Chapter 9

As time passed, the queue that originally seemed endless was now clearly countable, and the number of qualified young men who passed the test was increasing, totaling fifteen young men.

Cheng Bu Zheng roughly estimated the time in his mind; it would take another hour to finish, which would be around sunset.

From morning until sunset, it would be a total of six hours.

Suddenly,

A strange sound came from the crowd of young men who had passed the test.

“Gurgle... gurgle...”

A robust young man, who had endured hunger for a long time, showed a look of embarrassment on his face. Although he did not say anything, his stomach betrayed him by expressing its need for food.

Upon hearing this,

The young men standing beside the immortal looked at each other and, in an instant, seemed to have reached an invisible agreement.

“Gurgle... gurgle...”

“Gurgle... gurgle...”

“Gurgle... gurgle...”

...

Cheng Bu Zheng's stomach also voiced its opinion, and they all looked at the immortal with a默契 (默契 means默契, but in this context, it means a tacit understanding or默契).

Instantly,

The strange sounds were like a symphony.

The young immortal, upon hearing the strange sounds, was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to recall something and smiled slightly.

“I forgot that you are still mortals and need to eat every day. Here are ‘Grain-Abstaining Pills,’ one for each of you. They will last you a month without needing to eat!”

As he spoke, he reached into a small bag at his waist, holding a long-necked porcelain bottle in his hand. He poured fifteen pills into his palm and then flicked his wrist.

The fifteen pills, as if they had eyes, floated in front of each young man, one for each, no more, no less.

“We thank the immortal!”

The young immortal waved his hand and said, “No need for such formality. In the future, we will be fellow disciples. You can call me ‘Senior Brother Huang’!”

“Immortal is what mortals call us. We are cultivators who aim to become immortals.”

“Rest for a moment; I still need to continue the tests!”

“Thank you... Senior Brother Huang!”

The young men eagerly grabbed and swallowed the pills in front of them.

Cheng Bu Zheng suppressed his curiosity and also grabbed the pill floating in front of him. This was the first time he had seen such a pill, so he did not rush to take it but examined it carefully.

He knew that this pill was the lowest grade of spirit pills, but it was not something a mortal could possess.

The pill was unremarkable in appearance, black in color, and emitted a faint glow, demonstrating the incredible skills of the immortal.

At this moment, his stomach protested again.

“Gurgle... gurgle...”

Cheng Bu Zheng did not delay any longer and swallowed the spirit pill, which dissolved in his mouth like a warm stream, warming his entire stomach.

Instantly, he no longer felt any hunger.

The pills of cultivators were indeed miraculous, with remarkable effects.

As the sun set, half an hour passed, and the square was left with only a few scattered queues. Occasionally, a few young men would run in from outside in a hurry.

The testing speed was fast, and after another half an hour, no more young men entered the square.

At this moment, the old man in black robes, who had been sitting cross-legged and had not spoken a word, opened his eyes and scanned the young men who had passed the test.

The old man, who looked like a sage, made Cheng Bu Zheng's hair stand on end when his gaze fell on him, as if he were being stared at by a prehistoric beast. If he did not know that the old man was on his side, he would have run as far as he could.

The old man in black robes moved his gaze away, and Cheng Bu Zheng felt a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, “Is this what a cultivator is like? Just a glance, and I can hardly bear it!”

The old man in black robes said in a hoarse voice, “How many were recruited this time?”

“Reporting to Senior Uncle Ding, this time in Ping An County, we recruited fourteen with four spiritual roots and two with three spiritual roots, totaling sixteen people,” Senior Brother Huang replied respectfully.

“Not bad. Recruiting so many this year is beyond my expectations. In the past, it was only three to five people. Unfortunately... not a single one with dual spiritual roots!” Senior Uncle Ding looked at the young men with a regretful expression.

“You have one hour to return and say goodbye to your families. After one hour, we will set off immediately. Those who do not need to say goodbye, wait here!”

As he finished speaking,

A handsome young man bowed respectfully and said, “Senior Uncle, I will go and say goodbye to my parents!”

Senior Uncle Ding glanced at the young man indifferently and said, “It’s too early to call me Senior Uncle. You can call me that after you officially join the sect!”

The handsome young man was taken aback for a moment, then reacted and said, “Yes... Senior, I will take my leave!”

Senior Uncle Ding closed his eyes again and ignored the young men who had just passed the test.

After a short while, seventeen young men had left one by one, bowing respectfully to Senior Uncle Ding, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, before leaving.

Cheng Bu Zheng did not leave. If something unexpected happened at this moment, he would lose a great opportunity. Besides, his family was not around, and the clothes left in the inn were of no value. Even the pigments made from medicinal herbs, which he would have to abandon, were quite a pity.

But it was not worth the risk to leave at this critical moment to retrieve the three pigment bottles.

He believed that the immortals had enough power to deter the powerful families from acting rashly. Although the possibility of an accident was small, it was better to be cautious.

As Cheng Bu Zheng felt a pang of regret for the pigments, he noticed that only one young man in rough hemp clothing had not left.

This young man was quite robust and had a simple face. He had four spiritual roots. Was it because his family was not in the county, or was he cautious by nature?

There were only two young men with three spiritual roots, one of whom was him, and the other was the first to speak, the handsome young man.

He knew that rarity made things valuable, and three spiritual roots should be better than four.

The setting of the spiritual roots was the same as in the popular web novel "Cultivation of Mortals" from his previous life, but he did not know what differences there might be later.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind.

After half an hour, all the young men returned to the square one by one. They did not dare to arrive at the last moment.

The anger of Senior Uncle was not something they, as new disciples, could afford to bear.

As the young men gathered, Senior Uncle Ding, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of sharpness in them.

He stood up and, looking at the young men, said expressionlessly, “Since everyone is here, let’s set off!”

As he finished speaking,

Senior Uncle Ding touched the small bag at his waist, and a palm-sized jade boat appeared in his hand. He flicked his wrist, and the jade boat expanded in the wind.

In the blink of an eye, a giant jade boat, over a hundred meters long, was quietly suspended in the air above the square.