The testing site for spiritual roots was located at the town center, its exterior an unremarkable blue stone gate. Before the gate, townsfolk with ashen complexions knelt and offered incense and fruits, placing them respectfully at the base of the wall. To many obedient citizens, seeking a celestial being's mercy to cure illnesses was more effective than visiting a physician.
Li Pingcan composed himself, avoiding unnecessary glances. Li Rongzhou knocked on the stone gate, then knelt and stated their purpose. The three-thousand-pound stone gate silently swung open without any visible mechanism - it was a solid stone wall moved purely by human strength!
A plain-looking figure in gray Daoist robes appeared, sweeping fallen leaves with a broom. 'This person is a martial arts master,' Li Pingcan noted, not daring to underestimate. While Zhou Enxian could also push open the stone gate, he certainly couldn't do it with such effortless grace.
Immortal cultivators truly commanded respect, making even martial masters sweep leaves as servants. Li Rongzhou placed three taels of silver for the spiritual root test into an offering box and whispered, "Can'er, go inside. Don't draw attention."
Li Pingcan, who had memorized the testing procedure, entered the meditation chamber alone. The rectangular room had four divine beasts representing cardinal directions, with celestial and imperial figures enshrined above. The floor bore strange patterns resembling some formation array. At the center stood a wooden table covered with bright yellow silk, upon which rested a smooth, translucent spherical jade.
"This must be the testing jade." According to his second brother, one simply needed to place hands on the jade. If the glow lasted beyond ten breaths, it indicated spiritual root potential. Simple enough for even a three-year-old.
Taking a deep breath, Li Pingcan solemnly placed both hands on the jade. Suddenly, wind rose from nowhere, billowing his robes as pure energy swirled around him. This energy felt like the essence of heaven and earth, resonating within the humming formation array - undoubtedly spiritual energy! Though his Druid abilities made him sensitive to natural changes, he couldn't physically grasp this energy.
As spiritual energy poured in, the cool jade erupted in blue radiance, illuminating the entire chamber. "Does this mean I have spiritual roots?" His eyes sparkled as the jade's glow shifted to earthy brown, equally dazzling. "Hmm?" Puzzled, Li Pingcan wondered if he possessed dual water-earth spiritual roots.
As the spiritual energy dissipated, Li Pingcan faintly heard what seemed like a sigh. 'Someone's here?' His alertness spiked, yet the chamber held no visible presence except... the testing jade. A wild idea struck him. He immediately knelt and pleaded loudly, "Honorable Jade Spirit, please tell me why I failed! Jade Spirit Elder, I beg you!"
"Ai." The sigh grew heavier, carrying indistinct words through the air that Li Pingcan couldn't decipher. "Elder, I can't hear you clearly! Truly, I can't!" This might be his only chance at immortal cultivation! Frantic, his Mind Awakening Talisman suddenly burned intensely, and he clearly heard an aged voice: "Wood and earth both upper-grade... but five elements incomplete... cosmic imbalance... cultivation impossible..."
Emerging from the site, Li Pingcan shook his head at Li Rongzhou's expectant face. "Ai! Perhaps our Li family simply lacks the destiny for immortal cultivation!" Though deeply disappointed, Li Rongzhou quickly regained composure. "Can'er, being a martial artist is good too. With your talent, you might surpass your eldest brother."
Li Pingcan nodded absently, his mind elsewhere. He finally understood the Mind Awakening Talisman's true purpose - not enhancing comprehension but amplifying perception to momentarily gather spiritual insights. Only thus had he broken through some "restriction" to hear the jade spirit's guidance.
"According to the Jade Elder, my wood and earth elements are upper-grade, but missing other elements prevents cultivation." Meaning people in this world needed complete five elements to truly develop spiritual roots. Before testing, Li Pingcan had speculated about spiritual roots based on previous life's cultivation novels where single-element roots denoted geniuses. Reality required all five elements - he'd nearly been misled.
Upon reflection, it made sense. Heaven and earth comprised complete five elements. Even the human body had metal-lungs, wood-liver, water-kidneys, fire-heart, and earth-spleen. Any imbalance caused ailments and weakness. This emphasized the importance of elemental balance, making such cultivation more logical.
"So the question is - how do I acquire the other three elements?" Likely only through Druid skills. His earth-shaping abilities represented the earth element, so obtaining metal, water, and fire elements wasn't entirely hopeless.
The failed test cast gloom over the Li household, though none blamed him, only lamenting cultivation's heaven-defying difficulty. Li Pingfu, Li Ping'an, and Lady Qin all took turns comforting him. His claims of indifference were mistaken for bravado - any lively child would despair after such failure.
His eldest brother deliberately lost sparring matches, his second brother recited motivational stories, and Yuan Yuan picked flowers daily for him. The family's excessive care, treating him like fragile porcelain, both touched and amused Li Pingcan. Seeing they wouldn't relent, he let them be.
Day and night, he pondered acquiring water, fire, and metal elements - soaking in streams, touching earth, lighting fires, handling metal stones beneath peach trees, hoping Nature's Gift's Good Fortune passive would trigger.
A month passed. Then, panel information finally appeared:
[Through constant immersion in elemental energies, sensing nature's spirits, you've comprehended [Element Gathering]]
[Element Gathering: By attuning to elemental energies, you can collect them to increase elemental affinity. This skill has no upper limit]
Reading these words, Li Pingcan's heart surged. "Success! My spiritual roots now have unlimited potential! If cultivation defies heaven, why shouldn't I defy it too?!"