The Manager Hall at the summit of the Servant Peak was even more solemn than the buildings halfway up the mountain.

At some point, several Servant Disciples had appeared here.

The bluish-gray stone walls exuded a chill. The Servant Disciples standing guard at the entrance looked down on others with disdain, their eyes filled with scrutiny and contempt.

Fortunately, Chen Ping wasn’t deliberately obstructed.

After stating his name, he was quickly led to a side hall.

The light inside the hall was somewhat dim. Behind a wide wooden desk sat the very Manager who had originally assigned him to the Hundred Herb Garden.

The Manager wore a bluish-gray robe, his brows habitually furrowed as he flipped through a register.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

Recognizing Chen Ping, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, and his brows furrowed even tighter.

“Chen Ping? From the Hundred Herb Garden?”

The Manager’s voice carried its usual indifference, but this time there seemed to be an almost imperceptible hint of tension.

“What happened? Is there damage to the spirit herbs?”

He remembered this quiet Servant Disciple and also recalled that he had been assigned to tend that difficult-to-manage herb field next to Bai Zhi’s plot.

For him to come seeking him out after just four months, the Manager’s first thought was that something had gone wrong with the spirit herbs.

If that were truly the case, even a mere servant wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility.

Chen Ping stopped a few steps in front of the desk and gave a slight bow.

“Reporting to the Manager, all is well at the Hundred Herb Garden. The spirit herbs are growing satisfactorily.”

The Manager raised an eyebrow slightly, leaned back in his chair, and scrutinized Chen Ping.

“All is well? Then why are you here?”

“This disciple…”

Chen Ping’s voice was steady, betraying no emotion.

“…wishes to have my Spirit Root tested.”

“Test your Spirit Root?”

The Manager looked as if he had heard an absurd joke. The corner of his mouth lifted into a humorless arc.

“Hah, didn’t I tell you last time? What do you think this place is? For a Servant Disciple to test their Spirit Root isn’t something you can just ask for. Five Low-grade Spirit Stones. Without the stones, pleading until your voice gives out is useless.”

His gaze held undisguised contempt as he waited to see how this overreaching Servant Disciple would flounder and beg.

Chen Ping did not flounder, nor did he beg.

In silence, he pulled out a small cloth pouch from his robe, untied the drawstring, and poured its contents onto the desk before the Manager.

Clink, clink, clink.

Five pale green, translucent Spirit Stones lay on the slightly rough wooden surface, refracting faint light in the dim illumination.

They rested quietly on the coarse wood, their edges distinct.

The contempt on the Manager’s face instantly froze solid.

He abruptly straightened up in his seat. His gaze fixed fiercely on those five Spirit Stones before snapping up just as sharply to pierce Chen Ping’s face like a blade.

That look was filled with shock, disbelief, and a rapidly rising thread of bewilderment.

Five Low-grade Spirit Stones!

For a lowly Servant Disciple who had just arrived four months ago with no foundation or backing, this was an almost impossible task.

The monthly stipend for a regular attendant at the Hundred Herb Garden was meager; working for twenty years might not be enough to save up five Spirit Stones.

How in the world did this kid get them?

Thoughts raced through the Manager’s mind.

Was he perhaps a scion from some wealthy Mortal family secretly sent in, supported covertly by his clan?

But judging by this kid’s demeanor and bearing, it didn’t seem like it at all.

Or perhaps…

Stolen? Robbed?

Had he resorted to some crooked path?

Was there some loophole in the Hundred Herb Garden he could exploit?

Countless questions churned within the Manager’s heart, making his gaze toward Chen Ping become extremely complex. It was no longer simple contempt, but a mixture of wariness, suspicion, and a trace of apprehension.

Anyone who could quietly obtain five Spirit Stones, regardless of the method, was definitely not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

He suppressed the shock and doubt in his heart.

Now was not the time for deep investigation. Rules were rules. The other party had produced the stones; he had to proceed with the matter. As for the origin of these Spirit Stones… that would have to be investigated slowly later.

“Hmph.”

The Manager snorted through his nose. The expression on his face returned to its official business-like indifference.

With one sweep of his hand, he brushed all five stones from the desk into a drawer with a clattering sound. These stones were now his.

“Follow me.”

He stood up abruptly. His tone was stiff. Without another look at Chen Ping, he strode directly toward the rear of the hall.

Chen Ping followed silently behind him.

They passed through a long corridor even darker than before; its stone walls felt cold. At its end stood a heavy stone door of an indistinguishable material.

The Manager walked up to it but did not push it open. Instead, he extended a finger and tapped lightly on an inconspicuous pattern on its surface.

A low hum resonated. The surface of the stone door rippled like water disturbed by a thrown pebble, spreading outward in gentle wave-like undulations. After they subsided, the door slid silently inward without a sound.

Beyond it was not another stone chamber, but an unexpectedly open vista.

Before them stretched an endless expanse of vast grassland—lush green grass extending all the way into hazy mist at the limits of sight.

The sky above possessed an oddly clear transparency, bluer and more distant than outside.

The air was suffused with an aura that calmed the heart and mind—denser by who knew how many times compared to that in the Hundred Herb Garden. Each breath made one feel their body lighten slightly.

A few wisps of gossamer-like cloud drifted slowly at low altitude, adding further touches of Immortal ambiance.

Was this where Immortals resided?

A slight chill ran through Chen Ping’s heart, yet outwardly he remained calm, merely sweeping his gaze quickly across this unfamiliar space.

Beneath their feet lay a small winding path paved with white jade leading deep into the grassland depths.

Without uttering a single word, the Manager stepped onto the jade path; Chen Ping followed closely behind him.

After walking for roughly the time it takes half a stick of incense to burn, the central part of the grassland revealed a towering great hall.

This hall, constructed entirely from some kind of warm, lustrous white jade, emitted a faint shimmering glow amidst swirling clouds and mist. Its soaring eaves and intricate brackets exuded imposing grandeur.

Its main doors stood wide open, and faint sounds could be heard emanating from within.

The Manager led Chen Ping inside the main hall.

The interior space was extremely spacious, the floor smooth as a mirror.

Apart from several Cultivators dressed in similar bluish-gray robes standing at the front, the hall also held over ten young people around the same age as Chen Ping.

They wore the attire typical of Servant Disciples, their faces bearing expressions of tension, expectation, or fear.

They stood nervously queuing, their gazes all focused at the very front of the great hall where an enormous bronze mirror stood.

This bronze mirror was over ten feet tall and nearly eight feet wide, its frame carved with intricate ancient cloud patterns.

Its surface was not the dull yellow of ordinary bronze mirrors but displayed a deep antique bronze color, faint light swirling within it subtly.

At that moment, a youth stood before the bronze mirror while a blue-robed Cultivator stood beside it, palm hovering over the mirror frame lightly.

As a faint glow flashed from the Cultivator’s palm, the mirror surface suddenly erupted with soft white light, enveloping the youth’s entire body completely.

The youth’s body trembled slightly, instantly turning somewhat pale, fine beads of sweat appearing at his temples and forehead.

After a few breaths, the white light receded, clearly revealing three light pillars upon the bronze mirror surface.

One pale cyan pillar was brightest, occupying roughly half the mirror’s height, while two accompanying pillars—earth-yellow and fiery-red—were much shorter and dimmer, only one-third the length of the cyan pillar beside them.

The blue-robed Cultivator beside the mirror glanced and announced clearly: “Wang Xing. Three-element Spirit Root. Primary Wood, Secondary Earth and Fire. Purity: Medium-Low. May directly enter the Outer Sect.”

The youth named Wang Xing immediately revealed an ecstatic expression, his body trembling slightly with excitement. Another blue-robed Cultivator immediately stepped forward and guided him to stand aside, whispering instructions quietly.

The queue continued moving forward. The next few individuals’ detection results were less than ideal.

“Li Er’gou. No Spirit Root.”

“Zhao Tiezhu. No Spirit Root.”

“Sun Xiuxiu. Four-element Spirit Root. Metal, Wood, Water, Earth mixed. Weak. Retain status temporarily.”

A girl whose name was called lit up with delight and surprise.

“Qian Duo. Five-element Spirit Root. Fire, Earth, Wood, Metal, Water mixed. Weak. Retain status temporarily.”

A slightly plump youth clenched his fists, his mood excellent.

The Manager gestured for Chen Ping to join the queue at the end, then spoke in a low voice to him.

“Wait honestly. When your turn comes, step forward and listen to the Immortals’ instructions.”

Having said that, he walked over to the side of the hall and stood together with several other Managers, occasionally sweeping his gaze over Chen Ping with scrutiny.

Chen Ping stood silently at the end of the queue, watching ahead.

The detection proceeded quickly, each person taking a mere dozen breaths.

Some rejoiced; others grieved.

Those possessing Spirit Roots mostly had four-element or five-element roots. Moreover, the brightness of the pillars varied, indicating differences in aptitude quality.

Soon, it reached the youth queued directly before Chen Ping.

This youth had a tall, upright stature, his face bearing a hint of stubbornness. He wore faded Servant Disciple robes, yet his eyes shone brightly.

He strode forward and stood before the bronze mirror.

The blue-robed Cultivator repeated the procedure, palm pressing the mirror frame lightly.

White light enveloped the youth’s entire body.

This time, a sudden change occurred!