Entering a Split Personality — Chapter 43

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Personal disciple!

As soon as Xiao He heard these two words, his eyes rapidly lit up.

This was such a good opportunity! He couldn’t miss out on it no matter what.

They had entered the White Gate, but they were still only outer disciples. If they wanted to have a master accept them, they had to get through the Blue Gate.

And if they wanted to challenge the Blue Gate, that would take about six years at least.

But if they didn’t use the right methods during those six years of bitter cultivation, it was very likely they wouldn’t be able to break through the Qi Refining stage, let alone challenge the Blue Gate.

And even if they challenged the Blue Gate, they would only be accepted as branch disciples, which was quite a ways off from being personal disciples.

Personal disciples had a special position. Not only did this depend on aptitude, cultivation base and character, but even more so on luck, opportunity and fate. 

Xiao He had really good luck this time, running into a chance to be accepted as a disciple that came only once every few decades. If he performed well, he might be able to take a leap forward toward success. 

He wasn’t expecting that the sect leader would take him as a disciple. He only hoped to walk a step higher, and get a little closer to him, nothing more.

It was just that this path was very crowded. The people who wanted to compete for the position of personal disciple were more than he’d imagined.

But he wasn’t afraid at all.

Xiao He rolled up his sleeves for battle, and Luo Fei was in high fighting spirits as well. The two rushed toward the selection venue together.

Even without including the nominal disciples who had just passed through the White Gate, just the outer disciples and inner disciples already made up a vast crowd.

And the contents of this examination were very difficult. The ordinary people washed out just at the first ruthless barrier.

Xiao He had been in the sect for seven years, but he’d never had his spiritual roots tested before.

It was a sect rule that if a disciple hadn’t reached fourteen years in age, they couldn’t have their spiritual roots examined.

The reason for this was that when they were too young, their bodies hadn’t matured yet, so their spiritual roots were unstable and the accuracy rate was very low. They were likely to miss out on a heavenly spiritual root and mistake mixed spiritual roots for treasure, so an evaluation wasn’t a good idea.

They said that those with a high cultivation base and great ability could do a preparatory evaluation, but this took too much energy. The gains didn’t make up for the losses, and it wasn’t good for a child’s mental and physical growth. 

Teenagers had an immature temperament. They were rash and volatile, and it was easy for them to destroy their spirits and neglect their gifts, being reduced to ordinary people in the end.

For various reasons, this rule had been handed down until today, and it became a custom of the sect. 

Something like aptitude was completely decided by the heavens, and depended on fate.

They said that having a good spiritual root didn’t necessarily mean you’d be able to obtain the heavenly Dao, and having mixed spiritual roots didn’t necessarily mean you’d be overlooked, but something like this was the same as the starting line of a race. 

Having a good spiritual root meant that you’d naturally be able to run a lap faster than other people, and arriving at the finish line earlier wouldn’t be an accident.

And people who fell behind a lap, through unremitting effort, could also reach the finish line in the end.

When they reached the end, whether they’d set off early or set out late, everything would be completely equal. 

Of course, accidents could always happen, and the hare might lose to the tortoise, so aptitude really didn’t mean everything.

He understood this, but Xiao He still silently hoped that his spiritual root could be a little more substantial. At least he’d save some time. 

He knew that he had a water spiritual root, but he couldn’t figure out whether it had any impurities.

He hadn’t reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and was only at the Qi Refining stage. As long as he cultivated diligently, he wouldn’t necessarily perceive it even if he had four or five spiritual roots.

The aptitude test was very fast. Almost ten thousand people were separated into a dozen large groups, and then each group was further divided into five teams. Each team had a spirit screen. When someone stood on top of the screen, it would reflect the number of spiritual roots within them.

Xiao He and Luo Fei were in the third team of the fifth group. They had come late, so they were at the very end of the line.

But the progress in front of them wasn’t slow, and they almost never paused their steps. Most of the people there could stand on the screen, wait for a while and then come down again.

And most of the people who came down had bitter faces, full of unhappiness.

About fifteen minutes passed like this, and more than half the people in this huge space had already left, eliminated for having aptitudes that were too mixed.

This wasn’t to say that they couldn’t cultivate from now on, but they could only take it slow, and they weren’t suited to be personal disciples.

Another fifteen minutes passed. Once Luo Fei went up, there weren’t many people left who hadn’t been examined yet. 

Xiao He encouraged him. “Go on, you’ll be fine!”

Luo Fei said with a smile, “I hope so.”

Once he finished speaking he stepped on up. The spirit screen began to operate, and it showed the vague form of a human figure, after which two colors of spiritual roots appeared on it.

Pleasant surprise flashed across Luo Fei’s face, and Xiao He was happy for him as well.

He heard the test supervisor say, “Fire and earth dual spiritual roots, complementary and equally balanced, excellent.” 

The surroundings broke out into a burst of cacophonous voices, and many people cast envious gazes on Luo Fei.

He had such good luck! If all he had were the rare dual spiritual roots then that would be nothing much, but they were actually complementary as well. This meant he could cultivate two types of magic at once! 

This was considered one of the better aptitudes to come out of this round of examinations. Xiao He was sincerely happy for Luo Fei, but he was a little worried for himself at the same time.

A senior disciple took Luo Fei away, and Xiao He finally stood on the spirit screen.

He took a deep breath, not quite daring to open his eyes.

If they were mixed spiritual roots…

If his aptitude was very poor…

If…

No, it didn’t matter even if he had mixed spiritual roots, or if his aptitude was so poor he couldn’t cultivate. Xiao He suddenly strengthened his resolve. No matter what, he would climb to the top of Bluephoenix Peak and see that man. So regardless of what his aptitude was like, his path of cultivation definitely wouldn’t end here! 

“Heav...heavenly…”

The supervisor’s voice trembled a little.

Xiao He suddenly opened his eyes, and when he saw the sight on the spirit screen, he was startled himself.

The spirit screen was originally silvery-white, but at this moment, the huge screen was completely blue like water, and it kept giving off waves of cold air.

The surroundings were very quiet, and no one made a sound, looking at the screen unblinkingly.

Until the supervisor recovered from his shock, and finally found his voice.

“Single spiritual root, with room to grow, mutation orientation, ice.” 

The audience could already see it for themselves, but when they heard him say it aloud, they still instantly received an earthshaking shock.

A single spiritual root! And it still had room to grow! And it could even mutate!

And what was even more frightening was...wasn’t this single spiritual root too damn thick?!

Some people had spiritual roots like chopsticks, others like sticks, and some were more extreme and had ones like stakes, but this spiritual root of Xiao He’s was as thick as a water tank. What the hell was this situation?!

This really defied the natural order of things! 

Xiao He was over the moon! This was absolutely great. With an aptitude like this, he’d definitely be able to be accepted as a personal disciple, grow quickly, and...obtain his desire!

Xiao He was so excited his little face was flushed. The senior disciple who’d led him to the examination site couldn’t help but give him several glances.

He was really a genius that might only come once every century. He had to take a closer look. Maybe a century later, he’d be the pillar of Grandcloud Sect!

When they entered the second level, there were already no more than a few dozen people left. Xiao He had such excellent aptitude that he was practically guaranteed to become a personal disciple.

There were four elders in total who had come to accept disciples this time. One of them was named Yuan Feng, and he just so happened to have a water spiritual root. He couldn’t be better for instructing Xiao He.

Yuan Feng had come across an opportunity early in his life, so his features were frozen at about forty years of age. He didn’t seem old, but he was steady, inflexible and in charge of the classroom, so he was quite dignified and imposing.

Xiao He went through the examination fully focused, without thinking or looking around too much, which made him quite satisfied. Yuan Feng already intended to take him as his disciple.

After the second round of testing came the third round.

The third round required practical combat. Xiao He wasn’t afraid of this at all.

He’d been alone ever since he came up the mountain at seven. If he wanted to eat, he had to work, and if he wanted to cultivate, he had to run missions.

And the tasks issued on the mountain weren’t simple at all. Hunting demonic beasts was nothing out of the ordinary. Xiao He was young in age, but his skills were excellent, and he was decisive, determined, deadly and ruthless.

Yuan Feng watched from the side, and though he was impressed at Xiao He’s excellent perception, he had a few misgivings as well. 

This boy had an excellent aptitude, good perception and a resolute mind, but he couldn’t avoid feeling that his killing intent was too strong, and he didn’t trust anyone. He wasn’t too compatible with the gentleness and calmness of the water element…he was afraid he’d suffer a calamity in the future.

Of course, since he wanted to take him as a disciple, Yuan Feng didn’t mind these small flaws. After all, he’d be training him as an apprentice, so he’d slowly correct him.

When the last test ended, Yuan Feng rose, came to Xiao He and asked, “Would you like to enter my instruction?”

Xiao He’s eyes lit up, and he felt excited at heart. He knelt to the ground and was just about to open his mouth when someone abruptly interrupted him.

“He has an inner demon!” A boy shouted urgently.

Everyone was startled, and they turned their heads a little.

Xiao He looked over as well, and when he saw who had come, his eyes narrowed.

It was Su Yichen.

Su Yichen was still covered in demonic beast blood. It seemed he’d been lucky enough to pass the exam. At this moment, seeing that everyone was looking at him, he said rapidly, “Xiao He’s infatuated with the sect leader, and his feelings are persistent. His inner demon is deep, and he’ll definitely suffer a calamity in the future.”

Xiao He looked at him coldly and said in an icy voice, “Shut up!”

Su Yichen was so scared his hands were trembling, but the depths of his eyes were filled with resentment. He wasn’t willing to let a pauper like this achieve the Dao and ascend to heaven. He had to make him fall into the mud!

“Do you dare to say you aren’t pursuing the Dao for the sake of the sect leader? Do you dare to say that you aren’t competing for the position of personal disciple for the sake of getting closer to the sect leader? Do you dare to say that at heart, you don’t long and desire to see the sect leader?”

Xiao He pursed his lips tightly, his eyes already filled with murderous intent.

Su Yichen wasn’t afraid anymore at this moment. He looked up and shouted to Yuan Feng, “Elder! His mind is abnormal and his obsession is entrenched. Even if his aptitude is outstanding, it’ll certainly be destroyed shortly in the future. You don’t know but before this, I just casually said that the sect leader would abandon him, and he went crazy and tried to kill me!”

Xiao He stared at Su Yichen. His fingers curled in, and a few times, he wanted to draw his sword.

Yuan Feng frowned and asked him, “Is everything this disciple said true?”

Xiao He didn’t make a sound.

Yuan Feng asked again, “You’re actually infatuated with the sect leader? Everything you seek and desire is just for the sake of seeing him once?”

Xiao He still didn’t respond.

But not refuting him was a silent agreement. Coldness gradually rose in Yuan Feng’s eyes, and Su Yichen said, pleased, “Elder, if you don’t believe me, why not call out the Heartsight Mirror? One look and you’ll be able to clearly see all the filthy, vile things in his heart…”

“I didn’t!” Xiao He suddenly opened his mouth. His voice was cold, as if it were filled with shards of ice.

Su Yichen was forcefully interrupted, but he raised his chin in the air, completely unconvinced.

A few great elders looked at Xiao He one after another. Xiao He was silent for a while, then said coldly, “The sect leader saved my life. I admire him and hold him in high esteem. What’s wrong with that?”

Yuan Feng stared at him. “Tell me, what did you train hard for so many years for?”

Xiao He gritted his teeth.

Yuan Feng continued to interrogate him. “Was it for the sake of pursuing the heavenly Dao, or because you longed to see that man?”

Under the constant questioning, Xiao He stood coldly upright. He could definitely say that he was pursuing the heavenly Dao, but he was unwilling to! He could conceal it for a while but he couldn’t conceal it all his life, and besides, he’d never thought his own thoughts were anything to be ashamed of!

“It’s just for the sake of being on equal standing with him!” These words came out resoundingly, but they made Yuan Feng’s eyes take on a tinge of disappointment.

“You child, why…”

Xiao He suddenly raised his head and interrupted his words. “Elder, could it be that training and working hard for the sake of the heavenly Dao and pursuing it with all one’s heart and soul isn’t an obsession? My heaven, and my Dao, is that man. I just want to climb to the top of Bluephoenix Peak, and stand by his side openly and fairly. How is an obsession like this any different from your pursuit of the Dao?”

When these thoughts of his came out of his mouth, his words were truly rebellious. 

Yuan Feng said angrily, “Your inner demon results from your doomed feelings, and everything is chaotic. You’re quite brutal in the first place; if you can’t achieve your desire, then won’t you turn everything upside down, annihilate all living things, and put everyone in a terrible situation?”

Xiao He said severely, “I won’t!”

“You won’t?” Yuan Feng asked in reply, “You dare say you weren’t filled with killing intent just now? You dare say you weren’t thinking of killing that little disciple?”

The one he was referring to was Su Yichen.

Xiao He pursed his mouth and retorted, “I wanted to kill him because he has a despicable character, turned right and wrong upside down, and behaved crookedly!”

“Hah.” Yuan Feng laughed grimly and said, “If he hadn’t exposed your thoughts today, and he hadn’t jumped out to denounce you, would you still want to kill him?”

Xiao He said without the slightest hesitation, “I would!”

He was this extreme and obsessive. Yuan Feng sighed, shook his head and said, “You and I don’t have compatible personalities. I’m afraid we won’t be able to get along peacefully. Forget about being accepted as a disciple.”

With this kind of rejection from an elder, Xiao He’s future prospects were ruined.

Luo Fei was a little worried, and he couldn’t help tugging on Xiao He’s arm, hoping he’d apologize.

But Xiao He didn’t have the slightest intent to lower his head. 

Just when everyone was feeling pity for Xiao He, an ethereal voice suddenly sounded from thin air. 

“Inner demons can’t be hidden from, so they can only be faced.”

“Come to Bluephoenix Palace, and I’ll take you as my disciple.”

***

The author has something to say:

I have a cold and a fever, my body aches all over, and I have period cramps on top of that. I’m done with life.

To give some advance notice, the world this time is still overflowing with melodrama. If you can bear it then let’s live it up together, if not then take a break for a while (but please don’t tell me, QWQ).

***

5 hours and 33 minutes for 2,989 words, or 11.1 minutes for every 100 words. A decrease in rate by 0.1 minutes...each page takes me almost an hour...

The test supervisor says that Luo Fei's fire and earth spiritual roots are complementary because in the 五行 (Wǔxíng), the Chinese theory of the elements, fire generates earth, as flames produce ashes once they finish burning. 

Yuan Feng's name is 元丰 (Yuán Fēng). 元 means "original," while 丰 means "abundance." 

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