"Nephew Gu, this is a good start, hopefully, more promising youngsters will follow!" Junior Master Zhao seemed to be in good spirits.

    "That''s all thanks to the good fortune shining upon you, Uncle!" Gu Jia said, complimenting with a smile.

    His gaze upon Li Shiming was also full of satisfaction, he hadn''t expected Li Shiming to possess the talent of single or dual spirit roots, as such talents were exceedingly rare.

    Overall, Li Shiming''s talent was acceptable, meeting the criteria for joining the Sky Sea Sect, and there was no need to call upon Junior Master Cui''s influence.

    "Li Shiming, you will be managing affairs with those two, with your strength, you are more than capable of overawing the newcomers!" Junior Master Zhao instructed Li Shiming.

    "Yes, senior!" Li Shiming bowed in response.

    "Change your address to Junior Master; after you join the sect, you will soon be transferred to an official disciple!" After arranging Li Shiming''s work, Junior Master Zhao''s attitude towards him softened considerably.

    "Thank you, Junior Master!" Li Shiming bowed again.

    He made his way to the two cultivators, who, pleased to have someone to assist them, nodded with a smile.

    "Li Shiming, let the next one in!" Junior Master Zhao quickly tasked Li Shiming with another command.

    Li Shiming stepped out of the Praying Hall, and the gazes of hundreds of young men and women fell upon him, besides the soldiers of the New Guard Army.

    He was the first to enter. Those unclear about the details wanted to know what had happened, and those aware of the Ascension Conference wondered if he had passed.

    "The first one in line, come in!" Li Shiming ignored those gazes and addressed the youth wearing the Four-Clawed Golden Dragon garment at the forefront.

    The youth''s eyes flashed with an indescribable expression. He walked briskly up the steps and gave Li Shiming a scrutinizing look before entering the Praying Hall.

    Li Shiming had no inclination to guess the youth''s thoughts; he followed him back into the Praying Hall.

    Without any idle talk, Junior Master Zhao didn''t even utter a word before the cultivator beside him motioned for the youth to place his hand on the Spirit Testing Wall.

    "Age, fifteen years and five months, Four Spirit Roots of water, fire, earth, and wood!" The cultivator declared, checking the height of the four light pillars before adding, "The quality of the spirit roots meets the standard, test passed!"

    A look of wild joy appeared on the youth''s face, but he quickly concealed it, adopting an arrogant demeanor instead.

    "Next!" the cultivator addressed Li Shiming.

    Just as Li Shiming was about to follow Junior Master Zhao out of the Praying Hall, several figures appeared outside.

    "Greetings to Mr. Zhao. This year''s prospects are plentiful, it seems that the Sky Sea Sect is expecting another bountiful harvest!" said one cultivator with a smile while greeting Junior Master Zhao.

    The sudden appearance of several cultivators made Li Shiming tense up for a moment, but seeing that these cultivators didn''t seem to be foes, he then relaxed.

    When these cultivators looked at Li Shiming and the other four young men and women, the eagerness in their eyes made him feel that if Junior Master Zhao hadn''t been there, these cultivators might have tried to snatch them away.

    "The remaining eight all have spirit root seeds. With proper cultivation, perhaps some will turn out well!" Junior Master Zhao nodded in response.

    Hearing about the other eight with spirit root seeds, the cultivators lost interest in speaking further with Junior Master Zhao and headed into the Praying Hall.

    Fearing they would miss out to other cultivators, the youths with spirit roots could learn the various arts of cultivation, and at the very least, they could be valuable labor in the cultivation world.

    "These are the smaller sects dependent on our sect. They control very little in the realm of mortals, so they need to supplement their reserve of those with spirit root seeds!" Senior Brother Ma whispered an explanation to Li Shiming.

    Li Shiming couldn''t help but feel fortunate that joining a great sect like the Sky Sea Sect was far superior to the smaller ones. Considering how the minor sects were taking in those with spirit root seeds whom the Sky Sea Sect didn''t want, it was evident how scarce their talent was.

    Outside the Praying Hall, the chosen youths were already sent away, returning to their normal lives.

    Perhaps many of them did not realize that they were merely a step away from the world of cultivation, just missing the chance to step into an even higher world.

    With a wave of his hand from Junior Master Zhao, Li Shiming felt his body lighten, and a soft surge of spiritual energy lifted him off the ground, making him ascend.

    After passing through a barrier, he saw a Flying Boat appearing before him.

    The Flying Boat, around twenty meters in length, had a two-story pavilion with carved beams and painted rafters on the deck. At each corner of the pavilion hung a palace lantern.

    Once they landed on the deck, he noticed the deck flickered with spiritual light; the deck was actually made from cultivation materials.

    He began to reassess the Flying Boat, struggling to imagine how many cultivation materials would be needed to construct such a vessel.

    The doors to the two-story pavilion opened, and Junior Master Zhao entered first.

    "Everyone come in. Don''t go to the second floor; just stay on the first. The second floor is Junior Master Zhao''s resting area," Senior Brother Ma told the group.

    Walking through the door, Li Shiming first felt an intense spiritual energy, even more concentrated than when he used the Gathering Spirit Plate.