Chapter 237: An Unexpected Turn
Fang Shuiguan’s face darkened as he looked at the female cultivator. "Junior Sister, can’t you be serious for once?"
Lu Chulan’s eyes welled with tears. "Senior Brother, how am I not being serious? I haven’t even asked you why you brought back someone... someone like this..."
Lu Chulan sized up Wuming, the corners of her lips curling into a smile. "Where did you find such a beauty?"
Fang Shuiguan: "..."
Wuming: "..."
A love for beauty is something everyone shares.
The face Wuming had crafted was indeed far too convincing!
The System couldn’t help but wonder, ’If you weren’t this good-looking, wouldn’t Fang Shuiguan have just tossed you on the side of the road?’
Wuming replied calmly, ’It wouldn’t matter whether he threw me out or not.’
Choosing the Sea View Sect as his starting point meant that crafting a handsome face was a necessary part of the plan.
Unable to stand his junior sister’s flightiness any longer, Fang Shuiguan took the initiative to ask, "What were you saying just now? Master wants to marry you off to Zhang Xiwen of the Fierce Eagle Sect?"
"Yeah!"
At the mention of this, a flicker of panic crossed Lu Chulan’s face. "I don’t even know him! I have no idea what he looks like! What if he’s ugly? This is a joke, right? They should at least let me see his face."
With that, Lu Chulan couldn’t help but look at Wuming again, murmuring, "But that doesn’t matter now. I’m not going to marry that Zhang Xiwen. My heart only has room for this beauty—I mean, for Senior Brother."
Wuming, Fang Shuiguan: "..."
Everyone tacitly ignored what Lu Chulan had almost blurted out. Fang Shuiguan proceeded to introduce Wuming. "His name is Wuming. I met him on the road. He has a Spirit Root but hasn’t formally joined a sect. His memories are also a bit hazy, and he doesn’t remember where he’s from."
"His memories are hazy?" Lu Chulan’s eyes brightened. "Hazy is good..."
Fang Shuiguan coughed loudly.
Lu Chulan barely managed to compose herself. "Senior Brother, you are always so kind-hearted. You truly can’t bear to see others suffer."
She put on a righteous expression. "So, Senior Brother, what did you intend by bringing him back? Do you want him to join our Luomei Sect?"
Fang Shuiguan said, "I just saw that he had nowhere to go. We can let him stay here for now. Whether he can join the Sect will have to be decided by Master."
’It seemed the Luomei Sect’s recruitment was much stricter than the Taohua Sect’s. The usual excuses players used probably wouldn’t work here.’
"Then let’s go test his Spirit Root." Lu Chulan beamed at Wuming, extending a hand toward him. "Come with me."
"You’re never the one to handle this kind of thing," Fang Shuiguan grumbled, but then he glanced at Wuming’s face, sighed softly, and said, "Never mind."
Wuming followed Lu Chulan into the sect.
"Inside" was really just the reception area for new disciples.
A steward saw Lu Chulan and hurried over, chuckling. "Chulan, what brings you to my humble place today?"
This steward appeared to be only at the Qi Refining Middle Stage and was already quite old.
Lu Chulan’s expression grew more serious as she faced the steward. "Manager Ye, I’ve brought someone here to test their Spirit Root."
Manager Ye had naturally noticed Wuming behind her and asked, "Is this a new disciple?"
Lu Chulan shook her head. "For now, that’s still for Master to decide."
Wuming was a little surprised.
’He remembered that other sects were much more lenient when accepting disciples.’
’But at the Luomei Sect, the Master had to personally approve every new disciple?’
But he said nothing.
Manager Ye, however, suddenly sighed. "There’s no need to be so paranoid. Our Luomei Sect hasn’t accepted any new disciples for a long time. That rumor..."
At that, Manager Ye held his tongue. "Ah, well. Let me test this young man’s Spirit Root first."
He gestured for Wuming to come forward.
And Wuming, naturally, followed Manager Ye inside.
The Spirit Root testing process was simple, much like at the Longevity Sect.
But when a golden trace appeared on the Spirit Testing Stone, the expressions of both Manager Ye and Lu Chulan changed in an instant.
They didn’t look joyful. Instead, a deep seriousness flashed in both of their eyes.
Lu Chulan’s usual flighty demeanor vanished, replaced by a stern expression as she cried out in disbelief, "A Metal Spirit Root?"
For a moment, she completely lost her composure.
A trace of panic appeared in Manager Ye’s eyes. "A Metal Spirit Root, and he hasn’t even entered a sect? How is that possible? Could it be he was never tested at birth?"
This was a rare occurrence on the Yunzhou Continent.
As infants, everyone was tested for a Spirit Root, whether they were expected to have one or not.
This was because newborn infants were at their purest, having not yet accumulated much Spiritual Energy in their bodies, making it impossible to determine if they had a Spirit Root with the naked eye.
It wasn’t entirely unheard of, but a case involving a Metal Spirit Root was exceptionally rare.
Zhan Sheng had been able to enter the Taixue Sect because the Taixue Sect was immensely powerful and Zhan Sheng had Zhai Xiaotian vouching for him, so they naturally wouldn’t be suspicious of his identity.
But for the Luomei Sect, a Metal Spirit Root was a huge deal.
Wuming knew how Metal Spirit Roots were regarded on the Yunzhou Continent; he knew his talent was extremely high.
He remained perfectly composed, merely showing a hint of confusion. "What’s wrong with a Metal Spirit Root?"
He looked as if he knew nothing about these matters.
Lu Chulan gave him a look, then turned and left, presumably to find Fang Shuiguan.
Meanwhile, Manager Ye wrung his hands in an anxious panic. "Oh my, a Metal Spirit Root... In all my life, I’ve never met anyone with a Metal Spirit Root."
Those with Metal Spirit Roots were whisked away by the Major Sects as soon as their talent was discovered at birth.
The best the Luomei Sect had ever seen was a Purple Spirit Root.
Manager Ye looked at Wuming’s clueless expression. "You don’t know where you come from?"
Wuming, of course, shook his head.
When Lu Chulan returned with Fang Shuiguan, he was actually slightly out of breath. Clearly, the matter of Wuming’s Metal Spirit Root had caught him completely by surprise.
Fang Shuiguan had lost some of his composure as he stared at Wuming. "How could it be a Metal Spirit Root?"
He was utterly dumbfounded.
He had casually picked someone up off the side of the road, simply because the man was incredibly handsome. How could he possibly have a Metal Spirit Root?
"The Spirit Testing Stone doesn’t lie."
Lu Chulan looked at Wuming’s handsome face, feeling a slight sense of regret that she wouldn’t be able to appreciate this beautiful man in the future.
She then said to Fang Shuiguan, "Senior Brother, our sect can’t afford to keep someone with a Metal Spirit Root."
A small place like their Luomei Sect simply couldn’t afford to support a talent like a Metal Spirit Root.
Fang Shuiguan understood her meaning.
Not only was Wuming older and had yet to join a sect, but he also possessed a Metal Spirit Root.
If there was some hidden story behind all this, it was not something their Luomei Sect could bear the consequences of.
In this world, a Cultivator born with a Metal Spirit Root either had parents who also had Metal Spirit Root talent—and even then, there was a high probability of it downgrading to a Purple Spirit Root.
Or, they were the product of a pure commoner winning the genetic lottery.
At this thought, Fang Shuiguan made an immediate decision. "I’ll send him to the Sea View Sect."
Even if there was trouble, the Sea View Sect would be the one to handle it.
The Sea View Sect would never pass up a disciple with a Metal Spirit Root.
They would naturally have their own ways of investigating Wuming’s background.