Since Ye Mengyao had officially become a disciple, it was only natural for her talent to be tested.
A few days later, Master Shen Mengting finally remembered she had taken in a disciple.
She went straight to Ye Ping’an’s residence and brought Ye Mengyao to the Talent Testing Hall.
Talent testing was a simple process. Every sect, regardless of size, possessed a Talent Testing Stone. The brighter the stone glowed, the greater the talent it indicated.
As someone who would likely become part of the main character’s future circle, Ye Ping’an was also eager to see how gifted the young girl truly was.
This test was conducted privately—Ye Mengyao was the only participant, and there were no onlookers.
The only people present were Shen Mengting, Ye Ping’an’s mother and master; Ye Ping’an himself; and Ye Ningyue.
Originally, Ningyue hadn’t planned on attending, but when Ye Ping’an insisted on observing, she came along.
She was curious to see what kind of innate ability this newly arrived little “vixen” had. Could her talent really surpass her own?
The small group all turned their gazes toward the young girl, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Without a word, Ye Mengyao calmly placed her small hand on the testing stone.
In an instant, the once-dull surface of the stone began to glow with a shimmering silver light. And not only did it shine—it grew steadily brighter.
Shen Mengting and Ye Ping’an exchanged delighted glances, the radiance in their eyes intensifying along with the growing light.
After all, the brighter the glow, the higher the innate talent.
The color of the light also revealed the person’s elemental affinity.
Some individuals even possessed multiple affinities, though usually one would shine brighter than the others, and they would cultivate mainly in that primary element.
If the stone failed to emit any light, it meant the person had no spiritual potential whatsoever—an ordinary mortal with no hope of stepping into the world of cultivation.
A faint glow signified a very poor talent, classified as “Mortal Grade.”
Without immense luck or opportunities, such individuals would likely never achieve anything noteworthy. (Ye Ping’an, for instance, had Mortal Grade talent, which is why he sought out great opportunities to compensate.)
Only when the stone emitted a bright light would the person be considered qualified to begin cultivation—this was known as “Spirit Grade.”
Above that was a dazzling radiance—this level marked a true genius, known as “Earth Grade.”
The final and most rare was an overwhelmingly brilliant light that made it difficult to keep one’s eyes open.
Such individuals possessed “Heaven Grade” talent—the highest possible. Each grade was further divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower tiers.
Even a single-tier difference at this level could dramatically impact one’s future achievements.
Although talent alone didn’t determine one’s destiny, it certainly made the path of cultivation much smoother.
For this reason, the stronger a disciple’s talent, the better the treatment they received from their sect.
As the light grew ever brighter, even Ye Ningyue—who had been dismissive up until now—began to show signs of seriousness.
The trio watched in astonishment as their newly accepted junior sister’s glow shifted from faint… to bright… then from bright to dazzling… and finally reached a brilliance so intense it became blinding.
The light was so strong that the three had to shield their eyes with their hands, as if the girl’s talent were a blazing sun they dared not look at directly.
Before they could fully process their shock, a sudden boom shattered the silence.
Startled, all three opened their eyes—only to find the testing stone had exploded!
Ye Mengyao lay unconscious on the ground, knocked out by the shockwave. Spirals swirled in her eyes, and a stream of fresh blood trickled down her forehead—she had clearly hit her head.
Shen Mengting, acting quickly as both master and future mother-in-law, rushed forward and cradled the girl in her arms, checking her condition.
Fortunately, it seemed she had only been knocked out—nothing serious. Shen Mengting let out a sigh of relief.
She immediately healed the wound on Ye Mengyao’s forehead. After all, with a face this beautiful—one that might belong to her future daughter-in-law—it would be a tragedy if a scar were left behind.
Once the injury was treated, Shen Mengting’s eyes gleamed with an idea. Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity for her son to gain favor?
She promptly called Ye Ping’an over.
“Ping’an, your junior sister is your responsibility now. Take good care of her! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and carry her back!”
Seeing her son frozen like a statue, utterly dazed and seemingly deaf to her words, Shen Mengting fumed.
She walked over and gave him a sharp flick on the forehead.
“Ah! Mom, why’d you hit me?!”
Finally snapped out of it, Ye Ping’an looked confused. Shen Mengting shoved the unconscious Ye Mengyao into his arms.
“Stop staring and go take care of your junior sister!”
“Yes, yes, of course!” Ye Ping’an nodded rapidly like a woodpecker, hoisted Ye Mengyao onto his back, and hurried away with Ye Ningyue—making a swift escape from the wrath of the “mother tiger.”
Shen Mengting exhaled deeply and looked down at the shattered remains of the testing stone, sighing.
Sigh. “Maybe it just got too old… I can’t believe it broke. I’ll have to get a better one next time. Good thing we’re not in the middle of a recruitment period, or this would’ve caused a major delay.”
“I really thought our Xuanxing Sect might have produced a genius… Turns out the stone just broke.”
She sighed again.
After all, how could a small sect like theirs possibly produce a true prodigy?
And that silver-white spiritual light… She had never even heard of such a thing. If only the testing stone hadn’t malfunctioned—what a pity.
But Ye Ping’an’s thoughts were completely different from his mother’s.
As someone who had reincarnated into this world, he knew exactly what that explosion meant. The main story had made it clear:
Every testing stone was crafted in accordance with the laws of heaven and earth. Whether in a humble sect or a grand holy land, all testing stones were identical.
The idea that they could be “damaged” was simply false.
Breaking one forcibly would be equivalent to defying the very laws of nature—and without unimaginable power, it was impossible.
Even those with such power wouldn’t be foolish enough to pick a fight with a testing stone.
In most cases, once a testing stone was acquired, it would last for generations. Only if one was lost by accident would a sect ever need to purchase another.
That’s why, while they were rare and precious, the market was oversaturated and their price remained affordable.
There were only two reasons a testing stone would ever explode during a test:
First, the person being tested possessed extraordinary fortune and talent—one of Heaven’s Chosen, destined for ascension.
Typically, this was the protagonist of a story. The legendary “Feng Aotian” of this world was just such a person.
Second, the person had a truly mysterious origin—most likely a reincarnated powerhouse from the Immortal Realm.
In this world, it was possible for great cultivators to reincarnate. Due to the unique nature of their souls, which no longer belonged to the realm of mortals, the testing stones couldn’t accurately measure them.
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