Bamboo Mound

Before he had even settled down, Ning Chang began to examine the floating silver mirror.

Although the silver mirror was smooth, it did not reflect anything. Only when Ning Chang approached did the mirror emit a silver light, which swept across his face.

Then, nineteen points of light lit up on the mirror simultaneously.

"Hmm, fellow Daoist, you are nineteen years old. To have achieved so much is quite remarkable."

The astrology disciple in charge of the measurements made a polite remark.

"Does a single point of light count as one year? I don't know the principle behind it, but it's irrelevant to me."

Ning Chang nodded to him and then walked back to the round table and sat down.

The first woman to be tested had already completed her registration. She found an open space behind the disciple in charge of recording names at the Astrology Pavilion, sat down cross-legged, and waited quietly.

Before long, more and more people passed the test, chose the sect they wanted to join, and followed the woman's example by sitting cross-legged and waiting.

After what just happened, the somewhat restless crowd became orderly.

After all, there have been precedents, and everyone knows that disturbing a celestial master can really lead to death!

Ning Chang sat alone for a while, feeling extremely bored, so he got up and went to the crowd in line. He wandered around the spirit-testing stones, observing the test results.

The spiritual root test is roughly the same as it was back then, with the most common being a single spiritual root of the five elements, mainly divided into upper, middle and lower grades.

Occasionally, someone will suddenly have dual spiritual roots, or even find a mid-grade earth spiritual root!

However, compared to the people queuing, only about 30% to 40% had spiritual roots, while the majority of the others did not.

Talents range from one to six, with each level having its own talent. Here, another batch of people with only one talent were eliminated, and even those with mid-grade spiritual roots were not spared.

When they arrived at the Silver Mirror, they also eliminated those whose bone age was over twenty-eight.

After these three rounds of testing, only two out of ten people can successfully pass the test and reach the registration point of the three sects.

Although most of them were ordinary people, there were also a few cultivators mixed in, but most of them were only at the Spirit Gathering Realm, presumably having obtained some lucky pills by chance.

However, judging from the brightly dressed individuals among them, Ning Chang guessed that they were members of powerful families who had opened their spiritual veins ahead of time.

However, after looking at it from all angles, the novelty of the magical artifacts used in the test quickly wore off.

Then he remembered that Wang Yi had already given him a sound transmission talisman.

"Let's go to the Evergreen Theater to kill some time, and while we're at it, let's see if we can run into Lin Yumeng performing today."

It's no wonder he was curious; the most talked-about topic among the people of Wangzhou City when discussing the Changqing Theater was Lin Yumeng's play.

If we don't meet again today, who knows how long it will be before we come back again? By then, we'll probably be past our prime for singing and won't be able to hear the wonderful things people describe anymore.

He might not even come back!

With this thought in mind, Ning Chang quickly slipped out from a deserted corner around the Changqing Theater, paid the money, and headed to a private room on the second floor.

It was still early morning, and the Evergreen Theater had just opened. There weren't many people in the audience seats on the first floor, and the private rooms on the second floor were completely empty.

The fruit platter was delivered by a middle-aged waiter.

After he put down the fruit platter and the bell, Ning Chang immediately called out to the waiter who was about to leave.

"Please speak, sir!" Upon hearing the greeting, the waiter, with his hands hooked around the tray, bowed slightly.

"Since Mr. Zhang forced Ms. Lin to perform a month ago, has she ever been on stage again?"

"Well, ever since then, she has never asked to go on stage again, no matter how much our boss pleaded with her."

The waiter looked somewhat regretful.

"Looks like we won't be seeing each other today either~" Ning Chang sighed.

"Not only that, but Evergreen Theatre will probably never have Mr. Lin's repertoire again."

"Hmm? What, could it be that the Zhang family has made a move against her?" Ning Chang naturally understood the meaning behind the waiter's words.

"No! No... Sir, you've misunderstood. That's not what I meant."

"Mr. Shi Lin has already resigned from his job and went to the square early this morning to join a sect and learn some skills."

The waiter paused for a moment, then continued, "I suppose she has already been tested."

Ning Chang asked curiously, "You just blurted out the news of her departure like that? Aren't you afraid it will affect the theater's business?"

"Haha, maybe so. Although Mr. Lin is very famous and is considered the theater's star attraction, the theater can't just shut down without him."

A hint of pride crept onto the waiter's face. "We strive for excellence in every program at our theater, which is why we've won first place in the entire Wangzhou city!"

"As for Mr. Lin, he simply added the finishing touches to those pieces, making them even more exquisite."

"Even though Mr. Lin is gone, our theater will surely produce the next Mr. Lin. This is the confidence that strength brings to the theater!"

“Inheritance…” Ning Chang murmured.

"To be able to say such things, you're no ordinary waiter, are you?"

"Haha, as expected, I couldn't hide it from the Immortal Master's eyes. That's right, I am the head of the Changqing Theater. You can call me Xiao Liu."

"You came all this way because you recognized me?" He nodded. "But how did you recognize me?"

"That's where our theater's intelligence department comes in. This department is responsible for collecting things that can be adapted into programs from all over the city and other cities, in order to ensure that the plays are novel and relevant to life and the times."

"And since Mr. Lin is going to pay respects to the sect today, we will naturally have someone accompanying her to ensure her safety throughout the journey."

"And the Immortal Master must have had some unpleasant incident in that square, which they also reported back."

"Furthermore, the place where the immortal master just appeared is a dead end alley, and no one can usually walk out of there."

"Haha, you guys are quite something."

Ning Chang waved his hand lightly, summoning a chair and gesturing for Xiao Liu to sit down.

"So you've come here because you need something from me? To ask me to take care of her?"

"That's right. Mengyu, that girl, grew up in the theater. She's usually quite likable. Everyone is very concerned about her departure."

"If the immortal master is able to meet her, I hope she can give him some pointers. As for the reward, the theater can provide 170,000 spirit stones."

He stood up again, bowed his head, clasped his hands in greeting, and said...

"No need for spirit stones." Ning Chang waved his hand, leaving Xiao Liu looking bewildered.

"If I encounter this, I will offer some advice... but if she makes a mistake on her own, I will not show favoritism."

"Then I'll thank the Immortal Master on behalf of the theater." Xiao Liu's expression brightened with joy.

"Well, but I haven't met her before. Describe her features to me."

"There's no need for you to record this further, Immortal Master. Today, she was the first in line among the three sects' recruits."

Ning Chang nodded upon hearing this. He did indeed remember her. Although he hadn't seen her face, the fact that the woman with the superior water spirit root and the talent of seven precious pearls had gone to the Astrology Pavilion still made Wang Yi feel a little regretful for a while.