As dawn broke, Qin Sang finished his cultivation and headed out.

According to the shopkeeper, there weren't usually many cultivators in the market. Only during the middle of the month did cultivators from around You Mountain gather together, each seeking what they needed.

These few days were the best opportunity to gather information.

Qin Sang genuinely wanted to make a few friends, but unfortunately, every cultivator he approached was extremely cautious. Each time he tried to strike up a conversation, he was met with wary gazes as if he had ulterior motives, and he was often met with a cold attitude.

The brash Tan brothers were a rare exception.

Remembering the many disappearances, accidents, and hidden enemies mentioned in the Song Family genealogy, Qin Sang understood their wariness.

He thought that to gather information, he needed to frequent places with a lot of people, similar to the City of Three Witches, and make acquaintances.

Places like the Immortal Tea House and Joyful Lane were undoubtedly the best, but entry required spirit stones.

Reluctantly spending his resources, Qin Sang walked into the cyan stone-paved street and noticed the crowd gathering deeper into the street, which was unusually lively. It suddenly dawned on him that today was indeed the middle of the month.

It seemed that the Divine Artifact Pavilion was about to open its doors. As expected, a grand scene unfolded before him, with high-spirited cultivators lining up to enter the Divine Artifact Pavilion.

Though he didn’t have the funds to buy anything, Qin Sang was eager to see the spectacle and headed towards the Divine Artifact Pavilion.

The hall of the Divine Artifact Pavilion was spacious, with shelves displaying various magical artifacts. Like an ordinary shop, many cultivators crowded around the shelves, browsing the items without any attendants nearby.

Qin Sang discreetly used the Qi Perception Technique to observe and noticed that the elderly man in black standing at the entrance of the pavilion exuded an overwhelming aura of spiritual power. His demeanor was calm and detached, suggesting that he was likely a Foundation Building cultivator!

No wonder there was no fear of theft.

Qin Sang was taken aback and his respect grew even more. Just as he was about to step inside, the elderly man in black suddenly reached out and stopped him.

With so many people entering before him without incident, Qin Sang felt anxious as the elderly man scrutinized him. He nervously said, "Greetings, Senior, I am Qin Sang."

"Are you a rogue cultivator? How old are you this year?" the elderly man in black suddenly asked.

Qin Sang was momentarily stunned and replied, "Senior, I am a rogue cultivator, twenty-two years old this year."

"Twenty-two… Qi Refining Realm, fifth stage. Hmm… Oh? You practice the

Netherworld Scripture

as well. Follow me…"

The elderly man nodded and turned to walk towards the inner chamber.

Qin Sang was shocked that his background had been discerned so easily and was also confused.

Given that the elderly man was a Foundation Building cultivator, he could easily crush him like an ant. Qin Sang had no choice but to follow cautiously, asking, "Senior, this is my first visit to the Divine Artifact Pavilion. May I ask why you have stopped me?"

The elderly man looked at Qin Sang with a puzzled expression and said, "Do you think I would harm you when you came here with the token? Give me the token and you may enter."

A token?

Qin Sang recalled the jade disk and quickly took it out, handing it to the elderly man. He was curious about the token's purpose but hoped it wasn't a bad sign. If it turned out to be an internal auction, he could simply refrain from bidding and consider it a chance to observe.

While they spoke, the elderly man opened the door to the inner chamber. Qin Sang was momentarily stunned by the scene inside.

At the entrance of the room stood a table. Behind it, a pale-faced young man in a brocade robe played with a blood-red snake, lazily leaning against the table. He was evidently at the eighth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. R�

The room contained some cushions, on which five people sat cross-legged. They were of similar age to Qin Sang, with cultivation levels around the fourth or fifth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. Among them were the Tan brothers he had seen the other day.

The noise of the door opening drew the attention of everyone in the room.

The young man in the brocade robe quickly hid his lazy demeanor, stood up, and greeted respectfully, "Senior Uncle Yue."

Glancing at Qin Sang, he added with a smile, "Senior Uncle Yue has brought another junior brother this time. It seems that this visit will be more fruitful than usual."

Everyone in the room eyed Qin Sang discreetly. The Tan brothers clearly recognized him, with Tan Hao opening his mouth only to be quietly tugged back by Tan Jie.

Seeing their reluctance to acknowledge him, Qin Sang also refrained from greeting them.

However, despite their subtle actions, they did not escape the notice of the elderly man in black.

"Do you know them?" the elderly man in black turned and narrowed his eyes at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang dared not hide the truth and briefly recounted how he had met them.

The elderly man in black nodded and did not pursue the matter further. He pointed at Qin Sang and said to the brocade-robed youth, "Test his spiritual root."

"是。"

"Understood."

The brocade-robed youth approached Qin Sang and, after a series of tests, a look of deep astonishment appeared on his face. He frowned, staring at Qin Sang as if he couldn’t believe the results, and then proceeded to test again.

Seeing the brocade-robed youth’s expression, Qin Sang had a sinking feeling.

It seems that Zhen Ming hadn’t lied to me; I really have no spiritual root.

Is the Divine Artifact Pavilion looking to accept disciples?

Could the jade disk be a type of token, similar to the Shaohua Mountain sword will decree?

According to the shopkeeper, the Divine Artifact Pavilion was backed by a powerful sect. Joining a sect would be advantageous, but the problem was his lack of a spiritual root.

Without a spiritual root, having cultivation would only lead to being sent for dissection.

Qin Sang hadn’t expected to be tested for his spiritual root as soon as he entered. With a Foundation Building cultivator watching, he couldn’t even think of escaping. He was filled with panic, his mind racing on how to get out of this situation.

The elderly man in black furrowed his brow and said, "Liang Yan, what are you doing?"

Startled, Qin Sang heard the brocade-robed youth respond quickly, "Reporting to Senior Uncle Yue, this junior brother actually has false spiritual roots… and all five elements at that. At first, I thought the test was wrong. According to the sect's rules, this junior brother is not qualified to enter the sect."

"What?"

Not only did the elderly man in black have a strange expression, but the others in the room were also taken aback. They had already used Qi Perception Technique to gauge Qin Sang’s cultivation level, and though he was young, he was a genuine fifth stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator. His talent seemed promising, yet he had all false spiritual roots of all five elements.

A young man with an unusual gaze stared at Qin Sang. His cultivation was only at the fourth stage of Qi Refining Realm, lower than Qin Sang’s, but he had three spiritual roots!

The reason why false spiritual roots were so called was that their cultivation speed was notoriously slow. The hope of breaking through to Foundation Building Realm was slim, and a mixed five-elemental false spiritual root was even slower, making it undesirable for any sect to accept.

Unbeknownst to everyone present, Qin Sang was the most shocked.

I actually have a spiritual root? Zhen Ming lied to me!

I never wronged him. Why would he do this? If not for Zhen Ming, I would already be cultivating in the Han Family, instead of coming all this way.

Fuming with anger, Qin Sang momentarily forgot what having a five-elemental spiritual root implied.

The elderly man in black frowned. "It's not impossible for someone with false spiritual roots to reach the fifth stage of Qi Refining Realm at this age, but your cultivation method is the

Netherworld Scripture

… Have you had any unusual experiences?"