The name called next was Lyra.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward and disappeared through the large wooden doors. The quiet murmurs outside faded behind her as the chamber sealed shut.
Inside, the testing room remained unchanged—ethereal runes pulsing softly across the circular walls, the massive crystal lotus hovering in stillness above the basin of spirit water. The air was silent but thick, as if waiting for something extraordinary.
The examiner, still and composed, gave a slight nod and gestured for her to step forward. As Lyra approached the crystal, her eyes remained calm and unreadable.
The moment her palm touched the lotus, the temperature in the room dropped.
A deep vibration echoed from the walls, and the runes around the chamber surged with radiant gold and silver light, then broke into a pattern of chaotic shifting hues—colors that didn't belong to any known spectrum. The spirit water rippled violently before glowing in twin streams of blue and violet, rising into the air and coiling around the crystal in spirals.
The examiner's composure shattered for the first time.
"What…?" he whispered, taking a single step forward. He had seen this phenomenon only once before—when Katie, the Patriarch's granddaughter, underwent the test.
Back then, he had sworn to the Patriarch, "Only she has shown a grade beyond Heaven. Such a thing cannot happen again in our generation. It's nearly impossible to find another like her."
And yet, here it was. Again.
Still stunned, he asked quietly, "What grade is your spirit root?"
Although the artifact could detect spirit roots above Heaven, it was incapable of labeling them precisely. The true classification still had to be confirmed by the disciple themselves.
Lyra looked him straight in the eyes. "Legendary."
There was no hesitation, no arrogance—just truth.
The examiner's brows furrowed as he analyzed her expression. A lifetime of reading cultivators told him she wasn't lying.
He exhaled slowly. "Understood. You may proceed to the next area."
Just as she turned to leave, he added in a more serious tone, "Tell the others your rank is Heaven. Nothing more."
Lyra paused, nodded once in silent agreement, and disappeared through the exit.
Back outside, Theos and Xiphos stood near the outer plaza wall, speaking softly.
"It's taking longer than usual for some of them," Theos remarked, watching the closed doors.
"Maybe the artifact's just fussy today," Xiphos replied, his tone unreadable as always.
Just then, a voice rang out.
"Xiphos Windslayer."
He gave a nod and walked calmly toward the door, each step firm and measured. As he entered the testing chamber, the examiner looked up and immediately felt a shift in presence.
'Sharp aura,' he thought. 'This one's a sword cultivator… and a damn refined one at that.'
The examiner gave an approving nod and gestured for the boy to step forward.
As Xiphos placed his hand on the crystal, the chamber once again changed. The runes blazed, brighter than ever, their sharp glow carving shadows across the floor. The spirit water leapt upward in jagged arcs of radiant white and silver. The lotus trembled.
Not again.
The examiner's breath caught in his throat. 'First Katie… then Lyra… and now this?'
For the third time, the artifact had reacted in a way it was never supposed to. Three cultivators—each with a spirit root rank higher than Heaven—had appeared within the span of a single generation, which had never been seen before even once.
His voice was slightly more tense now. "Your spirit root grade?"
Xiphos answered plainly. "Mythical."
The examiner froze. The word echoed in his mind like a thunderclap.
Mythical.
His eyes widened as realization crashed down upon him. That was the same rank Katie had quietly confessed to the Patriarch—the very reason the entire spirit root testing process had changed.
He had convinced himself it was a one-in-a-million event. That no one else would ever reach that level again.
Yet here stood a second one.
He clenched his jaw, hiding his astonishment as best he could. If this had been any other situation, he might have questioned it. But the artifact had never responded falsely. And Xiphos's presence, sharp and composed, only reinforced the truth.
Slowly, the examiner exhaled. He stared at Xiphos for a long moment, then finally nodded. "You may proceed. But like the others… tell everyone your rank is Heaven. Never let anyone else know the truth."
Xiphos nodded wordlessly and walked through the exit.
The room fell into silence once more.
The examiner stood there, motionless, staring at the lotus that still shimmered faintly.
"What the hell is going on…" he murmured.
He had come expecting the usual parade of Silver and Gold roots… maybe a Earth or Heaven once in a while. Heaven was rare enough to shake a room. But this?
This was something else entirely.
He exhaled deeply, collecting himself, and then looked down at the jade slip in his hand. With a dry throat, he called the next name.
"Theos Redheart."
Outside, Theos heard his name echo across the plaza. Without hesitation, he turned toward the now-familiar door and walked forward, each step calm but deliberate. As he passed the threshold, the door sealed shut behind him with a soft hum.
The moment Theos entered the chamber, the examiner's eyes widened.
He had seen countless disciples walk through those doors over the years, but this… this was different. Theos's body radiated power—thick, potent, and ancient. It wasn't just spirit energy. His physical presence alone crackled with pressure.
'That strength… it's overflowing from his bones,' the examiner thought, eyes narrowing. 'He's not in the Muscle Forging Realm… yet his power is above it. His body has definitely gone through Bone Forging multiple times. But even so, it shouldn't be possible to reach this level of strength without stepping into Muscle forging.'
He clenched his fists at his sides. 'What the hell is going on today? One freak after another. First Lyra, then Xiphos… now this.'
He took a breath and regained his composure, his tone returning to professional calm. "Step forward. Place your palm on the lotus crystal, and remain still until it completes the assessment."
Theos approached silently and placed his hand on the glowing lotus.
In that moment, the chamber groaned as if the very walls were responding. The runes erupted in a frenzy of color—gold, violet, crimson, and silver—until the light swirled together into something darker, more primal. The spirit water began to bubble violently, then turned deep purple, rippling as if stirred by an unseen force.
A sound like cracking ice echoed through the room. A fissure appeared on one petal of the crystal. The examiner's heart leapt into his throat.
"No… that's not…"
The dark purple deepened to obsidian. Black veins raced across the surface of the lotus like lightning until a flash of brilliant, blinding white surged from its core—and the crystal shattered.
Shards of translucent lotus light scattered into the air and disintegrated into fine motes, slowly vanishing into the swirling water and runes.
The room went still.
The examiner stood frozen, staring at the empty pedestal where the crystal once floated.
"Spirit roots are on clearance sale now?" he muttered under his breath, voice caught between awe and panic. "What in the name of the heavens is happening…"