Time quietly flowed by, and twenty days had already passed. Every morning, Du Yaoyao would leave with her group for training, returning only in the evenings. Yet no matter how tired she was, she always spent the rest of her day looking after Shen Xuan playing with him, talking to him, and slowly pulling him out of his silent shell.
For Elder Du, these twenty days were perhaps the happiest in many years. Seeing his granddaughter lively again and Shen Xuan beginning to smile gave his weary heart a sense of peace.
That morning, as they sat together, Elder Du suddenly said with a soft cough,
"Yaoyao, why don't you ask your senior sister to check Shen Xuan's spiritual roots? If she can… maybe we will finally know his potential."
Yaoyao's eyes brightened. "That's a good idea, Grandpa! If Little Xuan really has talent, then one day… he might even cultivate like us!"
Without wasting time, she rushed towards the inn in town where her group was staying. After explaining everything to Liu Qinlian, her senior sister nodded slightly.
"Very well. I'll come with you. Let's see what kind of roots this child has."
Together, the two of them walked back toward Elder Du's residence, one with hope shining in her eyes and the other carrying an expression that was calm… yet faintly curious.
Elder Du's courtyard was silent except for the gentle rustle of leaves. The two of them Elder Du and Liu Qinlian sat waiting, the tension thick in the air.
Moments later, Yaoyao returned, holding Shen Xuan's small hand.
"Come, Little Xuan," she said softly, almost excited.
The boy's round, innocent eyes lifted, staring curiously at Liu Qinlian. Her silver hair glimmered beneath the sunlight, her jade-like face unreadable. For a moment, Shen Xuan simply stood there, as if trying to understand the cold yet gentle woman before him.
Liu Qinlian gave a small nod. "Let's begin."
She raised her hand, and a complex array appeared on the ground of the garden. Mysterious runes and profound symbols intertwined, releasing a faint glow that made the entire courtyard tremble with spiritual energy. Even Elder Du's eyes widened slightly.
Slowly, the symbols began to shine brighter, humming with ancient resonance.
"Little one," Liu Qinlian's calm voice broke the silence, "step inside the array."
Shen Xuan, without hesitation, walked into the glowing circle. As soon as his tiny figure stood at the center, the runes lit up in response, as though the formation itself had awakened.
With a graceful motion, Liu Qinlian extended her hand. A flow of pure spiritual energy poured from her palm into the array, weaving its way into Shen Xuan's body. The boy's small frame trembled slightly as the foreign energy entered him, but his expression remained calm unnaturally calm for a child his age.
Yaoyao bit her lip nervously. Elder Du clenched his fists behind his back.
The glowing array beneath Shen Xuan's feet began to rotate slowly, runes flickering as they probed deep into his tiny body. Everyone held their breath Elder Du's eyes never once left his figure, while Yaoyao clasped her hands together, whispering prayers in her heart.
The noise of the formation grew louder and then, all at once, the light dimmed.
The array stopped.
The profound symbols lost their shine, vanishing like ripples in still water.
Liu Qinlian's brows furrowed slightly. She exhaled a soft sigh and withdrew her energy. "It cannot be detected"
Elder Du's body stiffened. Yaoyao's bright blue eyes widened in shock.
"W-what do you mean?" Elder Du asked in a trembling voice.
"It means," Qinlian explained calmly, "this child shows no trace of spiritual roots."
The words struck the courtyard like thunder. Shen Xuan, standing at the center, lowered his head, his small fists tightening at his sides.
Elder Du's lips quivered. He had feared this outcome yet hearing it aloud made his chest feel unbearably heavy.
But then, Liu Qinlian's voice softened, a rare trace of gentleness in her cold tone:
"Do not lose hope. There are rare cases where spiritual roots remain hidden… veiled from detection until the child awakens them on their own. Even my master, the Flower King, has encountered such mysteries. Perhaps Shen Xuan belongs to this rare category. If he cultivates diligently, he may naturally awaken his root when he reaches late Qi Condensation."
Her words were like a fragile thread of hope in the darkness.
Yaoyao quickly nodded, eyes firm. "Then he will definitely awaken, I believe it!"
Elder Du forced a smile, but inside he knew such cases were one in a million. Still, what else could they do but believe?
Because spiritual roots were something one was born with.
Just like that 10 days passed, it was the night of final day before yaoyao return to the sect.
That night, under the faint glow of the moonlight seeping through the window, Yaoyao and Shen Xuan sat quietly together in the small room. The air was still, heavy with the silence of an approaching farewell.
Yaoyao's eyes softened as she looked at the little boy. "Tomorrow… I'll have to return to the sect. I don't know when we'll meet again," she said gently, her voice carrying a hint of sadness. Then she quickly added with a smile, "But I promise, whenever I get the chance, I'll come back to see you."
Shen Xuan's round eyes shimmered with tears. Since losing his mother, Yaoyao had been the only person who gave him a sense of warmth and belonging. The thought of her leaving made his tiny heart ache.
With his small but determined voice, he said, "Big Sister, I will work very hard. I won't fall behind you. One day, I'll become even stronger than you."
Hearing those words, Yaoyao's heart trembled. This was the first time anyone had ever called her Big Sister. A bright smile bloomed on her face as she pulled him into a hug, her chest filled with warmth and satisfaction.
"From today," she whispered, "I am your recognized sister okay. We are family now. We'll definitely meet again soon."
The two of them hooked their pinky fingers together, sealing the promise with a smile through their tears. Neither of them knew… this parting would last far longer than they could imagine.
The next morning, the courtyard was filled with a bittersweet atmosphere. One by one, the young disciples stepped forward to hug Shen Xuan. None of them wanted to let go his innocent face and wide, teary eyes had carved their way into their hearts.
Standing at the side, Liu Qinlian watched quietly, her usual cold demeanor softening for just a moment. Finally, she spoke, her calm yet commanding voice cutting through the air, "It's time. We must leave now."
Her words struck like a bell of reality. The disciples reluctantly pulled away from Shen Xuan, their eyes still fixed on him.
Yaoyao, however, couldn't hold back. Tears streamed down her face as she clung tightly to Elder Du, sobbing uncontrollably. "Grandpa, I don't want to leave…" she whispered, her voice trembling with sorrow. Elder Du's wrinkled hand gently patted her back, though his own eyes glistened faintly.
After a long while, when the farewells were finally over, Qinlian raised her slender hand. With a soft flick of her wrist, a brilliant light flashed from her storage ring.
In an instant, a massive object appeared, an elegant flying ship in the shape of a jade lotus. Its petals unfolded gracefully, glowing with faint silver light. Elder Du and Shen Xuan stood there, their mouths slightly open in awe. Neither of them had ever seen something so magnificent.
As Qinlian infused her spiritual energy into the ship, its lotus petals expanded, and the vessel grew larger until it towered over them. This was no ordinary artifact it was an Earth-Grade-mid level flying treasure, these type of treasure were very rare across whole continent specially flying type treasure.
In the mortal world treasures were categorized in:
Mortal grade, Earth grade, Spirit grade, Heaven grade, Immortal grade, Divine grade (each grade divided by low, mid, high level)
(It is said that divine weapons can even slay the immortals and Gods but divine grade weapons are very difficult to find in whole mortal world even in immortal realm)
With one final round of goodbyes, Yaoyao wiped her tears and boarded the ship along with the other disciples. The lotus ship rose into the air, its surface glowing faintly as it filled with spiritual energy.
Then, with a burst of speed, it shot forward. In just two breaths, it had crossed over a kilometer. Within moments, the dazzling lotus vanished from sight, leaving only the quiet sky behind.
Elder Du and Shen Xuan stood silently in the garden, staring into the distance where the ship had disappeared, their hearts heavy with the weight of parting.
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