Translator: Cinder Translations
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Thousands of zhang high in the sky, the Tian Sha Gang.
In the pitch-black night sky, a ship several zhang long silently floated in mid-air.
A man with a thin and gaunt figure, emitting a faint corpse aura, glanced at the raging fire beneath his feet, then looked at Song Wen fleeing in the low sky, his eyes showing an interesting expression.
"This kid isn't bad. As a cultivator, he doesn't hesitate to slaughter mortals wantonly. He truly shows some style of our demonic sect."
"Let's first see how talented you are."
The man flicked his fingers, a white light flashed and directly fell on Song Wen below.
"Perfect bones and comprehensive aptitude, medium-grade spiritual roots. This is truly an unexpected harvest." The man's eyes gleamed continuously as he spoke.
Spiritual roots are categorized according to the attributes of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Some people have singular spiritual roots, while others have comprehensive spiritual roots.
However, the quantity of spiritual roots does not determine the level of cultivation talent; rather, it is the quality of the spiritual roots themselves.
Spiritual roots are graded from one to nine, based on their quality.
Grade one is the lowest, and nine is the highest.
Grade one to three are inferior spiritual roots with extremely poor aptitude, unlikely to achieve anything in their lifetime and almost impossible to successfully establish the foundation. Among them, grade one spiritual roots have a very low chance of even advancing to the mid-level of Qi refining.
Grade four to six are medium-grade spiritual roots. Most disciples in the cultivation world have medium-grade spiritual roots. Some with good opportunities and excellent temperament can successfully establish the foundation, becoming pillars of the cultivation world.
Song Wen possesses a medium-grade spiritual root, possibly even with a trace of potential for forming a foundation.
Grade seven to nine are rare superior spiritual roots. Although there is only one grade difference between grade six and grade seven spiritual roots, the gap is immense.
A grade seven spiritual root can become a core disciple in any sect and be nurtured as a future pillar of the sect, provided they do not fall halfway. A grade seven spiritual root can become a powerful Golden Core expert and is almost assured of success.
Grade eight spiritual roots are extremely rare in the current cultivation world. People like this can often cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm without hindrance, becoming revered ancestors in the cultivation world.
Grade nine spiritual roots belong to the legendary category, extremely rare and hardly seen in millennia, representing the pinnacle of spiritual root quality.
...
Mid-flight, Song Wen suddenly felt an irresistible and vast power descend upon him.
It was as if he had been targeted by an ancient and mysterious fierce beast. In an instant, he was frozen in place, unable to move, only able to await his fate.
Suddenly, he saw a figure appear abruptly in front of him, standing on a flying sword.
Cold sweat broke out all over Song Wen's body. From Huang Chang's diary, he knew that this person had at least reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Only cultivators at Foundation Establishment stage or above could control a flying sword.
Compared to him relying on wind-based flight techniques, this person's strength was vastly superior.
"I pay respects to Senior."
Song Wen's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
In his heart, he cursed inwardly. His luck was incredibly bad. He actually encountered a Foundation Establishment stage expert among the common folk. This probability was lower than winning the lottery in his previous life.
The newcomer spoke calmly, "You are indeed a ruthless and ambitious young man. You display some style of our demonic sect. Would you be willing to join our Corpse Demon Sect and become a disciple?"
Although the newcomer's tone seemed gentle and inviting, Song Wen knew better than to believe that the other party was easy to deal with. In the demonic path, it was always about doing as one pleased, following one's thoughts. If one could not follow those thoughts, what kind of a demon would they be?
If Song Wen dared to disagree and caused the other party's thoughts to be obstructed, he feared that he would meet an immediate end, with no burial place.
Song Wen immediately pretended to be pleasantly surprised, as if being able to join the Corpse Demon Sect was like smoke from ancestral tombs, an event that could bring glory to eight generations of ancestors.
"I am willing, thank you, Senior."
In truth, Song Wen wanted to kneel and bow, but he was suspended in mid-air, his body not under his control.
As for dignity and face, the concept of a man's knee bending beneath gold did not factor into Song Wen's considerations at all.
Understanding the situation is crucial for a capable man.
In his previous life, when he first entered society and worked in sales to collect debts, he understood that to have power and authority, one must be worthy of discussing dignity with others.
Weakness is an original sin, and the weak are not worthy of dignity.
Moreover, just from the name Corpse Demon Sect, one could tell it wasn't a soft-hearted sect; it was a demonic sect that acted without restraint.
Song Wen couldn't assume that as a low-level wandering cultivator who had just reached the second stage of Qi Refining, he had the qualifications to discuss human rights with a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a demonic sect.
The newcomer seemed satisfied with Song Wen's response.
"I am Shi Shou of the Corpse Demon Sect. You may call me Elder Shi. Junior, what is your name?"
Song Wen respectfully replied, "Reporting to Elder Shi, I... I am known as Ji Yin."
"Ji Yin! Although you are quite young, your name is quite arrogant, which fits the bold style of our Corpse Demon Sect. You were destined to be a disciple of our demonic sect. Hahaha..."
After Shi Shou finished speaking, he turned and headed towards the high sky.
Song Wen felt himself enveloped by an invisible force, pulling him upwards as well.
After a few breaths, Song Wen was lifted by Shi Shou's spiritual power and arrived on the ship thousands of zhang high in the sky.
Shi Shou placed Song Wen on the deck and said, "Find a place to stay quietly. Don't wander around. If you accidentally fall off, this Elder won't stop the ship to save you."
"Disciple obeys."
After experiencing initial shock, Song Wen quickly calmed down inside.
Since he was here, he might as well settle down. He quickly assumed the role of a disciple.
Looking around the deck, there were several other youths.
Among them, four were cowering in a corner, their eyes full of fear. They showed no signs of spiritual power fluctuations; they were probably ordinary people who hadn't cultivated.
One of the remaining two glanced back and forth at Song Wen, his face showing a hint of superiority, as if he looked down upon Song Wen and the other four newcomers who had just boarded.
The last person stood expressionlessly beside the superior-looking man, like a wooden stake, unmoving and without expression, resembling a guard protecting the superior man.
Song Wen also smelled a rot-like odor from this person, and there was no perceptible breathing from him, like a corpse.
Song Wen found a quiet corner on the deck and sat down, closing his eyes to meditate.
Shi Shou stood at the bow of the ship and suddenly formed several hand seals.
The airship suddenly accelerated, as swift as an arrow leaving the bow, swiftly cutting through the night sky.
However, those on the deck felt no strong wind blowing; there was a protective shield on the airship that blocked the external wind, which was quite mysterious.
Song Wen felt like he was flying an airplane in his previous life, but with much better visibility.
TL Note: Yancheng (Salt City)
Curious, he looked down below. Due to the limited visibility at night, besides the flickering lights of Yancheng below and the still-burning fires of the Tian Sha Gang, everything else was shadowy and indistinct, difficult to discern.
(End of the Chapter)