Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 28 Half an Incense Stick

The wind howled from the cliff, causing Zhou Li's robes to flutter loudly.

He stood on the edge of the cliff, looking at the solitary cliff opposite him, hidden in the mist, and sighed.

"I never imagined that the cultivation world also operates on a law of the jungle. If only the Changtian Sect were as harmonious as Ziyun Peak..."

"I didn't want to be too flamboyant, but I can't wait. My lifespan is only a few years left. If I want to survive, I must establish my foundation as soon as possible."

Zhou Li then closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and in a flash, entered a state of sensing Qi.

"This person senses Qi very quickly, Junior Brother Wang. Is this the one Elder Tan exceptionally brought into the third trial?"

The one who spoke was a middle-aged Taoist priest named Jiang Bai, a veteran steward in the sect, in charge of disciple assessments.

Wang Jian nodded: "Exactly."

Jiang Bai looked at Zhou Li with a scrutinizing gaze: "I want to see what kind of person Elder Tan is who can personally make an exception for you."

Before he finished speaking, a faint light suddenly appeared on the edge of the cliff.

A firefly drifted up from the depths of the valley, its pale blue light slowly flying towards Zhou Li.

Immediately afterwards, a second, a third... more than a dozen fireflies rose from the bottom of the valley, circled Zhou Li a few times, and landed at his feet.

A dozen or so fireflies are but a drop in the ocean in a deep valley.

Jiang Bai withdrew his gaze and shook his head slightly: "Judging from the number of fireflies, this is the sign of a fourth-grade spiritual root, barely crossing the gap between immortals and mortals."

The deacons standing nearby also showed strange expressions.

A fourth-grade spiritual root is nothing more than the lowest aptitude in the Changtian Sect. Even if someone like that entered the sect, they would most likely only be able to do menial tasks in the outer sect and would never have a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. What kind of status does Elder Tan have that he would make an exception for such a promising talent?

"Perhaps he has some extraordinary abilities?" a young deacon probed.

"What makes him so special?" Jiang Bai frowned. "His spiritual root is predetermined. He's only fourth-grade. Let's see what his character is like. If he's capable, let him cross the Immortal Bridge in one go and show us what he's made of."

Wang Jian remained silent, simply watching the figure on the cliff edge.

He had seen too many seekers of the Dao standing before the Bridge of Immortal Inquiry—fear, trepidation, and feigned composure—but this young man was different.

Zhou Li stood there, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing steady, as if he were strolling leisurely in his own courtyard. His composure was quite remarkable.

At the edge of the cliff, Zhou Li suddenly opened his eyes.

By this time, a hundred or so fireflies had gathered around him. He looked down at the colorful fireflies at his feet and stepped onto them.

In the first step, Zhou Li swayed precariously, and Fei Ying seemed to be barely able to bear the weight.

If one has an ordinary fourth-grade spiritual root, every step must be taken with trepidation, and the slightest mistake will require starting all over again, turning the test of spiritual root into a test of mental fortitude.

However, the five elements of spiritual roots are ultimately different. Even if it is only the fourth grade, it is still the perfection of the five elements.

As Zhou Li took his second step, dozens more fireflies gathered, spreading out a palm-sized patch of light at his feet.

Although they managed to hold up Zhou Li, the hundred or so fireflies suddenly began to stir and were about to fall.

Jiang Bai shook his head, disappointed, and said, "Your energy is already in disarray after only the second step; there's no need to test you any further."

He was wrong. This was not due to the Qi mechanism of Zhou rituals, but rather to the mutual generation and restraint among the five elements.

Fireflies belong to the five elements, each with its own preferences. They will subconsciously gravitate towards the spiritual elements they are compatible with and stay away from the spiritual elements they resist; this is their nature.

If one has a single spiritual root, as long as the energy is not disordered, the fireflies will steadily support the seeker to cross the bridge. However, Zhou Li now has fireflies with five different spiritual attributes under his feet.

A system of checks and balances seemed to have formed among them, with each link closely connected to the next, and it began to slowly revolve around the Zhou rites.

If any one of the five elements is missing, the body will not spin. But if all five elements are complete, it will be in harmony with the way of heaven and be able to generate life endlessly.

Looking at Zhou Li again, the fireflies swirling around him generated a weak spiritual vortex, attracting more of the five elements' spiritual energy from the mountains.

As the spiritual energy gathered, more and more fireflies rushed toward this place.

"Hmm?" Jiang Bai frowned and looked into the valley.

Amidst the churning clouds and mist, countless points of light rose from the depths, their five colors intertwined, densely converging towards the edge of the cliff.

At this point, Zhou Li took the third step.

Thousands upon thousands of fireflies surged toward Zhou Li, spreading across the sky. They split into five ribbons of light that spun rapidly, each occupying a side while connecting with each other to form a huge five-colored vortex.

Zhou Li stood calmly in the center of the vortex, feeling the power gradually gathering beneath his feet.

"This is..." An old deacon squinted.

Then the swirling light intertwined into a net, slowly solidified, and transformed into a magnificent five-colored rainbow bridge extending towards the opposite cliff, its momentum like a rainbow, as if a divine miracle.

Only then did Zhou Li take his third step, stepping onto the rainbow bridge as if walking on flat ground.

Everyone on the cliff top saw the five-colored rainbow bridge spanning between the two cliffs. Wang Jian's mouth gaped open, his face filled with disbelief.

The old deacon stared intently at Zhou Li, his voice trembling as he said, "Five... all five elements are present! This is a five-element spiritual root?!"

"Impossible!" Jiang Bai exclaimed. "The Five Elements Spiritual Root has never been seen in all of history; even ancient texts only mention it briefly..."

"But how do you explain this strange phenomenon?" The old deacon's face flushed with excitement. "The five elements are each in their proper places, and spiritual energy is endlessly generated. What else but the five elemental spiritual roots could achieve this?!"

On the Rainbow Bridge, Zhou Li's pace quickened.

From the initial ten breaths per step, to the later five breaths per step, and now it's one breath per step!

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhou Li had already taken a thousand steps. He landed lightly on the opposite cliff top and turned to look back.

"Half an incense stick's time..." Wang Jian murmured, "Half an incense stick's time to cross the Bridge of Immortality... Young Master Zhou, truly a divine being!"

The strange phenomena in the valley had already alarmed the entire sect.

"The five elements gather, heaven and earth resonate... Who is crossing the Bridge to Immortality?"

Figures emerged from various parts of the gate, including the Treasure Pavilion and the Martial Arts Arena, flying towards the Immortal Inquiry Bridge.

Dozens of people had already gathered at the edge of the cliff, including outer sect deacons, inner sect disciples, and even a few old monsters who had been in seclusion for many years.

At this moment, everyone looked towards the other side of the bridge, where a handsome young man bowed to the platform, trailing a long trail of light behind him, like an immortal descending to earth.

"Who is this person?" an old voice asked.

Jiang Bai was startled when he saw the old man speaking. He quickly bowed respectfully and said, "This junior greets Elder Swordholder. This person was brought into the sect by Elder Tan. His name is Zhou Li."

The Sword-wielding Elder Yan Qingzhen of the Changtian Sect, a great cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm, whose swordsmanship has reached the divine level, actually appeared on the Immortal Inquiry Bridge.

Not to mention Jiang Bai, most of the people present were also puzzled, simply because they did not understand what the Five Elements Spiritual Roots meant.

Only those with higher cultivation levels can truly understand the mysteries of the Five Elements spiritual roots.

Seeing that he had gained the attention of Master Yan Qing, Jiang Bai did not dare to make a decision on his own. He bowed and asked carefully, "Master, how should this test be judged?"

"Feel free to share your thoughts."

Jiang Bai pondered for a moment and said, "According to the rank of the spirit itself, Zhou Li is only barely fourth rank; but in terms of the time it takes to cross the bridge, he is... better than ninth rank."

Master Yan Qing nodded slightly and said, "Let me ask you, is this first test based on spiritual root or aptitude?"

"Naturally, it's about aptitude," Jiang Bai replied without hesitation.

"Good. How far one can go on the path of cultivation does not depend on the size of one's spiritual roots, but on whether one's cultivation can align with the Dao of Heaven."

After listening, Jiang Bai pondered for a moment and replied, "This disciple understands. Thank you for your explanation, Master. I deserve the highest grade in this test on Zhou rites."