Grace Brooks silently counted the remaining steps in her heart. Just as her strength was about to give out and she was about to collapse, she finally saw the scenery at the mountaintop, and a radiant smile blossomed on her deathly pale face.

"Congratulations, you are the first to climb the Azure Cloud Steps." The sword sect woman in a white dress said with a gentle smile, reaching out to pull her up.

"There is still an hour before the spiritual root test begins. You can rest for a while over there."

Grace Brooks nodded, found an inconspicuous spot, sat down cross-legged to regulate her breathing, and took the opportunity to secretly observe the sword sect disciples.

The wind and snow on the mountain were fierce, but every disciple stood as straight as a pine, their white robes fluttering, long swords at their waists, looking elegant and otherworldly.

Grace Brooks looked down at her own red robe, her beautiful brows furrowing. Would she have to wear this plain white attire in the future too?

As for whether she could join the sword sect, that was never a question Grace Brooks needed to worry about.

She wasn't surprised to see the second person reach the top.

It was the one who had been beside Henry Carter earlier, dressed in white and blending in among the sword sect disciples. If you didn't look closely, he really could have passed for one of them.

He weaved through the sword sect disciples and came to sit cross-legged two feet away from Grace Brooks, flashing eight white teeth in a harmless smile.

"Miss Brooks, you are amazing, the first to reach the summit among so many people!"

He was utterly sincere, even giving her a big thumbs-up in admiration.

If he knew that Grace Brooks had entered the Azure Cloud Steps half an hour later than everyone else, he would have been even more astonished.

Grace Brooks turned her head away, ignoring his attentiveness.

The young man wasn't annoyed and continued talking to himself, "I am Olivia Foster. If all goes well, we will be fellow disciples in the future."

Olivia Foster's words finally made Grace Brooks glance at him a couple more times.

So confident—was he certain he would pass the spiritual root test?

No, maybe he had already tested his spiritual root in advance, just like Henry Carter.

Families like theirs always test spiritual roots ahead of time. Even Grace Brooks wasn't surprised, but no matter how she looked at Olivia Foster, he didn't seem like someone from a prominent family.

"What kind of spiritual root do you have?" Grace Brooks asked.

Olivia Foster was taken aback, then chuckled lightly, "I truly don't know what kind of spiritual root I have. You'll find out after the test, miss."

Hearing this, Grace Brooks fell silent again, not really believing Olivia Foster's words.

If Olivia Foster didn't know whether he had a spiritual root, how could he be so sure they would become fellow disciples?

Was it just his mysterious confidence?

Sensing Grace Brooks's attitude turn cold again, Olivia Foster understood—she probably thought he was lying to her on purpose.

In fact, he really didn't know what kind of spiritual root he had; he just had a feeling he was destined for Zhen Mountain and the sword sect.

Chapter Two: Spiritual Root Test

More and more people climbed the Azure Cloud Steps, but Grace Brooks still hadn't seen Henry Carter. She couldn't help but sneer—she knew it, how could a pampered young master like Henry Carter possibly endure the hardships of cultivation?

"Time is almost up. There shouldn't be anyone else climbing the Azure Cloud Steps." The disciple holding the roster made a mark and was about to put down his pen.

"Wait, there's me!" A head popped up from below the stone steps, scrambling up with both hands and feet, gasping for breath.

The sword sect disciple was startled. Seeing that there was still a bit of incense left unburned, this person had made it within the allotted time, so he quickly took out his pen to record, "What's your name?"

"Henry Carter, Henry Carter, my name is Henry Carter." Henry Carter panted, repeating his name three times, afraid the person in front of him hadn't heard clearly and would forget to write him down.

"And... and me..." A very weak voice came from below the steps, and soon, a thin, sallow-faced little girl climbed up.

She rubbed her red, frozen hands and asked timidly, "Did I make it up within the allotted time?"

The sword sect disciple in charge of the roster twitched his mouth. He had thought Henry Carter was already pitiful enough, but hadn't expected someone even more bedraggled.

He took a deep breath, raised his pen, and looked at her. "The incense hasn't burned out yet, so of course you passed."

A shy smile appeared on the little girl's dirty face as she spoke softly, "My name is Ethan Clark."

"Your surname is Fu?"

To think she shared a surname with the little junior sister—quite rare on Zhen Mountain. He just wondered about her aptitude.

The little girl, hearing him ask about her surname, thought he hadn't heard clearly and nodded earnestly.

So he waved his hand and wrote the two characters 符芋 in the roster.

"Alright, everyone's recorded. Go line up for the spiritual root test."

Ethan Clark timidly followed behind Henry Carter. Since they were the last to climb the Azure Cloud Steps, they were also the last to take the spiritual root test, lining up at the end of the long queue.

Everyone couldn't help but look at the black stone on the platform. Their earlier exhaustion had vanished, replaced only by anticipation, nervousness, and excitement.

"So this is the spiritual root testing stone—it's huge! The one they used in the village before was only the size of a palm! The great sects really are impressive!"

"Coming to the sword sect this time was worth it—what an eye-opener!"

People whispered among themselves, and the sword sect disciples didn't stop them. When they had first come to the sword sect, they had been excited too.

Once they joined the sect, they'd get used to it.