Ye Shaohua felt everyone’s gaze shift onto her.
Even Fu Xue was looking at her.
As Ye Shaohua placed her hand on the stone slab, Fu Xue clenched her fists tightly.
She seemed even more invested in the outcome than Ye Shaohua herself.
When Ye Shaohua’s hand made contact, the stone lit up with a yellow glow. The light was bright, brighter than anyone else’s before her.
The white-robed disciple frowned slightly, glanced at Ye Shaohua, and drew a cross next to her name. “Earth Soul Aptitude. Next.”
Ye Shaohua clearly sensed the schadenfreude emanating from the other boys and girls as she stepped down.
Even Steward Liu, who had previously been somewhat kind to her, now looked indifferent.
“Shaohua, don’t lose heart, there’s still a chance,” said Fu Xue, who had changed into her new disciple robes. After accepting everyone’s congratulations, she finally stopped beside Ye Shaohua. “But my senior brother mentioned that the top performer among the white-robed disciples gets a chance to bring a servant along.”
She looked at Ye Shaohua. “I’ve decided to give that opportunity to you, Shaohua. Are you willing to come to the Profound Sky Sect with me?”
Fu Xue spoke with a hint of condescension.
She was still young, and a trace of smug superiority she couldn’t quite hide played on her lips.
Before, it was their entire group who had looked up to Ye Shaohua.
Now, she just wanted to laugh. The Ye Shaohua that Steward Liu had held in such high regard actually only possessed an Earth Soul Aptitude!
She, Fu Xue, had surpassed her!
Fu Xue held a deep-seated dislike for Ye Shaohua. Over the past few months, because Steward Liu favored her, Ye Shaohua hadn’t had to do any of the heavy or tedious chores.
And she always carried that aloof, proud air about her.
None of the ten youngsters liked her. Not just Fu Xue, but everyone here who had once been jealous and resentful of Ye Shaohua now felt immensely pleased.
Thinking of this, the smile on Fu Xue’s face widened.
Ye Shaohua shook her head. “No, thank you. I won’t be going.”
“What?” Fu Xue, now dressed in her new robes, seemed genuinely surprised by this answer. “Shaohua, you’re joking, right? This is your only chance to escape your lower-class status!”
Ye Shaohua shook her head firmly.
Fu Xue gave her a deep look, then didn’t press further. She selected another girl instead. That girl was overjoyed to be chosen by Fu Xue.
Only two from the group Steward Liu brought were selected: Fu Xue and Yue Qingning.
Steward Liu was very pleased.
However, when his gaze fell upon Ye Shaohua, his smile faded slightly. “Ye Shaohua, you’re still not in good health, so you can’t do chores for now. Our master has already paid for a physician to treat you. He has helped you unconditionally so much, it counts as a life-saving grace. But our Liu family doesn’t support idlers. I told you, you only had one chance. Tomorrow, I will send you back to your village. But don’t lose heart entirely. In three days, the Profound Sky Sect’s Alchemy Master will also be accepting disciples. You can try your luck then, see if you can become his assistant. However, our Liu family can no longer support someone who doesn’t contribute.”
The Liu family was a prominent household in the city at the foot of the Profound Sky Sect. Old Master Liu would search the surrounding villages every year for talented children.
These children, having received the Liu family’s favor, would potentially become the Immortal Masters backing the Liu family in the future.
Ye Shaohua was initially the most talented one Steward Liu had found.
He had discovered her reaction speed and comprehension were higher than anyone else’s.
He never expected that the Ye Shaohua he had placed such hopes on would turn out to have a useless soul aptitude.
This disappointed him greatly.
Ye Shaohua was no longer the highly promising girl he had found in the village. The Liu family naturally wouldn’t support her for free anymore.
As for the Alchemy Master…
Steward Liu was just paying lip service.
In this entire continent, if gathering profound energy made an Immortal Master one in ten thousand, then an Alchemist was one in a hundred million!
Alchemists stood above all other professions on the continent.
Even an ordinary Level 1 Alchemist was far more revered than a Level 2 or 3 Immortal Master!
Anyone picked randomly off the street would want to become an Alchemist.
Unfortunately, becoming one was extremely difficult.
Not only did it require the highest-grade Fire and Wood soul aptitudes, but also heaven-defying mental power. Those who could meet such criteria were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
So, Steward Liu’s earlier comment was merely an empty gesture.
“Alright, thank you, Steward Liu, for your care these past months,” Ye Shaohua bowed to Steward Liu. “I will visit the Liu residence later to thank Old Master Liu in person.”
By now, the others from her group had all gone to congratulate Fu Xue and Yue Qingning.
With no one disturbing her, Ye Shaohua began to receive the plot details for this world.
This was a world where people cultivated Profound Energy. The original host was an orphan. When she was very young, she was left in the wilderness and found by an old man from the village, Grandpa Xu, who raised her as his own granddaughter.
But Grandpa Xu was now old and had recently fallen ill. The original host heard that the Profound Sky Sect’s Alchemists had medicine that could cure Grandpa Xu, so she agreed to come with Steward Liu for the test.
Because the Liu family’s crystal had detected her high mental power, the family had held great expectations for her.
No one expected the original host to possess only an Earth Soul Aptitude!
On this continent, there were six types of soul aptitudes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Lightning.
The so-called ‘Earth Soul Aptitude’ referred to the Earth element.
Among these six, Lightning and Fire were the highest grade, Metal was next, Water and Wood were at the bottom, and Earth was the absolute worst, the most useless soul aptitude.
Because those with an Earth Soul Aptitude simply couldn’t gather Profound Energy!
Out of ten thousand people on the continent, 9,999 possessed an Earth Soul Aptitude.
After her ‘useless’ aptitude was revealed, the original host’s life became a world apart from before.
The immense jealousy and favor she received from the Liu family before the test were directly proportional to the contempt and rejection she faced afterward.
The Liu family resented her because her presence had caused a rift between them and Fu Xue.
Not long after the original host returned to the village, Grandpa Xu died from his illness.
Heartbroken and disillusioned, the original host saved a young man dressed in red. After nursing him back to health, he confessed to her that he was a disciple of the Profound Sky Sect and wanted to form a cultivator partnership with her.
He claimed not to mind her soul aptitude, which deeply moved the original host. She returned to the sect with him.
The Profound Sky Sect was the number one sect on the continent, and the young man in red was the only son of the highly respected Sect Leader!
After arriving, the original host realized just how powerful the Profound Sky Sect was. Having grown up in a mountain village, she had never seen such grandeur.
She was completely intimidated by the sect’s imposing atmosphere. The outer and inner sect disciples didn’t even bother to hide their scornful sneers when they looked at her. There, she also encountered Fu Xue, who had already been promoted from a white-robed to a yellow-robed disciple.
Faced with these Immortal Masters, the original host felt extremely anxious, timid, and inferior. The young man in red withstood all the pressure, insisting on forming the partnership with her.
On the day of the ceremony, many people attended.
But at the final moment, the young man in red saw Fu Xue run out of the hall, her eyes red with tears. Without a second thought, he chased after her.
The original host became the laughingstock of everyone present.
The young man in red never returned after chasing Fu Xue. The original host was ostracized by everyone in the sect. She wanted to leave the mountain, but no one would guide her down the treacherous cliffs. Her status there fell even below that of a common servant, and she eventually died from humiliation.
After receiving the full storyline, Ye Shaohua let out a long sigh.
[Host, this mission might be a bit difficult…]
“Difficult?” Ye Shaohua stretched out her left hand and chuckled softly. “I have two more soul aptitudes they didn’t get a chance to detect.”
