The atmosphere in the True Spirit Hall grew heavy.
The twenty-two young geniuses were deflated by Master Baiyun’s single sentence.
Only one among them was worthy of becoming his true disciple?
It was staggering.
Ling Xiao was surprised too. Though he clashed with many from Tianren Academy, he was impressed by some of their talents.
How could only one qualify?
Yet Master Baiyun couldn’t be wrong.
Ling Xiao wasn’t too bothered. The Mountain River Martial Soul’s power meant he didn’t rely heavily on a master.
From Tianfeng City to now, he’d mostly trained and comprehended alone.
The issues he faced in martial arts were resolved by the Mountain River Martial Soul.
Because of this, the flaws common among self-taught geniuses never appeared in him.
His martial techniques were textbook-perfect.
He was here today mainly for Master Baiyun’s resources, as the Mountain River Martial Soul couldn’t yet provide martial manuals or cultivation materials.
Others lacked his calm. They pinned their hopes of reaching the Mortal Realm on Master Baiyun. Failing this selection would mean falling short.
“Master, I’m only sixteen and already at the peak of Martial Vein Seventh Layer! Breaking through to Eighth Layer is just a matter of time. I’m confident in this. Why am I not qualified?” someone finally asked.
It was Fei Yu, the strongest among them, closer to Martial Vein Eighth Layer than Dai Yuling, also at Seventh Layer peak.
Master Baiyun didn’t get angry. He smiled. “You all know the final stage of Martial Vein Ninth Layer is opening all nine veins. Do you understand what that means? Even at Ninth Layer peak, you’re only laying a foundation.”
“A foundation? Ninth Layer peak is just a foundation?”
The claim was shocking. Likely no one but Master Baiyun would dare say it.
“Correct, just the foundation stage. Only by opening all nine veins can you transcend the mundane and truly begin cultivation. Your Seventh Layer peak only shows decent aptitude—useful for my selection but not decisive,” Master Baiyun continued. “That’s why I set the requirement at Martial Vein Fourth Layer or above, under sixteen, for this trial.”
“What about those below Fourth Layer at sixteen?” someone asked.
“They’re simply useless,” Master Baiyun said coldly.
Harsh but true.
Ling Xiao was more struck by the “foundation stage” idea.
He knew foundational martial arts—like his Bull Strength technique, which tempered the body before advancing to low-level arts.
The foundation stage for realms must be similar.
By this logic, even a Martial Vein Ninth Layer peak martial artist hadn’t truly started cultivating—just refining the body and unlocking potential.
Only beyond the Mortal Realm did real cultivation begin.
That was mind-blowing.
He recalled Lin Ze’s words about three paths to the Mortal Realm during vein-opening:
Soul!
Inner Force!
Body!
In short, spirit, energy, and essence.
Mastering any one to its peak could lead to the Mortal Realm.
All three together would be even better.
Back then, he hadn’t fully grasped it.
Now he understood: soul, inner force, body—all were foundational. Only with a solid base could cultivation start.
Some chased powerful techniques or rapid advancement, neglecting this.
The result? A dead end.
Even at Ninth Layer peak, if spirit, energy, and essence were weak, the Mortal Realm would remain out of reach forever.
Techniques and cultivation were just tools to survive.
They were means to strengthen spirit, energy, and essence.
Many martial artists got it backward.
“Master, you say strength and cultivation don’t matter. What does?” someone asked.
Since Fei Yu’s question had been met kindly, more felt bold to speak, less afraid than before.
“Potential!”
“Potential?”
“Precisely, the potential to reach the Mortal Realm,” Master Baiyun explained. “This potential has three aspects: body, soul, and inner force.”
“With potential, you have a future.”
He went on, “Beyond the Mortal Realm, martial artists are categorized by special constitutions, as past masters deduced. Only those with such constitutions can reach the Mortal Realm.”
“When I looked at you earlier, I was checking for these constitutions. Fortunately, one of you fully possesses one.”
“Of course, there are exceptions—nobody can know every special constitution. Hence, the Seven-Star Flower.”
He smiled, pointing to the crystal-clear flower behind him.
“The Seven-Star Flower is unique. It can judge a martial artist’s potential for the Mortal Realm. It has seven blooms. If five light up, that martial artist is certain to reach the Mortal Realm, barring major missteps.”
“My heavens, such a thing exists?”
Ling Xiao felt a bit ignorant. The outside world was indeed marvelous. He was eager to know his own potential.
Did he have a special constitution?
“Still, arrange for the children to test. You know the method—I don’t need to repeat it, do I?” Master Baiyun said to Still True Man.
“As you command, Master!”
Lord Baiyun nodded, organizing the twenty-two into a line for testing.
Whether by chance or design, Tianren Academy’s geniuses lined up first, with Qianlong Camp’s six at the back.
It didn’t matter—testing order wouldn’t change potential.
“The test is simple: one drop of blood,” Still True Man told Fei Yu, first in line.
“Understood!”
Fei Yu was confident but visibly nervous.
