Chapter 4: Deadly Misunderstanding

He wanted to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, but he needed a cultivation method.

Cultivation methods are special techniques designed to elevate one's realm. Compared to offensive techniques like sword arts or boxing, cultivation methods are more fundamental and precious. Every major force treasures their cultivation methods, preventing outsiders from getting their hands on them. The Spirit Root Testing Tower is the only place ordinary people can be rewarded with a cultivation method, but acquiring one is incredibly difficult. Jiang Fan wasn't sure if he could earn a reward, as he had no idea what level his transparent spirit root was.

Everyone entered the Spirit Root Testing Tower. Inside the tower were many individual chambers. The Tower Master arranged for Jiang Fan and Lu Zheng, both from the Xu family, to enter adjacent chambers. Lu Zheng exuded confidence. He glanced at Jiang Fan, a half-smile playing on his lips, and said, "Don't be shocked by my true spirit root level later!" He was confident he would test as a high-grade third-rank spirit root this time. If so, his standing in the Xu family would rise further. At that point, it would be much easier to claim Xu Youran. Jiang Fan shrugged and wrote a note: "We shall see." He also had a spirit root now, even if it was transparent.

At the Tower Master's command, everyone simultaneously entered their testing chambers. This was Jiang Fan's fourth visit. After closing the stone door, he nervously looked at the floating crystal ruler in the center of the chamber. It had nine colored markings, representing ranks one through nine. When a martial artist placed their palm on it, their spirit root would activate the corresponding color on the crystal ruler, displaying its rank. The test was exceptionally precise, never erroneous.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Fan approached the crystal ruler and placed his palm on it. The crystal ruler immediately trembled lightly! A ripple rose from the bottom, climbing to the crimson mark, then continuing without pause to the orange mark. Jiang Fan's hanging heart eased slightly. He had been worried that a transparent spirit root might be a rankless, useless spirit root. Soon, the ripple surged to the yellow mark, then rapidly impacted the green mark. Jiang Fan's heart began to pound faster. Green represented a fourth-rank spirit root, already surpassing Lu Zheng's expected rank and considered a rare, excellent spirit root in Solitary Boat City.

However, the ripple clearly showed no sign of stopping. Cyan. Blue! Jiang Fan clenched his fists, his heart trembling violently. A sixth-rank spirit root! He had reached Xu Yining's spirit root level! But the ripple didn't stop! Purple, seventh-rank! Black, eighth-rank! Jiang Fan's heart was in his throat, his mouth suddenly dry. Eighth-rank! He had actually reached eighth-rank, breaking Solitary Boat City's highest record! Buzz— The ripple still had immense momentum, rising in one breath to the highest mark, white! Ninth-rank! It was ninth-rank! Jiang Fan's pupils constricted, his eyes overflowing with uncontrollable ecstasy. He possessed an unprecedented ninth-rank spirit root! This was a legendary level! However, the ripple still didn't stop, surging upwards again. The end of the crystal ruler was largely blank, without any further markings. Yet the ripple continued to rise, then with a whoosh, it shot off the ruler and flew out of the chamber. This left Jiang Fan utterly bewildered. What kind of spirit root did he even have? He had been tested, yet it felt as if he hadn't been tested at all...

Almost at the precise moment the ripple burst from Jiang Fan's crystal ruler, in the adjacent chamber, Lu Zheng watched the ripple in his crystal ruler slow down to a snail's pace, barely hovering at the critical point between mid and high-grade third-rank. His expression was grim. "Rise! Rise for me, you bastard!" Lu Zheng furiously hammered the crystal ruler, roaring in anger. He had been certain he would achieve a high-grade third-rank, but he was infuriatingly close, missing it by a hair's breadth. This slight difference meant he would miss out on the Xu family's resources, and more importantly, Wang Yingfeng's promised 'Xu Clan Sword Art'! Just then, the ripple that had shot out from Jiang Fan's crystal ruler swept past his chamber. Its powerful momentum tugged at the ripple in Lu Zheng's crystal ruler, causing it, which had completely stalled, to surge upwards again. It broke through the green, cyan, blue, purple, and black marks. Finally, it slowly climbed and settled on the white mark. The white mark began to glitter, its light growing increasingly intense.

The Tower Master lay on a bamboo rattan chair, a pen in one hand and a ledger lazily held in the other. Just then, the stone door of Chamber Number Three was the first to light up, emitting a faint crimson glow. He found Number Three in his ledger and said blandly, "Chamber Number Three, Miss Zhu Tingting of the Zhu family, a low-grade first-rank spirit root." Following that, other chambers gradually lit up. "Chamber Number Seven, Yu Wangdong, young master of the Liu Family Merchant Guild, a high-grade first-rank spirit root." "Chamber Number One, Zheng Xiangqiu, young master of Cheng Family Fortress, a low-grade first-rank." After recording the results of several chambers in a row, the Tower Master shook his head. "Alas! Solitary Boat City is getting worse every year!" "If it weren't for Xu Yining, who recently appeared with a sixth-rank spirit root, Solitary Boat City's Testing Tower would have been shut down."

Suddenly, from Lu Zheng's chamber, a beam of white light shot out from under the door crack. The Tower Master rubbed his eyes, looking bewildered. "White? On the crystal ruler, the white mark represents..." Clang! He abruptly stood up, his released aura sending the rattan chair flying several yards away. His old face was filled with immense shock. Staring at the increasingly dazzling white light emanating from Lu Zheng's chamber, he uttered four words in astonishment! "Ninth-rank... manifested!!!" As his voice faded, the white light intensified abruptly, like a blazing sun emitting blinding radiance, illuminating the entire testing tower in pure white. The testing tower could not contain the magnificent white light, which transformed into a white beam that shot skyward, piercing through the highest clouds!

At the Xu family estate, Xu Yining finished her meditation, spiritual energy swirling around her, her eyes sparkling brightly. Beside her, Xu Zhengyan's face was filled with pride. "Yining, you've broken through to the ninth level of Qi Condensation! At your age, this is unprecedented in our Solitary Boat City!" A hint of pride appeared between Xu Yining's brows. "After all, it's a sixth-rank spirit root; cultivating this fast isn't surprising." "Once I go to the Azure Cloud Sect and obtain a mid-grade, or even high-grade, Yellow-tier cultivation method, my cultivation will be even faster..." Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a white pillar of light, and she couldn't help but be surprised. "Father, what is that?" Xu Zhengyan was also stunned by the magnificent sight before them. After observing for a moment, he said, "It's coming from the Testing Tower." "Could an unparalleled spirit root have appeared?" "I heard your grandfather say that many years ago, in the neighboring Azure Cloud City, an extraordinary genius with an eighth-rank spirit root appeared. When their spirit root was tested, a black beam of light shot into the sky, exactly like this one!" An eighth-rank was a black beam of light. So, a white beam of light... wouldn't that be a ninth-rank? Xu Yining gazed at the beam of light in disbelief, unconsciously biting her red lip tightly. Proud as she was, she couldn't accept that someone in Solitary Boat City could possess a spirit root superior to hers. And not just superior, but vastly superior! Watching the light gradually dissipate, she gritted her teeth, dropped the sword she was holding, and rushed towards the Testing Tower, saying, "I want to see who he is!" Xu Zhengyan worried about her impulsiveness, but he was also extremely curious about this suddenly appearing peerless genius. Therefore, he quickened his pace to follow her.

The entire Solitary Boat City was thrown into chaos by the manifestation of the white beam of light. Countless martial artists frantically surged towards the Testing Tower to witness a phenomenon seen only once in several centuries. Among them were even several old clan patriarchs who had not appeared for many years and were rumored to have died. The appearance of the white beam of light made them unable to sit still, breaking out of their seclusion, vying to witness the true face of this world-shaking prodigy!

While the outside world was in an uproar, inside the Testing Tower, pandemonium had erupted. The martial artists who had undergone testing burst out of their chambers, gathering before Lu Zheng's stone door, utterly astonished. The Tower Master, meanwhile, seemed to be in a frenzy, muttering uncontrollably. "A miracle! I've witnessed a miracle!" "In my lifetime, I've actually seen the legendary ninth-rank spirit root!" "This is the exact same spirit root as our Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Master!" A youth with clenched fists said enviously, "Tower Master, is ninth-rank truly the strongest?" The Tower Master glared at him and snorted, "Nonsense! Of course ninth-rank is the strongest..." He paused, as if remembering something, then said with some uncertainty, "However, there is a kind of spirit root in this world that surpasses ninth-rank."