She had sold her beginner’s pack and now even sold her task rewards! If her points still weren’t enough, she might as well give up.

[Converted. Total points 975, making 2500 in total.]

2500 in total… It seems like you didn’t give me any extra at all.

Qin Ruqing thought to herself.

But she could guess that the system had probably secretly helped her cobble together enough points to obtain the Divine Elixir.

Some things were best not to be greedy about; this was already good enough.

Qin Ruqing sighed and finally said, “System, exchange for the Divine Elixir.”

[Confirming to exchange all points for the Divine Elixir?]

“Confirmed.”

As Qin Ruqing uttered those words, the system’s interface rapidly cleared her points.

When it hit zero, Qin Ruqing held a jade bottle in her hand.

Looking at this bottle, acquired through great effort and sacrifice, Qin Ruqing felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.

This time, she had managed to secure her future.

Though the Qin family was just a newly established minor sect in the cultivation world, they still upheld the traditions and etiquette expected of a respected family.

On the day of the clan inspection, Qin Ruqing bathed, changed clothes early, purified herself with incense, and was then led by Luo Xian to the clan shrine.

Other children her age were already waiting there.

Luo Xian brought Qin Ruqing to join them, then stepped aside.

Qin Ruqing casually observed her surroundings.

Among these children, besides Qin Qiurong from the main line, she didn’t recognize the others, likely chosen from the branch lines.

Qin Qiurong was happy to see her and wanted to come over.

Qin Ruqing’s eyelid twitched, thinking, “This is the clan shrine, don’t do anything rash.”

Luckily, this chubby kid probably understood it was a clan inspection, with elders and seniors watching nearby.

He discreetly moved closer step by step.

Qin Ruqing:…

Do you really think you’re being subtle?

Feeling her sleeve being tugged, Qin Ruqing didn’t look away and whispered softly.

“What’s up?”

Chubby Kid

The chubby kid smiled at her, trying to please her.

Qin Ruqing paused and asked, “You didn’t tell anyone about last time, did you? Did Third Aunt ask you anything about it?”

“No,” Qin Qiurong shook his head eagerly. “Mom didn’t ask much that day. She just set up a Gathering Spirit Array on my bed and insisted I sleep on it. She said since we couldn’t buy the Enlightenment Pearl, we had to resort to this crude method… Those spirit stones were so uncomfortable, they made my butt hurt.”

Qin Ruqing raised an eyebrow.

Couldn’t buy the Enlightenment Pearl…

Could it be that there was only one Enlightenment Pearl at the auction, and her own parents bought it?

Third Aunt regretted missing out on the Enlightenment Pearl…

She probably couldn’t imagine that it had ended up being used on her own son by a twist of fate.

Just as Qin Ruqing was pondering all this, Qin Deming approached from the corridor, adorned with a golden crown on his head and a jade belt around his waist, looking very handsome.

Behind him were several elders of the Qin family, with the Grand elder carrying an ancient star disk.

The first step of the clan examination was ancestral worship.

Although Qin Ruqing often joked about her family being a minor cultivation clan (which was indeed true…), she had heard from her parents that the Qin family had once been glorious, with a peak period that included a Nascent Soul ancestor, but had somehow declined afterward.

Whenever her father mentioned those times, he would sigh deeply.

But if you asked him for details, he would clam up and refuse to speak.

Qin Ruqing didn’t feel much about it herself.

After all, by the time she was born, the Qin family had already declined.

The former glory of the Qin family could only be glimpsed from the cold tablets in the ancestral hall.

After the ancestral worship, they finally began to assess their aptitudes.

The Grand elder, with his full head of silver hair and solemn demeanor, was the most dignified figure in the clan.

As he held the aptitude testing plate, he glanced downward, causing Qin Ruqing to notice Qiurong trembling beside her.

“Let’s start with the main branch,” the elder’s gaze fell upon Qin Ruqing and Qin Qiurong, and he said calmly, “Which of you will go first?”

Under the elder’s scrutiny, even someone as confident as Qin Ruqing couldn’t help but feel nervous.

His demeanor reminded her of the school principal.

“Who will go first?” Qin Ruqing and Qin Qiurong glanced at each other but remained silent.

At that moment, Qin Deming raised a hand to his lips to speak, intending to suggest that Qingqing go first, when a voice came from the lower right corner.

It was Qin Dexin.

Qin Deming was the patriarch, but everyone knew that besides the ancestors and the Grand elder, the person with the highest martial prowess in the Qin family was Qin Dexin.

“Qiurong, as the older brother, set an example for your younger sister,” Qin Dexin said firmly, dressed in a short martial outfit, arms crossed, and with an air of authority.

Seeing this, Qin Deming swallowed his words.

A silent clash faded away into nothingness.

Qin Qiurong nervously stepped forward to the elder.

“Pierce your fingertip with a silver needle and drop a drop of blood into the center of the aptitude testing plate,” the elder said calmly.

Without hesitation, Qin Qiurong followed the instructions.

Curiously, Qin Ruqing watched to see the reaction of the aptitude testing plate after the blood was dropped.

She saw the blood spread along the patterns of the plate, and finally, a corner of the attribute stone in the plate lit up with a golden glow.

Qin Dexin

Qin Dexin’s lazy posture with crossed arms instantly straightened up, and her rich features faintly showed a hint of joy.

The Grand elder closed his eyes in contemplation for a moment before saying, “Single Gold Spirit Root, the Spirit Pattern on the aptitude testing plate is more than half filled, with strong potential, and overflowing spiritual energy… Good.”

Suddenly opening his eyes, he looked at Qin Qiurong with a face that already showed signs of aging, but with a gentle expression.

“You’ve done well.”

Beside him, Qin Ruqing saw Aunt Dexin visibly relax upon hearing the words “Single Gold Spirit Root.”

This was a significant achievement for Qiurong! It seemed the Spirit Awakening Pearl had some effect after all.

Feeling the approving gazes around him, Qin Qiurong proudly walked down.

Before Qin Ruqing went up, the chubby kid encouraged her, “Sister, you must be better than me!”

Qin Ruqing smirked but didn’t say anything.

She just hoped that the System’s Essence of Cultivation was not a counterfeit.

If her aptitude today didn’t meet the level described by the System, she might as well kiss her life goodbye here.

Qin Ruqing walked up to the elder with the belief that whether she moved forward or withdrew, it would be with a clear conscience.

She quickly pricked her fingertip with a silver needle, closed her eyes, and dropped her essence blood into the center of the aptitude testing plate.

May the gods above witness this.

She was willing to bet everything on this day.

It must work, ah!

Down below, Luo Xian nervously covered her chest upon seeing her daughter go up. Qin Deming also wore a serious expression.

As soon as Qin Ruqing’s blood touched the plate, the blood spread outward along the patterns of the plate at an astonishing speed.

Soon, the blood filled the entire pattern of the plate and rushed with an unstoppable momentum toward the position of the attribute spirit stone.

First, it unquestionably lit up the fire attribute spirit stone, causing the entire plate to burst into red light.

Before Qin Deming could show his delight, the red light suddenly extinguished, and green light replaced it.

Qin Deming blinked.

Could Qingqing be a Fire-Wood Spirit Root?

Although having dual roots wasn’t as outstanding as having a single powerful root, Fire-Wood Spirit Roots were extremely suitable for the path of alchemy, and their Qin family was originally a household of alchemy.

Qin Deming nodded inwardly.

Even with dual roots, Qingqing could still be considered outstanding wherever she went.

It was already commendable for Qingqing to achieve such results.

Similarly, a faint smile appeared on Luo Xian’s face.

It seemed that the couple had similar attitudes.

However, before their smiles could spread, the green light on the testing plate suddenly went out, and the red light lit up again.

Next, the testing plate seemed to malfunction as red and green lights alternated but never stabilized.

Qin Deming and Luo Xian’s faces changed instantly.

What… what’s going on?

The one who seemed the most composed was the Grand elder.

He stared at the testing plate with a hint of surprise and seriousness in his eyes.

After a while, he carefully spoke up, “Her situation is very unusual, and I cannot judge.”

Qin Deming was anxious, “Then, what should we do? Has Qingqing encountered a problem?”

The Grand elder shook his head.

His gaze remained on the testing plate, his brows furrowed, seemingly hesitant.

After a while, he spoke slowly,

“My suggestion is to seek the judgment of the ancestors!”

Seek the judgment of the ancestors?

Everyone was shocked.

It was just a test of aptitude.

How did it escalate to seeking the judgment of the ancestors?