The adults present heard what Linghua said, but the parents were already used to it, whereas Elder Gu simply didn't care.

  “Come, follow me in.”

  He beckoned the group, having them trail behind him into the pagoda. He only stopped after reaching a large glowing sphere that sat at the end of countless rows of bookshelves.

  “This is better than your usual Talent Tester Stone,” Elder Gu began. “Even if your daughter’s Spiritual Roots are top-notch, it will still be able to tell us just how top-notch they are.”

  “Thank you, Senior Gu!” Lan Yue fervently shook his hand before carrying Linghua over to the large glowing sphere.

  After she got a good distance away, Elder Gu turned to Fang Ren. “...How is the marriage going…?”

  “Why are you asking that in such a pity-filled tone?? Lan Yue is just a little eccentric, is all…”

  Even Fang Ren didn't know if he believed what he was saying. But in the end, he got into this marriage knowing full well what sort of woman he was pledging fidelity to.

  “If you’d like, I can always suggest a different talented Elder to marry you—”

  “I appreciate the intent, Senior Gu, but I love my wife.”

  Fang Ren spoke in a clear, serious tone, his gaze one of earnesty.

  “She may be a bit silly at times, but I love that part of her just as much as everything else. And even if I was given the choice, I wouldn't change a single thing about her.”

  Elder Gu absentmindedly stared at Fang Ren’s side view. His infatuation and adoration while looking at his wife was as obvious as could be.

  “An admirable man like you is hard to come by these days,” he finally said. “It reminds me of my youth. Back when my Meng was still alive.”

  “Death comes for us all, Senior Gu—”

  *Whack!*

  “I’m not about to die, you brat, so stop looking at me like I’m next on the chopping block!” Elder Gu cursed, veins bulging on his forehead. “Instead of making jokes, you should be paying more attention to the results of your daughter’s aptitude test. This moment could very well determine her whole future—whether she possesses the potential to become a Cultivator or not.”

  “Yes, Senior Gu,” said Fang Ren. “Let’s focus on her. I believe in my daughter; she’ll definitely obtain good results. But even if she doesn't, nothing will change. I’ll love her all the same—”

  *Whack!*

  “Can you stop being so damn noble for a second!?” Elder Gu grumbled. “It’s pissing me off.”

  “Yes… Sorry, Senior Gu,” Fang Ren replied with saddened puppy-dog eyes.

  Meanwhile, at the High-grade Talent Testing Stone, Fang Ren got a really good look at its Spiritual Energy–infused surface. He marveled at the sight, shocking his mother and sister.

  “Are you seeing what I’m seeing, dear?? Your younger brother actually had a change in expression!” Lan Yue beamed. “I was getting worried for a while there, thinking that he was broken or sick. Turns out you just had to show him a big shiny rock!”

  “Xue…” Linghua stared deeply at him, seemingly wanting something. “Can you make that same expression while saying, ‘I love you, big sis, more than anyone else in the whole wide world!’?? Pretty please!”

  At the request of his sister, Xue Ren’s face returned to how it normally looked.

  The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Linghua caved in first. She bit her nails while lamenting her fate.

  “Am I asking too much??”

  ‘Yes, you are.’

  Xue Ren answered for her.

  “Mother, why won’t my Xue love me the same way I love him?? It’s so unfair…!” Linghua complained while sniffling. “I… I just want…”

  “I know, my dear,” Lan Yue said with a warm smile, pulling her daughter close. “And it’s not that Xue Ren doesn't love you. It’s just that he doesn't know how to express it properly yet. When he’s older, I'm sure this aloof phase of his will be over and done with. Then he’ll be unable to stop himself from hugging you all day long!”

  “R-Really, Mother…?”

  “Naturally, fufu.”

  ‘Don’t hope for too much.’

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Nevertheless, after all that silliness was out of the way, Linghua finally placed her hand on the giant glowing sphere.

  Almost immediately, a reaction occurred as a brilliant golden-blue light shone from the sphere. This light became brighter and brighter, making even Elder Gu raise his brows in surprise.

  “This sort of reaction… It’s already in the territory of Top-notch Spiritual Roots!” he shouted. “Has a Top-notch Spiritual Root Talent actually been born in the Bluemoon Sect?? This is huge news! Even the Sect Leader will want to know!”

  However… the Spiritual Root awakening wasn't yet finished.

  OOOM!

  Another increase in the intensity of the blue light!

  CRACK—

  Cracks actually started to emerge on the surface of the High-rank Talent Tester Stone!

  Unprecedented!

  “H-Holy… Holy Grade Spiritual Roots!?”

  Elder Gu couldn't believe his eyes, and neither could Fang Ren. But even though the increases in light intensity had begun to slow down to a crawl, the element had still yet to be shown.

  “Even with mythical Holy-grade Spiritual Roots, unless the acquired Element is at least of the Advanced Type, the true potential of the Spiritual Roots will never be shown—”

  WAAA!

  A blinding starry glow dyed the colorless light of the Testing Stone to match that of the Milky Way. Dazzling and profoundly beautiful.

  “U-Ultimate Type Space Element…!? And with a high affinity as well!??”

  Unprecedented!

  A truly unprecedented prodigy!

  Once-in-ten-thousand-year genius!

  While everyone was reeling back in shock, a few lines of words appeared on the sphere’s surface.

  {[Awakening Results]}

  [Spiritual Root(s): Voidborn Spirit Roots (Holy-Grade)]

  [Element(s): Space (Super High Affinity), Water (Medium Affinity), Ice (High Affinity)]

  “Linghua, my baby girl!” Lan Yue could barely contain her excitement as she swooped her daughter into her arms, causing the starry light show to fade away. “I'm so proud of you!!”

  “Huh?” Linghua tilted her head in confusion, making an adorable expression. “Did I do something good?”

  “Something good…?” Fang Ren parroted as he joined in on the hugging party. “You did something amazing! Truly amazing! Your potential is limitless!”

  “Limitless…?” Linghua wondered while looking down at Xue Ren. “Does that mean I’ll be able to protect my Xue forever now?”

  “Of course, my dear!” Lan Yue rubbed her cheeks against Linghua. “He’ll never fear anything with you by his side!”

  Linghua’s eyes brightened. She revealed a genuinely happy smile while staring at Xue Ren, already childishly imagining all the times she’d heroically come to her Xue’s rescue, receiving hugs and kisses in return for her saves.

  “You’ve truly done something amazing this time, you brat!” Elder Gu said to Fang Ren while patting him on the back. “Very good job indeed!”

  “Ahahaha! It was nothing much! I’m just doing my part!”

  “Hey, I did most of the work, you jerk…!” Lan Yue grumbled as she kicked him in the foot.

  While everyone was congratulating Linghua and reveling in the grand occasion, Xue Ren constantly thought back to that blanket of stars produced by the Talent Tester Stone.

  ‘I wonder what my Awakening will be like… Will I get the Space Element like my sister, or… something else entirely…?’

  Although he still wasn't too keen on the details of these Elements, Spiritual Roots, and such, he still had the mind of a wizened Martial Expert. As such, he could use context clues to piece things together.

  ‘Just thinking about all the training I can do with these Elements… I really can't wait.’

  …

  After Linghua’s Awakening Ceremony, the whole Upper Echelon of the Bluemoon Sect came out to congratulate Fang Ren and Lan Yue. Even the Sect Leader and Grand Elders were there, each attempting to curry favor with the parents of a future paragon.

  Linghua was also set to officially join the Sect as soon as possible, with her status ascending straight to the level of Legacy Disciple!

  The highest Disciple position of the Bluemoon Sect—attained just like that!

  Time then moved forward like always.

  The only difference between before and after Linghua’s Awakening was that she now left the hilltop mansion every day early in the morning. Inner Elders personally flew her to the Sect on a daily basis, acting as her bodyguards and her chauffeurs.

  A month disappeared from the calendar.

  Having been eight or so months since his arrival in this world, Xue Ren finally… acquired the ability to walk!

  You’d think that it’d be easier since he had prior experience with walking, but as it turned out, going from adult human to infant involved a lot of adjustment.

  Also, Xue Ren obtained the capacity for speech quite a while back, but was still in the process of deciding whether he wanted to go through the hassle of talking with anyone right now. The one giving him the most confliction on this matter right now was his sister who, even after becoming a Legacy Disciple and a Body Refinement Realm Cultivator, still found the time to spout crazy promises at him whenever she got the chance.

  ‘I really want to begin training already…’

  Some weeks later, as his sister’s accolades started to pile up in the Sect, Xue Ren finally snuck out of his crib. In the middle of the night, he crept like a stealthy baby ninja.

  Because of all the times his mother brought him for joy rides while held against her ample bosom, Xue Ren gained a pretty good layout of the land. And though their mansion was pretty big, he still easily maneuvered through it, slowly becoming more and more accustomed to this new body of his.

  Finally arriving where he wanted, Xue Ren muttered in a baby voice, “Library.”

  Almost right away, he got to work. Book after book was opened and closed by him as he absorbed all the information he could, furthering his knowledge of this world and its culture by leaps and bounds.

  After a few days of repeatedly sneaking out of his crib and heading to the mansion library, Xue Ren could confidently claim that he now knew this world pretty well.

  Firstly was the territory they were in: the Star Bearer Province.

  It was one of many provinces in the Golden Root Kingdom.

  There were dozens of Sects in the Star Bearer Province, each of a varying rank, with the Bluemoon Sect being around the Middle tiers. As for human settlements, there were countless in the province. Greensbury Village, where Xue Ren and his family lived, was just one of thousands of mortal villages spanning a distance of tens of thousands of miles.

  From his mansion’s library, Xue Ren also learned that there were more than just humans living in the Star Bearer Province.

  There were also Monsters, Beastkin Races evolved from Beasts, Elves, and even Demons!

  “I really am in a different world…”

  It was difficult to accept circumstances involving reincarnation and transmigration, as it simply didn't feel real… until it did…

  “But for some reason, this excites me,” Xue Ren said while making a creepy baby smile. “To think that there are numerous races other than humans walking this planet. I wonder if they know how to fight.”

  While barely able to contain his excitement, he continued reading through the books in the library. Most of them were pretty random or useless, but eventually, he came across the ones he had been wanting to find.

  “Chronicles of Spiritual Energy and the Ranks of Cultivation.”