Pill Treasure Pavilion, South Garden entrance.
When Zhou Xun arrived, people had already started reporting in.
The reporting line was divided into two columns,
one for apprentices and another for servants.
Passing cultivators looked at the two long lines with envious expressions.
A young man with a simple and honest appearance and somewhat dark skin was in line ahead of Zhou Xun.
Zhou Xun vaguely remembered this person was called "Wang Erniu."
"Brother, I am Wang Erniu, here to report in today as well!"
Wang Erniu saw Zhou Xun observing him and smiled with honest sincerity.
"I am Zhou Xun, greetings to you, Daoist Wang!" Zhou Xun offered a bow.
The youth's sincere smile engendered goodwill.
This time joining the Pill Treasure Pavilion, he intended to make several friends.
To be selected by the Pill Treasure Pavilion meant they were extraordinary individuals, worth associating with.
"Brother, just call me Erniu, everyone in my village calls me that!" The youth waved his hand, appearing somewhat shy about the term Daoist.
"Alright, then from now on, I will call you Erniu!" Zhou Xun readily agreed.
Then the two began to chat.
It was more Wang Erniu speaking, and Zhou Xun listening.
Perhaps the youth had never encountered someone so patient and willing to hear him speak, he poured out his life's story like spilling beans from a bamboo tube.
Wang Erniu was born in a village named Wang Family Village.
The village was deep in the mountains, making communication with the outside world extremely difficult.
He led a life of cattle herding since childhood.
Until he was fourteen one day,
when he accidentally treated an elderly man who was severely injured while pursuing a demon beast—a Third-Layer Qi Refining loose cultivator.
During convalescence, with a trial mentality, he taught Wang Erniu a cultivation technique.
Coincidentally, Wang Erniu's talent was exceptional, and he succeeded in cultivation on his first attempt.
The old man, having wandered all his life, was childless and had been stuck in the Early Stage Qi Refining.
Encountering someone with such excellent aptitude like Wang Erniu, he was overjoyed.
He immediately took Wang Erniu as his heir and taught him the art of cultivation.
Later, he left the village with Wang Erniu to live on the outskirts of Red Leaf Square.
Until the Pill Treasure Pavilion recruited apprentices, the old man let Wang Erniu try his luck, unexpectedly getting selected.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun was moved.
"Erniu, you started cultivating only at fourteen?"
"Yeah!" the youth nodded his head.
"How old are you this year?"
"Seventeen!" the youth replied honestly.
"Cultivated for only three years, yet already at Third-Layer Qi Refining, it seems his spiritual root talent isn't low, at least Middle-Grade Spirit Root, perhaps even High-Grade Spirit Root!"
Zhou Xun speculated.
While pondering, it was soon Wang Erniu's turn to report in.
"Name?"
"Wang Erniu"
"Input a trace of mana!"
Wang Erniu dutifully complied, infusing a trace of mana into a bamboo-shaped magical artifact.
The person in charge confirmed without error, nodded, handed him a cyan token, and had a servant lead Wang Erniu inside.
Zhou Xun's turn followed with the same procedure.
Zhou Xun also passed.
The servant led Zhou Xun through a corridor to a courtyard occupying more than ten yards.
"Young master, please wait here," the servant softly informed him before retracing his steps out.
Looking up, the courtyard already gathered quite a number of people, all who had queued ahead of Zhou Xun.
Wang Erniu and Wei Shangyi were all there.
However, these people stood upright in silence, not daring to discuss loudly.
In front of the crowd stood a middle-aged man with an imposing presence—Lin Zhishan.
The middle-aged man seemed to have sensed Zhou Xun's gaze and glanced in his direction.
Seeing it was Zhou Xun, he nodded slightly imperceptibly.
Witnessing this, Zhou Xun was startled.
He seemed not to know this Grand Elder Lin.
Could it be this person was indeed amiable, his air of authority simply a result of long-time high status.
With some curiosity, Zhou Xun also found a place to stand and wait.
Soon, all apprentices had arrived.
Lin Zhishan cleared his throat and spoke loudly:
"Young friends, on behalf of the Pill Treasure Pavilion, I welcome you all to join!"
"You will undergo a six-month study period here, after which an assessment will be conducted. Fifteen will be selected as apprentices!"
"During the study period, the treatment is half that of formal apprentices, twenty Spirit Essence per month!"
"During the study period, the pill furnace and earth fire will be prepared by the Pill Treasure Pavilion, but the materials required for refining elixirs will be up to you to prepare."
"The first half-year will focus primarily on pharmacology, alchemy skills, fire control technique, etc. Refining elixirs is a task for the last month, so it won't incur too much cost."
"And once you officially become alchemy apprentices, basic expenses won't be much of an issue," the middle-aged man explained simply.
"Of course, if you wish to learn new elixirs, the pill recipe and materials required must be exchanged through contributions!"
"Lastly, let me say, the alchemy skills learned within the Pill Treasure Pavilion must not be transmitted outside. Violators will be pursued by Red Leaf Square!"
After speaking, the middle-aged man's Late-Stage cultivator aura dispersed outward, startling everyone.
They all nodded in agreement.
"Alright, now that the rules are introduced, next is to measure your spiritual root talent!"
"Of course, high spiritual root talent doesn't equate to alchemy talent, our final assessment is on your alchemy skills, with spiritual root talent only serving as auxiliary judgment!" the middle-aged man added.
He gestured to a steward beside him.
The steward nodded, slapped his storage bag.
Cyan light flashed, and a Half-man-sized Sun Dial-shaped Spirit Testing Spiritual Artifact—Spirit Testing Disc appeared in the scene.
"First, Zhong Lican!"
The steward called.
A young man in white walked up and placed his hands on the Spirit Testing Disc, slowly channeling mana.
"Water Spirit Root Sensitivity 16, Wood Spirit Root Sensitivity 19!"
...
Soon Wei Shangyi also stepped up, displaying a confident look in his eyes, placing his hands on it.
Results came out:
"Fire Spirit Root Sensitivity 31!"
Everyone showed envy.
This spiritual root talent was already Middle-Grade leaning upwards.
Among the Four Great Clans, definitely a Foundation Establishment seed.
Unfortunately, being a loose cultivator, obtaining Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object in the future would be difficult, but Late-Stage Qi Refining carries no suspense.
After testing several people, all were Low-Grade Spirit Root.
Finally, it was Wang Erniu's turn.
Zhou Xun was always very curious about his spiritual root talent.
Soon the result was out.
"Gold Spirit Root 55, Earth Spirit Root 36, Water Spirit Root 31!"
The crowd was abuzz.
Even Lin Zhishan was moved.
High-Grade Spirit Root!
And within High-Grade Spirit Root, a leaning upwards presence, close to Earth Spirit Root.
Such talent, Foundation Establishment stage was certainly a given, and the future even holds hope to glimpse the True Pill Dao.
Presumably, this news will quickly spread throughout Red Leaf Square.
"Silence!"
Lin Zhishan personally spoke, then instructed a few words to the steward, and hurriedly left with Wang Erniu.
The crowd watched their departing figures with envy, knowing Wang Erniu was surely spotted for great fortune ahead.
The remaining would continue with the measurements.
Finally, it came to Zhou Xun.
"Fire Spirit Root 15, Wood Spirit Root 21"
Calculating, he was among the six with Middle-Grade Spirit Root in the scene.
A cultivator's spiritual root is not unchangeable.
Before the age of eighteen, the sensitivity of the spiritual root increasing with age growth is quite common.
Some cultivation clans even possess precious spirit medicine and rare secret techniques, capable of nurturing spiritual roots from a young age for clan members, enhancing sensitivity.
Thus, although Zhou Xun had noted Low-Grade Spirit Root at Red Leaf Square when he was ten,
now eight years had passed, and the spiritual root sensitivity grew by five points, though slightly above average, it wasn't unheard of.
Others would merely think Zhou Xun had good luck.