The phrase hit Lauren like a jolt. “Boundary Force? Are you saying that crossing that barrier would mean entering another world?”

  Edmund snorted. “Not that kind of Boundary Force. This is something sea monsters use to mark their territories. They’re territorial by nature, but they’re not as vicious as you human cultivators like to think. Most of them stay inside their own domains to train, and they hate being disturbed. That’s why they create these barriers.”

  “So… we can’t pass through?”

  Edmund tilted his head, thinking. “A monster strong enough to create a Boundary Force barrier isn’t something you can deal with. Within its territory, its power multiplies. You’d need someone like your master to have even a chance. Don’t even think about confronting it. If you really want to go, I can try negotiating. Maybe it’ll agree to let us through.”

  Lauren’s eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly.

  If they could get through peacefully, all the better. If not… they’d just have to find another route.

  Two more days passed before Nash and the others finally arrived.

  Nash looked at her with a mix of surprise and amusement. “Huh. You’ve already been here five days?”

  Lauren smiled. “Yeah, you’re too slow.”

  “Oh, we heard you were going home,” Nash said, grinning sheepishly, “and figured you’d be staying a while to catch up with your family. We didn’t expect you to show up this soon.”

  Well, under normal circumstances, anyone returning home would spend some time there. But Lauren’s situation was anything but normal, and not something she could easily explain.

  “I just didn’t want you all waiting too long,” she said lightly. “So I came early.”

  “You’re Ms. Lauren, after all,” Nash teased. “Of course we’d wait.”

  Dante gave him a shove on the shoulder. “Alright, enough nonsense. Let’s head inside.”

  The house had been specially reserved for visiting cultivators by the local fishing village. It was spotless, clearly cleaned and maintained with care.

  Most of the villagers were ordinary mortals. The few who practiced cultivation barely reached the Qi Refining stage. To them, cultivators from the Central Continent were living gods.

  Whenever a visiting cultivator arrived, the villagers would treat them with near-religious reverence.

  Dante greeted the village chief, who immediately called for everyone to bring their children to see the immortal masters.

  Lauren soon saw Dante pull out a Spirit-Testing Plate — a simple, circular device similar to the Evercrest family’s version, though more refined and sensitive.

  Before long, more than twenty children were lined up, fidgeting nervously as they waited their turn.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Lauren leaned toward Nash and whispered, “You came prepared. Dante even brought a spirit-testing plate.”

  “Of course,” Nash murmured back. “Why do you think the village chief’s treating us so well?”

  He nodded toward the spotless house. “This place is always kept ready for visiting cultivators. When someone from the sects comes through, they gather all the village children and ask us to test their spiritual roots. If we find any good ones, we take them back when we leave.”

  Lauren arched a brow. “And to the villagers, that means…?”

  Nash smiled. “That their kid’s about to become a god.”

  He wasn’t exaggerating. For mortals, sending a child to the mountains was the ultimate honor — a miracle. This tradition had gone on for thousands of years.

  “So,” Lauren asked, “what kind of children can you take straight back to the sect?”

  “Those with single spiritual roots,” Nash said.

  They didn’t need to take the entrance exam.

  Lauren’s brows lifted slightly. That was a high bar. She glanced toward Westin, who was helping Dante manage the crowd. Westin had dual spiritual roots and had clawed his way up from the outer sect through sheer persistence.

  “Does our Thunder Sect ever take dual spiritual roots without testing?” she asked.

  Nash shook his head. “Nope. Rules are rules. Even if someone has dual roots, they still need to pass the formal entrance exam. If they pass, great. If not… well.” He shrugged.

  Then send him back? Obviously, that's not realistic.

  If he was not selected, it was fine. But if he was selected but rejected, that was a completely different story.

  As they spoke, a sudden shout came from the front.

  “Hey! One color! One color!”

  The villagers didn’t understand the terminology, but they knew enough to cheer. When the Spirit-Testing Plate lit up with only a single hue, it meant the child possessed a pure, singular spiritual root — the highest possible grade.

  Excitement rippled through the crowd.

  Lauren and Nash exchanged glances and moved closer.

  A soft white glow shimmered on the plate.

  “White light?” Lauren murmured.

  “Light spiritual root,” Nash said quietly, his tone tinged with surprise.

  The chubby little boy standing on the testing circle blinked up at them, wide-eyed and confused, not understanding the commotion he’d caused.

  Dante ruffled the boy’s smooth, round head with a small smile. “He’s got the makings of a great Buddhist cultivator. Too bad…” He sighed softly. “After the fall of the Evil Monk centuries ago, the Buddhist path declined. These days, they’re even weaker than second-rate righteous sects. Sending him there would be a waste of such a rare gift.”

  “Brother, are you planning to take that child back with us?” Nash asked. “We don’t have any disciples with a Light Spiritual Root in the Thunder Sect yet. I’m not even sure if we have any cultivation techniques suited for that affinity.”

  Dante shrugged. “That’s not our problem to solve. We’ll take him back and let Master decide.”

  He turned toward the village chief. “Old Village Chief, we’ll be taking this child. Please speak with his parents and see if they agree.”

  A middle-aged couple immediately stepped forward, faces flushed with excitement. “We’re his parents,” the father said quickly. “If the immortal masters are willing to take him, of course we agree!”

  Before anyone could stop them, the two dropped to their knees, ready to kowtow.

  Dante waved his hand, releasing a gentle wave of spiritual energy that kept them from kneeling any further. “There’s no need for that,” he said with a faint smile. “We’ll make the arrangements later. I’ll send a message to Thunder Sect — someone will come to bring him back.”

  “Quickly, Wild,” the father urged, tugging at his son’s sleeve. “Kowtow to Master!”

  The little boy, barely five or six years old, didn’t understand a thing. He blinked up at Dante, then obediently knelt and bowed, looking both confused and serious. The scene drew a few chuckles from the watching villagers.

  When the testing was done, more than twenty children had been examined. Out of all of them, only four possessed any spiritual roots at all.

  Besides the boy with the Light Spiritual Root, there were two with Four Spiritual Roots and one with Five.

  For cultivators, that wasn’t particularly impressive. Dante decided not to take them, but he still handed each child a few low-grade elixirs and a simple foundational cultivation manual.