He quickly sat cross-legged and focused his breathing, calming his mind.
The sound of cracking grew increasingly intense in his ears.
At first, it was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, then like the pelting of raindrops, and soon, it resembled the beating of war drums.
Finally, a thunderous roar—like a mountain shattering, earth cracking—erupted near his ear, causing Jiang Fan's vision to go black.
In the darkness, he saw a tender sprout breaking through the soil.
Its emergence seemed to have disturbed a supreme existence, unleashing waves of heaven-destroying lightning, intent on forcing it back into the earth.
The sprout slowly unfurled and effortlessly absorbed the incoming lightning.
It began to grow at a visible pace.
One inch, two inches, three inches...
One yard, two yards, three yards...
Ten yards, a hundred yards, a thousand yards...
Jiang Fan watched in awe as a single seed—nourished by the lightning from the heavens and earth—grew into a towering giant tree whose peak was unreachable!
The lightning, realizing its inability to halt the tree's growth, gradually ceased.
Just as Jiang Fan thought all had come to an end, a wrathful roar filled with divine majesty erupted:
"You dare steal the Divine Tree of my Void Ancient Clan! No matter who you are, no matter where you may be, we will find you! We will find you!!!"
*The roar pierced his ears, leaving Jiang Fan with a splitting headache, as though his soul might shatter under the pressure of unmatchable divine power.*
In that moment of crisis, the Void Ancient Tree scattered countless specks of green light, merging with Jiang Fan's body.
The searing pain began fading away, and under the green light's influence, a Spirit Root took form within his dantian.
*Surviving by the skin of his teeth, Jiang Fan was left pale and drained.*
*Who was that?* he wondered.
*A roar that crossed unknown distances through time almost destroyed me?*
*And why did he claim this tree belonged to the Void Ancient Clan?*
*Wasn't this the tree my father gave me?*
After a long while, he finally calmed the waves in his heart and instinctively looked down at his abdomen, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"A Spirit Root! I... I have a Spirit Root now!" He exclaimed jubilantly.
He had waited eighteen years for this transformation, and finally, it had arrived!
Next, his eyes filled with grief as he knelt heavily onto the ground: "Father, did you see this?"
"Your son has awakened a Spirit Root... I can protect myself now."
"You can rest in peace!"
He bowed fervently, tears welling in his eyes.
His father's final moments were spent in unease, fearing Jiang Fan's immaturity and lack of protection in the future.
But now, he had a Spirit Root.
The child his father shielded all his life had finally grown up!
After a long time, Jiang Fan collected himself and carefully examined the Spirit Root, only to freeze in astonishment.
"Transparent?"
His Spirit Root was transparent, completely devoid of color!
"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, black, white—none of them are transparent!"
Xu Yining's Spirit Root was a bright blue, signifying a sixth-grade Spirit Root.
The highest grade was rumored to be white, representing ninth-grade.
Yet no one had ever heard of a transparent Spirit Root!
"I guess I'll have to go to the Detection Hall to confirm it," Jiang Fan murmured to himself.
On the continent, there existed an ancient power called the Heavenly Mechanism Hall, whose influence was immense. The Green Cloud Sect was merely one of the nine sects under its command.
The Hall had established a Detection Tower in every city.
It offered free testing of Spirit Roots to all.
If one's Spirit Root proved exceptional, they could apply to the local Detection Tower Master for admission into the sect for that region.
For example, Xu Yining had discovered her sixth-grade Spirit Root at the Detection Tower, which had drawn the attention of a Green Cloud Sect elder, who broke protocol by designating her as a True Disciple.
It was said that if one's aptitude were truly extraordinary, it might catch the attention of the Heavenly Mechanism Hall itself, leading to recruitment into the Hall.
However, this was only a rumor—no one in the history of Lonely Boat City's Detection Tower had ever been directly recruited by the Heavenly Mechanism Hall.
To enter the Hall, one must first spend three years training in one of the nine sects, during which only the most outstanding prodigies would have the chance to be selected by the Hall.
*What grade could his transparent Spirit Root possibly be?* he wondered.
Then.
Jiang Fan suddenly noticed that the Void Divine Tree—now lush with branches and leaves—was laden with massive, transparent fruits.
Suspended on the lowest-hanging fruit was something shockingly sealed inside: a cultivation technique.
"High-level Profound Grade Mental Method, *Dragon Seeking Scripture*."
When he saw the scripture's name, Jiang Fan was shocked.
The Xu Family, as an established force in Lonely Boat City, only possessed a mid-level Yellow Grade swordsmanship technique as its ancestral treasure. It ranked among the city's top ten cultivation techniques.
The Xu Family had faced crises multiple times because others coveted this technique.
A single high-level Profound Grade scripture could incite chaos across the land!
His breath tightened as he sprinted toward the tree, trying to leap for the fruit.
But a formless pressure forced him back to the ground.
At the same time, a stream of information flowed into his mind.
"The lowest-tier fruit can only be picked by someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage."
Soon after, the dark, mystical world in front of him gradually faded, and he found himself back in his shabby room.
He paused, the experience feeling like a surreal dream.
Yet the Spirit Root in his abdomen confirmed its reality.
"*Dragon Seeking Scripture*, Foundation Establishment Stage," Jiang Fan murmured excitedly, licking his lips, wishing desperately that he could break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm immediately.
He didn't want to waste another second and promptly left the Xu Mansion, half-walking and half-running as he gasped for breath, finally arriving at the Detection Tower.
It was still morning, and the Detection Tower hadn't opened yet.
Outside the tower, teenagers were already gathered, waiting for the testing to begin.
"Zheng'er, today's re-test—don't be nervous. The Tower Master said last time your result was lower than expected because of your nerves," Wang Yingfeng reassured Lu Zheng as they stood outside the tower together.
"You should have tested as a Top third-grade Spirit Root, but nerves led to a mid third-grade result!"
"That one grade made it impossible for me to secure more resources for you from the Xu Family."
Lu Zheng nodded firmly.
The Xu Family's resources were already limited, with most allocated to Xu Yining. The remainder was distributed based on talent.
Many Xu Family members possessed third-grade Spirit Roots.
If he ranked one grade lower than others, the resources he received would be significantly inferior.
This time, he had to ensure his true level was tested.
"If you test as a Top third-grade Spirit Root, Aunt will do everything she can to convince the family to make an exception and let you train in Xu's Sword Technique."
For her nephew, Wang Yingfeng was willing to go all out, even offering to share the Xu Family's core secrets with this outsider.
What?
Stunned, Lu Zheng's excitement soared!
Xu's Sword Technique was a mid-level Yellow Grade attack skill—among Lonely Boat City's top combat techniques—that only core Xu Family members could access.
After ten years of enduring humiliation in the Xu Family, he was finally on the verge of touching its core secrets!
Elated, his gaze shifted to a familiar figure in the corner. Surprised, he asked:
"Jiang Fan? What are you doing here?"
Jiang Fan casually scribbled a note: "Same as you."
Until his strength grew, he decided to maintain the façade of a mute, avoiding suspicion from the Xu Mansion members.
"Same as me? Haha." Lu Zheng shook his head, a sneer glinting in his eyes.
He was here for a higher Spirit Root re-test.
Jiang Fan had already been tested multiple times; what point was there in re-testing?
Patting Jiang Fan's shoulder, Lu Zheng jabbed mockingly:
"A Spirit Root is something innate. You either have one or you don't."
"What's wrong with living as a mortal for your entire life? Why chase something that isn't yours?"
*Jiang Fan clenched his fists tightly.*
*Why was I destined to spend my life as a mere mortal, while others like you are revered Martial Artists?*
Then, the door opened.
The Detection Tower Master—a lethargic old man—ambled out, having spent decades on the same monotonous job, his face expressionless as he said:
"Same rules as always. Those with exceptional aptitude will receive rewards in the form of cultivation techniques."
The crowd barely reacted.
Rewards were essentially unattainable for the average person.
The only person to win such a reward in recent decades was Xu Yining, whose sixth-grade Spirit Root earned her a low-level Yellow Grade mental method.
With this method, Xu Yining had reached the eighth layer of Qi Cultivation within six months.
A sixth-grade Spirit Root had barely qualified for the lowest-tier technique; the others wouldn't stand a chance.
Jiang Fan's eyes, however, lit up: "There are techniques to be earned?"