Seeing Mo Xuanye looking around in shock, his father Mo Tianlong began to speak with a faint smile on his face, his voice calm yet authoritative, "Xuanye, look carefully, this is the Spiritual Origins Testing Ground of the Mo Family," he said, extending his hand toward the center of the area.
At the very center stood an ancient artifact resembling a tree, its trunk smooth and emitting a faint glow, its branches stretching upward, bearing nine dim stars upon them, "This artifact," he continued, "is used to measure one's innate talent, the more of those nine stars that light up, the higher your natural potential and talent will be, this affects not only your cultivation speed, but also your comprehension, understanding, and the limits you can reach in the future."
Mo Tianlong's gaze shifted slightly as he gestured around the tree, "Look around," he said, "there are thirty-two Spirit Stones surrounding it in a circular formation, but these are not ordinary stones, each one contains a small amount of a different element," his tone grew slightly more serious, "During the test, whichever stone responds to you will reveal the elemental affinity of your Spiritual Root, and that will determine the path on which you will progress the fastest."
As he finished speaking, Mo Tianlong looked back at his son, his eyes carrying both expectation and a faint seriousness.
Mo Xuanye looked at his father with curiosity and asked, "Father, if I want to become a Nascent Soul Realm expert like you, what is the minimum level of talent I need?" his eyes carried both expectation and a strong desire to learn.
Mo Tianlong smiled slightly, a clear sense of pride visible in his gaze, "At the very least, you need a Mid-Grade, three-star Spiritual Root," he said confidently, fully aware of how difficult it was to reach such a level.
Mo Xuanye raised his eyebrows in surprise, pausing for a brief moment before saying, "That low?" his reaction was instinctive, as if he had expected something far more demanding.
Hearing this, Mo Tianlong's expression suddenly twisted, as if he was about to cough up blood, without hesitation, he lightly smacked Mo Xuanye on the head, "You foolish brat, what do you think you know?" he said, his voice both annoyed and instructive, "In the entire six-thousand-year history of the Mo Family, the number of people who possess a four-star Spiritual Root can be counted on one hand!"
Hearing those words, Mo Xuanye froze instantly, the relaxed expression on his face was replaced with genuine shock, his eyes slightly widened, he had not expected it to be this difficult, his curiosity only grew stronger, "Then… who are they, Father?" he asked, his voice now much more serious and cautious.
His father spoke with a serious expression, his voice heavy and firm, "They are… the First Ancestor and the Second Ancestor," he said, pausing briefly before continuing, "Both possessed Mid-Grade, four-star Spiritual Roots, the First Ancestor was unmatched in the path of the sword, while the Second Ancestor mastered the attributes of darkness and ice, both of them were the very foundations of the Mo Family."
After a brief silence, Mo Tianlong's expression changed, a clear trace of disgust and suppressed hatred appeared in his eyes, his voice turned colder, "And… your uncle," he said, "possesses a low-grade, four-star Spiritual Root with a yang attribute," the words seemed to come out unwillingly.
Then he added, "The General of the Mo Family Guards also has a low-grade, four-star Spiritual Root with a blood attribute," his tone returned to calm, though the earlier expression had not completely faded.
Just as Mo Xuanye thought the conversation had ended, his father's expression suddenly changed, a clear sense of pride and warmth appeared on his face, and his voice softened noticeably, "And the greatest genius in our family right now… is your sister, Mo Xueyin," he said, unable to hide the pride in his eyes, "She possesses a High-Grade, five-star Spiritual Root with Yin and Ice attributes."
Hearing this, Mo Xuanye froze instantly, his sister's image immediately appeared in his mind, that familiar figure who was unusually attached to him, always staying close whenever possible, he had never expected her to possess such talent, and his shock was clearly reflected on his face.
Seeing his expression, his father could not help but smile, a faint grin forming on his lips, at that very moment, the air suddenly trembled, and a figure moving at a speed surpassing sound by hundreds of times appeared, before Mo Xuanye could react, he found himself tightly embraced.
"My sweet baby, you finally came, do you know how much I missed you?" a soft and affectionate voice echoed in his ear, the embrace was so warm that he did not even feel like pulling away.
The one who arrived was none other than Mo Xuanye's mother, Mo Lianhua, she was a powerful figure responsible for the Mo Family's trade affairs and also a Nascent Soul Realm expert, she exuded a graceful yet dominant aura, her mere presence giving both a sense of security and pressure to those around her.
"Mother… you're holding me too tightly," Mo Xuanye said as he shifted slightly, however, Mo Lianhua hugged him even tighter, as if he might slip away from her at any moment, the strength in her arms did not loosen in the slightest.
Mo Tianlong tried to step in, taking a step forward, but when he met Mo Lianhua's cold and threatening gaze, he cleared his throat, coughed lightly, and stepped back, an awkward expression appearing on his face, clearly lacking the courage to interfere.
"Absolutely not, my dear," Mo Lianhua said in a soft yet firm voice, "Because of certain old elders, I can't spend enough time with you, at least right now, you're in my hands," her words carried both complaint and a possessive affection.
One of those "old elders" she referred to was undoubtedly his father, and upon hearing that, Mo Tianlong's expression stiffened slightly, but he said nothing.
"Mother, please let go of me, or you're going to send me on a one-way trip to the other world," I said with difficulty, my voice muffled as even breathing was becoming harder.
My face had begun to turn slightly purple, my small body struggling to endure such a powerful embrace.
Although she didn't want to, my mother was forced to let go, as her arms loosened, I took a deep breath, then looked at my father with a gaze as if he were a traitor, as though he was responsible for everything that just happened.
Mo Tianlong, upon seeing my gaze, avoided eye contact, slightly turning his head away as if trying to act like nothing had happened.
At that moment, the Clan Leader, my uncle, along with the other elders, finally arrived, within this area spanning several kilometers, there were at least twenty Nascent Soul Realm experts present, such a scene was far beyond normal for an ordinary test day, even the pressure in the air felt heavy.
Normally, this Spiritual Roots Test was held every year, and instead of Nascent Soul experts, it was usually overseen by at most a Yuan Foundation Realm head servant, making today's gathering of so many powerful figures clearly unusual.
However, within the Mo Family, there was an unwritten rule, if a child directly descended from a Nascent Soul Realm expert participated in the test, the upper echelon of the clan would gather as a display of unity and power, it was a silent message to both outsiders and insiders alike, a reminder of the true strength of the Mo Family.
My father and my uncle exchanged cold and hostile glances for a few seconds, the invisible tension between them was clearly felt, even the surrounding elders observed that brief silence carefully, then my uncle stepped forward and turned his gaze toward the crowd.
His voice suddenly rose and echoed throughout the entire area, in an authoritative tone that left no room for dispute, "I hereby officially commence the 4893rd Spiritual Roots Test!" he announced, and with his words, even the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to ripple slightly.
With that moment, everyone's attention shifted entirely to the testing ground, as the results to come would change many fates.