Evolution - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
“Hold on,” a little girl of about nine in the group called out. She looked quite cute, but she was trying hard to keep a straight face, her chin held high, looking every bit the part of a spoiled and arrogant heiress. Still, it couldn’t hide the surprise in her eyes, a look of utter disbelief. “Are you all planning to just leave like this?”
Besides The First and Ji Changqing, two adults pretending to be younger than they were, the other seven people looked bewildered. If not like this, how else were they supposed to go?
The person who had just tested their spirit roots had told them to travel in a group of ten. Those who reached the destination within three days would be admitted. Everyone had received a wooden tablet that could block three fatal attacks. After the three uses were up, upon the fourth fatal attack, they would be automatically teleported out of the assessment area. They were also specially instructed that team members should help each other to have a better chance of passing the test.
The little girl stomped her foot in frustration, her face a picture of “how could I be so unlucky” to be stuck with a bunch of country bumpkins who knew nothing. “There will be all sorts of dangers inside. The reason we’re in a team of ten is so we can divide the labor and cooperate.” She huffed lightly. “Since none of you know anything, you’ll all listen to me.”
Ji Changqing and The First, these two non-natives lacking common sense and knowledge, naturally nodded in agreement immediately. “Okay, okay.”
Another girl, about middle-school age, was a step slower in nodding her agreement. She glanced incredulously at the two who were being ridiculously sycophantic, a fierce fighting spirit erupting in her eyes—she, as her young mistress’s personal maid and guard, was actually being out-sycophanted by these two. This was simply a disgrace!
With these three agreeing, the other little kids looked blank for a moment before chattering their agreement to follow the leader.
The little girl was quite pleased. She clenched her small fists. “Then, state your name, cultivation level, and what you’re good at. My name is Luo Mingsheng. I’m nine years old, at the third level of Qi Refining, with dual spirit roots. I can use some minor spells.”
Hearing the little girl introduce herself, The First couldn’t help but chuckle. The Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of Regions Within the Seas records: “The Yellow Emperor fathered Luoming, Luoming fathered Baima…”
Ji Changqing raised an eyebrow and gave The First a meaningful look. The First shot her a look back, indicating she’d share later. She hadn’t forgotten that the little girl was already at the third level of Qi Refining. Although at this level, one could really only light a fire or create a small water ball—more for show than practical use, with incredibly weak combat ability—it didn’t change the fact that her five senses had sharpened after stepping onto the path of cultivation. She didn’t want to make the little girl angry.
The little kids all “wow”-ed in unison, expressing their extreme envy and admiration. Then they eagerly spoke up, scrambling to be first.
“My name is Cao Hu, I’m eight, triple spirit roots. I… I can run fast.”
“My name is Zhao Xian, I’m six, quadruple spirit roots. I’m very strong.”
…
The little girl’s face grew darker and darker, until the last two little kids nervously introduced themselves:
“My name is Gu Jiawen, I’m nine, dual spirit roots. I can recognize some medicinal herbs and can treat minor illnesses and injuries.”
“My name is Er Ya, I’m seven, triple spirit roots. I… I can cook.”
The little girl’s expression finally improved a little. Recognizing some herbs and being able to treat minor illnesses and injuries was useful. Hmm? Can cook? Well, that’s… acceptable, I guess. Better than the first four who could only eat and play foolishly!
Ji Changqing and The First had watched the little girl’s expression gradually go numb. They still managed to restrain themselves from saying anything, feeling that although the little girl seemed spoiled and arrogant, with a “you’re all trash” expression, she was surprisingly a decent person and seemed quite responsible.
Only after the little kids had finished their clamoring did Ji Changqing speak unhurriedly. “Ji Changqing, fifteen, five-element spiritual roots. I was a hunter. Um, I’ve practiced martial arts. I have no problem fighting tigers in the mortal world.”
The First immediately followed: “He Yi, ten, five-element spiritual roots. I know a little martial arts and have a photographic memory.”
The frost on the little girl’s face finally melted completely.
The last one left was someone her family had assigned to her since childhood; she knew her situation best.
“Luo Gengjiu, thirteen years old, quadruple spirit roots, fourth level of Qi Refining. But I’ve practiced martial arts since I was young. I have no problem dealing with demonic beasts equivalent to the sixth level of Qi Refining or below.”
Ji Changqing and The First thought to themselves, Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui—the ten Heavenly Stems. Is the little girl a seventh-generation cultivator? As they thought, their minds started to wander. The lifespan of a cultivator was incalculable. If they ran out of the ten Heavenly Stems, what would they use next? Would they cycle back to the beginning, or would they move on to the twelve Earthly Branches?
But no matter how you calculated it, based on the lifespans and marriage ages of people in the cultivation world, the lineage was quite long. A cultivation family, after all, would certainly know much more than country bumpkins like them. For the personal maid and guard assigned to little Luo Mingsheng to be ranked ninth, she must be a relatively valued member of the direct line. So, that girl was definitely a big shot in their team.
Bowing to the big shot, listening to the big shot—nothing wrong with that!
From an age perspective, two middle schoolers leading eight elementary schoolers on a wilderness survival trip was hell mode from the start. But with two people from cultivation families leading them, the difficulty seemed to drop a tiny bit. From hell mode to hard mode, perhaps.
Little Luo Mingsheng was already chattering away, sharing information. “The Tianyi Sect’s most important rule is that disciples must not kill each other. If a fellow disciple calls for help, any nearby disciple who receives the message must provide aid. Therefore, the entrance exam also places great importance on integrity. Ignoring or abandoning teammates is absolutely forbidden.” At this point, her expression shifted subtly. She paused before continuing. “The wooden tablets in our hands, besides providing protection, also record our group’s progress. If someone in the team does something detrimental to the group, everyone can vote to expel them.”
The little kids were muddle-headed, but Ji Changqing and The First understood. A team of ten—if only one or two made it to the end, their score probably wouldn’t be very high. If they were found to have abandoned their teammates, they would be disqualified from joining the sect. No wonder this little girl, who wore her pride on her face, had to pinch her nose and lead them.
“Alright, we’ll follow your arrangements,” Ji Changqing and The First said readily, very astutely positioning themselves as followers.
People without knowledge should just be obedient and set themselves to follow mode, instead of thinking they can challenge everything under the sun, an amateur insisting that the expert listen to them.
Little Luo Mingsheng’s leadership position was extremely stable. Although only nine, she was quite competent. She went over all the points she knew they needed to pay attention to and also very generously shared some materials about cultivation that would help them pass the test.
Well, although the materials she shared were, perhaps, maybe, probably—to use an analogy from Blue Star—equivalent to her kindergarten textbooks. That’s right. In a high-class place like the Xianxia world, information was recorded on jade slips and read with divine sense—fast, comprehensive, and exceptionally easy. Only during early childhood, before the age of six when one had yet to begin cultivating, would there possibly be simple, paper-based materials.
Since cultivators didn’t need to carry luggage big and small, this set of illustrated children’s readers that Luo Mingsheng had just taken out had only survived to this day because she had casually tossed it into her storage pouch when she no longer needed it, and it now served as the primer for a group of country bumpkins.
Sharing knowledge, especially knowledge that everyone was sorely lacking at the time, always inspired gratitude. The many little kids, who had been muddled and confused, suddenly felt a surge of confidence that they could safely pass the test and reach the finish line upon seeing the illustrated materials.
Luo Mingsheng keenly sensed the change in the team’s atmosphere. Everyone’s face was joyful, and their eyes shone with hope.
The little girl was quite happy inside. Who wouldn’t want their efforts to be recognized? She also didn’t miss a few of her companions whispering about whether they’d be able to understand if they couldn’t read.
She pursed her lips, remembering how her parents had taught her character by character when she was little and illiterate. She quickly made arrangements. There were several books anyway. Those who could read could pick one and start. As for those who couldn’t, well, hadn’t He Yi said she had a photographic memory? Let her finish reading and memorizing them first. Plus, Gu Jiawen already recognized some medicinal herbs. Then there would be three people to teach everyone.
With the little girl’s arrangements, the team became well-organized, with everyone having their own role. The two with the highest combat power and oldest age were Ji Changqing and Luo Gengjiu. They would mainly act as pathfinders, enforcers, bodyguards, and even nannies. The others, of course, would study diligently, try their best to protect themselves, and do whatever they could to help. For example, collecting some of the spirit plants they encountered on the way. If they encountered demonic beasts or ordinary prey, after the two enforcers took them down, the others could go up and help process them, collecting and preserving anything of value, as well as using them for food.
The entrance exam didn’t provide food or lodging. The country bumpkins didn’t have storage pouches, and Luo Mingsheng had never thought to bring a large amount of food either, so of course, they had to rely on hunting along the way.
The small teams that had set off before and after them occasionally let out disdainful sneers. Some mocked them contemptuously, wondering why she bothered with these country bumpkins who obviously wouldn’t pass the entrance exam. Others sarcastically remarked that the little girl was just putting on an act to win people over, and that these materials would be plentiful and worthless once they entered the sect.
The little girl’s eyes turned red with anger.
Luo Gengjiu glared at each of these insolent people with killing intent. She cursed inwardly. If the immortal elders weren’t watching, she would definitely teach these people a lesson!
Ji Changqing was the most wicked. She muttered quietly on the side, feigning confusion with a mischievous glint in her eye, “Huh? Is it wrong for the team leader to find ways to help everyone learn more so we can all pass? Does the sect not like this?”
The First knew immediately that this one was up to no good. As her partner, what could she do? Of course, she chose to join in the mischief! She forced her face to turn red, putting on a look of righteous indignation. “That’s not true! The team leader is doing a great job! Even if this stuff isn’t a big deal after we get in, the leader taught us in advance. That way, the sect won’t have to teach us again, and we’ll cause less trouble for them!”
With someone taking the lead, the little kids, who had been at a loss, immediately voiced their support. They glared at those who had mocked their leader with shared animosity.
Most of those who dared to mock them came from similar backgrounds as Luo Mingsheng, so of course, they weren’t afraid of trouble. Seeing this team glaring at them, their short tempers flared up, and they couldn’t hold back. They started spouting insults, yelling that they’d teach them a lesson.
Suddenly, a loud shout boomed like a clap of spring thunder: “Silence!”
This time, the little rascals were finally stunned into silence, quieting down sheepishly.
The male and female sect disciples who had been guarding the invisible barrier separating the immortal and mortal realms, and who had guided this group of spirit-root-possessing individuals into the test, had been quietly observing the little kids’ performance. Seeing that a fight was about to break out, they naturally had to intimidate them a little.
The female disciple in green robes swept her gaze over the few little kids who had started the trouble and spoken ill. She said expressionlessly, “The disciples of the Tianyi Sect have always been amicable. You have not yet entered the sect. If your paths differ, it is not too late to withdraw.”
This was equivalent to saying outright that these few were not in line with the sect’s principles.
Those little rascals were so scared their faces turned pale.
One played the bad cop, so the male disciple naturally played the good cop. “They’re just children, they don’t know any better. If they are fortunate enough to enter the sect, with the sect’s guidance, they will naturally come to understand. If they offend again then, Senior Sister can discipline them.”
The stern Senior Sister in green grunted in acknowledgment, considering the matter closed. Her gaze swept over the crowd, and she gave a slight nod in Luo Mingsheng’s direction. “You did well. In your future cultivation, do not forget your original intention, and you will surely achieve greatness.”
Luo Mingsheng’s eyes lit up. She pursed her lips, her joy restrained and demure.
The male disciple waved his sleeve and said gently, “Teams that are ready may depart.” If they didn’t leave, and some clueless little kid started chirping again, Big Sister might just wave her sleeve and send them all flying. Then their mission to recruit new disciples might not be completed.
As the junior brother partnered with Big Sister on this recruitment mission, he was suffering inwardly, crying a river of tears. Why couldn’t he have drawn the lot to team up with Big Sister when there was fighting to be done, but instead got her for a mission that required basically no force?
Ji Changqing’s team also set off. The little kids lined up neatly in pairs. Luo Gengjiu was at the front, scouting and clearing the path, while Ji Changqing brought up the rear. Gu Jiawen held a low-level spirit plant encyclopedia, reading as he walked. Luo Mingsheng was reading a demonic beast encyclopedia to everyone, mainly for the benefit of He Yi, who was currently “illiterate” but claimed to have a photographic memory. The other little kids were just listening casually; whatever they could remember was a bonus.
Watching them slowly walk away in a lively bustle, the perpetually expressionless Big Sister’s lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. Although they were all a bunch of annoying little brats, this team… well, at least they weren’t that annoying.
To Big Sister, annoying equaled deserving a beating. But troublesome things like little kids were especially annoying, and you couldn’t even hit them. It was sheer torture.
Big Sister, whose head had been splitting from the demonic sound of children chattering incessantly, found her ears much quieter after that display of intimidation. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief, quite satisfied with her earlier threat to the little kids. They really did deserve a beating. Since she couldn’t hit them, scaring them was a passable substitute.
She was completely unaware of the psychological trauma she had inflicted on this batch of new disciples.
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