Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

As expected, the chubby guy was indeed compatible with Tian Feirong, as they both had three spirit roots. However, the purity of his spirit roots was slightly better than Tian Feirong’s.

Earth Spirit Root: 34, Water Spirit Root: 21, Wood Spirit Root: 13.

There was no doubt that the chubby guy, Wei Zhengfei, should cultivate Earth-type techniques. His aptitude was a little better than Tian Feirong’s, though Gu Yao observed that his cultivation level was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, just slightly better than Tian Feirong’s.

Gu Yao’s gaze was fixed on the testing instrument. After taking the medicine, he had been eager to find a testing device to check his spirit roots and see if there was any difference in the results. The testing devices he had seen in Yuanyang Town were far inferior to the one before him. He wondered if he would ever have the opportunity to acquire one for himself. His plan to alter his aptitude was far from over, and he was eager to know the specific values.

“Junior Brother, are you impatient to test your spirit roots? Come on over,” Senior Brother Zhou said with a friendly smile, beckoning Gu Yao. Every person who voluntarily entered Tianfu Academy—oh, no, who took the initiative to join—was treated with the utmost care and attention.

Gu Yao glanced at Chi Changye, who could tell from Gu Yao’s expression what he was feeling. Chi Changye gave him a nod, encouraging him to go ahead with the test. Gu Yao then walked over confidently. This scene caught the attention of Jiang Yan and Master Fang, who exchanged a brief, curious look. Officially, Chi Changye had entered Tianfu Academy as Gu Yao’s attendant, but their relationship seemed to be closer than just that of friends.

It was unclear where Gu Yao had come from—perhaps some large family—but even his attendant was at the eighth level of Qi Refining. Not to mention, if Gu Yao wanted to join Tianfu Academy, the academy would undoubtedly make an exception and admit him to the inner sect.

Now that Gu Yao was going to test his spirit root aptitude, the two paid extra attention. If someone could reach the fifth level of Qi Refining at such a young age, their aptitude should be better than the previous two, right? So, would he have dual spirit roots?

‘Swish, swish, swish’—as soon as Gu Yao placed his hand on the testing instrument, four beams of light shot up, almost blinding Master Fang and Jiang Yan. Master Fang, who had just propped his leg back up on the desk, was so startled by the result that he nearly toppled over into the table. This was a slap in the face!

Seeing the astonished and confused looks from the others, Gu Yao wasn’t bothered. He smiled at them in a good-natured manner, then looked up at the values displayed on the testing device.

Wood Spirit Root: 28, Fire Spirit Root: 28, Earth Spirit Root: 13, Water Spirit Root: 12.

Gu Yao wasn’t disappointed at all, as others might have expected. In fact, he was quite pleased. After seeing the aptitude of the previous two, he felt very satisfied with his own. He thought that if he hadn’t used the transformation potion, his wood and fire spirit root purity would have only been around twenty at best, and it might have been even lower.

Look at this—he was only a little worse than those with three spirit roots. In fact, he was slightly better than Tian Feirong, whose three spirit roots had been altered. So, what was there to be dissatisfied about?

Senior Brother Zhou was silent for a while, then forced out a concerned smile as an older brother would: “Although Junior Brother Gu has four spirit roots, his aptitude isn’t much worse than someone with three. Especially since your main spirit roots are wood and fire, you are well-suited for studying alchemy. Once you enter the academy, you may even catch the eye of one of the teachers, so work hard and don’t slack off.”

Gu Yao actually felt a sense of goodwill towards Senior Brother Zhou. It couldn’t have been easy for him to say such comforting and encouraging words. Compared to the cold stares he had received in the past, this was the first time he felt that choosing Tianfu Academy might not have been a decision made out of necessity.

“Senior Brother Zhou misspoke,” Jiang Yan said as he walked over, smiling. “Junior Yao’s four spirit roots aptitude is remarkable, but what’s more impressive is that he has already reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining at such a young age. This shows he has some solid foundation. From what I can see, Junior Yao has already entered the basics of alchemy, so he must already be an alchemist.”

Eh? Gu Yao looked curiously at Senior Brother Jiang, completely ignoring the way he referred to him.

Gu Yao may have ignored it, but Chi Changye wasn’t so easily fooled. He shot a displeased glare at Jiang Yan. This was the first time he had met Gu Yao, and Jiang Yan was already calling him “Junior Yao” so familiarly. The more he disliked it, the colder his aura became.

Jiang Yan smirked. This new recruit was quite interesting. These two—one was likely an alchemist, and the other a swordsman.

Tian Feirong blurted out, “How does Senior Brother Jiang know?”

“Is this really true?” Senior Brother Zhou asked, his face lighting up with joy.

Jiang Yan, standing with his hands behind his back and smiling in the sunlight, replied, “Because Junior Yao has a unique aura of an alchemist. It’s a combination of fire energy and the scent of medicinal pills. I’m sure since arriving in Shifang City, Junior Yao has been refining pills. He’s really been working hard, no wonder he has such cultivation.”

Gu Yao raised his sleeve to his nose and sniffed, while Tian Feirong and the little fatty also leaned in curiously to smell. There was no scent at all. However, Jiang Yan let out a soft laugh, finding the three of them quite adorable.

Chi Changye’s face darkened. No one else could smell anything, but Jiang Yan could—this showed Jiang Yan had some special ability. Who knew what else he could detect? His nose was sharper than a dog’s!

Gu Yao laughed and said, “Senior Brother Jiang, you’re amazing. Yes, I am an alchemist. I took some pills I made myself to improve my cultivation.”

“Then Junior Yao’s alchemy skills must be quite impressive. Welcome to join our Tianfu Academy,” Jiang Yan smiled, thinking that Junior Yao must at least be a mid-level 9th rank alchemist.

“And us too!” Tian Feirong and the little fatty hurriedly spoke up.

“Yes, welcome, and also this fellow Daoist Chi Changye,” Jiang Yan added.

Next, the four of them were pulled aside by Senior Brother Zhou, who began to explain the glorious history of Tianfu Academy, making sure they would develop a sense of loyalty towards the academy. They also met other senior brothers and sisters, and the atmosphere was warm and friendly.

However, Gu Yao also witnessed the cold atmosphere at Tianfu Academy. After their group of four, Teacher Fang continued to sit in silence. If it weren’t for seeing Gu Yao and the others, he would have been so enraged that he might have smashed the table.

Suddenly, Teacher Fang put his legs down, looking toward a certain direction in the air. After a moment of recognition, he made a disdainful and dismissive expression. “So the old man from Cuiyan Valley finally arrived. What a grand show. Just someone who can roll pills, what’s so impressive about that?”

How bitter! Those words sounded really sour!

“Senior, alchemy is not just about rolling pills. Otherwise, alchemists wouldn’t be so highly regarded,” Jiang Yan corrected helplessly. “But now that Valley Master Hu has arrived, I’m sure it’s not lacking one less Tianfu Academy to welcome him.” His tone became even more helpless at the end.

The little fatty looked into the distance, his eyes flashing for a moment.

The Hu Valley Master and his entourage had just arrived at Shifang City. This time, the City Lord personally walked out of the City Lord’s Mansion to greet Hu Valley Master. It was worth noting that no other power had been able to stir this mysterious and powerful City Lord to such an extent before.

Not only the City Lord himself, but also elders and key disciples from large forces within the city, such as the Xingan Sect and Tianhai Gate, came forward to meet the group. The only regret was that, after several days of searching, they had still been unable to find any trace of Hu Weicai. Although they looked down on him for stealing and selling his grandfather’s pills, there was no denying that Hu Weicai had a grandfather who was an 8th-tier advanced alchemist, and that made him someone not to be ignored.

“Master Hu, it is an honor to welcome you to our city,” said the City Lord, whose long white beard gave him a celestial aura. He cupped his hands as he spoke to Hu Ting, who had just descended from the flying ship. “If your group from Cuiyan Valley has no place to stay, how about we arrange for you to stay at the City Lord’s Mansion?”

Given the City Lord’s goodwill, Hu Ting, of course, accepted. This City Lord was a rare Gold Core cultivator from the Tianlin Continent. Without his own status as an alchemist, how could he possibly be regarded by someone of such caliber, especially with his mere Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivation?

“It would be disrespectful not to comply. We will follow the City Lord’s suggestion. We apologize for the disturbance,” Hu Ting responded.

“Master Hu is too polite, please, allow me to show you the way!” The City Lord smiled warmly.

“Please, City Lord,” Hu Ting said courteously.

Others with important identities were also invited to the City Lord’s Mansion and followed along. Countless onlookers threw envious and longing glances in their direction.

The Gu family’s group was also stirred by the commotion. They watched as the flying ship hovered above the square, then saw Hu Valley Master and his entourage descend. Soon after, the City Lord flew down from the sky. This kind of scene was something no one in Yuanyang Town could have ever witnessed.

Especially seeing how well the Cuiyan Valley group was treated, their desire to join Cuiyan Valley grew even stronger.

“Look at the disciples of Cuiyan Valley following Hu Valley Master, they’re so full of pride. I bet even the disciples from Beixing Sect have to show them respect. This is the kind of treatment an alchemist deserves,” Gu Yang remarked with a sense of admiration.

An elder of the Gu family was equally excited. “Wait and see, Cuiyan Valley might recruit disciples. That could be our chance to join!”

In his eyes, a Gu family disciple who had mastered basic alchemy would definitely have a better chance than other cultivators.

It’s a pity that the Gu family doesn’t have enough power to be invited into the City Lord’s Mansion. However, he shifted his gaze to Gu Yan, thinking that maybe once Gu Yan joined the Changxian Sect, the Gu family would one day receive such treatment.

“I wonder where Gu Yao is. Will he join any sect?”

“Forget it. No matter how good he is at refining intermediate pills, which sect would take in a useless person with four spiritual roots?”

“True, it’s such a pity. If Gu Yao had better aptitude, he wouldn’t be neglected like this. Gu Yao is really something, with such poor aptitude, but such good alchemy skills—if he had offered them to the family, the family head would have paid him much more attention.” Someone grumbled, feeling that if they had Gu Yao’s alchemy skills, they could definitely do better. Joining Cuiyan Valley would be a given.

After exchanging pleasantries in the City Lord’s Mansion, the discussions turned to the main topic. Hu Ting had indeed come out because of his grandson. He had come alone, without any companions. Given his cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage, combined with his status, he could have easily been killed by other cultivators without anyone noticing. Hu Ting couldn’t help but worry. Thinking that this was the last legacy left by his son, whom he had never even met, he had rushed out without delay.

“Master Hu,” Yan Yang stepped forward and presented a jade bottle. “This is a Pill that one of my junior brothers purchased from outside. I wonder if it was one that came from Master Hu’s disciple.”

Master Hu gave Yan Yang an approving glance. His grandson’s aptitude was too poor, just like his son’s, and none of them had inherited his wood and fire spiritual roots. If someone like Yan Yang had his aptitude, he wouldn’t have to worry about his future anywhere.

With some regret, Hu Ting retracted his gaze, opened the jade bottle, and poured out the pill. After inspecting it, his expression changed. “This is not a pill I refined!”