25 The Spirit root and Mind Strength (1/2)

”Now?”

The duchess nodded her head.

”How?”

XieRong tilted her head slightly. Everyone knew that commoners could only check their roots in the capital while the nobles had their roots checked at the spirit tower, one of which was present in each province. Even if the spirit tower was present in Qianhe, it would require a written permission from the emperor, empress or one of the prime minister's to do the test in secret.

”Why don't I show you?”

”HuiLiang you can't be taking them to that room?”

”I am.”

”But father isn't here!”

”Father won't mind and I know how to access it, big brother.”

The duchess got up and went to the painting behind the old general Guo's chair.

XieRong saw her lift the painting and place her hand on the wall.

After a short while, a door in the wall pushed open with a creak. There were cobwebs and dust clouds on the entrance.

”Let us go.”

”No, I should stay,” Aunt Biyu said, ”if someone comes I will give them an excuse.”

Leaving Aunt Biyu behind, XieRong and the rest made their way to the room.

The room smelled old and dusty just like staircase leading to it, but it was a huge dome shaped structure unlike the narrow staircase through which XieRong's uncle had struggled struggled through because of his broad and tall built.

The room was circular with two stands placed side by side at it's center.

In one were kept eight floating white jade pieces, and in the other was a floating black boulder.

”The stand to the right with the floating white jade pieces is where you will check which and what kind of spirit roots you have. Under each jade piece is the colour and symbol of the element it represents. I think you know this but I'll tell you anyways, there are five basic elements: Fire, Water, Wood, Wind and Earth, and two rare elements: Ice and Lighting. The colours for them are red, blue, green, brown, indigo and black, respectively.

”As soon as you place our hand on the jade globe in the middle, some of the eight pieces will rise. Those are the elements you possess. The jade pieces will also change colour if your spirit root can be cultivated. There are eight colours; red, yellow, orange, green, blue, indigo, violet and transparent, with red being the weakest and transparent being the strongest.

”The second stand is for checking the strength of the mind. If your mind strength is powerful then you have can check presences for long distances, find hidden presences easily, and exert more pressure on people using qi. When you touch the black stone you must concentrate and exert your presence on it which will cause it to change into the seven colours, again, red being the weakest and violet the strongest,” her aunt explained, motioning each of them to a stand.

”Jie, you go first. I'll check my mind strength after you have checked your spirit roots.”

XieRong went to the first stand and placed her hand on the globe. She closed her eyes and hoped for the best. She knew that she would try and become stronger no matter what kind of spirit root the heavens gave her, after all, strength was not limited to talent, just influenced by it. If there was no will to become stronger, or no determination to put in hard work then even the best of talents could be considered to be waste.

The five jade pieces of the basic elements quickly rose and started to change colour, red, blue, violet. Then they finally turned transparent.

Chin HuiLiang and Guo ZiHao watched in wonderment as the remaining two jade pieces also rose and slowly turned transparent.

”Jie! Open your eyes, look!”

XieRong opened her eyes and looked up in amazement. All eight jade pieces had turned transparent and were hovering over the stand.

She let out a small squeal of happiness.

”FeiHong, your Jie isn't a waste! I'm not trash!”

Waste? Trash? If this girl was trash then were the rest of them to be considered pig manure?

XieRong moved her hand away, still feeling giddy from happiness. The heavens had not failed her.

”Now it's your turn FeiHong. Make your Jie proud.”

XieRong saw her sister close her eyes and place her hand on the stone. The colour rose slowly.

HuiLiang and ZiHao watched in horror as the black stone turned purple then black again, cracked in half and fell to the ground.