Chapter 872
One Drink, One Peck: Zhang's Descendants
When Lu Qing crafted this testing jade tablet, he referenced the characteristic of different colors that appeared when he used his special ability to examine objects.
Different levels of heavenly tribulations will also present tribulation clouds of different colors.
He also categorized the qualities of the jade tablets by color.
The qualifications, from lowest to highest, are gray, white, red, gold, and purple.
The gray light indicates a lack of cultivation aptitude, making it difficult to even begin martial arts practice.
Bai Guang has some talent for cultivation, but it is still difficult for him to enter the path of immortal cultivation.
Only when it emits a red light does it signify that one possesses the aptitude to embark on the path of cultivation.
If it can emit a golden light, then it can be considered to have excellent qualities.
Lu Qing hadn't expected that the first little guy to come up for the test already possessed a golden aptitude.
Although the golden light was faint, it meant that if this little guy's path to enlightenment went smoothly in the future, it was not impossible for him to achieve the Golden Core stage.
"It's a golden talent!"
"It's actually a gold-level talent!"
"Little Tiger's talent is actually golden?"
The villagers were also agitated when they saw the light emanating from the jade tablet, their faces filled with astonishment.
The village holds a qualification testing conference every ten years, so everyone knows what the light emitted by the jade tablet represents.
That's precisely why they were so surprised.
This is the first time in so many years that a gold-level talent has appeared in the village!
In previous years' tests, the best talent was nothing more than a deep red light mixed with some golden light.
They had never seen anything like Zhou Hu before, one that radiated pure golden light.
Although the gold color was very faint, it at least showed that Xiao Hu's aptitude was better than that of the previous villagers.
"Ancestor?"
Lu Qing came to her senses and saw Zhou Hu looking at her somewhat timidly.
Clearly, the villagers' discussions left him somewhat bewildered.
Ultimately, he's still just a child.
Lu Qing smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, this is a good thing. It means you have a good aptitude for cultivation. You can go down now and let the others continue."
"Thank you, Ancestor!"
Zhou Hu was overjoyed to receive Lu Qing's praise and happily withdrew.
After Zhou Hu stepped back, the next child was brought up.
This is a four or five-year-old boy, fair-skinned and handsome, but a little shy, clinging to his mother's arms and refusing to get down.
"Please forgive me, Ancestor. This child has always been timid," the woman said somewhat apologetically, while coaxing the child, "Xiao An, come down quickly and let Ancestor take a look."
The boy named Xiao An just shook his head, buried his face in his mother's arms, and refused to come out.
Lu Qing smiled, not minding at all, and said gently, "It's alright, let him test it like this."
Upon hearing this, the woman quickly carried the child to the jade tablet, took the child's small hand, and pressed it onto the jade tablet.
The jade tablet glowed faintly, the light first white, then gradually turning red, and finally settling on a deep red. The red was rich and had a faint tendency to turn into gold, but in the end, it did not truly show golden light.
“Deep red aptitude, close to light gold.” Lu Qing nodded. “Not bad. With proper nurturing, he has a good chance of reaching Foundation Establishment and even Golden Core.”
The woman was overjoyed upon hearing this, thanked him repeatedly, and retreated with her child in her arms.
Next, the children came forward one by one.
There was a seven or eight-year-old girl whose test result was a pure red, neither too high nor too low, just average.
There was a five- or six-year-old boy whose test results showed he was only white, barely capable of spiritual cultivation, but his path ahead was fraught with difficulty.
The boy's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and when his parents carried him away, tears were already brimming in his eyes.
There was a boy who was a little over three years old. His test result was light red. Although it wasn't very good, at least he had entered the red level, which meant he was qualified to cultivate.
His parents were very happy and thanked him repeatedly while holding their child.
There was a nine-year-old girl, the oldest among the children, whose test result showed a deep red with gold, similar to Zhou Hu.
The girl was calm and composed. After the test, she showed neither joy nor sorrow. She simply bowed respectfully to Lu Qing and then withdrew.
There was a two-year-old boy who was still wearing a diaper and was fast asleep when he was brought up.
When the child's small hand touched the jade tablet, the tablet lit up with a light red color. The child's eyelids twitched, and he turned over to continue sleeping, which drew a burst of chuckles from the crowd.
And so, after testing each of the thirty-odd children, although a few were quite good, no one else showed the golden aptitude like Zhou Hu.
The best one is only half red and half light gold, still inferior to Zhou Hu.
Lu Qing was not disappointed.
Gold-quality items are rare to begin with, and getting even one is already a pleasant surprise; how can one expect every single one to be like that?
Rather, it's more accurate to say that the fact that so many children with cultivation potential were found in the village this time, and some of them even had exceptional talent, was already beyond his expectations.
This indicates that the villagers of Jiuli Village are experiencing increasingly better bloodlines under the nourishment of spiritual energy.
Just as Lu Qing was about to say it was time to end the test after all the children had finished, village chief Zhou Mingde suddenly stepped forward with a hint of hesitation on his face.
“Ancestor, there is another child,” Zhou Mingde said respectfully.
"Oh?" Lu Qing raised an eyebrow slightly. "Who else?"
Zhou Mingde turned around and waved to the outside of the crowd: "Zhang girl, come here."
The crowd parted, and a woman, holding a little girl's hand, slowly walked over.
The woman appeared to be in her thirties, dressed in simple cloth clothes. She looked somewhat haggard, but was very clean.
She held the girl's hand tightly, her eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
The little girl looked to be only five or six years old.
She was wearing a light pink dress, and her hair was tied in two small buns with red ribbons.
Her face was fair and clean, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, like an ice sculpture or jade carving, making her look adorable and clever.
Lu Qing was slightly taken aback when he first saw the little girl.
This child is so adorable, with a fair and tender face, big, dark eyes, a delicate nose, and cherry-like lips. She looks like a little fairy who has stepped out of a painting.
What's even more remarkable is that her eyes are clear and bright, without the timidity and avoidance of ordinary children, but rather she looks at Lu Qing openly, with curiosity and affection in her eyes.
For a moment, Lu Qing felt that the face looked somewhat familiar.
This little girl bears a striking resemblance to Xiao Yan when she was a child.
Xiao Yan, who was standing to the side, also had a slight change in her eyes when she saw the little girl.
"This is……"
Lu Qing looked at Zhou Mingde.
Zhou Mingde quickly replied, "Reporting to the Ancestor, this child's surname is Zhang, her nickname is Yaya, and her formal name is Zhang Ruoxi. Her father is the son of Zhang Laosan from the village, and her mother married into the village from a neighboring village..."
He paused, then lowered his voice and said, "She is a descendant of Old Zhang, but due to some things, she and her mother left the village two years ago. This time, I brought them back."
Old Zhang.
Lu Qing was taken aback, then understood.
Grandpa Zhang.
This child is a descendant of Grandpa Zhang.
Lu Qing's gaze softened.
He didn't ask further why the mother and daughter had left the village, but instead looked at the woman.
The woman quickly pulled the little girl down to kneel: "This humble woman, Zhou from the Zhang family, along with my daughter Ruoxi, pay our respects to the Ancestor!"
The little girl was pulled to kneel down, but she didn't panic. Instead, she imitated her mother and clumsily kowtowed to Lu Qing. Then she raised her head and continued to look at Lu Qing with her big, dark eyes.
Lu Qing smiled slightly and raised her hand to help him up: "Get up, no need for formalities."
The mother and daughter stood up.
Lu Qing looked at the little girl and asked gently, "Your name is Ruoxi?"
The little girl nodded and said in a clear voice, "Yes! My name is Zhang Ruoxi! You can call me Yaya, everyone calls me that!"
Her voice was clear and melodious, with a touch of childlike sweetness, yet she was poised and confident, showing no stage fright whatsoever.
Lu Qing smiled: "Okay, Ya Ya, come here."
The little girl glanced at her mother, and seeing her mother nod, she took her short legs and walked up to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing looked down at her, and she looked up at Lu Qing, not at all shy.
"Are you scared?" Lu Qing asked.
The little girl shook her head: "I'm not afraid! Mother said that the ancestor is a god, a good person, and won't hurt Yaya!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Qing's smile deepened.
This child is not only adorable, but also insightful and courageous, surpassing many adults he has ever met.
“Okay, then go touch that stele.” Lu Qing pointed to the jade stele, “Just like those older brothers and sisters did just now.”
The little girl nodded, turned around and walked to the jade tablet.
She was too small, and the jade tablet was too tall; she couldn't reach it even when she stood on tiptoe.
The little girl turned to look at Lu Qing, her eyes pleading for help.
Lu Qing smiled, raised his hand and pointed, a gentle force lifted the little girl, making her float in the air, just in time to reach the jade tablet.
The little girl was startled at first, then giggled, finding it extremely amusing.
She stretched out her small hand and placed it on the jade tablet, then turned to look at Lu Qing with an expectant expression.
The moment her hand touched the jade tablet, it suddenly burst forth with dazzling light!
The light was first white, then instantly turned red, and then instantly turned gold, at a speed that was dazzling.
But the light did not stop after it turned golden.
A hint of purple gradually emerged from the rich gold!
Although the purple was extremely faint, just a faint trace, it stood out remarkably against the backdrop of the golden light, making it exceptionally striking and extraordinary.
A purple light shot into the sky, illuminating the entire courtyard and the ancestral hall, even brighter than Zhou Hu's golden light earlier!
"This...this is..."
"Purple! It's purple!"
"My God, it's a purple talent!"
"How is this possible!"
A gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd; everyone stared wide-eyed at the scene in disbelief.
Zhou Mingde was so excited that he trembled all over, his lips quivering, and he couldn't speak for a long time. He had lived most of his life, presided over many qualification tests, and seen at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, children.
But he was seeing the golden talent for the first time today.
And this is especially true for purple talents!
The woman was completely stunned, staring blankly at the dazzling purple-gold light on the jade tablet, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Only the little girl remained suspended in the air, still confused, looking back at Lu Qing with a questioning look in her eyes, as if asking: Ancestor, did I do the right thing?
Lu Qing gazed quietly at the purplish-gold light, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
When he crafted this jade tablet, he referenced the different colors his special ability displayed when examining objects, as well as the patterns of different levels of heavenly tribulation clouds, and divided the aptitude into five levels.
Gray, white, red, gold, purple.
Gray indicates a lack of aptitude for cultivation, making it difficult to even begin to understand martial arts.
White represents having a certain aptitude for cultivation, but it is still difficult to embark on the path of immortal cultivation.
Only red represents someone who truly possesses the aptitude for cultivating immortality and can embark on the path of cultivation.
Gold indicates exceptional talent; if one's path to enlightenment is smooth, achieving the Golden Core stage is not impossible.
As for purple... it represents the potential to achieve the primordial spirit.
The Primordial Spirit Realm.
Throughout the entire history of cultivation in our home world, very few have ever reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
Each and every one of them is a legendary figure renowned in their region.
Unexpectedly, this child possesses the potential to become a primordial spirit.
Looking at the purple-gold light and then at the little girl's clear eyes, Lu Qing suddenly felt a surge of emotion.
He always remembered the kindness Grandpa Zhang had shown him and Xiaoyan back then.
Although they have asked people to take care of Zhang's descendants over the years, there is still a distance between them.
He was very happy to see such a talented child among Grandpa Zhang's descendants.
"Come down." Lu Qing raised his hand in a gesture, and the little girl slowly landed on the ground.
She ran back to Lu Qing, looked up at him expectantly, and asked, "Grandpa, did Ya Ya do well on the test?"
Lu Qing smiled and nodded: "Very good, very good."
The little girl immediately perked up, clapping her hands and exclaiming, "Great! Yaya can be a fairy too! Yaya can fly!"
Looking at her cheerful appearance, Lu Qing suddenly had an idea.
He hesitated for a moment, then squatted down to be at eye level with the little girl.
"Ya Ya, I'm asking you, would you like to become my disciple?"
Before the little girl could react, the surrounding villagers were all taken aback.
what?
Is the patriarch going to take on a disciple?
Everyone knows that Lu Qing has been cultivating for hundreds of years and has never taken on a single disciple.
Although Xiaoyan had always followed him, she was his younger sister, not his disciple.
Although Xiao Li and Xiao Bai were also by his side, they were spirit pets, not disciples.
There wasn't a single true disciple.
And today, the patriarch is actually going to take on a disciple?
Even though he is a "nominal disciple," he is still a disciple!
For a moment, everyone looked at the little girl and the woman with envy.
The woman was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning, standing there blankly for a long time without reacting.
The little girl tilted her head, looked at Lu Qing, and asked, "Ancestor, what is a disciple on a nominal basis?"
Lu Qing explained, "You will learn cultivation from me, but I won't manage you every day or keep you by my side all the time. You will still live at home with your parents, and I will only teach you some things occasionally."
The little girl blinked and asked again, "After learning this, will Yaya be as powerful as the Ancestor? Will she be able to fly?"
Lu Qing smiled: "As long as you study hard, you'll know how someday."
The little girl thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "Then Yaya is willing!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman finally came to her senses, pulled the little girl down, and knelt down.
"Thank you, Ancestor! Thank you, Ancestor!" The woman kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down her face.
The little girl realized what was happening and immediately knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly.
Lu Qing did not flinch and accepted their kneeling obeisance.
Then he extended his finger and gently touched the little girl's forehead.
The little girl's body trembled slightly, then her eyes slowly closed, and her body slumped down.
The woman was startled and quickly helped her daughter up, looking at Lu Qing in panic: "Grandpa, Ya Ya, she..."
"Don't worry." Lu Qing stood up and smiled. "I only used a trace of life force to cleanse her bones and marrow."
Her foundation is still shallow; direct cultivation could easily harm her body.
After cleansing the marrow and tendons, cultivation will be much smoother.
"When she wakes up, bring her here, and I will teach her the martial arts."
Upon hearing this, the woman was relieved and thanked him repeatedly.
The surrounding villagers watched this scene with envy in their eyes.
That was personally cleansing and marrow-refining by the ancestor, and afterwards he would personally teach him the techniques!
This girl has really had incredible luck!
Lu Qing ignored the stares and simply looked at the sleeping little girl, a sense of emotion welling up inside him.
When he first transmigrated to this world, he was seriously injured and on the verge of losing consciousness, leaving Xiaoyan without anyone to take care of her.
It was Grandpa Zhang who took her into his home, gave her food and clothes, and kept her from going hungry or cold.
Later, when he regained consciousness, Grandpa Zhang took good care of the brother and sister, and they got through that difficult period.
He always kept this kindness in his heart.
Now, accepting his descendants as his disciples can be considered as repaying the kindness shown to him back then.
"Take her away," Lu Qing said to the woman. "Bring her to my courtyard when she wakes up."
"Yes! Yes!" The woman nodded repeatedly, picked up the little girl, and hurriedly left amidst the envious gazes of the crowd.
Next, Lu Qing gave some pills to the other children who were being tested as a reward.
He gave some to everyone, regardless of whether they had the aptitude for cultivation or not.
Those who are qualified will be given pills that help with cultivation, while those who are not qualified will be given pills that strengthen their bodies.
Although it was nothing to him, it was a rare opportunity for these children.
As for those children with cultivation aptitude, the village has long had its own training program for them.
There are established precedents for who will teach, how to teach, and what to teach, so he doesn't need to worry about it.
After doing all this, Lu Qing left the ancestral hall with Xiao Yan and Xiao Li.
On the way back, Xiaoyan remained silent.
Lu Qing glanced at her: "What's wrong?"
Xiao Yan looked up at Lu Qing: "Brother, did you take that little girl as your disciple because she is a descendant of Grandpa Zhang?"
Lu Qing nodded: "That's part of the reason."
"What about the rest?" Xiaoyan pressed.
Lu Qing thought for a moment and said, "Another part is because her aptitude is indeed very good. She has purple aptitude and the potential to achieve the Nascent Soul stage. It would be a pity to waste such a good seedling."
Xiaoyan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
But she knew in her heart that what her brother said about half and half was actually more than that.
My brother took that girl in mostly because of Grandpa Zhang.
Otherwise, no matter how talented he was, his brother might not have even considered taking him on as a disciple.
After all, my brother has never been the type of person who likes to take on apprentices.
As Xiaoyan thought about it, she remembered the always smiling old man from back then, and felt a pang of emotion.
If Grandpa Zhang could know from beyond the grave that his descendant had been accepted as a disciple by his brother, he would surely be very happy.
The days passed by.
Lu Qing spent the next few days peacefully.
He meditates in the courtyard every day, occasionally giving guidance to Xiaoyan and Xiaoli on their cultivation, and sometimes he goes to the back mountain to visit his master.
On the third day, the woman arrived with Zhang Ruoxi.
The little girl had woken up. After the cleansing and marrow-renewing process, she looked even more radiant, with rosy cheeks and brighter eyes.
As soon as she saw Lu Qing, she ran over happily and called out in a clear voice, "Master!"
Lu Qing smiled and patted her little head.
Then he spent the whole morning teaching her a basic cultivation technique.
This method was specially chosen by him; it is gentle and moderate, making it most suitable for beginners to build a foundation.
Once she has a solid foundation, we can teach her more suitable techniques based on her individual circumstances.
The little girl listened attentively. Although she didn't understand many parts, she tried her best to remember them and repeated them over and over again in her childish voice.
Before leaving, Lu Qing gave her a few more bottles of pills and told her to take them on time when she got back.
The woman thanked them profusely and left with her daughter.
In the days that followed, the little girl would come every few days to ask Lu Qing for advice on cultivation issues.
She was indeed intelligent and quick to understand; she grasped many concepts immediately, which pleased Lu Qing greatly.
On this day, Lu Qing suddenly had a thought.
He looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing through the clouds and the void, landing on the vast starry sky.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, pondered for a moment, and then a figure emerged from his body—his divine sense clone.
"Brother, are you going out?" Xiaoyan asked.
Lu Qing nodded: "I have something to take care of, I'll be right back."
Without saying much, he vanished from the spot in a flash.
The next moment, the divine sense clone had already arrived in the starry sky. (End of this chapter)