"I have been traveling in pursuit of an opportunity to make a name for myself. When I heard that your
clan was holding a spiritual root test that could ensure the entrance to the holy land of the spiritual race
called the Ethereal Valley, I came here to try my luck," Rocky readily replied. Although he had made-up
answers, they weren't entirely a lie.
The young master interviewed him some more, and Rocky calmly responded to all his queries.
When the young master had finished talking to him, he turned to Vivian and asked the same series of
questions. She gladly answered each one just as well.
The young master looked surprised as he heard their stories. He then turned to glance at Vivian and
Rocky and finally asked, "Are you both willing to join our clan?"
"It would be an absolute honor!" Rocky uttered sincerely.
Meanwhile, Vivian opted to nod in response instead.
"Very well. From now on, you are members of the Wankong Clan. As such, you must dedicate
yourselves to our clan till the end of your lives. Bear that in mind, for our clan allows no betrayal." The
young master made sure he was heard loud and clear as he made the declaration.
"Understood! Thank you, young master." Rocky made an obeisance by cupping his hands. It seemed
that their plan went quite smoothly. The only thing that confused him at the moment was that neither
the middle-level Spiritual Emperor nor the young master disclosed the level of his spiritual root to him
or the public.
Of course, along with the other candidates, Rocky felt baffled. Nonetheless, since the young master
had already announced his qualification, no one dared to raise a question.
"Now, both of you, come with me." The young master motioned for Rocky and Vivian to follow him.
Without a second thought, they went with him, leaving behind the other candidates who still gazed at
each other in confusion.
Before long, they found that the young master had led them into a courtyard with two houses.
"As of today, this will be your home. Please stay in this yard and don't go anywhere else without my
permission," the young master specified.
Rocky and Vivian promptly nodded in agreement.
After showing them to their quarters, the young master took his leave with his attendants. As he passed
through the gate, two of his attendants stayed and stood guard.
Rocky and Vivian exchanged looks before they walked to check out the house.
Inside, a clean and well-furnished room came into view.
"It feels like we've been placed under house arrest. Do you think they figured out our true identities?"
Vivian whispered worriedly.
"I don't think so. It's probably because of the outcome of my test that they're paying us special
attention," Rocky replied thoughtfully.
"Well, what do you expect? Your talent always gets discovered wherever you go!" Vivian quickly
teased.
"Anyway, let's get some rest first. I'm sure it won't take long before we figure out what they find so
notable about me," Rocky returned with a confident smile.
He then took off and went to the other house.
Meanwhile, the young master hurried towards the hall where the members of the Wankong Clan held
their daily meetings.
Upon his arrival at the hall, many people were already seated. Richard, the patriarch, sat in the middle
in a grand chair. He had white hair and a youthful face and exuded a powerful aura at the peak level of
the Emperor Realm. In the spiritual race, he could be considered a peerless grandmaster.
On both sides of the room sat the elders and officials of the Wankong Clan. Similar to Richard, all of
them were also at the Emperor Realm.
"Father!" The young master immediately bowed to the patriarch.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you in charge of today's test?" Richard inquired.
"We have discovered a candidate whose spiritual root was at the Heaven Stage. However, there was
another one who went over the Heaven Stage! He might be one of the chosen ones as told in the
legends!" the young master urgently reported.
"What did you say? One of the chosen ones?! Are you sure?" The patriarch was so astounded that he
leaped to his feet.
Even the elders and officials were taken by surprise.
Apparently, the so-called chosen ones were the geniuses who had the inborn talent to enter the
Ethereal Valley. They were extremely rare in the spiritual race.
Every year, the five greatest clans would try to search for the chosen ones in various ways, but most of
their efforts would end in vain.
If the young master was telling the truth, this might become a turning point in the fate of the Wankong
Clan.
"That does sound like great news. However, making sure that he truly is a chosen one would require a
series of tests. I'm afraid we don't have enough time in our hands for that right now."
"Indeed. If this happens to be a mistake, it will only disgrace our clan!"
"That's true. We must treat this with extreme caution."
The elders and officials started discussing among themselves. Most of them believed that it was quite
unlikely that they could really have enough luck in finding the chosen ones.
"You all make a good point, but that is the very reason why I want to arrange for him and the other
candidates to enter the forbidden area of our clan. If he can take our clan's holy treasure from there, it
will be enough proof that he is indeed a chosen one. We all know that the holy treasure is derived from
the Ethereal Valley. If his spiritual root is truly above the Heaven Stage, then he must have the power to
wield it. Besides, no one in our clan was able to do that in the past several hundred years. This could
finally be our great chance in the upcoming quest to the Ethereal Valley!" The young master did his
best to persuade them with his proposal.
"That is too risky. We can't possibly let this guy enter the forbidden area before we can even find out his
background. If he was sent by other clans, we'd be humiliated!"
"Young master, while that's a good idea, it might also put us in grave danger!"
"Chief, please consider everything before you make a decision."
Obviously, most of the elders and officials supposed that the young master's proposal was quite risky.
After all, they knew nothing of the background of those two candidates, so they couldn't simply allow
them to enter their clan's forbidden area. After all, if their holy treasure got stolen, they would suffer a
heavy loss.
"Are you absolutely certain about this?" The patriarch seemed to be deep in thought when he asked
the young master.
"No, not at all. Even so, I'm afraid this person is the last ray of hope for our clan. Father, you know how
much our clan struggled to maintain parity with the four greatest clans. If we do not gain anything in the
quest to the Ethereal Valley, we are sure to be subject to losing our place among them," the young
master expressed bluntly. It was no secret that their clan was no longer in the same league as the other
four great clans.
"You're right. We practically have no other choice now. In order to maintain our status, we might as well
take this risk," Richard uttered firmly.
"C-chief!"
Many of the elders and officials reacted emotionally. They could not feel that it was their best option.
"Alright. I shall bring them to see you right away," the young master immediately suggested.
"No, there's no need for that. This matter falls on you now. Whatever the result is, remember to keep a
low profile. If he truly is a chosen one, there's no way that the other four clans won't try to take him from
us once they find out about him," Richard dutifully reminded.
"Understood."
The young master instantly went on his way.
The next day, the young master rode on a luxury carriage pulled by spiritual beasts and arrived at the
courtyard where Rocky and Vivian stayed.
Before he even reached the gate, Rocky and Vivian already sensed his arrival from a distance. With a
blank face, Rocky slowly opened the door and stepped out.
"Sir! What brings you here?" Rocky greeted, feigning surprise.
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