Clearly, Li Meirong was not cut out to join this famous and exclusive sect. The way these kids told it, even people who had been groomed from birth to join barely made it this far. So what possible chance could she have, being as weak and clueless as she was? She would just have to find somewhere else to go.
Perhaps there was a village or a city nearby that she could integrate into. She wondered what common folk did in this world. Farm? Hunt?
Maybe an empathetic villager would agree to take her in and allow her to earn food and board. Li Meirong could help work the fields and sell produce in the market, or whatever it was people did around here. Perhaps she could work and save enough to get her own piece of land, build a cute little house and live the quiet life she always wanted.
Shu Qianqian saw Li Meirong's panicked expression and snickered haughtily. "Now you finally understand, coming here by accident was a really bad idea! Your best bet would be to go back to your former master and beg for forgiveness. Brother Cheng and I are related to the minister of war in Cloud Country and have trained under a renowned martial arts master ever since we were first able to walk." She patted Li Meirong's shoulder in mock sympathy. "We have prepared all our lives for this chance, but you will surely die if you dare to continue!"
Mo Cheng glared at Shu Qianqian, wishing her to be quiet, but the damage was already done. Shu Qianqian's words kept reverberating in Li Meirong's head long after she stopped talking.
She was officially frightened.
'I'm out of here!' Li Meirong thought frantically. 'Never mind strength. Village life, here I come!'
Bowing again, Li Meirong stammered, "W-well then, I think I have made a mistake arriving here. May our paths cross again someday. Farewell!" She turned around and retraced her steps slowly until she heard one of the boys cough pointedly at her, trying to catch her attention.
It was Mo Jing, the young lad who had previously ridiculed her. "Ahem. Unfortunately for you, miss, the moment you exit the Thousand Beast Forest, you are not allowed to leave the testing grounds until your spiritual roots are evaluated," he explained with a respectful tone when she had paused to listen. His youthful voice, which had just reached that awkward stage of puberty, remained soft.
'Great. So, I'm actually stuck here…' Li Meirong realized with dismay, fighting the urge to slap herself for all of her foolish decisions.
Without much choice, she found herself back with the same group she had already acquainted herself with. Mo Jing kept quiet for most of the time. The young man could have looked like a respectable elder if not for his plump cheeks, still not rid of baby fat. His attitude made him appear adorable instead. Shu Qianqian kept hogging Mo Cheng's attention, shooting glares at Li Meirong every now and then as if accusing her of trying to steal Mo Cheng from her.
Mo Cheng was friendly and all around approachable. Whichever questions Li Meirong asked, he kept engaging her in conversation and providing thorough answers, teaching her everything she needed to know.
Li Meirong relaxed a bit when she realized that she wouldn't have to continue with the rest of the exam, should she fail the Spiritual Root test. So hopefully, once she stuck her hand in that water and it gave off no glow, she would be dismissed and could move on to somewhere else and forget all about this.
In the meantime, Mo Cheng explained everything to her. Having a high affinity for elemental attributes was a rare gift. In fact, the majority of the population had no affinity whatsoever. From the potential cultivators with a spiritual root, roughly ninety percent had multiple attributes, which made it possible for them to cultivate but never become as strong as the lucky remaining ten percent who owned a single attribute.
Of course, there were four different types of attributes: earth, fire, water, and air. From the main attributes, it was possible to possess special veins. For example, the ice vein derived from the Water attribute. A cultivator in possession of a unique vein was considered a genius with a potential for unprecedented skills in their area of expertise.
Water, earth, and air were considered supportive attributes, used for constructive means such as healing, while fire was strictly aggressive in nature. Although, with careful practice, all attributes could be used in combat one way or another.
As they slowly inched ahead in line and the pleasant conversation continued, Li Meirong learned a little more about her companions. It turned out to be a foreign envoy in their country who told them about the acceptance test. The elders of their families rushed to send the most talented children of the main wives to test their aptitude and luck for entering the infamous sect. With their knowledge of martial arts and the fact that they had improved their internal strength throughout the years, it was still an arduous journey fraught with danger. But they managed to reach their destination with the assistance of hired experts that were sent to protect them along the way.
The unlucky folks who had been eliminated from the test were given a teleportation stone. Once the stone was activated, they would be delivered straight back to the forest's entrance.
Li Meirong assumed that since she was not only in the body of a lowly, insignificant maid, not to mention that her soul wasn't even originally from this plane, she would most likely be part of the majority and have no spiritual root. She sighed peacefully at this notion and wished for the best.
Disaster averted. Her eyes shimmered with tranquillity, knowing she wouldn't have to go through another life or death experience again. She even started chatting with Shu Qianqian about her scarred face, explaining that acid had been accidentally spilled on her skin.
"That must have been a terrible experience! Don't you worry, after the test is over, I will write a letter to my family and ask them to send you medicine to assist with healing your scars. My Shu family has a lot of herbalists and healers in our household," Shu Qianqian mentioned happily as she clutched Li Meirong's hand in a comforting gesture.
At first, Shu Qianqian found the girl with the hideous scars distasteful, especially when she was acting all pitiful in front of Brother Cheng. However, as time passed, she saw that Li Meirong was merely a pitiful, unfortunate soul and, most importantly, didn't seem interested in cozying up to Brother Cheng. As such, she gradually dropped her guard down to a certain extent.
Li Meirong wasn't actually as young as they were, and with her more mature perspective, she tried to repeatedly assure Shu Qianqian that she wasn't a potential threat to her romantic relationship with her budding childhood friend. Li Meirong took care to pay extra attention to the jealous girl. She hoped to avoid any pointless bickering or misunderstandings.
A lone owl hooted distinctly in the woods behind them. Crickets chirped harmoniously in search for a mate nearby. The sun died out and the moon took charge of the darkened skies, bathing the secluded clearing in a soft, white light.
The group finally reached the front of the queue. Mo Cheng stood first in line to be tested. He fixed his posture looked straight ahead, full of confidence.
The cultivator lady seated on the boulder and scrutinized the young, assertive man. Her slanted almond eyes were unblinking, completely bare of any emotion in their depths.
"Proceed."