying an immense authority. "Clear your mind. Seek the spiritual energy within. Let it resonate with the crystal."
Kenji nodded, his heart thumping. This was it. The moment of truth. He placed his palms on the cool, smooth surface of the crystalline pedestal. It hummed faintly beneath his touch. He closed his eyes, focusing, trying to tap into the ambient Qi he now knew was present, the invisible currents he'd seen with his new Qi Sensing ability. He tried to draw it, to guide it, following the basic principles from his cultivation scroll. He visualized the Qi flowing through him, forming a nascent "Qi Sea" as described in the "Path of the Humble Stone."
Minutes stretched into an agonizing silence. He concentrated harder than he ever had in his life, sweat beading on his forehead. He felt the subtle hum of the crystal, sensed the ambient Qi around him, but it was like trying to scoop water with a sieve. He could perceive it, yes, but he couldn't connect to it. He couldn't draw it, couldn't make it resonate with the crystal. His Qi Sensing was a passive ability, a window, not a pump.
He opened his eyes. The assessment elder watched him, her expression unreadable. The crystal pedestal, however, remained stubbornly dim, not a flicker of the vibrant light that usually signified spiritual resonance.
A long, heavy sigh escaped the elder. She shook her head slowly. "It is as I feared, boy. Your spiritual resonance… it is profoundly weak. Barely a flicker. You possess no discernible affinity for elemental flows, nor any significant spiritual roots. The crystal remains silent."
Kenji felt a cold dread creep into his chest. His stomach plummeted. Profoundly weak? No discernible affinity? The words hit him like a physical blow. The brigands' taunts echoed in his mind: 'trash spiritual root'. It was true. His secret Qi Sensing, his System – it was useless if he couldn't even start cultivating. His inherent talent was nonexistent. The hope that had blossomed within him withered instantly, replaced by a bitter, crushing despair.
"I am sorry, young man," the elder continued, her voice devoid of malice, but filled with a detached pity that stung more than anger. "You show courage, that much is true. But courage alone does not forge a cultivator. The Emberlight Sanctum only accepts those with true spiritual potential. You are unfit for the path."
She dismissed him with a wave of her hand, and Kenji stumbled out of the chamber, feeling utterly numb. The bustling pavilion now seemed to mock him. He heard hushed whispers as he walked past other aspirants, their eyes following him.
"Another one deemed unfit? Such a pity. He looked so hopeful."
"His spiritual roots must have been truly terrible. A waste of the Elder's time."
"He probably just used some cheap trick to save Lyra. Not real talent."
The words, though quietly spoken, pierced him. Humiliation burned in his cheeks. He saw Lyra in the distance, speaking with some friends, glancing his way with a look of shared disappointment. His gaze then fell upon a group of disciples, laughing boisterously near a fountain. One of them, a young man with sharp, arrogant features and an air of immense self-importance, caught his eye. He had an ornate, gleaming badge on his robes, signifying a high status. He was surrounded by fawning companions. He looked at Kenji, a smirk playing on his lips, then openly rolled his eyes and turned back to his conversation. That was Lord Valerius, someone he would soon come to recognize.
Kenji found a secluded bench, sinking onto it, the weight of his failure crushing him. His Spatial Pouch, containing his cultivation dreams, suddenly felt heavy, mocking him. He had a System, incredible knowledge, Qi Sensing, but no way to use it. No way to cultivate. He was stranded.
Just as the despair threatened to consume him, a familiar blue shimmer appeared on the edge of his vision. The System screen. It had been silent during the test, seemingly observing. Now, it displayed a new, vital message, cutting through his self-pity with a jolt of electrifying hope.
Notification: Hidden Cultivation Talent Detected.Bypass Protocol Initiated.
Kenji stared. His breath hitched. Hidden talent? Bypass Protocol? Hope, fragile but tenacious, flared to life once more.
The screen continued, outlining his impossible path:
Requirement: Gain Elder's Trust.Reward: System Core Activation - True Aetherial Roots Unlocked.
He reread the words. Gain Elder's Trust. Not just any elder, but the Elder. Master Thorne. He looked up, spotting Master Thorne himself, standing near the entrance to a more restricted part of the Sanctum, speaking with a few solemn-faced cultivators. Master Thorne was a powerful figure, but his gaze was troubled. He had brought Kenji here, vouched for him, yet the test results had been undeniably damning.
Master Thorne sighed, a deep, weary sound that seemed to carry the weight of disappointment. He turned, his gaze sweeping over the reception area, and for a fleeting moment, his eyes met Kenji's. A flicker of sympathy, perhaps pity, crossed his stern features. He hesitated, as if contemplating something, then slowly shook his head, his decision made. He couldn't defy the Sanctum's rules for a seemingly untalented boy.
He turned to leave, his back to Kenji. "Boy, I owe you for saving my disciple," Master Thorne rumbled, his voice low, almost a whisper, yet it carried to Kenji's ears. "But the sanctum rules are clear. Unless… unless you can prove your worth in another way." He paused, and for a fleeting second, his shoulders seemed to slump. Then, he straightened, and without another word, he walked into the more restricted area, the door closing silently behind him.
Kenji watched him go, a cold knot forming in his stomach. A new way. A different way. A way that didn't involve spiritual roots or elemental affinity. He looked back at the System screen. Gain Elder's Trust. It wasn't a straightforward task. It was a challenge. A desperate, almost impossible gamble. But it was a gamble he had to take. He had no other path in this world.